Difference between laminate and parquet flooring

Repair is such a "catastrophe" that sooner or later overtakes everyone. And if wall decoration and ceiling work require attention every 3-5 years, then the floor is laid, as a rule, with a long-term perspective. Therefore, the choice of flooring is a crucial step, which must be preceded by a thorough study of all possible options.

Today, even the most exotic and incredible flooring solutions can be found on sale, but the most popular are laminate and parquet boards. They combine reliability, strength, resistance to external influences and at the same time will not become a serious blow to the wallet.

When choosing between them, one should weigh well the disadvantages and advantages of each, correlate them with their needs and, of course, take into account the environmental friendliness of the materials from which they are made.

The only thing that unites a laminate and a parquet board is this is their layering. What, then, is the difference between laminate and parquet flooring?

Definition

Laminate consists of several, usually four or five, layers of synthetic material. Basically, laminate is a photo wallpaper attached to a fibreboard and covered with a layer of a special transparent resin on top.

Laminate

Parquet board is not solid, as, for example, parquet, but is a triple layering of wood veneer, where the lower the layers are made from cheap raw materials, such as spruce or pine, and the top one is made from high quality wood.

Parquet boards

Appearance

There is a huge selection of laminate decors. The most commonly used laminate "wood-like", which differs from the parquet board in the absolute identity of the pattern on each "board". However, you can also find laminate that resembles tiles, marble, stone, and so on.

The appearance of a parquet board is identical to the structure of a tree, and two identical “parquet” does not exist, just as two identical trees do not exist in nature.

Performance

Parquet flooring requires a certain attitude. He will not tolerate women's heels or heavy furniture. The varnish that covers the top layer of wood veneer is easily scratched, and the consequences of falling something heavy will remain on it forever. The parquet board is afraid of temperature changes and changes in humidity in the room. However, this is a warm floor, with a high rate of sound insulation and low static.

Laminate flooring is very practical. You don't have to change your usual stiletto heels for soft house slippers just to avoid scratching its surface. Possesses increased resistance to abrasion and fading of surfaces. However, compared to natural wood, laminate flooring is static, cold and very noisy. But these problems today are easily solved by purchasing a special antistatic agent that is applied to the surface of the laminate, using a warm floor and a sound-absorbing substrate.

Care considerations

Parquet boards require special care. Like any tree, she does not like excessive moisture, which means that cleaning the house should be carried out only with a slightly damp cloth or vacuum cleaner without using steam. You can also use special household chemicals to care for wood surfaces.

Laminate, although not so sensitive to moisture, does not tolerate excess water on its surface either. In addition, it is not recommended to use chemicals on laminate floors.

Service life

No matter how strange it may seem at first glance, the service life of a parquet board is much longer than that of a laminate. Despite the fact that every mechanical action does not pass without leaving a trace for a plank floor, it can last about thirty-five years with proper care. The secret is that a parquet floor can be sanded and thus restored. The layer thickness allows you to do this no more than four times.

Laminate will last from seven to twenty years. Its service life depends on the wear class and the quality of its care.

Cost

Of course, parquet boards cost significantly more than laminate flooring. However, those types of laminate that have high wear resistance are in about the same price range. Therefore, if we take into account all the properties of these materials, their service life, environmental friendliness and a variety of designs, then the price cannot be a decisive factor in choosing one or another floor covering.

Conclusions TheDifference.ru

  1. Laminate is made of synthetic material, while parquet board is made of natural wood.
  2. Laminate, unlike parquet boards, is not so afraid of mechanical stress.
  3. Laminate can be used in any room, parquet board only where there are no temperature changes and excessive humidity.
  4. Laminate has a wider variety of designs than parquet.
  5. Parquet board is a warm, not noisy and not static floor, unlike laminate.
  6. Parquet board has a greater operational reserve than laminate.
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