Laminate or parquet board - which is better? Expert Opinion

Not everyone succeeds in choosing a floor covering for their own home, because the task is not only responsible, but also costly. What qualities should a good floor have? Of course, this is strength, durability, appearance. To this day, many construction forums are debating whether laminate flooring or parquet - which is better? The expert opinion is often perceived in such cases as biased, so everyone is trying to figure out on their own in this matter. In our article we will talk about this topic and try to answer this question in order to facilitate the process of choosing flooring for beginner builders.

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What is a parquet board?

Parquet boards came to replace a piece of classic flooring made of solid wood. They are a special design in which soft and hard woods are perfectly combined, giving the material strength, flexibility.

The three-layer types of parquet boards, which have the following appearance, have proven themselves in the best way:

• The bottom layer is a stabilizing layer of plywood, the thickness of which is 1.5-2 mm.
• The middle layer is narrow boards made of soft wood of rubber wood or conifers with a thickness of about 9 mm, while they are perpendicular to the uppermost layer.
• The top layer is a wear-resistant strong layer of hardwood, the thickness of which varies between 0.5-6 mm.

So, boards can have a total thickness of 25 mm. From above they are covered with several layers of a special protective varnish.

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Advantages and disadvantages of parquet boards

Just like any other material, parquet has its positive and negative sides, which must be studied before deciding which is better - a laminate or parquet board for an apartment.

The benefits of parquet include:

• Naturalness. Thanks to the wooden floor, the room becomes cozy, warm, vibrant, and the unique natural pattern of natural wood is simply mesmerizing.
• The possibility of applying works related to the restoration of the floor. Parquet front boards, depending on their thickness, can withstand 1-3 grinding cycles, in addition, they can be varnished again from above.
• Long service life. With proper care, the material can last more than 15 years.
• Easy to care. It is enough to periodically carry out wet cleaning, use special polishes regularly.
• Easy installation. Thanks to the lock connection, you can simply and easily lay down, and then remove individual parts.
• Antistatic. Parquet, varnished, does not attract hair, dust, animal hair.
• No need for scrapping and grinding after installation, unlike piece materials.

The disadvantages of this material include:

• Exposure to mechanical damage - dents, deformation, scratches.
• High probability of delamination.
• Fear of changes in humidity and temperature.
• High demands on the floor surface - it is important that it is perfectly even, clean.
• Inadmissibility of use when cleaning chemicals.
• If the boards are not glued together when laying, then gaps may form over time.

Now you know what a parquet board is, the pros and cons of this material, therefore, to make the final choice, it remains to get acquainted with the second option.

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What is a laminate flooring?

Laminate is a modern industrial product, which consists of different materials, arranged in layers.

In the context of the material has the following form:

• The bottom layer - performs a protective function, it is made, as a rule, of thin plastic or impregnated paper.
• The middle layer - represented by a chipboard or fiberboard plate, has high strength indicators.
• The front layer is a film or foil with a printed image. It can imitate granite, wood, carpet, tile. The most popular textures are imitation laminate under maple, oak, cherry, walnut.
• The top layer is melamine protective resin.

As a rule, the edges of the material are treated with a water-repellent wax composition. Laminate is divided into several classes, according to the parameter of wear resistance, may be labeled from 21 to 34 class. That is, the higher this figure, the greater the load the coating can withstand, the longer its service life, and this is more often 15-20 years.

Important! It is better to buy a laminate of class 32 in the apartment, which contains corundum in the upper protective layer, that is, a substance that provides the highest level of scratch resistance. Low grades are not durable, and grades 33 and 34 are unreasonably expensive.

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The positive and negative sides of the laminate

It is important to bear in mind that all the benefits this material has are only relevant to the highest quality products manufactured by EPLF member companies. Less quality products are sold at the lowest prices. Although they can be presented under the guise of materials of the highest class, in reality they have only disadvantages and form a negative opinion in general about this kind of flooring.

Laminate advantages:

• High level of resistance to damage (dents, scratches, chips), abrasion, durability.
• In the case of high-quality installation, good moisture resistance, which completely eliminates the possibility of gaps between the elements.
• Security. Even in spite of their artificiality, these certified materials do not emit hazardous substances.
• Resistance to ultraviolet and high temperatures.
• A special fastener technique greatly simplifies installation.

Laminate Cons:

• The main thing that a laminate differs from a parquet board is its naturalness.
• The weakest point in such products is the edge of the plates, which may delaminate over time.
• Not subject to repair and restoration. If necessary, you can replace individual strips, if during installation a lock method of fastening was chosen.
• It attracts dust, is static, cold to the touch.
• The material is soft, high noise.

Important! The noise and boominess of the laminate can be significantly reduced by laying it on a perfectly even floor and cork substrate.

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Comparison of laminate and parquet by basic parameters

To really understand what is better - a laminate or parquet board, let's try to compare these two materials using the main selection criteria:

1. Appearance. Externally, these two floor coverings are similar only in the form of individual elements. More often it is a deck or an oblong board. Parquet is a noble natural wood, it creates such an atmosphere that it is impossible to create even with the help of the highest quality imitation. Each board is different from the neighboring, due to which a unique pattern is created on the floor. Laminate is represented by a wide variety of decorative options, imitates a variety of materials, ranging from wood to marble.
2. Performance.Parquet should be handled carefully, no sharp heels, falling heavy objects, furniture movements, but it is not static and warm. The laminate is resistant, practical, at the same time static, cold, hard.
3. Mounting. Both materials can be laid using the floating method using a locking system. This is the fastest and easiest installation method that even a novice can do. Sometimes a parquet board is glued to the base in order to achieve a more durable coating without large gaps.
4. Cost. From a financial point of view, laminate flooring can be called the most economical option.
5. Moisture resistance. Materials have approximately the same level of moisture resistance, the laminate wins a little.
6. The possibility of grinding. A parquet board can be sanded up to three times, but a laminate - no.

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Stock footage

Since you now reliably know the advantages and disadvantages of parquet, the pros and cons of a laminate, it means that you can make a choice yourself, without resorting to the help of partially biased consultants.