What flooring to choose for the living room? Characteristics of popular materials

The durability and strength of the flooring material are the most important considerations when it comes to the living room and all heavily used living spaces. When using heated floors, you must choose only finishing elements that conduct heat well. In addition to stone and ceramic tile, these properties include vinyl plank and polished concrete, for example. Ceramic floors can be made after completion of wet work on the construction site (screed and plastering), and from wood and floor panels - only after painting the walls.

Wooden floors - types

1. Sandwich panels (wood panels)

Wood in the form of boards is still widely used due to the naturalness and warmth of the material, as well as soundproofing the living room. This piece of equipment with its noble appearance creates a cozy atmosphere. A modern alternative to real solid wood panels are modern laminated veneer panels. This is due to the disadvantages of this type of floor: they creak, warp and wrinkle under the influence of changing humidity and temperature and require painting or oiling and maintenance, Each part (usually there are three) is made from natural raw materials. The core is made of softwood boards or solid wood boards, and the bottom is made of softwood or plywood. 

• The thicker and more resistant to abrasion and mechanical damage the top layer, the more durable the floor will be. 
• On top, hard wood (oak, ash, exotic) with a thickness of 2-4 mm is suitable. After all, it can be sanded and another protective coating applied. 
• The advantage of such panels is their industrial finishing with varnish, oil or wax. After arranging the elements, the floor is ready and immediately reliably protected. 
• Another advantage is the variety of board sizes. They are available in widths of 10-38 cm and lengths up to 4 m.

Installation. Usually this is done without glue - using the tongue-and-groove method, or by snapping (the so-called click system) - and as a so-called floating floor, i.e. on special underlay mats a few millimeters thick and with an expansion gap near the wall, without gluing the elements to the base. The work is identical to other floor panels and can be easily done independently. Before starting work, it is recommended to remove the boards from the packaging and store them in a given room for several days. The wood must adapt to the prevailing conditions there (humidity and air temperature).

Traditional parquet, i.e. boards are 25-50 cm long, 4-8 cm wide and 1.6-2.2 cm thick. Most often they are cut from certain types of hardwood (oak, ash, beech), coniferous (pine, spruce, fir, larch) and exotic (merbau, rosewood, wenge, kempas, bamboo and others). Due to the intensity of use, the living room should have boards made from the hardest and most durable exotic wood, or from domestic species - oak, hornbeam, beech, ash. However, when it comes to aesthetic issues, the products are top class (there are five of them). Class I includes selected elements of the highest quality, the same shade, without knots. The classic version of parquet is laid with a tongue and groove connection (the connecting elements give the floor rigidity and facilitate the creation of patterns).

• Industrial parquet (on the edges) consists of narrow slats of solid wood 8-10 mm wide and 22 mm thick, arranged end-to-end (this structure increases the durability of the floor).
• Lamparquet is made of large and thin boards that do not have ridges and grooves and are joined end-to-end.
• Parquet mosaic (as the name suggests - small wooden elements) is glued onto the grid according to selected patterns, and in the living room the finished modules are combined to form larger surfaces.

Installation and application of protective coating. For each type of parquet, the products should be kept in the room intended for them for at least several days to stabilize their humidity. The planks are then attached to a dry, level and clean surface with parquet glue. Previously used adhesives have been replaced with dispersion adhesives. The floor is sanded, all defects are repaired and finally a layer of varnish, oil or wax is applied.

Floors made of wood materials and plastics - types

1. Laminated panels

On top they have a decorative layer (laminate) of plastic or paper, imitating wood, stone, ceramics (and others). The basis of this material is a solid HDF or MDF board, and the lower part is laminate or reinforced paper. This structure makes the panels quite resistant to damage (for example, stains, dents, UV radiation) and easy to clean, but their upper part (laminate) cannot be sanded or renewed. Thanks to the last property, when choosing an option, it is necessary to take into account the class of practicality and abrasion. It is assumed that more durable elements of a class not lower than 22 AC2 will work well in a residential building, and on communication paths of classes from 23 AC3 to 33 AC5. Installation. Each investor can do this independently, using the “click” method, without the use of glue, sanding or varnishing. To soundproof steps on a floating floor, soundproofing mats should be placed under the panels.

2. Vinyl planks

Currently they are rightly in the lead. Home owners and interior designers are increasingly using them. Because they are more durable and functional compared to popular laminates and wood products. They are more resistant to moisture, abrasion and mechanical damage (thanks to the flexible vinyl coating). Some modern versions contain an extremely durable solid core that conducts heat very well. ​​For example, made from mountain minerals and modern polymers. Compared to laminated panels, they are also much quieter (absorbing the sound of footsteps thanks to the use of cork on the bottom), have a non-slip, antistatic surface and are more pleasant on the feet, which can also be repaired by applying a polyurethane or polymer-acrylic coating. These products have the largest number of patterns and colors. The top layer (that is, the decor) imitates any raw material in the smallest detail. Installation. With a click, like a so-called floating floor, without gluing to the base. Due to the small thickness of the panels (3 mm, 4.5 mm or 6 mm), the subfloor must be level, level and smooth.

Solid, durable porcelain stoneware or terracotta slabs are resistant to abrasion, chemicals and moisture. They are easy to keep clean. They conduct heat well, so they are suitable for heated floors. For the living room, we recommend options with an abrasion class of at least average and an appearance that matches the chosen decor. Tiles in the form of oblong planks (used with the long side parallel to the line leading from the entrance) optically refine the interior. Tiles with a wood-look texture provide a more cozy atmosphere in this representative space. Large, square and polished tiles add elegance. Stone floors (granite, marble, basalt) are a timeless investment that will last for generations.It is not cheap, but guarantees longevity due to the high abrasion resistance and low absorbency of the material. Marble does not have the latter property, so it must be impregnated. During factory processing, boards of different sizes are given a polished, smoothed, matte or untreated surface with a rough structure. It is worth considering the option with pores and pits, as they collect dirt and are difficult to remove. Installation. The elements are glued together with a flexible mortar. You need to cover the entire base (sometimes also the tiles) using a notched trowel. The base (the so-called subfloor) must be dry, level and dust-free. After 24 hours, you can start grouting with an elastic cement mortar.

Concrete floors - characteristics

Sanded and polished concrete is durable and easy to clean. It is possible to give the surface a uniform color or a color corresponding to the aggregate used. It is also possible to obtain varying degrees of gloss (from matte to even mirror-like). The material is resistant to abrasion, chemicals and UV radiation thanks to impregnating (hardening) and polishing agents. Execution. A professional team, with specialized materials and tools (including a grinding machine with various discs), can make the floor in the form of a thin-layer concrete screed 8-15 mm thick. In another option, he uses a special mass, which is laid 2-3 mm thick on existing concrete, porcelain stoneware slabs, etc. In another option, he applies special preparations onto an existing or completely new batch of concrete and polishes it by machine.

Floor underlay - types and designs

The floor is just the decorative top of a multi-layer structure (created on the ground and on the ceiling of the building). Usually, long before the assembly of elements begins, the layer directly in contact with them, that is, the primer, is correctly prepared. This base needs to be properly leveled, but if thin decking materials are planned on top of it, it must be fairly smooth.

• The poured base (screed) is laid out wet from concrete or ready-made anhydride-cement mortars. In terms of thermal and sound insulation, the thickness is at least 3.5 cm. If it includes a heated floor system, then it is thicker and contains an admixture of so-called plasticizers. This base is made in the form of a floating base. It is separated from the walls and structural elements of the building by insulating tape.
• Prefabricated base (dry screed) is made of chipboard, plasterboard, gypsum fiber and anhydrite boards. It is especially suitable for wooden ceilings because it is lightweight.
• Gypsum fiber lining can be purchased with factory-glued layers of noise- or thermal insulation. The boards have profiled edges (tongue and groove or overlap), which facilitates and speeds up installation work.

If the subfloor does not meet the specified parameters corresponding to the selected floor covering, it is recommended to apply a leveling layer of a special self-leveling mortar. Thanks to this, you can get the same flat surface in the rooms and avoid the use of thresholds. Various self-leveling solutions are available. Both thick and thin, adapted to ties of various thicknesses, for example 1-5, 2-10, 10-25 mm. They are sold in dry form, intended to be mixed with water in appropriate proportions. The liquid solution, until it hardens, spreads easily and penetrates into the pores and recesses of the primer. Then it sets perfectly horizontally and evenly.

Attention! The base should be kept until the required humidity is achieved. For example, the moisture content of a cement screed cannot exceed 2%, and that of a gypsum screed - 0.5%).