Parquet floor repair: fix defects with our own hands, restore parquet

Parquet floor repair

Parquet is one of the most expensive, durable and at the same time the most capricious flooring. During its operation, certain conditions must be observed, otherwise the repair of the parquet floor will become inevitable. In order for the parquet to serve the entire period characteristic of this material, it is necessary to maintain a certain microclimate in the room and timely perform the necessary restoration work.

Content

• Rules of operation and care
• Defect Repair Methods

• Moisture on the floor
• Fluctuation of the parquet floor
• Squeaking planks
• Creation of gaps between the slats
• Minor cosmetic defects

 

Restoring old parquet

Rules of operation and care

Parquet, like any other wooden material, is very subject to the influence of climatic changes, therefore, first of all, it must be protected from a sharp change in temperature and humidity conditions. Best of all, a parquet coating retains its properties at a temperature of 15-24 ° C and a humidity of 50-60%. Increased humidity can be reduced using air conditioners or by turning on heating, and reduced humidity can be restored to normal by installing humidifiers or by placing several open water tanks in the room for a while.

Interesting: you can quickly increase the humidity in the room by briefly hanging a pair of wet towels or a sheet in it.

Parquet must breathe, therefore, in order to avoid the appearance of mold and fungus, it must not be covered with waterproof materials for a period of more than 3-5 days. This coating is very easy to care for. To maintain the cleanliness of the floor, it is enough to clean its surface with a vacuum cleaner and wipe it with a soft damp cloth. Chemical care products may not be used at all, but if such a need arose, then special compositions intended for varnished parquet should be selected.

To avoid damage to the lacquer layer, you need to try not to allow stilettos to walk on the parquet, large pets with uncovered sharp claws to go indoors and furniture to be dragged.

Parquet is very afraid of moisture, therefore, its long-term flooding is not allowed with any liquids. This can lead to swelling of the planks and their warping..

Defect Repair Methods

Moisture on the floor

Sometimes, some time after the start of operation, moisture begins to appear on the surface of the parquet. This happens due to a decrease in the insulating properties of the coating for several reasons:

• increased humidity of the thermal insulation or its insufficient layer;
• compaction of insulation material under the weight of the floor;
• laying insulation on an uneven base;
• poor sealing of joints between the insulation plates;
• factory defects of the insulating material;
• increased humidity of the insulation.

This is one of the most complex defects, requiring almost complete alteration of the floor. In this case, it will not be possible to avoid the analysis of the entire parquet: the entire finishing coating, as well as thermal and waterproofing, are completely removed. During this process, insulation defects are detected. The waterproofing is re-laid in compliance with all the rules, and the thermal insulation material is laid taking into account the errors found. Further, the repair of the parquet turns into a new laying of the coating, using the same technology, with cycling, puttying and subsequent varnishing of the surface.

Fluctuation of the parquet floor

Such a defect is far from uncommon, and in order to avoid it, you need to observe several rules in the installation process:

1. Mandatory application of the primer to the base. This will improve the adhesion of the surface of the base and parquet planks with adhesive.
2. If mastic is used for gluing parquet, then use only a hot solution. Otherwise, good adhesion is not guaranteed..
3. Thermal insulation materials should be placed as evenly as possible..
4. If the concrete screed acts as the base, then before laying the parquet it needs to withstand at least 30-45 days until completely dry. If this condition is not observed, complete destruction of the base is possible..

In addition to the lag of parquet planks can lead and mold, which appeared on the basis of.

If the base is not destroyed, then this defect can be eliminated quite easily. Using a chisel, carefully remove the weakened boards, clean the rough floor and stick new slats on the hot mastic. If the foundation has become unusable, then it will be necessary to free the entire damaged area from the finish coat and restore the foundation. After this, the planks are re-laid, the area is primed, the cracks between the parquet floors are putty, and their surface is varnished in several layers.

Squeaking planks

The creaking of the parquet is dangerous only because it has an irritating effect for the residents, which is why they tend to get rid of it as quickly as possible. There are two reasons for this defect:

• the formation of voids under the parquet planks;
• destruction of the cardboard layer laid between the wooden base and the finish.

In the first case, you can get rid of the creak without disassembling the floor. To do this, the smallest drill is made a small through hole in the bar, and under it, using the syringe, the amount of glue necessary to fill the voids is introduced.

In the second case, you will have to remove the creaking parquet and replace the cardboard, after which the strips are glued into place.

Creation of gaps between the slats

Over time, gaps between its planks form in each parquet floor. This happens due to the deformation of the slats as a result of seasonal fluctuations in temperature and humidity, as well as if too wet parquet was used during installation.

It is almost impossible to completely avoid the appearance of cracks, but you can try to delay this process. To do this, before installing a new coating, leave the material for several days in the room where it is planned to be laid. As a rule, this time is enough to make the parquet humidity level the same as in the room.

If the cracks are less than 5 mm, then doing such a repair of the floor with your own hands will not be difficult. It is enough to clean every gap with a knife or any other sharp and thin object and fill it with mastic or putty. If the distance between the two slats is already more than 5 mm, then the gap will need to be further deepened, carefully aligned and cleaned with a chisel, and then put in it a specially cut wooden insert of a suitable color, greased with mastic or glue. After this, the defect is ground and varnished..

The cracks near the skirting boards are considered the worst. More precisely, between the first row of planks and the second. Before closing them, it is necessary to remove the baseboard and make sure that the defect was not caused by the relaxation of the bursting wedge between the wall and the floor. If this is still the case, then the wedges should be reinstalled, and only then proceed with sealing the cracks. Recently, many builders have used foam instead of wedges. If this is your case, then we advise you to squeeze the first row from the wall and insert several expansion wedges into the expansion joint.

Minor cosmetic defects

Most often, such defects are formed in the process of a careless attitude to parquet. They are caused by the movement of furniture on the surface, the use of strong chemicals when leaving, walking on the floor with heels, falling on the parquet sharp and heavy objects, and much more.

Small scratches can be masked with a special retouching pencil and covered with a thin layer of restoration varnish. Larger scratches and small bumps are filled with putty, which has a color as close as possible to the shade of the coating. After this, the defect is ground and varnished..

If a large area of ​​the parquet is damaged, it is better to recycle the floor again and cover it with fresh layers of varnish.

Interesting: there is a popular way to eliminate small external damages: the area is ironed at the minimum position of the regulator through wet paper for ten minutes. After this, the steamed defect is easily rubbed with a tampon made of coarse cloth. In conclusion, the damaged area is re-ironed with iron through wet paper, but now it is already well warmed up and varnished..

Restoring old parquet

Repair of the old flooring is highly labor intensive, but its result is usually a floor covering that is no different from the one just laid. To work, you will definitely need a looping machine, with the help of which the layer of varnish and the top layer of the old wood are removed, in addition, the surface of the floor will be leveled and all potholes and scratches on it will disappear. After hitching, all cracks are plastered, and the parquet is sanded with a fine-grained sandpaper, primed and covered with three layers of varnish.

Tip: you should not buy special equipment for looping. It is unlikely that you will need it again in the near future, but this unit is quite expensive. Therefore, if it is not possible to take a looping machine from friends, it is best to hire a specialist.

Remember that the durability of the parquet is completely dependent on its correct and accurate operation. Observing the above rules, you will not only extend the life of your flooring, but also significantly save your finances and funds.