How to care for varnish parquet?

Despite the abundance of finishing materials, parquet invariably occupies a leading position, especially among those owners of private houses, cottages and apartments who appreciate the elegance, convenience, “softness” of the environment and even seek to emphasize the special gloss and chic of their home. But parquet is not only beautiful, rich and prestigious, but also very troublesome. In this article, we will consider various parquet care products that make the board more durable, and how to properly care for parquet coated with varnish.

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The main enemies of parquet floors

The main enemies of the parquet floor are:

• Water. This is one of the main dangers. If water gets on the parquet board, then it must be wiped off. As for wet cleaning, it should not be too frequent (once a week is quite enough).

Important! How to wash a parquet board? Parquet floors should be washed with a slightly damp cloth, not forgetting to wipe the floor dry. Do not use a washing vacuum cleaner.

• Sharp objects. If you are the owner of a pet, then a periodic “manicure” for the pet is required. Owners of cats can consider the issue of removing claws, although this is a very dubious “pleasure” for your pet, and whether he will be equally favorable to you after that is an open question.
• Furniture legs. If you do not provide them with special pads (they are sold in construction stores), then when they are rearranged, they will scratch the coating.

Important! Pads can be rubberized or felt. Both those and others do their job perfectly, but rubber ones are more durable and less subject to abrasion.

• Shoes with stilettos. You cannot walk on the floor in such shoes. Parquet laid in the hallway will save a transparent rug. It will not spoil the appearance of the room, but will protect the coating from damage.
• Dust, dirt and sand. They are also able to spoil the appearance of the coating. At the same time, they do not just scratch the floor, but penetrate the board.

Important! If you do not take care of solving this problem in time, you will have to remove the top layer of the floorboard.

• Furniture on wheels. Castors made of plastic are enemies of the parquet floor. It is much more advisable to replace them with rubber ones.

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Parquet care rules depending on the indoor climate

The material for the manufacture of flooring is natural wood. Despite the fact that during the production process the board is processed with special substances, it sensitively reacts to changes in the microclimate in the room.

Important! With increasing humidity, the wood swells slightly, increases in size. If the air is dry, the product dries out a bit and may crack. For this reason, even at the stage of installation of parquet, you need to worry about using high-quality waterproofing material.

The parquet board is laid so that there is a gap of about a centimeter gap at the walls, which is filled with sealant. When the wood swells, it expands without the formation of tubercles on it.

Important! Humidity in winter and summer is different. Therefore, at different times of the year, the trims have a different size.In principle, this phenomenon cannot be avoided. However, it must be remembered that exotic varieties of wood are more moody in this regard, and oak, beech, walnut or ash react to changes in air humidity much more calmly. If strict control of humidity in the room is not possible, it is advisable to opt for these rocks.

Features winter care

In winter, due to the operation of heating devices, the air becomes dry and small gaps appear in the floor. This is not a cause for concern, since at the end of the heating season, air humidity will increase, and the width of the dies will also increase with them. Would you like to allow cracks to form during the heating season? Will have to moisten the air in the room. On sale there are devices that saturate the air with moisture. It is advisable to give preference to mobile devices. With air humidity over 45%, cracks in the parquet do not form.

Important! The humidity level can be controlled with a hygrometer.

Features of summer care

It has its own characteristics and parquet care in the summer. If there is a lot of precipitation, then the humidity level can reach 90%. This leads to an increase in the size of wooden planks. Sometimes with a strong swelling, the die takes the form of a boat. With a decrease in humidity of approximately 60%, the floor is leveled again.

Deformation protection methods

However, frequent deformations reduce the life of the parquet floor. Therefore, laying dies in wet rooms has its own characteristics:

• Before laying, the boards are coated with an oil composition.
• Parquet is laid on a special substrate.
• Apply the adhesive method is not recommended.

Important! The optimum temperature for the parquet floor is 15-25 degrees, with a maximum air humidity of 60%.

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How to care for varnish parquet?

The rules for the care of varnished parquet floors are as follows:

• The first 2 weeks after installation, the parquet must not be washed. It should be limited only to dry cleaning. After a two-week period, wet cleaning can also be used.
• If there is furniture on plastic casters, then they should be replaced with rubber ones. If this is neglected, then scratches on the surface of the floor can not be avoided.
• Dry cleaning is carried out with a vacuum cleaner, wet - with a soft, slightly moistened cloth.
• When wet cleaning, special parquet care products called cleaners should be used. These are substances that do not contain components that can damage the varnish.
• It is desirable that the varnish and detergents for it are produced by the same company.
• How to wash a parquet floor at home? In no case should you use dishwashing detergents, gasoline or solvents to clean the dice.
• Machine cleaning of the parquet is carried out only if the usual wet cleaning does not allow to get rid of pollution.

Important! The varnish coating erases with time, so it must be periodically (every five years) updated. Before applying a new varnish, the boards must be sanded.

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Oil-coated parquet floor

Care is about the same as for lacquered floors. But the oil is not as resistant to wear as varnish, so for proper care you need to use special care products for parquet coated with oil.

Do not use detergents with acids or alkalis. The frequency of renewal of the oil coating is once every 8 months.

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How to clean parquet at home: natural board

Caring for natural parquet is quite painstaking. It is advisable to use almost exclusively dry cleaning. In winter, you can occasionally wipe the floor with a slightly damp cloth. Be sure to ensure that water does not fall into the space between the dies.

Important! If the boards of natural parquet are very dirty, it is better to entrust the general cleaning to professionals with special detergents and equipment.

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Classification of products for the care of parquet floors:

• Cliners - a set of tools to clean the parquet from various contaminants.
• Polish - protective and decorative tools to hide small defects.
• Parquet care oil - used to make floors look as natural as possible. Penetrating into the surface layer of the tree, the oil protects it from moisture.
• Mastic - increases the wear resistance of the coating, gives it shine. In addition, caring for masticated floors becomes much easier. It is enough to wipe the floor with a soft cloth several times a week.
• Wax - gives the parquet board water-repellent properties. The frequency of waxing floors is about once every six months. They distinguish between paraffin wax or natural wax. A thin organic film on the surface of the wood prevents the die from penetrating dust, small debris or moisture. At the same time, the wax coating passes air well. Compared to oil and mastic, wax is resistant to wear. Sometimes it is applied over an oil coating.

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In order for the parquet board to serve for a long time, it is important to properly care for it. What principles to adhere to while doing this, you now know, which means you should not have problems with premature damage to the coating.