Every owner who makes repairs in his apartment has to consider a huge amount of finishing materials, including floor coverings. The modern market offers us a wide variety of products for flooring, so it is sometimes very difficult for an unprepared buyer to make a choice in favor of one of the options.
Today we will talk about one of the novelties of the construction market - bamboo parquet. This type of flooring has recently appeared on our shelves, so many do not quite understand what features it has.
To understand what bamboo parquet is, we suggest you familiarize yourself with this material in more detail, consider its main characteristics, advantages, disadvantages and installation technology.
Origin of material
Bamboo parquet is called a product for flooring,made from dry stems of the plant of the same name (bamboo).
The technology of its production is as follows:
- Raw materials that are 4-6 years old are pre-treated: cleaned of sugar, degreased and sterilized.
- Wet stems are placed in an oven where they dry at a certain temperature.
- The prepared material is crushed into chips, after which it is pressed into bamboo strips under pressure. From the resulting blanks, a high-quality and environmentally friendly product is made.
Types of parquet made from bamboo
Modern technologies allow manufacturers to produce several varieties of parquet from one raw material, which differ in their structure, color and type of coating.
During the production of the material, the slats can be positioned horizontally or vertically.
In the first case, the product looks as natural as possible, an imitation of natural wood is created. With a vertical arrangement, the parquet is given a peculiar pattern, and on the cut of the board you can see the "annual" rings of the plant.
Besides, the bamboo flooring differs in colors. The product can be presented in its natural form or with a light coffee shade, which is obtained as a result of heat treatment. The front side of the finished coating can be treated with a glossy or matte varnish.
Material advantages
Now let's look at the properties of bamboo parquet. There are pros and cons to any finishing material. This type of parquet is no exception. If we talk about positive characteristics, then they include:
• Environmental friendly. The natural origin of the material allows us to talk about its absolute safety for humans and the environment.
• Wear resistance and strength. Bamboo is particularly hard, so the flooring made from it can be used even in rooms with high traffic. Manufacturers of high-quality parquet give more than 30 years of warranty on their products.
• Moisture resistant. Since the raw materials are pressed under high pressure during the production of parquet, moisture practically does not get into the structure of the material.
• No deformation. The floor covering does not form cracks, is not subject to deformation and drying.
• Democratic price. For all its attractiveness, bamboo flooring is much cheaper than similar products made from natural wood.
• Rich colors. The material is easy to stain, so it is very easy to match the parquet to the color of the interior.
• Antistatic. Bamboo flooring does not attract dust, so it does not require much maintenance.
• Possibility of restoration. Over time, parquet can be re-sanded and varnished.
Flaws
The abundance of positive characteristics attracts manybuyers, however, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises, you should pay attention to the negative qualities that bamboo parquet has. Consumer reviews speak of the following facts:
- bamboo flooring scratches very easily;
- under the influence of ultraviolet rays parquet loses its original appearance;
- dark tones are much softer than natural shades;
- heavy furniture legs tend to dent the surface of the board over time.
Self-installation flooring
Laying bamboo flooring can be done in two ways:
- on a dry base;
- on glue.
The most preferred is the dry method of laying. In this case, the floor covering can contract and expand in all directions. The load at the joints of the boards is reduced, and as a result, the service life of the parquet increases.
If you decide to do the flooring yourself, make sure that you have all the necessary tools and material at hand.
Namely:
- chipboard or plywood for leveling the base;
- grinder;
- screwdriver;
- jigsaw;
- roulette;
- special hammer for parquet;
- building level;
- notched spatula;
- self-tapping screws;
- parquet adhesive (depending on the chosen fixing method).
Preparatory work
BeforeBefore starting the installation of the purchased material, it must be freed from packaging and left in the room for at least 48 hours. This must be done so that the material does not deform after installation due to temperature and humidity changes.
At this time, you can start preparing the base. The concrete screed should be as even as possible, without cracks, depressions, bumps and voids. Remember that the service life of parquet largely depends on the quality of the surface on which it is laid.
The process of its alignment includes the following steps:
1. The base is treated with a deep penetration primer.
2. A small layer of cement self-leveling screed is poured over the dried concrete. This work is carried out in strict accordance with the recommendations of the solution manufacturer. The uniformity of the layer is controlled by the building level.
3. After the screed, you can lay hydro- and vapor barrier materials (optional).
4. Next, a substrate of any wood-shaving material is laid. The thickness of the sheet must be at least 12 mm.
5. For reliability, the material is fixed with self-tapping screws or dowels.
6. For better adhesion of surfaces, the resulting base is carefully polished.
Styling technology
Getting started, pay attention to the level of humidity in the room and the dryness of the base. Laying material on a newly poured screed is strongly discouraged!
1. Installation of boards should start from the wall opposite the door.
2. It is necessary to leave a technical gap of 1-1.5 cm between the walls and the material to be laid. This distance will preserve the appearance of the floor covering in case of its expansion.
3. The slats are connected to each other using the tongue-and-groove system (at an angle of 45 degrees) and tapped with a parquet hammer.
4. All necessary holes (for heating pipes and other communications) are cut with a jigsaw.
5. If completely natural products were used for flooring (without paints and varnishes), after laying them, the bamboo parquet is sanded. After it, you can apply a protective layer of special varnish.
6. At the end of the work, skirting boards are installed, which are fixed with self-tapping screws.
The finished coating can be used after four days.
Bamboo parquet care
As mentioned earlier, bamboo flooring does not require any special care. However, some recommendations for its operation are worth listening to.
• When cleaning the apartment, do not allow parquet to come into contact with a lot of moisture and use aggressive detergents. To clean this floor covering, it is enough to simply vacuum it. Wet cleaning is done with a well-wrung cloth.
• If water spills on the floor, wipe it up quickly.
• Try to avoid any mechanical damage to the parquet. Particular care should be taken when rearranging furniture. To prevent scratchingfloors, you can stick felt pads on the legs of massive furniture.
• Do not walk around the apartment in shoes with heels or hard soles.
• Do not exceed the humidity in the room where this finishing material is laid (no more than 55%).
Bamboo flooring: types, price
Summing up, I would like to touch on the cost of bamboo parquet. This question depends on the manufacturing technology of the material and the manufacturer. The price of quality material will be about 2000-3000 rubles per m².
If plasticizers and resins were used during its manufacture to facilitate this process, the product will have a lower price tag (about 1,500 rubles), but in this case it is not necessary to talk about the environmental friendliness of the product.
Higher-end materials made from solid wood (such as Amigo bamboo flooring) will cost an order of magnitude more. But their service life is much longer.
In general, bamboo flooring is a great alternative to hardwood flooring, linoleum and laminate. Acceptable cost and high aesthetic performance make it possible to recommend it for all types of premises.
