Laminate installation

When making repairs and home improvement, special attention is paid to decorative flooring. Today, laminate is most often used for these purposes, since it is a fairly budgetary coating that looks very expensive and elegant, while it can last more than one year without losing its aesthetic appeal. Therefore, if you decide to install the laminate yourself, we will tell you how to do it correctly, taking into account the characteristics of the room and the coating you have chosen.

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The main advantages of laminate over other floor coverings

Laminate is a decorative flooring that consists of several layers at once:

1. Protective. Despite the fact that it is a transparent layer, nevertheless, it is quite durable. It is based on acrylic resin with various additional additives.
2. Decorative. It can be of different colors, as well as imitate various materials used for decorative surface finishes, including valuable wood species.
3. Main. It consists of high-quality pressed wood fibers.
4. The underlying. It is based on paper impregnated with a special composition, due to which the material is not subject to wetting.

In addition, the laminated decorative flooring has numerous advantages over other finishing materials:

• Aesthetic appearance;
• Fire resistance;
• Ease of installation;
• The ability to install on absolutely any surface;
• Ease of care and maintenance;
• Environmental friendliness;
• Budgeting.

Important! The laminate is produced in the form of thin panels about 1-1.5 meters long, 20 centimeters wide and 6-11 millimeters thick.

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How to choose the right material for flooring?

Before you start laying the laminate yourself, you should take into account the fact that this coating has a different texture, color, water resistance, strength, and may also differ in installation method and, of course, price.

Durability and wear resistance

Therefore, if you want the new flooring to serve you for more than one year, you should pay special attention to the choice of laminate. For example:

• Class 21, 22 and 23 coatings are best used in residential areas;
• 31 and 32 - in commercial or residential with high traffic, for example, in the hallway, in the kitchen.

Important! The 33rd class of laminate coating is considered the most durable.

Thickness

As for the thickness, then 7-9 millimeters is considered optimal. Lamellas, which have a large thickness, do not differ in their operational qualities, but the cost of such a coating is much more expensive.

Docking method

When choosing a laminate, one should also pay attention to the method of joining panels, since the installation method and the price of the material itself depend on this. For example:

• adhesive laying method makes it possible to seal joints securely;
• lock - facilitates the process of replacing the panel in case of deformation.

In addition, when purchasing a laminate, you should immediately stock up on a special substrate. Thanks to this protective layer, the contact of the lamellas with the subfloor occurs without damage, and it also improves sound and heat insulation.

Important! The most popular material for the substrate is natural cork and foamed polyethylene:

• Cork substrate is quite durable and has high heat-insulating properties. Unfortunately, it does not tolerate moisture very well.
• As for the option of polyethylene, such a substrate is not afraid of moisture and is much cheaper than cork. Its only and obvious disadvantage is quick wear.

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Calculation of the amount of required materials

Before you start installing the laminate, you should first make the correct calculation of the necessary materials, based on the area of ​​the room.

Important! Please note that the optimal length of the lamellas is 1.2 meters. However, due to different manufacturers, this parameter may vary.

In order to avoid overkill, consider the following:

• The last board in the row is cut off, and the remaining piece starts the next row.
• In any case, you need to purchase 10% more material than you previously calculated.
• You will need a waterproof construction film to protect against moisture with a thickness of 0.2 millimeters and a width of 4 meters. If this size is not in the store, you can take another version of the film, only you need to put it with an overlap of 20 centimeters.
• You will also need special soundproofing materials. Typically, the width of such a coating is 1 meter. Buying it should be based on butt-laying, 5-10% more than the amount you previously calculated.

Important! Sometimes, if necessary, the joints of the laminate floor are masked with a steel or wooden decorative profile.

• As for rooms with a large area, they need additional installation of tensile grooves with a distance of 10 meters from each other, which are subsequently masked by transition profiles. Tension grooves are needed so that stretching of the finished laminate is not visible under the influence of moisture, as well as air temperature.

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Preparing a rough base

Laminate flooring is a fairly versatile coating that can be mounted on either a wooden or concrete base. And so that the new decorative coating does not creak and does not deform, the rough floor must be absolutely even. Therefore, before starting the installation of the laminate, it is imperative to carry out preparatory work.

Important! Please note that the allowable height difference should be no more than 2 millimeters per 1 square meter of area.

Concrete foundation preparation

During the preparatory work, you will need the following materials:

• Building level;
• Cement - sand mixture;
• Waterproofing film;
• Primer;
• Failed;
• Scotch.

The procedure is as follows:

• Clean the rough surface from dust and dirt, and also check its integrity.
• Pour a new screed onto the subfloor surface (if necessary).

Important! If there are not many cracks, they can be repaired with a cement mortar, and the protruding sections should be cleaned.

• Prime the new base, and then cover it with a special membrane for waterproofing or plastic wrap.

Important! The film needs to be lapped, while it should be fixed with adhesive tape.

Preparing a wooden base

When assembling the laminate on a wooden base, it should also be pre-prepared, since you can not put this coating on boards that are dry and loose.

For work you will need the following materials:

• Moisture resistant plywood with a thickness of 15 millimeters;
• Antiseptic primer;
• Hammer;
• Self-tapping screws and nails;
• Level;
• Screwdriver.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Beat the torn boards to the lags, and remove and replace with new ones on which there are various jagged and mold spots.
2. Close the cracks with a special sealant.
3. Check the rough base with a level and primed it with an antiseptic composition.
4. Place waterproof plywood and secure it with nails or self-tapping screws.

Important! If there are differences in height above the permissible parameter, they can be leveled with the help of bars of different thicknesses, which are placed under the plywood.

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Laying laminate flooring

During the installation of the laminate with your own hands, you may need the following tools:

• Laminate block;
• Hammer;
• Saw on wood;
• Clamp;
• Spacing wedges;
• Construction pencil and ruler.

Once all the tools and necessary materials have been prepared, you can proceed directly to the installation process.

Laying panels in a “plank to plank” manner

Installation of laminate panels in the “plank to plank” manner should be carried out observing the following procedure:

• You need to start laying the laminate from the corner at the entrance to the room. To do this, the long sides must be directed parallel to the light rays that fall on the floor from the windows. Thus, you should get the sides of the panels parallel to the walls of the room.
• Next, determine the width of the last row. To do this, measure the width of the room, taking into account the gaps.

Important! The gaps between the rows of panels and the walls should be in the ratio: per 1 meter of the room -1.5 mm of the gap.

• At the walls, it is necessary to install wedges that correspond to the size of the gaps.

Glueing the laminate

If you decide to install in this way, in this case you need to stock up in advance with a good adhesive composition with a water-repellent base. As for the flooring, it is made in a floating way by connecting the individual elements along the crest and groove, while this decorative coating is not tightly fixed to the subfloor.

The essence of this method is that glue is applied in large quantities over the entire length of each panel, after which it is nailed to the surface of the subfloor. At the end of the process, excess glue must be removed with a dry cloth. Thus, due to the fact that the adhesive was applied in excess, tight gaps are sealed.

Important! Please note that when installing panels in this way, it is better not to use PVA glue.

Mounting the cover with “Click” locks

To lay the laminate in this way, you need to follow the following procedure:

• Take two panels and, holding the second at an angle of 30 degrees, insert the product into the end groove of the first. Press them to the floor and click.
• Displace the end seams of the third row by 30-40 centimeters in relation to the previous ones. Subsequent rows should begin with the piece of panel that remains from the previous row.

Important! Laying of panels should be done in a checkerboard pattern, which will provide a more uniform distribution of pressure.

• Lift the second row and at an angle of 30 degrees enter it into the grooves of the first.

Important! The laying process must not be stopped until you hear the sound of a “click” lock.

Laying laminate in the lock method “Lock”

In this case, the scheme of actions is absolutely identical to the previous method. The only difference is that the panels are connected horizontally with a hammer blow.

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Useful Tips

In order for the installation of the laminate on the floor to be carried out correctly and efficiently, we bring to your attention several tested in practice tips that will help you in this:

• Before starting work, put the material for several days in a room with a temperature of 18 degrees and humidity up to 75%.
• In order for the panels to lie exactly along the wall, pull a rope that you can navigate during operation.
• If the wall in the room is uneven, then the first row of panels should be cut along its contour.
• After laying, the laminate should be cleaned exclusively in a dry manner and without the use of various abrasive compounds.

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Stock footage

As you can see, installing a laminate is not very difficult, and even a beginner can do it.The most important thing is to clearly and consistently comply with the above advice from our experts. Thanks to them, you can independently lay the laminate on your own hands.and finally get a smooth and attractive decorative coating that will serve you faithfully for more than one year.