What is better flooring or solid wood

Wood floors are warm and eco-friendly, so many people choose wood for flooring. But there is often a dilemma: what is better - parquet or solid wood, because both surfaces are made of wood. To find out, consider the distinguishing features of each of these wooden materials for the manufacture of the floor.

Massive board versus parquet - comparison of characteristics

Wooden board

This type of flooring is made from a single piece wood, without the use of glue and synthetic materials.

The thickness of the board from an array is at least 1.5 centimeters.

+ The advantages of such a board:

• It is eco-friendly - except for wood, it contains nothing more.
• It lasts a long time — under normal conditions, for at least 70 years.
• It can be repaired many times - in particular, at least 5 or 6 times ottsiklevat.
• It keeps the heat well, so the wooden floor will not be cold. You can run along it barefoot without freezing.
• Each board has its own unique pattern, which looks very attractive.

- Minuses:

• When temperature fluctuates and the moisture content of the air in the board can dry out and become deformed. Therefore, in the winter it is necessary to humidify the air in the room with wooden floors.
• Laying wooden plank floors cannot be said to be cheap. Both work and additional construction materials cost a lot of money.

Styling method:

First, make a tie. Then self-tapping screws attach to it a layer of waterproof plywood with a thickness of at least 1.2 centimeters. This will be the basis. For reliability, plywood is also glued to the screed. Then the boards from the array are glued to the base (special glue is taken for this), additionally screwing the screws at an angle.

Parquet

The board of this flooring consists of three different layers glued together. The total thickness of the floorboard is about 1.5 centimeters.

The upper layer, made of precious wood, is usually 3 or 4 millimeters. Cheaper wood is used for internal layers, which make the flooring sufficiently durable and stable, as well as resistant to fluctuations in temperature and humidity.

+ Advantages of the floorboard:

• The changing humidity and temperature are not so terrible due to the internal compensation layer of the flooring.
• This board is cheaper than a massive one.
• Laying the floorboard is easier than wood floors. For this, it is not even necessary to involve a specialist - you can cope yourself.

- Cons:

• The service life of the parquet is shorter than that of solid wood. After all, the working layer is quite thin, and can only withstand two or three grinding. And if a crack or deep scratch appears, then the parquet floor (or even a few pieces) will have to be changed.
• Since there is glue in the composition of the floorboard, in this case it is not necessary to speak of one hundred percent naturalness and harmlessness.

Laying parquet:

Like laminate, floorboard is laid on a backing. Most often used floating method of laying. In some cases, glued parquet flooring on the base of plywood, concrete or chipboard.

Compare prices

It should be noted here that the cost depends on the specific brand of material. There is on sale both an expensive parquet board and a cheap massive board, and everything is exactly the opposite. Therefore, the price differences of the floorboard and solid wood of various grades have a wide range. For example, you can find parquet and $ 25, and $ 135. And the array - at 40 or $ 180. It depends on the type of wood, brand and brand of manufacturer. The better the material is, the more expensive it will be, respectively.

But buying the required amount of material is not all the costs. Have to buy some more materials. It is these additional costs that determine the difference in the total cost.

So, the following expenses are provided for the floorboard:

• Purchase of the substrate.
• Payment for the work of the master stacker at the rate of about $ 4 per 1 meter.
• If the floor is uneven, we buy materials for casting or plywood for leveling.

Expenses for solid wood (except for a click system that is laid similar to parquet):

• Purchase of plywood sheets for the entire area of ​​the room, screws and glue for its installation.
• Payment for the installation of a plywood base.
• Purchase of special glue and a new batch of self-tapping screws for mounting solid wood.
• Remuneration of a professional master. Here the work is subtle, requires experience, otherwise the floorboards will creak, rock and fall off. In order for the floor to serve for many years, assign the work to a proven person.

As a result: When choosing a parquet or solid board, remember that solid wood floors will be very expensive. The work of a specialist alone will cost from $ 25 to $ 50 per square meter. But still it is necessary to add on the cost of the wooden boards themselves, which should be of proper quality.

Which floor is better in use

Thick wooden floorboards can be sanded many times - about twice as large as parquet. After all, there is a working layer that extends to the groove and spike, as much as 7 or 8 millimeters. And at the floorboard the top layer is often 4 millimeters, no more. Therefore, wooden floors can be operated twice as long as parquet. There are, however, some nuances. In particular, humidity and temperature should not fluctuate too sharply. And the work of the master is also very important - make sure that everything is done correctly and accurately.

About material stability

This characteristic depends on the type of wood. For example, valuable species of very hard wood can lie for a hundred years without any change. But they are very expensive - not everyone can afford it.

If you try to compare a solid wooden plank with a parquet made of the same wood, you will notice that the stability of the latter in relation to atmospheric fluctuations is much higher. This is what Gustav Chers wanted, inventing a three-layer parquet in 1941. It allows you to minimize the voltage inside such a board. But the array because of such stress may well stratify or crack.

As for the gaps between the boards, they are more often seen in the array than in the parquet. To reduce their floor boards do with chamfers on the edges. However, they do the same with single-sided floorboards.

Conclusions

Today, solid wood flooring is an indicator of luxury and prestige. But it is worth the pleasure of a lot of money. Therefore, choosing which is better - a floorboard or an array, focus on the amount of available funds, as well as lifestyle and environment. Someone likes to have gorgeous floors, not paying attention to costs. And for someone in the first place - savings and practicality. Or maybe you prefer a reasonable combination of both? Choose - you already have an idea about the main advantages and disadvantages of these floor coverings.

Video: What to choose - array or parquet