Parquet lacquering
Parquet is a serious and large investment to take its installing and lacquering for granted. To get the best appearance some effort should be made. A nice and stable appearance can be ensured only with a quality protection system. Two-component parquet varnishes, based on solvents, stand for the widely used group of products in the sphere of decoration and protection. Some varnishes can be separated from the others by their quality and good visual effect.
varnishing parquet
Only the professional and regular application can give the wanted result and assert the high product quality. Therefore, be well informed!
- make sure to collect the necessary information about the products and using the catalogue choose the right product which will protect your parquets;
- carefully read the instructions which are pasted on the packaging or in the catalogue, in order to prevent the possible mistakes during the operation;
- if necessary, ask for advice from the experts.
You have chosen the product, however before you start…
- calculate the surface for lacquering in order to get the necessary amount of product which will lessen the additional expenses of post-shopping or unwanted redundant material;
- prepare the appropriate tools and the auxiliary equipment. Always use the clean and dry tools (trowel, brush, roller and a bowl for mixing varnish);
- to coat the highly shiny varnish use the brushes with natural fibre, and to coat semi-matt varnish use the brushes made of microfibre, velour or mohair);
- check whether all the conditions are fulfilled:
• wood moisture 8–10%,
• temperature of the working area 15-25°C,
• relative air humidity 40-70%,
- varnishes which are used have to be put on the temperature of the working area;
- the time for drying depends on the temperature and relative air humidity;
- before every coating, varnish should be well stirred. If the varnish is not stirred well, uneven shine of the surface can appear;
- do not mix products of different manufacturers because the varnish can appear badly.
Prepare the foundation for lacquering
- to ensure a quality protection, one of the conditions is to prepare the surface of the parquets well, which implies abrasion and cleaning;
- use the emery paper N°36-40 and then N°60-80 to prepare the surface of the parquets. After that use the liquid for joints to fill the holes and smaller flaws in the parquets;
- the liquid for joints mixed with sawdust should be coated using a double trowel in one layer across the whole surface of the parquet (which has to be clean and dry). If the joints are bigger, repeat the procedure after the drying of the surface.
- after the drying, use the emery paper N°100-120 or 150 and clean thoroughly.
Lacquering the parquet
- always work on a dry and well prepared foundation;
- coat one layer of the basic varnish (one-component or two-component);
- after the drying, the basic layer of the varnish should be whetted using the emery paper N°150-180 and the surface should be thoroughly cleaned using the vacuum cleaner;
- depending on the desired appearance and the level of shine, coat 2 to 3 layers of a finishing varnish. The layers of the finishing varnish are mutually whetted with the emery paper N°150-180 after a certain period of drying.
Important notes for application of varnishes
- before mixing and usage, stir well all the components;
- pay special attention to the type of varnish. Also, some varnishes may leave a soft sediment on the bottom of the tin which is easily homogenised with the rest of the varnish;
- respect the recommended ratio of mixing which is defined on the package and the expiry date;
- lesser amount of the varnish is recommendable in the hot months of the year;
- solidifier is always added into the varnish;
- in the summer months and the high temperatures conditions, in an already prepared mixture of varnish you can add up to 5% thinner, disregarding the temperature of the working area.
And in the end…
- to maintain the parquets, in the period of three weeks after the lacquering, do not use chemical cleaners and water!
