Laminate is a common floor covering. It is cheaper than parquet, but it also looks attractive. More resistant to wear and various damage than natural wood. Laying a laminate on a wooden floor is a feasible task that you can accomplish with your own hands. For the material to be laid correctly, the technology must be followed. Installation begins only after studying a sufficient amount of material on the topic.
Laying surface requirements
Laminate on a wooden floor can be laid only if the conditions that an old boardwalk must meet are met. Do-it-yourself laminate installation without complicated preparation can be done if such characteristics of the base are provided as:
- integrity;
- height difference of not more than 2 mm per meter of surface;
- strength;
- lack of moisture and damage by various microorganisms (mold, fungus and the like);
- absence of too wide cracks and holes 9 not more than 5 cm).
If these conditions are not met, before laying the laminate on a wooden floor, it is aligned.
Definition of differences and their elimination
It is possible to correctly identify the deviations before laying the coating with your own hands from the horizontal by applying the following devices and devices:
- laser level;
- hydraulic (water) level;
- bubble level;
- the rule.
The easiest way to use the last two tools. High accuracy is not required here, it is only important to determine the scale of the problem and choose the correct way to resolve it.
Wooden flooring can be laid after leveling by the following methods:
- a substrate of elastic materials is only suitable for small problems, if you want to lay the coating on the surface with a difference of several millimeters 9 thickness is taken from 2 to 5 mm);
- leveling mixes and cement screeds are also used for simple cases;
- cycling the floor allows you to cut off the protruding sections, while it is important to control that the board floor does not become too thin and does not begin to bend;
- installation of plywood will eliminate almost all the bumps and prevent such troubles as the creak of the floor and its bending.
Plywood laying technology involves two scenarios:
- With a height difference of less than 1 cm, sheets with fastening on glue and self-tapping screws can be laid. For greater efficiency, a substrate is laid under the material. Stacking parts in this way can be fast enough. First clean, degrease and prime the base. After this, a glue composition is applied with a layer of up to 2-3 cm and the sheets are fixed. After the glue dries, you can proceed to the screws. For them, before laying the material, holes are prepared at a distance of 2 cm from the edge of the sheet and 15-20 cm from each other.
- The second technology is suitable for differences of more than 1 cm. At the same time, the basis for plywood is logs with a section of 15 by 40 mm, which are fixed with your own hands on the board floor with self-tapping screws. As in the previous case, the surface is cleaned, lag boards are laid out and fixed, after which sheets of plywood are screwed onto the screws.
It is important that, with any method, sheet cutting is performed before starting work. To do this, they need to be laid on the floor, cut out the details of the desired size and number them to indicate the order of laying plywood. Installation is best done using moisture-resistant material of the second or third grade. The substrate under the sheets performs soundproofing and cushioning functions. It can be made from elastic materials such as isolon, foamed polyethylene.
The minimum permissible sheet thickness is 10 mm. It is important to consider the permeability of the room and the load on the floor from furniture and equipment.
Best of all, if the substrate for the laminate from plywood with your own hands is made with a thickness of 14-22 mm. If you lay thinner material, it can bend or crack.
Installation of flooring
After the leveling substrate is made and the surface is prepared, you can proceed to the next stage of work. Laying a laminate on a wooden floor is done by yourself in the following order:
- If plywood or another rigid base is used as the base, a laminate backing is required. It is needed to avoid knocking the coating on plywood or screed. Unlike the leveling one, a large thickness is not needed here. The layer is accepted from 1 to 3 mm. Joints of the material are glued with construction adhesive tape. Can be additionally fastened around the edges.
- Laminate is brought into the room and allowed to adapt to temperature and humidity conditions. For this, it is recommended to wait 2 days. Installation begins with determining the laying direction (parallel to the light, perpendicularly, diagonally).
- The distance between the walls is measured and the number of boards is calculated. If the last part is obtained with a width of less than one third, it is recommended to start laying the first row of elements, sawing them in half.
- Lay the laminate, considering the way the coating is fixed.
Parts can be stacked in three ways:
- Clik Castle;
- lock lock;
- adhesive joint.
Clik Castle
The board is set at an angle of 45 degrees to the previous one, after which the lock is latched. The system is collapsible, that is, if necessary, you can easily replace it or make repairs to the underlying wooden floor. Between the walls, the parts are wedged using thin rails, this is necessary to provide a seam that compensates for the expansion of the laminate under load or changes in temperature. First they collect a row among themselves, and then attach it to the previous one. Installation continues to the opposite wall of the room.
Lock lock
Stacking is carried out in a run. The length of the board and the width of the room are measured, after which the number of boards in one row is calculated. If you get an uneven number of elements (about half remains), in order to ensure a breakdown, it is rational to start the next row with the half that remains from the previous one. This will minimize the amount of material spent on coating. If a whole number of boards fit in the width, then the first row begins and ends with a half, and the second is made of whole parts. This way you can dress up without waste.
The fastening is done by the stud in the groove. Unlike the previous method, installations are not performed at an angle. It is necessary to bring the element to the already laid and lightly tap on its opposite edge.
They tap most often with a rubber hammer through a bar so as not to damage the groove of the element.
Adhesive laminate
Most often used for wet rooms. Instructions for laying the descent with the previous lock. The difference is that the junction is smeared with adhesive solution. After laying the laminate, you need to withstand the time for the glue to dry. During this period, it is best to glue the boards together on top of the tape. After the installation is complete, remove the wedges that are responsible for the gap between the wall and the floor and install skirting boards. Adhesive tape is removed after all work has been completed and the adhesive has dried.
Most often on sale you can find a laminate with a Lock type lock. In order to guarantee the quality of laying, it is important to correctly fasten the elements together and to ensure that all requirements for the foundation, especially evenness, are met. Subject to technology, we can talk about the durability of the floor and its attractive appearance.