How to lay a laminate with your own hands. Laminate laying rules, the main stages for laying a laminate with your own hands. Tips and recommendations of specialists for laying a laminate with your own hands

Currently, the laminate has become the most popular flooring option. More and more people choose it for the primary flooring of the floor or replace the old material with a laminate. In its characteristics, it is not inferior to the parquet, it is beautiful and practical. Like any building material, it has its strengths and weaknesses, which it is important to consider when buying material in each case. But for the thirty years of experience in the existence of material, he established himself from the best side and left his competitors, ceramics or stone far behind. Consider what kind of laminate varieties are there, how to properly lay the material and how to avoid the most common mistakes.

Table of contents:

1. Laminate options features and advantages
2. Technical features of the material
3. How the laminate lays down with your own hands correctly
4. How rationally and without errors put the laminate with your own hands on a concrete floor and on a wooden floor
5. How to lay a substrate under the laminate with your own hands
6. DIY laminate tools and materials

Laminate options features and advantages

The floor covering laminate combines the attractiveness of the parquet, but much cheaper and more affordable. For the manufacture of the laminate, cellulose, a polymer film that imitates any tree of a tree or stone is used.

Speaking about the advantages of the material, it is worth noting its following properties:

• a light weight;
• just laid;
• it has high soundproofing abilities;
• excellent heat insulator.

The material has a different degree of wear resistance, which is expressed in categories. This is very important, because it is necessary to choose a class taking into account the features of the use of the room. For the kitchen or halls, the laminate will differ. It is necessary to take into account all the abilities and properties of the material.

The coating is perfectly washed, but excess moisture, and even more so water, will negatively affect the state of the laminate. If you wash the coating at least daily, but at the same time observe the technology, there will be no negative manifestations. But the abandoned spilled water will lead to the swelling of the panel.

Another disadvantage of the laminated coating is the fact that phenolic resin is based on the material. But this problem is solved by frequent ventilation or by the fact that after the laminate is laid, no one should live in the room for several weeks. If you follow these rules, all negative components are eliminated from the laminate coating, and it will be completely safe.

Technical features of the material

Primitively speaking, a laminate is a multilayer board. There are four layers in total.

• Upper layer.

This is a very strong film that is made of acrylic or melamine resins. The last option is considered more durable. Since the surface of such a laminate is stronger, it does not fall longer. It is depending on the top layer that the laminate receives a class of one or another quality and category.

For example, the twenty -first twenty -third class is the least durable. It is used in residential premises, since there is a low pedestrian load. On average, such material will last no more than six to seven years.

The material of the thirty -first class is more durable, the builders argue that ten years will have no problems with its quality and appearance. Such a coating is used in more lively places where the pedestrian load is higher.

The laminate of the thirty -second class is intended for public institutions with high pedestrian activity. Such a material will last about fifteen years.

Thirty -third class is wear -resistant material, very high quality, with a service life of twenty years.

Currently, a laminate of the thirty -fourth grade is presented, which is attributed to the highest characteristics.

• The second layer.

This is a decorative film that affects the appearance, color and design of the coating. They are presented in such a huge assortment, the manufacturer offers single -color samples or complex drawings.

• The third layer.

This layer gives the material of stiffness. For the basis of this layer, fiberboard or chipboard is taken.

• Fourth, lower layer.

This is a layer of a stabilizer, which is made of paper impregnated with a solution of tarry matter. It protects the third layer from moisture, which is independently formed at a temperature difference.

The layers are fastened with each other thanks to high or low pressure technology.

How the laminate lays down with your own hands correctly

When the buyer has decided on the class of material, the goods were purchased and brought, most is looking for a construction team for the installation of material to the floor. But is it so necessary to hire workers and pay money? In fact, you can lay the laminate yourself, it is enough to prepare the tool and be patient.

It is important to understand that the work on laying the laminate is very painstaking and consistent. The rush is inappropriate here, since the result will be poor -quality work and a large number of defects.

Before laying the material, the floor condition is assessed and, if necessary, restoration work is carried out. The advantage of the laminate is the fact that it can be laid on the floor from any material, the main thing is that it be even, durable and does not walk. In the best case, in the presence of defects, the floor will creak, but the integrity of the entire coating may also be violated. There are some nuances when laying a laminated coating on a concrete floor, wooden surface or old linoleum.

Laminated panels are produced in two versions: adhesive and castle. Those have their own systems: Click, Lock, 5G.

Each coating option has the specifics of laying.

How rationally and without errors put the laminate with your own hands on a concrete floor and on a wooden floor

There is a certain specificity of laying laminate on various floor surfaces. For example, the question is often asked whether it is possible to lay the material on a warm floor. It all depends on the variety of the warm floor, the degree of warming. Before making a decision, be sure to consult a specialist relatively specifically your case.

Laying material on a concrete floor requires accurate calculations and capital preparation of the base. A concrete floor can have differences in level, have irregularities, damage. Therefore, all irregularities and differences are thoroughly aligned. This is the key to a quality sex in the future, after laying. Very often, dry mixes with the effect of self -leveling can help align the surface.

Some experts advise dismantling the wooden floor, make a new screed and put it again. But this is such an expensive action that a reasonable question arises, how to lay a laminate on a wood base without dismantling.

It must be sure that the floor does not publish extraneous noise, whether the base is well attached, whether there are slopes and irregularities. All the disadvantages of surfaces should be eliminated before laying the laminate. If there are deflections of the floorboards, you should remove a certain amount and look at the state of the lag. You can remove the creak by stuffing plywood to the surface of the boards. It is necessary to carefully study the surface and eliminate visible errors. In this case, the laminate will perfectly fall on the wooden floor and there will be no problems with the quality of styling.

Before starting work, be sure to study the theory of the process, and if possible, consult a specialist. Some questions require the intervention of a knowledgeable person.

How to lay a substrate under the laminate with your own hands

The substrate is an important element when laying the laminate by a floating method. There is a laminate with a glued substrate, it is more expensive, but the styling of this option is easier and faster. It is on how the substrate is laid that the final result of the laminate laying will depend.

First, the surface is covered with a plastic film and, if possible, thermal insulation material.

The functions of the substrate are as follows:

• laminate moisture insulation, as a material, is extremely sensitive to moisture, which leads to deformation of sheets, when laying on a concrete floor, for example, without a layer of moisture insulation, it will not work to get a quality result;
• sound insulation without a substrate the material will make extraneous sounds in the form of a creak, friction;
• thermal insulation exactly this layer does not affect the floor temperature and does not allow the cold of a concrete or cement floor to penetrate inside;
• alignment due to the layer of the substrate is masked and insignificant signs of the floor.

Different types of substrates are known. Each of the existing options has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The cork panels of the substrate, which is environmentally friendly and safe material. This substrate of pressed oak is made. The material is expensive and does not tolerate the effect of moisture very well. But he has excellent warmth, sound insulation abilities.

Foam polyethylene another option for the substrate. It is very easy to mount, has resistance to the development of microorganisms, the aggressive effects of chemicals. He is light, flexible. But its significant drawback is the fragility of the service. Foam polyethylene quickly loses its basic properties and needs periodic replacement.

Foam polysterol is another substrate option that can be called optimal in price and qualities. It is durable, wear -resistant, environmentally friendly.

Of the novelties, you can mention a substrate of needles, foam. These are very high -quality and environmentally friendly materials, but have a high cost.

In order for the substrate to be laid efficiently and efficiently, it is necessary to adhere to some recommendations:

• polyethylene should be laid on the concrete floor;
• the surface is cleaned of garbage, since the surface must be dry, it is not recommended to use wet brushes or rags, in this case, the cleaning of the vacuum cleaner will be the correct solution;
• when calculating the required amount of the substrate, be sure to take into account the fact that there should be some reserve on the walls near the skirting boards;
• the thickness of the substrate, its applied on each other cannot be resolved by the issue of leveling the floor, in this case, conduct the alignment of the surface more qualitatively;
• the reflective side of the substrate is directed upward;
• the substrate is laid only in the end, for fixation, bilateral construction adhesive tape is used.

DIY laminate tools and materials

Before laying the laminate, it must be released from packaging, unpacked sheets should lay down for about three days in the room where their installation will be made. This will facilitate styling and allow the material to adapt to the features of the room. These few days can be spent on collecting a tool for work. It is necessary to collect such materials and tools:

• coating substrate;
• double sided tape;
• wooden wedges;
• hacksaw;
• electrician;
• rubber hammer;
• kiyanka;
• mount;
• lever with a hook;
• work plan.

The plan is really very important, it will help to efficiently and consistently lay the material.

Often the question arises of how to lay a laminate. Someone says that only across, others claim that styling should be longitudinal. The answer is simple: the joints should lie in parallel to the rays of natural light. This will give a visual advantage to coating seams and joints will be invisible.

Start laying from the far left corner. If necessary, the longitudinal cut is done with an electric saw. This will help to cut the panel as smooth as possible.

When drawing up the plan, it is taken into account that the final strip should not be more than ten centimeters. This is a prerequisite, up to the correction of the situation. It is necessary to calculate whether the width of the laminate will interfere with the opening of the doors. Sometimes you have to cut the door leaf.

When performing repair work, when a change of flooring or its installation from scratch is required, a large number of people choose a laminate. How to properly styling the laminate with your own hands is done, look in the video. This process is available to any home master who has even minimal skills.