Designers deal with the “sexual” issue

Repairing an apartment is not only financial, but also emotionally costly. Therefore, the choice of materials should be approached with special attention, so that the next 5-10 years (or even longer!) do not return to repair without the need. General repair tip: everything that hides in the walls, connected with wires, pipes and electricity - should be of high quality. You can save on individual items, lamps, textiles, because if you get bored or spoiled, everything changes easily. But a leak inside the wall, a circuit or a cracked floor is already a more serious problem.

In matters of choosing a material for the floor, it is worth considering not only the appearance, but also the correspondence of the selected material to the patency of the premises. In wet areas and areas of increased use, such as the hallway, kitchen - it is recommended to use tiles or porcelain. The difference between them is that porcelain is more durable in composition, not glossy withstands temperature changes (this is true if used on the balcony), but ordinary ceramic tiles are also suitable for home use. It is important to understand that the polished glossy surface is easier to care for, but it glides more (for example, when water hits), so if you like to walk at home, for example, in wool socks - it will not be convenient. As for the matte surface, then it is worth remembering that if the tile is too rough or with a marked texture, then in the hallway it will collect more dirt, because in irregularities on the surface it gets stuck.

In the main part of the apartment and in living rooms it is more common to lay parquet. But here the average buyer may be confused: among the wooden floors now presented a huge variety. The most expensive and status will be a massive board - this is a single piece of wood to the full thickness (15-22 mm), without adhesive layers. But this is a capricious option: it lives for decades, it can be grinded 4-6 times or more, but it is sensitive to humidity (you need stable 40-60%) and is not friendly with the warm floor. Prices for oak, for example, start from 5,000 to 9,000 ы/m2 from the manufacturer, and premium breeds and collections go significantly above 15,000 ы/m2 and even higher. Laying is complex, you need a specialist, installation on glue. And as a rule, the cost is indicated for the material itself, and its processing, laying is ultimately higher than the board itself.

Approximately in the same price segment (for the cost of the material) - art and modular parquet (sockets, curbs, patterns), but it happens to be the top of the price pyramid: modular engineering solutions with decor start from 6000 е / m2 and above, and piecework art laying adds to this amount a lot more. And it's always handmade. Therefore, the corresponding cost.

A little cheaper will cost the familiar Soviet man piece parquet, it was often used before, but it is capricious, expensive styling, although of course, with high-quality work, this material can pass from generation to generation and of course will be more appropriate in the interior, which is built “for centuries”, certainly not in a rented apartment.

The middle segment is an engineering board – at the moment it is the most modern and popular material. The engineering board is loved by designers for the appearance and ease of stacking. The upper layer of valuable rock with a thickness of 3-6 mm is glued to the base of birch plywood. Due to the plywood base, it is more stable than the array, does not warp from humidity drops and is best suited for a warm floor. Single-band - from 5 100 / m2, Christmas tree English - from 5 000, French - from 7 500 / m2. It can withstand 2-4 (according to some sources up to 7 times) grinding, the format is larger than parquet - up to 3 m long and 300 mm wide. Placed mainly on glue - this is more reliable, but adds to the estimate the cost of glue and work. The board often comes from the supplier in the “sales” section, because new designs and colors are regularly released, and past collections can be purchased at a good discount.

The largest price range of a conventional parquet board is from 3600 to 12,000 . / m2 and above.

An engineering board and a parquet board are often confused because they look almost the same on the outside. The difference is in the “stuffing” and how it affects the service life and installation. Parquet board as a “three-layer sandwich”: the upper layer is a thin veneer of a valuable breed (usually 0.6-4 mm); the middle layer is coniferous plates stacked across; the lower layer is coniferous veneer. Engineering board - two-layer: the upper layer - lamels of valuable breed, but thicker: 3-6 mm (and some manufacturers and more); the basis - birch plywood, not coniferous plates. That is, the engineering board is, in fact, "veneer more expensive and on plywood", and parquet - "thin veneer on a soft coniferous pie.".

Ready-made plaques of both engineering board and parquet are often sold ready for laying and with a lock, so installation is extremely simple. Massive board and piece parquet will make the masters tinker. Choosing a floor, weigh all the pros and cons, analyze for how long you make repairs. Because the desired appearance can now be obtained from any material in a completely different price category. But the quality will be different.