Laying parquet boards on a cork backing

Recommendation points

• Screed requirements
• About cork backing
• Installation of substrate and board
• Laying the substrate
• Board mounting
• Corner laying

The article provides a detailed description of the process of installing a parquet board on a screed. You will learn about the differences in the substrate, the properties of the parquet board and the installation features. The article contains step-by-step photos of the process with detailed comments on the construction of a parquet floor board.

Wooden flooring is an advantageous solution for a cozy interior. Today, the variety of natural materials and imitations is enormous – from dozens of types of exclusive natural small-piece parquet to fiberboard boards with a wood-like pattern, called “laminate”. The golden mean of these options is a parquet board on a plywood base. It combines the exceptional structural strength and durability of plywood (board base), an abrasion-resistant coating (1-3 mm) and an excellent appearance, visually indistinguishable from natural wood.

Screed requirements

The parquet board is laid on a previously prepared base. This training serves two purposes:

1. Strengthening the old or creating a new foundation. An old wooden floor can be quite reliable if it is additionally reinforced with self-tapping screws..
2. Base alignment. OSB or plywood boards are laid on a wooden covering, a screed is arranged on a concrete one. A combination is quite acceptable – when a plywood base is attached to a concrete slab.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, the parquet board is laid on a cement-sand screed through a substrate. It is the most economical and fastest floor covering option. Screed requirements:

1. Level difference – no more than 1 mm per meter. This is due to the special fastening of individual boards to each other – “lock”. He does not tolerate (does not hide) distortions – they immediately become visible. On the surface of the parquet, gaps may appear, allowing moisture from cleaning into the body of the board.
2. Waterproofing. The surface should not absorb and give off moisture – this can lead to the formation of zones of high humidity.
3. Absolutely flat surface, without bumps and stray stones.

The finishing layer of the screed for parquet is a leveling mixture that creates an ideal plane in the horizon.

About cork backing

Two fundamentally different types of laying – “dry” and glue. When gluing, the substrate is not used, but reinforced waterproofing is used. We will consider the option of “dry” installation on a cement-sand base.

There are only two substrate options – natural and artificial. Natural is made from cork, artificial – from polyethylene. There is no decisive difference between them, except that the very understanding of the fact that the wooden coating is laid on a natural substrate with similar properties. Another fact – when burning, the cork sheet does not emit harmful substances, unlike polyethylene.

Installation of substrate and board

So, if the base is prepared in accordance with the requirements, you can start laying the parquet board. For work you will need:

1. Measuring and marking tools – tape measure, square, pencil.
2. Carpenter’s power tool – jigsaw, vacuum cleaner.

Question:What to do if there are cracks on the screed?

Answer:Such base defects are the norm for “high-speed construction”. If the crack width is not more than 2 mm, it was formed during intensive drying of the screed from rapid and uneven evaporation of moisture. Such a crack is not dangerous.

Laying the substrate

Before starting work, the screed should be dedusted.

Vacuum all corners and crevices.

After cleaning, you need to lay a backing. The distance from the wall is 5–10 mm. It is better to fix the sheets together with tape so that they do not get confused.

The underlay can be installed gradually – under every few rows. The roll width is 1–1.2 m, which means that one sheet will have 5–6 rows of boards.

The nuance of this method is that before laying each sheet, you need to dedust the surface. The screed will wear off from the master’s shoes.

Board mounting

Correct placement of the first row is crucial. However, if the row starts from a flat wall, it is easier to do this – we install the boards through the lining in order to maintain the distance from the wall.

The installation method of the board is intuitive – the design of the lock makes it impossible to do it wrong. To avoid damaging the edge when hammering, use a spacer.

When measuring the board for side trimming, do not forget about the technological distance from the wall 5-10 mm.

One of the most effective techniques of the wizard is reverse markup or markup on the back side. The teeth on the jigsaw file are from bottom to top. In order not to damage the decorative edge of the cut, it is better to cut the board along the inside. In addition, this way you avoid possible streaks and scratches from the jigsaw stroke..

The last boards of the room are marked in fact and cut to length. If a joint is planned along the docking bar, observe a minimum clearance of 5 mm.

Corner laying

A popular technique is to visually “expand” narrow corridors by laying them at an angle to the wall. The complexity of the installation of the first (“lighthouse”) row in this case is higher than that of the rows “from the wall”. Especially if there are niches, corners, slopes, etc..

Let’s consider the process using a complex example – pairing two walls with recessed canvases.

To install the “beacon”, you should build a straight line (you can use a laser, a thread, a ruler) at an angle of 45 ° to the abutment bar. Then set this straight line at the distance of the technological gap from the edge of the corner. The edge of the board of the first row will pass exactly along this line. The angle can be adjusted if necessary.

This method really “expands” the space, but you have to pay for it in additional costs of material for trimming.

Final finish:

If you intend to continue work, be sure to lay a protective layer – polyethylene, but cardboard or fiberboard is better.

Parquet board is not a cheap material, and its service life is at least 30 years. Therefore, it requires a lot of attention and skill. If you neglect the alignment or underlay, a negative result will appear already one year after installation. Therefore, follow the rules from the instructions and our articles.