How to care for parquet
Parquet is a natural and durable floor covering, which is in great demand. Only recently they began to respect him, and all because of the fact that in old Stalinist houses this luxury is still found. But, if earlier they tried to close such a coating under linoleum, then today, on the contrary, they bring it back to life.
Content
Parquet humidity
In order to parquet floor retained its presentable appearance for as long as possible and pleased with its beauty, it must be looked after from the first days of installation.
As known, parquet made from different types of wood.
And when the humidity changes, the tree expands or contracts. Wood absorbs moisture very quickly, therefore, in rooms with high humidity, parquet can swell or deform.
To get rid of excess moisture, the room needs to be well ventilated.
Parquet feels most comfortable at a temperature of 18-24C and air humidity of 40-60%. This expensive and capricious thing requires not only a special attitude, but also careful care.
In winter, the indoor air becomes dry, while the houses are heated.
As a result, the parquet dies give their moisture to the atmosphere, after which they are compressed, and small gaps appear between them.
But this is not so scary, in the spring the heating will be turned off and the air will become more humid.
As a result, the planks expand, and the gaps disappear.
But the appearance of these unwanted gaps can be eliminated on their own, for this you just need to integrate a portable air humidifier into the air ventilation system or install it indoors.
Parquet Care
There are special products for caring for the parquet coating; they prevent its wear. These are wax mastics, oils and varnishes.
wax mastics
Wax mastics are recommended to be applied to the parquet a couple of times a year, they form a protective film, it, in turn, will protect the coating from wear.
In addition, the mastic has water-repellent, and, nevertheless, it will not be able to protect your parquet from a large amount of liquid.
It is important to know that after you have waxed the floors, you should not walk on it for 30 minutes until the applied solution dries and forms into a film.
After this treatment, the floor will become non-slip, sparkle, and dust will not settle on it.
Parquet flooring can only be renewed with wax if it is completely dry.
To check the dryness of the floor, you need to glue on it, using adhesive tape, a small piece of cellophane and leave it overnight.
If, in the morning, you find condensate on the inside of the cellophane, then you definitely need to dry the parquet and only then you can start processing.
oils
Oil impregnations penetrate deep into the wood, thereby increasing its wear resistance.
In addition, the oil emphasizes the texture of the wood and adds naturalness, deepening the color.
After oil treatment, laborious surface care is required; parquet after such treatment will become more noble and beautiful over time.
It is important not to forget that after coating with oil on the floor you can not put metal legs, because they will leave traces after themselves.
varnishes
With a careful attitude, varnished parquet can last up to 10 years without special care.
After this time, it is advisable to change the varnish coating or update the floor.
If the varnish thickness is 4 mm, then the coating can be sanded up to 4 times.
In this case, after each treatment, the surface must be covered with a protective agent (oil or the same varnish).
After varnishing, you can’t walk on the parquet for at least 24 hours, install furniture in two weeks, lay carpets or do wet cleaning after 8-14 days.
Parquet care includes not only cleaning dust and dirt, but also protecting it from moisture.
Any cleaning should be neat and gentle.
It is easy and simple to clean the parquet with a vacuum cleaner or a regular floor brush.
It is always necessary to get rid of unnecessary moisture, in this regard, such a surface can only be wiped with a damp cloth.
Conventional wet cleaning products can damage the parquet because they have increased causticity, so it is better to use special products.
Wet parquet cleaning
Wet cleaning is carried out only with pre-oil surface treatment, using aqueous soap solutions.
When cleaning waxed floors, solvents or waxes can be used.
The use of soap solutions on the parquet, which was previously coated with wax, can cause the wood to change its color.
Soap solutions are used to clean the coating from contaminants, first you need to remove dust with a vacuum cleaner, then dilute the solution with water in the desired proportion.
Wipe the floor with a well-wrung wet cloth parallel to the wood fibers. It is advisable to ensure that the floor is slightly moist, and not wet.
It is recommended, after cleaning with soapy water, to rub the floors treated with oil with a protective agent.
Dry cleaning
On waxed or oiled parquet, which is exposed to severe pollution, covered with strips of heels or spots, it is better to carry out dry cleaning.
In this case, cleaners that contain solvents are used.
They well remove dirty wax layers and clean oiled wood.
