Laminate is a popular floor covering,which has high performance characteristics. The external data of this material is also beyond praise. Therefore, many use it when finishing the floor. But it is important to know how to lay laminate. Then the quality of the finished coating will exceed all your expectations.
Layout of the laminate.
Preparation of a surface for a laminate
Before , it is important to prepare for itsurface. It should be perfectly flat, as this is the main requirement for installing this material. If there are any irregularities on the finished coating, this will cause incorrect load distribution. All this will lead to rapid wear of the laminate. As a result, it will be necessary to re-install it. If you have a wooden floor in your house or apartment, make sure it is horizontal. You can use a building level for this purpose. Differences of 2-3 mm are allowed on the surface. If the irregularities are greater than these parameters, they will need to be removed. To do this, you need to level the floor with a grinder. In addition, you will need to check the strength of the wooden floor. If some boards bend under the weight of a person, they are replaced with new ones. If the laminate is planned to be laid on a concrete base, you also need to make sure it is horizontal. Here, too, you can use a building level. If differences of more than 3 mm are found, you will need to pour a new screed. Its thickness should be within 15-20 mm. Return to contents</a>Underlay and waterproofing for laminate flooring
Installation diagram of the substrate under the laminate.Before laying the laminate, it is necessary to cover the base with a waterproofing layer. Regular polyethylene is quite suitable for this, but if possible, it is better to use a film waterproofing material. The waterproofing sheets are spread over the entire surface of the floor. It is imperative to make overlaps on the walls of 15-20 cm. An overlap of up to 15 cm should be provided between the film sheets. It must be fixed with adhesive tape. A backing must be placed on the waterproofing layer. Foamed polyethylene can be used as a backing. It is laid in the same way as the film. Polyethylene can be replaced with polystyrene sheets. They must be laid "staggered", and all joints must be connected with adhesive tape. Return to the table of contents</a>
Laminate installation: detailed instructions
Before you start laying the laminate yourself, you need to prepare the following tools and additional materials:
- roulette;
- a hammer;
- saw or jigsaw;
- pegs;
- pencil;
- Wooden plank (length 15-20 cm).
Once a solid foundation has been created and the underlayment is in place,you can proceed directly. You can start it from any corner of the room, at your discretion. At the same time, all laying schemes provide for further continuation of the installation of panels strictly from left to right. It is also recommended to take into account the direction of light. It is better to lay the panels along the rays of the sun, then the joints on the finished surface will be barely noticeable.
Laminate flooring installation diagram.Laminate panels have the ability to shrink and expand with temperature changes. Accordingly, to prevent swelling of the coating, it is necessary to provide a gap of 8-10 mm between the material and the wall. To ensure this during installation, you will need to use pegs. Before laying the laminate yourself, you need to calculate the correct number of rows of panels. Since if it turns out that the last row should be less than 5 cm wide, you will need to trim the first one. You need to start laying the laminate in the first row with the tongue toward the wall, and they will need to be cut with a jigsaw beforehand. Then a tight fit of the panels will be ensured. All their ends along the narrow side snap into the locking connection that is provided on them. In this case, the tongues of the panels must be inserted into the grooves at a slight angle, be sure to press the material to the floor. When laying the second row, you will need to provide for a 25-30 cm offset of the panels. Therefore, you will need to take the finishing material, cut off a small part of it, lay it against the wall and attach a whole panel to it at once, and so on, until the row is completely laid. The rest of the laminate is laid according to a similar scheme. In this case, the last panel in the final row is adjusted using a strip to get an ideal, even finished coating. Return to the table of contents</a>General tips for working with laminate After thatOnce you have opened the laminate packs, be sure to visually inspect the material. If you find defects and broken edges on some panels, return them to the store. After all, they cannot be used for laying. It is recommended not to install the laminate immediately. Leave it indoors for a few days. This will allow it to acclimatize. As a result, there will be no problems when working with it. To increase the service life of the laminate, it is recommended to cover its ridges with a special moisture-proof paste.
