Traditional, well-known flooring. But what are its features? What determines its service life, what are the quality parameters of block parquet, is not known to everyone. Understanding.

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On the picture:

Main characteristics

The appearance of a parquet board. Block parquet is produced in dies - small planks, ready for laying and further processing. Their front surface is smooth, and the bottom can be either smooth or notched. The edges of the parquet flooring are profiled, which allows them to be joined according to the groove-comb principle. According to the location of the ridge, left and right dies are distinguished. The material is sold packed in a shrink wrap, which is recommended to be removed immediately before laying.

Block parquet can be laid in different ways. Laying examples: "Squares", "Herringbone", "Deck", "Dutch pattern".

Standard sizes. The length of the piece parquet elements varies from 150 to 600 mm, the width - from 30 to 90 mm. The most technologically advanced in laying and popular are the samples, the length of which ranges from 280 to 420 mm, the width - up to 70 mm. In terms of thickness, 15-18mm strips are mainly produced. There are even more on sale - massive parquet - 22-25 mm thick. This is a fairly expensive material.

Today, block parquet with a length of 450 to 1200 mm, with a width of 90 mm and a thickness of 15-16 mm, has appeared on the market, which is associated with an increase in the area of ​​apartments in new buildings.

Life time

Quality issues. High-quality parquet planks should have good geometry, that is, dock on a flat surface without gaps and height differences. GOST regulates the moisture content of wood - 9% (plus or minus 3%), which, thanks to hermetic packaging, must be preserved immediately until the moment of installation. Of course, the beauty and durability of the floor depends on the quality of the flooring.

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Perfect fit - good geometry dies will join effortlessly and without gaps.

Thickness matters! If the length and width of parquet flooring are mainly related to the decor and ease of installation, then its thickness, or rather its wear layer, determines the potential life of the parquet. Wear layer is the distance from the face of the die to the top of the groove or flange. The wear layer for a 15 mm thick plate is usually 7 mm, for a 22 mm thick plate - 9 mm.

Sanding or scraping? Parquet flooring is recommended to be sanded approximately every 8-10 years. Grinding is a modern, gentle technology, in its process the top layer of varnish and a small layer of wood of only 0.3 - 0.8 mm are removed (in contrast to scraping, in which cutting tools are used and removed up to 1.5 mm). Thus, a parquet floor with a wear layer of 9 mm can last for about 100 years.

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Choosing block parquet for various premises, you need to take into account that the service life of the parquet is influenced by the conditions of its operation.

"Parquet" wood species. Block parquet is made mainly of hardwood, which is characterized by a higher hardness and wear resistance compared to softwood. In turn, this wood is divided into local (from Central Europe) and exotic (from other continents). The first group includes oak, beech, ash, maple, etc. The second - mahogany, merbau, teak, wenge, iroko, etc. Conifers (larch, yew) are used to a limited extent. The most durable parquet is oak, teak, merbau.

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Usually the parquet board is coated with several layers of varnish or oil at the factory. If the topcoat is applied on site after installation, this quality cannot be achieved.

We saw an unusual design solution in the magazine, but just such material is not sold in your city. Or worth a fortune. What now, give up the dream? - No, look for analogues.

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Changing the flooring is not only laborious, but also financially costly. Therefore, when choosing materials for a new floor, the main preference is given to those whose service life, according to the manufacturer's warranty, exceeds at least 10 years.

Leaders in durability can be called floors made of porcelain stoneware and natural stone, they are slightly inferior to concrete (artificial stone) and wooden flooring. But if we consider the price criterion, then the most affordable in this regard is parquet flooring or an array. The manufacturers claim the service life of these coatings within 10-30 years, but how long can a parquet board actually last?

Determine the duration of the "life" of the parquet board

To begin with, it is worth recalling that this material has a three-layer structure. The bottom two layers, perpendicular to each other, consist of solid pine or spruce, in rare cases birch is used. The top layer - exploited - is made of more valuable types of wood, which include oak, beech, ash, alder, wenge, merbau and many others. And the thicker this layer, the more durable it is considered solid parquet flooring... In most cases, the thickness is 3.5-3.9 millimeters, in some it reaches 4-6 millimeters (but this material is much more expensive).

After installation, subject to the operating conditions, the parquet flooring can last from 2 to 7 years without redecoration. Redecoration refers to the renewal of the protective layer of oil or varnish, the frequency of which directly depends on the operating conditions and the quality of the protective equipment.

Overhaul can bring back to life even a very worn coating. It consists in scraping the surface with subsequent treatment with protective agents. But as a resuscitator, overhaul can be performed no more than 2-3 times, the thickness of 3.5-3.9 millimeters of the operational layer of the parquet board will not allow it to be done more, since every time it will become thinner and thinner. Reanimation of parquet is not a freshly covered floor, and its service life after such restoration is less long, averaging no more than 5-7 years.

And the last on our list, which affects the duration of service, as well as parquet board cost- what material is the upper layer of parquet made of. If you choose a parquet material from exotic wood species, whose homeland is located in the equatorial or subtropical zone, then you need to understand that these species are more adapted to natural influences different from our latitudes. The materials of the northern regions better meet the requirements for operation in the climatic conditions of central Russia, therefore, they can guarantee a sufficiently long service life (on average, up to 50 years).

Secrets of the correct planning of a kitchen with an island from a designer, options for headsets in different styles and 92 real photos of island kitchens in the interior.

• An island is a multifunctional kitchen table with floor cabinets, which is located at a distance from the rest of the headset (straight, corner or U-shaped) and makes it more convenient. This is an additional worktop and storage space. The island layout is not good for every kitchen: it should be spacious and not too elongated.

Who is the island cuisine for?

• A layout with an island is convenient if the kitchen area is more than 15 square meters (while you are ready to put a dining table and chairs in another room), optimally - 20-25 squares.
• If you have combined a kitchen with a living room or you have a spacious studio apartment.
• You have a cottage or a country house.

pros

- A kitchen with an island is more convenient and ergonomic than a headset without it. The hostess has everything at hand, a minimum of unnecessary movements, a lot of work surfaces: with such a layout, you will be able to cook easily and with pleasure.

- The island is good for zoning a combined kitchen-living room or studio.

- It is convenient for him to have a cup of coffee or a snack.

- If you often have guests, you can cook and communicate with them at the same time. You are baking an apple pie or stirring a sauce, while your beloved sits next to a cup of coffee or helps to cut a salad.

Minuses

- The island will "steal" 1-3 square meters of area - not every kitchen can afford it.

- It is convenient to take a sink or a hob onto it, but difficulties often arise with the connection of the necessary communications in a typical apartment.

- A full-fledged dining table cannot be substituted by an island, and bar stools are not so much comfortable as beautiful for daily use.

Distance between kitchen and island

The optimal passage width between the island and the kitchen unit or wall is 120 cm... The minimum is 100 centimeters. If you do less, it will be difficult to pull out drawers or open cabinets, let alone use a dishwasher.

Standard sizes

• The size of the island is calculated individually in each case. In a small kitchen, it will also be compact; in a spacious kitchen, its length may well be more than 2 meters.
• In the experience of many of my fellow designers, comfortable size of the kitchen island - 180x90 cm... 180 cm - these are three modules of a standard 60 cm width: convenient if you are planning a kitchen to order. Non-standard items usually cost more.
• The width can be standard (60 cm), then on one side there will be a blank wall of the cabinet. If you make the table deep (90 or 120 cm), drawers or cabinets can be arranged in two rows, and they will be accessible from two or three sides.
  To make it convenient to cook on the island, the height of the countertop should be standard - 85-90 cm, like the rest of the headset. But if you wish, it can be made higher - a great idea if someone from the household is tall and the standard height of the worktop is inconvenient for him.

Reader feedback

Maria (Moscow):“I have a kitchen of 14 squares, but I really wanted an island. And at my own peril and risk, I decided to experiment: I left 75 centimeters between the 120 x 120 cm island and the main line of kitchen cabinets. And she was right! Surprisingly, it turned out conveniently. Children only eat for him. True, in our family everyone is small and slender, so there are no problems - we squeeze through. It would be uncomfortable to be tall and sturdy. But when I cook, it's better not to interfere with me - I always ask you to go around. "

Choosing a shape

• It is desirable that the shape of the island repeats the shape of the kitchen: in a square, a square table is more appropriate, in an elongated one - a rectangular one.
• A semicircular crescent-shaped island is convenient, but takes up the most space, therefore, it is suitable for a large apartment or a country house.
• Oval or round tables are much less common.

Examples - in the photo below:

Kitchen layout with an island - important nuances

The main layout options (even more photos are in the gallery at the end of the article):

Corner kitchen

Straight

U-shaped

Kitchen-living room

Kitchen-dining room

• In a very large kitchen (for example, in a house), you can put one long island or the so-called archipelago - two modules of different heights, connected to each other. Different worktop heights are convenient for different kitchen work, or in the case when you will cook on one surface and eat on the other.

How you can use the island in the kitchen

Additional work surface

The simplest option, which does not require a long, complex and expensive repair with the transfer of communications.

Helpful advice: do not forget about the sockets (usually they are located on the side, less often inside the cabinets) in order to conveniently use small household appliances, charge gadgets or watch your favorite TV show on a laptop while cooking if there is no TV in the kitchen.

Kitchen island with bar counter

You can make a bar counter in an island kitchen in different ways, there are two main ones:

• with a wide table top

• due to tabletops of different heights

Kitchen island with dining table

- The dining table can be part of the island (for this, the width of the table top must be at least 90 cm), or it can be installed separately.

- It is better to make the edges of the tabletop rounded - it is more harmonious in Feng Shui and there is less risk of getting a bruise or injury.

IMPORTANT: Do you want to take out a sink, a hob, build in a dishwasher or washing machine on the island? Before starting the repair, be sure to consult with a specialist what work and approvals will be needed to bring your project to life.

Hob island

Equipping an island with an electric hob is not difficult - just connect the electricity to it (it is better to run the wires along the floor, not along the ceiling). Difficulties can arise with the hood. For an island kitchen, you will have to buy a special hanging model, and for installation - invite a specialist.

To hide the duct, you will have to lower the ceiling level. A plasterboard suspended ceiling and a stretch ceiling do well with this task.

If the ceiling is low, use a recirculation hood with a charcoal filter.

Kitchen island with sink

If you live in a typical city apartment and want to implement such a project, keep in mind: in most cases, you will have to raise the floor level to supply water pipes to the sink, and sometimes install a pump.

Table with open shelves or display cabinets

A good solution for a kitchen in a studio apartment. Place books, souvenirs, beautiful dishes on the open shelves on the side of the living room. The display cabinet looks especially impressive if equipped with LED lighting or built in furniture lamps.

Small kitchen island table with and without wheels

An island table is a good option for a small kitchen or small apartment with a studio layout. Such models are, for example, in the IKEA range. As an island, you can use a narrow bar table or a special mobile table on wheels. If desired, you can move it to the wall or roll it to another room.

1. To use the kitchen with the island conveniently, follow the rule of the working triangle.

2. If you want to make the kitchen visually more spacious, choose the option with a "through" bar counter, for example, as in the photo below:

3. The color of the kitchen island may differ from the rest of the kitchen.

4. Provide good lighting for your countertop. If the island has a hob, purchase a cooker hood with powerful recessed lights. You can use suspension luminaires, built-in or surface-mounted luminaires, LED lighting, tire luminaires and spotlights. The lighting should be bright, but not in the eye.

5. A classic kitchen with an island will benefit if you hang a special decorative shelf over it - mensola. In a traditional country or Provence style kitchen, this is a holder for kitchen utensils (pans, ladles, ladles) or decorations such as bunches of onions and garlic.

6. The budget version of the island with open shelves can be built from two layers of thick moisture-resistant plasterboard, the countertop is made of artificial stone or ceramic tiles. A friend of mine did this in her Provence style kitchen. From the inside I put wicker baskets for vegetables, the front side (facing the living room) was decorated with decorative plaster.