The quality substrate for the parquet board is the most important factor, on which both the operational properties and the service life of the finishing material used depend. When choosing a parquet board as a floor covering, it is necessary to observe a number of requirements when laying it.
Do you need a substrate for a parquet board?
Experienced masters advise when installing a parquet board must lay an interlayer separating the base and a direct floor covering. Substrate under the parquet carries a few functional moments:
- Corrects irregularities and defects of rough screed.
- Normalizes the microclimate between the base and the parquet board.
- Provides additional heat and noise insulation.
- Simplifies the installation of the finish coat.
- Creates depreciation, provides the possibility of increased load on the parquet floor.
The thickness of the substrate under the parquet board
The opinion that the thicker a substrate is under a parquet board, the softer the walking on the floor and the less the load on it, is a common misconception. After a long service period, the material will be compacted, resulting in a drop in its thickness. Due to deformation of the substrate, the floors will begin to creak , at the same time there is a backlash in the junctions and they will crack.
The standard substrate for a parquet board is produced in the thickness of two millimeters, which enables it to shrink while retaining the floors of this floor covering intact and undamaged. In order to ensure the possibility of using a two-millimeter substrate, without violating the normative level of the drop, it is necessary to carefully level the base below it.
Substrate under the parquet board - which is better?
The market of building materials offers several variants of insulation materials, what substrate for parquet is better to define difficultly, each species has its own, both positive and negative properties. Manufacturers offer the following types:
- Corky. The best natural material, eco-friendly, with good heat and noise insulation qualities. The disadvantage is the ability to swell after absorbing moisture and crumble, if its thickness is less than two millimeters.
- Expanded polypropylene. The material is toxic and fire-hazardous, short-lived (8-10 years of service), budget variant, the least suitable for living quarters.
- Coniferous. For manufacturing use the crushed coniferous wood, a good sound and heat insulator, is ecologically safe. The disadvantages can be attributed a high price in comparison with analogues.
- Tuplex. Artificial three-layer material, the most popular among specialists.
- Parkolag. It is made on the basis of bitumen, which is toxic. The advantage is good insulation properties.
Cork pad under the parquet board
The advantage of this type of substrate is its environmental friendliness and ease of installation. The cork substrate under the parquet, having a rough surface, soft structure is easily fastened, both to the concrete and the ground surface, and to the parquet board. At the same time, glue is not used, which in the subsequent operation can be harmful to human health, and additional fixatives are not required.
The service life of the cork substrate is not limited, with time, scattered on the granules, it does not change the height and does not lose its functional qualities. To make the substrate as efficient as possible, cut it with long strips corresponding to either the length of the room or its width. Lay the parquet board on it so that all the parquet boards are on the same cork strip.
Coniferous flooring under the floorboard
This type of substrate is one of the most frequently used, thanks to its thermal insulation properties, it makes the floor from the parquet board noticeably warmer. According to experts, the best substrate for a parquet board is coniferous, as it has the best balance of stiffness and thickness. After 15 years of operation, the material will not be applied, it will not dry up and will keep its shape.
Coniferous substrate for a parquet board is produced by sheets, plates or rolls. It is most convenient to make the installation, when the material looks like plates, they have small dimensions, they can be laid easily and quickly. An important condition for its use may be the presence of a hard base, for example, if it is laid on a basis of wooden boards, you need to make sure that they do not bend.
Substrate Penohome under parquet and laminate
This type of substrate is a flexible, roll material, effective and high-tech, based on foam polyethylene. It has increased resistance, does not react to the influence of aggressive environment, smooths the unevenness of concrete floors, protects floors from cold, improves sound insulation. Its physical and chemical properties are not lost with time, it is not subject to the processes of decay and mold.
Cut the pre-backing into strips of the required length, lay the stitches together, using two-sided adhesive tape for this. In order to eliminate the displacement of the strips, joints can be glued. Before choosing a substrate for a parquet board, study the performance characteristics of the material and, if such factors as quality and price match each other, boldly acquire.
Substrate under the parquet board Tuplex
The substrate of the Duplex can be characterized as a special, composite form, consisting of two polyethylene layers, between which are expanded polystyrene granules. Due to the deposited on the lower layer of the film with the holes available on it, it has the ability to be ventilated, has high strength, is suitable for "floating" floors. If you have to make a choice of a substrate for a parquet board, Tuplex is a good solution, it is able to maintain its shape for 20 years, not allowing the floors to deform.
When choosing a substrate for a parquet board, it should be taken into account that none of them will provide high quality of the floor covering if rough work on the creation of a foundation has been unfairly performed. By purchasing the material you like for the substrate, evaluate it from the point of view of safety and strength, also an important factor is ease of installation and durability.