Some, relatively short time ago, the most environmentally friendly and high-quality parquet floor appeared an alternative. Laminate embodied some of the best aspects of parquet and leveled its flaws. But in itself it has both pros and cons. Characteristics and reviews of the parquet board and laminate show that it is better to make a choice, starting from individual preferences or features of the room. In any case, before starting work and buying the material, it is worth weighing the pros and cons for both options.
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General characteristics of the floorboard
Parquet board is a modern floor covering, which was invented as a replacement for piece parquet and massive board in order to reduce their cost and preserve all the advantages of a natural floor.
To make the final choice in favor of a parquet board or laminate, it is important to have an idea of the strengths and weaknesses of both coatings.
Parquet board has a number of indisputable advantages over other floor coverings:
- It consists of natural high-quality wood. The top layer is quite durable, for it they use more often than others oak, ash, beech. The lower layers are predominantly softwood.
- Pretty solid and stable design.
- It has a long service life - up to 35 years (subject to proper installation and compliance with operating rules).
- To be restored by grinding and re-applying varnish.
- It has pleasant ergonomic properties and high noise insulation characteristics.
- Convenient for mounting the lock, laying boards is simple, fast and reliable.
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The weaknesses of this coating option include:
- Parquet board is very sensitive to moisture, humidity and air temperature.
- The coating is very soft, so any scratches or chips can be left on it quite easily.
- Lacquer coating from the board erases quickly.
- It absorbs all odors from the environment.
- It may fade when exposed to direct sunlight and ultraviolet radiation.
A fairly significant drawback may be the price of the board. Some manufacturers offer a parquet board made of expensive and durable wood, from this its cost only increases.
Not all parquet boards have a warm floor. If you plan to install it, you need to consider this fact when choosing a board.
But, consumer reviews suggest that a quality board can be purchased at a very reasonable, competitive price.
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Parquet board prices on average vary between 1.5 - 4 thousand rubles per square meter, depending on the brand of the manufacturer and the quality of the wood. The possibility of installation from the store is also taken into account. Some sellers indicate the cost without installation and with installation. The parquet board is laid simply, so you can master the installation yourself.
Parquet board can be:
- three-way and cost an average of 2 thousand rubles;
- single-lane with imitation array, its price is about 4 thousand rubles.
There is no waterproof parquet board. This flooring option does not need to be selected for bathrooms or for rooms with high humidity.
In order to finally decide on what is best for the floor, parquet or laminate, you need to study all the characteristics, reviews, running costs, choose a color and texture from the photo, for example.
General characteristics of the laminate
Laminate looks like a parquet board, in addition, its color can mimic any floor coverings. It consists of 3 layers, which makes the structure durable and easy to lay.
Unlike a parquet board, a laminate can be moisture resistant.
The advantages of this option include:
- Easy installation method.
- Consists of environmentally friendly materials.
- It does not fade when exposed to sunlight.
- Resistant to scratches and stress.
- A modern laminate is coated with a film that makes it resistant to moisture.
- Fireproof.
The relatively low cost of some models can also be a plus in the choice of coverage.
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By cons include:
- Low noise level. But this point can be corrected, however, you will have to think about it in advance and choose a special substrate. This will incur additional costs.
- There is no possibility of restoration in parts. Damaged areas cannot be replaced; it will be necessary to change the floor around the entire perimeter of the room if some parts are damaged.
Laminate flooring can be selected for underfloor heating systems. Moreover, today there is a special 2 in 1 laminate, which is already equipped with this system.
Selection and Care Tips
When choosing a parquet board, you need to consider that it happens:
- three-layer;
- two-layer;
- single array.
Installation and other board qualities depend on this. A three-layer board allows you to save on laying, but the insulation will be worse, there will be no possibility of grinding the floor.
The two-layer board is attached only to glue. It’s more difficult to cope with the styling yourself.
A massive board will allow you to make a large number of polishings, fastens to glue. Its price is higher, but the quality corresponds to the level.
In addition, you need to evaluate all the possible varnishes. There are 3 options:
- glossy varnish;
- matt varnish;
- oil.
Oil treatment allows you to more easily restore damaged areas of the floor.
The cost of the board is more affected by its appearance and composition than the design. To save money, you can choose a three-lane parquet board.
Laminate can be used in rooms with high humidity, even in the bathroom. He is almost not afraid of a large amount of furniture and load. Photo printing on its surface allows you to use it to design rooms in any style. Customer reviews in 2019 make it clear that the laminate today is represented by a higher class and is quite competitive.
Before laying the laminate, you need to leave it in the room for a couple of days in the opened package or without it, so that it adapts to humidity.
The video details the properties of both coatings.
When deciding which is better to choose, you need to know that a parquet board is an almost completely natural coating that lasts longer and is more pleasant to the touch. In addition, small scratches and dents only give it a vintage and style.
There is an important aspect of the price when choosing between a parquet board or a laminate. Naturally, natural wood will cost more. But the coating will last longer.
The reviews of those who used both options in the apartment, for the most part make it clear that it is better to choose a parquet board than a laminate. All are based on the fact that natural wood is warmer, more pleasant to the touch, has good sound insulation.
Reviews on the use of flooring and laminate
The choice is not always straightforward. It is necessary to rely on those characteristics and aspects that are important in a particular situation. Take into account:
- purpose of the room;
- humidity conditions and room temperature;
- budget.
And customer reviews will help you choose which parquet or laminate is better, and talk about alternative cork-based coatings:
Vladimir Andreevich Gusev, 43 years old
I laid a parquet board in the bedroom and am very pleased. It is, most importantly, very pleasant to the touch, warm and no steps are heard.In the hall I have a laminate, so there is such a clatter, especially when the children are playing.
Valentina Mikhailovna Andreeva, 45 years old
We laid the floorboard 7 years ago in the house. Of course, there are small dents on it, but in general it is almost the same as in the early days. I am very pleased. We did not make a warm floor, but even in winter children play on this floor and even a carpet is not needed.
Evgeny Alexandrovich Panin, 34 years old
We laid a laminate floor, everything was fine. We pre-selected the substrate for noise reduction. Children run quietly, there is no discomfort. And the floors were washed with a washing vacuum cleaner and a rag with water sometimes. But our neighbors flooded us and the edges of the laminate swelled. This is only on one side of the room, it’s a pity you cannot replace several sections. But over time, it dried out and the defect is not so noticeable.
Maria Nikolaevna Donskaya, 39 years old
When they went to the store, they were set up for laminate flooring, as they were limited in money. But the seller recommended a three-lane parquet board. It costs almost like a laminate. We already installed it pretty quickly. I had to level the floor, but this is necessary under the laminate. It looks very nice, soft and not noisy. While we are satisfied, but it is not known how to behave in operation. We put this floor in the bedroom, there is not much furniture and little traffic.
Grigory Vladimirovich Potanin, 38 years old
In the kitchen, we laid a cork-based board. They wanted parquet, but the seller persuaded us, said that the parquet will deteriorate due to temperature and moisture. And the laminate is solid and noisy. We took a cork, we have children and soft and warm. But, she swelled all up after a couple of years of service. Now I plan to change to a moisture resistant laminate.
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