Laminate or floorboard

Repair - a long and costly occupation. In the process of finishing the premises will require knowledge, skills and a lot of free time. It is necessary to read a lot of information about the advantages and disadvantages of all new materials in order to select the best ones.

One of the last stages of repair - laying the floor, so his choice will be the final touch in creating comfort and coziness. Among the various floor coverings, only two types are popular: parquet and laminate. Let's look at the characteristics of these materials and determine whether a laminate or parquet will be more practical in a given room.

Ламинат

The advantage of this coating is multi-layered. Separately, each layer is of no value, but when combined together they complement and improve the characteristics of each other. In the laminate, kraft paper alternates with fibreboards, and polymers are used to bond them. The top layer of the material is covered with an additional protective coating, in which there is a melan gum, which increases the strength several times.

The fiberboard layer makes the coating resistant to climate change. Under this layer is placed a special paper, which is carefully impregnated with a special composition containing resin or plastic. So that the moisture does not destroy the edges of the laminate coating, they are treated with a substance containing wax.

Laminate is divided into several types, and the only difference is the maximum load that the material can withstand without deformation and loss of properties. You can distinguish the flooring by special marking, which indicates the characteristics of the material. The choice of a particular type of laminate depends on the permeability of the room.

The advantages of laminate

• Antistatic - material does not attract dust.
• High wear resistance and resistance to mechanical damage. The highest rates of 31, 32 and 33 class of coverage, because it is designed for industrial premises. For an ordinary apartment, the characteristics of class 21, 22, and 23 are sufficient.
• With prolonged compression, the appearance of the coating does not change.
• UV resistant.
• Does not change color under the influence of external factors.
• Thermostock.

• Resistance to household chemicals.
• Laminate can be used for floor heating.
• A variety of appearance and texture of the coating.
• Warranty 5 years.
• Ease of care.

The disadvantages of laminate

• Not recommended for use in high humidity.
• Sound insulation is very weak, so you will need to lay another layer.
• Not repaired.
• Lack of natural appearance.

Parquet

In order to understand how a floorboard is better than laminate, it is necessary to consider the structure of the material. Parquet is a laminated material, but the components it contains are fundamentally different from the components of the laminate coating. The base of the parquet is perpendicularly connected small planks. Such a structure allows to increase the life of the material, make it durable and resistant to all sorts of loads.

Parquet components

For more informative article worth considering all the layers that make up the floor. Only then can you say that choosing a floor has become easier. We will start from the very first - the top. The surface of the flooring is treated with a special lacquer, which is applied in several layers.

For the next layer only natural wood is used. It can be beech, oak and others. The thickness of this layer is small - only 2.2–6 mm.

In the center of a kind of sandwich are narrow spruce or pine boards. Along the edges they have a special groove, which they fasten to each other. Manufacturers place this layer perpendicularly, which several times increases the density, reliability and efficiency of the material.

The stability of the floorboard depends on the lower layer, for which spruce or pine plywood is used. Its thickness is not more than 2 mm. The fibers of the last layer are arranged perpendicular to the previous one, that is, in the same way as valuable rocks.

The advantages of parquet

• Excellent sound insulation of the room through the use of natural materials.
• Does not attract dust.
• The varnish used for external coating is completely safe, durable and does not contain formaldehyde. It is applied to the surface only under production conditions.
• Material can be sanded and repaired. If the parquet is damaged, restoration work can be carried out easily. The number of grinding, as well as restorations, depends on the thickness of the upper layer.
• Unique appearance.
• Easy installation and maintenance.
• Warranty 10 years.

Parquet disadvantages

• Not recommended for use in high humidity.
• Parquetный лак менее износостойкий, нежели защитное покрытие материала, поэтому и стирается он быстрее.
• It is necessary to monitor the microclimate.

Material comparison

What material will be more effective in a particular room, laminate or floorboard? How to choose a flooring, so that its appearance for a long time pleased the eyes, and special care was not required? Now we will conduct a detailed analysis of the above characteristics and try to compare them. Of the general parameters of the materials only multi-layered.

Resistant to mechanical damage and stress

The first place in terms of strength can be safely given to the laminated coating, but only on condition that the material class is high. The floor covering of such a plan can be safely scratched with heels, legs of chairs and other not very sharp objects.

High-grade laminated coating withstands heavy loads. The movement of heavy furniture (wardrobe, sofa and others) on the floor will leave deep scratches on it, but the laminate will withstand everything.

Temperature variations and changes in humidity

Parquetная доска не любит сухого микроклимата, при котором она рассыхается, но и влажного этот материал тоже не переносит, так как под действием влаги он разбухает. О ламинированном покрытии такого сказать нельзя, ведь оно прекрасно переносит и чрезмерную сухость воздуха, и повышенную его влажность. Отопительный сезон может стать причиной появления небольших щелей между паркетными досками, тогда как на ламинат он никак не повлияет.

By and large, laminate is an improved parquet, only material defects are eliminated. Not surprisingly, its initial cost was much higher than it is now. With the advent of new technologies, the production of laminate turned out to be accelerated and cheapened.

Note! All the classes of the laminated coating (31–34) are superior in performance to the floorboard, because its production uses a fiberboard, not forgetting the quality and durability.

Appearance

Parquet здесь явно в выигрыше. Для помещений с классическим оформлением паркетная доска станет идеальным вариантом, тогда как для современного стиля больше подойдет ламинат. Ламинированное покрытие достаточно богато и разнообразно по внешнему виду, поэтому фактуру и расцветку подобрать будет легко под любой стиль.

Care

The complexity of caring for a coating becomes an important criterion if it is placed in a public place. If the Laminate or floorboard will be better tolerated daily cleaning, only a specialist will reliably say. Professionals recommend using only laminate flooring - you can do wet cleaning daily using a damp cloth and special tools.

Note! Just washing with a damp cloth will not damage the coating, spilled water or aggressive detergents will easily spoil its appearance.

Parquet относится к более нежным материалам. Пылесосить его можно лишь с должной аккуратностью, тогда как при мытье необходимо использовать тщательно отжатую тряпку. Рекомендуется регулярно обрабатывать поверхность покрытия специальными составами, сохраняющими его внешний вид.

Cost of

Естественно, натуральный материал стоит всегда дороже искусственного, но в нашем случае это лишь частично правда. Cost of материала зависит от производителя, составляющих, особенностей поставки и других параметров. Цена ламинатного покрытия зависит еще и от его класса, с повышением которого растет и прочность материала. В нашем случае высококачественный ламинат может быть дороже паркета.

Cost of паркетной доски тоже находится в широких пределах, так как зависит от толщины, составляющих и качества верхнего покрытия. Цена зависит еще и от породы дерева, использованного при производстве материала. Сучковатое покрытие с несовпадающим рисунком не будет стоить дорого, так как оно низкого качества, а вот паркет от производителя с мировым именем, без единого сучка и пятнышка будет иметь весьма высокую цену.

Dispel myths

Parquet экологичнее ламината. European researchers have shown that the level of environmental friendliness of these materials is the same - E1. As mentioned above, the floorboard is a multi-layered sandwich made of wood glued together with a special compound. So, it is the chemical components of this composition that reduce the environmental friendliness of the material to one with a laminated coating level.

Laminate is more hollow. Чем паркетная доска лучше ламината? Sound insulation level зависит не от самого материала, а от подложки под ним и качества выравнивания основы. Уровень изолирования помещений от посторонних шумов зависит от плотности прилегания напольного покрытия к полу.

To reduce the buzz of the material used (regardless of the choice), you can use a cork backing that helps to soundproof the room. Having laid the auxiliary material on the basis, you can start laying the coating, not really bothering with the question what to choose?

Parquet не ремонтируется. This is an erroneous statement, which is part of the marketing course of manufacturers. In fact, the floorboard can be repaired, but there are few specialists who would undertake this business and were able to perform it efficiently.

If the coating is not glued to the base, then during polishing the material may sag, which will cause the appearance of waviness. Processing the floorboard with a grinding machine leads to the erasure of the upper protective layer, after which the material looks rather ugly.

Requirements for materials

1. The hallway. This room is found first in the house, so the level of pollution here is much higher. Large debris that is not cleaned in time can not only stain the surface, but also damage it. The floor covering for the hallway should be durable, wear-resistant, durable and moisture-resistant. It is recommended to choose and easy-care material.
2. Toilet and bath. In these rooms, almost always high humidity and throughput, therefore, the requirements for the floor covering are relevant. It is best of all that the material has good wear resistance, is resistant to moisture and is easy to clean.
3. Kitchen. The floor covering, as in the previous rooms, must be durable and not be afraid of water. It should also repel dirt and wash easily.
4. Balcony. Material requirements - resistance to temperature extremes. If the loggia is glazed, then these characteristics are sufficient, but in the absence of glass, moisture resistance is also needed.
5. Bedroom and nursery. An important criterion - environmental friendliness of the material and ease of care. For the nursery, the softness of the material is also important, so that in the event of a fall there are no injuries.

The choice between laminate flooring and floorboard is simple if you decide on your material requirements. Do not forget that the duration of operation largely depends on the quality of installation and maintenance.