Laminate is a modern material thatis widely used in interior decoration. At the same time, the characteristics of this building material allow it to be used for laying on the floor, ceiling in any room, regardless of humidity. Laying laminate is simple, but it is necessary to strictly follow the technology in order to obtain a perfectly smooth finishing coating of the floor, ceiling or walls.
Layout of the laminate.However, the main requirement for laying laminate panels is to obtain a flat initial surface. This problem can be solved in several ways. But the optimal one is on plywood.
Correct plywood laying
In order to fulfill the condition of correctnessinstallation of laminate on the floor, it is necessary to lay sheets of plywood. They will be able to level out minor defects of the rough coating, as well as form a flat surface for further work. Plywood is a universal building material that is ideal for leveling the surface, easy to process and durable. At the same time, the installation itself is quite simple. In order to lay plywood sheets, you will need to purchase the following tools and materials:
- sheets of plywood with a thickness of 10-30 mm;
- electric or cordless screwdriver;
- self-tapping screws;
- glutinous mixture for wooden products;
- machine for grinding or sandpaper, which is fixed on a special handle, convenient for long work.
Scheme of laying plywood underlayment.Additional tools that may be useful are a jigsaw and a long building level. They can be used if necessary. Being a fairly dense material, plywood will add additional rigidity to the flooring, thereby increasing its reliability and service life. In order for the plywood to have the same characteristics as the room in which it will be laid, it is necessary to let it lie in the room for several days. This will increase its service life. Plywood can be installed directly on the existing floor or using logs. Moreover, the method of its installation depends on the subfloor. For example, if the floors are originally made of wood, then the plywood can be laid on it. Logs are used if the subfloor is made of screed, and it is not possible to attach plywood sheets directly to it. When laying on a wooden floor, the plywood is arranged in a checkerboard pattern. Such installation will allow you to lay the laminate on a hard, durable base. Moreover, 1 row of plywood sheets is laid so as to cover the entire space of the room. The 2nd row is mounted with a shift of 200-300 mm relative to the first. The plywood is secured with screws using a screwdriver. In this case, the heads must be recessed into the sheet so as not to cause damage to the next row of plywood or laminate board. It is necessary to fix it at all corners of the sheet. Return to the table of contents</a>
Practical recommendations for laying
Scheme of beacon installation.If the plywood is necessarily laid on the joists, then the work begins with installing beacons. They can be self-tapping screws that are screwed into the floor every 40-50 cm every 1-1.5 m, depending on the size of the plywood sheets. When performing this work, it is advisable to use a long building level. With its help, you need to ensure that a strict horizontal is maintained. Next, take 1 of the plywood sheets and cut it into the required number of strips 3-5 cm wide. These will be the joists. They can be fixed using special glue. The gaps that form as a result are filled with plywood of the required thickness. The pieces are fixed with glue designed for working with wood. Further work can be carried out only after the adhesive mixture has completely dried. The plywood is cut with a jigsaw into squares, the size of which corresponds to the distance between the joists. The joists are cleaned of dust with a brush and the installation of plywood sheets begins. The joints between the plywood should be located in the middle of the joists. Fastening is done with screws using a screwdriver. If there are utility pipes in the room, it is necessary to make the appropriate cuts in the plywood before final laying. During the process of laying the plywood, it is necessary to constantly control the horizontal using a building level. This will avoid subsequent distortions of the finished laminate flooring.
Sequence of laying plywood sheets.Regardless of the method used to lay the plywood sheets, after the entire room is covered, the entire surface must be sanded. For this purpose, use a grinding machine or sandpaper, which is fixed to a holder for ease of use. Particular attention is paid to the joints when sanding. This entire procedure is necessary to ensure a perfectly smooth surface, since further installation of the laminate requires the installation of a special underlay, which must be intact, without deformations and damage caused by unevenness of the surface. In addition, sanding will remove defects in the plywood sheets that were formed during their production. Return to Contents</a>
Laminat laying: features
Before starting work on , it is necessary to prepare tools and materials. You will need:
Tools for laying laminate flooring.Laying laminate flooring yourself requires adherence to technology, patience and careful execution. The board should lie in the room where it is planned to be installed for at least 2 days, which will allow the laminate to acquire the same humidity characteristics as the room. This is necessary so that after installation, the laminate does not deform as a result of changes in the room's temperature. There are 2 main methods of laying:
- parallel or perpendicular to the window opening;
- on the diagonal of the room.
When choosing method 1, for example, perpendicularlywindow, the seams between the laminate boards will be almost invisible, the material consumption will be minimal and will correspond only to the area of the room. If you lay the laminate diagonally, you will spend a little more, but the design of the room itself will noticeably benefit. It should be noted that diagonal installation requires great skills, meticulousness and correctness in calculations. Return to contents</a>
Laminate laying: completion of work
It is necessary to install along all wallsspecial wedges. They can be made of wood, plastic. In addition, you can use pieces of laminate, which will be laid further. The underlay is laid, which is fixed with a construction stapler on the staples. Before installing 1 row of laminate flooring, it is necessary to cut the outer panel with a jigsaw or a saw with small teeth. The laminate itself should be placed so that the lock is located closer to the person. This will make it easier to snap the locking connection.
Laminate flooring installation options.If the laminate is installed on the floor, it cannot be additionally screwed to the plywood. This is due to the fact that the board must be able to expand and contract when the ambient conditions of humidity and temperature change due to the gaps left between the 1st row and the wall. To ensure the reliability of the joints, the laminate must be positioned with a shift. Therefore, after the 1st row is laid, the outer board of the next row is cut to form the required distance between the side joints. The panels are snapped into place and hammered in using a block and a hammer, which ensures a secure connection. All other rows are laid in the same way. Cuts for communications are made before putting the panel in place, having previously marked it with a tape measure and a jigsaw. To ensure an even cut, a square can be used for marking. When the entire area is covered with laminate, holes are drilled in the walls for the baseboards. They are installed in place, having previously removed all the temperature wedges. Thus, it can be considered that the laminate is laid. Good luck!
