Floor finish: types of material

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

What flooring materials are used

Indoor floors play an important role. They can give the interior sophistication and originality.
With their help, the division of space into certain functional zones is carried out. The options for finishing the floor are quite diverse, as are the materials that are used for this purpose.

Types of flooring

Today, materials for flooring have a variety of types and structures. They differ in their technical characteristics and cost.
As a floor covering are used:

• Ceramic tile.
• Cork floor.
• Bulk floors 3D.
• Linoleum.
• Parquet.
• Laminate.
• Carpet.

Ceramic tile

Ceramic tile at the moment is quite popular flooring. As a rule, it has found its wide application in the kitchen and sanitary zones (bathroom and toilet).
This material:

• Lasting.
• Reliable.
• Durable
• Practical.
• Easy to install.

A variety of colors and shades, sizes are simply amazing. There are standard ceramic tiles, the size of which is 20x30 cm, and there are very small ones (mosaics) that are 10-10 mm in size.
Ceramic tiles are moisture resistant and can withstand temperature changes. It is used both in flooring and in wall decoration premises.

Installation of ceramic tiles

How to install floor tiles

The installation of ceramic tiles is quite simple, and you can do it yourself. But for such work, it is necessary to conduct preparatory work on the surface.
Since the tile will be used on the floor, a screed is first made on it with a concrete mortar or liquid floor.
Stages of work:

• Lighthouses are placed around the perimeter, along which the solution will be poured. The perimeter of the room is measured, then set by the level of the future subfloor.
  After that, a kind of wooden crate is made on the surface.
• With concrete, everything is clear.
• He will need water, cement, sand, which are mixed in a special container, using a construction mixer.
• Liquid floors are more practical. They are sold dry and in order for them to become a solution, you need to add a certain amount of water.
• In order not to be mistaken with the proportions, there is an instruction on the package according to which such actions are carried out.

Tip. In order for the flooring to be quality ceramic tile, the surface of the subfloor must be flat.

Before making a screed, it is necessary to carry out insulation work. For this, expanded clay or other material is added.
As soon as the floor surface is ready, it is necessary to proceed to the installation of ceramic tiles.
For this you need:

• Ceramic tile.
• Tile cutter.
• Level.
• Cruciform lighthouses.
• Cement or adhesive mortar.

Installation:

• You need to lay the tile from the door or from the visible corner, so that only whole elements of the decoration are visible.
• A cement or adhesive mortar is applied using a special spatula on the surface of the subfloor and on the inside of the tile.
• An even distance between the tiles is provided by cross-shaped beacons, which are inserted into the joints of the masonry. Each element of the ceramic tile is checked and inserted by level.

As soon as all the tiles are laid, the seams are masked with a decorative putty of the desired shade.

Cork floor

Contemporary cork flooring

Cork flooring has recently become very popular.
It has several options:

• Technical traffic jam.
• Floating cork floor.
• Adhesive floor made of cork.

Application:

• The first type of flooring can hardly be found in open form. As a rule, it is used as a substrate for another floor covering for insulation and insulation.
• Technical cork is produced in plates or in rolls. Quite rarely seen in granules.
  In this case, they can fill holes in the floor or the distance between the floor coverings.
• The floating floor is a cork coating glued onto MDF sheets. A floor covering of this type is made in sheets that have different sizes.
  By the principle of installation, it resembles a laminate.

Tip. This type of cork floor cannot be used in rooms with high humidity, since MDF absorbs moisture very well and begins to change its size and the surface is deformed (the floor swells).

• The glued cork floor is more resistant to moisture and is a panel that fit into a variety of patterns on the floor and tightly fixed to the surface.

The photo shows examples of such flooring. The price of cork flooring is quite affordable and, if desired, it is possible to choose the best option.

Tip. Install this type of flooring on a level surface.

Cork floor:

• Reliable.
• Practical.
• Durable
• Ecologicaly clean.
• Easy to install.
• Withstands temperature extremes.

Bulk floors 3D

The modern solution for housing, 3D bulk floors

There is nothing more original and modern than 3D flooring. Such flooring has recently been very popular. What it is?
The bulk floor is a liquid coating that has its own specific shade, on top of which a drawing is applied and it is protected by a special film that creates a 3D effect.
This type of flooring:

• It is not exposed to physical influences.
• Moisture resistant.
• Practical.
• It has an original appearance.
• Durable.
• Durable
• Easy to use.

How can I make such a floor:

• You can make this flooring yourself. To do this, initially the base of a certain color is poured onto the surface of the subfloor.
• It is best to use neutral and light colors.
• A special paint is applied over it with a roller. Then another layer of paint, you can and a different color.

In this situation, it all depends on the desired result. You can simply stick on the surface already prepared drawing (they are sold) and stick a film on top of it.
The video shows the installation of the 3D self-leveling floor.

Linoleum

Laying linoleum

Linoleum in floor decoration It has been used for many years, this material is chosen when it is necessary to make repairs quickly and at the same time save money.
Is he:

• Practical.
• Reliable.
• Warm.
• Soft.
• Lasting.
• Moisture resistant.

Note. But here it is worth considering that this type of flooring can very easily deform under mechanical and physical influences (pressure of furniture or other heavy interior items).

In addition, linoleum is very easily deformed and tears if the surface on which it is laid has significant irregularities. For this reason, before laying it, it is necessary to make a screed on the floor.
In order to mount linoleum on your own you will need a simple improvised tool:

• Hammer.
• Nails or liquid nails.
• Knife for cutting.

Stages of work:

• Initially, linoleum must be brought into the room and deployed to enable it to recover. Only after that it will be possible to carry out high-quality flooring of such a floor covering.

Tip.During installation, it is necessary to level the material so that tubercles and other visible defects do not appear on the surface.

• It is fixed to the surface using conventional or liquid nails. Since the material has a large thickness and a layer of its insulation, then insulation on the floor surface can not be done.

As soon as the linoleum is laid, it is still necessary to fix it with the baseboard of the desired shade. As a rule, such materials already have standard fasteners in the set, which are mounted on the wall surface using self-tapping screws.

Laminate

Laminate in the interior

This type of flooring is quite popular. It is an environmentally friendly material, like parquet, only costs several times cheaper.
In appearance, it resembles it and even has a similar pattern to the structure of a tree. Not only the floor, but also the walls are finished with a laminate (seeLaminate wall decoration: features and installation).
Is he:

• Practical.
• Durable
• It has an attractive appearance.
• Lasting.
• Easy to install.

Note. This type of flooring can very easily absorb moisture and for this reason it is not recommended to use it in rooms with high humidity.

Installation of the laminate is quite simple:

• To do this, you must first level the surface with a screed or other devices.
• At the end of the material there are special locks, which provide a strong bond of each element.

Putting a laminate is necessary on a special substrate, which provides softness and elasticity of the floor covering.
Parquet:

• Parquet is a precursor to the laminate and has similar technical characteristics. It is also not recommended for use in rooms with high humidity.
• The only thing to consider is that its surface must be covered with a protective layer (varnish or paint). If this is not done, then the surface of the parquet may begin to deform.

Sunroof, finishing methods

If there is a hatch in the floor, then it must be masked. How to trim the hatch in the floor?
Everything is pretty simple:

• Initially determined from what its surface. After that, a similar floor covering (laminate, ceramic tile, linoleum and so on) is executed.
• Mounting the material on the surface of such a construction is as simple as on a rough floor.
• Materials for finishing the floor are quite diverse and finishing work on the hatch will not be any different from finishing work on the rough surface of the floor.

It is worth considering that for the installation of some floor coverings you need a flat surface. If the hatch does not have it, then it is necessary to level it with a screed or a liquid floor.
In order for the hatch to open in it must be a handle. For an aesthetically beautiful appearance of the floor, the handle can be decorated or hidden from the eyes.