How to update an old parquet floor. Parquet board renewal: vacuuming and care, how to care for parquet, wash and renew at home. Necessary tools for restoration

Such a very beautiful, warm and environmentally friendly coating, like parquet, is liked by many owners. A few decades ago, such a floor was an item of luxury and prestige. Nowadays, almost everyone can afford this coverage.

However, sometimes it happens that the floor begins to creak, deteriorate due to excessive moisture or dirt. In this case, restoration of the old parquet may be necessary. How to perform this procedure on your own, without resorting to sanding and re-varnishing, we will describe in detail in this material with a photo.

The most difficult cases

Scraping old parquet and subsequent varnishing are always quite expensive, because they require time and labor. However, there are a number of cases where the condition of the coverage leaves no other choice.

So, the most time-consuming restoration of parquet with your own hands will be required in such cases:

• The parquet floor looks unkempt, worn out, with significant wear, grooves, cracks in the planks. In such situation old parquet You can still save, but you have to work hard. We recommend, however, to entrust the restoration of the old parquet in this case to the masters - it is both cheaper and faster.
• As a result of water flooding, the parquet flooring swelled all over the floor plane, in some places the planks lagged behind the base. Such a problem can only be solved by a complete replacement of the parquet. True, some strips after drying can still be reused. However, scraping and varnishing is necessary.
• The parquet canvas became loose, the wood turned black, when pressed with an awl, it enters the bar by 5 mm. This suggests that the parquet floor has begun to rot and mold. In this situation, there can be no other options, except for the complete replacement of the parquet. In addition, the room must be thoroughly dried and the subfloor must be renewed.

In all other situations, you can safely take on the restoration of parquet with your own hands. Such work does not require great skill and a lot of time from the owner. Note that in the case of simultaneous repairs in the apartment, the restoration of the parquet should be taken up last.

Restoration materials

To protect the parquet floor from external influences, it is opened with special varnishes.

There are 4 types of varnishes for parquet:

• Alkyd and uralkyd varnishes. They are inexpensive, do not emit toxins, dry very quickly, so you can be in the room within an hour after varnishing. However, such a varnish will last no more than 10 years. Uralkyd varnishes are somewhat more durable, although they are more expensive. As a rule, they are used for short-term repairs, followed by sanding and varnishing, as well as around the perimeter of the room.
• Based epoxy resins. Such varnishes provide a durable and reliable coating for 30-40 years, although they are not cheap. As they cure, they release toxic volatile substances, so you can not start working without personal protective equipment (gloves, respirator, goggles). Windows should be open, but the door to adjacent rooms should be tightly closed. The epoxy varnish will harden and gain density for about a week. Only after that you can be in the room.
• Acrylic varnish consists of a base and a hardener, which are mixed immediately before application. Such a composition is practically non-toxic, but much more expensive than epoxy. The service life of the coating with proper care will be 50 years or more.
• Water based. Rather, it is a finely dispersed suspension in water of some polymer, for example, PVA. Such a varnish dries in a day, while it is non-toxic and inexpensive. Provides long-term protection to wood by penetrating deep into its structure. Mastic can be applied over the coating. The treated surface becomes less sensitive to minor mechanical damage. However, such varnishes slightly change the color of the wood and quickly fade in direct sunlight.

Varieties of work

Before you restore the parquet with your own hands, you need to master a few simple manipulations. Let's talk about each of them in more detail.

putty

Ready-made putty pastes and mixtures are on sale that can be used to fill cracks and crevices (details: ""). However, in some cases, such a mixture can be prepared independently. To do this, you will need the remnants of the old parquet left in reserve. They need to be cut into small sawdust and mixed with parquet varnish to a paste-like state, or with epoxy varnish in a ratio of 4: 1. This grout is best suited if you want to accurately match the tone of the wood.

Imitation of joints

You can mask the putty by imitating joints, which can be done using a ruler and an awl:

• First you need to wait a bit until the putty hardens to a gelatin state, that is, it will be plastic, but not sticky. Alkyd and uralkyd varnish hardens already a few minutes after application and quickly crystallizes.
• For straight lines of joints, the furrows are drawn with an awl under the ruler.
• Wavy lines are pressed through with a metal ruler.
• If the putty has already hardened, then to create false joints it will have to be scratched with an awl.

Cycling by hand

For scraping small areas of parquet, you can use a manual scraper, which can be purchased from a specialized store. If desired, a manual cycle can be made from a planer blade.

Grinding with feet

You can sand small sections of parquet using two types of emery glued to the soles of old shoes. Paper No. 40 is suitable for roughing, and No. 80 for finishing. Grinding with feet is faster than by hand, and the processing is more delicate than, for example, with a bar.

Parquet restoration

Removing sticky gum

Parquet should not be treated with a solvent so that ugly spots do not appear. Place an ice pack on plasticine or chewing gum and leave for 20 minutes. The dirt itself will lag behind or begin to rise along with the bag, so that there will be no traces left.

Repair of minor surface defects

In this case, we mean cracks, chips or potholes on parquet planks. Before you remove the varnish from the parquet with your own hands, you do not need to take out the furniture if it does not interfere. With a manual scraper and sandpaper, you need to scrape off the old varnish and start filling defects. After applying the putty, when it hardens to the desired state, false joints are cut on it and left to harden. Next, parquet varnish of the desired shade is applied, preferably in 2 layers. You can apply the second layer after the first has dried. You can also paint the parquet, if this option suits you.

Crack sealing

The appearance of gaps between the parquet is a consequence of the natural drying of wood. Often they do not interfere with the full use of parquet in the future. If the gap is narrow and single, it can be closed in the same way as other minor defects - remove the old varnish, putty, apply a false joint, and then varnish.

Here's how to restore parquet if the gaps are more than 5 mm wide:

1. Parquet with parallel lathing must first be heated with a building hair dryer for 10-20 minutes. As soon as the smell of mastic appears, you can stop.
2. All planks are tightened together with a laminate hook and a rubber mallet until one large gap is formed.
3. A wide gap is filled with riveting with putty, driving it flush with the parquet.
4. As the putty hardens, you can proceed to further scraping the area, puttying, grinding, applying false joints and subsequent varnishing (more: "").
5. For parquet flooring with herringbone laying, use individual approach for each slot. They are filled with small chips.

Loose parquet planks

If there is a staggering of individual parquet in different places of the coating, then they can be fixed to the adjacent planks with small carnations, washed down at 45 o. Fastening is done along long ribs 1.5-2 cm from the corner. Hats of carnations need to be drowned in wood with a hammer or a hammer. Small notches from the caps are puttied, after which the surface is sanded and varnished.

In cases where several adjacent parquet flooring has loosened at once, you can strengthen the coating with bamboo. Being a grass, bamboo absorbs moisture more than wood, absorbing it from the air.

To repair, do the following:

1. At the joints along the long sides, 15-20 mm from the corners, holes 4-6 mm in diameter are drilled.
2. Bamboo pieces are driven very tightly into the resulting holes, and the remaining protruding segment is combed off with a chisel.
3. After a week, the repaired piece of parquet can be sanded, cracks puttied, false joints made, sanded and varnished.

Repair of creaking parquet

The most common reason for parquet floor repair is creaking. There can be two reasons for this phenomenon: natural drying and aging of wood; violation of installation rules (read: ""). If you need to restore the parquet laid on bituminous mastic, there is still a chance to extend its life by several years. But it is unlikely that it will be possible to save a poorly laid floor.

The first thing you can try to help with creaks is to screed the parquet from the edges:

1. Checking the humidity of the air is carried out first of all. It must be within
   40-60%, but not more, otherwise it will not work to drive the parquet.
2. Having removed the skirting boards around the perimeter of the room, you need to check the condition of the spacer wedges. Often, due to the drying of the parquet, such wedges are freely lying in the gap.
3. If instead of wedges, the gaps near the walls are filled mounting foam, you need to cut it with a chisel until a clean groove is formed.
4. Every 50-60 cm, new spacer wedges must be firmly driven in.
5. Next, you need to knock the wedges deeper every day, while checking if the floor creaks. If after a week it is no longer possible to drive the wedges deeper, and the floor still continues to creak, then there is nothing to help him. You can only completely change the coating. Alternatively, plywood can be laid over the parquet on top of the waterproofing layer to last for several years up to overhaul in the apartment. Instead of a film, you can use red lead or whitewash, but then the old parquet will have to be thrown out completely.

Elimination of swelling

Such defects are subject to self-restoration only if their area is small, and very little water has fallen on the floor.

The sequence of actions in this case is as follows:

• The swollen area for one or one and a half hours should be warmed up with a building hair dryer, interrupted only for a short time. If you smell the mastic, you may be able to save the parquet.
• On a warm floor, you need to lay a thick fabric and distribute oppression over the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe floor, taking into account that for every 10 cm 2 there are 10 kg of weight. You can use any means at hand - bricks, buckets of water, books, dumbbells mounted on a 40 mm board or thick plywood.
• After a day, you can check the condition of the parquet. If the swollen area began to noticeably fall off, then you can repeat the procedure again.

Unfortunately, if this approach did not lead to tangible results, it means that it will not be possible to restore such a parquet.

Note that the effectiveness of the fight against swelling can only be expected if you get down to business immediately. If a week or more has already passed, the process of decay has already begun in the wood, and it is no longer possible to help such parquet.

Masters advise when working with parquet made of straight-grained wood (walnut or oak), pre-moisten it slightly - leave a well-wrung damp cloth until it dries. On the contrary, fine-grained wood (beech, rowan, birch) and from tropical trees must be thoroughly dried before laying.

How to care for parquet

In order for the parquet to serve faithfully for many years, to be kept in good condition and not in need of repair, you need to be able to properly care for it (more details: ""). Most of all, parquet is harmed by straight lines. Sun rays, large particles of dust or sand, as well as insufficient or excessive humidity. Under the influence of excessive moisture, the parquet swells, in a too dry room it dries out, the sun makes it ugly and dark, and the sand destroys upper layer protective coating.

Subtleties of care:

1. Avoid direct sun - the light should be diffused tulle or vertical blinds. Horizontal blinds are not recommended in this case, since, on the contrary, they create a directed flow of sunlight.
2. You can only walk on the parquet in soft indoor shoes, and in no case in street shoes. Before entering the room, you can lay a small cloth rug so that the grains of sand linger on it. Carpeting with pile will not protect the parquet from sand.
3. To bring less dirt into the apartment, it is better to put a plastic shoe-cleaning pad at the front door.
4. Do not allow the humidity level to drop below 20%. In winter, place water containers under the batteries to humidify the air.
5. Ventilate the room as often as possible. In the summer, curtain the windows with mosquito nets, which will also serve as protection against large dust particles.
6. You need to vacuum your parquet floor, the more often the better. But wet cleaning can only be done manually and no more than once a week. A microfiber cloth is ideal.

If unvarnished old parquet is laid in the room, in order to preserve it, it is necessary to carry out regular rubbing of the floor with beeswax or oil mastic. It makes the top layer of parquet much stronger. An alternative would be a water-based varnish. Then it is enough to do the rubbing once a week.

How to clean parquet

To clean the parquet, you can only use special products containing surface-active substances (surfactants) that have a neutral acid-base reaction. In no case are abrasives, dish detergents, soda or solvents (acetone, alcohol, gasoline, etc.) appropriate.

If blood has got on the parquet, or pets have defecated on it, the contamination should be cleaned immediately with a damp cloth. As soon as such spots dry up, it will be impossible to remove them without a trace. You will have to scrape, sand and re-open with varnish.

conclusions

With proper care, parquet can last a long time and delight with beauty and comfort. At the same time, minor cosmetic repairs with minor damage or loss of appearance can be performed independently. Guided by the recommendations and videos, you can easily cope with this task.

Parquet is a flooring material that has been in stable and constant demand for a long time. It confidently occupies a leading position in its segment. This material has been known to mankind for many years and, most importantly, it has not undergone practically any changes over the entire period. One of the main advantages of parquet is its design features. Any element of such a wooden coating can be easily and quickly replaced, and its surface can be updated any number of times.

Also read: RESTORATION OF THE PARQUET FLOOR WITH YOUR HANDS

Repair of parquet flooring at home involves primarily scraping its surface. What is this procedure? The parquet board is a multilayer design. The first layer is the substrate, which performs the function of heat and waterproofing. The second layer is the "body" of the parquet, made of wood and consisting of so-called staves. The third layer is varnish, which provides the coating with reliable protection against various physical and wet influences.

Also read: DIFFERENCES IN SINGLE PARQUET, ENGINEERING AND PARQUET BOARD

During operation, the varnish layer is gradually erased, as a result of which the tree is exposed. Under external influence, it turns black and gradually dries out. To avoid such an unpleasant phenomenon, just scraping the surface of the parquet is used. The essence of this procedure is to remove the old varnish coating with your own hands, as well as a small layer of wood using special equipment. All existing damage is completely eliminated, after which a new layer of varnish is applied.

Thanks to this approach, the protection of the wooden coating will be at the highest possible level. Also, the original appearance material. An important role is played by the technique used for parquet scraping.

Do-it-yourself parquet renovation without sanding

Parquet is natural, cozy and environmentally friendly. flooring. Its service life is 5 years. If you have it in fairly good condition, but you want to update it, then you can do it yourself, based on the instructions:

1. Putty (putty). You need to buy a restoration paste to match your flooring. After purchasing the paste or mixture, rub it well around the entire perimeter with a spatula.
2. Profile joints. When the putty dries out a little, it reaches a jelly-like state, it is necessary to imitate the joints, do it with an awl or a locksmith's ruler. Straight false joints are drawn with an awl along the ruler, curved ones are drawn with the edge of the ruler, pressing hard on it.
3. Sand down. If the putty is frozen, then the false joints are carried out according to the galvanizing template.
   Parquet is usually sanded with feet. Any old flat shoes will do. Sandpaper for primary finishing (No. 40) is glued to one sole, and sandpaper for finishing grinding (No. 80) is glued to the second. It's tedious, but easier faster than with your hands and a block.
4. Coat the surface with varnish. You can purchase a water-based suspension. It is inexpensive and non-toxic. Or you can choose acrylic compounds, they are very durable, but expensive. Epoxy formulations are also sold. They serve a very long time, but are expensive and toxic. And the last option: uralkyd and alkyd coatings are non-toxic, do not have a harmful effect on health, are inexpensive, but short-lived. The term of use is not more than 10 years.

As you can see, it is quite possible to update the parquet without sanding with your own hands. The main thing is to follow the instructions and follow the advice of professionals.

See also the video: how to update parquet without sanding with your own hands

Parquet is a cozy and environmentally friendly floor covering. With proper care, it will last for decades. Ordinary domestic accidents most often do not lead to the final damage to the parquet floor, and do-it-yourself parquet repair in most cases does not require significant costs and any special skills. To prepare for small and cosmetic repairs parquet floor, it is enough to take the furniture out of the room and do a wet cleaning. In this article, we will look at how to renew parquet without sanding over the entire floor area. Full scraping with revarnishing is an expensive and time-consuming operation. .

Severe cases

In three cases, self-restoration of parquet will require significant costs Money, time and labor:

• Heavily worn, neglected and trampled parquet with hollows visible to the eye and wave-like cracks in the dies. In this case, most often you can do without replacing the parquet flooring, but it is best to entrust the restoration of parquet to professionals: it will cost less.
• The floor swollen after abundant flooding over the entire area; dies (parquet) came off the base. This floor needs to be redone. After drying in a stack, old parquets can be used, but the whole complex of sanding and varnishing works is also necessary.
• The dies have darkened, the wood is loose, with a slight pressure, the awl goes into the tree by 5 mm or more. The parquet floors are rotten and moldy. Required with drying the room and preparing the base floor.

In other cases, the restoration of parquet with your own hands is quite possible. If parquet work is timed to the repair of the premises, they are performed last. Consider first of all what materials and technological operations will be required for this.

Lacquer, putty and paste

Parquet lacquer is needed both to create a protective coating and to match the replaced parquet to match the existing one. Parquet varnishes are available in four types:

1. Alkyd and uralkyd. Inexpensive, non-toxic, dry quickly: work can be continued, and the room can be populated an hour after application. But the durability of the coating does not exceed 10 years, after which a complete sanding and re-varnishing is required. Uralkyd varnish is a little more expensive and more durable than alkyd. It is recommended to use around the perimeter of the room and for temporary, for several years, covering before repair.
2. Epoxy varnishes. With proper care, they provide the durability of parquet in 30-40 years, but they are expensive. During curing, highly toxic volatile substances are released, so you need to work in a respirator, rubber gloves and goggles, open the windows wide and close the door tightly. Work can be continued and the room can be settled a week after varnishing: a seemingly completely frozen varnish is gaining strength for a long time.
3. Acrylic varnishes as well as epoxy, require mixing before using the base and hardener. Little toxic, but very expensive. Coating durability at proper care- up to 50 years or more.
4. Water based varnish in fact, not a varnish, but a finely dispersed suspension of a polymer (PVA or another) in water. Non-toxic, cheap, the coating "ripens" in a day. Penetrates into the mass of wood, which gives it strength for decades; the exact time depends on the quality of the wood. Allows rubbing with mastic. Parquet lacquered with water varnish is not so sensitive to grains of sand. Disadvantages: strongly fades under the action of ultraviolet light and slightly changes the tone of the wood.

Working operations

For minor repairs parquet, you need to master four simple technological methods: preparation of tinted putty, imitation of joints, scraping by hand scrapers and foot polishing.

Cosmetic putty

You can do without the preparation of home-made cosmetic putty: a variety of restoration pastes for parquet, Bona, and other various shades are on sale. But if you have a few old parquet floors lying around in your closet, the same ones that are laid on the floor, you can prepare a grout for gouges and joints that is ideal for the floor. To do this, any the right tool file more sawdust and mix them with parquet varnish to the consistency of sour cream. In epoxy varnish, you can add sawdust filler in a ratio of up to 4:1; it will be something like plasticine.

But it makes sense to prepare putty on your own only in the case described above: to obtain an exactly matching tone, not only the breed matters, but also the period with the conditions for aging the wood. If there are no exactly the same wood samples, it is easier to buy ready-made putty or paste of a suitable shade.

Video: parquet putty

Imitation of joints

Imitation of the joints of the dies on the puttied surface of the parquet is done with an ordinary awl and a metal locksmith's ruler:

• They are waiting for the gelatinization of the putty, i.e. it should no longer be "taken", but still be soft. In alkyd and uralkyd varnishes, gelatinization occurs within minutes after application and lasts about a minute, so you need to work quickly.
• Direct false joints are carried out with an awl along the ruler.
• Curved false joints are made with a ruler edge with a little pressure.
• False joints on frozen putty, when necessary, are scratched with an awl along a ruler or a galvanized template.

Manual scraping

Small areas of the repaired parquet are manually scraped with a manual scraper. Ready-made cycles are sold in tool stores. You can make a cycle yourself from a piece of iron for a planer by releasing its blade, bending it with a hook and hardening it again. (More details about do-it-yourself manual and machine scraping -).

Grinding feet

For sanding sections of parquet, it is convenient to use old flat-soled shoes: sneakers, “bazaar” Chinese summer shoes, etc. Glue skin number 40 (rougher) with 88th glue on one sole; on the other - number 80 (thinner), for primary and fine grinding. Scuffing with your foot is also somewhat tiring, but it is much more difficult to rub with your hands while kneeling or bending over. And the skin on an elastic sole works more accurately than on a sanding bar.

Parquet repair

Chewing gum and plasticine

It is impossible to wash or remove with a solvent: a stain will remain on the parquet. You need to prepare a plastic bag (not plastic) with ice cubes and put it on the contamination. After 10-20 min. it will rise with the package or fall over without leaving a trace.

Scratches, chips, gouges, corners of dies

For elimination small defects without removing the furniture, first with a cycle, and then with a sandpaper, they remove the old varnish to a clean tree and close up the defect with cosmetic putty on a cardboard stencil. After hardening, the putty is rubbed with sandpaper until smooth and immediately, until the putty has gained strength, the false joints are scratched. Then varnished, picking up a varnish to match. At least two layers of varnish are applied, following after the previous one has completely dried.

You can try to remove single scratches and chips with the help of widely sold repair kits, in particular with wax pencils.

Cleavage

Slots often form in old parquet. This is the result of natural drying of the wood, and such a floor is most likely still quite usable. Narrow single cracks are sealed with putty in the same way as scratches with potholes: peeling, putty, false joint, varnishing.

Sealing gaps multiple and wider than 5 mm is somewhat more difficult:

1. A number of parallel parquet floors (if the laying is not herringbone) are heated for 10-20 minutes with a household hair dryer. A sure sign that it is warm enough is the appearance of the smell of mastic or base putty.
2. With a laminate hook rule and a rubber mallet, pull the dies towards each other so that one wide gap remains.
3. A wooden riveting is tightly laid on the putty in the gap flush with the parquet slabs.
4. After the putty has hardened, the area to be repaired is peeled off, puttied, false joints are made, sanded and varnished.
5. On herringbone parquet, wide gaps are sealed individually, using wood chips instead of rivets.

The parquet floors are shaking

Fastening parquet on nails

If individual dies are loosened randomly, they are attached to neighboring small carnations at an angle of 45 degrees. Nails are driven in along the long sides of the dies 15-20 mm from the corners. Nail heads are driven into the tree with a hammer and a metal spacer rod (doboynik). Wells with caps putty, without peeling. After the putty has hardened, it is once passed through with a sandpaper and varnished with a drop of varnish.

If the dies “play” with whole hearths, then they are fixed with bamboo. Bamboo is not a tree, but a large and hard grass. The cut shows that its fibers are located quite differently from that of wood. With a little moisture from the air, bamboo swells a little more than wood.

The cutting of playing parquet with bamboo is done as follows:

• On the long sides, 15-20 mm from the corners at the joints, vertical holes with a diameter of 4-6 mm are drilled.
• Round bamboo logs are driven into the holes tightly, even tightly; the protruding residue is cut off with a sharply sharpened chisel.
• A week later, the repaired section of the cycles is peeled off, the cracks are puttied, false joints are made, sanded and varnished.

Creak

Hardly the most frequently asked question for the repair of parquet floors - what to do if the parquet creaks? The creak of parquet is a consequence of the natural aging of the floor or a violation of its laying technology. Old Soviet parquet, laid on bituminous mastic, can most often be corrected for several years before repair; "hacky" floors - in some cases. First of all, you need to try to pull the parquet from the edges:

1. We check the humidity in the room with a hygrometer. It should not exceed 60%. With higher humidity, the floor will not work. The optimal value is 40%. Such humidity is typical for winter time with heating turned on.
2. We remove the skirting boards and check the spacer wedges; most likely, they no longer burst anything, but simply lie in the crack.
3. If there are no wedges at all, and the gap is foamed, we select the foam with a chisel to a clean groove.
4. We install new pairs of wedges after 0.5-0.6 m and knock them tight.
5. Every day we knock in wedges and check the floor for squeaks. If within a week the creak has not decreased, and the wedges sit as tight as at the beginning - alas, the parquet has served its purpose, and you need to think about how to re-lay it. An alternative option for two to five years before repair is to cover the floor with plywood on a soft waterproofing film or, if the old parquet is definitely not needed, on thickly grated mineral paint: whitewash, red lead.

Video: self-eliminating floor squeaks

swelling

It is possible to independently fix the parquet that has swollen after wetting is possible only in some cases, and if it was not spilled a little on the entire floor. In this case, you can try to do the following:

• Warm up the swollen area thoroughly, for an hour and a half or more, with short breaks, with a household hair dryer. The smell of mastic that has appeared is a sign that the repair is likely to succeed.
• Quickly, until the floor has cooled down, cover it with a dense cloth like burlap and give a weight distributed over the area of ​​at least 10 kg / sq. dm. For this, weights or other weights (basin or boil-out with water, stacks of books or bricks, etc.) are suitable on a piece of forty board or a piece of thick plywood, fiberboard, etc. The author of these lines observed a case when they worked perfectly as a weight three tube color televisions - "coffins".
• Withstand under load for at least a day; check if the swelling has subsided. If the “bubble” has significantly decreased, repeat the operation.

If the swelling has not noticeably fallen off - alas, the floor is damaged, you need to re-lay it.

In severe cases like the one shown in the picture optimal solution will complete replacement damaged items.

Note: if you decide to start working a week or more after it swelled, you can not try. Fungal spores have already awakened in the solid wood.

A little trick for all cases of floor repair: parquet made of straight-grained wood (oak, walnut) before starting work, you need to slightly moisten it by laying it with a slightly dampened and tightly wrung out cloth until it dries. Fine-layer parquet (beech, birch, mountain ash) and from tropical tree species, on the contrary, it is necessary to dry as best as possible.

Parquet care

How The best way treatment of diseases - their prevention, and the best way to repair a parquet floor is the correct and timely care of the parquet. There are three main enemies of parquet: excessive / insufficient humidity, sand and ultraviolet. From the “wrong” humidity, the wood shrinks or swells and is more easily affected by the fungus. Sand scratches the lacquer and spoils the upper, decorative layer of wood, and from ultraviolet light, the wood darkens and takes on a sloppy look. That's why:

1. During the day, illuminate the room with diffused light. Previously, tulle curtains were recommended for this; now there is a better tool: vertical blinds. But not horizontal, they can, on the contrary, concentrate ultraviolet and direct it to the parquet!
2. Enter the room with parquet flooring only in slippers. Place a cloth rug in front of the door - it holds grains of sand in itself, and from the pile of the carpet they then fall onto the floor.
3. Before front door put a plastic mat in the apartment - shoe cleaner.
4. In winter, when the humidity in the apartment with the heating turned on can drop to 20%, moisten the air, at least with tin troughs with water suspended from radiators.
5. In summer, ventilate the room more often; windows and balcony door hang the net. It not only keeps mosquitoes out, but also captures large fractions of street dust that are most harmful to parquet.
6. Vacuum the parquet more often, but never with a washing vacuum cleaner! Wet cleaning - only manual.
7. Do wet cleaning no more than once a week, with a slightly damp and well-wrung cloth. Best Option- a special microfiber cloth.

Video: expert opinion on parquet care

Just in case: the parquet that lasts three generations is not lacquered. Such parquet is regularly, especially valuable - every day, rubbed with mastic based on oil and beeswax. Mastic strengthens the entire top layer of parquet a few millimeters deep. The work of rubbing is laborious, but in our time it is facilitated by water-based parquet varnish. It is enough to rub the parquet lacquered by him once a week.

Parquet cleaning

Parquet cleaning is a special conversation. Parquet should be cleaned with special cleaners that are chemically neutral and do not contain abrasives. They are based on non-ionic surfactants with a neutral acid-base reaction.

A well-maintained parquet flooring is one of the most stylish interior details in a room, which, moreover, has numerous advantages due to the performance properties that are inherent in all natural materials.

Having a number of advantages, the floor covered with parquet also has several disadvantages, the main of which is excessive abrasion of its surface, as a result of which it may be necessary to update parquet board which will help restore the appearance of the flooring. This work is carried out using three various methods depending on the condition of the parquet floor boards, which are quite easy to do with your own hands.

No need to be afraid that parquet will lose its original appearance over time, it can always be restored

The most common problems with wooden flooring are the formation of various scratches and abrasion marks on its surface, left big amount people and furniture legs, as a result of which its appearance noticeably deteriorates. You can update the parquet without sanding using a conventional grinder, for this it is enough to carry out the following work:

• First of all, the room is freed from all furniture and the parquet is wet cleaned, after which it must be allowed to dry for several hours.
• Next, sandpaper with a coarse-grained section is put on the grinder, and they begin to remove the top paint layer from the surface of the floor covering, gradually moving to sandpaper with a finer-grained coating. Thus, the parquet is polished until the layers of varnish are completely removed, on which there were various scratches.
• After grinding, the parquet must be cleaned with high quality, collecting all the dust and carefully inspected for deep surface damage, if there are none, the floor is washed clean and left for several hours until it dries completely.
• The last stage is the application of protective layers of paintwork and sealant to the parquet, the main purpose of which is to prevent various moisture from entering the wooden floor. First of all, all the seams between the parquet boards are filled with sealant. Next, they begin to varnish the floor in several layers, allowing each of them to dry completely, after which the room with the parquet floor can be operated.

This procedure for updating the surface of the parquet board can be carried out without the help of a grinder, for this you will have to use old shoes with a flat, non-ribbed sole, to which sandpaper is glued and the feet begin to work in the form of a polisher.

One of the grinder models, easy to learn and use

Renovation of a parquet board with deep damage

An old parquet floor is prone to deep scratches and chips on its surface, which occur due to the drying of the wooden structure of its planks and excessive pressure exerted on them by heavy furniture. For this reason, many people are wondering how to update the old parquet flooring, spending a small amount of time and a minimum amount of money on it.

Parquet boards with large scratches and chips are restored using a special putty, which is made in a large assortment. modern manufacturers paintwork materials for interior decoration premises. This putty is available in various color scheme, under any kind of wooden textures, which makes it possible, after its application, not to subject the flooring to additional processing with paint or tinting varnishes.

Such a mark may remain from the impact of the heel or the metal leg of the chair.

The process of restoring a heavily worn parquet board, which has severe damage on its surface, looks like this:

• Damaged planks are processed with a grinding machine, thereby cleaning their surface from the applied protective layers of varnish.
• Next, putty is applied to the damaged area, after which it is given time for complete solidification, which is indicated by the manufacturer on the package.
• At the next stage, the areas of the parquet floor treated with putty are sanded with fine-grained sandpaper, worn either on a grinder, or using for this purpose wooden block square section.
• The last stage is the application of a protective varnish on the boards of the parquet floor, which is necessary to process the flooring in several layers, giving each of them time to completely solidify, after which the room can be used again.

And such a dent can form if, for example, a hammer is dropped on the parquet

How to restore a loose parquet board with severe chips

One of the most popular options for restoring the surface of a loose parquet board with significant chips is the use of a mixture of sawdust and epoxy glue, which is diluted in a ratio of 1 to 4. Before applying the mixture prepared in this way, the parquet floor must be thoroughly cleaned of previously applied paint and varnish coatings, and then rinsed well.

The epoxy mixture with sawdust is applied to the damaged areas of the parquet board and carefully leveled with an ordinary spatula, and everything is left for several hours until completely dry. Further, the surface of the treated parquet is sanded, cleaned of dust, and covered with a layer of varnish, after which hardens, the floor takes on the appearance of a new one.

Even such a serious chip can be fixed without replacing the parquet board.

The variety of floor coverings is amazing. Now many of the most unusual and interesting options, characterized by remarkable strength qualities, as well as a favorable price. However, the parquet board is a priority when buying from many people. One of the important advantages of parquet is that it can be completely restored and updated. More about this in our article.

Parquet renovation - situation analysis

For a very long time, parquet has been considered the most durable, high-quality and reliable coating. Among its main positive qualities environmental safety can be the highest level, as well as an aesthetic appearance that creates an atmosphere of warmth, comfort and coziness in the room. But even the most durable and wear-resistant parquet loses its gloss over time, scratches, chips, cracks are visible on it with the naked eye. Lacquer may not shine as brightly, even in the sun.

These are all the consequences of natural wear and tear, so you need to be prepared for this in advance. But do not make hasty decisions about installing a new parquet. This threatens with huge financial costs, because it requires the dismantling of old boards, the purchase of new ones, the preparation of the foundation for work, and, of course, laying. It will also take a lot of time to complete all these operations. Restoration of parquet allows you not only to repair the flooring with your own hands, but also save a decent amount of money. In addition, the result of the work done will please you for a very, very long time.

However, not in all cases, the floor covering can be restored. It is necessary to carefully check the floor, inspect it and analyze it. If the boards as a whole are quite well preserved, then you can try to update the appearance of the floor. Parquet can be attributed to the number of such boards, the coating of which is already quite frayed and worn out, but the base is still strong and durable. Even if some planks move away from the base, this will not be a big problem, since it will not be difficult to attach them back even for a beginner, not to mention experienced craftsmen. By the way, if you are tired of the old floor pattern, again, you will need a complete update of the board. There is nothing difficult in dismantling the floor and swapping the planks. The new drawing will give freshness and originality to the room.

If the base of the parquet is in a terrible state, then it will not work to restore the floor. The same applies to those cases when it was carried out. It happens that the boards are assembled and glued to special boards to speed up the installation process. This really speeds up the process significantly, but it is not possible to repair such a coating. So, if the floor has been preserved quite well, except, of course, for the appearance, then you can try to update the parquet yourself. This is a relatively simple operation that does not require great experience. You may need the following accessories and tools:

• varnish or oil - for finishing the coating;
• self-tapping screws - for attaching detached planks;
• parquet glue;
• sandpaper of medium and coarse grit;
• putty knife;
• putty for wood;
• scraper machine;
• Sander.

The last two tools are quite expensive, but the need to use them rarely arises. In order for the restoration of the old parquet to have at least some economic effect, you should not buy the above devices exclusively for these purposes, because they can be borrowed from friends or simply rented for several days.

When restoring the flooring, a huge amount of dust, small chips and chips are released, so the process cannot be classified as clean. Even the presence of special containers for dust on grinding devices will not save. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare - wear goggles, gloves and a respirator. The room itself should be freed from furniture. If it is not possible to take out the furniture, protect it from contamination by covering it with film or newspapers.

Let's start restoration - scraping the floor

To begin with, thoroughly rinse the floor covering by treating it with special detergents for parquet. You can also use ordinary washing powder, which will also cope well with a layer of pollution and various deposits on the slats. After complete drying, get to work - removing the old varnish coating. This process is carried out using a special apparatus - a scraping machine.

You should know that the thickness of a conventional die is from 10 to 20 mm. During sanding, about 3 mm of wood layer is removed. Take this fact into account, especially if the cycle is not the first time. The thickness of the board directly affects the strength and durability of the parquet; it is strongly not recommended to renew the floor covering with a thickness of 10 mm several times. One of the main rules for handling the device is to remove the layer exclusively along the fibers, that is, it is impossible to make movements across the fibers.

Some craftsmen even try to use grinders for scraping. Indeed, there are some advantages to this method, including the ability to work across the fibers, as well as the removal of a slightly smaller layer of wood. However, to ensure maximum quality, it is still necessary to process the parquet with a sander.

We also note that you can try to use a special solvent to remove the old layer of varnish if you could not find the above tools. After wetting the varnish thoroughly, give it some time to soak to the base of the board. After that, using a conventional spatula, remove the varnish, which will swell and move away from the surface of the parquet much easier.

Puttying and sanding - the next stages of processing

Updating a parquet board without fail involves puttying the surface in order to give it durability and strength. To begin with, we carefully examine each bar for the presence of small cracks and crevices. It is these mechanical defects that require special attention. After carefully removing the debris from them, we apply the solution and cover it with a spatula so that the entire space of the crack is filled with the mixture. To get the debris out of the slots as efficiently as possible, use a conventional vacuum cleaner, since screwdrivers and other tools will not only help to pick out the debris, but, on the contrary, will push it even deeper.

Sanding can be done with a low speed grinder or with regular sandpaper.

After giving the putty some time to dry, sand the surface of the parquet. To do this, you can use either a grinder, walking at low speeds over the entire surface, or ordinary sandpaper. In the latter case, you will first need coarse sandpaper, after which you can take medium-grained paper. Now we move on to repairing bad boards, as well as boards that have moved away from the base of the floor. They need to be removed from their grooves, cleaned of debris, varnish, oil and glue residues. Next, we wet the board with water and try to install it in its original place.

If necessary, we process with a grinder to fit a new bar. We recommend fixing such boards with nails or self-tapping screws, driving them under certain angle. Naturally, even self-tapping screws are not always able to attach boards to a base, for example, concrete. In this case, it is better to use parquet glue or liquid nails. Any of these options provides a strong and thorough setting of parquet with concrete.

Oil and varnish - how to apply them?

To completely restore the parquet and update its appearance, it is necessary to perform its finishing. It involves the application of varnish or oil. And there are some nuances here. For example, if the boards were previously varnished, then after removing the old varnish, both varnish and oil can be applied. But the reverse situation is impossible, since the oil penetrates deep into the pores of the parquet, so the varnish can no longer be used.

To apply varnish, take a regular roller with a short nap. We recommend applying varnish in several layers, but experienced craftsmen do it in one even layer. If you have chosen oil, dilute a small part of it with a solvent and apply it to the parquet, this is necessary for high-quality impregnation of all pores with a solution.

Using a brush or brush, apply the remaining part after some time after drying. Residues of impregnation can be easily removed with an ordinary dry cloth or rags. And in a day the oil is completely absorbed and dried.