What sealant is needed when laying wooden floors

Parquet - a great option for flooring, natural, environmentally friendly coating. When laying it, a certain dexterity is important, but even it will not allow to make all connections absolutely tight: small gaps will still remain between the individual lamellas. Sealant for wooden floors will help to fix the problem: such a product will prevent moisture and dirt from getting under the parquet.

Content:

• Why seal the floor?
• Types of sealants for parquet protection
• Sealant Selection
• Sealant Technology
• Top manufacturers
• Soudal
• Krass
• Tytan
• Penosil

Why seal the floor?

The use of special compounds is a prerequisite for high-quality installation of wooden flooring. Such products are ideal for sealing unwanted gaps: they are easy to apply, inexpensive, and economical in consumption. The need for floor sealing is due to the following:

1. Heat. After closing the gaps, the floor and the house as a whole become warmer, since heat loss is seriously reduced, drafts disappear.
2. Life time. The sealant prevents the destruction of floor boards, lamellas, prevents cracks from appearing.
3. Insects and microorganisms. Since moisture will not penetrate into the cracks, the tree will not rot, mold and fungus will not settle in it. In private homes, the risk of insects entering the rooms will be reduced.
4. Purity. In the cracks will not accumulate dirt, dust, mopping the floor will be much easier.
5. The lack of sounds. With proper sealing, squeaking is virtually eliminated.
6. Beauty. With a sealant, the wooden floor will become more even, attractive in appearance.

Types of sealants for parquet protection

All formulations according to the form of release can be divided into one-component and two-component. The first are implemented in finished form, do not require any manipulation of mixing, measuring the components, can be applied directly from the package. The second are represented by two containers, in one of which is the main composition, in the other - hardener. Two-part sealants are activated only after the components are connected and after a while they solidify.

Depending on the composition, sealants for parquet and other wood materials are divided into groups:

1. Acrylic Safe for health, moisture resistant, have a good level of adhesion to wood, but have little elasticity and are not suitable for substrates subject to deformation. The maximum shift that they can withstand is 15%. It is better to use such tools only on hard flooring. Acrylic sealants are sold in a wide range of colors, so you can easily choose a composition that is ideally suited to the floor covering.
2. Silicone Such sealants do not spoil the wood, but have a short service life. They cure with the release of vapors of acetic or other acids, so an unpleasant odor may be present in the room after application. Neutral sealants do not include acids, moreover, they are more durable and strong. All silicone compounds have high elasticity, excellent adhesion to wood.
3. PolyurethaneSealants based on polyurethane are usually not used for laying parquet at home, because they contain organic solvents and are suitable for outdoor work or repair of small products. Nevertheless, with their help, it is also possible to mount the floor covering due to its elasticity, strength, moisture resistance, non-exposure to ultraviolet radiation, chemicals.
4. Thiocolov. They are implemented in two-component form, are more expensive than single-component analogues. They are able to withstand heavy loads, so they are recommended for rooms with heavy furniture, high traffic. Most often, such compounds are used in non-residential, commercial premises.

As for the additional characteristics of the sealants, they will depend on the auxiliary components. There are universal products with a standard composition, as well as special-purpose products (heat-resistant, with protection against mold and mildew, sanitary, frost-resistant).

Sealant Selection

When selecting the composition, it is necessary to take into account the specific conditions of use, humidity in the room, the effect of temperature extremes. High-quality floor sealant has the following properties:

• ease of application;
• non-toxicity;
• elasticity;
• sufficient adhesion to the tree;
• an obstacle to the reproduction of microorganisms;
• moisture resistance.

The sealant for the parquet is selected in the color of the floor covering or as close as possible to it. If the wooden floor is supposed to be painted, the product after polymerization should be suitable for finishing. Any floor sealant must easily withstand repeated contact with water, otherwise the seams will collapse during wet cleaning. For damp rooms, compositions with antiseptic properties are bought, otherwise mold will begin to multiply in the cracks.

Most often, in apartments and houses, acrylic and silicone compounds are used. Sealants of well-known brands meet all the requirements for quality and durability, are safe to use, so it is better to buy only proven products. If the floor is new, it is preferable to give silicone sealant, which after hardening has high elasticity and easily tolerates deformation, compression, bending and shrinkage of wood.

If it is necessary to paint and grind the seams, acrylic sealant is suitable, because the paint does not fit on silicone well. When the room regularly undergoes serious temperature fluctuations (for example, when it comes to an unheated country house), it is worthwhile to purchase a polyurethane compound, which is characterized by high resistance to damage.

Sealant Technology

First you need to prepare the base well: clean the floor from dust, dirt, dry it. The sealant should have room temperature, so it is better to withstand it indoors for 10-12 hours. Then you can proceed to the main stage:

1. Insert the tube into the sealant gun.
2. Squeeze the composition into the cracks between the lamellas.
3. Spread the product with a spatula, a narrow spatula.
4. Remove excess immediately with a sponge, cloth.
5. Allow the floor to dry for a day.

Apply the sealant in small portions in order to have time to smoothly smooth the seam before setting. You do not need to strongly press the product into the gap - its consistency is such that it freely penetrates into the smallest cracks, fills the joints without forming voids. With high humidity and low temperature in the room, drying the coating can drag on for 36–48 hours, and only then the room can be operated.

Top manufacturers

Some sealants can be bought without fear: their manufacturers have long established themselves and are respected by professionals.

Soudal

This sealant is prepared on the basis of acrylic, it is elastic, durable, well suited for sealing joints between parquet strips, as well as for fixing baseboards and door platbands. The sealant quickly cures, is available in a wide range of colors (cherry, beech, ash, oak and other tones), resistant to the effects of acids, alkalis, household chemicals. After drying, the seams can be sanded and varnished.

Krass

This sealant for parquet boards also has an acrylic base, does not emit odor, and is environmentally friendly. It is a solid grout for flooring made of wood, helps to close potholes and gaps. Advantages of the composition:

• the possibility of subsequent grinding, staining, varnishing;
• resistance to temperature changes and moisture;
• high adhesion with all types of wood.

The product can withstand deformation of the tree within 7%, which must be taken into account when buying it.

Tytan

Sealants for the flooring of this brand are available in various shades: wenge, mahogany, alder, oak and many others. This diversity makes it easy to choose the composition for any shade of the coating. Silicone sealants withstand severe deformations, are not afraid of mechanical stress, elastic, and can withstand large temperature differences. They can be used when laying underfloor heating systems, since they do not contain formaldehyde and other harmful substances. Sealants "Titan" do not deteriorate from water, serve for many years and do not crack.

Penosil

Such a sealant is made on the basis of acrylic resins, presented in a rich color scheme. It is used to treat joints in the floor to protect it during installation or restoration of floors. Grouting is highly adhesive to wood, can withstand freezing (up to 10 cycles), and can be used in unheated rooms. The composition is resistant to ultraviolet radiation, mechanical factors, water.

The use of high-quality sealant guarantees the improvement of the appearance of the floor covering, as well as the optimization of its functionality. The parquet will serve for a long time, it will not suffer from moisture and pollution, because the sealing composition will prevent them from falling under the boards. Working with sealant will not take much time, but its result will become noticeable very quickly.