Laminate or parquet: what to choose?

Comparison of laminate and parquet characteristics

Sometimes the owner of the apartment makes a rather difficult choice, what kind of flooring to choose: laminate or parquet? Among the many options that are presented on the modern construction market, you can very easily get into a dead end, not knowing which option is preferable. Both floor coverings have their advantages and disadvantages. After all, the parquet is made of natural wood material and looks very attractive, in addition, it is durable and reliable, which gives a very long service life. Laminate is also quite attractive, and easy to maintain and install, which will affect the repair budget, since it is known that parquet flooring is more expensive. In order to make a choice, let's look at all the pros and cons of each flooring in more detail. This will help to come to a clear understanding of what gender to do for yourself.

Advantages and disadvantages of laminate flooring

Laminate coating consists of several layers.

• The main is a woody fibrous base that creates strength and makes it resistant to physical pressure.
• Another layer is kraft paper, which creates a decorative look for the coating. Basically, it is an imitation of a tree of various species and textures, but it can be a kind of natural stone or other interesting imitation. The layers are joined by polymers, which gives additional strength.
• Top decorative layer It is particularly resistant to abrasion, as it must withstand the loads that will be carried out on it, and also have a high wear resistance class to withstand intense loads when used. For example, laying a laminate in an office where high traffic requires the use of a class with an indicator of at least 32.

The main layer of fiberboard makes it possible for the flooring to withstand climatic changes in the environment, that is, not to deform under high humidity and not to dry out at high temperature.
Layer under the main fiberboard layer - This is a coating of plastic or paper impregnated with a special resin-based compound. This layer protects from moisture, which can form under the laminate and will not allow it to deteriorate or deform.
Distinguish laminate flooring by degree of loadthat he can take on. Different degrees are distinguished - these are small, medium and large, the higher the marking class, the greater the wear resistance of the floor covering. To choose a laminate of the corresponding marking, it should be understood what load will affect it in a particular room. For example, in the kitchen, the laminate should be laid more durable than in the nursery, since in this room the permeability is higher than in other rooms. A lower class flooring is suitable in the bedroom.

Laminate advantages

• Caring for the laminate is quite simple, it is enough to clean it with a damp cloth (the laminate does not tolerate large amounts of moisture, it is impossible to fill the floor with water) and the floor will shine with cleanliness. Laminated coating does not attract dust, which is a significant plus, as it does not collect dirt on the floor.
• Laminate is a durable floor covering and withstands shock and other physical influences. It is slowly worn out and has good durability. The most durable laminates are those that have a strength class of 31, 32, 33. Such a floor covering can be used in an office or industrial premises. For an apartment flooring of classes 21, 22, 23 is quite suitable, since it does not require great wear resistance.
• The laminate floor does not get damaged if you install furniture on it (of course, most laminates do not tolerate female hairpins), thanks to the durable and flexible fiberboard base. It is not susceptible to direct sunlight, and also has good heat resistance. In addition, the laminate flooring is neutral to chemicals based on cleaning materials.
• The warranty period for the use of the laminate starts from 5 years, which is a pretty good indicator. Replacing with damage to any panel will not be difficult, and the budget for such repairs will be small. The choice of various color schemes and textures will also please and give a lot of opportunities to solve any design problem.

Laminate Cons

• Laminate flooring not recommended for use in rooms with high humidity. From intense moisture, the laminate deforms and deteriorates, which is fraught with additional costs for the replacement of laminated panels. Although there is a moisture resistant laminate that can withstand a fairly high level of humidity, but such a floor is quite expensive.
• The laminate has quite low noise isolation, which requires the cost of a special substrate under the panel to create appropriate protection against external noise. This is an insignificant minus, but for some people it is quite important to know this negative feature.
• The disadvantage of the laminate flooring is that if the surface of such a floor is damaged and deep scratches or other defects appear, it is impossible to restore a laminate. Only replacement is the part where the damage occurred.
• Also a minus is that the laminate flooring is easy to recognize. At a glance you can understand that the floor is not naturalrather laminated. This is a matter of taste, if it is important for a person to use only natural materials in the decoration of the room, then you should pay attention to the flooring.

Advantages and disadvantages of parquet flooring

Now let's look at the parquet flooring, which is made entirely of wood and is 100% natural material. Parquet also has a multilayer structure, which consists of thin boards glued to each other perpendicularly. Of course, this is a completely different composition, which is not afraid of significant physical influences and can easily withstand strong shocks and other loads.

Let's take a closer look at the multilayer structure of parquet, which starts with the top layer - special varnish. It is applied in several layers and provides protection against external influences and abrasion.

Under varnish there are valuable species of various wood. It can be pine, oak, ash or beech, which have an attractive texture and give parquet special beauty. The thickness of this layer has an indicator of 3 to 6 millimeters. This is the front layer that forms the appearance of the future flooring.

Next layercalled lamellas. It is made from pine or spruce and forms the central layer of parquet flooring. This layer is made specifically to create a tongue-and-groove fastening parquet boards together.This layer is perpendicular to the previous one in order to achieve appropriate strength.

bottom layer, which requires maximum stability of the entire structure, is also made of spruce or pine. Its thickness is small and amounts to 1-2 millimeters, and the direction of the wood fibers is made in the same way as in the layer of valuable wood species.

Parquet has high strength and longevity, which is not accessible to the laminate, but at the same time the cost of a parquet board is much higher. With significant damage to the varnished surface, you will have to completely remove the varnish and restore the surface, and this is fraught with significant financial costs.

The advantages of parquet

• As well as the laminate, the parquet floor does not attract dust and thereby facilitates cleaning indoors. Soundproofing Parquet significantly higher than that of the laminate floor, as it is made of natural wood, which is a good absorber of any noise.
• In the parquet formaldehyde absent, even in the top layer of varnish, which relates the parquet coating to the highest environmental safety class, which cannot be said about the laminate, which under certain conditions, for example, with strong heating, emits harmful substances.
• The next plus is possibility of restoration of parquet, even after significant accidental damage. This is done by grinding the floor surface with special equipment. It should be noted that the thicker the layer of valuable wood species, the more times you can grind.
• Laying modern parquet is also quite simple.but still requires special knowledge styling specialist, therefore, the work on creating a parquet floor will be more expensive. Self-laying parquet, without any experience will be quite a costly task.
• Durability parquet is not in doubt. Any parquet flooring manufacturer give a guarantee for their products for at least 10 years. Expensive flooring can have even greater longevity, which reaches 50-100 years. But this is a very expensive floor, which is not accessible to everyone.

Cons of parquet

• The main disadvantage of the parquet floor is sensitivity to high humidity, parquet does not tolerate it. For rooms such as a bathroom or other similar premises, the use of such a wooden floor is not suitable.
• Protective varnish layer is erased and cracked significantly faster than what happens with the upper protective layer of the laminate. Restoring varnish will be quite expensive, so this floor is not budgetary and requires significant costs in such cases.
• Parquet requires a special indoor climate, which should be strictly observed, otherwise there is a risk of spoiling such a floor covering that will result in undesirable floor repair.

Comparison of parquet and laminate parameters

To finally understand how these two floor coverings differ, and which is better to choose for your own apartment or house, let's analyze these finishing floor building materials. From the above, we realized that multilayer combines both flooring. But these layers are completely different, so you should be careful about this moment.

Shock and load resistant properties

This indicator wins the floor from the laminate, since it is quite difficult to scratch it with shoes or the leg of a table or chair. But this is provided that the laminate has a high strength class, that is, at least the 31st.

The weight of the laminate flooring is also quite considerable. This coating will survive even if you drag furniture over the sky. This can not be said about parquet, which is easily scratched with slight pressure on the surface with a cabinet foot or other similar object. From this it can be seen that for rooms where there is high traffic and there are many factors that can scratch the floor, it is better to use a laminate flooring.

Resistance to changes in humidity and temperature

Parquet flooring is very sensitive to temperature extremes and high humidity, therefore it requires special attention to these points. If the air is too dry parquet board dry and deformed, and swell under high humidity. This can be seen in winter, when the air in the room becomes dry with the start of the heating season and can cause gaps between the tightly fitted planks of the parquet. Laminate does not react like that, therefore it is more practical in this regard flooring.

Laminate was created as a replacement for parquet, which is devoid of flaws to this natural wooden floor. Therefore, when such a practical alternative to parquet coating appeared, not everyone could afford a laminate, since it cost more at the beginning of its appearance than parquet. When the production of laminate flooring grew to a large scale, the material has become much cheaper and now it is quite affordable for most buyers. A modern laminate has high strength due to the use of new technologies and materials, such as HDF, which is used as the basis for the laminate. This base expands slowly and evenly, which eliminates the appearance of cracks.

Appearance of laminate and parquet

In the design of the apartment design when choosing flooring should take into account such moments as the style of the room to be designed. If the interior is made in a classic style, it is better to use a parquet board, which will emphasize and make the room more beautiful. For example, if there is a fireplace in the room made of marble or other decorative stone, as well as elements of stucco, gilding, paintings and other similar interior elements, parquet is best.

At apartment design in a modern style such as hi-tech, modern or eco style Laminate flooring is better. Moreover, the laminate has a lot of colors, textures, drawings and other designs that will make it possible to create a unique room design.

Laminate and parquet floor care

A very important point when choosing a parquet or laminate is the care of the floor covering. Laminated flooring is not as sensitive to intense moisture as parquet, which should be protected from too intense contact with water on the surface. Laminate can be safely wiped with a damp cloth daily and not be afraid of damage. Of course, pouring water in buckets on such a floor is not worth it, but moderate humidity will not damage the laminate. Some laminate manufacturers produce a 100% moisture-resistant product, so if this floor is required, ask the seller at the construction supermarket.

Parquet is quite sensitive to moisture and when wet cleaning it is advisable to squeeze the floor cloth well. It can be vacuumed, but at the same time make sure that the nozzle is of appropriate softness so as not to scratch the varnished surface of the parquet. In addition, the parquet floor should be treated with a special compound that is designed to care for the tree. Also, do not use chemicals, only those that indicate that they can only be used on the parquet floor. Laminate also has excellent resistance to chemical detergents. From the above it is seen that laminated coating is more practical in this plan.

Laminate and parquet prices

In this matter, it should be understood that, like laminate flooring, and parquet can be of different quality and different manufacturers. There are very good ones, mainly foreign manufacturers who have high quality products. The higher the strength class of the laminate, the higher the cost. Sometimes a good quality laminate is more expensive than parquet. It all depends on which manufacturer and strength level you choose.

Parquet board can be quite affordable and not much different in cost from the laminate, but if you carefully evaluate the products, you will definitely find out the disadvantages of cheap parquet. These are knots and not a uniform pattern, as well as other similar flaws. The top layer of valuable wood may have a small thickness. If the flooring is from a global brand, where the wood looks 100% perfect, then such a parquet floor will be a very expensive pleasure.

The truth about laminate flooring and parquet

• You can often hear on absolute environmental safety parquet, and vice versa they talk about laminate flooring. This is a delusion that sellers in construction stores advertise intentionally or unknowingly in order to attract more attention to more expensive flooring. According to European standards, the laminate meets all environmental standards (apply to European manufacturers). Adhesive chemical compounds are also present in the flooring, therefore, to say that the flooring of ideal ecology is a little wrong.
• It is also believed that when you hit the laminate, a booming soundthat is missing at the parquet. This is partly true, but the problem is solved by laying a special substrate under the laminate floor. After that, the echo disappears and the laminate flooring is no different from parquet in this regard.
• what parquet board is better in that it can be restoredand the laminate is not. The fact is that restoration of the parquet is quite a costly affair and even after polishing the floor covering will no longer have the same appearance as it was at the very beginning. The laminate floor can be replaced without any special costs. That is, individual parts that are easily removable and new, one-piece panels are installed in their place.