Choosing a laminate as a flooring is not a coincidence. It is beautiful on the outside, the cost is adequate to the quality, the material has a simple instructions for installation by their own hands. This will reduce the total cost of repairing floors, if you order the laminate flooring installation from professionals is not possible. How to lay the laminate correctly – this article describes it.
Laminate flooring laying: Basis assessment
The final paving result depends directly on the initial state of the base. If this is not taken into account, the finish will not only be uneven, but will not last long due to the constant load on the lamellae. They will move, break, joints and seams will lose their tightness. How to properly laminate flooring laying with your own hands, depending on the type of base – wooden lags or concrete? The following will be assessed:
Laminate flooring laying: Concrete slab
Before fixing the laminate on the floor, it is important to assess the height difference. It is allowed to be no more than 3 mm – the carpet pad is designed to level out the difference. If for every 2 square meters there is a significant change, it is an occasion to make a new concrete screed with the careful removal of the old one.
When the damage to the strictly base is minor, use levelling mixtures to prepare a satisfactory level. It is not recommended to put the laminate on bare concrete if the installation of a warm floor is not provided. A layer of plywood will be required. Besides heat, it will stabilize the coating and protect the new concrete base from pressure damage.
Wooden floors
The task is more laborious with boards and flags. It is necessary to remove all the coating to assess the supporting supports – lags – for fracture and biological damage. Moulds and decay, for example. The position of wooden planks is also checked in advance, even if their condition is satisfactory. After evaluating the boards – they may be clean, but curves and humpty. They are changed or cycled to match the level. How is the laminate fixed to the floor of the boards? It is recommended to lay plywood.
We choose the material
The main coating is laminate, classified according to strength and durability tests. Before solving the problem of how to install laminat Flooring correctly, the class of the laminate and other quality parameters are important.
Choosing a class
Classes 21 to 34 are recommended for specific rooms and loads – more here. Up to class 31, the floor laminate flooring serves no more than 4 years. Optimal – reliable and durable – is a coating designed for commercial facilities – stores, halls. It is not prohibited to install it in domestic conditions, where it can lie in its original form up to 20 years. In addition to classification, attention is drawn to the following:
- Thickness of laminate. The minimum parameter is 8 mm. For home use with high passing activity, it is optimal to increase the thickness to 12 mm. In this case, the front layer and the supporting base will last longer.
- The method of locking the connection. There are three – click, lock and glue.
Popular, despite the cost, uses the first – installation of laminate by hand is effortless. The second one requires a hammer for trimming. The third involves smearing the entire lock system with glue. In the latter case, it is impossible to dismantle without damage later.
- Possibility to use in bathrooms. On the laminate package there must be a corresponding sign.
It is not difficult to choose the right laminate flooring – more in this article.
Backing
There are several types of substrates for laying laminate. Each of these types has pros and cons. The price is also appropriate.
- Cork substrate.
The property of the material is to recover from significant pressure. It has a low thermal conductivity, which will provide a warm floor in the nursery or bedroom. The product’s naturalness speaks for environmental friendliness. Minus – the base for the cork should be perfectly flat – no differences of more than 2 mm are allowed.
- Foamed polystyrene.
High heat capacity, leveling the screed or wooden floor surface. Sound insulation and inertness to moisture. However, this material is short-lived, after 5-6 years of operation loses its elasticity. Dangerous in a fire, like many styrene – emits poisonous gas.
- Polyethylene.
The most budget material, the quality is appropriate. Over time, crumbles under the ultraviolet, loses its shape. One of the advantages is the reflective effect, as one of the sides is the foil, resistance to moisture and aggressive media.
High-quality and correctly selected substrate is the key to an even laminate flooring and the comfort of use in general.
Calculating the number of boards
The simplest calculation to obtain the exact number of lamellas per area to be covered is: S room/S lamellas. But the calculation is very approximate, since the final number depends on the following factors:
- The method of laying. Deck or diagonal methods differ up to 40% in total.
- Length of lamellae. The range from 1.3 to 2.66 m affects the number of boards required.
- Craftsmanship. It is difficult for amateurs to do without marriage and scraps from the first time.
It is also important to consider that the packages contain a certain percentage of factory errors, so the final amount in the calculation boldly increase by 15-20%.
Preparation of laminate flooring
When the coating is purchased, it needs to be adapted to the room temperature so that the laminate does not get deformed due to a sharp drop. For this purpose, the packages are opened and the lamellas are placed on a horizontal surface for up to 3 days. Doing this is recommended when the base is fully prepared.
Methods of installation of laminate flooring in Toronto
When choosing the direction of installation, it is important to consider the flow of light from the windows. Rays falling on the transverse laying visually increase the area of the room. The same effect is created by diagonal laying.
Direction
Which direction should I put the laminate in? Features of each laying:
- Classic deck laying is good for its cost-effectiveness – all boards with a minimum amount of scrap will be used. Plus laying along and in the fact that the area of the floor becomes a single cloth – the joints are almost invisible. In addition, the task of how to lay the laminate itself is simplified. Minus – narrow rooms will already be reduced in size.
- Perpendicular to the windows.It is considered durable, because the joints are in a chessboard order, which more prevents the pressure, respectively, the operation is extended. Minus – not for small rooms. Laminate floors with their own hands in the junction will further reduce them.
- The diagonal way is labor-intensive, not economical – you have to cut each board at an angle. Plus in the visual alignment of not only the floor, but also the walls. Also diagonals increase the room, which is favorable for non-standard rooms – narrow, with two windows on the same wall and so on.
If there is no experience in laminate flooring, a classic deck is the right thing to do. Diagonals require craftsmanship. If desired, it is possible to order work to professionals with a guarantee of long-term operation. Such professionals are the company “Captain Handy” – just contact us.
Tools and auxiliary materials
Depending on the selected locking method, tools are required. What is needed to lay the laminate:
- A mallet – a wooden or rubber hammer.
- Angle, tape measure.
- Markers. It is important to choose washable markers, especially for light shades of laminate.
- Hacksaw or electric jigsaw. The latter is preferable because it accurately cuts contours if you need to bend around pipes.
- Clay for observing the technological gaps between the wall and lamellas. This is required for linear expansion of the coating.
- Scotch for laying the substrate.
The substrate should be ready by then – the concrete levelling mixture is poured or plywood is laid. See here how to level the substrate.
Instructions for laying laminate in Toronto and Ontario
The finished surface of the rough floor is cleaned – sand, concrete chips, sawdust or other debris should not be, otherwise the coating will not lie tight. A vacuum cleaner is used for cleaning. Then, how to cover the floor with laminate:
- Rolled substrate is rolled out over the area and glued with duct tape at the joints. It is important to decide in advance whether additional waterproofing is required – it is placed under it. Overlapping to build a sealing layer can not – the laminate will bloat over time. The edges of the substrate necessarily go to the wall, creating an additional damper.
- The technology of laying the laminate with your own hands begins with laying the board in the far corner of the room. Between it and the wall are installed wedges. The boards are inserted into the end locks until the characteristic click. The adhesive method involves lubricating the system with glue before inserting. Then each lamella is punched with a kiyan if necessary.
- Having finished the first row, proceed to the second, sawing off the board so that the joint falls in the middle of the whole element. Thus, the work is continued.
- The last row is complicated by the fact that there is not enough space for the previous one. The technique of laying the laminate with your own hands suggests a special bracket – clamp.
- Its edge is inserted into the groove of the lamella and the second edge is pushed to a satisfactory result.
- Almost every room has a radiator pipe that goes into the floor. It is not difficult to surround them with laminate. For this purpose, the dimensions – diagonals and the distance from the pipe to the wall – are transferred to the lamella. The circles are drawn, cut out with a special drill. Then through their middle is sawed off the desired area. Then the two elements are connected around the pipes. Places are fixed with rubber or plastic overlays.
- Diagonal assembly of the laminate by hand has a similar principle. But the process is more labor-intensive, as it is necessary to carefully check the trimming of each board. Errors along the edge are allowed no more than 2 mm, in this case the edges will hide the skirting board.
Useful recommendations
Making the following points will allow you to enjoy a lasting and beautiful result in the future:
- Before laying laminate flooring with your own hands, properly lay out the boards in advance in the future drawing and number them. The material will lay down and the process will go faster.
- It is desirable to wax each board on the locking systems. Mounting will be lightweight, increased protection against moisture