Flooring. What Type Should I Choose? |
Posted: July 7, 2016 |
How to Select the Right Flooring?When selecting a flooring, you face many questions like : should the flooring be modern or classical? do I want a bright or discreet coloring? should it fit with my furniture, curtains, tiles? will it fit with baseboards? Then you also need to choose the right material for your flooring. It can be wood laminate, vinyl laminate, PVC, carpet, parquet, wood planks, tiles. Parquet flooring is mostly preferable among other flooring types. The wooden flooring has its advantages. It is durable, warmer than stone or tile and is less sensitive than carpeting But there are other attractive alternatives: a cork floor, for example, is good for your feet. Laminate flooring in its turn can be easily laid, and fits with a wide variety of decor options. You can also find laminate, which looks like stone. Cork, at the same time, is as pleasant to touch as wood, but it does not charge electrostatically. Here is an overview of the main types of floorings for you to choose from. Why Should I Choose Parquet?It has a reputation of solid and long lasting flooring. It is popular because it is made of natural wood material, which has a positive effect on the indoor climate. The material absorbs moisture from the high humidity air and releases it when the air is dry again. Parquet also feels good to your feet, as it is considered elastic and warm. Solid parquet floor consists of a continuous layer of hardwood. Usually, the individual parquet strips are glued down to the floor and sanded after laying. This can also be repeated several times to remove scratches from the floor.
Why Laminate is not Parquet?Consumers of parquet products should always be careful. Not every floor from the natural raw wood, cork, bamboo can be described as parquet. Laminate flooring cannot be called a parquet, even if it looks like real wood. Cork Flooring is Good for Your Feet One of the advantages is that cork protects your feet, as it is soft. Just like wood, it is warm to the feet, and the material is not electrostatic. Glued massive cork tiles fit for bathrooms. Bamboo is a fast growing grass, that is why it is considered as a very ecological and green material. Finished Parquet as an AlternativeFinished parquet is also a good alternative to solid wood flooring and solid cork multi-layer parquet tiles. It is also a wood product. In general, it consists of three layers: a carrier layer, a backing layer and a top veneer layer, precious wood. The durability of parquet depends, above all, of the thickness of the veneer. With a veneer layer thickness of 4 mm and more, the finished parquet can be polished twice. Wood is Always ThereBoth cork finished parquet, bamboo, cork, parquet and laminate are actually wood products. As in each of them the thickest layer, the carrier layer, consists of a wood-fiber plate. There are differences only on the top bearing layer – it can be either cork, bamboo or melamine resin. In case of a cork finished parquet, the top layer must consist of a minimum 2,5 mm-thick cork veneer. Only then the parquet will be good for your feet. Laminate is a Kind of Decorative Paper
According to Anke Wöhler, Association of European laminate flooring manufacturers, the upper laminate layer is a thin layer of melamine resin, water-based, free of organic solvents. The transparent resin layer protects the underlying decorative paper with wood, natural stones or tiles pattern. Wood is still one of the most popular patterns for laminate flooring. With a proper care, a laminate keeps the floor well for 15 years. However, in the conditions of low humidity (less than 40%) it becomes electrostatic. Many manufacturers therefore provide their laminate product with a special protection. It helps to reduce the static electricity generation and protects from minor electric shock. Also laminate fits for the bathroom. Laminate floors are protected against moisture by specially glued carrier plates. Some manufacturers offer an assortment of coatings, which also have a special edge protection. This is called edge hydro protection. Such flooring is good for rooms with high moisture exposure such as bathrooms and saunas.
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