How to choose the flooring that best suits your needs: analysis types, methods of installation, size and thickness planks, variety finishes
The parquet has become all the houses in a very important piece of furniture. Its presence in the rooms makes them warmer, providing a feeling of preciousness and luxury. In recent years the parquet market has evolved a lot and all the manufacturers have churned out new types and characters.
Today the choice of flooring because of the large number of varieties and types purchaser requires greater attention and information. In this small guide will try to help those who have to buy the new floors for your home to orientate better.
There are various types of flooring, the main ones are solid and multilayer
Massif
It is carved from a single block of wood. The thickness of the planks is smooth and steady.
If purchased crude after the posing will then finished by smoothing the surface and applying the finish paint or oil. If it is purchased pre-finished after the posing no longer be executed no finishing work.
Multilayer
The structure of the planks is laminated layers. The top layer is composed of solid wood, the other layers glued together consist of woody material. The multi-layer parquet is usually sold pre-finished.
Important to check before buying the floors, the existence of the CE mark.
Since 2010 there is an obligation of CE marking for the wood flooring. The presence of the CE mark guarantees that the parquet which we bought has low formaldehyde emission (substance with proven toxic characteristics).
When choosing and purchasing a parquet is important to assess:
- Thickness
- Size
- Finishing
- Type of installation
Thickness of floors
Fundamental and important the choice of the thickness of the wood, which varies in function of the various combinations. In the case of renovations, if the parquet must be used with a floor made tile (kitchen, bathroom), the thickness of the flooring must be equal to the thickness of the tiles used. Usually the thickness of the tiles is 10 millimeters and the thickness of the wooden slats should be 10 millimeters. If you decide to put down a thick upper floors, laying out you have to add a "come down" a connection between the floor tiles and the wooden floors. When the floor is being used in new homes, or in any case where it is possible to redo the screed, the choice of the thickness is no longer binding.
Size strips to be used
In smaller environments (40/60 sqm) where a room does not exceed 15/20 square meters is convenient to use strips of relatively small size. In a furnished room, of this magnitude, the visible surface of hardwood flooring is very little. In this case, the use of panels of large dimensions is not a convenient option, as the price of the parquet increases with the size of the strips, or a choice linked to the best aesthetic solution, since the planks of parquet in some parties would be only partially visible because covered by the furniture of furniture.
Finishing the floors
The choice of hardwood floor finish is important. The types of finishes on wood floors are made to paint or oil.
Paint finish
Suitable for kitchens and bathrooms.
The parquet finished paint is easy to clean, if they fall on the floor drops of water or juice, do not remain after cleaning marks. But be careful with the moving of furniture, if they remain the strips you can only raise with a new sanding.
Oil Finish
The use of an oil finish gives the floors a warm and shiny. Any streaks left by moving furniture can be raised easily spreading the oil recovery. Same goes for the halos remaining on the boards after cleaning of splashes of sauce, etc., are raised simply stretching out on the floor oil recovery. To maintain the effect of hot and shiny parquet is advisable, as action Maintenance, every year and a half lay the oil recovery over the entire surface of the planks.
For those who want to keep the practicality of the paint finish but believes that the appearance of the wood is warm and alive an important element for sure, the best choice is to opt for a finish called "oil paint effect."
Type of laying
The installation techniques most commonly used are four:
- Nailed
- Glued
- Floating with glue
- Free float
Nailed
And 'the most complex and costly. The boards are secured with nails on wooden slats arranged (joists) embedded in the screed. It 'a long and delicate, for this type of installation to rely solely on highly skilled professionals.
Glued
Most popular method. Is spread the glue on the subfloor or floor and then you have the planks.
With glue or free floating
Between the substrate and the flooring is laid a coating (consisting of polyethylene sheet and a panel of cork or wood fiber) is then posed the interlocking flooring. Is added to the sides of a layer of glue to stabilize the pose. The escape from the perimeter leave is proportional to the size of the room.
15/04/2012
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Translated via software
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Source:
Italian version of ReteIngegneri.it