How to lay laminate flooring yourself so thatthe result was of high quality? It is not as difficult as it may seem at first. Firstly, laying laminate on your own requires following the installation technology process. And secondly, you need to choose the right material and carefully prepare the surface base.
When installing laminate panels, ensure that the parts are aligned in the direction of light from the windows.
Selecting and calculating the laminate
Before you lay the laminate yourself,it is necessary to decide on the choice of material. It depends on where it will be laid and how it will be used. Therefore, for different purposes, there are several classes of material with indexes from 31 to 33. The panels also have different dimensions, differing in thickness and length.
Preparatory stage of calculation of laminate onroom. The color range and texture of the laminate is very diverse, which allows you to choose it for any type of interior. When purchasing material, you should pay attention to the fact that it is all from the same batch and does not differ in color. In order to calculate the required number of panels, you need to calculate the area of the room. To do this, the width of the room should be multiplied by its length. When calculating, it is imperative to take into account the method by which the laminate will be laid, since this determines how much material needs to be added to its total amount. For example, for straight laying, the increase is 5-7%, and diagonally - 10-14%. Return to the table of contents</a>
Surface preparation
To work you will need:
- polyethylene film;
- material for cushioning substrate;
- building scotch.
Laying laminate flooring begins with preparationsurface, i.e. the floor condition is assessed and the underlay is laid. If the laminate is laid on a concrete surface, it must be strong, without unevenness, smooth, clean and dry. Then a layer of waterproofing is laid on it. For this, dense polyethylene in 2 layers is used, the sheets of which must be placed not in the direction of laying the panels, but across.
Laminate flooring installation diagram.The film is laid out along the entire perimeter of the room with an overlap of 3-5 cm on the walls. For reliability, the sheets are laid out overlapping each other, fastening the joints with tape. Then, a substrate is mounted on the waterproofing layer under the laminate, for which extruded polystyrene 2-3 mm thick or a sheet of natural cork is used. Laminate can be laid without removing the old coating, for example, on linoleum. In this case, it must be absolutely flat, without any folds, tears or swelling. It is important that the surface is strictly horizontal. Then the linoleum must be thoroughly washed and allowed to dry completely. After this, a layer of waterproofing is laid on it to protect it from moisture. A polyethylene film with a special polystyrene coating is used as it. Next, a substrate no thicker than 4 mm is laid out, which is laid out along the entire perimeter of the room and fixed with construction tape. Return to the table of contents</a>
Laminate laying
To lay laminate flooring, you will need:
- laminate;
- roulette;
- a hammer;
- wedges;
- clamp;
- electric jigsaw.
Laminate flooring installation options.When installing laminate, remember that it should never be laid in rooms with high humidity, such as bathrooms. First of all, before work, the material in unopened packs should lie at room temperature for 2-3 days. Then you can start laying it, starting from the far corner of the room perpendicular to the window. This is necessary so that the joints between the panels are less noticeable. Self-laying of laminate boards begins along the wall by fastening the end sides of two panels. In this case, the first of them should be intact, and the last one in the row, if necessary, is carefully cut to size. When laying the first two laminate boards, you need to install special spacer wedges that provide a gap between the panels and the wall (up to 1.5 cm). They are needed so that the laminate does not rise in the future, and it can freely narrow and expand. To make it easier to snap the panels, they are mounted with a lock towards you. The next row starts with a board that is pre-cut in half. Then the laminate is laid in a checkerboard pattern. This creates a beautiful texture on the floor, and the base itself becomes more reliable and resistant to heavy loads. Each panel of the second row is inserted into the groove of the previous laminate panels at an angle of 20° and snapped into place.
Sequence of laying laminate.When forming this row, there is no need to snap the panels at the ends, i.e. along the short side, you just need to try them on. After all the boards in a row are laid, they are joined and driven in using a hammer and a strip. In this case, the strip is necessary in order not to damage the surface of the laminate. Then, by analogy, you need to lay the remaining rows in the room. The installation of the last row, located near the wall, is carried out using a clamp. With its help, you can easily connect one panel to another. To increase the strength and durability of the laminate flooring, it is recommended to coat the joints of the boards with a special adhesive composition. To do this, first apply a thin layer of glue to the joint of the panel, then insert it into the groove until it clicks. After that, it is held horizontally for a few seconds. Then, the subsequent elements are mounted in the same way. All obstacles in the room, such as pipes, can be bypassed using a jigsaw. After all the laminate is laid on the floor surface, the baseboards are mounted. If any obstacles interfere with their installation, you need to saw off part of the lock in this place, and then fix the panel with special glue. Return to the table of contents</a>
How correctly to look after a laminate?
To ensure that your floor covering lasts as long as possiblelonger and had an attractive appearance, it must be properly cared for. If minor damage appears on the laminate during installation, it can be repaired by covering it with a special putty in the color of the base. If there is linoleum under the laminate surface, it must be protected from excess moisture. To do this, all joints between panels must be regularly coated with a special wax-based sealant. Water should not get on the surface of the laminate itself under any circumstances. It is recommended to install felt pads under the furniture legs, and use chairs with soft rollers. This is necessary in order to avoid damage to the coating in the form of scratches. Floors covered with laminate can be vacuumed, and traces of dirt can be removed with a damp cloth. In no case should they be polished or abrasive materials used for cleaning. When caring for the laminate surface, you can use special products for this purpose. If you follow the rules for caring for the floor covering, it will last much longer.
