home Convectors How to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor. How to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor with your own hands

How to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor. How to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor with your own hands

Manufacturers indicate on the laminate that it is best to lay it on a concrete base. But if you are planning to renovate a private house, then most likely there will be wooden floors. Is it possible to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor? Can. Let's look at how laminate flooring is installed on a wooden floor in this article.

Wood is a rather demanding material, and that is why laying laminate flooring on it is more problematic than on a concrete base. Manufacturers of the material still do not recommend laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor, so you carry out the work at your own peril and risk. Of course, nothing bad will happen, it’s just that over time the wood will deform, which can lead to distortion of the laminate.

Wood can change depending on weather conditions; high humidity leads to swelling, and dryness leads to shrinkage. All this can affect the cladding.

Before you begin installation, you should still make sure that the wooden planks are intact. There should be no gaps or cracks on them. The planks should stand straight without bending. It would also be a good idea to check for mold or insects if the wood has not been treated with special means.
The tree should not crumble; check it for rot. If there are any, then not only can you not lay anything on such a floor, but it also requires a complete replacement. If you only have a few boards that are damaged, you can replace them and the adjacent ones. It is best to lift the entire floor and inspect the entire boards for defects. If there are no defects, but the boards move, then they need to be secured.

Advantages of laminate

Laminate flooring has recently been in great demand, which is not surprising. His appearance can compete with many more expensive materials. The pattern of the laminate can imitate any other material, while it will look decent and not ridiculous, as is the case with PVC panels. A wide range allows you to choose laminate for any interior.
Laminate is divided into classes, and the higher it is, the better its characteristics. Accordingly, the price will be more expensive. But in general, the material is considered wear-resistant and quite durable.
Caring for laminate flooring is easy; just vacuum it and wipe it periodically with a cloth. Just squeeze it well and use special detergents.
Laminate flooring is made from wood chips. Therefore, it is a fairly safe material. But, it is treated with special means for protection. And these are the ones worth paying attention to.

Unscrupulous manufacturers can save on this, so contact only trusted suppliers. And so laminate can be laid even in a children's room, it will not cause harm to human health.
When renovating, the budget is often limited and the question may arise: is it possible to lay laminate flooring yourself? Yes, the work can be done without special training; installation is not complicated or labor-intensive.

The service life of the laminate, if all installation and use conditions are met, reaches 20 years. In the process, it will not lose its appearance if it is properly cared for.

Preparing the floor for installation

Laminate flooring is installed using the locking method. You don't need glue during the process. Although it is sometimes used, then it will not be possible to replace a separate element, and the quality of such a floor will be inferior.

Laminate is made from wood, which means that it cannot be used in rooms with high humidity. The only exceptions are waterproof types. Therefore, if you are planning to install it in the kitchen, pay attention to this fact.
Before laying laminate flooring, you need to prepare the floor. How to do it? First, check if the floor is creaking. If this happens, the boards can be fixed using screws or anchors. The caps should not be higher than the surface of the bar; they must be carefully recessed.

Small cracks or holes can be sealed with caulk or foam. It is best to remove rotten boards completely. But if the damage is minimal, you can sand the damage and treat it with an antifungal compound, and then seal the gap with foam.
If the base is uneven and there are differences in altitude, then they must also be eliminated without fail. You can place wedges and plywood on top, thus securing the plank in the desired angle.

How to properly install laminate flooring on a wooden floor

How to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor with your own hands? Before you begin installation, keep the laminate in the open package so that it adapts to the conditions of the room.

The laminate is laid only on the substrate. The service life of the material depends on it. Many manufacturers can even refuse a guarantee, since the instructions for the laminate always indicate the need for a substrate. Why is it needed? The backing acts as an additional protective layer for the laminate itself. It takes on the function of a base leveler.
The substrate can absorb a certain amount of moisture without allowing it to reach the planks. The laminate will lie flat on it and will not subsequently wobble or rub against the base, which significantly increases its service life. In addition, it acts as an additional material for heat and sound insulation.

The substrate is laid out end to end in sheets. There shouldn't be even the slightest overlap. Scotch tape is used to hold the sheets together. Installation of the laminate begins from the wall; attach spacers 1 cm thick to it, so that it does not swell or sag later.

The first planks are installed with a tenon to the wall. The boards are laid in a checkerboard pattern, so the next row starts with half the board. The planks are attached to each other in two ways: click and lock. With the click system, the board is tilted at an angle of 30-45 degrees and pressed against another board with force. You will hear a click when the lock engages. You can additionally tap the board with a rubber mallet to consolidate the effect.

The lock system immediately uses a rubber hammer. You just need to hammer one bar to another until it clicks. If there are obstacles in your way in the form of pipes, then simply cut the panel so that the hole is then placed on the pipe. The hole is cut out on the board. You need to make it a little wider than the pipe itself, and then lay a rubber gasket. The last panel may be wider than necessary. In this case, it needs to be cut off. This must be done very carefully.

Sometimes laminate is laid with glue. More often this method is used in rooms with high humidity. The process is almost identical to the locking process, only at the joints you do not fasten the planks to each other, but glue them.

During work, for better fixation, you can use tape at the joints. Then you need to wait until the glue has completely dried and you can remove the tape.

Laminate is a very practical flooring material; today it is one of the most common floor finishing options. However, when laying it on wooden surface difficulties arise that many are not aware of.

Therefore, this article will tell you everything about how to properly prepare the floor and what pitfalls may arise during installation.

Laying laminate flooring - what you need to know

What can't you work without? That's right, without a tool. Therefore, before we start renovating the floor, let's decide what we need.

Tools and materials for working with flooring

Drill, jigsaw and screwdriver. Power tools allow you to increase the speed of installation, facilitating manual labor.
Hammer and mallet. Laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor simply cannot be done without them: hammer in the nails, knock down the laminate, tap the boards.
Level and roulette.
DVPO or plywood. Used to level floors.
Nails or screws. Necessary for attaching a wooden “screed”.
Underlay for laminate. Purchased depending on the room.

Surface work

The answer to the question: “how to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor” begins, first of all, with preparatory work, because the most important thing in this process is a high-quality wooden surface.

Most often, a floor made of boards begins to deform and bend over time, and individual elements may become loose.
To troubleshoot problems, you need to knock down all the old nails and, if necessary, use additional fasteners. As for unevenness, they can be identified using a level.

Advice!
If you want to achieve the best result, use a laser device.

Is it possible to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor that is starting to rot? Under no circumstances should you work with old and rotten surfaces - the flooring will last for several years, then it will also begin to rot and deform.

Note!
Re-installing floorboards is, of course, expensive, but you can’t leave them either. the best option It is considered to trim the existing boards and cover them with DVPO sheets: this option will significantly extend the life of the laminate.

As for removing floorboards: new boards need to sit in the room for some time to acclimatize.
It is not advisable to immediately lay them on the floor; temperature changes will begin to bend the wood, which will lead to unevenness.
In order to avoid squeaking, the floorboards are attached with self-tapping screws, not nails, this process eliminates the possibility of loosening, and therefore the appearance of unpleasant sounds.
How to properly lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor when the possibility of leveling the surfaces is excluded? – with small deviations (1-4 mm per meter), such a difference is not terrible, it can be easily corrected with a grinding machine, or laid as is, visual unevenness (1 cm per 3 meters) will not affect the floor in any way.
Differences over 4 mm can be eliminated with additional pads: plywood, fiberboard.
The use of plywood is mandatory; it replaces a concrete screed.

For your information!
There should be a gap of about 10 mm between the sheets of backing, otherwise there is a possibility of squeaking when “moving” along the floor. As shown in the photo.

As you can see, preparing a wooden floor for laminate is not a simple and labor-intensive process. But the final result depends on it, so it’s impossible to be lazy or negligent in any of the steps described above.

I would like to note that the instructions on how to prepare a wooden floor for laminate are only suitable for conditions where the operating temperature is not lower than 5 degrees, otherwise all work should be stopped until the most favorable time.

Features of laying work

Like any other material, laminate has certain nuances that should be taken into account when working with it.

In our case, we are using a wooden floor, this is possible, however, for the future, in case you have to lay flooring somewhere else: laminate planks cannot be mounted on carpet.
As we have already said, it is necessary to have a flat floor. The permissible error is 3-4 mm per 1 meter.
Having purchased a wood-look laminate, you should give it time to sit so that its surface acclimatizes to the ambient temperature, at least 2 days.

Advice! During these two days you can start preparing the surface.

It should be remembered that the underlay, which is usually sold complete with the floor covering. But if you purchased the material without film, then you should take care of it yourself.

Selecting a substrate

There are several types of materials used for laying laminate flooring.

Cork backing

Valued for its composition: it consists exclusively of natural materials, no chemical components.
Does not rot, does not spread mold.
Does not deform and retains its original appearance throughout its entire service life.

Bitumen substrate

When laying laminate flooring on wooden floors in an apartment, you can also use thick paper in combination with bitumen: this material protects the laminate from moisture and is perfect for uneven floors.

Polyethylene foam backing

The most common and affordable type of all: easy to use and inexpensive to purchase - polyurethane foam film, which insulates the room from external sounds and reduces the amount of lost heat.

There is a small drawback: if the laminate is severely deformed, the substrate is also damaged, after which it no longer returns to its original form - a void is created under the wooden planks.

How to properly lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor without underlay? – sometimes this question is asked by buyers in construction stores. Interestingly, some sellers find something to answer just to sell the product. However, remember once and for all: the floor covering cannot be laid without a backing, even if the surface is perfectly flat.

Advice from the experts
First of all, you should focus on the cost of the product; if the price is too low, then this should raise suspicion: shares are far from being charity on the part of the company, but a subtle marketing ploy, do not forget about it. Choose a product of decent quality.
All joints of the film and backing boards must be sealed with masking tape or adhesive tape to prevent moisture from entering.
Lay the film in stages, in those places where you are going to lay the laminate, so as not to walk on it and accidentally damage it.

Installing laminate flooring on a wooden floor

Here we come to the most important point, which requires attention and composure: every action will affect the final result, so be careful and strictly follow all the instructions described below.

Installing laminate flooring on a wooden floor with your own hands can be done in several ways:

Click system

The workflow starts from any corner opposite front door: around the entire perimeter, along the walls, wedges (pieces of plywood) 1 cm thick are installed.
This is necessary to create a wall gap so that the laminate can freely expand and contract later.

Reminder!

After finishing the installation work, the wedges are removed.

The very first panel is placed in a corner and pressed against the installed wedges.
We continue the row with a second panel, which joins the first at an angle of 20-30 degrees: pressing the ends tightly, using gentle pressure, click the lock and lower the laminate board.

Is it possible to lay the flooring at a right angle? With the click-system it is impossible, the lock will not be able to work and, most likely, the end part will be deformed.

We lay out the row until we hit the wall/door. The last panel is trimmed to fit the remaining gap.
The next row begins with the cut piece, this is how the checkerboard effect is created.

Note! You can cut the required amount from the new panel to create the design you want.

The length of the laminate is also snapped into an acute 30-degree angle.

Lock system

This method will answer the question of how to lay laminate flooring vertically and diagonally on a wooden floor.

The work process begins from the corner opposite the door.
The second panel is brought horizontally to the first panel (to the short end), inserted into the groove and hammered with a mallet.
Along the long end we match the already pre-assembled row to the existing panels.

Try to use a mallet or hammer with blocks, this reduces the risk of damaging the laminate.

Glued laminate

Another way that can answer the question of how to lay the flooring yourself, without special tools and skills.

There are no special notes on installation with glue, but there are some points that are worth knowing in advance.

The adhesive at the joints of the panels best isolates the base of the laminate from moisture, thereby extending the service life of the floor covering.
Before you can walk on such a floor, you must wait 10-12 hours at room temperature, without creating drafts.
It is no longer possible to reuse such a surface: when dismantling most of panels will be damaged.

The final stage

Now you know how to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor yourself, saving money on a construction crew.

But we should not forget about maintenance and care of the flooring.

Avoid getting excessive moisture at the joints of the panels.
Place something soft under the sharp corners of the legs of sofas and other interior items.
Monitor the humidity in the room: with sudden changes in temperature and increased dryness, the laminate may separate, cracks will form, which will be problematic to eliminate, and you will have to disassemble the floor.

At this point, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor is considered comprehensive; all the necessary information has been given above. For those who still have misunderstandings about the work process, we suggest watching the video: how to correctly lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor, with detailed description each stage.

One of the best solutions is to install laminate flooring over the existing floor. When moving into a home that has already been in use, the new owner is asked one of the main questions - is it possible to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor and what requirements must the base meet? Laminate flooring is assembled from small flat panels equipped with special locks to adhere to each other.

These panels are made of fibreboard with dimensions 185...195 x 1260...1380, thickness 4...8 mm, the surface of which is covered with paper with a printed pattern depicting sections of valuable wood species; there can also be drawings depicting sections facing stone. The top surface is coated with special varnishes that provide resistance to mechanical scratches and abrasion. The higher the resistance of the laminate to physical influences, the higher its cost. The service life of laminate flooring can be 15 years or more.

Preparing the base for laminate

It is quite possible to lay laminate flooring with your own hands, without resorting to the help of various craftsmen. You just need to maintain certain conditions for the base on which the laminate will be laid. The base for the laminate should be as level as possible. You can check the evenness of the old floor using a long strip, like the rule that plasterers use. If the unevenness and depressions do not exceed 3 mm, you can begin laying the laminate in the usual way. If this condition is not met, work on preparing the foundation begins. You can lay laminate flooring on a self-leveling floor; this is perhaps the most preferable option, but almost all other types of floor coverings are also suitable.

Sometimes an old plumbing room with a tiled floor needs to be adapted for other needs. If the tiles are laid correctly, without unevenness and differences, which can also be checked using a slatted rule, then it is quite acceptable to decorate the floor with laminate. If some of the tiles are missing, they can be replaced with cement-sand or gypsum mortar, followed by leveling. If the tiles are laid with large differences, it is better to completely remove them and level the base with a self-leveling self-leveling floor or expanded clay concrete screed.

Laying laminate on a base with increased deformability can lead to the fact that when exposed to concentrated forces, for example, furniture legs that have a small area but carry a significant load, the panels can bend with the locking joints opening and the side edges chipped, sometimes simply breaking in the transverse direction . Therefore, it is not recommended to lay laminate flooring on polystyrene foam or carpet.

You can lay laminate on linoleum that was once laid on the old floor. To do this, the linoleum must be in satisfactory condition, without severely damaged or missing areas, then it can be left as part of the leveling base for the laminate. This does not apply to types of old linoleum that must be removed, such as those made with reinforcement with burlap, cardboard, or with a thick insulating felt base.

Laminate and old wood or parquet floors

Sometimes property owners puzzle themselves with questions: is it possible to lay laminate flooring on parquet and wooden floors? Wooden floors, when properly maintained, can last a long time, requiring minor repairs and maintenance of their external surface. However, sometimes the floors are in such a state that nothing can be done about them.

These can be floors with dried out floorboards, with peeling colorful multi-layer coating, parquet floors - swollen or those that have been rubbed with wax-containing mastics for many decades (there was such a profession not so long ago - floor polisher), they can no longer be cleaned or covered with modern varnish coatings. There may still be cases when old floors do not fit into fashionable interior new home. We have to look for ways to bring the floors into proper condition, suitable for further use, at the lowest cost.

On video: laying laminate flooring on an old wooden floor.

Defects in old wooden floors

Due to uneven shrinkage, the floorboards of the old floor form ledges between themselves, the height of which exceeds 3 mm. Such places should be removed manually or mechanically.
The old floor has increased instability, that is, “walks,” the reason is most likely the looseness of the nail connections with the joists (joists are square or rectangular cross-section beams laid on load-bearing beams or floor slabs, to which the floorboards are nailed). How to fix it - determine the location of the joists by the rows of nails in the floor boards and screw in long (up to 100 mm) self-tapping wood screws next to the nails.
In extreme cases, wooden ceiling and floor structures in the invisible part may be susceptible to fungus, mold, and rot. Such defects cannot be identified and eliminated without completely dismantling the old floor (the choice of solution always remains with the owner of the premises). If there are reasons to believe that they have also appeared on the outer (visible) surface, the floor is subject to unconditional disassembly and repair of the underlying structures.
The floor boards have a wavy surface due to warping; it is better to putty and sand such places.
Old parquet has local swelling from prolonged exposure to water or is missing part of the parquet altogether. The swollen parquet flooring must be removed, and the remaining depressions, having previously sealed the seams, should be filled with a composition similar to polymer compositions for self-leveling floors. Cement-sand and gypsum mortars cannot be used, since the water they contain will lead to swelling, warping and swelling of neighboring elements.
The creaking of old parquet. It is eliminated with the help of long self-tapping screws, they are used to press the creaking parquet flooring to the underlying base.

There are many ways to level a wooden or parquet floor under a laminate if the differences in height of the old floor are insignificant. For example, lay laminate flooring on old parquet or an old wooden floor using fibreboard (Fiberboard), particleboard (chipboard) or, better yet, plywood as a backing. True, this will require additional material costs, in addition, special treatment with hydrophobic compounds, fire retardants and antiseptics will be required.

Laying laminate

Everything is quite simple. First, the required number of panels is calculated, then, knowing the area of the room and the area of one panel, their exact number is determined. The margin must be taken at least 10%, since some of the panels will be cut off. For the topmost layer of the substrate, from 3 to 5 mm thick, on which the panels will be directly laid, foamed polyethylene, produced in rolls 105 mm wide, is most often used.

This substrate is required, as it performs important functions - sound insulation, additional smoothing of base irregularities, moisture protection of the lower surfaces of the panels. Roll out the substrate perpendicular to the laying of the laminate sheets end-to-end without overlap, avoiding wrinkles and waviness. A gap of at least 50 mm should be left between the walls and the covering, so that in the event of possible deformation expansion, the laminate boards do not rest against the wall and do not swell. Laying is carried out in such a way that the transverse seams of adjacent sheets do not line up in a straight line. To do this, the end panels are cut to the required size.

If communications, for example, heating risers, are introduced into the room through the floor, a hole of the desired shape is cut out in the laminate sheets using a jigsaw, and the gap must be at least 20 mm. This gap can be closed with a special overlay after laying the laminate. It is better to use plastic skirting boards, with a color matched to the tone of the main coating.

Tips for installing laminate flooring on old wood floors (2 videos)

From the author: Hello, dear reader. Do you have a wooden floor and have you decided to install laminated boards on it? Is it possible to do this? Of course you can. And even necessary. Wood is an ideal base for laying such flooring. But everything has its own nuances. If you don't follow certain rules, then the floors may soon have to be replaced again. So, today we will talk about what it means to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor, and how to do it correctly.

Why a wooden base?

Everything is simple here. Wood, for all its advantages (strength, environmental friendliness, etc.), has one more important property. Under the influence of changes in the percentage of humidity and temperature, it can either increase or contract. Of course, this cannot be seen with the naked eye, but when working with the material it is necessary to take this into account.

Since laminated boards are a “floating” type of floor covering (i.e., not secured by anything - there is no need to secure it!), it does not prevent the floor boards from changing their size. And since the laminate also contains wood, it is also sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity percentage. A wooden floor will also not prevent the coating from changing sizes. It turns out to be a complete idyll.

For residential premises there are usually 31–32 classes labeled AC3 and AC4 respectively. In the kitchen or hallway, that is, in those places where moisture can get on the surface, it is recommended to lay a material made using HDF. Some types of such covering can even be laid in the bathroom.

After you have bought the boards and returned home inspired with your purchase, you should not rush to install it. Allow the material to acclimatize - “get used” to the temperature and humidity in the room. To do this, leave it there for about two days. Only then start styling.

Preparing the base for installation

Everyone knows that any flooring should be laid only on a flat surface. Therefore, if you are thinking about how to install boards on an uneven wooden floor, you will have to forget about it. Only a flat base will do. According to the standard, differences should not be more than 2 mm per 2 m². In this case, the slope should be distributed over 2 m, at least, and be no more than 4 mm.

If these indicators are exceeded, be prepared for the fact that the new flooring will become unusable within a couple of years. The laminated boards themselves are quite durable, but if the operating rules are violated, they quickly become unusable. This must be taken into account.

Here is another important fact about the strength of laminated boards: the strength of the base determines the class (31, 32, maybe even 33). And the AC indicator speaks about wear resistance. Not all consumers know about this, so some “enterprising” manufacturers take advantage of it. Especially from China.

Source: http://masterskayapola.ru

For example, on the packaging they can write: “Class 33,” but the AC indicator will be the same as that of class 32 or 31, i.e. AC3–AC4. In other words, it's effectively a 31 or 32 grade, but with a slightly stronger base. Be sure to pay attention to the presence of the AC indicator when purchasing.

Let's prepare the base. At first glance, it may seem that everything is fine with the floor. But this is deceptive. The rule “trust, but verify” has not been canceled. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully inspect the floor and underground space.

And for this it would be good, neither more nor less, to disassemble it and check the logs, and at the same time each of the boards. In general, you can check the floorboards simply by tapping them with a hammer. If you hear a dull sound, then most likely it is rotten. If the heads of the nails that secure it are rusty, the same thing. You need to get rid of such boards without regret.

If the work is carried out in a city apartment, then there will be an old one under the floor. You may find cracks on it that need to be repaired. In particularly advanced cases, a new screed is generally poured.

You can, of course, do something more radical. For example, completely remove wooden structure and pour a solid concrete floor. But this is a slightly different area, because now we are talking about the reconstruction of a wooden floor.

If renovations are being carried out in a private home, most likely you have a high underground. This is cool! You don't have to disassemble the entire floor, but check it from underneath. In this case, carefully inspect the logs. Take a long-pointed awl and pierce it along its entire length to identify rotten areas. If one is found, it must be cut out and replaced with a new piece. By the way, it must be treated with an antiseptic.

All floorboards must be securely fixed. Usually they are simply nailed, but for more reliable fixation you need to use self-tapping screws. In this case, their caps should be “recessed” into the wood by a couple of millimeters. Old boards that are in good condition are best turned face down and fixed in this position. At the same time, do not forget to use a building level at all stages of work.

Now you can eliminate minor unevenness using a sanding machine. The gaps between the boards can (and even should) be filled with polyurethane foam or covered with wood glue mixed with wood shavings in a one to one ratio. Keep in mind that before laying laminated boards on a wooden base, you need to make sure that it is level and strong enough. No floorboard should squeak or sag.

Sometimes the optimal solution is to level the surface using OSB. It is quite durable and environmentally friendly pure material- something between chipboard and plywood. If you decide to use it, be sure to leave a distance of approximately 3 mm between the plates and ±12 mm from the walls.

But you need to take into account that in this case the floor level will rise, therefore, the ceiling will become lower. Therefore, in rooms with low ceilings it is worth considering whether OSB should be used.

In addition to using OSB, there is another solution. You can lay new boards of the same thickness on top of the old boards. They must be laid “in a cross”, that is, perpendicular to the old floorboards. But it will likely take even more away from the ceiling height than OSB. Although this will reliably “strengthen” your floor.

Now I will tell you how to lay flooring correctly. Do not forget to thoroughly clean the surface of small debris before installation. To do this, use a vacuum cleaner.

Laying process

When laying, do not forget about the backing. It cannot be laid under linoleum, but it must be laid under laminated boards. Here are some of the functions that the substrate performs:

sound insulation;
thermal insulation;
leveling minor surface imperfections.

In addition, it helps preserve the flooring itself. You can't skimp on the substrate. Forget about cheap roll backing, which is usually sold by the meter. Over the course of several years of use, laminate boards will simply be destroyed, after which they themselves will become unusable.

: , polystyrene foam, coniferous. Please note that it is not required to be fixed to the walls or floor. However, like the coating itself. You can only grab it at the joints with masking tape. And then, this is not necessary.

First, let's install the spacers, since the coating can be installed correctly only by maintaining the expansion gap. What it is? We have already said that as humidity and temperature change, wood can expand and contract. So, this is, roughly speaking, a gap between the wall and the floor covering, which is needed so that the material has somewhere to “grow”. Otherwise, the joints may acquire an Λ-shape, which is extremely undesirable.

Laminate - popular flooring, not too difficult to install.

But its installation on different surfaces has its own nuances; the easiest way is to lay laminate flooring on a concrete base, but often there is a need to lay a new laminate flooring over wooden floors.

Strengthening and leveling the base

A mandatory requirement for the base for laying laminate flooring is smooth, durable surface(according to old SNiP, a height difference of no more than 2 mm per 2 m is allowed, according to the instructions of a number of manufacturers - up to 3 mm per 1 m).

But the surface of plank wooden floors, especially old ones, is far from perfect; the boards wear unevenly and become deformed.

Another problem with floors laid on joists apartment buildings more than 20 years ago - lack of fixation to the concrete base, causing deformation and creaking of the floorboards. Preparatory work may include the following steps:

strengthening, fixing lags;
leveling the wooden base;
cleaning the base from debris;
laying the substrate.

So that fix the logs, you need to determine their location (to do this, you can remove one of the boards, use a strong magnet or a probe inserted through a hole drilled in the board) and drill holes along the entire length in increments of up to half a meter from the floorboard to concrete base, insert anchor bolts into them and tighten.

Heavily worn, deformed, rotten boards (parquet fragments) needs to be replaced. A floor that is completely worn out and has lost its strength cannot serve as a foundation.

Height changes are identified with the help of the rights pressed to the floor And la or level. The leveling technique depends on the nature and size of the irregularities.

Roughness up to 5 mm can be removed using a sander; for more serious irregularities, an electric planer is required.

If the floors have a slope along the entire length (width) of more than 2%, that is, the height difference exceeds 4 mm by 2 m, and 5 cm on the scale of the room, you will have to disassemble the floor and change the thickness of the support beam by placing and fixing the slats.

Leveled surface again checked by level, rule.

Most effective method eliminate height differences and at the same time strengthen the foundation, more rigidly connect the boards to each other - lay sheets of plywood 10-12 mm thick or chipboards on top of them.

Plates or sheets are laid with a gap of 3-5 mm from each other and 10 mm from the walls to compensate for possible expansion, fixed with self-tapping screws in increments of 1 m, and caps need to be recessed.

Laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor without plywood

Plywood performs several functions:

binds the boards together, eliminating sagging and creaking, strengthening the base;
allows you to equalize height differences;
plays the role of a substrate that provides additional heat and sound insulation.

If these problems are absent or the problems are solved in a different way (the joists are fixed, their uniform thickness is achieved using slats, minor irregularities are eliminated by grinding), it is quite possible do without plywood.

Cork backing will be the best alternative to plywood.

Underlay for laminate

Before laying the underlayment, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the floors of debris, especially if previous work has been carried out. grinding work.

It is best to use a vacuum cleaner. Most affordable foamed polypropylene backing, natural cork is more expensive, but has better performance characteristics.

The optimal thickness is 3 mm.

The substrate is laid along a long wall, strips connected end to end using adhesive tape.

DIY laminate installation

For laying on a wooden floor, it is better to use a laminate with a thickness of 8 mm or more. Click type lock(collapsible), it is more expensive, but less demanding on the quality of the base and more durable. Before installation, the unpacked laminate must lie in the room for at least two days.

It is better to entrust installation in a diagonal manner to professionals; it is more complicated and requires more material. And here rectangular installation simpler and more economical.

When calculating the amount of material, you need to multiply the length of the room by the width, not forgetting about the various niches, and add 10% to the resulting number (for the diagonal method - 20%).

An important nuance when calculating: the layout must be done so that the length of the outer panel is at least 30 cm, and the width of the last row is at least 5 cm.

The first laminate panel is laid along the wall, which is closer to the window, so that the light falls along the joints. Between any wall and the laminate should remain a gap 10-15 mm, it is provided with the help of wedges.

When installing the first row of panels, the ends are joined, the last is cut off. The next row can be laid offset by half or a third of the panel length.

The next row is brought to the already laid one at an angle of 45⁰, and the Click lock snaps into place, and the panels with the tongue-and-groove lock are slightly tapped with a hammer for connection.