How to properly lay laminate

Laminate is made in the form of panels, which are sheets 1-1.5 meters long, 0.2 m wide and 6-11 millimeters thick. To connect the panels to each other, special locks are placed on the perimeter of the panel. The basis of the laminate is a dense layer of fiberboard, protected by special paper impregnated with resins. The top is applied to the coating, which forms the texture and color. The top layer is a protective film.

How to properly lay laminate? All work must begin with the preparation of the foundation. After buying a laminate, you need time to adapt the coating to the conditions of the room. It usually takes several days for the laminate to conform to the temperature and humidity of the room. At this time, the base is prepared.

Preparation begins with a preliminary evaluation of the surface. Laminate can be laid only on a firm and level surface. Usually the laying is done on a concrete or wooden base.

How to properly lay the laminate on concrete? If you are laying on a concrete base, you first need to check the surface level if there is a difference of more than 3 millimeters on an area of 2 square meters. Meter, then you need to level the surface with a screed. The easiest way is to buy a self-leveling screed and use it to align.

How correctly to lay a laminate on a wooden floor? If it is decided to lay the laminate on a wooden floor, you should first check the absence of deflections and horizontality. Deflections are eliminated by replacing the corresponding elements or reinforcing them. The horizontality is checked using the level. Level differences are allowed up to 3 millimeters on an area of 2x2 meters. If the difference is greater than the specified value, it is necessary to eliminate it by means of a grinding machine .

After leveling the surface, the next stage of the work is hydro and thermal insulation. For waterproofing the base is covered with a special coating. The simplest way of waterproofing is polyethylene. The sheets of film are laid perpendicularly to the direction in which the laminate is to be laid, with an overlap of at least 20 centimeters.

For the thermal insulation of the floor when laying a laminate on a concrete base, plywood sheets are usually used, but other heat-insulating materials can be used.

How correctly to lay a laminate in view of a direction of stacking? The direction of laying the laminate should coincide with the direction of the incident light from the windows. Otherwise, shadows will appear on the joints of the panels. There is no big harm in this, only the appearance of the coating will worsen.

The technology of laying depends on the type of connections of the laminate panels. The connection is usually made using locks. Locks can be of two types: locking locks - "Lock" or collapsible - "Click".

How correctly to lay a laminate equipped with locks «Lock»? Lock "Lock" assumes that the spikes of one panel go into the groove of the other. Panels are stacked strictly horizontally and with the help of a wooden hammer gently podbivayutsya to complete docking. Preliminary it is necessary to calculate the width of the panel of the last row. If the width of the last board is small (less than 5.0 cm), then it is more correct to make the cutting of the first and last panel. Panels should be staggered starting from the left corner of the room. Chess order will ensure a uniform load throughout the floor area.

How correctly to lay a laminate equipped with locks «Click»? Click locks are self-locking, you just need to insert one panel at a 45-degree angle and snap the lock, moving the panel to the horizontal position. Nothing to beat, as in the first case, it is not necessary. Beforehand, it is also necessary to calculate the width of the last row of boards.

It is very important for any method of laying to observe the necessary clearance between the panels and the wall. The gap is necessary to provide compensation for thermal expansion. If the gap is insufficient, then in the process of thermal expansion, the panels may become distorted. The width of the gap is calculated from the condition of 1.5 mm per one meter of length.