Laminate is a common finishing material used in apartments and houses. It is not easy to cope with styling on your own, but it is possible. The result is a beautiful and environmentally friendly coating. Not everyone knows how to properly lay a laminate. But contacting a team of professionals is sometimes expensive. With knowledge, even a beginner can handle the job of laying floors.
Types of installation work
Laminate laying has several technologies. The choice will affect the execution time of the work. In order for the laminate board to lay down neatly, you will have to delve into the technique and understand the nuances of the process. There are three commonly used techniques in total:
- Traditional.
- Christmas tree.
- Diagonal.
Each method has its own characteristics and nuances. Making Christmas tree styling is difficult without experience. A beginner should turn to the traditional method or diagonal. If the area in the room is small, then make a visualexpansion will be obtained by laying the laminate diagonally. There is a minus: a lot of edged board appears. It is rarely used anywhere. To remove visible joints, the traditional method is used. You also need to carry out the flooring parallel to the wall with the window. Otherwise, all the irregularities will be visible.
Keeping the right angle
How to lay a laminate? Laying the boards diagonally, the masters adhere to the direction at 45 degrees relative to the wall. Streams of sunlight will correctly lie down, and the joints will become invisible. Basically, two types of connections are used - glue and castle. The latter option is convenient and suitable for people with no experience (because there are grooves and latches that fit into each other and are securely fixed).
Can I use glue?
Glue during assembly is always an increase in assembly time. There is a plus: this is an increase in the level of moisture resistance. The grooves receive additional protection and if water gets in, it will not go under the laminate board. Masters recommend applying the adhesive base in the kitchen space.
Next you have to choose which laminate to lay. Experts say that for the kitchen, the ideal choice would be a wooden type. It is great as a budget imitation of expensive wood. This coating looks no worse than the original parquet.
How to calculate the material?
No one wants to overpay. For this reason, the amount of laminate board is pre-calculated. So that you do not have to buy additional material during the installation process. The method is simple: measure the exact area of the room for decoration,considering all performances. If the repair is done by a beginner, then you need to take into account the mistakes and take it with a small margin. You need to find out what size the laminate itself is in order to calculate the number of boards using the division method. Rounding up.
Most often, laminate is sold in a package of eight to ten pieces. Calculating the number of packs is not difficult. This is how the desired source material is selected if the material is applied by the traditional method. With the right approach, everything turns out smoothly, reliably and for a long time.
With various methods, experts say that there should be a stock of the board. Because even professionals can make mistakes. To completely eliminate all risks, the volume is increased to fifteen percent. If the calculations are difficult, then in every hardware store there are consultants who are ready to help and answer questions.
What do you need for work?
Before starting work, the question arises: is it possible to lay a laminate on a wooden floor? Everyone who starts work is interested in this. Can you lay laminate on linoleum? Such cases occur, but experts do not recommend doing this. The coverage will be uneven. However, the decision is always up to the owner.
Beginners need to take care of everything in advance and prepare the tools. Here's what should be on hand:
- Jig saw for cutting laminate (electric).
- Roulette.
- Pencil.
- Large scissors.
- Wooden block.
- Kyanka or rubberhammer.
How to lay a laminate? For high-quality laying, pre-designed floor decoration schemes are used. When buying a laminate board, do not forget about the substrate, it performs a protective function. Sealant in the process will need no less. If there is linoleum on the floor, then it may well act as a substrate. Sealant helps to correctly lay the boards, taking into account the joints.
Cope with the selection of everything you need, everyone can do it yourself or ask the master with experience.
How to lay laminate in an apartment or house?
Before the floor takes on a new look, it is worth keeping the building material in the house. This is necessary so that it adapts to the temperature. This issue is especially relevant in winter. Sometimes the question arises, how to lay a laminate on a wooden uneven floor? The instructions state that all work must be performed on a flat surface. So if there are errors, you will have to fix it before starting the procedure.
Many solve the problem with unevenness by installing a concrete coating or applying putty. The wooden floor lends itself well to grinding, after this procedure the laminate lays down better. Linoleum is used if its surface is intact. It doesn't matter what type of coverage is used. The main thing before starting work is leveling the floor.
When the surface is concrete, you need to prepare it too. Remove dust, treat with a primer. What kind of plywood to lay under the laminate? Builders believe thattoo thin will not last long and will not perform the desired function. To make sure that all conditions are met, it is worth walking the level all over the floor.
The temperature in the room should not fall below +18, with little importance. The critical threshold is considered to be 15 degrees. But what if there is no heating in the room and work is done in winter? In this case, you can forcibly heat the air with a construction heat gun.
Working with the substrate
As soon as the base is ready, the substrate is laid out. It should be located around the entire perimeter under the laminate board. Overlaps should not be done, carefully join each sheet. The joints are fixed with construction tape. After that, the laminate itself is already laid. What the backing is for:
- Noise isolation.
- Final floor leveling before laminate flooring.
- Heat escape protection.
Depending on the lock on the boards of the main covering, the laying method is selected. Sometimes a collection is made, and then the whole slab is placed on the floor. This procedure is laborious and one person cannot perform it. If something is done incorrectly, then a shift will occur. In the end, everything will be ruined. Each package always has detailed information about the work performed, it is worth reading it. Next, we will present accessible and understandable information about the sequence of all actions.
Easy styling
How to lay a laminate? To beginnerwas able to make repairs, it is worth turning to the traditional method. The process begins from a wall located perpendicular to the window. How to lay laminate flooring step by step:
- The first boards are placed tightly against the wall. It will be necessary to place skirting boards, so small wooden pegs are installed. Grooves - to a vertical surface.
- The second row is laid on the end side. In order to avoid errors, a building level is used in the process of work. They check every row. The laying side can not be changed.
- The last board will have to be cut. But several times to measure everything, so as not to spoil it. This is not excluded, so the laminate is taken with a margin. The gap is small. Measurements are taken with a pencil.
- The mallet and block help to join the laminate close and tight. In order not to break the board, you need to apply a bar and only then hit it. In this way, any gap is removed. Then the coating is laid over the entire floor area.
Creating a beautiful layout using a simple method is easy, but not everyone can do it with a picture. In order not to spoil the entire laminate, you should not immediately start with a checkerboard masonry.
Diagonal layout of the board
It is not as difficult to perform the technique diagonally as in a checkerboard pattern. The first board is laid out from the far corner. Worth the markup. For this, a square with an indicator of 45 degrees is used. Here are the features of this process:
- In the initial row there is one laminate board.
- In the second row increases to two.
The main thing is to make sure that the ends are in the center of the first board. The same set of tools is used in the work. But you will need to cut the wood flooring more often and at an angle of 45 degrees. It is clear that the consumption of material will increase compared to the simple way of laying out.
Laying a laminate board is a simple process. But only if all instructions and recommendations are followed. How long will the work take to complete? The person himself, even a beginner, having received recommendations, will be able to lay the floor in about a day. The most reliable option available for sale is a deck board, but its installation is difficult. Don't start with something complicated and expensive. Let it be a simple laminate.
Choose direction
How to lay laminate flooring in an apartment? The main nuance is to choose the right direction. According to experts, it is worth leading a landmark from a source of natural light in a house or apartment. If there is no window, then this is a supply from an artificial lighting device. When laminate flooring is laid perpendicularly, misdirected light will result in a ruined appearance.
How to lay a laminate: along or across? It is better if the boards lie parallel to the light source in the room or any other room. Professional masters know this and adjust their work in this way. There is one more nuance - this is the color of the laminate board. A lot depends on her. If there is no experience in this, you should not give preference to too extraordinary color schemes.
About the backing
It is clear that there will be a start and finish of the entire flooring. Be sure to use an underlay. Without it, it will not be possible to make the coating neat and attractive. The cost of materials will depend on the area of \u200b\u200bthe room and the selected laminate. You need to choose a product with a classic wood finish. According to the masters, this is the best solution, as the material will last a long period of time and is easy to care for.
Because laminate flooring is made of wood material, it will not be possible to wet such floors too much. Spilled water should be immediately cleaned up so as not to get into the grooves and under the laminate boards themselves. In such a situation, swelling will occur and the floor will have to be changed. In any other way, it will not be possible to restore the evenness of the floor. Sometimes an additional coating is used (for example, varnish or something similar). This improves performance. The color may become lighter or vice versa.
Results
It's easy to do your own laminate flooring. But there are certain rules that should not be violated in the process of work. When going shopping, you need to pay attention not only to the color scheme, compliance with the design of the room, but also to the type of lock on the boards and the manufacturer.
If this is the Click locking system, then a beginner can easily handle and make repairs in the apartment with their own hands. Before starting, a tool and markings are prepared, namely a laying scheme. Without it, a decent result will not work. The diagonal or chess method requires experience. It is not worth the risk - in this case it is better to trust the professionals. With straight laying, there should be a flat surface, as well as a well-placed first row. If there is a bias, then it will not be possible to eliminate it. Continuing to do the work, it will only increase. Sometimes it’s worth thinking carefully and calculating how to break and start all over again.
