Which parquet to choose?
Choosing a flooring is always tricky. Indeed, in addition to its beautiful appearance, the material should have a number of other properties. For example, to be durable, pleasant to the touch, environmentally friendly and non-allergenic. One of the floor coverings that meets these parameters is parquet. Today we decided to figure out what it is and how to choose it correctly.
Parquet types
Parquet floor
There are four main types of parquet in total. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages:
• Block parquet. Planks of various shapes and sizes with slots for fastening and ridges. Among its advantages: rich design variety, easy replacement of planks (if necessary). The disadvantages include: high cost, instability to moisture, the need for additional processing (varnishing, grinding).
Block parquet
• Parquet board. It consists of three layers, two basic ones are made of coniferous wood, the third top layer is made of valuable wood species. Parquet board is cheaper than block parquet. It is already ready for styling and does not require processing. It is not resistant to moisture and can deform from a large amount of moisture. Another drawback is the poor choice of colors..
Parquet board
• Massive board. Solid wood covering. It is much thicker than parquet and cheaper than block parquet. It is easy to lay it down, take care of it. The massive board is not glued, so it is environmentally friendly and has a rich color palette.
Solid board
• Terrace board. Temperature and moisture resistant coating, which is most often used on open terraces or in saunas.
Terrace board
Wood selection
Most often, ash is chosen for flooring in an apartment. It is very practical and flexible, so it almost never cracks. It has a pronounced texture, and the color gamut can range from almost white to light pink and even brown..
Ash parquet
The strongest and most durable are oak, maple, cherry and walnut. Each of them has a beautiful texture as well as pleasant shades. For example, maple has an interesting cream color, while cherries boast a pleasant coffee range. Less often beech is laid, it is quite beautiful, but at the same time it is not resistant to temperature extremes and high humidity. It is recommended for use in the interior of children’s rooms..
Cherry parquet
General buying advice:
• Good and high quality flooring has an appropriate price.
• Before you buy parquet, you need to take a good look at it. Boards must be free of cracks, deformations, voids, staples or glue residues. If any, the parquet is of poor quality.
• It is worth assessing the durability of the parquet by its top layer: the thicker it is, the better.
• High-quality parquet only smells like wood and has a pleasant aroma.
• When choosing parquet, special attention should be paid to its environmental friendliness. To do this, you need to contact consultants and ask them for quality certificates, read the composition of the parquet and make sure that there are no harmful substances, for example, formaldehyde or resins in it..
Beautiful and high quality parquet
Parquet is rarely chosen for bathrooms and toilets, but today the wooden floor is treated with special solutions that do not allow moisture to pass through. About this and much more our review “Bathroom floor: the pros and cons of popular coatings”.
