Selecting and laying parquet

Parquet used as a floor covering is not just for the sake of prestige and beauty. Parquet flooring is popular because of its environmental friendliness, good heat and sound insulation. Also attracts and the inimitable brilliance and naturalness of this flooring, even despite the considerable complexity of parquet. The variety of colors of wood, parquet ways can upload almost any designs and drawings. And, most importantly, with proper care hardwood floor will last a long time. Classification parquet Depending on the methods and parquet flooring materials used are divided into several types. By type of materials distinguish the following types: parquet - some strips of natural hardwood, parquet board - two or three-layered shield of wood covered with lacquer (top layer - always solid wood, the bottom - of softwood) laminate - parquet analogue board, except the top layer, which uses decorative film or paper, with the figure "under the tree" or other patterns; massive board - a board, made entirely from solid natural wood. Each of these wood flooring can be laid in various ways. Standard types of installation "Deck", "Christmas tree", "Square" are quite common. And can these types can be combined and stacked along the walls as well as a certain angle. But the originality of a room attached to a variety of artistic modes of presentation ("socket", "diamonds", "Star" and other ornaments). This article will devote the selection and installation is parquet, as one of the most durable. Parquet Parquet is a set of strips of solid wood of different species. The most commonly used wood for laying parquet include oak, ash, beech, maple, cherry, walnut, as well as such exotic species as dusiya, mahogany, wenge, merbau and even babmuk. Size bars ranges from 15 to 40 cm in length and from 3 to 9 cm in width. The thickness can vary from 1,5 to 2,2 cm size strips parquet is desirable to select the size, given the area of ??the premises. Too big bar will visually reduce the room, small - naoobrot. Also do not forget that the larger the beads, the smaller the number of connections, but the higher requirements for drying hardwood floors. In addition, the increase in size decreases the elasticity of straps. This turn requires the preparation of a perfectly flat surface for laying. Therefore, the optimal width for the parquet is 5 cm, if necessary large-size bar, better to choose a piece package with a cut on the inside - that makes them resistant to deformation. Choosing among the many products for laying parquet, especially pay attention to the quality of the straps. They should not be present knots, chips, cracks, especially the front side. Also of interest to the wear layer bars - from the surface of the front side to the elements of (ridge, groove). The thicker this layer, the more times parquet can be subjected to sanding after laying. In other words, the surface can be repeatedly renewed. It is worth noting that the wear layer parquet increased slightly compared with a total thickness of plates, but at the same time lose their elasticity. Therefore, here too it is necessary to choose an optimal variant. Qualitative parquet, not only that which is dried to 8% humidity. Important and drying time, the optimal value is considered a month or more. The fact is that if this period shall be reduced (and so doing to increase production), it is not in favor of quality products. You may not be called real numbers, but ask this question would be superfluous. Fixing the individual slats to each other when laying parquet by means of ridges and grooves. Crest - a protruding element of one of the slats, which is inserted in the groove (groove) adjacent slats. And the groove is slightly larger than the crest. The quality of these items check drank quite easily. Enough to try to collect the square of the four bars. Firstly, they should dock quite easily, and secondly - to form angles of 90 degrees with no gaps. It is also important to know that bars are sorted by color, direction of cut, and depending on the presence / absence of small knots, sapwood (youngest lighter part of the trunk, which has lower strength). Distinguish the following varieties: Radial - for this class are selected parquet strips, obtained by sawing wood perpendicular to the axis. They can be distinguished by straight lines on the entire plane. The color scheme monochromatic, no defects; Tangential - sort out bracket received cuts wood at an angle to the growth rings. Feature in a variety of wavy lines on the surface of the parquet. Defects are absent, the radial SELECT (or SELECT) - differs little from the radial curvature of the lines; Standard - parquet combines strips of the tangential and radial cuts, defects also otstutstvuyut; Natural - sort of saw cut is not done, a small percentage of the sapwood, there may be small knots, but not more than three on one plate; Rustic - differs from the natural presence of more sapwood, cracks and minor damages. Groove flooring grade is valued most for the strength of an order of magnitude higher than the other resistance to moisture. But with such a percentage of sawing planks produced only 15% of the total. For these reasons, the value of the radial parquet far exceeds the price of other varieties. Wood used for flooring from choice of wood depends largely on the life of parquet. Each species of wood has its hardness, resistance to moisture, has a way or another color scheme. Coniferous trees are not used in the manufacture of flooring because of its softness. Value for the manufacture of parquet has only softwood. Oak - a classic option, is valued as the best choice for its operating properties. Wood has a sufficient hardness, resistant to moisture. But that quality oak parquet was high, you must correctly drying, fast pace of its unacceptable. Parquet from oak wood has a beautiful figure, and a wide choice of shades of brown. But consider that during the operation oak flooring has the ability to darken. Beech - the second most popular after the oak tree. Beech wood has a hardness comparable to oak, but she was pleased capricious. Parquet wood that requires careful care, because there may be noticeable deformation under the influence of changes in temperature and humidity levels. The popularity of the same beech stems from the fact that the parquet of the tree looks soft and warm. Colour beech smooth, yellow or reddish tinge. Maple - wood, which also has a sufficient hardness. In some species, such as red maple, this figure is even higher than that of oak. By maple wood should also make heavy demands on the process of drying. Poorly dried maple parquet cho time can cause cracks. The color of maple hardwood floor at first almost white, but gradually becomes yellow. Cherry inherent hardness less than oak. But while it is easier to work as cherry wood is easier to process. Cherry - brown with shades of pink. Over time, parquet cherry darkens. Merbau is an exotic hard wood, grows in Southeast Asia. Parquet merbau little exposed to moisture, but the wood, because of the content of oily substances, with great difficulty being processed. Merbau has beautiful patterns in the context of a trunk, in the colors - all shades of brown. After the purchase of flooring it is necessary to bring into the room where you intend to blow, and let him lie down for a week. It is necessary to balance the humidity of parquet planks and indoor air, thus avoiding its deformation after installation. Parquet hardwood work quite long and laborious process. Before we proceed directly to the laying of the parquet floor level the surface. Its surface should be smooth without potholes and slopes. Depending on the method of alignment (or coupler lags), it can take from several days to several weeks. Only after the floor has been prepared, begin work on installation of parquet. The first plank plywood and parquet strips are glued on top. The time necessary for these hardwood work depends on the size of the planks parquet, the complexity of the figure, and, of course, the floor space. In the simplest version of the deck laying flooring in the two-bedroom apartment occupies an average week. After two or three days go to the next stage. Parquet grind for leveling and removing the audience in the process of laying dirt. Then you should zashpatlevat gaps between the slats. Even with perfect parquet laying small strips deformation occurs under the influence of moisture absorbed into the timber of glue. After re-grinding is carried out. When laying the flooring in the two-bedroom apartment on the grinding takes two to three days. At the end of parquet works carried out primer and varnish. The minimum required number of layers of varnish - or three, but for greater reliability, and sometimes use more levels of varnish. As a result, lacquer allowed to dry for a certain period of time (at least a week, depending on the properties of paint) and flooring ready. Leveling (screed, lag) If you do not want the life of flooring down, before laying the hardwood floor, you must first level the floor surface. This can be done in two ways: make a new cement screed, or by setting lags (boards of wood). From the flatness of the base directly affects the quality of laying parquet flooring. When aligning the surface with its minimum screed thickness should be 4 cm so that it can be securely anchors. If initially on the floor was attended by significant slopes, in places the thickness of the tie will be more. But the increase and the drying time, since the willingness chetyrehsantimetrovoy must wait two months. And with each additional centimeter increased waiting time for a week. Haste in this not on your nelly not allowed because the screed must be dried to the required moisture level of 3-4%. Otherwise, in advance laying flooring, you run the risk that the floor absorbs the excess moisture. As a result, it will lead to the fact that after a while flooring takes a wavy shape. Independently assess the coupler can be scratched on the surface of two intersecting lines - at the point of intersection of cement should not be very crumbly. And to make sure as you can smooth the surface, enough to put on the floor board the two-meter length - deviate from the tie in a couple of millimeters. In order that the floor was perfectly flat, often using self-leveling mixture. It is particularly important in the case of leveling laying parquet planks with large sizes, since after laying the bumps are more noticeable. If you big time parquet unacceptable, then we can go through the install log. As already mentioned, the lag is a board, not necessarily planed. The size will be sufficient to use the boards in widths from 8 to 10 cm in thickness from 2.5 to 4 cm, more importantly, dried to a residual moisture mene 20%. In any case, under the joists preferably underlay roofing felt to prevent them from rotting. Fasteners boards to the ground floor is carried on bolt racks. And then using them is adjustable in the vertical direction (if necessary they can raise or lower). One of the unacceptable errors when installing the lag - too much distance between them. Therefore, the boards are not worth saving, or parquet floor will inevitably sag. But the installation log does not take much time. In the standard two-bedroom apartment on this work will take no more than a day. Upon completion on the joists plank plywood sheets. Parquet Once the floor leveled, proceed directly to the laying of the parquet. Previously on the floor plank plywood, thus ensuring a high reliability design. Plank parquet glued to the plywood base. For greater strength, particularly at the time of the glue, with the ends of the slats nailed to the plywood. Itself plywood and glued and then nailed to the floor surface using dowels for mounting on the joists are more suitable screws (it is important that they do not pass through). To protect the flooring from moisture using water-resistant plywood sheets with a thickness of 1 to 2 cm, often cut into squares. In general, it is advisable to take the plywood to 5 mm thinner than the parquet itself. After the plywood flooring it when the need polishing, and only then you can start laying the parquet. Glue is applied to the surface of the plywood with a thin layer using special spatula, by which it is distributed evenly and in the required amount. Next, the additional hardware with nails, their number depends on the size of the plate. Laying parquet in the simplest version of "Deck" is carried out at 7-10 during the day. In other cases, a lot depends on the complexity of installation. The need to cut individual strips required form, would require several times longer, because all bars have to dock, leaving no gaps. Upon completion of the installation must be given time to dry the glue, it will take up to a week - it all depends on the properties of the adhesive composition. There may be a strain under the influence of moisture absorbed from the adhesive are removed by polishing the parquet. Sanding (sanding) parquet sanding (sanding) - a necessary process in laying the parquet. Its necessity caused by removal of the irregularities that occurred due to poorly fitted joints straps or as a result of deformation due to excessive humidity or most flooring. Also, grinding is carried out to remove dirt from the surface of the parquet, gathered in the process of laying. Held sanding parquet in two or three stages, with the help of grinders. The first one or two times needed to align the plane of the flooring, and one more sanding is required to remove the roughness left by the coarse grinding. And if at some earlier stages (leveling floor, flooring plywood, parquet laying) were admitted to the error, you need to file down parquet more times. That is, the wear layer parquet significantly reduced already during installation that will affect the future of its operational properties. It is therefore advisable to contact the firm, specializes in laying the parquet. After sanding and putty to all of the remaining gaps at expansion joints. After waiting for drying putty, necessarily requires more time to polish the parquet. The final stage of varnishing parquet - paint, the quality of its implementation depends largely on the life of flooring. Before proceeding with varnish, parquet flooring needs priming. The primer will prevent the absorption of the wood lacquer, which allows not only to reduce its use, but to protect the flooring from the action of the lacquer coating. Also before the varnish can be covered by flooring special stain to give the required shade under some of the precious wood. After that, immediately embarking on varnished parquet. Lacquer protects the flooring from moisture and helps protect against mechanical abrasion. Number of layers of lacquer coating may be from three to nine. A large number of layers of lacquer gives the parquet extra shine, creates a sense of the depth of the lacquer coating. But the price of parquet works is quite high. For every square meter of surface, on average consumed 0.3 kg of paint, plus the cost of the works themselves - as a result of parquet in the financial plan goes "gold." Each layer is preferably applied by roller, and after applying a varnish to give sufficient time to dry (as specified on the package, usually 24 hours). And not be amiss to leave the first layer more time to grasp. Ie