Laying natural parquet:
Before installing the natural parquet, it is good to let it stand between 10 and 14 days in the room where it will be arranged. The floor where you will lay the parquet must be a flat and hard surface, without cracks. If you have made a screed, the necessary time for the screed to dry must pass so that the parquet does not swell after its installation. Depending on the size of the room and the desired effect, the size of the parquet floors is selected – usually smaller parquet floors are preferred for small rooms, and larger ones for larger ones. Parquet installation is carried out by layering, gluing, combined – gluing and layering, as well as by forging. The classic ways of arranging the parquet are herringbone, diagonal, diagonal herringbone, etc.
The cycling:
Cycling is necessary to renovate the natural parquet. In this way, unevenness is leveled and the top layer of varnish, bezier or other coatings is cleaned. The first stage is sanding with coarse sandpaper, then sanding with finer sandpaper. These stages are different depending on the contamination of the parquet until the desired result is achieved. Cycling used to be a rather unpleasant process, but is now done with special dust-free machines that minimize the scattering of dust in process compartments. The cycle is a prerequisite for the good appearance of the parquet after it has been varnished.
Parquet varnishing:
Varnishing is done to protect the wood, to emphasize its beauty. Before applying the final finish – varnish, the parquet can be colored. The varnish can be glossy, matte or satin. Varnishes are based on different bases, and each has its own advantages. The layers of varnish that are applied depend on the type of wood the parquet is made of and the type of room where the parquet is. If it is in an office or where there is heavy traffic, then it is advisable to apply three layers of varnish, depending on how hard the wood of the parquet is. When the last coat of varnish is applied, the room needs to be used only after two days.
Kinds:
Natural parquet is made from different types of wood. The most popular in our country are beech, oak, ash, acacia, walnut parquets. Sometimes the parquet or floor is made of pine, but this is too unstable a wood for the purpose.
Oak – oak wood has very good qualities, as it has a high content of tanning substances. It also dries and swells moderately, splits easily, lends itself to staining, but is not suitable for gloss varnish because it has large pores. Of this species, cer, blagun, winter oak (gorun, sladun), summer oak are found in Bulgaria. The wood has a yellowish sapwood and a dark brown core.
Beech – this is the most common tree species in our country. Healthy wood has no core. Beech wood lives a long time after felling because it has a high content of protoplasm and cell sap. This is why it rots and distorts. After the technological process of scalding was introduced in the woodworking and furniture industry, beech wood found wide application. Steamed beech wood has a light red color, does not wash, can be stained, polished and painted, which explains its wide use.
Yasen – in our country common mountain ash, sycamore and field ash are common. Ash wood forms a core only after 50 years. It is yellow-white to red-white in color. Ash wood has very good qualities – strength, hardness and elasticity.
Acacia is resistant to low and high temperatures and tolerates polluted air. It grows very quickly and produces shoots if cut. Its wood rots slowly.
Walnut grows on dry, calcareous, sandy soils. Its wood has a dull brown to red-brown heartwood and gray-white or cream-colored sapwood. Walnut wood is very valuable – it splits easily, is hard, works well and is beautiful when stained or polished.
Natural three-layer parquet:
Three-layer parquet consists of several layers of different wood. The top layer is made of high-quality wood and is up to 6 mm thick. The next layer is lower-quality wood that is cross-glued so as to make the parquet structure more resistant to deformation, and at the bottom there is a layer of softwood veneer. This type of parquet has good strength and is subject to several renovations – it can be cycled up to three times.
Laminate:
Laminated parquets are of 3 main types – chipboard, MDF and MDF. Laminate flooring is most often made of 4 layers. The first layer ensures wear resistance and is made of corundum. This material guarantees the quality and wear resistance of the laminate flooring. The second layer is decorative with a computer image of the simulated wood. The wood is treated with melamine so that the wear-resistant and core layer can adhere after applying strong pressure. Next is the third layer, also called heart-shaped. It is a waterproof HDF board and is the main factor in the durability of the product. The fourth layer is called stabilizing, it is made of wood and absorbs fluctuations during bending. It provides moisture resistance. Laminate classes are divided into abrasiveness class (AC) and impact resistance class (IC). The shock resistance test has several stages – impact test, scratch resistance and drop ball damage. For domestic premises, the parquet class is 21, 22 or 23, and for public premises 31, 32, 33.
Installation of laminate flooring:
The laminate must remain in the room where it will be installed for at least one day. The base on which it will be placed must have the same qualities as natural parquet – flat, smooth, hard and without cracks. The maximum deviation permissible for the base is 2-3 mm. The doors in the room must be installed before laying the laminate. The laminate is installed on a substrate with a thickness of 2-3 mm. We use porous nylon. The purpose of the underlay is to compensate for the unevenness of the floor. There are also pads for additional noise protection.
