What thickness should hardwood floors have?
A parquet floor is not only versatile and visually appealing, but also convinces with its durability.
The decisive criterion for the service life is what thickness the parquet has.
An overview of the commercialstrengths and the different structure of parquet floors can be found in this article.
In which thicknesses is parquet available?
The thickness of the parquet depends on which parquet type it is.
Parquet is basically available in two versions, which differ fundamentally in their structure – and thus in their actual thickness – :
Solid parquet (one-layer parquet)
The classic solid parquet (also known as single-layer parquet) consists of a continuous layer of solid wood, which is first laid in its raw state fully glued over the entire surface and only then sanded and surface-treated.
The installation of solid wood parquet is on the one hand relatively costly and time-consuming, as the floor only becomes ready for use and walkable after several work steps. On the other hand, the thickness of the solid parquet also ensures particularly high resistance and durability.
Solid parquet is available in different thicknesses between 8 and 23 mm.
Due to its thickness, it can be sanded down several times in the course of renovation work .
If one assumes that hardwood flooring is in need of renovation every 10 to 15 years due to wear and damage and that approx. 0.3 to 0.5 mm of the parquet surface is removed per grinding process, solid hardwood flooring has a service life of several decades.
The most common variants of solid parquet floors and their strengths Are:
- strip parquet:
14 to 23 mm, can be sanded 5 – 7 times - ship bottom:
14 to 23 mm, can be sanded 5 – 7 times - mosaic parquet:
8 to 10 mm, can be sanded 4 – 5 times - lamp parquet:
6 to 15 mm (standard: 10 mm), can be sanded 4 – 5 times - panel parquet:
approx. 10 mm (occasionally up to 20 mm), can be sanded 4 – 5 times
Prefabricated parquet (multi-layer parquet)
In contrast to the solid parquet, finished or multi-layer parquet consists of several layers glued together.
It is already ready for installation and is surface-treated with a layer sealed by oil or varnish, so that it can be walked immediately after installation.
Finished parquet is available as 2-layer or 3-layer parquet. 2-layer parquet consists of a carrier material made of wood composite panels or cheap wood, which is glued to a wear layer of high-quality real wood.
3-layer parquet contains in addition to this a counter-layer – also made of wood or wood composites – which makes the floor even more stable.
Decisive for the quality of prefabricated parquet is the useful layer:
This consists of different types of wood and should have a thickness of at least 2.5 mm.
The principle applies here:
The higher the thickness of the useful layer of the parquet, the higher the quality of the floor and the higher its service life.
The total thickness of the parquet is therefore made up of the thickness of the of the carrier material and the useful layer. Commercially available prefabricated parquet has the following common strengths:
2-layer hardwood flooring:
total thickness 10 to 16 mm, wear layer 3 to 6 mm, can be sanded 2 – 3 times
3-layer hardwood flooring:
total thickness 10 to 25 mm, wear layer 3 to 8 mm, can be sanded 2 – 4 times
Special shape: veneer parquet
Veneer parquet is considered a special form of hardwood flooring, as it combines the special features of wood and laminate floors:
Precious wood veneers with a doctored, multi-coated surface are glued with water-resistant HDF support plates.
The total thickness of veneer parquet is also between 10 and 23 mm. But veneer parquet cannot be sanded down in any other way than the classic finished parquet because the wear layer is less than 1 mm thick.
What does the parquet strength have an effect on?
Strength plays a role in the selection of the parquet in several respects:
On the one hand, the acquisition costs are usually higher for thicker parquet, on the other hand, the strength has a significant impact on the life span of the floor, which in turn makes the investment quite worthwhile.
Parquet with a higher thickness not only withstands the daily stress better, but can also be sanded more often, which is important for carrying out renovation work.
Wear or damage to the parquet can be removed relatively easily by sanding. As a guideline, parquet floors should be renovated every 10 to 15 years and approx. 0.3 to 0.5 mm of the parquet surface should be removed per sanding operation.
The strength of the parquet is also relevant in terms of spatial conditions.
Parquet floors with less thickness are advantageous, for example, in rooms that require a lower height of the overall floor construction. But even in transitions, such as at door sills, the strength of the parquet can be decisive.
In addition, the thickness of the parquet – together with the type of wood used – also has an effect on the thermal resistance at underfloor heating systems. The higher the thickness of the parquet, the more sluggishly the underfloor heating reacts and the slower the room heats up. However, other factors also play a role here, such as the parquet adhesive.
