DIY flooring laying: video, work stages

The most modern way to finish the floor in the apartment is to cover it with a parquet board. And laying on a screed made of concrete composition is the fastest and most convenient way to process floors. Provided that the parquet is correctly placed on the concrete floor covering and following all the guidelines, the floors will turn into a wonderful work and add some zest to the decoration of the living room.

The device of floors from a parquet board

Parquet board is made from various types of trees: maple, oak, beech and many of their varieties. Everyone knows that wood material is very demanding on itself and moody and, more than others, is exposed to such external influences as temperature changes or high humidity in the room. In addition, it is important to comply with all the requirements necessary when laying a parquet board on a concrete floor.

Note. Wood materials are highly exposed to moisture. Due to possible deformation, it is not recommended to lay it in the bathroom, toilet or in the kitchen, that is, in those places where the presence of large amounts of water is possible.

Styling options

The technology of laying the floorboard implies several options. You can put the material on logs, on glue, on a warm floor and using the "floating" method.

1. Lagging. The main advantage is that you can level the floor. Logs are laid perpendicular to the way the parquet board will go, which is placed in the direction of a light stream. The best material for wooden blocks is pine. First, lags are installed, then they are mounted on the board on nails.
2. On the glue. The most reliable way. First, remove dirt and old coating, if any. Then the floor is leveled and primed. If this is necessary, heat and sound insulation is carried out. The parquet board is placed on plywood or on chipboard with glue. Its edges are shot with brackets.
   Important! In addition, it is not necessary to lubricate the joints of the parquet boards with glue!
3. Floating styling. Preparation of the floor surface is the same as when laying on glue. Then there is the installation of steam, sound and thermal insulation with an overlap. Tape fasteners. The method itself is even easier than glue. A spike of another is inserted into the groove of one board. You can walk on the surface right away.
4. Laying on underfloor heating. First make sure that the underfloor heating system works without deviations. The gaps in this case should be greater compared to other methods. Installation of vapor barrier is required!

Preparation of the base for parquet board

The base for the floorboard should be flat. Differences are permissible, but minimal - no more 3 millimeters per 2 meters of floor.
The second condition that must be observed: the screed should dry. You can check it this way: put a film on the screed. Leave it overnight. If drops form on it in the morning, it is impossible to start laying the parquet board.

Styling technology

In order for the parquet board to serve for a long time, before laying it is necessary to make sure that 2 rules are observed:

• humidity in the room - no more than 65%,
• temperature - no more than 18 degrees.

Then you can proceed with the installation. Recommended Use "Floating way".

1. Remove dust and dirt from the base of the floor.
2. Put plastic wrap.
3. Then the cork substrate and foamed polyethylene are laid.
4. Joints are processed using metallic tape.
5. Laying the floorboard is perpendicular to the window. The first board is mounted to the wall. In this case, the spike on it will have to be cut.
6. The distance from the board to the wall should be 1.5 millimeters.
7. Between boards and walls, special pegs - they allow you to fix the position.
8. In order for each board to fit snugly against the other, they are knocked together with a rubber mallet.
9. The second row begins with a board, the length of which is 2/3.
10. The third is from a board equal to 1/3 of the length of the whole board.
11. The fourth again from the whole board.
12. Next, the algorithm is repeated.
13. If there is an obstacle in the form of a pipe in the way of the board, you will have to drill a hole for it.
14. Joints are glued and plugged.

Tips and nuances

He certainly will not deceive, but with the joints everything will be in order. The most popular board is three-layer.

It is important to correctly prepare the foundation. As practice shows, marriage does not occur due to poor-quality material, but because the foundation was prepared incorrectly.

When installing the board, use the backing. It will hide minor floor defects, as well as make it warmer and become an additional shock-absorbing layer.

Before laying a parquet board on a warm floor, make sure that the product tolerates temperature conditions. Worst of all are beech and maple. The most suitable option is walnut and oak.

If there is no special badge confirming that the board is suitable for laying on a warm floor, do not take the sellers word for word, the material is unsuitable for the type of work presented.

As you can see, there are several ways of laying parquet boards on the floor surface. Subject to installation technology, the installed coating will not fail for a long period.

Reviews

“All the time I thought that laying out a parquet board with my own hands would not work. Now I think that if you try, the result will be quite decent. My husband kind of hands where you need to grow. And the parquet is much more beautiful and pleasant than the laminate. We will try!"
Anna, Khabarovsk

“Any specialist will immediately tell you that it is better to choose a parquet board rather than a laminate. Despite the fact that their appearance is somewhat similar, the parquet board contains much less chemical additives. Therefore, do not save, it is better to immediately lay the board. "
Michael, Gelendzhik

“I used to have laminate flooring in my house. Now I think that it was necessary to give preference to a parquet board. The thing is that the laminate was laid on the floor with heating. As a result - 2 years and the material was deformed. Money wasted. I would immediately lay down a parquet board, such problems would hardly be. And so he just threw money away. ”
Nikita, Krasnoyarsk

What is a parquet board, its types and methods of laying

Parquet board - a multilayer material for finishing the floor. In appearance, it is very similar to parquet, and from expensive wood species. This is because the top layer is made of beautiful and even valuable species of wood. At the same time, beautiful cuts are chosen. True, the collections are different, and their “beauty” is different. In the brand of elites - ideal wood without knots is used. For rustik brands, on the contrary, part of the boards is made with a “twist”. They are also emphasized by processing - brush, use certain compounds for finishing. Not varnishes, but oils and wax. There are still intermediate options, so you can choose for any type of interior.

Methods for laying parquet board depend on its appearance

A parquet board is assembled from several types of wood, which are glued in a special way. Layering is necessary to ensure a stable size and give high strength to the material. The lower and middle layer is usually pine or other conifers. The castle is made of beech - it is relatively inexpensive and durable. A layer of wood with a beautiful texture is glued on top. This whole cake is covered with layers of impregnation, wax or varnish. Thus, a parquet board does not cost as much as a piece of parquet, but it looks very similar.

Parquet board structure

There are two varieties of floorboard:

• with locks - for laying without gluing (floating floor),
  • if it starts at 45 °, it is not glued,
  • if clogged locks, you can glue.
• without locks - mounted with gluing to the base.

Recently, there are less and less collections without locks. With locks it is easier to get a monolithic coating without gaps.

Advantages and disadvantages of parquet board with locks

The castle parquet board is placed on a soundproofing substrate. It is not attached to the base with anything, but simply spreads out. A parquet board is laid on top of it - just on top, without fixing. Dies cover are kept together by locks. This way of laying is called floating. How is he good? The fact that if the board is damaged, the floor can be sorted out. This time. That quickly and easily fit. These are two. If you are interested in laying parquet boards with your own hands for the first time, first try this method of laying.

What are the disadvantages of the floating method of laying the floorboard? The fact that the strength and reliability of the coating depends on the quality of the locks. There is a chance that the connection will break up. The second point - the locks have a protective impregnation, but it is less reliable than the front surface, which is covered with 5-7 protective layers. Therefore, if moisture gets into the joint, the wood may swell.

This is what the castle looks like in most collections

But laying a parquet board is good because you can be safe. To glue a joint means to lose all the advantages of floating laying. So this is not the best option, although they do so. Another popular method is to use sealant. And he is no better than glue. As for tightness, everything is fine. Doesn’t let water pass. But the dies turn out to be glued and sorting out the coating if necessary is problematic, and maybe impossible. There is one more minus - the sealant is thick, so it can interfere with the normal connection of locks. An exception is special sealants for parquet and parquet board. They are not so thick, when disassembled, they are removed in the form of a strip. But this is precisely a special purpose. They are usually sold in salons or stores that sell parquet or parquet board.

A good and correct solution is to grease the joints of parquet boards with wax for wood. And moisture resistance will increase, and nothing will interfere with the connection. By the way, some manufacturers of expensive rulers themselves impregnate the locks with wax. But this is not such an expensive composition and not such a difficult treatment, and water resistance increases significantly.

Than good laying on glue

Bonding the floorboard to the base creates a monolithic coating. The joints of the fragments are filled with glue, that is, they do not pass water. Moisture to such a floor is not terrible (in small quantities and cleaned on time). Another point that can be attributed to the merits is that the coating is “hard” and does not “play” underfoot. This feeling of sagging coating, often arising with a floating floor. And not everyone likes this feeling.

The main disadvantage of laying parquet boards on glue is the inability to replace a damaged fragment. No matter how hard you try, but something falls to the floor, spills. After several such cases, significant damage remains. As luck would have it, they are in a very prominent place, and replacing a glued fragment is not so simple.

Glue is applied to the base, and a parquet board is laid on it.

The second minus is the lack of a substrate. For high-rise buildings this can be a significant drawback. The substrate not only compensates for the microroughness of the base, it is also a soundproof material. The absence of a substrate is a higher noise level, and this is unlikely to please the neighbors. The situation is better if you lay the parquet board on plywood, and not on the screed directly. Under the plywood, you can lay the substrate or any other soundproofing material.

Foundation preparation

This type of work must be taken seriously, since the quality of all further work depends on it.

There are two types of floor preparation:

• According to the old cement screed.
• On floors requiring new concreting.

The old screed is checked for its evenness, quality and absence of cracks. If there are cracks, they are poured with a liquid concrete solution.

Also, differences on the plane are checked. Permissible norms can be 2 mm by 2 meters.

If the differences exceed such norms, then it is easiest to level the surface using a self-leveling mixture.

Before starting this work, the surface must be cleaned of dirt and dust and painted with a primer.

After processing, a mixture is poured onto the floor, which is leveled with a needle roller. The drying time of the mixture is up to 2 days.

Note. When the concrete composition dries, it is necessary to check it for moisture. For this purpose, a hygrometer is used, and in its absence, simply squeeze a piece of polyethylene tightly on the floor and approximately, in a day, check for the presence of condensate.

Parquet laying

When laying the floorboard on a concrete base with your own hands, you must use the following instructions.

• Remove all bulky furniture and excess items from the room.
• To clear a surface of a floor of dirt, to wipe dust.
• Treat the concrete screed with adhesive, which is applied with a roller and wait for it to dry completely.
• Prepare glue for parquet: it is necessary to add a hardener to the oil base.
• Apply glue to the floor area with a spatula and lay the first row of the board on it.
• After laying out 3 rows, give time for complete drying.
• To lay parquet boards as densely as possible to each other, using special devices. In order for the parquet floor to have high strength, it must be laid in a “breakdown”, that is, on the principle of a chessboard.
• Lay out the first row, starting from a long board, and in the next, cut it more than half.
• For temperature expansion, moisture or, on the contrary, drying out, leave a gap between the wall and the parquet.
• Fill the gap after work with sealant.
• At the end of the work, the floors are polished, then the cracks between the boards are poured with a special putty.
• The floors are varnished in three steps. You can rub the boards with an oil or wax solution, but varnishing is considered the most durable finish.

Note. Before starting work, the parquet board must be brought into a room with a constant temperature and left there for about 3-3 days. This is done for the purpose that the material has time, as it should, to acclimatize to the temperature in the room.

Why do I need a wall decoration with a primer before wallpapering? Learn about it in our article!

Floorboard underlay: which is better?

The substrate for the laminate and parquet board is a waterproofing, and its thickness depends on the type of parquet board.
To lay out the substrate you will need:

• The film is waterproofing.
• Thermal insulation material.
• Moisture resistant plywood.
• Hydro vapor isolator.
• Styrofoam.

The sequence of laying the substrate:

• Put a waterproofing material on the concrete screed, which is placed with an overlap. Wrap waterproofing film on a wall up to 5 cm high.
• With the next layer after the film, lay the heat insulator.
• In order for the floors to have good thermal insulation, and also not to let in extraneous noise, lay the polyester on the surface, fastening it with each other with ordinary adhesive tape. It is recommended to lay it tightly, the presence of gaps is unacceptable.

Note. If the base is made of concrete, then plywood can be used as a substrate. Glue it with glue for parquet, fastening with screws.

Which is easier: laying a laminate or parquet board?

It is rather difficult to answer the question of what is still better in laying: laminate or parquet. Each material has its own positive qualities and, of course, negative ones.

Laminate is bad in that it is unnatural material:

• The edges of it quickly exfoliate, this can happen even during repair.
• Repair and restore it will not work.
• It has an excessive noise level and echo.
• Static, able to attract dust to itself, very cool to the touch.

Laminate and parquet board are mounted in a floating way, using a lock system. This type of styling is very easy to do with your own hands.

A parquet board is sometimes fixed with glue. Glue it to the concrete base.

Note. If the parquet board is attached to the concrete base with glue, then after finishing work, it is necessary to withstand time for 2 days, for complete drying.

So, to the question what is better: a laminate or parquet, it is impossible to answer. Everyone chooses for himself, according to his taste and financial capabilities.

Watch also the video how to lay a parquet board on a concrete floor with your own hands:

Features and types of flooring

Parquet board differs from ordinary wood in its three-layer structure:

• upper layer - valuable wood with a pronounced texture. The thickness varies between 1-6 mm, but most often is 3.5-4 mm. To increase the decorative properties, the material undergoes heat treatment, bleaching and other procedures, and to protect it from negative effects, it is varnished or impregnated with oil-wax compounds,
• intermediate layer - pine or spruce laths laid perpendicular to the front layer. Grooves or lock joints are cut at the ends of the rails, depending on the modification of the parquet board. The thickness of this layer is 8-9 mm,
• bottom layer - solid wood veneer, up to 2 mm thick. The direction of the fibers is perpendicular to the previous layer.

Parquet board structure

This arrangement of layers provides the material with high bending and compression strengths, and increases resistance to changes in humidity and temperature. Chips are almost not formed on the parquet board, and the protective coating retains an attractive appearance for years. The standard board has the following parameters:

• width 120-200 mm,
• length 1100-2500 mm,
• thickness 10-22 mm.

Sizes of a parquet board

There are several varieties of flooring, due to the number of dies in the upper layer and the presence of a chamfer on the sides.

Table. Types of parquet boards

Board view	Specifications
The top layer is a solid cut of natural wood. After laying, the material is visually indistinguishable from a solid wood floor, which gives the interior a more presentable look. In addition, the single-lane version is considered the most decorative, due to the integrity of the natural pattern.
	The front layer consists of a double row of dies, which gives the coating an external resemblance to parquet. The length of the dies varies in a wide range: they can be solid or divided into 2-3 segments. Between themselves dies are slightly different in tone and fiber structure.
	The dies are arranged in three parallel rows with an offset along the length. There are also options in the form of Christmas trees and braids - a classic parquet pattern. This coating is the most common today, because it is perfect for any type of room.
	The top layer consists of small, perfectly fitted dies, differing in the shades and structure of the fibers. The coating pattern is bright and saturated, which is optimal for interiors that are not overloaded with details
	The presence of a chamfer increases the decorative properties of the coating, gives it a resemblance to a natural plank floor. In addition, these cuts at the edges minimize the errors made during installation. Chamfer width is 1-3 mm

Pros and Cons of Material

Despite the abundance of inexpensive and reliable flooring, the demand for parquet boards remains stably high. Such popularity is explained by the presence of significant advantages of the material:

• the coating is durable and has a long service life, is resistant to wear, can be restored,
• there is no need for varnishing, grinding or painting after installation is completed,
• thanks to the locking system, if necessary, the coating can be dismantled and re-laid, without compromising performance,
• installation does not require special equipment and does not take much time,
• the floor from the parquet board looks impressive and is suitable for different interior styles.

Parquet flooring in the bedroom interior

Parquet flooring is very strong and durable.

Parquet does not need to be painted

Parquet can be dismantled, transported and assembled again.

Installation of flooring does not take much time

Such coverage also has disadvantages, although there are not many of them:

• lack of the possibility of curly styling,
• relatively high price
• the need for thorough preparation of the draft base.

Parquet does not apply to budget flooring

Glue method

Laying the coating on glue requires a perfectly even and dry base. If there are recesses or tubercles on the rough floor, this will lead to uneven erasing of the finish layer, the appearance of cracks, and deformations. To restore such a floor is also more difficult, since in the protruding areas during scraping more material is removed than necessary, in the recesses it is not removed at all. And the presence of moisture under the floor contributes to partial peeling of the coating, the appearance of fungus, swelling and swelling. To eliminate such risks, the parquet board is not glued to the screed itself, but to a plywood or chipboard substrate. There must be waterproofing under the substrate, in addition, it is possible to lay soundproofing material - cork, foamed polyethylene and others.

Laying parquet on glue

This method is used less and less, since it has more disadvantages than advantages. Firstly, costs increase: in addition to the parquet board and waterproofing, it is necessary to buy substrate material, fasteners and special parquet glue, the cost of which is quite high. Secondly, more time is required for laying, because you need to cut and fit the plywood, fix it correctly, apply glue. You can’t walk on the floor until the glue is completely dry. In addition, it will be more difficult to replace accidentally damaged areas, and the dismantled floor is unsuitable for reuse.

Laying parquet board on glue

Floating way

Laying of the coating is carried out without fixing the parquet board to the rough base. Between each other, the lamellas are attached using a groove-comb system or a special castle connection. A small gap must be left around the perimeter of the room, preventing floor deformation during thermal expansion. Between the coating and the base there is a layer of waterproofing, sound-absorbing materials can also be stacked.

This method is considered the most convenient and fast, therefore it is used by most masters, and is also ideal for those who do not yet have building experience. Subject to the installation technology, the coating perfectly tolerates changes in humidity and temperature conditions, which means that the risk of deformations is reduced to zero. If individual lamellas are damaged, replacing them will not be difficult, the main thing is to choose the right boards according to tone and pattern. Complete dismantling of the coating also does not require much effort, in addition, the material can be reused.

Flooring flooring

Laying with fasteners

Fixing a parquet board with nails or self-tapping screws can be used in the case of laying the coating on logs or a solid wooden base, and not on the screed. Slats with a thickness of at least 20 mm are suitable for this, as thin boards can be easily damaged. Logs are laid in increments of not more than 60 cm and strictly in the same plane, as even small differences in height cause creaks when walking. The space under the floor must be well ventilated to avoid condensation and moisture.

When laying, the lamellas are positioned so that their ends meet only on the lags. Nails are driven into the grooves at an angle, and the hats are deepened with a douche so that the fasteners do not interfere with the tight adjacency of adjacent boards. Such fasteners give the necessary strength of the connection, but complicates the subsequent replacement of elements during repair. If there is a need for complete dismantling, reuse of the coating will not work due to damaged edges.

Fixing the board with nails

For fixing individual parquet planks, nails are used, the length of which is 40 mm, and the thickness is 1.6 - 1.8 mm

Preparatory stage

Begin by assessing the condition of the rough floor. Its surface should be smooth, dry, without any defects. In order not to miss minor damage, the base must first be cleaned of debris and dust. Be sure to check the screed level and, if necessary, level the floor with a leveling mixture. If a new screed is poured, it is impossible to start laying until the base is completely dry.

In the process of laying you will need:

• primer for concrete,
• moisture resistant plywood,
• parquet board
• tape measure and pencil
• circular saw or jigsaw,
• drill,
• dowel nails
• one-component parquet adhesive
• notched trowel,
• hammer.

Materials should be taken with a small margin, so pre-calculate the required amount by measuring the floor area. As a rule, cutting takes from 5 to 10% of the total amount of flooring, depending on the experience of the master and installation options.

Tip. Parquet board must be brought in advance to the room where the installation will be carried out, and leave at least a day. In this case, the temperature in the room should be within 18-25 degrees, and humidity should not exceed 60%.

Coating

Step 1. Screed cleaned from dust is treated with a primer. If the composition is absorbed quickly, it is recommended to apply the soil in two layers, in compliance with the time specified in the instructions for inter-layer drying.

Primer must be applied to the floor

Step 2 The plywood is laid out on a dry floor and marks the places of cuts. The substrate sheets should be staggered, while between them you need to leave gaps with a width of 3-5 mm to compensate for thermal expansion. Around the perimeter of the room leave a gap of 10-15 mm wide.

Cutting and laying plywood

Step 3 Using a circular saw, plywood is cut, and the sections are cleaned of chips and dust. Glue is diluted and applied on a concrete base, where the first sheet will be. The glue is quite thick, so it needs to be distributed on the surface with a spatula. Lay the plywood, level it, gently press it with your hands. All the other sheets are glued in the same way.

Leave gaps between sheets

Step 4 For a more reliable fixation, plywood must be fastened to the base with dowel nails. To do this, in each sheet, holes are drilled in the corners and in the middle of the sides, departing from the edge of 30-40 mm. Insert dowels into the holes and hammer fasteners with a hammer.

Drilling holes for dowels

Hammer plug

Self-tapping screws can be screwed in or hammered

Step 5 After fixing the substrate, the surface is cleaned of dust and begin to mark the flooring. Stack the first row from the wall, fastening the boards without glue using lock joints. On the last lamella in a row, they outline a cut line and cut off excess. Having completely laid the first row, with a pencil outline its border on the substrate and remove the boards.

Outline cutting lines

Parquet board cut

Marking the borders on the substrate

Step 6 Take a new portion of glue and apply it with a spatula to the designated area. Distribute an even layer over the entire surface, without going beyond the boundaries of the marking. Lay the boards of the first row, carefully fitting them from the ends and leaving a gap between the wall and the coating of at least 10 mm.

For laying, one-component silicone glue is used.

Step 7 The second row should be fixed with offset end seams by half the length of the lamella. Having properly cut the material, gently cover the substrate with glue and begin laying. To do this, take the board with both hands at the edges, put it at an angle to the board of the first row, leading the comb into a groove along the entire length, then lower it down and lightly knock it down so that the lamella fits into place. All the rest are laid the same way.

Parquet laying

Installation of parquet boards

Stacking subsequent boards

The boards are tamped with

The adhesive must not be allowed to dry.

The joints of the ends of the rows should not match

Step 8 When laying the coating near the threshold, around protrusions and in niches, in boards, cutouts of the corresponding shape are made, necessarily leaving a technological gap around the perimeter. To ensure that the gap is the same over the entire length, it is recommended to insert 10 mm thick wedges between the wall and the parquet board.

Laying the parquet board near the ledge

Keep technological clearance

Laying parquet near the threshold

Tip. In the absence of experience in such work, it is necessary to control the time of fitting boards so that the adhesive layer does not have time to dry. If the room is long, for the first time it is better to apply glue to half a row.

Step 9 The last row often has to be cut in width. Here, in the same way, a board is applied to the surface, a cut line is drawn with a pencil, and excess is removed. After completing the work, leave the room for 8-10 hours, so that the glue hardens and fixes the flooring securely.

You can walk on the floor in 8-10 hours

Floor covering immediately after installation

After the specified time, remove the spacer wedges and close the gaps with skirting boards. It’s easy to care for such a floor, the main thing is to avoid excessive moisture. When wet cleaning, the rag must be wrung out well so that puddles do not collect on the floor. Accidentally spilled liquids should be wiped off immediately, preventing moisture from entering the joints between the boards.

On the screed

You can lay the parquet board on the screed with the floating method. That is, this is an option with locks. If the screed is smooth and sanded, after the primer, you can put it on the glue.

If the base is a concrete slab, it is usually leveled using leveling mixtures. They are selected depending on the deviations. Please note that before laying the parquet board, the screed must last at least 30 days. If used leveling self-leveling compounds, they indicate when you can put the finish coating. Be sure to follow the deadlines. When laying on a damp base, the wood will swell, which will affect the appearance. And not the fact that he will return after drying. And this is not a warranty case.

Diagonal laying of a parquet board requires a large supply of material

Further, in the technology of laying the parquet board on the screed, the need for laying the vapor barrier is prescribed. The cheapest material for this layer is a plastic film with a density of 200 g / m2². It is laid on the base in two layers (as it is sold with a sleeve, it is laid without cutting). If there are several panels, they are laid with the approach of one on another by 15-20 cm. The connection of the panels is glued with double-sided tape. The edges of the film are led onto the walls, where they are also glued to the walls with double-sided tape or a special fixing tape. Everything must be glued securely. It is necessary to cut off the path of a couple, but for this we must try.

All this is true and correct, but vapor barrier is necessary only when the screed can have high humidity. If the installation of the parquet board is carried out on the second floor of a private house, in a high-rise apartment above the 1st floor, and under you is a dry living room, vapor barrier is not needed. Is there a bathtub, a bathroom, a kitchen, a basement under your room? Vapor barrier is required.If the living rooms are lower, lay the substrate immediately on the base, not the parquet board. In this case, the vapor barrier is simply superfluous.

The technology of laying the floorboard on the screed provides for vapor barrier and substrate

Laying the floorboard in a floating way provides a substrate. This is a loose material that is vapor barrier and enhances sound absorption. Usually they try to take either a pressed technical cork or materials based on it. As an economy option, you can use the substrate under the laminate.

On plywood

It is possible to level the floor under the parquet board with plywood. It is quite rigid and even. Its thickness is not less than 8 mm (more possible), it is better to take moisture resistant. If plywood is placed on a rigid base - screed, the sheets are laid whole. Laying the sheets should not end-to-end, but observing the technological gap - 5-7 mm. When laying out plywood, make sure that the joints of the rows do not coincide. That is, lay the second row with a shift of at least 50 cm relative to the seams of the first row.

Plywood is laid with shifted seams.

When laying on an unstable base - on lags, on a rough floor - plywood is laid in two layers. The seams of the top layer should not coincide with the seams of the bottom. They can be fastened together with self-tapping screws, but they also use glue.

In the upper layer, plywood sheets are best cut into smaller fragments. Usually they are divided into four parts. These small sheets must also be fastened with respect to the gaps and dressing (mismatch) of the seams. This method - in small sheets, makes the seams shorter. This reduces the likelihood of significant stress, which can lead to cracking of the floor. Well and more. When laying out, they try to lay parquet boards so that the seams do not coincide with the seams on the plywood substrate. And if they are nearby, then at least at a distance of 5 cm. In order not to get the seam on the seam, plywood is unfurled.

• With direct laying of the floorboard, plywood is laid diagonally.
• With a diagonal pattern - plywood is laid along the walls.

That's what is meant - different directions of the seams

This technique is used when assembling parquet. There he is required. But if the floorboard is of a small format, and the half-base is not too stable, this will not hurt either. Although the installation time takes more.

Can I level the floor with plywood for laying the castle parquet board? Can. Just do not have to cut the sheets. And what does it not matter how to align it with the floating installation of the floorboard? If only the base was even and dry.

Parquet board what is it

Parquet board as a type of flooring appeared in the early 40s of the last century. It was created as a cheap and practical substitute for expensive and demanding parquet flooring, demanding on the skills of masters. Nowadays, she is experiencing a rebirth. The main reason for this is absolute environmental safety, because the coating is made exclusively from natural wood.

Externally, a parquet board looks like a familiar laminate, but differs from it in its internal structure. If you look at it in a section, you can see three layers of boards of different thicknesses, the direction of the fibers of each of which is perpendicular to the previous one. Such a design provides strength and reliability of the material.

Upper layer

The top (front) layer primarily creates a floor pattern. The lamellas from which it is assembled are selected according to the drawing, shade and texture, and the boards are selected without defects and damage. Some varieties of boards are covered with veneer of valuable species. In a sense, this is a piece of goods that allows you to create a luxurious and unique floor without special investments.

In addition to its exclusively decorative function, the surface is characterized by abrasion resistance and resistance to constant pressure. That is why the upper ball is made of hardwood, the layer thickness reaches 4 mm or more.

An additional advantage of the material is that it is completely ready for installation and operation. The front side is polished from the factory, impregnated with protective compounds and varnished. All that is required of the consumer is to prepare the rough floor and lay the cover correctly.

Middle layer

The task of the middle layer is to evenly distribute the load. The best material for this is coniferous wood. Longitudinal fibers give the material resistance to bending, which ensures the durability and reliability of the coating as a whole.

The middle layer is collected from planks with a thickness of about 7 mm. The width of each of them is up to 30 mm, the bag is assembled on glue. Among other things, the middle layer is formed by the connection elements, thanks to which the installation of the parquet board will be carried out.

Advantages and disadvantages

There is no perfect material, parquet board is no exception. If you are going to lay this coating, you should familiarize yourself with its main advantages and disadvantages.

You need to start with the obvious pluses:

• absolute environmental cleanliness
• expertly laid board is comparable to parquet in appearance and characteristics,
• the board is much cheaper than parquet,
• just fit, no experience and knowledge required
• allows the possibility of replacing the floor without completely dismantling it,
• does not require subsequent surface treatment, scouring, varnishing,
• on sale a wide range of textures and colors.

With good care, the service life of the coating is 20-30 years. This can be attributed to disadvantages, because the same flooring will last much longer. True, the obvious advantages outweigh this conditional flaw. And besides everything, you can lay a parquet board with your own hands, but for a parquet you definitely have to invite specialists.

Subfloor preparation

Parquet board is not too finicky to the base material. It can equally well be laid on a aligned screed, on a base of wood or plywood, moreover, with its help you can update the old floor from ceramic tiles. The only condition is that the base must be reliable and necessarily even.

In any case, before laying the tiles, you need to perform a series of preparatory work. First, you should visually and using a simple building level to assess the quality of the floor. Identify problem areas, take measures to level the surface. The hills are smoothed, the cracks are expanded and sealed with concrete mortar, and the recesses are poured with it.

Note! Such a “patching” repair is possible only if the surface is close to ideal and the height difference does not exceed 2–2.5 mm per square meter. Otherwise, you have to think about creating a new rough floor.

The easiest way is to prepare the base for the parquet board using self-leveling compounds. It is easy to work with them, it is enough to dissolve the mixture in water, following the instructions, and pour the solution in an even layer, of course, not forgetting the waterproofing.

You might also consider using wood based sheet material. For this, multilayer plywood, chipboard or OSB sheets are excellent. With the help of such material, you can create a new floor on the logs or patch up the old one, quite durable, but with a large difference in height.

The concrete floor must be primed, let the primer dry. Between the base and the board it is necessary to lay a substrate. The best material for these purposes is cork. It will smooth out possible unevenness of the base, help save heat in the house and protect it from noisy neighbors.

Preparing for paving

The technology of laying the floorboard is not particularly difficult, even a novice master can handle this business, but in any case, it’s easier to work with an assistant. And yet, before you get down to business, it is worth preparing a tool. You will need:

• hand or electric saw,
• rubber hammer
• level and plastic rule
• spatulas (flat and serrated),
• tape measure, square, pencil,
• screwdriver
• bracket for pulling up rows.

In addition to the tool, you need to prepare the room itself. It will be useful to once again walk along the floor with a vacuum cleaner, pay special attention to the corners, a random pebble can ruin all the work.

Methods for installing a parquet board

As soon as the tool is assembled, and the front of the work is prepared, you can proceed directly to the installation. It is worth mentioning that there are three main ways of laying:

• floating
• adhesive mounting
• using additional fasteners.

According to the laying method, the longitudinal and diagonal method are distinguished. When laying longitudinally, the boards are placed parallel to the wall, moving in the direction of the door, in the second case, diagonally from one of the corners. The longitudinal method is simpler, not so much waste remains in the process, but the diagonal one looks more spectacular.

Floating styling

The peculiarity of floating laying is that the boards are not attached to the floor. Rigidity and immobility of the coating is achieved only through reliable locking joints. It is from this that all the pros and cons of a similar configuration come up:

• just stack
• easy to correct mistakes made during work,
• it’s easy to replace several damaged boards,
• it is possible to dismantle the floor and literally move it to another room,
• the coating is immune to changes in humidity and temperature,
• saving on glue composition.

As disadvantages, it is worth noting the need for careful leveling of the rough floor, the restriction on surface area, this method should not be used if the room is more than 50 square meters. Also, you can not lay the board in this way in a room where a high load on the floor is assumed.

A step-by-step instruction for carrying out the work is as follows.

1. First, lay the board along the longest wall of the room, from left to right. Part of the castle is cut from the board, which will face the wall. They collect a complete row, cut the extreme board in place.
2. The coating should recede from the walls by 10-15 mm, in order to achieve this, use spacer wedges. Many recommend that before their installation three rows are completely assembled, after the wedges are put and the finished web is pulled with a bracket, setting it in the right position. The boards of each subsequent row are stacked with a shift, if necessary, choosing a pattern.
3. Sequentially collect the following rows, if necessary, the cloth is knocked out with light strokes of a rubber hammer. The most difficult to lay the extreme row. Each board needs to be precisely adjusted in width, while it is important not to forget to leave a gap around the edge to compensate for thermal expansion.

As soon as the coating is completely laid, wedges are removed, baseboards and door sills are mounted. It is advisable to turn on floor heating or any heating device to raise the temperature in the room and the board has sat down.

Glue mounting

The essence of this method is reflected in its name - the parquet board is glued to the base using special adhesives. This method is more time-consuming, but it has a number of significant advantages:

• there is no restriction on the area and purpose of the room,
• the coating is resistant to stress,
• can be used in conjunction with a water floor heating.

But this is a time-consuming installation, and in the future it will be problematic to correct the mistakes made, replace the damaged area. The floor will cost more due to the need to buy glue. Before the start of operation, you will have to wait until the glue hardens.

It is worth noting that you need to buy the right glue, the composition of which is suitable for the particular board selected. In addition, you need to work very carefully to prevent glue from getting on the front side of the coating.

As in the first case, laying is performed along the longest wall. Before applying glue, the board is laid out, the last one is cut off, so that a complete row is obtained.

An adhesive layer is applied on the prepared surface with a width of 80-100 mm greater than the width of the board. The glue is evenly distributed over the area using a notched trowel.

Spacer wedges are placed between the first row and the wall. They lay the boards, they must be immediately joined using lock joints. Each stacked plank is pressed for a better grip. After laying the entire row, it must be additionally fixed with self-tapping screws. They are screwed at an angle into the slots of the castle.

The operation is repeated. Apply glue, lay the next row with a shift of half or a third of the length. First they connect the ends of adjacent boards, then they are attached to the previous row. If a gap has formed, you must immediately get rid of it, move the row using a wooden block and a hammer.

The finished coating is left for several days until the glue completely dries. After that, the baseboard and sills are mounted. It will be useful to treat the floor with a special composition that fills the joints, creates a perfectly smooth surface.

Installation using additional hardware

The third option is ideal for creating a floor on a wooden base. It can be logs, the basis of plywood or OSB, old floorboards. A feature of the method is that each board is attached to the base using screws or staples.

The optimal floor created using this method, sees the construction on the lags. The advantages of this approach are obvious - in the space between the beams you can lay heat-insulating or soundproof materials.

Parquet board can be laid directly on the logs, in this case you need to choose a thick (not less than 22 mm) material. Logs should lie a short distance from each other (less than 0.5 m). The board is mounted across the lag, the joints should be located in the middle of the lag.

There is another way to create a floor on the logs, it will require more time, but it will help to save on material. An additional plus can be considered the fact that the owners are not limited to simple longitudinal styling, you can stack the board diagonally, creating complex patterns, for example, a herringbone. In this case, plywood sheets with a total thickness of about 20 mm are attached directly to the logs, and already on it a parquet board. This greatly simplifies the work of laying and removes the limitation on the thickness of the board.

Parquet board is a good choice for a beautiful and practical flooring. The board is perfect for a stylish apartment and a country house. It is easy to work with it, its installation does not require special equipment and skills, even a beginner will cope with it. Parquet board is not so expensive, but the trowels are laid out, it will not yield to noble parquet in any way.

Floating step by step instructions

As already mentioned, the main condition for the quality laying of a parquet board is an even foundation. A vapor barrier is laid on it (if necessary), and on it is a substrate. The substrate is not attached to the floor, but simply rolled from one wall to another. It’s not worth spreading the entire substrate right away: it’s better not to walk on it. When lay the cover on the first strip, roll out the second, fasten them and continue laying.

Do not forget that the flooring should not rest against the walls. A compensation gap of 1 cm is left between it and the wall. This gap is made around the perimeter of the room. In order to maintain this distance, use wedges or just pieces of material 1 cm thick. After laying the cover, the gaskets are removed, and the gap is closed by a skirting board.

There are a few more rules to follow. The first one. Before starting laying, it is necessary that the material is aged in the room for several days (at least two). During this time, he will accept the "working" humidity and temperature. If you lay down the parquet board immediately, cracks may then appear. The second one. Laying the parquet board begins with the cleansing of the base. Remove garbage, vacuum. If this is a screed, make sure that it does not dust. If dust rises, priming is required. Better in two layers.After drying, you can proceed to the actual work.

How to cut a parquet board

Ideally, for cutting a parquet board, a miter saw is required. Then the slices will be even, and the process will take very little time. If there is no such tool in the arsenal, everything that can cut wood is suitable:

• Hacksaw with a canvas on wood.
• Jigsaw.
• Normal jigsaw.

You can cut with a jigsaw, a grinder with a disc on wood

If you masterfully own the angle grinder, you can use it. But the slices made by all these tools will be imperfect. They are not suitable for docking. Only for cutting the last in a row of boards.

How to start laying and how to unite lamellas

In general, laying a parquet board is very similar to laying a laminate. The lock system is almost identical. The difference is that to lay the first row of the parquet board with a groove to the walland a spike in the middle of the room. Exactly. And knock when rallying should be on the bottom. For the third that is at the very bottom. Why is that? Because so definitely do not damage the decorative layer and do not remember the castle. If any traces remain on the bottom, this isn’t scary, but the notches on the top layer will be visible. As you know, a damaged groove will be a problem for normal docking.

When joining a parquet board, we apply forces to the lowest layer

Locks can be of different shapes, but always try to get it on the very bottom layer. For this, manufacturers offer installation kits. There is a bar with the required parameters, but you can make one from a piece of a regular board. True, this piece will have to be finalized. A length of about 20 cm is taken and a quarter is selected. A quarter is needed with special parameters.

• The recess should be longer than the lock.
• The thickness of the protrusion should go under the spike and abut against the bottom of the board.

A piece of parquet board is also suitable, but during operation it will need to be deployed on the other side. In thickness, it will fit, and the upper third, if any, is better to cut off / break off, leaving only the lower part. Comfortable enough, but not so durable.

So, the laying of the floorboard has begun. The first step has been taken. What you need to remember are two rules:

1. The first board is placed in the right corner, with a groove to the wall.
2. The gap between the wall and the board is set by wedges.

At the end, we also knock out

Can I start on the other side? Can. But it is not so convenient and takes more time. Start laying parquet boards sometimes from the middle of the room. This is if you need to lay in two rooms without a junction. Then one part is placed with a spike, the other with a groove forward. It's harder and longer, but it can be ugly in transition otherwise.

You can start from the middle

Continued styling

In general, in order for the flooring to be durable, the second row begins with a trimmed board. For each collection, the trim value is recommended by the manufacturer. The general rule is that joints should be spaced at least 30 cm apart. Some collections - with a wider board - should be 50 cm apart. In general, we look at the manufacturers' recommendations, but you need to start the second row with a trimmed item.

Locks of parquet boards from different manufacturers can vary greatly, so installation instructions with pictures or photographs are usually put in each pack. But the general rules for laying the floorboard remain approximately as follows:

The first row is laid along the right wall. Only short sides are joined in it. This is not difficult. We bring the second board at an angle of about 45 degrees, combine the lock, lower the fragment to the floor. With a flick of a snap it snaps into place. In order for the fragments to join as tightly as possible, you need to tap a little on the free end.

You can first assemble along the long side, then snap the lock on the end

The last fragment in the row is usually trimmed. When trimming, do not forget that there should be at least 1 cm of free space to the wall.

When laying subsequent rows, the short side is first joined. The stacked fragment moves along the rails close to the previous board, the lock is combined and installed in place. Tap each new piece to the side so that there are no gaps.

There are models of locks (Quick Step, for example), in which it is easier to first connect the long side, and then move the board and connect the end. Others, on the contrary, make it easier to assemble the lamella in full length by docking the ends, and then in one movement connect it to the already laid side by side. So there are several technicians.

So that the joints between the rows are as tight as possible, after laying each row, it is adjusted using a bar. They tap on each board, checking the connection not only visually, but also by touch. In some collections, due to the texture, the gaps during installation are invisible. But then, during operation, they appear. Please note that not all types of locks require tapping. If the connection is going on with a bang, there are no gaps, you can do without a bar.

Last row

The last row in the room requires trimming the fragment in length. Since the rooms rarely have perfect geometry, you need to trim each board in a row separately. At the same time, we remember about the technological gap.

Extreme Parquet Board Connection

Trimming, but how to fit the boards of the last row tightly? There is a special plate in the form of the letter Z. It is also called “finishing”. At one end, they catch it on the edge of the board; on the second, they hammer with it. The bar is pressed.

As you can see, laying the floorboard in a floating way is not too complicated. If there was even a little experience with the laminate, it will be easier. No? And this is not a problem. It is quite possible to cope independently and without experience.

Features of laying on glue

Glue, of course, is needed for parquet. It is applied immediately before laying the board. Apply a thin layer under the comb. The size of the tooth is indicated in the recommendations, but usually it is 3-4 mm. The base may be screed or plywood. There may be other sheet materials if you feel that they are better.

The instructions for laying the parquet board on the glue are similar, only after assembling the row, the base needs to be smeared with glue and lay the coating

The technology for laying the floorboard remains the same. Only at first the whole row is assembled, if you need to trim somewhere (columns, ledges), it is done “dry”. Only then glue is applied to the base - exactly across the width of the board - and a fragment is laid. Stacked and fitted boards are pressed with a load. It is advisable to press each row - this will guarantee that the parquet will be glued firmly. After the set time has passed, the load can be removed. Work during the drying of the adhesive can not be interrupted. The load lies on the stacked boards and does not interfere with the process.

Now, laying the floorboard with your own hands on glue will not be a problem.