How to make sure that the floor is reliable, beautiful, easy to install and at the same time inexpensive? These seemingly incompatible qualities are combined in a laminate. That’s why this flooring is being used more and more often. However, in order for the floor to serve for a long time, you simply need to know the intricacies of the technology. For example, before laying laminate flooring, you need to check how level the base is. The maximum permissible deviation is no more than 1-2 mm per meter of surface. Only under this condition will it lie tightly and will not sag or creak. If the differences are greater, the lock may even break or the board may crack.

If the base has irregularities that exceed the permissible dimensions, it must be leveled. For cement floors everything is simple - a leveling screed is poured. Laying the laminate begins after the solution has gained at least 50% strength.

If an old wooden floor serves as the base, it must be removed according to technology, then a full-fledged cement floor must be made, with all the necessary layers (backfill, hydro- and thermal insulation, reinforcing belt and screed). You can install a heating system into this floor, and then lay the flooring on the warm floor. Only in this case it is necessary to use special types of laminate that can withstand heat well. The cost of such a floor is high, and its installation requires a lot of time. That's why they don't always do this. If the joists and boards are not damaged, you can level the wooden floor with plywood, and then lay the laminate on it.

When leveling a wooden floor, all strongly protruding fragments are trimmed off with a plane or using a scraper, and the cracks are sealed with putty. Sheets of plywood are laid on the prepared old wooden floor (it is used more often, although any sheet material with a flat surface can be laid). They are fastened with self-tapping screws to the floor: along the perimeter every 15 cm, in the middle in a checkerboard pattern.

The joints of the sheets are shifted - they should not coincide (look at the photo below). This way the load is transferred more evenly. One more thing - leave some gaps between the sheets - they should not be fitted closely to each other. Wood changes dimensions depending on humidity and temperature. And these gaps will provide the necessary freedom so that there are no “humps” or distortions.

Laying plywood on a wooden floor under laminate is a common way to prepare the base during renovations. If the wood has not been damaged, and the plywood is laid evenly, does not “play” or sag, such a base will serve for years

Underlay for laminate

The substrate is first laid on a flat and clean base. It hides those 1-2 mm irregularities that are acceptable and makes the floor less “noisy”. It also serves for shock absorption and better load redistribution.

There are several types of substrate:

• Cork. Made from cork chips. It has good thermal insulation properties and absorbs sounds. Disadvantages: afraid of moisture and does not like heat. Therefore, its scope of application is rooms without floor heating, with normal importance and minimal risk of “flood”. That is, these are living rooms. Cork underlay for laminate flooring is rarely used: expensive. If they put it, it is more under the parquet board - to preserve the floor covering.

  

  Cork is the best, but also the most expensive type of substrate. Foil is a little cheaper, and its plus is that it is suitable for heated floors

• Bitumen-cork on a cellulose basis. Small fragments of cork are sprinkled on a layer of cellulose impregnated with bitumen. This underlay is slightly cheaper than cork, but its main advantage is that it can be used over a heated floor system.
• Made from foamed polyethylene. It tolerates high humidity well, conducts heat poorly, is chemically neutral, resistant to bacteria, easy to use (available in rolls), and has a low price. Disadvantages: sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, quickly loses its shape, has a short service life, and does not dampen sounds well. That’s why this substrate is used under cheap laminate: their service life is comparable.

  

• Made from polystyrene foam. It has a fairly high density, which is why it smoothes out unevenness, holds its shape well, has good heat-insulating properties, and muffles sounds. Disadvantage: cannot be used for laying laminitis on a heated floor. The price is between cork and polyethylene, it is the most acceptable and is used most often. It is often produced in the form of slabs, sometimes in rolls.
• Polyurethane on foil. This type of underlay can also be used for laying under laminate on a heated floor. It has the best characteristics of all the above, as well as the best prices. But if you are going to install an expensive laminate, then this is a justifiable expense: the service life of this type of flooring largely depends on the quality of the substrate.

  

  Foamed polystyrene - average quality and price

How to lay the underlay

The backing for the laminate is rolled out (laid out) along the wall from which installation will begin. In length it should cover the entire floor from wall to wall. The joint lines are aligned tightly; for convenience, they are taped with tape. Sometimes the panels are fixed with staples from a construction stapler. It's faster, but it's not a good idea to use staples - they can rub against the boards and make an unpleasant sound. The next layer is spread as needed - there is no need to cover the entire floor at once: it is better not to walk on the substrate.

Laying schemes

In which direction should I lay the laminate with my own hands? There are no strict rules, but there are recommendations. To make the joints along the boards less visible, the direction of the light should go along the board. It turns out beautifully if you lay the coating at an angle. But this method is more complicated and produces more waste. You can also lay it across the light - this is also practiced, and does not threaten anything other than more visible seams.

Laying laminate relative to the window: arrangement of elements

The basic rule that must be observed when laying laminate flooring is the offset of the seams. The minimum transverse seam should be at a distance of 40 cm from the other. This way the strength of the floor covering will be greater: the boards will not come apart under load.

The minimum distance between seams in adjacent rows is 40 cm

The laying scheme of the laminate should be developed taking into account this rule. The easiest one to do on your own is shifting by half the board. Then each odd row begins with a whole, and each even row begins with a half (or vice versa).

If the length of one element exceeds 1.2 m, then the second row can be shifted by 1/3, the third by 2/3 of the length (as in the photo above). It turns out to be a kind of “ladder”. In some types of laminate (expensive), the minimum offset of the rows is much less - maybe 15 cm. This is indicated on the packaging or in the accompanying instructions.

You can lay the laminate with a “ladder”, but you need to observe the minimum permissible seam displacement. On the right is a laying diagram for a long board length and small displacement

You might be interested in reading about or about .

How to lay laminate flooring with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

The installation technology is the same: there are only some features when connecting elements depending on the locks. The procedure will be as follows:

If the geometry of the room is correct, there are no difficulties. If there are distortions, you will have to trim. Questions may arise when finishing the threshold: the board near the jambs is not cut straight, but along an arc, maintaining a gap of 10-15 mm. Why in an arc? This way there won’t be a hole under any door trim of any shape.

Methods for laying laminate flooring: two locks - two methods (video instructions)

The technology for laying laminate depends on which of the locks is on your flooring. They are made in two types - “click” and “lock”. You won’t get confused, because the system is written on the packaging of each pack, and many have pictograms explaining the principle of installation.

Method without a hammer - click lock

When using click locks, it is more convenient to assemble the boards one by one. The system is named so because of the characteristic click that is heard when the tenon enters the groove. With this system, the side locks are connected first, then the longitudinal ones. It happens like this:

Watch the video to see how to lay laminate flooring with a click lock.

How to lay with a Lock lock

Here the lock must be inserted from the side and the assembly method is different. You will need a piece of laminate with a tenon and a light hammer (rubber mallet). The boards are laid out on the floor and adjusted so that they lie exactly one relative to the other. Move it so that the tenon is close to the groove, insert a piece of laminate on the other side and tap it with a hammer to achieve a connection.

How to lay laminate flooring with the “lock” system

The method is also simple, but requires caution: you can hit the lock too hard with a hammer and break the lock. Then you will have to use another element.

With this method, it is more convenient to lay laminate flooring by first assembling individual rows and then connecting them. This is shown schematically in the photo below.

It’s more convenient to lay laminate flooring with your own hands using the “lock” system

For more information about this method, watch the video. There is no audio, but everything is clear.

The methods of laying laminate flooring described above can be made almost airtight; in any case, the amount of water that can get into the joint space can be significantly reduced. For this, special glue is used. They coat the tenons of the boards being laid with it. The composition retains its elasticity for 10 minutes, so glue is applied immediately before installation.

The disadvantage of this technology is that the coating becomes almost monolithic. If you need to replace one or more boards, this will not be possible.

How to cut laminate evenly

You can cut laminate boards:

• jigsaw (most convenient);
• hacksaw;
• hand-held circular saw.

To prevent burrs from forming on the front surface when cutting, it should lie “face” up. To ensure that the cut is even, guides are used - rulers (bars) made of metal or wood. When using a hacksaw, the ruler should not allow you to “climb” onto the desired half.

When cutting crosswise, it is more convenient to use squares. It is pressed against the long side, the second serves as a guide.

Today, the most attractive type of flooring is laminate. And the price of this material is affordable, and the appearance is attractive, and you can install it yourself. And the performance characteristics in many respects are not inferior to natural materials.

To ensure that installation does not turn out to be a disappointment, you should carefully familiarize yourself with the features of the technology. In this article we will give step-by-step instructions for laying laminate flooring.

Surface preparation

The first step in working with laminate is checking the surface for differences. In case of floor differences of more than 2 mm per m 2, the surface must be additionally leveled. This can be done using finishing self-leveling mixtures. They are easy to work with, they dry within a day, but this method is only suitable for differences that slightly exceed the norm. If there are large slopes and height differences, then you cannot do without a screed.

Another option for a base for a laminate could be a plywood floor. Plywood can be laid both on the screed and on the joists.

Required Tools

After leveling the floor surface to the same height, you can proceed directly to work.

Laying is done with the following tools:

• jigsaw or miter saw;
• building level of at least 2 m;
• tape measure 5 m;
• hammer;
• pencil;
• construction knife;
• steel square;
• laying kit (includes wedges and tamping block).

You can save some money and use, instead of a tamping set, scraps from the laminate that will remain during the installation process.

Consumables are ordinary polyethylene film, which is used for waterproofing screeds, backing material, tape and waterproof putty or sealant.

Since after installation you cannot do without installing skirting boards, you will additionally need a hammer drill or impact drill, and to cut 45-degree angles you will need a miter box.

Where to begin?

First you need to calculate the amount of laminate. It would seem that we can already begin installation. But first you need to make sure that the screed is dry. There is a proven old-fashioned method for this: a piece of film is laid on the floor, which is glued with tape around the perimeter to the screed. If condensation appears in the morning, it means that the screed has not yet dried. In addition, it is necessary to check the screed for cracks - the wooden base should not creak or be movable.

The laminate needs to be dried and allowed to rest. To do this, it is placed for several days in a room with a temperature of at least 18˚C and a humidity of no more than 75%.

Laying the substrate

When everything is dry, you can cover the floor with waterproofing film and lay the underlay material on top of it. The sheets of backing are laid end to end, after which the joints are sealed with masking tape. Taping makes subsequent work easier because it prevents the sheets from moving during installation.

First row

Typically, laminate flooring begins at the far left corner of the room, with installation along the direction of sunlight or along the longest side of the room. To ensure maximum accuracy, a cord is fixed parallel to the wall and, guided by it, alignment is made. If the wall is curvature, the first row is cut along the contour of the bend.

The planks are placed with a ridge to the wall, joining the boards at their ends. It is necessary to mention here that there are two systems for laying laminate: glue and lock. The advantage of the locking system is that the coating can be laid on a warm floor (only with water heating); it is somewhat cheaper and simpler. But the adhesive system extends the life of the floor by at least several years due to the greater tightness of the coating.

In any case, when adjusting the planks, you must remember that you cannot hit them directly with a hammer. All adjustments must be made through a block or simply a wooden block. Having reached the last strip, you need to take measurements, not forgetting about the technological gap, and then cut the strip to the required length.

Laying the second and subsequent rows of laminate

Laminate flooring looks most impressive when the panels are assembled in a spaced pattern. And the end seams with this assembly method become less noticeable.

The most economical way to achieve this effect is to use the second row as the first board, using the remaining trim from the first. It should be taken into account: if the cutting length is less than 20 cm, then its use will rather have a negative visual effect.

The optimal appearance of the floor takes place when the spread is a third of the board. Unfortunately, if you deliberately cut off a third of the panel to lay a new row, a significant increase in material consumption is inevitable.

The second and subsequent rows of laminate are laid as follows: at an angle of 20-30˚, the ridge of the panel is inserted into the groove of the already laid one, after which it is slowly aligned with the substrate.

After laying the second row, a technological gap is established. It is located between the wall and the laid covering, and its width must be at least 8 mm. This distance is ensured by installing pre-prepared wooden wedges, and its main purpose is to allow the laminate to “breathe”. For the same purpose, in large rooms, a 20 mm wide technological seam should be made in the middle of the room. Subsequently, it is covered with a decorative strip.

An important point is that installation occurs in a “floating” way. Those. Under no circumstances should the panels be nailed or glued to the base. Skirting boards are attached to the walls, but not to the floor.

The last row

Laying the last row may be the most difficult. However, this will only happen if the distance between the penultimate row and the wall is not enough to lay another row of panels. Then you will have to cut the laminate boards to length in accordance with the contour of the wall and the remaining uncovered area, taking into account the technological seam.

In the case of a locking installation system, the floor is ready for use almost immediately. It is only necessary to trim the excess protruding film and backing, as well as install baseboards and decorative strips. If the laminate was laid with glue, then at least a day should pass before the coating can be walked on.

Laying diagonally: important points

You can also lay the laminate in a somewhat unusual way - diagonally.

Material consumption will increase by 5–15%. This indicator is not a constant value, since the lamellas have to be adjusted in different rooms, and the resulting amount of waste depends on which piece has to be cut.

The optimal angle of the flooring is considered to be 45º, since there will be a minimum amount of waste and the best visual effect will be achieved. If you need to do something differently, then a deviation during installation of no more than 30º is allowed. The algorithm for adjusting the lamellas is practically the same.

Stages of work

The preparation of the floor has already been written and there are no differences here, so let’s immediately proceed to choosing the angle from which installation will begin. If the direction of the seams is not important for you, and you do not need to select a color or pattern, then it is best to start from the corner near which the heating pipes or other communications pass - this way you will save yourself from the tedious adjustment of the lamellas at the final stage of laying the coating.

In order to correctly cut the lamella, you will need a corner or pattern with a pre-selected cutting angle.

A common reason for excess material consumption is an error in marking the planks and cutting them in the wrong direction.

It is quite clear that each new row will have to be adjusted, cutting to size. The work is painstaking and requires extreme care and concentration. If you are laying laminate diagonally for the first time, it is better to carefully measure and adjust each panel. It is also important to know that most of the sections can be used when installing the covering on the second half of the room, when the direction of the cut changes.

Video: laminate installation process

The advantage of laminate flooring is its economically reasonable cost. Owners of new apartments and those who have started renovations in order to change the design of their own home are attracted by the idea of ​​installing a new floor with their own hands, without extra costs. The specialists who developed the models of laminated modules spent a lot of effort, but managed to come up with a simple installation technology. Our detailed step-by-step instructions will help you understand how to lay laminate flooring with your own hands.

Laying process

The installation process involves a number of nuances that are best studied before starting work. In order for your own work to bring the joy of contemplating a stylish floor, and for guests to be surprised by its presentable appearance, you need to follow all the steps as recommended. In this article you will find a sufficient number of tips on how to lay laminate flooring on your own, without the help of master builders.

Materials and tools

After carefully studying the information provided, you can independently assemble the floor from laminate fragments. You just need to know how to handle some tools. To correctly install laminated fragments you will need:

• roulette;
• construction angle;
• marker;
• jigsaw with electric drive and blade for working with metal;
• knife with a thin blade;
• hammer;
• wedges

Cleaning up the old base

Before laying a new floor, you need to thoroughly clean the surface. Leaving old wooden boards is a bad decision, they:

• absorb excess moisture;
• creaking when walking;
• may be rotten or damaged.

Therefore, it is better to remove the old wooden base, carefully remove the chips, sweep away dust and debris. If the subfloor is made of concrete, check the level and measure the horizontal position. When creating a new concrete base, the thickness of the substrate is taken into account - 3 mm. The condition for a high-quality floor is that the rough base is level, with a minimum slope: 1m - 2mm. Some professionals advise vacuuming the subfloor before installing soundproofing.

We remove all the old baseboards.

We clean and remove all debris from the floor.

Checking the level of the subfloor. It should be smooth and without flaws.

Calculation of the number of laminate boards

To make the floor aesthetically pleasing and uniform in color and number of joints, before starting installation, mark the number of fragments along the length of the room, leave a 1cm gap around the perimeter and immediately cut it to the required length - the edge boards must be the same length.

When the floor has been preliminarily marked and filed, the fragments begin to be laid.

We measure the entire subfloor. We write down all the dimensions on paper; they will be useful to us later for calculating the amount of laminate.

Divide the floor area by the width of the laminate board and get the amount of material needed.

Laying insulating material

A special material is laid under the laminate fragments - a substrate, which is produced in mats or rolls. Laying the underlay material begins along the long wall of the room, joining the next rows and fixing them with tape.

The first row of laminate modules is laid out on the substrate along the wall.

This layer is needed to protect the inner surface of the coating from direct contact with the concrete base. In order to save money, you can not purchase a special coating, but limit yourself to a diffuse membrane or polyethylene with a thickness of 200 microns.

Fake components are needed for:

• absorbing sounds from steps;
• protect the inner layer of the floor from friction against concrete;
• prevent the floor from “floating”;
• correct differences in the height of the rough foundation;
• protect against condensation.

Laying laminate boards

When laying the laminate on the floor, some of its fragments will have to be adjusted by cutting the boards. This process is done using the necessary measurements and cutting with a jigsaw.

To evenly distribute the load over the surface of the laminate coating, fragments are laid with an offset of each new row.

Laying out the first row along the length of the wall of the room, the next one begins with half a board so that the joints in the new row fall in the middle of the board from the first row of flooring.

Fitting boards to thresholds and door jambs.

Important tips when laying laminate flooring:

• the length of the laminate piece to offset the joints is at least 30cm;
• the width of the cut board is at least 5cm;
• offset of butt seams for a row is 1/3 of the length. fragment.

Fastening fragments

The carefully studied step-by-step instructions explain in detail the principle of fastening the fragments together. Three types of locks have been developed for connecting laminate boards; to determine the type of lock, carefully study the markings on the packaging.

Regardless of the type of interlocking connection, the flooring installation process is carried out in several ways:

• assemble a row of boards and attach them to the finished floor area;
• attach one fragment at a time using longitudinal and end locks.

The second method is convenient if the owner works alone. For a visual aesthetic appearance, floor fragments are placed under the door frame, for which the door jamb is pre-sawed to the thickness of the laminate module. The rule for laying laminate flooring is to lay out the flooring parallel to the flow of natural light. In this case, the joints between the fragments are not noticeable.

The method of installing laminate boards along the walls saves the number of fragments. In a narrow room, it is better to place modules across the space, visually expanding it.

no images were found

Installation of skirting boards

The plinth is installed at the final stage of work. A correctly installed plinth hides expansion gaps between the laminate and the wall, uneven wallpaper, electrical wires, telephone cord, and TV antenna. The choice of material from which skirting boards are made is extensive:

• plastics in a wide color palette;
• veneer;
• tree.

Against the background of laminate, a plinth made of wood or veneer looks more advantageous and aesthetically pleasing. Plastic looks more impressive.

If you want a wooden baseboard, then it requires preparation:

• roughness cleaning;
• dyeing;
• careful fit around the perimeter

Carefully lay the wooden plinth on the corners of the room: external and internal. The cut is made at 45 degrees. The planks are fastened to the wall or floor using corrugated nails or self-tapping screws, filling the caps with putty. If desired, the plinth is glued, but disassembly may be difficult in the future.

Plastic skirting boards are attached to flat surfaces using parts for hidden installation or glued with liquid nails. Mounting brackets are placed along the length of the wall every 40-50 cm, assembly is carried out with light pressure until it clicks.

If the need arises, the plinth is easy to dismantle. To complete the interior, the baseboard is matched to the color of the floor covering.

Conclusion

Video: laying laminate flooring

To make it easy to work with laminate fragments, leave it indoors for 24 hours without unpacking. While working, you come across pipes and corners that are shaped using a jigsaw. The subfloor must be hard and dry. Moisture will cause deformation of laminate of any class. A substrate is required when installing this type of coating! It insulates the modules from the subfloor, retains heat in the room and smoothes out uneven floors.

Before installation, the laminate must be left in the middle of the room for 48 hours at a stable temperature (minimum 180) and a relative humidity of more than 70%. Please note: all laminate packages must be sealed. This procedure is necessary to ensure that the laminate adapts to the conditions of future installation.

When installing yourself, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules for installing laminate flooring, which are located in each package on the insert included with the floor.

To install laminate you will need:

• hammer
• granny (a block for beating laminate flooring)
• wood saw or jigsaw
• clamp for installing the last laminate panels
• spacer wedges to provide clearances near walls
• Ruler and pencil
• polyethylene film is necessary when laying laminate flooring on concrete floors as a vapor barrier.
• 2mm sound-absorbing underlay or substitutes, such as Parkolag, an excellent bitumen underlay on cork chips that significantly extends the life of the laminate.

Please note: laminate cannot be installed in bathrooms, showers and saunas, that is, in rooms with high humidity.

Since the laminate is laid in a floating manner, that is, the panels should not be attached to the base in any way, therefore rigid fastening of the panels to the base using nails, screws, glue, etc. is STRICTLY prohibited.

Please note: all laminate packs must be intact and the boards undamaged. Defective panels cannot be used in floor installations as they are not covered by the warranty and cannot be returned. If a defect is detected during the installation process, stop installation and return the unopened packs to the seller.

Laying laminate flooring is permissible on linoleum, parquet board or other base, provided that the requirements for evenness, strength and moisture content of the base for laying the laminate are met. It is not advisable to install laminate flooring over carpet due to the “static discharge” effect.

If installation is carried out on a concrete base, the relative humidity should not exceed 2.5%. All screed irregularities exceeding 3mm per 1 lm. must be eliminated. The base must be clean, dry, level and durable.

Start laying in such a way that the light from the window falls parallel to the seams of the laminate. In the case of a perpendicular incidence of light, the seams from the laminate will be visible more clearly.
If you want to make a laminate flooring with heating, please note that this heating must be water. This is due to the fact that sudden heating of the floor is extremely undesirable for laminated parquet and can affect the disruption of the locking joint and, as a result, lead to the formation of cracks.

If you are laying laminate flooring on a concrete base, then you will need a plastic film to provide a vapor barrier from the residual moisture of your screed. After this, a sound-absorbing substrate is laid out, on which the laminate is installed.
If installed on linoleum or wood flooring, no vapor barrier is required.
We consider it ideal to use a special functional sound-hydro-insulating underlay called Parkolag, which additionally provides the ventilation effect of your screed.

Laying the laminate begins with the formation of the first row of 2 boards, while special spacer wedges are installed to provide a gap between the laminate and the wall from 7 to 15 mm. These gaps are necessary so that the laminate, after installation, is not interfered with by the wall expanding and contracting. If your laminate flooring stands on end, then there is a very high probability that this particular rule has been violated. The laminate is laid with a lock on itself to facilitate snapping of the panels.

After forming the first row, we proceed to the 2nd row. Please note that professional installers always install laminate flooring in half a board, that is, the top view should resemble brickwork on a half-brick wall, although the instructions allow installation with the boards offset relative to each other by at least 20 cm. Laying in the “floor board” allows for even distribution pressure between panels as the laminate expands and contracts.
The 2nd row panel is brought to the other panel at an angle, inserted into the lock and latched, and it should make up half of the board. Please note that the laminate is not yet snapped into place at the ends, but is only being “tried on”.

Next, the formation of 2 rows continues without end (on the short side) snapping using the next board.

Next, all 4 panels are joined and tapped. They will serve as a starting point for subsequent installation. Please note that the spacer wedges must remain in place.

Next comes the installation of the remaining rows.

A clamp is used to install the last board adjacent to the wall. It allows you to easily connect to the previous panel.

Pay attention to how the final panels are installed. This diagram will greatly simplify the marking of laminated boards.

This diagram allows you to visualize how you can solve the problem of bypassing the pipes of the heating system.

After laying the laminate, you can begin installing the baseboard. Here is a diagram of how to attach the plinth with clips. Please note that when using ventilation underlays (Parcolag), the lower part of the plinth should not prevent the outflow of residual moisture from the screed.