What is more expensive than parquet? Parquet or parquet boards: what to choose. Parquet board and laminate - obvious similarities

The question that everyone who wants to create a home faces cozy atmosphere- the question of choosing a floor covering: “parquet or parquet boards”? It is noted that these materials are the most popular floor coverings in the world. Arguing about which one is better is useless and mostly pointless. After all, both options have both pros and cons.

Parquet: everything you need to know

It is made from an array of valuable species of medium and high hardness (oak, wenge, hornbeam, larch, maple, ash, iroko, jatoba, etc.) Working thickness - 7 mm, plank width - 3-8 cm, length - 16-40 cm. Considered one of the most expensive materials, but with proper care can last for decades. If you decide not to save money and buy parquet, please note: luxurious look requires regular and careful care. Otherwise, the excellent coating will quickly become unusable.

By giving preference to parquet, you don’t have to limit your imagination. Properly combining wood different breeds, you can get interesting compositions. The dimensions of the planks should be selected in accordance with the dimensions of the room. So, for small rooms it is not advisable to use large rivets, because... they will visually reduce the area. Panels that are too large are also not recommended - under significant load they are easily deformed. And not everyone can lay them down perfectly.

The choice of piece parquet should be taken seriously. Inspect the material carefully. There should be no chips, knots or cracks on it. The percentage of humidity should not exceed 8% - this is a defining indicator of high-quality products. If we talk about the advantages, then parquet has a lot of them:

• durability (service life can reach up to 100 years);
• the ability to choose varnish and change the color of the floor;
• surface uniformity;
• variety of styling types;
• presentable appearance;
• environmental friendliness;
• possibility of carrying out restoration work.

Of the minuses it is worth noting high cost, demands on the rough base (it must be perfectly smooth), sensitivity to final processing (varnishes and primers can change color), difficulty of maintenance. However, the listed disadvantages do not detract from the advantages. Parquet is very popular because it is beautiful and durable.

Parquet board: material features

Parquet board consists of several layers:

• top (valuable wood);
• medium (resinous veneer), protecting against excess moisture;
• bottom (spruce or pine plywood).

The thickness of the top layer is 0.5-6 mm. The total thickness of the “pie” is 7-22 mm. Length - 2-2.5 m, width - 15-20 cm. The parquet board is impregnated with a special mixture of wax, natural resin and oil. This emphasizes texture and color.

Now about the benefits. Parquet boards are different:

• reasonable cost;
• undemanding to the preparation of the subfloor;
• ease of installation;
• high laying speed;
• ease of maintaining its original appearance;
• good sound and heat insulation properties.

The disadvantages include the impossibility of restoration in case of leakage (parquet boards cannot withstand high humidity), a small selection of colors and textures, monotony of masonry, because... The direction of the dies during installation is one-sided. The service life is, of course, lower compared to block parquet. On average, a parquet board can last 15-20 years.

Indoor floors can be covered in different ways. When there is no wood, available clay, polished stone, concrete and other materials are used. In Russia, the choice is clear - wood. The choice of options is quite extensive.

Of course, you can stay with regular linoleum. This floor is easy to clean and even easier to sweep and vacuum. The coating will last quite a long time. Only during its entire service life, linoleum emits many different gases, some of which are harmful to people and animals.

Others choose carpet for covering. Yes it good decision. The floor turns out to be soft, children like to play on it, adults also like to lie on such a surface. Using a vacuum cleaner can keep your carpet clean. Modern cleaning materials will allow you to remove even very stubborn stains.

Still others prefer tile flooring. This is a good natural material, it is environmentally friendly. Keeping it clean is not difficult at all. However, you should not use tiles where people have to spend a lot of time. It is especially strange to see it in the bedroom or children's room.

Laminate – a good choice. It imitates natural wood, the floor looks like solid wood or piece parquet. IN last years Many people opt for laminate. It looks similar to parquet, but is much cheaper.

Solid planks or parquet boards will be a good decision for covering the floor in an apartment or private house.

Solid wood floor

Characteristics of a floor made of solid boards and features of its design

For a regular board or parquet, the following can be noted:

• both coatings are natural natural material, characterized by environmental friendliness;
• externally, parquet or solid boards are similar to each other - they are plates of a given size;
• the boards have a natural, original texture that is not repeated on other elements;
• Cleaning the outer surface of the coating from dirt is achieved by wet and dry cleaning.

These characteristics are characteristic of both solid and parquet boards. But these coatings also have certain differences.

Features of solid wood boards

Solid board has certain advantages:

• the array consists entirely of natural wood, so there are no harmful emissions;
• in a residential building, the board lasts for at least seventy years, often much longer;
• during repairs, the same board plates can be used repeatedly;
• The thermal conductivity of wood is low, so this coating insulates the floor well; many people prefer to walk on it barefoot, which is good for health;
• The design on each board is original, it is not repeated on others.

Except positive properties, there are also negative ones. But they are not critical:

• in a room with a solid wood floor, the relative humidity must be maintained at 40...65%, otherwise the coating will warp; in the summer it is usually moistened, and in the winter it dries out. To prevent cracking of the plates, grooves are milled on the bottom surface; they allow the boards to partially deform without changing the geometry on the surface;
• The array should be laid on a special covering and each board should be tightened, eliminating gaps as much as possible.

Features of solid wood flooring

1. On concrete floor arrange a leveling screed. Be sure to control the horizontalness of the resulting sub-base.
2. A primer is applied to activate the adhesive properties of the adhesive materials.
3. A plywood base is laid on the glue; its thickness must be at least 12 mm.
4. To strengthen the fastening of the plywood and level it during installation, dowels are used, and self-tapping screws are screwed into them. A rigid base is formed.
5. Flatness must be checked; a rule is used for this. It is applied lengthwise, across, and then diagonally. By screwing in or loosening the screws, a flat surface is achieved.
6. Along the way, control the horizontal laying of the base with a level.
7. The installation of the array begins by retreating from the wall about 20 mm. A self-tapping screw is screwed into the ridge; it will fix the position of the plate.
8. Each subsequent board is tightened to the previous one using staples.
9. After laying the covering array, baseboards are nailed around the perimeter.
10. To give the floor a natural look, it is varnished.

If flooring is being laid in a private house on the ground floor, then it must be insulated.

1. A subfloor is formed, hemmed to the joists from below.
2. A layer of vapor barrier is laid over the subfloor.
3. Higher between the joists they lay out thermal insulation mats. The best characteristics have mats made of basalt fiber.
4. Then a second layer of vapor barrier is laid.
5. A plywood base will give the floor the necessary rigidity.
6. Then the array is laid.
7. Finishes the work with protective clear varnish.

Characteristics of parquet flooring and its structure

Features of parquet boards

The parquet board has more complex device than a solid board. It differs in structure: there are three layers located perpendicular to each other. The lower layers of parquet use inexpensive spruce or pine boards. Surface layer made from valuable wood varieties characterized by high hardness.

Interesting fact! Modern technologies increasing the strength of wood for parquet, achieving high hardness on traditionally soft wood with an attractive texture. To do this, soft wood is impregnated. epoxy resins at high temperature and under high pressure. As a result, even linden acquires the hardness of birch and higher, which makes it possible to use soft wood in parquet.

Additionally, a layer of varnish increases the wear resistance of the parquet to abrasion. The thickness of the surface layer of parquet is relatively small, rarely exceeding 4 mm.

Advantages of parquet:

• the presence of several layers in the parquet allows it to be used in a wide range of indoor air humidity; parquet coverings, due to the peculiarities of their design, almost do not warp;
• piece parquet is cheaper than solid wood flooring;
• The presence of locks for joining parquet allows you to carry out installation work without the involvement of highly qualified craftsmen.

The disadvantages of piece parquet include:

• The service life of parquet flooring is shorter than that of solid planks; this can be explained simply: the thickness of the finishing wood is no more than 4 mm;
• if deep cracks or scratches appear, the parquet needs to be replaced, since it cannot be sanded;
• Manufacturers claim that their parquet is harmless, but it contains glue that can be toxic.

Features of the installation of parquet flooring

Parquet flooring is arranged according to flat floor using foamed polyethylene or cork as an additional base. Before laying strips of strip parquet, the substrate is glued end-to-end using masking tape. Some craftsmen also use double-sided tape to prevent the underlay from moving relative to the base of the floor.

As practice has shown, high-quality parquet flooring It is best to arrange it on plywood or sheets of waterproof chipboard, joined into a lock. It has been proven that a parquet board or solid wood laid on a prepared base, when further exploitation retain their original properties much longer than without the use of a reinforcing base.

Piece parquet, like solid wood, can be laid on the ground floor of a private house. Floor insulation is carried out by analogy with solid boards. A prerequisite for installation will be the use of an additional base. Here it is allowed to use OSB with a thickness of 9 mm or more. On the first floors it is advisable to use a cork underlay.

Comparison of parquet and solid wood floor performance in operation

Many users ask the question: what is the difference between parquet boards and massive ones? I'm also wondering which is better - planks or parquet? When calculating the costs of square meter It turns out that parquet is cheaper. But during operation it turns out that parquet wears out much earlier. First to be damaged varnish coating.

In areas of heavy traffic, “bald spots” (areas of worn varnish) form on the parquet floor. Attempts to apply varnish only to them rarely lead to a positive effect. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the varnish coating on large area parquet You have to scrape the entire floor in the room and then varnish it again.

Alternatively it is used oil coating parquet It allows you to treat only individual “bald spots” of a parquet floor. Oil or wax is applied only where there is wear.

The operation of a plank array is somewhat simpler. Protective varnish coatings can wear out here too, but if necessary, individual boards can be easily replaced. Partially worn elements are shifted from the passages, and a new array can be laid on the passages themselves. The floor is almost completely renewed.

Attention! The array can be coated with oil, and then with oil mixed with wax. The composition is heated to a temperature of 80...85 °C, then applied to the surface. It is advisable to perform the procedure one or two times. Then the entire surface of the floor will be heated by the hot composition at the same time and will cool down over the entire area.

Important! Repeated application of hot oil and wax will help fill existing gaps and crevices. This floor has the best load-bearing capacity. Furniture legs will damage it less.

So it turns out that when comparing parquet boards and solid wood slight advantage the array has.

Flooring plays one of the main roles, both in terms of comfort and in creating stylish interior. Wood-based coatings are ideal for both tasks. The most common of them are parquet and parquet boards.

Isn't this the same thing?

Despite the similarity of names - no. The only similarity between these materials is that they are both made from natural wood. Otherwise, they differ significantly, including in their operational properties, which must be taken into account when choosing.

First of all, the design differences should be noted:

• Parquet is made from solid wood, as a rule, not the most wasteful varieties. The thickness of the most common parquet flooring varies between 17 - 20 mm.
• Parquet board is a three-layer material, in which the bottom layer is made of the least valuable types of wood (coniferous), the middle one is made of the same, and only the top one front layer, made from valuable wood species. Of the average thickness of a parquet board of 14-15 mm, only 4-5 are valuable species, which makes it possible to reduce the cost of the material compared to parquet.

Properties

Design features also determine operational differences:

• Parquet is quite sensitive to environmental conditions. In a room with parquet floors, humidity should be controlled and temperature regime. Direct contact with water is, of course, unacceptable.
• On the other hand, parquet has a longer service life. It can be sanded and varnished several times, resulting in it looking like new. With a parquet board, if such a maneuver succeeds, it will only be done 1-2 times, since decorative layer is very thin.
• By the way, due to the subtlety upper layer parquet boards are quickly erased under intense loads.
• However, parquet boards are less demanding on maintenance. It can be washed with a wet cloth, but parquet is highly undesirable.
• Laying hardwood flooring is a more complex task than laying hardwood flooring, but hardwood flooring is easier to repair and restore.
• Also, the parquet board does not require any work after installation, since it already has decorative coating. The parquet needs to be sanded and varnished.
• But parquet will last you 70 years, or even more, and parquet boards will last 15-20, or even less.

Laminate

What is more expensive: laminate or parquet? Many people compare parquet and parquet boards with laminate as a complete alternative. It's not really the right approach, since laminate is completely artificial material, which does not contain solid wood(at best - fiberboard and chipboard options).

Thanks to this, the cost of laminate is significantly lower than the cost of parquet and parquet boards. However, quality models laminates, which are highly resistant to abrasion and water resistance, are more expensive and can be close in price to parquet boards.

Among the undoubted advantages of laminate (in addition to being cheap), it should be noted that there is a wide variety decorative surfaces, unpretentiousness to maintenance conditions and the possibility of spot repairs (as in the case of parquet).

But, nevertheless, the style of laminate cannot be compared with the style of parquet or parquet boards, and even less so the service life.

Working for the second decade in the flooring market, our company has accumulated considerable experience, which allows us to competently respond to main question of this article: "Solid board or parquet board - which is better?"

Through many years natural selection, having refused to work with laminate, piece parquet and solid boards, we decided to focus exclusively on parquet boards, moreover, the only manufacturer Swedish company Kahrs.

This article will focus mainly on comparing the products of this particular manufacturer with the products of solid wood board manufacturers.

Despite the fact that the industry of artificial floor coverings (laminate, vinyl, etc.) does not stand still and offers consumers more and more new types of its products, interest in floors made of natural wood not only does not fade, but, on the contrary, is constantly growing. The explanation for this is very simple - in our urban age, we are moving further and further away from living nature, and, naturally, we want to have a piece of it in our home.

The visual difference between a solid board and a parquet board is barely noticeable. As you know, parquet boards have three main designs: three-strip, imitating piece parquet, two-strip - an analogue of piece parquet larger format, and finally, single-strip, imitating solid board floorboards.

In order to consider all the differences between a massive board and a parquet board, we will take as a basis the latter type - a single-strip parquet board, as the closest one in terms of visual perception.

The popularity of flooring in the form of solid floorboards in last decades due to several factors. On the one hand, more and more citizens of the post-Soviet era can afford apartment space and country houses disproportionately larger than the area of ​​​​"Khrushchev" and "Brezhnevka". It is on the big open spaces These floorboards look the most advantageous. On the other side, modern designs increasingly suggest the combination of elements from different eras. For many of us, the sight of a wide and long floorboard is not an empty phrase, but a nostalgic memory of a rural experience. And finally, minimalism, which came to us from the West and became widespread in interior design, reveals the visual advantages of single-strip floors in the best possible way.

Anyone who is faced with the choice of a solid board or a parquet board inevitably asks the question: is it possible to visually distinguish one coating from another? Only manufacturers of parquet boards can bring us as close as possible to the feeling of solid wood. high level. In this case, find some characteristic differences Only professionals with extensive experience can do this. And it should be noted that these differences will not be in favor of the array. We will give below the differences between massive boards and parquet boards.

Having worked for many years in the sector retail sales, we can confidently note that the main advantage of solid boards, which private buyers see, is the ability to scrape and sand the board a large number of once. Is it really? Is this advantage exaggerated?

In the sketch below you can see that the solid board is looped only to the “ridge and groove” level. And this is significantly less than half the thickness of the entire board. Of course, this working surface is larger than that of a parquet board. But who said that the second one cannot be looped? Working surface a parquet board is quite enough for 2 full scrapings and 5-6 sandings. Considering the fact that the varnish coating from Kahrs lasts for about 15-20 years at home (we dare to say this quite boldly from our own experience), it is not difficult to calculate how long a parquet board can last. In particular, Kahrs.

Regarding the floors natural oil, be it a solid board or a parquet board, it is not customary to scrape them at all. The surface is renewed by filling all scratches and dents with oil mastic.

Today, the aesthetics of a product often coincides with its practicality. What do we mean? The fact is that in recent years a clearly defined trend of aged boards has developed in design. And, it should be noted from our sales statistics, it is only gaining momentum. Any roughness during operation, be it scratches or dents, only organically complement appearance boards. Would anyone really want to scrape a floor covering that has acquired a special antique charm over the years?

But what if we are not talking about an aged board? Is the issue of scraping as relevant as it seems to almost all unsophisticated buyers? For solid boards, yes, perhaps, for Kahrs parquet boards with the revolutionary Woodloc ® locking connection, not at all.

On this subject, we will quote ourselves from our other article dedicated to thin parquet boards:

But what if you scratched your floors, made deep dents, but the varnish has not yet worn off? After all, you experience understandable discomfort at the sight of these damages... Analyze how much area of ​​the entire floor surface you will actually have to walk on, drop objects and create scratches. It is unlikely that it will even be 50%. Moreover, it is not at all a fact that the entire surface being used will be damaged. Sometimes it is enough to replace a few damaged boards (and the Chersov Woodloc ® lock allows you to do this quickly and efficiently) to make the floor look like new again. If you want to save money, you don’t have to buy new boards; take the ones that were under the sofa or closet and simply swap them with the damaged ones. Many buyers ask the question of what to do with a separate board, located, for example, in the center of the room. There is nothing difficult about removing the baseboard and disassembling the entire floor from the wall to this board, and then reassembling it with the same ease.

Kahrs Woodloc ® 5S Locking Connection

Is it possible to replace individual damaged solid boards with the same ease? The question is probably rhetorical.

For this reason, the question of the longevity of both types of coating remains controversial. Kahrs parquet boards can continue their second and even third life in new premises, which, of course, solid wood cannot afford.

Based again on our own experience, we can say that when deciding in favor of solid wood, not all buyers are aware of how difficult and expensive it is to install this type of covering. They do not realize how much repairs will cost them in the event of situations such as a battery break or a flood.

Below is shown a standard array layout.

The figure shows that the massive board is attached to the base in the most careful way. Considering that many buyers take flooring into new buildings when the building has not yet given the necessary shrinkage, it is quite logical to assume which covering will be in the greater risk zone, the one that is tightly attached to the concrete screed or the one that lies freely on the substrate.

In fact, array manufacturers can only guarantee the stability of their products if the indoor humidity is in the range of 50 to 65% throughout the year. What is the actual humidity in our premises? Anyone can easily check this by purchasing a hygrometer. You will see that in the summer relative humidity will rise to 90% and above, in winter it will drop below 16%.

Of course, parquet manufacturers also recommend maintaining indoor humidity from 30 to 60%, but this is only at the time of installation. During operation, such strict requirements are not set. Well, except for very capricious wood species, such as beech and maple.

There is one significant detail that we cannot fail to mention, this is the “status” of the array. Yes, many buyers in our country are guided not always by how practical it is, but by how prestigious it is. Well, if this is the last thing that can determine your choice, then we hasten to note that Kahrs parquet is very prestigious. Respect for a brand cannot be imposed; it always hovers somewhere in the air. And if you've ever heard anything about Kahrs, we're sure it was very flattering and respectful.

It hardly makes sense to say that parquet boards were born much later than solid boards. Of course, an important motive for its invention was the banal desire to save on raw materials. But as time has shown, this turned out to be far from its only advantage.

It is a well-known fact in the parquet world that the founder of parquet boards in 1941 was the Kahrs company. Gustav Cher, the grandson of the founder of the dynasty, first patented the first three-layer parquet board. How successful the invention was, we can see today from the example of the vast majority of parquet board manufacturers. There were many attempts to create their own design, but only the three-layer parquet board proposed by Gustav Cher stood the test of time.

Many people consider the downside of parquet boards to be that, unlike solid wood, they are somewhat springy underfoot. On this point, let us quote ourselves again:

Some of our clients are not satisfied with the effect of the springy floor in parquet boards laid in a floating manner. They want their flooring to be as hard as asphalt on a sidewalk. But in vain, because slightly springy floors significantly reduce the load on the spine, and the risk of age-related changes associated with thinning of the intervertebral discs (and, as a result, spinal diseases) is significantly reduced. As for the unusual sensations when walking on a floating floor, then... getting used to it is a matter of time. If you still insist on rigid floors, there is no obstacle to gluing them to the base. In addition, there are gluing methods that allow you to do without expensive plywood.

Over the more than seventy-year history of the existence of parquet boards as one of the types of flooring, a huge number of consumers have become convinced of the numerous advantages of parquet boards. One of the main ones, undoubtedly, is the stability of the three-layer structure.

The picture below shows how wood tends to behave in any floor covering. This is her natural desire. The only difference is that it often succeeds in solid wood; in parquet boards, it is extremely rare, and only from low-quality manufacturers.

This effect is popularly called the “boat effect”. This is one of the significant disadvantages of solid boards.

The explanation for this is very simple. If the board is massive, by and large, this is just a skillfully processed solid piece of wood, then a parquet board is enough complex design, specially designed to minimize any movement of wood fibers.

It works exactly as shown in the picture.

Often, when considering all the pros and cons of parquet boards, the main counterargument of our visitors is the price of the array, which is significantly lower than that of single-strip Kahrs boards. At the same time, most of them are absolutely sure that they are talking about European manufacturers. According to our estimates, from 80 to 90% of products passed off as German, Dutch, English, Canadian, etc. are produced in China and other countries former USSR. Let's say even more, those inexpensive brands that have become well known to our Russian consumers in recent years have nothing to do with Western countries at all. They were invented by our home-grown businessmen who simply place orders at factories in China and the CIS countries.

Until Russian legislation requires sellers to provide reliable information about the origin of their product, our customers will have to deal with this kind of falsification.

Our reader should be well aware that if sellers deliberately hide the true origin of a product, then they are definitely hiding such important aspect as its environmental safety.

As for truly European brands, they are on Russian market. Only the price of their products is not 2 - 3 thousand rubles. per square meter, and starting from 5 tr. and higher. And this, you know, is already the price of ready-made Kahrs single-strip speakers. What does ready mean? This means that at most you need to add the price of the substrate to the price of Kahrs (about 100-odd rubles per square meter). As for the array, this is only the price of the board itself. To this you will have to add the price of all consumables, costing about the same if they are truly high quality and environmentally friendly. Behind long years work, including with an array, we often saw customer disappointment. They were not at all ready for the expenses that they ultimately had to bear for the finished solid wood floor.

In this article, we did not hide from the very beginning that our goal in the question of “solid board or parquet board” was to convince the reader to take our side. Whether it worked out or not is up to you, dear reader, to judge. We've given you the comprehensive pros and cons of solid wood and now the choice is yours. Let's just say that a considerable number of buyers, whom our managers reoriented from array to array, were very grateful to us for this.

In order to be convinced of the undeniable advantages and receive Additional information, we invite you to visit any of the five showrooms of the Leader-Parquet company.

Often, buyers are faced with the fact that one type of parquet board is quite cheap, for example, less than 2,000 rubles, while another - over 6-8,000. It is logical that there is a bewilderment - why the cost of the same finishing material, quite similar visually, fluctuates over such a wide range?

What are the main differences between low and high parquet boards? price category? Do manufacturers really put in a quality margin? You can figure this out if you find out its technical characteristics.

Composition of parquet boards

Technically, this is a two-layer or three-layer material made of natural wood. It is environmentally friendly, beautiful, strong and durable, just like solid wood. But at the same time, it has less weight, thickness and price than solid wood, and is easier to install.

Two-layer, or engineered board, consists, according to the name, of two layers. The lower one is made of multi-layer birch veneer, the upper one is made of valuable wood species. They are connected to each other with special parquet glue.

Three-layer is a more popular variety.

Its bottom layer is plywood made from pine or spruce sawdust (at low price segment– from birch). It is mainly made with a thickness of 2 mm and is intended as a stabilizer for the middle layer. It prevents the board from twisting, bending and other deformations.

Medium - short flat bars that are located perpendicular to the base and are designed to stabilize the top layer. They are also usually made from softwood.

Top – thin slice from valuable wood, which is located perpendicular to the middle layer. Made from a variety of tree species– from traditional beech or maple to exotic wenge or teak.

The special structure of three-layer parquet boards ensures its high resistance to changes in temperature and humidity, as well as good strength and wear resistance.

Number of lanes

One more important criterion, by which parquet boards are distinguished, is the number of rows of dies in the top layer. It can consist of three, two or one strip of lamellas. Last option imitates a solid board and is the most expensive, but at the same time the most reliable.

It is least susceptible to humidity and temperature fluctuations and is not prone to drying out. Also, this variety makes it possible to convey the beauty of natural wood as accurately as possible and looks great in rooms with a large area.

The most common option is three-strip parquet board. This variety imitates piece parquet and gives good space for design solutions.

Size and thickness

The size of the parquet board also varies. The thickness can be from 7 to 22 mm, the width - from 13 to 20 cm. The length is usually 2-2.5 m. The smaller the board in length and width, the more stable the coating will be.

Most cheap option boards - the thinnest, that is, 7 mm. In this case, the top layer of valuable wood is practically veneer. It can develop defects not only during operation, but also due to careless installation.

On a parquet board 10 mm thick, the top layer is thicker - 2.5 mm. She is already more resistant to mechanical damage, but in the future it is almost impossible to recycle it.

The next type is the most common, from 13 to 15 mm. The top layer has a thickness of at least 4 mm. Such a board is already more durable and can withstand at least one scraping and, accordingly, will last quite a long time.

Next come thicker parquet boards with a layer of valuable species up to 6 mm - this is the maximum that manufacturers offer. In the future, they thicken due to an increase in the middle layers, for example, it can be 25 mm.

Such elements can already be laid not only as laminate on concrete screed or plywood, but also directly onto the joists. They withstand strong mechanical loads and can serve directly as a base for the floor.

Surface structure

High-price parquet boards are distinguished primarily by their surface structure.

Structured parquet board

In production they are used special technologies. Metal brushes tear out soft wood tissue (sapwood, weak fibers), and the surface becomes unsmooth.

This is a great modern alternative to smooth floors. Very pleasant tactile sensations are created.

Relief-structured

The height difference is visible even to the naked eye. This deep wood texture gives the floor a special naturalness. But it is recommended to pay attention not only to the outer surface.

The best option is when solid spruce is used for the middle layer, and coniferous veneer is used for the bottom layer.

Parquet boards in an inexpensive price category

The bottom layer is made of birch. It is easy to distinguish from the picture. But why is this worse? By what exactly conifers are most resistant to changes in temperature and humidity, which means that the parquet board will be as stable as possible throughout the year in any season.

Dependence of price on cutting method

The cost of a parquet board and its appearance are influenced by the method of cutting valuable layers of wood and, accordingly, the resulting pattern. There are three types:

• Radial,
• Tangential,
• Rustic.

Radial cutting is when the annual rings in the wood of the board are located vertically. This type of cut is the most expensive. It allows you to keep all the dies uniform in pattern and color of the wood.

Tangential is the opposite of radial, that is, the annual rings are located along the board, horizontally. With tangential cutting, there are more noticeable differences in the pattern and color of the wood.

Rustic is a cut without taking into account the direction of the annual rings.

Types of parquet by cut

Based on the cut, there are also names for the types of parquet - select, natural and rustic. What is the difference? The select grade (selective or selected board) includes only radial cut boards, that is, high-quality, stable in color and pattern.

Natur grade parquet is made from radial or tangential cut boards.

Rustic is the most cheap look. When selecting, it does not look at the cutting method, only obvious defects of the top layer are checked, even small knots and sapwood are allowed.

What else is the difference between expensive and cheap parquet

Still very important point– this is the reliability of the connection. For example, German Hara parquet boards have a unique latch system called Top Connect.

This special plastic insert works on the principle door lock. The connection is very reliable, it will never come apart on its own - this can only be done by a lateral shift.

The next nuance is that high-quality parquet has chamfers on all four sides. They give the floor the massiveness and appearance of natural wood.

As you know, parquet can be laid on a heated floor system, but only high-quality lamellas remain stable at high temperatures - up to +26 degrees. In addition, they can be sanded 3-4 times without loss of quality.

At the same time, cheap parquet can actually be sanded only once, and then with difficulty, due to the broken geometry - it is often clearly visible.

As a result, expensive parquet can last not 15, but 30 years, which allows you to save on repairs.

Caring for parquet boards

Having chosen a high-quality parquet flooring, you will need to take care of it, but there is nothing difficult about it. If the contamination is not severe, dry cleaning or a vacuum cleaner is sufficient. If it is significant, wet cleaning is optimal.

A high-quality parquet board has a protective top layer that prevents moisture from penetrating the wood.

But if you suddenly need to restore protective covering– oil or varnish – serious manufacturers have in their arsenal special means. The same company Hara recommends Clean Ingrid, which will not only restore the coating, but also eliminate small chips and scratches.

How to choose a good parquet board

To choose truly high-quality parquet, you need to pay attention to a number of factors. The first thing we pay attention to is the quality of the packaging.

The slats must be packed in polyethylene to preserve required level humidity during storage and transportation. We inspect the condition of the packaging to understand the conditions under which it was stored and transported.

We open the package. If the presence of so-called shrinkage cracks is visible on the end part of the lamellas and the locking elements, then the lamella will not last long.

Next, we take out the parquet blocks and look at the geometry of the square. To do this, you need to connect about five lamellas with the sides along the lock, and secure the end ones with two more - top and bottom, thus folding a square.

The structure must be checked for cracks. If they are present, then the parquet cannot be called high-quality - the geometry is broken.

The slats also need to be inspected to make sure there are no knots or sapwood.