The cost of a laminate compared to parquet is much lower. But cheap doesn't mean bad. This material has gained wide popularity and has established itself well; it has excellent characteristics. At the same time, it is difficult to distinguish it from natural wood. With a tool, laying the laminate with your own hands is a feasible task for everyone, even in the absence of experience in carrying out such work. Nevertheless, there are certain features that you should be aware of in order to avoid wasting time and further alterations.
General characteristics of the material
Laminate flooring can recreate not only wood texture, but also marble and even ceramic tiles. Compared to a wooden parquet, it differs favorably with a much greater resistance to moisture, as well as a range of operating temperatures. Such characteristics are achieved by covering the entire surface with a continuous layer of very strong resin. The regulated life of this coating is 5 years. But in practice, with a careful attitude and proper care for the floor, before replacing the laminate, it will serve a much longer period. The disadvantage of this material is its sensitivity to moisture. For this reason, it is unsuitable for use in rooms with a high level of this indicator.
What you need for work: a set of tools, supplies
If you follow the step-by-step instructions for laying the laminate, then there will not be any problems in the course of the work.
You will need first of all the laminate itself, as well as a substrate of soundproofing material. If the basis is a concrete floor (screed), then the technology of laying the laminate provides for the mandatory presence of a moisture barrier (film) over the concrete. For measurements and for marking, marking, laying laminate a set of tools is simply necessary. You need a pencil, a ruler, a square. For cutting, cutting material it is better to use an electric jigsaw. But if the latter is not in the arsenal, then a saw on a tree with a small tooth, or even a hacksaw for metal, is quite suitable.
To adjust the laminate plates, it is necessary to use a wooden (or plastic) timber with a rubber lining, a wooden or rubber mallet (hammer), as well as struts - prismatic bodies, which are designed to obtain the same gap along the entire length between the wall and the coating itself. Some masters prefer to make such spacers from the bars on their own. But it is still recommended to purchase finished plastic products: in this case, accuracy is guaranteed. Many people have difficulty installing the last plate: the gap between the wall and the laminate floor is very small and does not allow assembly. The problem will be solved by a special mounting clamp (bracket).
Preparatory work
The technology of laying the laminate allows you to use a variety of surfaces as a base: from tile to bare concrete, even old wooden floors in prefabricated houses and not only are suitable. But before you start work, you need to make sure that the value of the differences for every 2 meters does not exceed a value of 3 millimeters. If this rule is not respected, the laminate will "walk" under the weight of a person. This, firstly, will significantly reduce the service life of the flooring, and secondly, it will create discomfort. To detect the distortion of the floor surface will help the standard building level.
Preparation of a wooden surface for laying a laminate
If the slope of the floor surface exceeds the maximum permissible value (3 millimeters), then it must be eliminated. Old, broken and cracked boards must be replaced with new ones. The same applies to old lags. It is not necessary to hire builders to carry out these works. These works are relatively simple and do not require much skill from the performer, so it is easy to do it yourself. Laying a laminate on an uneven surface, as already mentioned, is not allowed.
To apply a straight line to the wall, use a level. Subsequently, the wooden flooring is aligned with this marking. Sometimes, to make the room more comfortable, the empty space (gap) between the concrete and the wooden flooring is filled with noise and heat insulation material.
After rough leveling, it is recommended that the surface be grinded. To carry out such manipulations, you can hire a specialist who has all the necessary equipment at his disposal, or you can rent tools and do it yourself. Laying a laminate on a wooden floor does not have fundamental differences in the assembly scheme and installation method.
You can even out the surface for laying in a simpler way - lay sheets of plywood on a wooden floor and fix them with screws. Such a floor will be almost perfectly smooth, and the laminate after laying will not bend even under very heavy weight.
Concrete surface preparation
It is recommended to lay the laminate on a concrete floor. With your own hands, you can do absolutely all stages and operations, including the preparation of the foundation. Laminate laid on concrete will serve reliably and for a long time, without causing discomfort when walking (damping and wiggle). If there are cracks and significant cracks in the base screed, they must be repaired with cement mortar.
A perfectly flat floor can be obtained by filling the so-called self-leveling screed. The only drawback of this alignment is the high cost of a special cement mortar. And therefore, it is advisable to use it only with a slight slope of the surface: this way a not very large volume of composition will be spent.
If the floor surface is very curved, has significant irregularities and indentations, it is advisable to fill in an ordinary concrete screed. The surface is leveled by the rule until the solution dries.
DIY laminate laying methods
Laminate boards can be laid parallel to the front door, perpendicularly, as well as at an angle (usually 45 degrees). There are several possible schemes for laying laminate flooring. The choice of a particular method depends on individual taste preferences and design intent.
When laying the laminate at an angle, many scraps are formed that are thrown away. It is clear that this significantly increases the cost of work. In addition, it is extremely difficult to do the laying of a laminate in this way with your own hands: it requires high qualification and extensive experience. The most common method is the location of the laminate board in the direction of incidence of light rays from the windows. This solution makes the joints between the boards almost invisible.
In order to deliberately highlight the joints between the boards, the latter are placed parallel to the window opening. This layout of the laminate allows you to visually expand the volume of the room.
Backing materials
Regardless of which surface the laminate is laid on (concrete, wood, tile, carpet), you must first lay the substrate. Laying a laminate on a bare surface will lead to disastrous consequences: the laminate will absorb moisture, swell and quickly become worthless. In addition, the lining serves as a kind of damper and softens the impact of mechanical stresses on the laminate. This material is produced, as a rule, in rolls, which are spread on the floor with an overlap of 2-3 centimeters on the walls. The excess at the end of the work can be easily trimmed.
The most common material is foamed polyethylene. Such a substrate has a rather low cost compared to other materials, while it serves for a long time, is resistant to moisture, and is a good noise isolator.
Cork backings are quite expensive. Cork has good soundproofing and heat-insulating properties, but at the same time is defenseless against the harmful effects of moisture. There are cheaper and more practical composite materials (for example, a bitumen-cork lining with a cellulose base).
Expanded polystyrene is a great option. But it can not be used for underfloor heating. And this is perhaps his only drawback.
A polyurethane lining with a layer of foil has perhaps the best range of properties. However, this material belongs to the elite category, and therefore is very expensive. It is advisable to apply when laying a premium laminate.
Some features of the installation of the laminate
Before starting work, the laminate must undergo acclimatization (adapt to the moisture level and temperature conditions). Therefore, the laminate, without unpacking, can withstand at least two days in the room for which it is intended.
When carrying out work, it is necessary to be guided by the basic rules of laying a laminate, as well as common sense. So, you need to start laying the coating from the side that first catches your eye when entering the room. The first board is placed on the side of the front door, the final row is at the opposite wall.
The standard element of the "mosaic" has special locks on four sides (around the perimeter). There are two types of locks: CLICK and LOCK. The former are much easier to assemble, besides they are much stronger, they are unpretentious (it is almost impossible to break such a lock during assembly). Locks of the second type are easier to disassemble and much cheaper than the first. However, when laying, they will have to tinker fairly. By the way, if the laminate of the first type can be used on surfaces with small irregularities, then the laminate of the second type is more capricious and requires a perfectly even base.
To assemble elements with a CLICK type lock, the board is brought to a previously installed one at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The spike (thin septum) fits in the groove with little effort. After the board slowly drops to the floor. By repeating the action, the first one is going to. The second and all subsequent rows are assembled similarly.
Laminate with LOCK lock is assembled by tapping with a wooden or rubber mallet. In this case, both elements are on the substrate in a horizontal position. When laying, care must be taken: the lock is very easy to break if you do not calculate the strength.
When laying the laminate with your own hands, without involving a specialist, it is important not to forget another important rule - you must leave a gap between the walls and the laminate itself. Therefore, spacers are installed between the laminate board and the wall.
Often people have difficulty laying the last board in a row. As a rule, the panel must be shortened or even cut off just a small piece. At the same time, you can get confused with the system of locks and tear the panel incorrectly, which will entail the need to buy a laminate. Therefore, you should not rush. The excess piece is not thrown away. Perhaps he will still be needed - the next row will begin with him.
Due to the very small clearance, the last panel cannot be fitted with a hammer. Therefore, a bracket is used (a special clamp for laying the laminate). One side of the tool is fixed to the laminate, on the other side it is tapped with a hammer, as a result, the board enters the groove.
The laying of the second row occurs with a certain offset. As a rule, it is 0.5 of the length of the panel. Although sometimes it can be equal to 1/3.
Chamfered Laminate
Laying a laminate with a chamfer (with beveled edges around the perimeter) is basically no different from installing ordinary panels. Cost is also comparable. Thanks to the chamfer around the perimeter, the cracks are not so striking. Thus, for a long time the laminate does not lose its original appearance and looks like new. The disadvantage of such a coating, according to reviews, is the difficulty of removing dirt from the joints.
Boards with a bilateral and four-sided facet are issued. The number of chamfers does not correlate with the laying of the laminate. The difference is only in appearance. Nevertheless, it is believed that a laminated board with a chamfer around the entire perimeter (on four sides) is the most versatile and suitable for use in almost any room.
Laminate Care
It is recommended to vacuum and wet clean the laminate at least once a week.
The use of wax on an ongoing basis is unacceptable, since it leaves stains. All manufacturers recommend using wax for deep scratches. After processing with such a tool, the laminate board is not afraid of any moisture.
Do not drop heavy objects or touch the surface with hard metal brushes.
By following these simple recommendations, you can maintain the original appearance of the coating for many years.
Hard-to-reach
To lay the laminate in the area of the battery tubes, it is necessary to cut holes in the board whose diameter is slightly larger than the outside diametrical size of the tubes themselves. The holes are made either with a drill of the corresponding diameter, or with a milling cutter. To place the pipes in the holes made in the laminate board, it is necessary to saw off a small piece of the block. The cut line divides the holes into two equal semicircles. Subsequently, the joint can be masked with a special insert in the color of the laminate.
When laying the laminate in the area of the doorway, you need to dock the board to the door frame closely, without leaving the slightest gap. Ideally, it is best to drive the laminate under the box if there is enough space between the door frame and the base.
Work on the stairs
When covering the stairs with a laminate, it is allowed not to use a substrate. The steps should be rectangular in cross section, and the staircase itself - rigid and durable.
Begin from below. The laminate is fixed with glue, which should be applied to the surface in an even layer, for which purpose a construction spatula is used.
The glue must be allowed to dry (at least 24 hours) before using the ladder for its intended purpose.
Such work is also quite realistic to do on your own. The advice given in this material on laying a laminate with your own hands will help even a person far from the construction industry.