People who have reached the stage of laying floors in the construction of their own house already see the moment when they sit in a dressing gown and slippers on a rug by the fireplace and drink tea. So it pulls, leaving everything, to run to the market to buy these attributes of home comfort. Well, slippers are a necessary thing in the household, they can always come in handy, but which one is better to choose a carpet? Natural ones are too expensive, artificial ones are impractical. Or maybe you don’t need that carpet at all? Have you tried beating the dust out of them? A fortune can be spent on detergents alone. So, if you dream of a cozy, high-quality and beautiful flooring, be sure to pay attention to the laminate.
Laminate flooring
What is this material? How to lay laminate flooring correctly? A floor covered with such material will look very beautiful. In addition, it is an environmentally friendly, completely harmless product produced by the construction industry. You have to focus on this, otherwise you can only hear: “Chemistry! Chemistry! As flooring this materialbegan to be applied from the end of the seventies of the twentieth century and since then, constantly improving, finds more and more fans around the world.
Today, laminate flooring is sold in standard packages of 6-12 panels (lamella) each. Main dimensions: width 185-195 mm, length 1260-1380 mm, thickness, depending on the class, from 6 to 12 mm. Structurally consists of three main layers:
- top wear resistant;
- MDF inner layer;
- bottom protective layer.
In addition, each panel is equipped with special mounting locks, which allows you to make the coating in the form of one monolithic structure. How to lay laminate on the floor, you will learn from the article.
Types and classes of laminate
First of all, let's talk about species. To date, the laminate is produced in three main versions. Few? Believe me, this is more than enough, because each species has a rich range of all kinds of color variations, plus a pattern range.
- First - panel laminate based on MDF. Available with two lock options. Basically, the pattern imitates all kinds of wood.
- Vinyl - self-adhesive laminate. Here is a patterned variety not only for a wooden texture, but also for any classic ornament.
- The third common type is artistic laminate. It has the same locking system as the panel one. Basically imitates all kinds of parquet floors.
Manufacturers divide laminate into four classeswear resistance, which are indicated on the packaging by the letters: A, B, C, D. The first three classes are used for domestic use in houses or apartments. Fourth - office class. It is stronger, but also more expensive. Do not think that classes A, B, C are bad. Just in production, both the number of hours of continuous operation and the number of people directly operating the coating are taken into account. So the strength of the first three classes will be enough for you for 30 years.
Why choose laminate flooring
Any material becomes truly popular when it has imitators. Have you heard about textured wood processing? "Specialists" scrape wood with metal brushes - they imitate laminate. In addition to the pattern exactly copying the tree, laminate panels have another advantage - they allow you to solve other everyday problems. Carpets and dust have already been mentioned, as well as savings on detergents. Yes, and the ants in the country will no longer bother, because the locks do not let them inside. And the most valuable thing is that laminate trees help to save - and Christmas trees, and pines, and cedar with birch. Let them sway better in the forest, and let the laminate lie under your feet.
Scope of application
The fact is that laying laminate initially during construction is much easier than during repairs and alterations. If you immediately planned it as the main floor covering, then you will make the base accordingly. Qualitatively, and most importantly, evenly made base (concrete or wood) is half the workfloor arrangement.
Considering such properties of the material as wear resistance, moisture resistance, resistance to temperature changes and ultraviolet (does not fade), many began to replace old existing coatings with laminate. This material is perfectly mounted on old coatings. You can lay laminate on linoleum. It is also placed on tiles, wooden boards, parquet. Your entire apartment, your entire house, without exception, can be covered with laminate. Industrial enterprises, clerical offices, children's institutions, public places are also heavily using this coating.
The installation of the panels itself, thanks to the glueless, locking connection system, is quite simple, the main thing is to do it right. How to lay a laminate on a wooden floor, linoleum and other bases, you will learn from the material below. All work on the installation of a laminate coating can be divided into three stages: preparation, laying, completion. The laying itself is divided into two more subsections: laying the substrate and assembling the panels themselves.
Foundation
The base for the laminate should be even. It is easy to achieve this during construction. If the floor is cement, you can simply fill it with a self-leveling mixture. If the base is wooden, then you need to lay a rough board evenly on the logs, or better, thick plywood.
Laying laminate over linoleum or other old flooring is another matter when renovations are underway. pluck it, unless it'scompletely rotten, no need! You just need to level the cover. Try to grind the concrete base, it will not work - you will have to level it. Clean, primer, use any tile adhesive and level the floor. Before laying the laminate on a wooden floor, also check if any board needs to be replaced, squeeze the creaking one, finish off the protruding nails. Large bumps need to be chipped and sanded.
The tiled floor needs to be repaired according to the principle of replacing a bat and a ringing tile. On linoleum, it is worth sealing cracks and gaps, patching holes. Before laying the underlay under the laminate, once again wipe the room from dust and debris.
Substrate
The choice of substrate, unless there are recommendations in the annotation to the laminate itself, should be given close attention. The first task of this seemingly secondary material is to extend the life of the selected laminate. The substrate protects against deflections and deformations, is a noise-absorbing agent, protects the lower layer of the coating from abrasion and moisture. And, of course, thermal insulation - although it does not heat up too much, it will not release heat. What to choose from?
- Foamed propylene is the most popular type of substrate due to its low cost. Frankly, it does not have a particularly suitable thickness, and laying in two layers is not very convenient, especially for inexperienced owners.
- Propylene with reflective foil. A little better, because at least it reduces heat consumption. Just make sure that the coating is exactly foil, or evencolored film can slip.
- The queen of substrates is cork. Does not bend, does not make noise, does not rot, does not steam, saves heat. Knowing what the substrate is made of, you don’t feel sorry for the money either. Yes, and a run-up of thickness up to 10 millimeters convinces.
After you have measured the size of the room and finally chosen the type of substrate, it's time to lay it out before laying the laminate on the wooden floor. You can lay immediately on the entire floor, or you can partially, as the laminate is laid. How to lay the underlayment under the laminate? We fixed one edge against the wall and slowly move forward, making section by section. Thus, the substrate is less dirty and does not interfere.
Laying laminate flooring
Let's see how to properly install laminate flooring. Its size and material do not play a role. Type and type of panels too. We will consider the general rules of laying. The first thing to do when bringing laminate flooring home is to open the boxes and cut open the plastic wrap. Then you can go for a walk for a day, and in the meantime the laminate will get used to the climatic conditions of your home. While walking, think about which styling option suits you. There are few options, only three: along the room, across and diagonally.
Diagonal stacking of panels
How to lay laminate flooring diagonally? This laying method is the most difficult, it should be highlighted separately. If you decide to mount the panels yourself and do not have experience, it is better to quit right away. And you will not do the work, and you will translate the material. The main difficulty lies in the calculation and trimming of the end end panels. And specialists get 5-10% overspending, and you yourself have tobuy twice as much material. But if you still decide and choose a diagonal styling method, you will have an amazing effect. With this method, the room itself visually increases.
Slat connection
With any laying method for any kind of laminate, a service gap must be left between the wall and the panels along the edge of the room. For this, pegs with a thickness of 5 to 10 millimeters are suitable. Now take two panels and connect the ends into a lock, then the next panel. When it comes to cutting, take your time, mix up the sides and cut the lock. Start the next row with half of the lamella and fold the tape again. If the strip turned out to be not very long, then insert it completely at an angle into the lock of the first tape and press down. If necessary, lightly tap the panel until it clicks.
Mount long distances gradually, preferably with an assistant. We bring the assembled row at a slight angle, also raise it and insert it into the lock. You should get, as it were, a wave - on the one hand, the assembled coating, on the other, a row raised at an angle. Can't insert or is there a loose seam? In no case do not hit hard, do not pinch the locks. Better to take it apart and put it back together. The first two rows give direction, adjust the distance from the wall. You can already see from them - a right angle in the room or not. Therefore, pay special attention to their installation. Then everything is simple - fold the next strip and go!
Installation of vinyl laminate flooring
If you don't know how to lay vinyl laminate, read on the article. The installation technology of this material has its own characteristics. First of all, you need to observe the temperature regime. The temperature should vary from 15 to 25 degrees. Instead of locks, vinyl laminate has a self-adhesive tape, so you need to handle it carefully so as not to contaminate it. The same requirement for the base - it must be perfectly clean and fat-free.
Artistic laminate
First of all, artistic laminate panels have slightly different, increased parameters. So how to lay artistic laminate? Installation is identical to the installation of MDF material. You will only have to select a pattern or pattern, and the offset of the rows is set by the manufacturer (30 centimeters).
Tools used
Of specialized tools when laying a laminate, you only need a vinyl roller and a hair dryer. Everything else should be found in every household. You have a tape measure, a pencil and a square, you can borrow a rubber mallet from your neighbors, and relatives will probably have an electric jigsaw or a parquet saw. The boss and wedges can be made from laminate scraps. And don't forget to sharpen your knife well.
Understood how to lay laminate on a wooden floor? Then, perhaps, all about the installation of panels. There is only one thing to add - if for some reason you laid the laminate on an uneven floor, it's okay. Just take it apart and put it back on an already flat base. The finishing touch after laying the laminate will be the installation of skirting boards around the entire perimeter of the room and the threshold near the doors. Having done all this, do wet cleaning, and only after that it will be time to put on slippers, put on a bathrobe and sit on the sofa near the fireplace to enjoy the excellent flooring.
