How the laminate is laid on the concrete floor

Many people know that a popular laminate today can be spread over almost any rough floor, but are they aware that the process can be completely different? Of course, laying the laminate on the concrete floor in its essence does not differ from that on the wooden base. But the draft base is prepared in these ways in different ways.

By the way, if the above-mentioned concrete acts as such, then the matter is greatly complicated. The fact is that the concrete before laying should not only be completely dry, but also be distinguished by a perfectly flat surface and the absence of any serious defects.

Otherwise, smooth and pleasant to the eye of the surface of the floor covering, you just will not work. In addition, laying the laminate on a concrete floor of poor quality will inevitably lead to the fact that the key connections of the plates break, after which the appearance of the laminate will finally deteriorate.

Thus, before you start work, you will have to at least carry out a cosmetic repair. It is necessary to completely remove potholes and cracks, if necessary, sealing them with mortar. In addition, it will not hurt to check the floor for evenness, correcting the shortcomings with the same concrete and constantly checking with the building level.

After this, you need to be patient and wait until the new concrete in place of the patches completely dry. This will take at least a week, and rush the event in any case not worth it! And only after this begins the laying of the laminate on the concrete floor.

It should be noted that in this case you can not do without a vapor barrier. The fact is that concrete contains a large amount of unbound water, which in time will evaporate from it, impregnating the floor covering. For a laminate, this property of this basis is simply disastrous, as it begins to swell quickly, crack and quickly lose all its decorative properties. Even the use of water resistant varieties does not help. Therefore, the laminate can not be laid on a concrete floor without a high-quality vapor barrier.

Of course, in an ideal case, films specially produced by the industry for this purpose are used, but ordinary polyethylene (of normal thickness) will also be suitable. It is laid overlapping, fastening the edges with glue or special "ironing", welding the strips with each other. After that, put the substrate on the floor. Please note that the floor difference when laying the laminate can not exceed 3-4 mm maximum, so when using the work, do not forget to use the level. At the wall level, the film is also attached to the glue. Do not forget to leave time for it to dry out!

And only then begins the installation of the flooring itself. Begin from the walls, placing the material panels perpendicular to the windows (so less visible seams). It is necessary to carefully maintain the gap from the last plate to the wall (at least 5 mm), since this floor covering is prone to expansion. You can use both glue and simple lock connection.

As you can see, laying floors from laminate to concrete has not so many nuances.