Choose best coverage for floor

1. Linoleum

An option from the “cheap and cheerful” series. The most accessible and inexpensive synthetic material. There are no restrictions on colors and patterns; it can be with or without insulation. It is customary to divide linoleum into three types depending on its strength: household, semi-commercial and commercial.If you decide to opt for linoleum, then for your home, take a semi-commercial one: it is much stronger, although a little more expensive than a household one.By the way, the same story happens with laminate, which will be discussed a little later: for the home, they most often take laminate, which is intended for public spaces.Linoleum can be laid in any home room, except for cold ones: on severe frost it will crack.Pros:

• Does not rot, is not susceptible to the harmful effects of moisture. With proper care, it has a long service life - over 10 years.
• Good noise insulation properties
• Easy to care for
• A huge number of design and color options

Minuses:

• Linoleum is demanding on the base; it must be laid on a perfectly flat floor, then it will last a very long time. Otherwise, it will soon crack and “creases” will be visible.
• Not environmentally friendly: linoleum - completely artificial material, and noticeably loses in this regard to natural coatings.
• Low mechanical strength. Heavy furniture or even sharp heels can damage linoleum. Pets, especially large dogs, can destroy linoleum in a very short time.

2. Carpet and other carpeting

Another inexpensive and very common flooring option. It is low cost, easy to install and does not require special care. Synthetic carpets are absolutely not of interest to rodents and insects. Plus, there is a huge selection of colors and patterns, from classic “carpet” to radically avant-garde.Carpet can be used in any room except wet ones: kitchen, bathroom, toilet.Pros:

• Resistance to external influences - abrasion and various mechanical damage.
• Large selection of designs and colors
• High noise-absorbing qualities
• Excellent heat retention

Minuses:

Instability to fading and fading, especially in inexpensive types of carpet. Regular dry cleaning is required. If you choose carpeting, take care of a good vacuum cleaner. Dust accumulation. Carpeting is not recommended for use by people with a predisposition to allergies. Aesthetics (it is easy to deform)

3. Laminate

Laminate is the third most popular inexpensive and widespread flooring material. It consists of special panels made of fibreboard (fibreboard) and several layers of special thick paper. A pattern is applied to the paper (most often the texture of wood is imitated) and a special durable protective layer lamination. Hence the name - laminate.Pros:

Strength. Laminate copes well with any mechanical load, scratches, and so on. If you have pets, their claws will not be scary for him. Laminate perfectly tolerates high temperatures, and is able to withstand short-term contact with fire (for example, with a match accidentally falling on the floor). Laminate can be used together with systems heated floors, both electric and water. Affordable price. Laminate is more expensive than carpet or linoleum, but nevertheless cheaper than many other types of coating, for example, visually similar parquet boards

Minuses:

Fear of moisture. Despite its strength, laminate is contraindicated for prolonged contact with water and other liquids. From prolonged contact with water, its fiberboard base will swell, and the laminate will become unusable. Short service life, despite its mechanical strength. It is recommended to replace it every 5 - 7 years. Despite its apparent simplicity, laminate flooring is difficult to install without experience. It is better to hire professionals, and this is an additional amount to the cost of laminate flooring. It is easy to chip and cause defects for the design. This is a huge disadvantage, because laminate, unlike parquet boards or solid wood, cannot be restored.

4. Floorboard

Probably the most classic floor option from natural materials- floor made of wooden planks. Solid wood flooring is expensive, but it is one of the most reliable and eco-friendly species coverings.Modern solid wood flooring boards are made using special technology, dried and processed using special equipment. The boards have locking joints that simplify installation - the floor is obtained without cracks and height differences, as was the case in grandma's old apartment.Solid wood floors do not need to be painted: the boards are already ready for use, covered with pest repellent compounds and a layer of varnish.Pros:

Strength and durability. A solid plank floor can last more than 50 years without the need to replace the boards. This floor can be scraped and sanded as many times as you like - the thickness of the boards allows this. Easy installation. Although, as in the case of laminate, you should not do this yourself - it is better to hire specialists. Good heat and sound insulation

Minuses:

High price. Solid natural wood is much more expensive than other types of wood flooring. Sensitivity to moisture: with prolonged contact with moisture, a solid wood board can “sink.” Special protection from scratches is required. Solid boards must be sanded, sanded and varnished annually. It must be regularly treated with pest control agents, despite the initial treatment.

5. Parquet and parquet boards

Parquet made from solid parquet boards is an expensive pleasure. This type of parquet is used to lay floors in royal palaces and very rich houses. Modern parquet is cheaper because it is made from composite materials: its base is thick plywood, and only the top layer of 3–5 mm is valuable wood.The parquet board has the same structure as inlaid parquet: thick plywood with a thin face layer. Because of this, both parquet and parquet boards today are quite affordable for people with average incomes (trick: take a three-strip parquet board, it is much cheaper).Pros:

Environmental friendliness. Parquet and parquet boards are, first of all, natural wood. Glue based on natural resins is used as internal binding materials. Long service life. Good parquet can serve you for up to 20 years. Parquet and parquet boards retain heat perfectly. Appearance. Inlaid parquet can become a real work of art (there is a name for this - artistic parquet). Using parquet from different types of wood, you can create original ornaments and patterns on the floor. It can be restored (this is a definite plus, but it only applies to parquet treated with oil. It is more difficult to restore varnish; you will have to replace the whole board).

Minuses:

High price. And this is not only the cost of the material, but also the cost of installation work. If you really want high-quality parquet- you will have to spend money on a great parquet floorer. Parquet is susceptible to mechanical damage, so it is not recommended to use it in a house with large animals - their claws will render the parquet unusable in a very short time. Parquet is afraid of moisture. And although it is less susceptible to warping than solid wood, it is not recommended to allow prolonged contact with water.

6. Engineering board

Engineered board is a relatively new type of coating. In essence, this is a parquet board, but made using a slightly different technology. Engineered board consists of two or three layers: a thick (up to 1 cm) layer of expensive wood, a layer of cheaper wood or plywood, and another layer of expensive wood (for a three-layer engineered board).Another difference between engineered wood and parquet: it contains only water-soluble glue that does not contain toxins, while some inexpensive varieties of parquet can also use synthetic compounds.Pros:

Strength and durability. Engineered board is much stronger than ordinary parquet, its service life is longer - 20 - 25 years. The thick top layer allows it to be scraped and polished more times than parquet. Retains heat well. Less susceptible to moisture than ordinary parquet. Easy to install.

Minuses:

The price is still quite high: the cost of an engineered board is comparable to the cost of a good parquet. To install it, you need to prepare a good, level base and a backing made of plywood or fiberboard. Despite the increased moisture resistance, it is still not recommended to use an engineered board in wet rooms.

7. Cork floor

This is a natural coating with good heat-insulating and noise-absorbing properties, pleasant to the touch and easy to install. Made from compressed bark balsa wood. Available in the form of slabs and rolls.Cork flooring is ideal for a nursery, bedroom or living room. It is absolutely environmentally friendly.Pros:

• Good thermal insulation. You can walk on this floor barefoot even in winter - it maintains room temperature.
• Good sound insulation. In professional recording studios, for example, the floors and walls are necessarily covered with cork panels.
• Resistance to deformation. Heavy furniture does not leave marks on the cork floor - dents are leveled out on their own within a short time.

Minuses:

• Prices for the material and the cost of installation work are comparable to the cost of laying parquet - not the most economical option.
• Cork flooring can swell and deform during prolonged contact with water.
• Not recommended for use indoors with pets: claws will easily damage the cork floor. Also, don't walk around cork floor in heels.
  

8. Ceramic tiles and natural stone

Surely in any apartment there is a room (and probably more than one) with a ceramic tile floor. Most often this is a bathroom, toilet, kitchen, less often a hallway. Durable, abrasion-resistant and moisture-resistant tiles are an ideal material for wet and walk-through areas.In principle, a ceramic or stone floor can be installed in both the living room and the bedroom, but in this case it is ideal to combine such a coating with a warm floor, otherwise your feet will simply get cold.It’s probably not worth saying that the range of tiles and artificial stone is huge - in any, even the smallest hardware store there are at least a dozen types tiles for every taste and budget. This gives unlimited possibilities in terms of room design.Pros:

• Affordable price. From the extensive range of ceramics, you can always find exactly the option that suits you both in price and quality.
• Strength. At correct installation ceramic tile can last forever. An example of this is ancient Greek temples, the floors of which are still decorated with ceramics.
• Easy to care for. Ceramic tiles and artificial stone are easy to clean and are not afraid of moisture.

Minuses:

• Labor-intensive installation. Laying tiles or artificial stone requires long and thorough preparatory work.
• Presence of seams between tiles. No matter how hard the master tries, the seams will always remain. They must be carefully sealed, and this is also a rather labor-intensive process.
• The need to combine ceramic tiles with heated floor systems is an additional expense that increases the final cost of the coating.
  

9. Polymer coatings or self-leveling floors

Self-leveling floors have recently given way to more environmentally friendly materials - wood, cork or parquet, but still remain in demand. Reasons - self-leveling flooring is very durable, not afraid of moisture and provides unlimited opportunities for realizing design ideas.The materials for such floors are cement-acrylic, epoxyurethane, polyurethane and epoxy compounds. In houses and apartments, the last two types are most often used. Self-leveling floors can be one-color, with a simple or three-dimensional pattern - the so-called 3D floors.Pros:

Self-leveling floors are not afraid of moisture, which is why they are most often installed in bathrooms and kitchens. Wide possibilities for design. Self-leveling flooring is perfect for installing heated floors. Durability. A properly made self-leveling floor can last up to 50 years. Resistant to fire and temperature. Easy to maintain.

Minuses:

High price. This includes not only the floor material itself, but also preliminary work on preparing the base, design, and so on. All this brings the self-leveling floor into the upper price category. Demands on the rough coating. The quality of the self-leveling floor itself will depend on how well the rough preparatory work is done. Difficulty of replacement. If you get tired of the self-leveling floor and want to dismantle it, get ready for serious work and high costs.

The results of the hit parade

In our hit parade, we tried to briefly talk about all the most popular types of floor coverings that can be found on the market. Which of these do we recommend you choose?

If you are a supporter of eco-style and love experiments, try cork flooring. If you love classics and reliability, there is nothing better than a real solid wood floor or good parquet. Save money or don’t want to invest a lot of money in a rented apartment - take inexpensive linoleum, carpet or laminate .

In any case, the choice is yours. And we will help make your choice easy and pleasant. Live easy!

What floors are chosen for residential premises depends not only aesthetic side interior, but also environmental and sanitary conditions. To know which floors are best for an apartment, you need to consider their basic technical and operational characteristics. Each room requires a special approach to choosing flooring, and this must be taken seriously, since the material laid on the floors can positively or negatively affect the health of family members.

As a rule, the floors in the apartment have a concrete, fairly flat base, and this fact is already a help for the installation of any of the existing species coatings. Depending on what effect you want to get from the floor being installed, the desired type and the material required for it are selected.

Concrete floors are strong and durable, but they have two significant drawbacks that all owners of modern apartments are trying to combat - cold and high sound conductivity. To eradicate these shortcomings, you can resort to one of several methods of insulation and sound insulation. Since floor slabs are designed for a certain Weight Limit, then heavy loads on them are prohibited, and therefore lightweight material should be chosen for these purposes.

Methods of heat and sound insulation

You can make heat and sound insulation in an apartment in several ways using the following materials:

1. The first, most famous and used method is laying thin polyethylene foam under decorative coating. But this method will not give the full desired effect, it will only muffle the noise from below a little and make the floor a little warmer. Therefore, it is better to use polyethylene in combination with other materials that have the characteristics necessary to create comfort in an apartment.

2. Another, more effective method is to attach wooden logs to a thin polyethylene sheet, between which you can lay foam plastic 50 ÷ 100 mm thick, expanded clay or mineral wool. Then, such a heat- and sound-insulating “fur coat” is covered on top with a floorboard or plywood, which in turn is covered with one of the decorative coverings.

3. The third method is a floor made of dry screed. This type of thermal and sound insulation will fulfill its assigned tasks well. It is easy to install and perfectly protects the room from noise and cold.

4. Little known, but very effective way insulation has recently been considered pleasant and lightweight materials - ecowool, made on the basis of cellulose, and shumoplast, consisting of polystyrene foam, rubber and acrylic additives.

Video: sound and thermal insulation using shumoplast

5. A fairly well-known and simple way to achieve silence and warmth in an apartment is to lay extruded foam plastic directly on concrete. If necessary and the ceiling height is sufficient, the material can be laid in several layers, and a hard decorative covering, for example, parquet board or laminate, is laid on top of it.

Flooring

Having decided on insulation or having made the risky decision to leave the floor cold, you can move on to next stage- selection and installation of the finishing floor covering. It must be remembered that for each room it is necessary to choose its own material that will meet the requirements of staying in a given room. In addition, much will depend on the base of the floor, which will be covered or filled with a decorative coating.

IN construction stores Today there is a huge selection of floor coverings from which to choose suitable option for this or that room

So, you can choose from the following list:

• ceramic tile;
• laminate;
• carpet;
• linoleum;
• cork covering;
• batten.

Ceramic tile

This material can be installed on a concrete or wood floor lined with plywood or moisture-resistant plasterboard. The tile is intended mainly for tiling floors in bathrooms, hallways, kitchens or corridors, but if heated floors are installed in the rooms, then they are suitable for any of them.

Ceramic tiles come in a variety of colors and designs. So, for example, you can choose:

1. For large room with a heated floor, an elegant floor panel will come in handy, which will give the room the appearance of a palace hall.
2. For the hallway and corridor, rich dark tones of the material are suitable, which can hide dirt and dust brought from the street. In these rooms, it is better to lay unglazed tiles with a corrugated surface to avoid the possibility of slipping and injury.
3. The floor in the bathroom and bathtub should also be laid with corrugated or matte tiles, for better traction with bare feet when leaving the shower. The color scheme can be chosen to suit every taste, and match it to the wall decoration.
4. Tiles are also best design floor in the kitchen, as it is easy to clean and does not absorb grease and oil that accidentally gets on its surface. The material is strong and durable, which is very important for kitchen flooring.
5. If the balcony is not insulated and is used only in the summer, the tiles will be an excellent protection for concrete covering from moisture. In this case, when choosing tiles, you need to pay attention to the frost resistance of the material.

Linoleum

Linoleum is one of the most popular coatings today, and largely due to the fact that it has affordable price, easy to install and varied in color and pattern.

1. This material can be made using natural materials and polymers. The first of them is used very rarely, as it has a fairly high cost, and mostly the second coating option is purchased.

2. In addition to the first criterion, linoleum is divided into commercial and non-commercial types.

• the first of them is more durable and is laid in public buildings with a high intensity of human flow, but it is absolutely not suitable for residential premises, as it contains harmful impurities;
• For an apartment you need to choose only a non-commercial type of flooring. Its strength is quite sufficient for home use, and it will last for many years, provided correct installation and careful operation.

3. Linoleum is produced without a base or on a warm and thick base, as well as on a medium-thick foam base.

The disadvantages of linoleum include following points: unnaturalness, deformation due to temperature changes and when heavy objects are placed on it.

Linoleum is laid on a concrete or plywood covering, most often using a polyethylene foam backing. It is suitable for flooring in any room. The only place where it is not recommended to lay it is the bathroom, due to the fact that this room has high humidity, and ceramic tiles are more suitable for it.

The choice of linoleum design in color and pattern completely depends on the tastes and preferences of the apartment owners.

Cork covering

Cork flooring is quite expensive, but it is worth it if you look at its characteristics. Cork is an environmentally friendly material, an excellent heat and sound insulator, has elasticity and resilience, is pleasant to walk on, and has the ability to create a cozy, favorable atmosphere in the room.

Cork is suitable for any room except the bathroom - due to its humidity. It can only be laid on a flat and hard surface, for example, plywood. If you plan to lay it directly on concrete, then you must lay a backing underneath, otherwise, even small solid fragments can damage the material.

Cork coating is available in three types:

1. Floor decorative option, which is produced in the form of rolls and slabs. This material has a special impregnation of the top layer, which protects it from moderate humidity. In addition, often such tiles have an applied adhesive composition, which allows you to easily install them on the floor.
2. For the substrate under another floor covering, for example, linoleum or laminate, a technical version of the coating is used, which is of lower quality. It is used for thermal insulation and sound insulation of floors. The substrate is produced in the form of roll and tile material.
3. In addition, MDF is covered with cork, which serves as its base. This coating is produced in the form of panels measuring 18.5x90.0 cm, which have special locks for assembly into a common coating.

The material is almost not deformed by temperature changes, can withstand heavy loads, and does not shrink when heavy pieces of furniture are installed on it.

Laminate

In recent years, flooring called laminate has increasingly appeared in apartments and houses. It successfully imitates parquet or natural board, but much more affordable. Laminated panels are produced in standard sizes, most often 25x150 cm, they have locks on the edges various designs, with the help of which they are connected into a common plane.

Structurally, the laminate consists of four layers, each of which plays its own role, and the complex produces a fairly reliable, durable and aesthetic material.

1. The top transparent layer not only emphasizes the decorative nature of the laminate, but also plays a protective role for the underlying ones, guaranteeing them moisture resistance and protecting them from mechanical damage and abrasion. This part of the laminate is made of acrylic or melamine resins, which contribute to the performance of protective functions.
2. The second layer is the decorative layer, which imitates one or another pattern - this can be not only the texture of wood, but even different types of stone or sand.
3. Pressed wood fiber makes up the third layer, which is the basis of the entire panel, as it has the largest thickness - from 4 to 8 mm. It is at the level of this layer that the locking elements - tenon and groove - are located that fasten the panels together.
4. The lowest layer consists of special paper impregnated with resin, which is designed to protect the material from moisture that can damage the material from below. Some types of laminate are also equipped with a heat- and sound-insulating waterproof backing.

This flooring is divided into operational classes, and laminate classes 21-23 are mainly used for installation in residential premises.

Laminate cannot be called a 100% environmentally friendly material, since phenol-formaldehyde resins are used in its production. But each manufacturer can use them in different proportions, and the norm is considered when the formaldehyde content does not exceed 0.01 mg, and phenol 0.003 mg - these data can be found on the packaging of the floor covering.

Laminate is well suited for installation in the living room, hallway and kitchen, but it is better to avoid laying it in a children's room or bedroom for the reasons described above.

Carpet

Carpet is a floor covering made from synthetic or natural fibers. It can be long-pile or even have no pile at all. This covering is made on a rubber, felt or jute base.

Carpet is good only when it is new, but it gets old very quickly.

1. The material is pleasant to walk on and aesthetically pleasing in appearance, but only when he's new. Quite quickly he loses these attractive qualities- the pile wrinkles in places and becomes not so soft and beautiful. In addition, a lot of dust collects in the carpet, so when purchasing this covering, you should immediately purchase a powerful vacuum cleaner.
2. It is tempting to lay carpet in the bedroom or nursery, especially since there is a wide range of such options. But you need to remember that in addition to heat and sound insulation, this coating can also cause allergies, which will be difficult to get rid of. Therefore, it is better to choose a coating for these rooms that can be subjected to regular wet cleaning.
3. It is not recommended to lay carpet in the hallway and corridor, as it will look beautiful for only a short time and will quickly become clogged with street dust carried on shoes.
4. If there great desire If you have carpet in at least one of the rooms, then the living room is best suited for it. But you need to remember that you will have to clean it very often.

Wooden floor

A wooden floor will be the most comfortable of all the coatings presented if it is laid on logs and insulated with mineral or eco-wool. Wood, due to its structure, is a warm material, and when laid in combination with insulation, it will make the floors absolutely comfortable.

Video - Wooden flooring with insulation

Video - Wooden flooring. Step by step

The environmental friendliness of this coating allows it to be laid in the nursery and bedroom. Its soundproofing properties will make the rooms calm and conducive to relaxation.

You should not lay wood floors in the kitchen, bathroom and hallway.

1. There are many odors in the kitchen, which tend to be absorbed into floor and wall coverings, and wood is predisposed to the perception of various aromas. But their mixture over time can lead to the smell being very unpleasant and ineradicable. Therefore, in the kitchen it is best to use a neutral material for the floor - ceramic tiles, laminate or epoxy self-leveling floors.
2. Due to high humidity, you should not install plank and plywood floors in bathrooms. Wood absorbs not only odors well, but also moisture, which causes it to swell and become deformed, so it is better to abandon this idea.
3. The floors in the hallway are on the same level as the floors in the entryway. If you install joists and a floorboard, they will rise by at least five centimeters, and you will get an uncomfortable step, and if the door opens inward, then it will have to be reinstalled or replaced. Therefore, the best option would be to cover the hallway with laminate, tiles or linoleum.

In addition to the floor coverings described above, there are others, such as epoxy 3D floors, parquet boards, polymer tiles and, of course, the well-known parquet.

For more detailed information on how to make self-leveling floors with a 3D effect, read the publication

Video: quartz-vinyl flooring, still unfamiliar to many

The material from which the floor is made determines how warm the rooms will be. In addition, the flooring has a special impact on the design of its entire interior. Therefore, it is very important to approach this issue with all seriousness, to calculate all the pros and cons so that the floor covering lasts a long time and also does not cause harm to the residents of the apartment.

The choice of floor covering is one of the most pressing issues for those who have started home renovations. What should the floor be like to create coziness in the room and at the same time make the interior stylish and attractive? And so that in 2-3 years you don’t have to change it again or restore the worn surface. No less important is price factor, because any repair involves high costs, which means you need to use every opportunity to slightly reduce these costs.

Let's look at how to choose flooring from the many options on the market.

Floor coverings Available in a very wide range, to suit every taste and budget. Some of them are more in demand, others less, and there are even exotic options for connoisseurs unusual interiors. Depending on the materials used, floor coverings are usually divided into two types - artificial and natural. The first group includes linoleum, laminate, carpet and similar products, the second group includes wood, cork, ceramic tiles, and stone. To pick up best option coverings for your home, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the characteristics of each material, comparing their pros and cons.

Laminate

Laminate is one of the best-selling floorings. It consists of multilayer panels based on dense wood boards, superior in strength and wear resistance to natural wood. Thanks to the decorative layer on the front surface, laminate can imitate plank flooring, parquet, natural stone or ceramic tiles. The coating is distinguished by a rich palette of colors and shades, and a wide selection of patterns.

All laminate is divided into two types. The first is a household type, not intended for high loads, and is used in residential buildings. Its service life usually does not exceed 6 years, and it is only suitable for dry rooms.

The second type is commercial, with improved characteristics. Such coatings are highly resistant to wear, moisture, temperature changes, and their service life is many times longer - up to 20 years, depending on the class. Commercial laminate flooring is equally widely used in both public and domestic premises.

Tarkett laminate prices

Tarkett laminate

Advantages of coverage:

• relatively low price;
• large selection of models;
• good thermal insulation properties;
• light weight;
• ease of care;
• installation does not require special skills.

• for installation, the most even base is required (differences in height should not exceed 3 mm);
• low sound insulation.

Installation features: the panels are connected to each other using a special lock - a special form of tongue and groove along the perimeter of each plank. There are two types of lock - click and lock. The first type is considered simpler and more convenient and allows for the presence of small irregularities on the rough base. The lock allows you to lay the panels only on a perfectly flat base; moreover, the installation process itself requires more skill and physical effort.

Lay between the laminate and the subfloor waterproofing film and a soundproofing underlay made of foamed PVC or cork.

Interlocking quartz laminate RefloorFargo

This flooring is worth paying special attention to; it is no coincidence that it is separated from ordinary laminate. Thanks to its structure RefloorFargo is a 100% waterproof laminate, suitable for installation in any heated premises, including public spaces.

Absolutely waterproof quartz laminate - the best solution for rooms with high humidity

Quartz laminate dies are four-layer.

1. The bottom layer (stone polymer composite) ensures the physical stability of the coating - the strength of the stone throughout its entire service life. The content of crushed stone filler is 66%.
2. The next layer is decorative. In the collection RefloorFargo 32 noble shades of natural stone and wood valuable species. The textures fit perfectly into any modern interiors. Synchro-embossing adds naturalism - the pattern on the photo print is combined with the surface relief of the quartz laminate.
3. The upper layers perform protective functions. PVC and PU varnish provide high resistance of the floor covering not only to ultraviolet radiation, but also to mechanical damage.

Quartz laminate is a durable coating, the shades of which do not lose saturation even in sunny rooms.

The decorative microbevel on the quartz laminate tiles adds a resemblance to a natural wooden floor. The room in which the laminate is installed The Fargo feels more spacious.

Installation of laminate flooring is very simple and even in large areas can be done without special effort. Fourth generation locking connection ClickSystem guarantees a tight and even connection of elements.

On a note! Threshold-free installation of quartz coating is possible in rooms up to two hundred square meters.

The main advantages of interlocking quartz laminate

Dignity	Description
	Quartz laminate can be used in wide range temperatures (-15°C... + 65°C). Does not deform when heated. The geometry of the dies remains unchanged, there is no risk of divergence of locks and the appearance of cracks.
	Wear resistance class - 33/42. There are no marks left on the surface of the laminate from heels, office chairs, or pets' claws. Refloor Fargo is an ideal coating for both home and high-traffic areas.
	Impact noise absorption up to 20 decibels. Ordinary laminate does not have such properties.
	For both people and electrical appliances. The flooring does not accumulate static electricity, is non-slippery, and environmentally friendly. Safety is confirmed by a hygienic certificate.
	A unique property of quartz laminate is the “anti-shatter effect”. If you drop a fragile object, you don’t have to worry; it will most likely remain unharmed.

When choosing a stylish floor covering with high performance characteristics, you can safely opt for quartz laminate. Refloor Fargo is an improved new generation laminate that combines the aesthetics of natural wood, the strength of stone and an affordable price.

Advanced luxury flooring - the choice of those who value comfort and strive for excellence

Linoleum

Among budget coverings, linoleum is considered the most popular. There are many varieties of it on the market, differing in material of manufacture and performance characteristics, but the most popular is PVC linoleum on foam and felt base. The coating is highly decorative: manufacturers offer linoleum in various colors with patterns, ornaments, and imitation of artificial and natural materials.

There are three types of linoleum, depending on the strength characteristics. Household type Designed for installation in low-traffic areas and lasts up to 5 years. Semi-commercial is more resistant to wear, so it can be used in any domestic premises and public buildings. Its service life reaches 20 years.

The commercial type is the most wear-resistant and suitable for production premises with intense floor loads. The service life of such coating reaches 25 years.

Tarkett linoleum prices

Tarkett linoleum

• affordable price;
• ease of installation;
• wide choose designs and colors;
• ease of care;
• good heat and sound insulating properties.

• the material becomes brittle in the cold, so it is not suitable for unheated rooms;
• in case of mechanical damage, it is not always possible to eliminate defects unnoticed;
• Low quality linoleum emits a strong unpleasant odor for a long time after installation.

Laying features: linoleum is laid end-to-end in stripes. To avoid shifting of the canvas and the formation of air bubbles, it is recommended to glue the coating to the subfloor.

In small rooms, you can use double-sided tape for these purposes, spacious rooms use special mastic or glue - bustilate for felt base, acrylate for synthetic.

The subfloor under linoleum must be smooth and even, since the coating is thin and all irregularities are clearly visible on the surface. During use, abrasions and tears appear very quickly in these places.

Carpet

Carpet combines the characteristics of linoleum and carpet. It can be laid on finished floors (laminate, tiles, parquet) and on concrete screed. Carpet is available on a single-layer and two-layer basis, most often made of wool, polyamide or propylene. Natural wool covering is the most expensive, but wears out too quickly, unlike synthetic options. The basis is jute fabric, rubber, artificial fibers.

• the coating is warm and pleasant to the touch;
• muffles sounds well;
• easy to install;
• wide range of colors;
• can be laid on any base.

• high price;
• tendency to dirt and dust accumulation;
• not suitable for allergy sufferers;
• cannot be installed in rooms with high humidity.

Laying features: like other roll coverings, carpet is laid as a continuous sheet over the entire area of ​​the room. The coating strips are laid end to end. To avoid displacement, the carpet is secured with skirting boards around the perimeter of the room.

Natural wooden floors have always been highly valued, which is why solid wood flooring is still in high demand. Manufacturers offer a wide selection of materials from oak, walnut, ash, larch, wenge and other species that have an attractive texture pattern. A standard solid wood board has a thickness of 15-22 mm, a width of 125 to 190 mm and a length of 0.6 to 6 meters. The most popular option is boards 1.5-1.8 m long.

• environmental friendliness;
• attractive appearance;
• low thermal conductivity;
• durability;
• possibility of restoration or replacement of individual elements.

• high price;
• sensitivity to changes in temperature and humidity in the room;
• prone to rot and insect damage;
• drying of wood and appearance of cracks in the floor;
• the need for protective treatment after installation and periodically during operation.

Laying features: modern solid board It is produced with a tongue-and-groove locking system or a click connection, so its installation is carried out like a laminate. The covering itself is mounted in two ways - along logs and on wooden flooring, where a layer of plywood acts as a base. The installation process requires at least basic construction skills and ability to use tools.

Video - Laying solid boards

Parquet

Natural parquet looks very solid and gives the interior a noble and at the same time cozy look. Parquet is made from classic and exotic wood species - oak, ash, walnut, cherry, wenge, bamboo, merbau and others.

Standard parquet planks have a thickness of 14-22 mm, a width of 30-90 mm, and a length of 15 cm to half a meter. How smaller elements, the more difficult it is to lay the coating.

There are several installation methods, the most popular of which are deck, wicker, herringbone, and Dutch.

• environmental friendliness;
• external attractiveness;
• durability;
• low thermal conductivity;
• good sound insulation;
• possibility of restoration and replacement of individual planks.

• high cost of material;
• complexity of installation;
• the tendency of the coating to dry out and deform;
• susceptibility to rotting;
• the need for competent and regular care.

Laying features: for high-quality installation A perfectly level base is required, so it is recommended to level the subfloor with a leveling mixture or make a plywood flooring. Each plank is glued to the base according to the selected layout method. Without special skills, it is quite difficult to cope with this, so it is better to entrust such work to a professional. After the glue has dried, the coating is sanded and processed protective compounds– oil, waterproof impregnation, varnish, natural wax.

Parquet board

In appearance, parquet boards are almost no different from piece parquet, and by operational characteristics surpasses it in many ways. Its multilayer structure ensures high resistance to mechanical loads, and the protective layer retains the attractive appearance of the coating longer. The front layer can consist of one or several dies, on the basis of which four types of parquet boards are distinguished - single-strip, two-strip, three-strip and multi-strip.

• aesthetic appearance;
• low thermal conductivity;
• unlike parquet, this material is less demanding on humidity and temperature conditions;
• long service life;
• good sound absorption;
• relative ease of installation;
• the material does not require additional processing after installation;
• low maintenance requirements.

• quite high price;
• poor resistance to scratches and impacts;
• difficulty in restoration in case of damage.

Features of installation: there are two ways to install such a coating - adhesive and floating. The first method is more labor-intensive and is now almost never used. With the floating method, the boards are connected using a tongue-and-groove system, and the joints are glued to make the coating more airtight. Between the subfloor and the parquet board, a layer of waterproofing film and a backing made of heat-insulating material must be laid.

Video - Laying parquet boards

Cork flooring is still just gaining its popularity, although in some respects it is much superior to traditional wooden flooring. They are made by heat treatment and pressing of crushed cork oak bark. Cork flooring is available in the form of slabs and panels of various thicknesses.

Depending on the structure, the coating is divided into two types - locking and adhesive. The first is sandwich panels with a fiberboard core. The average thickness of such panels is 10 mm, width - up to 30 cm, length 90-100 cm. Most lock-type modifications have a protective coating of vinyl film, acrylic or varnish. More budget options need to be treated with protective agents yourself, after laying the floor. The adhesive type is most often produced in slabs with a thickness of 4-6 mm and dimensions of 60x30 and 30x30 cm.

• light weight;
• environmental friendliness;
• antistatic properties;
• high heat capacity;
• moisture resistance;
• the floor looks very presentable;
• non-flammable material;
• the coating is pleasant to the touch.

• high price;
• need for special care.

Installation features: the interlocking coating is laid on the substrate and connected like a laminate, using a tongue-and-groove system. The base must be dry and level, with maximum differences in height of up to 3 mm. For adhesive coating, the subfloor must be perfectly level. The slabs are laid from the center of the room, and the adhesive is applied not only to the back of the tile, but also to the base.

Ceramic tiles and stone

Artificial and a natural stone, tiles, porcelain tiles are among the most durable and durable flooring materials. Properly selected color and texture can completely change the interior, make it more solid or give original look. The range of such coatings includes tiles of various sizes, colors and textures, including those imitating natural materials.

• wide price range;
• resistance to moisture, abrasion and temperature changes;
• attractive appearance;
• ease of care;
• long service life.

• installation requires a certain skill;
• fragility;
• the material is cold to the touch;
• difficulty in restoration and replacement of damaged elements.

Laying features: the tiles are attached to the base using glue, which is applied with a notched trowel. During the work, it is necessary to strictly observe the width of the seams, using special plastic crosses. Laying is carried out in several ways: straight, staggered, checkerboard and others. Facing takes a lot of time and requires patience and accuracy in work.

In addition to traditional options, many are interested in unusual floor coverings that give the room a memorable and impressive look.

Type of material	Description
	The basis of the tile is porcelain stoneware 9 mm thick; a layer of metal 1 mm thick is applied on top. For floor tiles Stainless steel is most often used. The surface can be smooth or embossed, made in a modern or retro style. There are options for bronze, copper, gold, artificially aged - with patina. This coating is ideal for interiors in loft, minimalism, hi-tech style, and can be used in the living room, kitchen or hallway. In the bathroom you should use tiles only made of special alloys that are resistant to corrosion.
	A very impressive coating that has a number of advantages: the material is not subject to rotting, is resistant to wear, and has a long service life. Is not ordinary glass, but impact-resistant, so there is no need to be afraid that the coating will easily break. The tiles are available in a wide range color scheme, can be plain or with a pattern, transparent, matte, with a corrugated surface, which allows you to create completely exclusive coatings
	Multilayer coating with colored gel inside. When pressed, the tile changes color and pattern, which looks very unusual and attractive. This covering is perfect for a children's room. The material is environmentally friendly, wear-resistant, resistant to mechanical stress. The risk of accidental damage is minimal, service life reaches 25 years
	One of the most elite types of coverage. Available in the form of tiles based on porcelain stoneware, HDF or cork. Upper layer made from genuine leather, treated special technology. The material is not intended for high traffic areas and requires proper care

Choosing coverage

So, having studied the characteristics various coatings for the floor, let's proceed directly to the choice. Here you need to take into account the cost of the material, appearance, compliance with operating conditions and the complexity of installation if you plan to do the installation yourself.

Step 1. We decide on a budget for laying the floor. First of all, you should evaluate your material capabilities so that during the repair process you do not have to save on other materials or limit yourself in something else. The most practical options are semi-commercial linoleum and laminate of class 31-32. These are not the cheapest coatings, but they have excellent performance and a long service life. In addition, they can be matched to any room in the house.

Step 2. We select the material according to the installation method. Two criteria are important here - the complexity of installation and the duration of the work process. If you have no construction experience, it is best to choose roll coverings (linoleum, carpet), laminate, parquet boards or cork. They are also suitable if repairs need to be done as soon as possible. Solid wood floors will require more time and skill, the same goes for parquet and ceramic tiles.

Step 3. Choosing a design. The color and pattern of the floor should be in harmony with the overall decoration of the room. For classic interiors discreet tones with discreet texture are suitable for rooms in modern style you can take a coating with a clearly defined pattern and contrasting shades. A coating that imitates parquet or plank flooring looks great in any interior; a laminate with a bevel is an excellent option.

Step 4. Having roughly decided on the main criteria, we select the covering option separately for each room. In the bedroom, the most appropriate environmentally friendly material is solid wood, cork or parquet. But it’s better not to lay carpet or linoleum in the bedroom: the first collects a lot of dust, the second can emit an unpleasant odor.

Parquet in the bedroom - photo

Step 5. Choosing a floor for the living room. Most of the coatings described above will work here. To add coziness, you can lay carpet, parquet boards and laminate will make the interior more solid, the most a budget option– linoleum with a wood pattern or beautiful ornaments.

Step 6. Let's go to the children's room. This requires an environmentally friendly material with high wear resistance. The ideal option is cork floors; parquet boards or laminate of class 31-32 are also good.

Step 7 Now let's select a covering for the kitchen and hallway. In these rooms, the floor is subject to increased loads, pollution, and moisture, so the coating must be as wear-resistant, moisture-resistant, and easy to clean as possible. Tiles and porcelain stoneware meet these requirements to the greatest extent; foam-based linoleum of class 33 or 34 is also suitable.

Step 8 Tiles are traditionally used in the toilet and bathroom. She is not afraid of high humidity, temperature changes, frequent cleaning using chemicals. In addition, a large assortment allows you to choose a finish to suit every taste, even the most extraordinary.

Video - How to choose flooring

Instructions

Choose flooring based on the target factor, i.e. purpose of the room. Agree that you most likely will not buy the same material for the kitchen and bedroom. You can opt for a universal coating that can meet the requirements for all rooms.

Consider statistics when choosing a floor covering. The common practice is that parquet or laminate is most often chosen for living rooms, linoleum for the hallway, and porcelain stoneware or tiles for the kitchen and bathroom. But the choice is far from limited to these materials. And standard coatings differ within each type in terms of quality.

Choose parquet for living rooms: living room, children's room, bedroom, office. But laying it on a kitchen faucet is not recommended because wood does not like moisture. Parquet is one of the most elite, expensive and durable floor coverings. It is environmentally friendly, has increased strength and good thermal insulation properties. The service life is more than 50 years. Parquet boards are made from expensive wood species - oak, ash, beech. When deciding to give preference to parquet, keep in mind that this coating requires special care and is susceptible to moisture. It also requires an ideal “sub-floor”. The cost of parquet varies from 15 to 150 dollars per sq.m.

Think carefully before choosing a traffic jam. This material is less popular than parquet. It is unique in design and is not suitable for all rooms. Its most valuable quality is high heat and sound insulation. Therefore, it is best to lay it in the living room and bedroom. Available in rectangular or square slabs. This coating will last you from 5 to 20 years. It should be taken into account that cork has low resistance to mechanical damage. Therefore, if a neat appearance of the floor is important to you, do not lay this expensive material in the nursery. After all, its price ranges from 20 to 70 dollars per sq.m.

If you are planning to do high-quality repairs in the middle price range, choose laminate. IN last decades it simply became a bestseller on the construction market. Low price (it ranges from 4 to 60 dollars per sq.m.), good performance, ease of installation and a wide variety of designs made it truly popular. The composition of the laminate resembles a multi-layer cake, pressed at high temperatures. High-class material is resistant to moisture and mechanical stress, any type can withstand UV rays. A low class will last you about 5 years, a high class – 20 years or more. Thanks to the special substrate on which the coating is laid, it has excellent shock-absorbing, heat-insulating and sound-proofing properties. Great for any living room in an apartment.

When choosing flooring for the hallway, kitchen and bathroom, first of all take into account wear-resistant, moisture-resistant qualities, ease of maintenance and immunity to stains and dirt. The best remain linoleum for the hallway and porcelain tiles for the kitchen and bathroom. Recently, self-leveling flooring, which was previously used in industrial premises and in enterprises. But new aesthetic qualities have allowed it to become an excellent floor covering for residential premises.

Floors, in addition to the interior, perform many other important functions - they protect the house from moisture, soundproof, and heat in cold weather. When choosing which flooring is best, you should take into account not only their aesthetics, but also functionality, and the place/conditions of use. That is, the choice of flooring should be approached as seriously and thoroughly as possible.

The materials used to make floors are varied - wood, laminate, tiles, parquet, porcelain stoneware, self-leveling floors, vinyl and even glass.

Laminate

It is a coating consisting of the following layers:

• Kraft paper.
• Printed drawing.
• Protective layer made of polymers.

Panels are divided into classes depending on the load they can withstand. Wear resistance, impact resistance, sensitivity to light, and fire resistance are taken into account.

• Installation is carried out on a prepared, perfectly flat surface.
• Afraid of moisture.
• Impossibility of restoration.

• Attractive price.
• A huge range of colors to suit every taste.
• Ease of installation.

When choosing a laminate, you need to consider some features:

Dust is hardly noticeable on a light laminate; it looks very noble. Better not to use dark colors, if the room is located on the sunny side, even the smallest specks of dust settling on the floor will be noticeable in the side rays of incident sunlight.

The moisture-resistant laminate has a greenish tint, its facing part has a protective coating against fungus, and the middle of the panel contains substances that absorb moisture.

Parquet board

Parquet boards are the most natural and environmentally friendly clean look floor covering. Consists of several layers wooden slats, up to 5 mm thick, connected to each other by strips glued on top.

• Parquet boards are much easier to scratch, they are less durable and more difficult to use than laminate.
• If even a medium-sized dog is kept in the room, such a coating will quickly deteriorate due to claw marks.
• Damaged by sharp heels and stilettos.
• Does not tolerate dry air, in which it dries out and cracks.

• Natural, environmentally friendly product, with a real wood pattern and appropriate appearance;
• Undergoing restoration.

Parquet is made from hard wood. The most common materials are oak, ash, beech, and maple. These materials are durable and recommended for high traffic areas.

Ash has a more pronounced pattern than oak, which is why the latter is used for standard flooring, while ash is used for mosaic parquet.

The board itself can be executed in absolutely various configurations– rectangle, rhombus, “Christmas tree” and even round shape. Parquet is much more durable than laminate and is used in living rooms and bedrooms.

The choice of color can be anything, the main thing is to adhere to the rule that the floor and walls are of different shades. This is necessary so that their boundaries do not merge. That is, if the walls are light, then the parquet board or laminate should be a couple of shades darker and vice versa.

Due to the widespread Scandinavian style, performed in light colors, interiors with white floors are increasingly appearing.

Tile

The most wear-resistant type of flooring. Made from sand, clay and other natural materials. The tile plates are fired at high temperatures, so they are durable and wear-resistant.

They are not subject to deformation, so they can crack if something really heavy falls. But a damaged fragment can be replaced with another.

Main characteristics:

• Wear resistance.
• Moisture resistance.
• Fire resistance.
• It is not afraid of light and will not lose its color.
• Susceptible to external household influences.
• Easy to clean and hygienic.

A prerequisite for laying tiles is the evenness and smoothness of the base. This may include:

• Drywall.
• Plaster.
• Old tiles.
• Previous paint.
• Plywood.

The most common tile shapes are rectangular, square, and diamond. But there are also samples with six and eight corners, as well as specially shaped tiles for decorating corners and cornices.

The sizes are completely different - from huge slabs to small mosaics. Designers are increasingly using several shapes and sizes of tiles simultaneously when decorating the floors of one room.

Tiles can also be porous or dense. Since porous material absorbs moisture well, this type is more relevant in the bathroom or kitchen.

These rooms require a coating with high chemical and mechanical properties, such as surface hardness and bending resistance. For floors in these rooms, third and fourth class tiles are recommended.

This season, gray, beige, electric colors, as well as lavender and shades of blue are relevant. Oriental designs are popular in bathrooms.

Porcelain tiles for parquet

In fact, these are ordinary tiles that imitate parquet boards. It is based on two types of clay, it is environmentally friendly and natural. Unlike natural wood, wood-look porcelain tiles are more practical and are not afraid of water.

It can be used in any room of the apartment, especially in a Provence-style kitchen or bathroom, in the interior of which wooden furniture has been particularly popular in recent seasons.

Glass floors

Recently, designers have increasingly begun to use glass floors and other translucent structures in their work, which can be found at www.glassproekt.ru, and not only in individual houses, but also in apartments.

This type of flooring is quite extravagant, giving a feeling of emptiness underfoot and creating a feeling of weightlessness. The room becomes airy and spacious.

Design possibilities are limited only by imagination. You can darken the surface using different colors, or apply photo printing or ornamentation. The niche under the glass is often decorated with interior items, which enhances the effect of transparency.

In addition, the impression made can be enhanced by decorating it with lighting. There is only one nuance that needs to be taken into account - halogen lighting produces a lot of heat, the glass can overheat and become deformed, so it is better to use other lighting materials.

A glass floor looks very good in a small hallway or as a zoning element for a living room or bedroom.

Self-leveling floors

They are made from polymers and based on materials they are basically divided into:

• Polyurethane.
• Epoxy.
• Methyl methacrylate.

This is the best price-quality option, which has recently become increasingly popular.

Advantages of self-leveling floors:

• Thermal insulation.
• Environmental friendliness.
• Durability.
• Strength characteristics.
• Fire resistance.
• Chemical resistance.

The minimum working life of such a floor is two decades, and with proper care it will last much longer.

Polymer floors are applied to concrete base, sometimes it is allowed to pour them onto a well-prepared wood base. The concrete must be perfectly smooth; after screeding, you must wait at least 28 days.

A special primer is laid under the self-leveling floor; the thickness of the floor must be at least 2 mm.

The compound is poured in a path onto the primed screed. In this case, it is necessary to maintain the evenness of its distribution. To avoid deterioration of adhesion between layers of a two-layer finishing coating, the time gap between application of layers should not exceed two days.

When rolling with an aerator, it should not be removed from the polymer until the viscosity increases.

When installing self-leveling floors, the surface is first prepared, leveled in advance, a pattern is applied and decorative elements and fill with solution. After a few days (when the coating has hardened), it becomes matte or glossy.

The self-leveling floor looks great in the hallway, and in contrast with the glossy stretch ceiling with well-designed light, it will significantly expand its space as a whole, as well as in the living room, where it will especially highlight the light from a large chandelier.

Vinyl floor

This surface imitates wood, marble, natural stone and even leather. It can be smooth or embossed, glossy or matte. Vinyl tiles - product innovative technologies, which has a number of unique properties:

• The vinyl backing is an excellent shock absorber. Provides spring underfoot, suppresses sounds, and makes movement silent;
• It is durable due to crushed quartz with plasticizers in the base;
• Strength, which is formed as a result of the use of the hot pressing method in manufacturing.
• Resistant to moisture and ultraviolet radiation.
• Easy to care for.

Depending on the simulated material, they are produced in rolls and in the form of slabs. The slabs may have locking devices, or they may have a bottom adhesive surface, or they may even be ordinary tiles, which require special glue.

Color solutions can be either monochromatic or multi-colored - it all depends on taste. There are also some disadvantages:

• Contact with rubber will leave stains on the surface, which are almost impossible to get rid of.
• Synthetic components in the composition.
• Difficulty in restoration.

Vinyl flooring is suitable for any room, especially kitchens and bathrooms, where high humidity. But because of the fear of rubber, it is better to avoid this coating in the hallway.

Of course, it is almost impossible to say unequivocally which flooring is better, since much depends not only on the characteristics, but also on the specific case. It should be remembered that a material that is ideal in the bedroom may not live up to expectations in the kitchen, and vice versa.