Types of covers

In order to protect floor covers with the upper layer of natural wood against harmful impact of the surrounding environment, dirt and scratches the so called decorative covers are used – varnish, oil, wax. As it is seen from the title their initial function – giving additional aesthetic gloss for the wooden cover.
From the beginning of production such floors they were produced with oil, then wax, later came varnish. And now the newest means again steps aside – floors produced with oil look more attractive. Though one may not forget that oily cover needs often resumption.
Choice of varnish by an unprofessional often leads to defining desirable shine – for different intensity one can use glossy (creates the depth effect of surface), half-glossy/half-dull and dull (“cools” the bright ornament on parquet) varnishes. Before covering with varnish one polishes the surface (if you only plan to refresh the layer cleanup is done only in that place, but later vacuumed), than clearcole is placed under varnish. It fills pores and splits in wood, increases moisture resistance of the floor cover and decreases consumption of lack. Clearcole can be also tonic for giving the wood colours.
Each group of varnishes has its useful features. For instance, varnishes based on water dry quickly and practically do not smell. It is necessary to wash such floor with special premixes, which are recommended by the producers of varnishes. Varnishes based on water are resistant to damp and other harmful effects. Varnishes based on artificial resin are elastic and do not split. Varnishes based on acidic hardeners are simpler, quickly take fastness, are not exacting to temperature regime and damp.
Besides personal advantages, use of oil and wax mixtures has several objective reasons: often damp treatment of the floor (was used for decks); there is no opportunity to keep temperature and damp regime in a premise (summer cottages); under the floor there is underfloor heating system; when covering exotic tree species containing essential oils in wood.
Oil and wax mixtures contain natural and artificial oils with added polyurethane for resistance and wax sediments for filling pores in wood. Such cover is very good in places where the floor often contacts liquids and where pass of people is large (bars, restaurants). Besides, oil floor does not need cycling – steep protects floor against abrasion. Renewing oil layer you improve likeness, resistance of your cover.
Although oil cover does not demand often renewal many customers prefer it for its ecology and naturalness of look which is taken by floor cover of parquet or parquet board.

                         Likeness of parquet board

By its outside features parquet board varies. First of all, a question of selection rises – it is the selection of blocks of the same colour, wood, quality, presence of branches and splits, light spots on wood. It is formation of different classes of blocks for production of parquet board on the level of sawing. As a result, we get three selection groups:

-select (elith, exquisite, lux, radial, ekstra) – ideal selection of blocks, without branches, splits, light spots. These blocks are obtained by radial sawing of the stem. Classic type of parquet board, the most expensive, giving the largest amount of waste, therefore not very popular in Europe.

-standard allows inequalities in colour and branch saws. It is a block obtained from the mixed radial and tangential sawing.

-rustik (country board, cottage, original) has both traces of branches and splits in sawing place, and light spots. This mixed parquet board is for interior in the country style. Naturalness of likeness makes this type more popular in Europe. This type of selection includes also the cheapest type of parquet board – markant.

On the next stage of production a new level of classification is determined - banding. The amount of plates of veneer of finewood in a board divides it in one-, two-, three- and four-banded. The most expensive board will be one-banded, therefore its popularity is not great. Three-banded is more marketable, it is followed by two-banded. Four-banded is the cheapest, as it is assembled from the waste of the wood, besides, narrow blocks make the floor multi-coloured, and such style does have many worshippers.

On the next stage of production of parquet board the so called “obsolescence” is possible. You will not find the common term of the result for this process. It will be artificially aged, steamed, stitched, ancient parquet board. After assembling blocks for the basement, with a metallic brush from the structure of the board soft fibres are combed out, the relief is polished by wax that fills pores which have formed. Beautiful, natural look of wood results which then is covered by dark and light oil. Mainly this method is used for one-banded parquet boards, and it results in expensive and luxurious parquet floor the durability of which distinctly increases as wax fills microcracks.

On the same stage of production steaming, stitching and whitening of wood can be done.

Beside types of wood which are typical of our environment, parquet board may be made of exotic species like bamboo, bubinga, venge, merbau, aukana etc. The difference in price is not very noticeable, but increasing variety of colours and textures is delightful.

Shield or set parquet massive which allows forming visibility of set parquet with a complicated pattern also differs in its likeness.

Apparently, parquet board will optimally fit to any interior and any pocket.

      Structure of two- and three-layered parquet board

 The name “Flacky pie” is often given to laminate cover, but also parquet board if it is opposed to laminate will appear to be non-monolithic. Parquet board is more natural due to use of natural wood of different kinds, as well as more durable as it allows possibility to care and renew the upper layer. In average, for 1 mm of the outside layer 1 scraping is due – if you not simply cover parquet with one more layer of varnish or oil but you have to even the floor because of abrasions in places of larger load, some quantity of natural cover of wood of valuable species will be lost. They say that qualitative parquet can serve for years and examples are not far – the nearest museum. There will certainly be something like that.

 Massive parquet board can be 2- and 3-layered, and basically it will be connected with functionality. Thickness of the two-layered and three-layered boards often is similar. Two-layered board consists of the upper lamel of wood of valuable species thickness of which in average is from 3-7 mm, also of moisture resistant plywood of invaluable wood, like birch. Thickness of plywood layer also graduates from 4 mm till almost 2 cm. Variants are admissible. Thin plywood is convenient for assembling a warm floor. The thinner a board the less threats of its deformation. Protection against moisture – the most essential plus in comparison to massive parquet board. 2 layers of parquet board are sticked together with ultrastrong polyurethane ecologically clean glues which exclude exfoliation.

 Three-layered board is covered with wood layer of valuable species (0.5-6 mm thick, the most widespread thickness – 4 mm) with varnish or oil cover, under that – wood layer of slowly growing coniferous species for protection against the impact of the surrounding environment (8-9 mm), then sheet of coniferous species to support strict geometry of parquet board. The upper lamel is called a working layer and to a great extent determines the price of parquet board. In the middle layer fastening elements are placed. The lower layer consists of homogeneous plywood or of several layers of small blocks which resist against buckling (average thickness – 1.5-2 mm).

 Even engineering board which in some cases exceeds 2 cm thickness and consists of several wood layers pressed under high pressure also does not exceed 3 structural layers: pressed wood fibers become the whole with common features. If you look for cover for your cottage thick engineering board will greatly bear moisture and temperature changes between summer and winter when a house is not heated.

 For cottages terrace board can also be recommended, its title determines the place of possible flooring.