If you started to make a full repair in the apartment, then you have to choose a decent floor covering. Today, the range presents a lot of interesting materials, starting with traditional (linoleum, tile), ending with exotic (cork, bulk floor ). But the most common are the laminate and parquet. But despite the external similarity, they have different operational properties and tangible differences in price. So what is the difference between parquet and laminate? About this below.
How to distinguish a parquet from a laminate?
First, try to understand the terminology. Parquet is a natural coating consisting of individual dies from solid layers of wood. Some types of parquet consist of several layers, but they must necessarily be made of sawn wood.
Laminate , in contrast to parquet, consists of artificially connected wood fibers, on top of which a polygraphic layer is imprinted with imitation of a wooden frame and a protective layer of melamine / acrylic resin. In fact, laminate is an inexpensive imitation of parquet.
What distinguishes a parquet from a laminate is the main points
In addition to the difference in "origin", these two floor coverings have a difference in performance characteristics, namely:
- Wear resistance . The coating of fiberboard is resistant to damage, low flammability and moisture resistance, which parquet can not boast.
- Tactile sensations . The parquet board has a softer structure and keeps the heat well, while the laminate remains cold even in a warm apartment.
- Care . For parquet should be properly maintained using special means for washing the floor. Under it, you can not install a heating system, otherwise the wooden plates swell and deform. All these disadvantages do not apply to the laminate.
In addition, parquet flooring is much more expensive than laminated flooring and requires careful laying and periodic coding.