Which floor cover to choose: tips and reviews. Cork flooring. Vinyl Coatings

Comfort and comfort in the house depend on many factors. A significant role in this play floor coverings. As a rule, all floors have the same basis - concrete or cement-concrete screed. This surface is often covered with chipboard panels or plywood sheets. And how to choose the finish coat, so that it meets all the requirements for this or that room? Today, finishing materials for the floor are on the market in a huge assortment. In this article we will tell you more about them.

Parquet board or parquet?

This is perhaps one of the oldest floor coverings. Piece of parquet is a single piece of natural wood. It is laid on a pre-leveled floor in one of a variety of ways and is covered with several layers of varnish. With due care such flooring will serve not one generation of owners.

Parquet board is a more modern coating. Such boards (lamellas) have a length of up to 2.5 m, a width of 200 mm. The parquet board consists of three layers. Above is a veneer made of valuable wood. Coniferous rocks are used for the middle and lower layers. The varnishing applied at the factory is saved up to 15 years.

Flooring, the prices for which can be very high (piece parquet) or quite affordable, suitable for different rooms. For example, it makes no sense to lay parquet in the hallway, where it will be subjected to a heavy load. In addition, from dirty shoes, he can suffer: there will be scratches and bald patches. It can not be washed as often as the floors in the hallway require , especially with the use of detergents. And this is not the most important thing. In order to lay parquet in a standard hallway, you will need at least $ 500.

Flooring: laminate

Laminated flooring is a multilayered coating. Its basis is DVP. A paper layer is applied to the substrate with a printed pattern, which can imitate the pattern of different types of wood. It is protected by a layer of varnish. Laminate is divided by the degree of wear resistance into 6 classes. For home use, samples 21, 22, 23-grades are suitable. More durable - 31, 32, 33-th classes - is considered to be commercial. They are used for shops, offices, polyclinics, etc.

The cheapest laminate is 5-7 years, the more expensive types - 15. Laying laminate is not difficult. With this can even handle a novice in construction work. Today, many well-known manufacturers of this material produce glue-free laminate samples that, when mounted, resemble the assembly of a designer.

And now let's talk about the price. Laminate of the 23rd class costs from 14 to 17 dollars per square meter, a more durable 31 class will cost you no cheaper than $ 20 per square meter. Laminate from waterproof collections costs an average of $ 25 per square meter, glue-free coating - from 20-26 dollars.

Vinyl flooring

The market for building materials is developing rapidly. This applies not only to foreign producers, but also to domestic ones. Almost every year new flooring appears on the construction market. They are much better than their predecessors. They can be attributed to the recently appeared vinyl flooring.

This coating is easy to install, reliable and moisture resistant. This floor can be safely mounted in the bathroom.

Material Advantages

Such flooring has a higher wear resistance than conventional laminate, because quartz crumb is used for the production of PVC. This material is ideal for rooms with high trafficability due to their increased performance properties. The layers, its constituents, fuse at very high temperatures and form a single whole. So if you choose flooring for the kitchen, pay attention to this material.

Vinyl floors are anti-allergic, so they will suit people who are sensitive to certain substances. They are available in three types:

- glutinous. Mounted using a special mounting adhesive;

- Self-adhesive. At these lamellas the glue is already applied in the factory;

- lock, having a lock system of installation.

The cost of such coatings is from 1800 to 2490 rubles per square meter.

Cork cover

This is one of the latest developments of manufacturers of flooring. It is made from bark of cork oak, which grows mainly in Portugal. There are whole plantations of such trees.

Cork oak is a long-liver. He lives about 200 years. When he turns 30, he is considered to be an adult. From this moment, the bark is manually removed from it, without causing any damage to the tree. This is done with an interval of about 9 years. It is this time that must pass that the regeneration processes end and new layers of cortex appear.

The bark collection takes about 20 times during the life of the oak. After the collection, it is sorted and sent to the production department. There certain operations are carried out to improve its quality characteristics. She has been kept in the open air for six months.

The texture of the cork resembles honeycomb. One square centimeter is 40 million cells. They are filled with a gas mixture that is reminiscent of air. This makes the material unique: it has improved heat, sound and noise insulation, environmentally friendly and antistatic.

Cork floors are a multi-layer construction. Inside each panel there is a moisture resistant slab with an embedded lock. Above the plate is a decorative veneer, covered with 6 layers of lacquer. The lower layer is a technical plug that allows you to lay the coating without additional use of the substrate. Cork flooring increases sound insulation. In a room where such a floor is laid, there is no echo. It is very elastic and elastic material. It is fully restored when the load is removed (for example, when rearranging furniture).

This is the ideal flooring for the children's room. Such a floor does not rot, as it does not absorb moisture, so it can be safely laid in the kitchen. This coating has another unique property. It repels dust and does not support burning.

Installation

This cover fits as easily as a laminate. The panels are assembled in a floating way and fixed with a lock on any flat, dry and clean base. With such work, an unprofessional builder will cope.

Variety of design

Collections of this material are distinguished by a variety of natural textures with veneer cork and wood. The most fashionable design studios prefer to combine different texture of cork coverings with original decor technologies. Thus, they create bold and very original compositions.

Cost

Considering the advantages that cork flooring possesses, the price for them is quite attractive. A beautiful and durable cork floor will cost no more than 1500 rubles per 1 m ² . Regardless of the price of this material, it perfectly complements such interior solutions in decoration, like wood, plaster, wallpaper, tile.

Customer Reviews

Of course, we have told you only about the most popular types of flooring today. Of course, still tile and linoleum, carpet and porcelain stoneware are popular. Of the options presented by us, the most positive feedback was piece parquet. Buyers note its durability, strength, beauty. However, many say that the price is too high (more than 5 thousand rubles per square meter). Therefore, many preferred the parquet board, which can not always be distinguished from the piece parquet. Such a floor will not serve as long as parquet, but in price it is much inferior to the piece analog.

Many good words were deserved by the creators and producers of vinyl coatings. Especial delight is caused by cork coverings, especially if they are stacked in a children's room or bedroom. They are warm, very pleasant to the touch, and their price is quite acceptable.