How to lay parquet boards with your own hands: installation technology. Laying parquet boards with your own hands step-by-step instructions How to properly lay parquet in an apartment

In recent years, parquet boards have become a very popular coating, as they are one of the most aesthetic materials for flooring. It is suitable for flooring in almost any room of a house or apartment, with the exception of the bathroom (due to high humidity). However, if you purchase a high-quality floor covering, install it correctly and follow the operating instructions, even in a damp room the parquet board can last quite a long time.

In any case, it is not enough to purchase a high-quality coating - its durability depends on proper installation. Call a specialist? - this may not be cheap, comparable to the cost of the material. Maybe you should try to do this work yourself? Why not, if you apply your skills and diligence. So, laying parquet boards with your own hands, step-by-step instructions with illustrations.

What is a parquet board?

The structure of the parquet board

First of all, let’s remember once again what is hidden under the term “parquet board”.

This type of coating, as an alternative, was patented back in 1941. During its development, higher resistance to external influences was achieved, with a significant reduction in the cost of the material. Initially, the parquet board consisted of two layers. Subsequently, with the advent of innovative technologies, it was modernized several times, however, the material of its manufacture remained unchanged - natural wood. Thanks to this, this flooring remains in great demand for many decades. In particular, parquet boards have become popular recently, when eco-style is being revived in designer fashion.

Today, as a rule, three-layer parquet boards go on sale, which first appeared on the market in 1946 and turned out to be much more practical than the original version. The Tarkett company began producing this coating, which to this day supplies its products all over the world, while remaining a leader in this area of ​​production.

The strength and durability of this flooring is due to the structural structure of the board. Each layer of the “pie” has a different thickness. Well, the position of the wood fibers in each of the subsequent layers has a direction perpendicular to the previous one. In the lower and upper layers, the fibers run along the board, and in the middle, respectively, across. It is this arrangement that gives the material strength and eliminates the risk of deformation.

• The top layer of parquet boards is made from high-quality hardwood. The layer is not only decorative - it has excellent wear resistance, has a thickness of at least four millimeters. Since the appearance of the parquet board depends on the quality of this material, the wood for the top layer is carefully selected. The lamellas from which the board is made must not have any defects. They are selected according to textured pattern, as well as color shade. The lamellas are adjusted to each other, glued together, and then fixed to the base, also with glue. Some models of parquet boards have a solid coating made from high-quality natural veneer. They are also called single-strip boards.
• Coniferous wood is usually used to make the middle layer. The blanks have semi-vertical or vertical annual rings, which are able to evenly distribute the load and impart increased stability to the material. This layer consists of perfectly processed dies of equal width (20÷30 mm), which are laid across. The thickness of the middle layer is 7÷8 mm. As a rule, it contains locking connections - shaped grooves and tenons.
• The bottom layer consists of one or two whole boards and is stabilizing. It creates a reliable and stable support for the upper structure and prevents its deflection. The thickness of this layer is no more than 4 mm.

The surface of the outer layer of the finished parquet board is carefully sanded and then covered with protective and decorative compounds, which are applied in several layers - this is putty, then a primer, lining and decorative varnish, which, after application, hardens under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. Thanks to the outer layer, the finished coating becomes resistant to fading and mechanical damage. This type of flooring does not require additional varnishing after installation.

Prices for parquet boards

parquet board

Advantages and disadvantages of parquet boards

Like any other floor covering, parquet boards have their advantages and disadvantages. They are best viewed by comparing it with other popular floor coverings.

• The main advantage of parquet boards, compared to linoleum and laminate, is its environmental friendliness, since it is made only from natural wood.
• Parquet board, with high-quality installation, is indistinguishable from natural parquet, and a film with a textured wood pattern is applied to linoleum and laminate. In the best case, the laminate can be covered with natural veneer glued to MDF.
• In parquet boards, solid wood is used only for the top layer, while piece parquet is made entirely from natural wood, but also costs several times more than the first. However, parquet boards are more resistant to deformation processes than parquet, since they have the design described above - alternating layers with different fiber directions. Parquet is quite capricious a material that requires periodic maintenance, and if everything is left to chance, the wood may swell from high humidity or begin to dry out when there is not enough moisture. As a result, the parquet strips begin to deform - to bend and warp.
• Compared to the same parquet, parquet boards are much faster and more convenient to install, since they are large in size. In addition, laying the board does not require special skills. It is enough to have a ready-made, even base for the coating and instructions for its installation.

Parquet, on the other hand, is not so easy to lay, so it is laid by professional craftsmen, whose work is not cheap at all.

• If any mistakes were made when laying the parquet board, they can be corrected if the material was not installed with glue. Corrections will be much more difficult with parquet.
• Unlike parquet, parquet boards go on sale with a protective coating applied and can be used for quite a long time without additional treatment. Parquet, after laying it, requires sanding and then coating with special oil or
• A parquet board can imitate parquet, the dies of which are laid in rows with a shift relative to each other, as well as in the form of plank floorboards.
• Parquet boards perfectly imitate plank floors. Moreover the latter is rarely made from valuable wood, as it is too expensive. But a parquet board covered with a layer of expensive wood will cost much less.
• The service life of a parquet board is 20–30 years, depending on the quality and timeliness of its care, as well as on the accuracy and intensity of its use. In contrast, parquet and solid boards have a longer service life, but require more careful maintenance - sanding, painting or varnishing or oiling. However, it is necessary to clarify that the parquet board can also be sanded to renew it. And some of its models, having thick enough the top layer is 6 mm, can be sanded 10 or even more times.

Prices for linoleum

linoleum

To summarize, we can come to the conclusion that the design of parquet boards is less demanding to maintain than parquet, and also differs positively in its environmental friendliness from laminate and linoleum. The price of a parquet board cannot be called low, however, its installation can be done independently, while it is unlikely that it will be possible to cope with the installation of natural parquet on your own.

Preparing the base for laying parquet boards

Parquet flooring can be laid on various bases - concrete floors, plank or plywood floors, and even on an old but durable floor lined with ceramic tiles. The main thing is that the base is smooth, without protrusions or large depressions, so the surface must be carefully prepared.

The preparatory activities before laying parquet boards include several points, without which it is impossible to obtain a high-quality floor covering.

• The first step is a thorough inspection of the foundation. If cracks, depressions or protrusions are found, they must be eliminated. The cracks are expanded and sealed with concrete or other composite repair mortar(with special putty). Individual recesses are also leveled with concrete, and big enough the protrusions are knocked down. Small imperfections can be smoothed out by laying a special underlay on the floors.
• In addition, the base surface is checked for evenness using a building level. It is acceptable for unevenness to be 2÷2.5 mm per linear meter, but no more.
• If the quality of the base does not fit within the permissible errors, then leveling will have to be arranged. Depending on the type of floor, you can use a screed for this (for example,), or put the floor in a horizontal plane with the installation of joists and subsequent fastening of plywood or boards to them.

• If only minor defects in the floor are found, which still need to be leveled, this can also be done by attaching plywood sheets to the concrete base, laying them according to the “brickwork” principle, that is, in a staggered manner. The sheets can be screwed or glued to the concrete.

Laminate prices

• Before laying parquet boards or plywood directly on concrete, the base must be well primed to strengthen the surface and prevent the appearance of dust.
• If the board will be laid directly on a concrete surface, then a substrate will be laid underneath it.

Foamed polyethylene, thin sheets of extruded polystyrene, and cork material in slabs and rolls are used as this layer.

A cork sheet or slab backing is most often glued to the base, since it not only smoothes out small irregularities, but also acts as insulation.

Both roll and slab materials are laid end-to-end.

It is not recommended to use an old carpet or carpet, as well as linoleum as a substrate, as this material can become deformed and pull the parquet boards along with it. In addition, during its operation, old flooring absorbs various odors that a new parquet board cannot hide.

• You need to prepare not only materials, but also tools to perform the work. The list of things required for installation includes:

- electric jigsaw, circular saw or hacksaw with fine tooth pitch;

- rubber hammer - for tamping rows;

- screwdriver;

- rule and construction level;

- square and tape measure;

- regular and notched spatulas;

— a special bracket for tightening boards. It can be purchased ready-made or made independently from a steel strip 4÷5 mm thick.

- tamping block. Can also be “store bought” or homemade;

- spacer wedges.

Having prepared everything you need, you need to do a thorough cleaning again. In particular, the floor surface must be carefully treated before laying any material. Any small pebble that accidentally remains on the coating can greatly harm the overall quality of the resulting floor.

Features of laying parquet boards

Before moving on to the step-by-step instructions for installing parquet flooring, it’s worth talking a little about some of the nuances of its installation, which you also need to have information about.

• The first thing to remember is that the parquet board purchased and brought into the house must be aged in the room where it will subsequently be laid. This is especially important to consider if the purchase was made during the cold season, and the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors is quite large. In the room where the covering will be laid, the air temperature should be at least 18 degrees and the humidity 30÷60%. To “track”, it is better to free the board from the factory polymer packaging.

• Before moving on to preparing the floors and installing the covering, you need to draw up in advance an approximate layout of the board, taking into account its length and width. Thanks to this drawing, it will be easier to navigate when laying masonry. It becomes possible to immediately determine the best size of cut boards, which are usually laid along both edges of the row or only on one side.
• Sections of boards laid in a row must have a length of at least 500 mm.
• When drawing up a diagram, you also need to take into account the width of the boards of the last row, since they, as a rule, have to be trimmed. If they have a width of less than 60 mm, then the covering should be moved a little, that is, cutting the boards not only of the last, but also of the first row.
• Parquet boards are laid “in a running pattern”. This means that the boards of the second row are offset by ½ or ⅓ of the length relative to the first row.
• Taking into account the features and shape of the room, the location is chosen, that is, the direction of laying the boards, which determines the pattern.

— The simplest option, which is most often chosen for installation, is to install the board along or across the room. It is worth considering that if the board is laid across the room, it will visually make it wider, and longitudinal installation will lengthen it. This “optical game” will help solve the problem of a room that is too long or narrow.

Prices for parquet underlay

underlay for parquet

— The second installation option is diagonal laying. It is more complex to implement and involves quite a lot of waste, which means that the cost of purchasing a board will be increased, since more will be required. her quantity. This installation method is perfect for flooring in square rooms and visually expands the space of the room. When making diagonal masonry, the end edges of the boards closest to the wall are cut cleanly, at an angle of 45 or 30 degrees. Installation of the covering begins from the middle of the room. To do this, a line is drawn diagonally across the room - from corner to corner - or a cord is pulled along which the first row of covering is laid. Then, the masonry continues first in one and then in the other direction from the central row.

Parquet board installation technology

Understanding the technological methods of laying this covering, you need to consider all aspects.

So, parquet boards can be laid in three ways - “floating” masonry, with glue or with logs. To decide which one is suitable for a particular case, you need to find out what they are and understand their advantages and disadvantages.

"Floating" parquet flooring

This installation of parquet boards is carried out without fixing the covering to the base. Well, its solidity is achieved only through locking connections located along the edges of the boards.

Such installation includes several stages, which will be discussed in detail in the instruction table below. Now we can only dwell on the positive and negative aspects of this method.

TO "pros" This technology includes:

• Simplicity and speed of masonry.
• Possibility to correct errors made during installation.
• Possibility of replacing individual covering boards if they are damaged.
• Easy to dismantle the board and the possibility of recycling. For example, the coating is tired or has lost its relevance or aesthetics, so it was decided to replace it. The board can be easily removed and transferred to the dacha, where it can be placed again in one of the rooms.
• The resistance of the floating coating to temperature fluctuations, since the design has the ability to expand the material.
• Saving on glue purchases.
• The floating coating can be used immediately after completion of installation work.

"Cons" This installation method can be considered:

• The “floating” coating is not suitable for installation in rooms with an area of ​​more than 50 square meters.
• It is not recommended for installation in rooms where high loads will be placed on the floors.
• The coating is sensitive even to small irregularities, so it is necessary to cover it. However, this material will be cheaper than special glue.

Adhesive method of installing parquet boards

The name of this installation method speaks for itself. That is, with this approach, the parquet board is laid on a special glue applied to the base.

Moreover When purchasing glue, you need to make sure that it is suitable for the specific type of parquet board.

Installation using this method is carried out in stages. At the same time, strict adherence to all technological recommendations that have been tested by experts and proven their importance is of particular importance.

• The adhesive installation method is used if the board is planned to be laid on a concrete surface, which must be well primed before starting work. If the apartment is located on the first floor of a building, where there is a high probability of dampness penetrating the ceilings and walls, then it is best to impregnate the floors with a deep penetration waterproofing compound, which will protect the surfaces from moisture and mold. The primer must be applied not only to the floors, but also to the lower part of the walls, in a strip of 100÷120 mm. If the solution will be applied in several layers, then each of them must be well dried.
• The next step is to lay a parquet board along one of the walls, and between it and the wall, at a distance of approximately 400÷500 mm from each other, special plastic or wooden inserts are installed that will provide a compensation gap. They will allow the flooring material to expand as the room temperature rises, allowing the flooring to remain level.

• Next, having adjusted the length of the last board in the row (how this is done will be shown in the table below), glue is applied to the floor surface with a spatula to an area 80÷100 mm wider than the outer line of the row. After application, the glue is spread over the surface with a notched trowel.
• Now it's time to lay the parquet board on a layer of glue. It must be immediately precisely joined together using locking joints - this process is carried out in the same way when laying the board in any of the three ways.

• When the entire row of boards has been laid, in some cases the coating can be additionally fixed to the floor using self-tapping screws through pre-drilled holes in the grooves. Holes are drilled in increments of 300÷350 mm.
• Then the adhesive mass is again applied to the concrete base and distributed over its surface.
• In the second row, the board is laid with a shift of half (or 1/3) relative to the already glued board. First, the boards are joined along the length, and then connected to the elements of the first row, after which they are fixed with self-tapping screws to the base.

• If two rows do not fit tightly to each other, that is, if there is a gap between them, a smooth block is placed at the edge of the outer row and carefully tapped with a rubber hammer so as not to break the locking joint on the parquet board. Melt tapping is carried out until the gap becomes almost invisible.
• The entire floor covering is glued in a similar manner.
• Do not allow glue to get on the front side of the parquet board. If this happens, the drops are immediately removed - for this you should always have a clean rag at hand.
• When the floor surface of the room is completely covered with parquet, the coating should be left to dry for 2-3 days, without putting any load on it. It is necessary to consider measures to prevent even accidental passage into the room. The drying time for the glue is usually indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging.
• After the glue under the coating has completely dried, the seams between the boards should be treated with acrylic transparent sealant, which will reduce the risk of moisture from the outside getting under the boards.
• When the sealant has completely cured, you can remove the inserts along the walls and begin installing the baseboards, as well as the interior threshold.

It must be said that the adhesive fastening method is chosen if the floor surface has slight unevenness, which can be corrected using a layer of glue. Therefore, when installing a parquet board using a similar technology, you need to carefully press it to the floor surface.

TO positive aspects Adhesive installation of the coating can include:

• The ability to use this material in areas of any size.
• Higher resistance to increased loads.
• The method is suitable for installing parquet boards on top of a screed installed above a warm water floor.

TO shortcomings glue installations include:

• Costs for purchasing glue.
• Possibility of using the room only after the glue has completely dried.
• More complex installation of the coating.
• Inability to correct mistakes made in masonry.
• Difficulty in replacing damaged boards.

Installation of parquet boards on logs

Laying parquet boards can be done in two ways - fixing it directly on the logs or on the one laid on them plywood.

If you choose the first installation option, then you need to take into account that the thickness of the parquet board must be at least 22 mm. Only in this case is it guaranteed not to bend under external load. In addition, the logs must have big enough width (about 80÷90 mm) and laid on the base in small increments - usually 400 mm. The parquet board, which is fixed directly to the logs, is laid perpendicular to them. Board joints in one row are made in the middle of the joist width.

The second option involves fixing the logs to the base in increments of 500÷600 mm, since plywood sheets with a thickness of at least 20 mm are laid on them before laying the boards.

Both one and the other installation options are convenient if the floors need to be insulated or leveled by aligning the logs in a horizontal plane.

The logs selected for parquet flooring must be well and properly dried. There should be no deformation of the timber or board, otherwise the finished floor may begin to creak over time.

Prices for parquet glue

parquet glue

Depending on how much you plan to raise the finished floor above the base, the joists can be fixed directly to the base, or raised above it and leveled using special racks or studs.

If floors with joists are installed in a private house or in an apartment located on the ground floor of a high-rise building, then a concrete base is required waterproof. This can be done using special coating solutions, impregnations, thick polyethylene film or roofing felt.

Logs are fixed on top of the waterproofing, between which insulating material is laid, which is covered with a dust-proof film. It is especially important to take this into account if mineral wool is used as insulation.

Then, sheets of plywood are fixed along the joists using self-tapping screws, between which a compensation gap of 2.5÷3 mm must be provided. Fastening screws are screwed into the joists through the plywood covering in increments of 150÷180 mm. The edge of each plywood sheet should be in the middle of the joist.

Installation of parquet boards using “floating” technology - step-by-step instructions

Due to the fact that the most popular method of laying parquet boards is its “floating” version, it will be considered in the table below - from the beginning of the work to its finale.

Illustration	Brief description of the operation performed
	So, the first step is to lay waterproofing material on the leveled and primed base. In this case, polyethylene film was chosen for this purpose. The illustration clearly shows that the waterproofing is laid not only on the horizontal surface of the floor, but also on the walls - it is raised by about 100 mm. It is not necessary to fix the waterproofing on the walls, however, if a material of small thickness is chosen that will fall on the floor and interfere with work, then it can be temporarily fixed to the wall with masking tape. But, it would still be better to choose a thick film - this will reduce the time required for gluing it.
	The next step is to lay a backing on the waterproofing material. In this case, dense foamed polyethylene was chosen, but it can easily be replaced with cork roll or slab material. First, only one sheet of roll-type underlay is laid along the wall, from which the installation of the parquet board will begin, since if you cover the room completely, it will interfere with the work, moving in one direction or the other. Typically, flooring begins to be laid from the left corner of the room, no matter how its installation is planned - along or across the room.
	After this, a pre-designed material laying scheme and prepared spacer wedges are taken, which must be temporarily installed between the wall and the parquet board. The thickness of the spacer wedges should be 10÷15 mm.
	The next step is to lay the first parquet board. Temporarily it is pressed against the walls to determine the evenness of its position.
	Now it's time to create an expansion gap between the wall and the flooring material. It is created using spacer wedges installed on all sides of the board bordering the walls. The board is pressed tightly against these wedges. The pitch between the wedges along the long side of the board should be about 500 mm.
	Next comes the laying of the second board of the first row. It is fastened to the first by means of a docking lock.
	Docking locks from different manufacturers may vary slightly, but usually when connected they seem to snap together.
	It is important that the second and subsequent boards are installed exactly the width of the previous board. If one of them is shifted to the outside, the next row will not be able to match the previous one. This illustration clearly shows what the connection of two boards along the length of a row should look like.
	Having laid out the first row almost completely, except for the last board, which, as a rule, has to be cut, use a tape measure or metal ruler to measure the distance from the wall to the end of the laid board. At the same time, I take into account the fact that it is necessary to leave a compensation gap of 10÷15 mm, which was mentioned above. Therefore, in order to accidentally prevent errors when measuring, it is best to attach a spacer wedge to the wall and measure the distance from it.
	The next step is to apply a whole board to the end of the first row, then it is turned face down and the length of the desired segment is laid on the wrong side. Next, following the mark along the construction corner, a line is drawn perpendicular to the edges, along which a cut is made using a circular saw or electric jigsaw.
	The prepared section is joined to the rest of the boards of the first row, while spacer wedges are also installed along the wall.
	The second part of the board, from which a piece was cut to complete the first row, very often begins the second row (if the length of this piece allows). It is connected to the first row with a lock located along the long side of the board.
	Next, the second board of the second row is laid. The difficulty of laying it is that it needs to be fastened with locks to the previous and adjacent boards. Some joints are designed to join boards first along the length of a row, and then fasten the second row to the first. Others, as shown in the illustration, are first joined to the board of the first row and then joined to the previous board. The entire floor covering is laid in the same way. However, there are probably places in any room that make work difficult.
	In order for the board to lie neatly near the front door, and the threshold to be in its opening, a cut is made in the lower part of the door frame to the wall, as shown in the photo. However, the board is not put in place yet, since it can be damaged by further actions.
	The next step is to mark the location of the threshold, which will press the edges of the boards in the doorway. To do this, it is necessary to lay a support along the width of the opening, onto which the threshold will then be attached. Along it, from the side of the parquet being laid, you need to run a sharp knife in order to cut off a strip of the backing material, which will interfere with the tight fit of the underfloor to the base.
	Next, marks are made using a marker or pencil through the mounting holes provided in the support. Then the supports are removed, and holes are drilled according to the markings.
	Plastic dowel plugs are inserted into the holes. Then the support is installed in place, which is secured with self-tapping screws screwed through the holes into the dowel plugs located in the base.
	Next, you can prepare a place for mounting the board, which will fit into the groove cut in the door frame. Since the board, due to its installation in the gap, will not be able to be lifted and secured with a lock, as happened when installing the remaining boards, part of the lock is removed from the already laid board using a chisel. This process will have to be carried out not only along the length of the board, but also along its width.
	Then, carpenter's or other glue is applied in a strip to the cut sections of the boards, intended for fastening wooden parts.
	Now the board is slipped into the gap under the door frame and advanced to the already laid covering. The edges of the board are pressed tightly against the cut locking lines with glue applied to them.
	If necessary, the glued board can be knocked through the timber provided for this purpose, using a hammer, since there should be no gap left in the connection of the board with the main covering. Similar operations will need to be performed on the other side of the doorway.
	The next step is to lay the rest of the boards, with one edge facing the doorway. They are laid edgewise on the supports fixed with self-tapping screws. After this, the edges of the boards are pressed from above with a threshold, which is screwed together with the boards to the threshold. Thus, the edges of the boards will be fixed to the base, and also sandwiched between two metal strips of the threshold.
	If you plan to continue laying the parquet board in the next room, then instead of a metal threshold, you can install a plastic joining profile. To do this, its lower part is fixed to the base, and after laying the boards, the gap between them is covered with a profile that connects to the bottom. It must be remembered that a compensation gap of 4÷5 mm must be provided between the lower element of the profile and the boards.
	Another rather difficult area for laying parquet boards is the heating pipes that go into the interfloor ceiling. Of course, you can finish the board by reaching the pipes, and also place a piece of flooring material behind them, along the wall, but such installation will look extremely sloppy. In addition, dust will collect in the remaining gap, as well as between the pipes. Solving this problem is quite simple by laying a board in front of the pipes and marking their location along its width.
	Then the board is moved and laid next to the pipes, and using a construction square, a line for the location of the risers is marked on it, which will intersect the previously marked lines.
	This way, points will be found where holes will need to be drilled.
	To drill holes you will need a core drill of the required diameter. For this version of the pipes shown in the picture, a crown with a diameter of 30 mm was used.
	The next step is to make a cut along a line running across the board. The cut should go through the middle of the round holes. Now you can assemble the resulting structure into a single coating. To do this, the cut part of the board is placed behind the pipes and installed so that the semicircles are located near the back of the pipes.
	Then, waterproof wood glue is applied to the end of the board, after which the rest of the board is moved to the front of the pipes and joined to the segment, that is, pressed against the end on which the glue is applied. After this, the gaps remaining between the pipes and the board are closed with special decorative frames that look like donuts. These masking parts have connectors that allow them to be separated in two and installed on different sides of the pipe, and then assembled into a single structure. These elements will not only close the gaps from dust getting in, but will also give the passage of pipes through the flooring a neat appearance.
	Many craftsmen installing parquet boards for the first time have problems laying the last row. The difficulty is that you need to manage to join the board or its cut part with the rest of the covering.
	If the boards of the last row are not pressed tightly against the previous row, it must be tightened using a special device called a bracket. It is inserted into the gap between the board and the wall, and then tapped on its second, upward-curved edge. Tamping is carried out until the board is pressed tightly against the rest of the covering and snaps into place.
	Having pulled up the last row of flooring, you can remove the spacer wedges and proceed to installing and securing the baseboard brackets to the wall.
	These parts can have different shapes, and they are selected depending on what type of baseboard you plan to use for the floor covering. The brackets are fixed to the wall in increments of 400÷500 mm.
	The plinth can have a flat or figured shape. As a rule, a cable channel is provided on its inner side for communications. Therefore, before installing the plinth into the brackets, cables are laid in it.
	Now all that remains is to install the baseboard in place. It can simply snap onto the brackets or be screwed to them. If the latter option is chosen, then a blank strip is temporarily removed from the middle part of the element, which will open a channel through which the baseboards will be fixed to the brackets. Then, the strip is returned to its place, which will disguise the heads of the mounting screws. It is important that the plinth may have a different design and be attached in a different way. But its fixation should never be carried out to the floor covering - exclusively to the wall!
	The last step is to carefully cut off the waterproofing material protruding above the baseboard using a sharp knife. The knife must be very sharp so that the film can be cut easily, since pressing on the wall can damage its finish.
	The result of the work done will be a neat, warm and very practical floor covering that will last, with proper care, for many years.

Now, after careful study submitted above material, you can proceed to the practical implementation of the recommendations given in it. As you can see from the step-by-step instructions, the “floating” installation of parquet boards can be done independently by leveling and properly preparing the base for its installation.

And finally, traditionally, a short video that demonstrates the process of laying parquet boards on a plywood base.

Video: Glue method of laying parquet boards on a plywood base

The range of floor coverings is regularly updated with new products. Often these are modern materials created using the achievements of the chemical industry, but there are also solutions that can be described as “well forgotten old”. A striking example is parquet boards. In terms of its aesthetic appeal, durability and reliability, it is comparable to parquet, but laying parquet boards is simple and does not require highly qualified workers.

Parquet board, what is it

Parquet boards as a type of flooring appeared in the early 40s of the last century. It was created as a cheap and practical replacement for expensive parquet that requires skilled craftsmen. These days it is experiencing a rebirth. The main reason for this is absolute environmental safety, because the coating is made exclusively from natural wood.

Externally, the parquet board is similar to the usual laminate, but differs from it in its internal structure. If you look at it in section, you can see three layers of planks of different thicknesses, the direction of the fibers of each of which is perpendicular to the previous one. This design ensures the strength and reliability of the material.

Upper layer

The top (front) layer primarily creates the floor pattern. The lamellas from which it is assembled are selected according to pattern, shade and texture, and boards are selected without defects or damage. Some types of boards are covered with valuable wood veneer. In a sense, this is a piece product that allows you to create a luxurious and unique floor without any special investment.

In addition to its purely decorative function, the surface is resistant to abrasion and insensitive to constant pressure. That is why the top ball is made of hardwood, the layer thickness reaches 4 mm or more.

An additional advantage of the material is that it is completely ready for installation and operation. The front side is sanded from the factory, impregnated with protective compounds and varnished. All that is required from the consumer is to prepare the subfloor and lay the covering correctly.

Middle layer

The job of the middle layer is to distribute the load evenly. The best material for this is coniferous wood. Longitudinal fibers give the material bending resistance, which ensures the durability and reliability of the coating as a whole.

The middle layer is assembled from planks about 7 mm thick. The width of each of them is up to 30 mm, the package is assembled with glue. Among other things, connection elements are formed in the middle layer, thanks to which the parquet board will be installed.

bottom layer

The entire layer cake rests on the base. These are one or two solid boards up to 4 mm thick, laid along the long side, which provide stability and prevent the floor from sagging under pressure.

Advantages and disadvantages

There is no ideal material, parquet boards are no exception. When planning to lay this covering, it is worth familiarizing yourself with its main advantages and disadvantages.

You need to start with the obvious advantages:

• absolute environmental cleanliness;
• a skillfully laid board is comparable to parquet in appearance and characteristics;
• the board is much cheaper than parquet;
• easy to install, no experience or knowledge required;
• allows for the possibility of replacing a section of the floor without completely dismantling it;
• does not require subsequent surface treatment, scraping, or varnishing;
• A wide range of textures and colors are on sale.

With good care, the service life of the coating is 20–30 years. This can be considered a disadvantage, because the same parquet will last much longer. True, the obvious advantages outweigh this conditional disadvantage. And besides everything, you can lay a parquet board with your own hands, but for parquet you will definitely have to invite specialists.

Preparing the subfloor

Parquet boards are not too picky about the base material. It can be laid with equal success on a leveled screed, on a base made of wood or plywood, moreover, it can be used to renew an old ceramic tile floor. The only condition is that the base must be reliable and necessarily level.

In any case, before laying the tiles, you need to do a number of preparatory work. First, you should visually assess the quality of the floor using a simple building level. Identify problem areas and take measures to level the surface. The hills are smoothed out, the cracks are widened and sealed with concrete mortar, and the depressions are also filled with it.

Note! Such “pothole” repairs are only possible if the surface is close to ideal and the height difference does not exceed 2–2.5 mm per square meter. Otherwise, you will have to think about creating a new subfloor.

The easiest way is to prepare the base for parquet boards using self-leveling compounds. They are easy to work with; just dissolve the mixture in water, following the instructions, and pour the solution in an even layer, of course, not forgetting about waterproofing.

You can also consider using wood-based sheet material. Multilayer plywood, chipboard or OSB sheets are excellent for this. Using this material, you can create a new floor on joists or patch up an old one that is quite durable, but with a large difference in height.

The concrete floor must be primed and allowed to dry. It is necessary to lay a backing between the base and the board. Cork seems to be the best material for these purposes. It will smooth out possible unevenness in the foundation, help conserve heat in the house and protect from noisy neighbors.

Preparing to lay the coating

The technology for laying parquet boards is not particularly complicated; even a novice master can handle this task, but in any case it is easier to work with an assistant. And yet, before getting down to business, it’s worth preparing the tool. You will need:

• hand or electric saw;
• hammer with rubber striker;
• level and plastic rule;
• spatulas (smooth and serrated);
• tape measure, square, pencil;
• screwdriver;
• bracket for tightening rows.

In addition to the tools, you need to prepare the room itself. It would be a good idea to go over the floor with a vacuum cleaner again, paying special attention to the corners; a stray pebble can ruin the whole job.

Methods for installing parquet boards

Once the tool is assembled and the work front is prepared, you can proceed directly to installation. It’s worth mentioning here that there are three main installation methods:

• floating;
• glue fastening;
• using additional fasteners.

According to the installation method, a distinction is made between the longitudinal and diagonal method. When laying longitudinally, the boards are placed parallel to the wall, moving in the direction of the door, in the second case, diagonally from one of the corners. The longitudinal method is simpler; there is not much waste left during the work, but the diagonal method looks more impressive.

Floating installation

The peculiarity of floating installation is that the boards are not attached to the floor. The rigidity and immobility of the coating is achieved only through reliable locking connections. It is from this that all the pros and cons of such a configuration emerge:

• easy to install;
• it is easy to correct mistakes made during work;
• it’s easy to replace several damaged boards;
• it is possible to dismantle the floor and literally move it to another room;
• the coating is immune to changes in humidity and temperature;
• saving on adhesive composition.

As disadvantages, it is worth noting the need to carefully level the subfloor, the limitation on surface area; you should not use this method if the room is more than 50 square meters. Also, you cannot lay the board in this way in a room where a high load on the floor is expected.

Step-by-step instructions for carrying out the work are as follows.

1. First, lay the board along the longest wall of the room, from left to right. The part of the castle that will face the wall is cut off from the board. A complete row is assembled, the end board is cut to fit.
2. The coating should retreat from the walls by 10–15 mm; to achieve this, spacer wedges are used. Many people recommend completely assembling three rows before installing them, then placing wedges and using a bracket to pull the finished canvas, setting it in the desired position. The boards of each subsequent row are laid with a shift, selecting a pattern if necessary.
3. The following rows are assembled sequentially; if necessary, the canvas is tapped with light blows of a rubber hammer. The hardest part to lay is the outermost row. Each board must be precisely adjusted in width, and it is important not to forget to leave a gap along the edge to compensate for thermal expansion.

Once the covering is completely laid, the wedges are removed, baseboards and door thresholds are installed. It is advisable to turn on the floor heating or any heating device to raise the temperature in the room and the board to sit in place.

Glue mounting

The essence of this method is reflected in its name - the parquet board is glued to the base using special adhesives. This method is more labor-intensive, but it also has a number of significant advantages:

• there are no restrictions on the area and purpose of the room;
• Can be used in conjunction with water heated floors.

But this is a labor-intensive installation, and in the future it will be problematic to correct the mistakes made and replace the damaged area. The floor will cost more due to the need to purchase glue. You will have to wait until the glue hardens before you start using it.

It is worth noting that you need to buy the right glue, the composition of which is suitable for the specific board chosen. In addition, you need to work extremely carefully to prevent glue from getting on the front side of the coating.

As in the first case, installation is carried out along the longest wall. Before applying glue, the board is laid out and the outermost one is cut off to create a full row.

A layer of glue 80–100 mm wider than the width of the board is applied to the prepared surface. The glue is evenly distributed over the area using a notched trowel.

Spacer wedges are placed between the first row and the wall. When laying the boards, they must be joined immediately using locking joints. Each laid plank is pressed for better grip. After laying the entire row, it must be additionally secured with self-tapping screws. They are screwed at an angle into the grooves of the lock.

The operation is repeated. Apply glue and lay the next row with a shift of half or a third of the length. First, the ends of adjacent boards are connected, then they are attached to the previous row. If a gap has formed, you need to get rid of it immediately, move the row forward using a wooden block and a hammer.

The finished coating is left for several days until the glue dries completely. After this, the baseboard and thresholds are installed. It would be a good idea to treat the floor with a special compound that will fill the joints and create a perfectly flat surface.

Installation using additional fasteners

The third option is ideal for creating a floor on a wooden base. These could be logs, a base made of plywood or OSB, or old floorboards. A special feature of the method is that each board is attached to the base using screws or staples.

The optimal floor created using this method seems to be a structure on joists. The advantages of this approach are obvious - heat-insulating or sound-insulating materials can be laid in the space between the beams.

Parquet boards can be laid directly on the joists; in this case, you need to choose thick (at least 22 mm) material. The logs should lie at a short distance from each other (less than 0.5 m). The board is fastened across the joists, the joints should be located in the middle of the joists.

There is another way to create a floor on joists; it will take more time, but will help save on material. An additional advantage is the fact that owners are not limited to simple longitudinal laying; they can lay the board diagonally, creating complex patterns, for example, a herringbone pattern. In this case, sheets of plywood with a total thickness of about 20 mm are attached directly to the logs, and a parquet board is already attached to it. This significantly simplifies the installation work and removes the limitation on the thickness of the board.

Parquet boards are a good choice for a beautiful and practical floor covering. The board is perfect for a stylish apartment or country house. It is easy to work with, its installation does not require special equipment and skills, even a beginner can handle it. Parquet boards are not that expensive, and when laid with trowels, they are in no way inferior to noble parquet.