Block parquet

INTRODUCTION

Natural parquet floor is a miniature planks of a certain shape, carefully fitted to each other, covered with a special varnish or rubbed to a shine with mastic. The first parquet floors appeared in the 18th century. The progenitor of parquet can be considered a simple plank floor, which, in comparison with other types of floor coverings of that time, had the main advantage – it was warm. After all, neither stone nor ceramic floors in this respect could replace a wooden floor. The main disadvantage of the plank floor was its monotony, because it is impossible to build a floor comparable in beauty to a mosaic from a board, even if it is well planed and covered with paints. It was then that the idea was born to divide the board into geometric strips, from which various flooring options could be folded. This was the birth of block parquet.

When, over time, the ability to lay a parquet floor using various types of wood came about, real works of art were born. It was already artistic parquet, the best examples of which are now presented in the world’s museum treasuries.

Parquet as a type of flooring is divided into two main types: radial and tangential. The name of the species is determined by the direction of the annual rings on the cut of the tree from which the parquet is made.

Radial – here the wood fibers are arranged in parallel and narrow ribbons. This is a smooth parquet, which is simple in design, but at the same time austere and elegant, which is why it is considered the most expensive. Radial cut is indispensable for artistic parquet, because in this case the details of the ornament will not be lost among the tree’s own design. Such parquet creates an impression of cleanliness and neatness, looks good in the office of the head.

Tangential – most popular in Russia. With this type of cut, the plane of the cut runs tangentially to the annual layers of wood. Tangential parquet reveals the natural and natural structure of the wood, and the arched structure of tree rings is clearly visible on its surface. There is also a mixed type, the so-called rustic (rustic), the structure of which has a certain variegation, and therefore this parquet is much cheaper..

The characteristics and aesthetic properties of natural wood parquet floors are determined by the quality and type of wood. The most important quality of the starting material is hardness, which depends on the species, growth conditions and moisture content of the wood..

The moisture content of the starting material greatly affects the quality of the parquet floor. If the parquet was not dried to the required degree at one time, then after a while large (up to 5 mm) gaps will appear in the floor, which is almost impossible to seal. That is why the leading firms – manufacturers of parquet flooring produce their products in plastic or other moisture-proof packaging.

When choosing a material for parquet, preference is given to the following types of wood: oak, beech, Russian maple (sycamore, chernoklen), American maple, hornbeam, walnut and Manchurian walnut, pine, ash, birch and bamboo as a novelty on the Russian market.

Oak is the most common parquet material. It is durable and beautiful, has a pronounced structure, and is also ideal for parquet, as it practically does not change the level of humidity. A real bog oak, lying in the water, has a very interesting color – from brown-green to almost black. Combined with a radial cut, the structure of such an oak board is very beautiful. It should be noted that oak is fragile in chiseling, requires a hard and sharp tool and great care when working. Beech does not have a pronounced woody pattern, so the parquet from it turns out to be smooth. This breed belongs to the light, less textured species, has a lower density and, due to this, is well processed. The beech is very good at grinding and polishing. In the radial cut of the beech, shiny plates appear, visible from the end, like dark lines. This cut most favorably emphasizes the beauty of beech parquet. Beech has a very high strength, and at times the screws screwed into the beech break, but do not tear the wood. This breed is suitable for the manufacture of profile layouts, is well susceptible to staining, dries quickly enough, does not crack. Beech easily absorbs moisture, so products made from it must be varnished.

Russian maple is a dense wood with a delicate pattern, easy to polish and cut. Usually small parts are made of maple with complex profiling, carving, inlay.

American maple is very similar in texture to ash, but the wood is denser and with fine pores. Poorly processed, takes polishing with difficulty. The hornbeam has a light, very beautiful honeydew, has a high strength, and is easy to handle. Hornbeam wood is quite heavy, well suited to imitate ebony. Resistant to abrasion, cracks when dry. Walnut is a red-brown wood, sometimes with dark veins. It lends itself well to staining and polishing, it is difficult to plan. The material is heavy, hard and durable, has a beautiful texture and a variety of colors. Pine is quite straight grained, dries quickly and warps a little. Annual layers are easily visible on all sections. Holds glue well, is processed and impregnated with antiseptics.

Ash is much denser than oak. Parquet made from this material has a light shade and a good, clear texture. Strong and viscous ash wood bends well, does not crack, warps a little. The material is durable, almost does not rot, but it is poorly processed.

White birch with a reddish or yellowish tinge. The wood is moderately hard, it is well processed, the density is quite uniform. Birch easily lends itself to imitation for valuable species, it is well painted, polished and impregnated with antiseptics.

Bamboo is supplied to the market in the form of pressed parquet planks made from a thin strip impregnated with a special compound. Such parquet does not lend itself to scraping, but in terms of resistance to abrasion it surpasses even oak. As a rule, bamboo flooring will simply wear off after a 5-year warranty period. A pleasant amber shade of bamboo will decorate and complement any interior.

More about wood species

The main advantage of the parquet floor is the fact that the parquet is made of natural wood – an environmentally friendly, harmless material. If properly installed, parquet flooring confidently provides hygiene, heat resistance, no noise when walking, low sound conductivity, durability and high impact resistance. Currently, for the construction of parquet floors, parquet boards, block parquet, panel parquet, laminate and artistic parquet are used..

PIECE PARQUET

Block parquet is a homogeneous plank of valuable wood species of the highest grades of timber. The strips have a groove and a ridge on the edges and ends for connecting to each other. Special requirements apply to the upper outer side of the plate – scratches, cracks, knots are not allowed on it. The accuracy of the ridges and plates manufacturing determines the surface quality of the parquet masonry. If the ridges and grooves are not made with the proper quality, then this will require considerable effort in finishing the floor – scraping and sanding after laying the parquet.

The slats are divided into 2 types:

1. P1 – strips with ridges and grooves on opposite edges and ends.

2. P2 – strips with a ridge on one edge and grooves on the other edge and ends.

Planks of type P1 are produced in pairs: with right and left ridges.
Slats length (L) 150-500 mm. with gradation of 50 mm
Width (b) 30-70 mm.

The most popular today is the parquet 70 mm wide with the corresponding (multiple) lengths of 280, 350, 420, 490 mm. The wear layer of such parquet is increased to 8 mm (the parquet is produced on the German technological line Shroeder).

The thickness of the planks (S) is from 14 mm to 22 mm (the most popular are 15 mm and 22 mm). With the indicated dimensions of the piece parquet, the coating has equal strength both in the middle of the planks and at their joints. Above the groove and the ridge is the wear (S1), which is abraded during the operation of the floor. The thickness of this layer for hardwood is 7 mm for 15 mm parquet and 13 mm for 22 mm parquet. Competently selected and well-laid parquet has a beautiful appearance and, with proper care, can serve without replacement for several decades.

TERMS AND EXPLANATIONS

Parquet plank – solid wood part with mutually parallel milled planks and profiled edges, with which it is connected to the same adjacent planks when installing parquet flooring.
Crest – protruding part of the parquet plank, which serves to connect with adjacent planks during installation.
Groove – a recess on the side and end edges of a parquet strip, which includes a ridge to connect to an adjacent strip.
Wear layer – top layer of a parquet plank from the face to the top of the ridge or groove, the wear of which determines the life of the parquet flooring.
Bottom part – part of the thickness of the parquet plank from the back to the lower edge of the ridge or groove.
Front side of parquet plank – outer surface of the wear layer of a parquet strip.
Reverse side of parquet plank – opposite surface to face.
Right parquet plank – parquet plank, in which, when viewed from the front side, the end ridge is on the right, and the ridge on the edge is from the observer.
Left parquet plank – a parquet plank in which, when viewed from the front side, the end ridge is on the left, and the ridge on the edge is from the side of the observer.