Good thermal insulation and perfect suitability for underfloor heating
Good acoustic insulation.
Resistance to abrasion and scratches, depending on the intensity and frequency of “floor traffic” (treads). The floors of the most famous museums and theaters in the world, such as the Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in London, the Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, are made of wood.
In addition, the intrinsic qualities of its hardness and elasticity make wood flooring the preferred choice for all types of sports facilities: gyms, sports halls, velodromes and bowling lanes.
Cheapness. Considering their longevity and the ease with which they can be restored and repaired, timber/wooden floors, in comparison to other floor types, are certainly the ones that, over time, allow the maximum amortization of the acquisition cost.
Low maintenance. Surface treatments with special products allow for perfect preservation and excellent, easy and fast cleaning.

“Multi-layer parquets” are made of a series of wood layers that have undergone various treatments: calibration, smoothing, the adaptation of the plank sides in order to create male/female joints /tongue and groove) as well as the final coating or finish. The various layers of a multi-layer floor are: the top layer, i.e. the visible, touchable and “walkable” surface of the parquet and the floor’s lower layers, which have the task of keeping the floor stable by countering the wood’s natural reaction to different environmental conditions. This special kind of composition makes the “prefinished” or “multi-layer” parquet ideal in terms of quality and durability, but also allows extremely quick and easy the installation.

As far as the installation of parquet floors is concerned, we can distinguish three different installation methods used to affix the single floor elements to the subfloor.

Gluing
Gluing is by far the most used method. Thanks to the continuous evolution of glues (and adhesives in general), both in terms of technique and efficiency, the gluing method guarantees excellent results when it comes to laying not only the most common timber/wooden floor formats, but also formats of larger dimensions.

Floating
Floating is practically an alternative version of the superimposition method: the elements that make up the floor are simply placed on a subfloor of any type. To make sure that the single elements are connected, they must have male and female joints. It is, however, advisable to put a tiny amount of glue along the joints during installation. In order for the planks to be self-supporting and stable the prefinished multi-layer parquet must come in large-sized planks.

Nailing
The nailing method is used to affix heavy planks and solid wood elements (with male and female joints) that generally have a thickness of over 18mm. It is quite an expensive installation method, not only because of the high amount of labor involved, but also because it requires a wooden subfloor framework. Nonetheless, the nailing method warrants long durability and high reliability for all solid wood floors of considerable thickness and large dimensions.

“Traditional parquet floors”, or “solid wood floors”, are floors that consist of elements made from the same type of wood. Usually, the thickness of this floor type varies from 10 to 22 mm. “Prefinished parquet floors”, on the other hand, are made of two or more layers of different lumbers, the most common being spruce and birch wood. The thickness of the “walkable” top layer of prefinished timber floors must not be less than 2.5 mm.

Wood always contains a certain amount of water (moisture), unless it has been completely dried and is thus “anhydrous” (free from water). Wood, whatever moisture content it may contain, always tends to adapt this content to the degree of moisture present in the environment the wood is located in. The moisture content of wood is very important, since variations in moisture can cause the wood to “move” (if it loses moisture, the wood may shrink, if the moisture increases, the wood may swell).
The moisture level below which wood begins to shrink is called the saturation point of the cell walls. It is at around 30% of the wood’s dry weight.
If the wood maintains a moisture content of over 30%, it does not show any dimensional variations. Yet, it begins to shrink as soon as the moisture content drops below 30%.

The heating elements must be turned off at least 5/6 days before installing the floor, and the surface temperature of the screed (at the time of installation) must be about 15/20°C with a maximum air moisture of 65%.
The humidity of the parquet floor must be checked carefully before installation to make sure that temperatures do not exceed the admissible maximum. When installing floating floors, the thermal resistance of the soundproof layer (about 2.5 mm thick) placed under the floor must be considered.
For solid wood parquet, in case the floor has been attached with glue, it is advisable to turn on the heating for a few days before smoothing the floor: this will allow the floor to settle before grouting.