Parquet flooring

mobel 4. March 2019 Flooring 999 Views

Parquet is a popular floor covering, the shades and patterns created by the arrangement of the wood elements make each parquet floor unique. But because it not only convinces in its appearance, but also exudes cosiness, parquet flooring is popular, especially in living rooms. The material used for the parquet is either solid hardwood or hardwood veneered softwood. In the period of industrialization during the 19th century, the parquet floor spread. Thanks to new laying techniques and improved adhesives, the wood elements could now be applied much faster, rod parquet was modern. In the 1950s, parquet flooring became the hard-wearing floorcovering found in many homes today.

Parquet is wood in thin layers

Each parquet floor can be categorized as a single-layer or multi-layer parquet. Single-layer parquet is made entirely of solid solid wood. In multi-layer parquet only the top layer of solid solid wood is made, under it are one or two more layers. The quality of the parquet floor depends on the thickness of the solid wood layer, when grinding a part of this layer is removed. A parquet with a thick layer of solid wood can therefore be renovated more frequently. To make blackboard or solid parquet, a few decades ago, many small wooden elements were arranged into patterns and individually attached to the floor with glue. Nowadays, this parquet, already glued on a firm surface, is commercially available and can be laid quickly. A well-known type of parquet is also the parquet layer, which consists of several layers and finishes with a thin cover layer, it can be sanded at most once.

By choosing the type of wood, the flooring becomes individual

Parquet flooring is also so popular because it is available in different types of wood and thus in any color shades, it can be selected individually according to the furnishings and the style of the apartment. The design of the surface is called sorting in a parquet. Most types of wood are suitable for the production of parquet floors. A popular dark wood is wenge, birch wood is often used for a particularly light parquet. The tropical wood Merbau, which is particularly hard, however, has a reddish tone. Because every parquet floor is unique due to the respective type of wood, the grain of the wood, the color scheme and the arrangement of the wooden elements, parquet is considered to be particularly representative.

Lay parquet in a variety of patterns

After the decision on the type of wood has been made, it is necessary to rethink the pattern of the parquet. Wood lovers can choose from a wide range of techniques to their own taste; in addition to classic laying patterns such as the herringbone parquet and the parquet, there are also rare patterns such as the Burgundy bandage to choose from.

Popular laying pattern of parquet:

herringbone
basketweave
rod pattern
English Association
Old German Association
shipdeck
board pattern
cassette

To obtain the respective pattern, the individual wood elements of the parquet are assembled according to certain techniques. Parquet is moved particularly quickly with a click system, alternatively it can be brought to the ground with a bung or via the joining of tongue and groove. Each wood element can be firmly fixed on the floor by means of glue. Time is saved in the floating installation, in which the wooden elements are connected only with each other and not with the ground. Because the wood of the parquet floor works, should be left to the wall about 1.5 centimeters. A parquet floor can be combined well with a floor heating, because the wood gives the heat ideal. A polyethylene film protects the wood from changes due to moisture. To dampen the sound of the steps, parquet should be laid in combination with footfall sound insulation.

A parquet floor protects the environment

Because parquet is made of wood, the origin of the wood should be considered when buying. Timber from sustainable forestry is being replaced by new wood, and lumbering is not a burden on the environment. Especially when using rare tropical woods, this criterion is important, the trees serve as a habitat for many species of animals. But parquet is not only an ecological floor covering due to the inexhaustible availability of raw materials. The production, processing and disposal of a parquet floor generates significantly less energy than other types of flooring, and the environmental protection of the parquet protects it from environmental damage. After disposal, the parquet floor can be further processed: Chipboard is produced from the individual wood elements or new energy is gained.

Seal for a long life

After installation, the parquet must be sealed to make the wood hard-wearing and durable. For sealing, you can choose between oil, wax, oil-wax combinations and paints. Oils impregnate the wood, but do not completely seal it. Moisture and dirt can get into the wood, whereby the oils are divided into hardening and non-hardening variants. Even wax can be used to seal the parquet floor. It is water and dirt repellent and protects the wood from wear. Cold and warm wax are available. Oil and wax can also be combined for the sealing of the parquet, the advantages of both methods are preserved. Because while the wax seals the surface, the oil gets into the pores of the wood. Oil resin seals are an alternative that is even more resistant, but also releases solvents into the room air. Water-based paints also protect the parquet flooring comprehensively and contain no solvents, so they are not flammable. If the floor is heavily used, however, polyurethane paints are recommended. After application, a closed film forms on the parquet, which has an outstanding resistance to mechanical influences. The wood becomes waterproof and sticky, but no longer regulates the moisture in the room. Parquet floors are particularly easy to clean. With the broom or vacuum cleaner can remove coarse dirt, occasionally with a slightly damp cloth fine dust is eliminated. Furniture should be provided with felt gliders to protect against scratch marks. At the front door stones and sand particles are stripped off on a mat.

Parquet is also popular in the bathroom

Another advantage of the parquet floor is the natural heat that radiates the wood. Even barefoot, the parquet feels pleasant and warm. Many wood lovers would like to take advantage of this feature and install a parquet floor in the bathroom. While this was hardly imaginable a few years ago, because the parquet tended to swell due to the constant influence of moisture and discolored on contact with water, today various parquet floors are also available that are ideally matched to the requirements of a bathroom. To install a parquet floor in the bathroom, a suitable wood species should be chosen first. Tropical woods such as merbau, doussie or teak naturally absorb only little moisture and are the right choice for the damp bathroom. When laying, make sure there are no joints and horizontal alignment, and any irregularities or tiny gaps between the wood elements can cause moisture to build up and attack the wood. Joints should also be compacted with putty. Even if the paint is particularly waterproof, moisture can penetrate the smallest cracks in the wood, so oil or wax is recommended for sealing in the bathroom. For a long life of the parquet, the seal should be renewed regularly and the floor dried after contact with moisture.