How to install laminate flooring on wood floor. How to lay laminate flooring on wood flooring. Mounting tools

Putting a laminate on a wooden floor will help you in my article, which describes all the features and methods in detail.

Laminate- Modern flooring. Distinguished by practicality and aesthetics, it has become especially in demand in last years. Now the skills of laying laminated panels are owned not only by masters, but also by amateurs doing repairs on their own.

Laminate can be placed on any surface. However, many people have a question about how to properly put it on a wooden floor, what technology should be followed. On this occasion, on the Internet you can find practical advice, Photo and video. On them, the masters share their experience with a fashionable coating and the secrets of its use for construction purposes.

To put a laminate on a wooden floor, you should make sure the quality of the latter. For this, a study of the boards for safety is carried out. The most common defects are:

deflection of boards under weight;
gaps between individual parts;
deformation of the floorboards, their curvature;
damage from moisture, fungus or pests.

It is especially important to eliminate any differences in the height of the base, bulges and indentations. You can not put a laminate on. In the video, the masters show how to eliminate this defect using a grinder or planer.

Professional tool can

Video how to put laminate on a wooden floor

Floorboards can creak for two reasons:

poor fixation of boards on rough flooring or logs;
friction between individual elements.

In the first case, the products are attached to the crossbars with screws or nails. In the second, with minor cracks, graphite, talc are added and the resulting gaps are sealed with putty.

To find out the condition of a wooden floor, it is recommended to remove a layer of paint and expose the structure of the tree. Rotten and decayed floorboards are checked with an awl or tapped with a hammer. If such parts are found, they are carefully removed and replaced with boards of the same thickness and width, driving them into the resulting gap.

If the floor boards are in good condition, but gaps have formed between them, the wooden floor is hammered together. The distance that occurs between the flooring and the wall is clogged with a piece of board. Instead of hammering, thin bars are inserted into the slots and driven in with a mallet. Then they must pass along the floor with a grinder so that the uneven floor turns into a smooth surface.

For the purpose of prevention, the floorboards cleaned from paint are recommended to be impregnated with an antiseptic against fungus and mold and with some kind of bioprotective compound against wood insects.

Leveling a wooden floor

The biggest problem with laying laminate flooring is. Height differences between the boards should not exceed 2 mm per 1 sq.m. With insignificant indicators, use a grinder or planer. They pass over the entire surface, periodically checking the condition of the floor using a level or a wooden plank and spirit level

If the wooden floor is too uneven use plywood, OSB or chipboard. This method is ideal for creating a base base for laminate flooring. V Lately OSB is actively replacing plywood from the construction industry. In terms of quality, these are similar materials, but OSB products are preferable, since

easily processed;
have good strength;
do not exfoliate under mechanical influence;
moisture resistant, do not warp from water and fumes;
have elasticity;
are cheaper than plywood;
have winning dimensions.

Today, OSB boards are one of the best materials for under a laminate. The canvases are fully compatible with other wooden parts, rough flooring.

OSB is used as a substrate for laminate flooring. The choice of dimensions of this material depends on the thickness of the main coating. For a laminate of 7 mm, plates of 2 mm are laid, 8-9 mm - OSB of 3 mm. If you put the base under a laminate of thicker sheets, they may sag during further use. This will adversely affect the locking joints: they will deform and break.

Osb-plates are screwed with self-tapping screws or nailed with nails of suitable length to logs or draft boards. The distance between them is determined by the size of the canvas. Usually the step from one fastener to another is 20-25 cm. this procedure can be seen on a special video.

You can not put the plates under the laminate tightly pressing against each other. It is important to leave a technical gap of 5 mm. Subsequently, it is covered with epoxy putty or filled with mounting foam.

Watching a video on preparing the base for a laminate, you should pay attention to the waterproofing device. It must be laid under the OSB boards in order to avoid the accumulation of condensate, the formation of high humidity and damage to wooden products in the future.

So, with the help of plywood or OSB boards, you can turn even a very uneven wooden floor into an ideal surface for a laminate, the main thing is to put everything right.

Laminate Features

Laminated boards (lamellas) are multilayer products. They are based on a fiberboard or chipboard panel. It is he who provides the entire floor with strength and reliability in operation.

Aesthetics of the coating is given by a decorative layer consisting of paper impregnated with special resins made from artificial components. At the bottom of the laminate panel has a protective waterproof layer - melamine. It provides rigidity to products and saves them from deformation.

Laminated boards have different thickness, from 6 to 14 mm. When choosing a laminate in rooms with different functionality, you should be guided by the fact that thick panels are more resistant to abrasion and durable in use. They are placed in living rooms, hallways and rooms with high traffic. Such panels have excellent sound-absorbing properties. Thick boards are easier to lay than thin boards. Therefore, it is better for beginners to train on such products.

Laminated boards are interconnected with the help of special locks. They are of two types - Click and Lock. Click lock is more practical. It is difficult to break or damage. When the spike enters the groove, the latter does not expand. Laminate with such a lock is combined at an angle of 45 degrees, slightly swayed and gently, with little effort, press the panel to the floor.

In the Lock-lock, when the spike of one product enters the groove of another, it expands. If the procedure is not carried out carefully, you can damage the thin joint and ruin the laminate panel.

In order to correctly combine and put the laminate boards together and not leave gaps, the products are tapped along the entire length with a mallet. It is important not to damage the lock. Therefore, a wooden rail and a piece of an unusable panel are used.

The laminate will be more pliable and will become better connected if it is brought into the room where it will be laid in advance, about a day before installation.

How to lay laminate flooring

Laminate finish is a floating structure. It can contract and expand. Therefore, before laying, it is important to provide a gap of 7-10 mm between the wall and the floor. To make it the same, use strips of equal thickness. They are installed along the walls and slightly fixed. At the end of the work, they are carefully removed.

Substrate

Next, you should put a substrate on the wooden floor. It is sold in rolls and sheets, is made from synthetic or natural ingredients, acts as an excellent waterproofing layer for laminate flooring, and can fix uneven floors that have minor imperfections. When choosing a substrate, they are guided by the price and quality of products. Natural cork sheets are most preferred. However, they are expensive.

The substrate is laid along the wall at first in one row. Do not cover the entire wooden floor at once: it will be more difficult to work with the boards. Segments of the substrate sheets are glued with adhesive tape.

Laying boards

Lamellas can be placed in different ways:

"on the run";
diagonally;
"herringbone";
through 2 lanes.

For beginners in the construction business, it is better to choose a simple “runaway” method. It is as follows:

Lay the first row of laminate along the wall opposite the entrance, starting from the inner corner from the window.
In the second row, the first board will be a segment in half of the product. The other half will complete this row.
Next comes the alternation of solid boards and segments at the beginning of the row.
In the last row, it may turn out that the solid board is wider than necessary. In this case, it is cut along using a jigsaw. The cut should be adjacent to the wall, and the lock should be connected to the previous board. When cutting the panel, it is important to be careful not to split the laminate. It should be measured and cut as evenly as possible.

This method allows to give the greatest strength wooden floor. Laminate panels do not diverge and hold tightly to each other. It is more economical and simpler than, for example, a herringbone. Both ways of laying laminate on a wooden floor can be seen in the video. But in order to lay the lamellas in the second way, you need to master a special technique for working with material and tools.

When laying laminate on a wooden plank floor, there is a danger that the joints of the boards and panels will coincide. And this is undesirable. In this case, it is worth choosing a diagonal way to install the laminate. The laying angle may be different. The advantage of this method of mounting lamellas is that it allows you to visually break up the space and visually enlarge it. This method is described in detail and captured on video.

Upon completion of the work, the planks are removed from the walls and the skirting boards are fixed. They complete the overall composition and mask the gap between the wall and the floor. They are purchased in the color of the coating. Plastic products with a notch, a cable channel are now popular. Mobile or stationary wires are laid in it.

Laminate flooring video

Laminate: laying on an old wooden base

The technology of laying laminated boards on the floors was mastered not only by professional builders, but also by amateurs who make repairs with their own hands. It is not difficult to carry out these works: modern flooring is easy to install and practical to use. However, questions often arise whether it is possible to lay a laminate on an old wooden base and how to do it correctly.

Work on laying "puff", wooden boards as a finish coating consists of two stages: preliminary and main. On the first one, the research and preparation of the base is carried out, on the second, the actual laying of the boards. In case the basis is old wood floor, spend more thorough check all structural elements. This will allow you to avoid many troubles associated with the operation of the coating in the future.

Wooden base preparation

Can be a great base for laminate flooring . Both materials have natural origin and perfectly harmonize with each other. This combination provides warmth and comfort of the coating. Therefore, there is nothing better than putting “puff” boards on old wood products.

At the stage of preliminary work, the plank base is carefully examined, the degree of safety of the material, the presence of defects and damages are checked. Depending on this, further work is performed.

Troubleshooting an old wood floor

If the floorboards are strongly dispersed, wide gaps are observed, they must be hammered together or fill the resulting gaps

wooden dies, specially cut to the size of the hole formed;
putty;
bundles impregnated with glue;
sealant;
mounting foam.

After the materials have dried, the protruding fragments are cleaned.

If the old, wooden floor is relatively well preserved, but minor defects are noticeable, they are eliminated in an accessible way:

small cracks and chips in the floor are puttied or filled with sealant;
protruding nail heads are driven flush;
wooden boards are sanded with a special machine or sandpaper.

In most cases, the old wooden floor is covered with paint. You don't need to take it off specifically. It is enough to remove the exfoliated fragments. After the grinder, it is recommended to prime the boards or soak them with an antiseptic for greater reliability.

Sometimes an old plank floor is so bad that it needs to be completely replaced. In this case, a full range of measures is taken to create a new foundation.

Leveling an old wood floor

In order for the laying of the laminate on the old wooden floor to go smoothly and the coating lay flat, the base should not have height differences. All wooden floorboards must lie on the same level. The protruding fragments are cut off with a planer and smoothed with sandpaper or a grinder.

To speed up the installation process of the flooring, the old wooden floor is leveled with sheets of plywood or DSP. They are put "in a run", fastened with screws or glued to a special compound. If necessary, two layers of leveling material such as plywood can be applied. This is a very reliable way to create the perfect base that is required for laying laminate flooring.

Substrate on the old floor

Before laying the laminate on the old floor, create a layer of hydro and sound insulation.

Polyethylene film does a good job of protecting against moisture. It is spread around the perimeter of the room. The strips are overlapped and fastened with adhesive tape so that they do not diverge. The edges should protrude onto the walls.
Then they “throw” any soundproofing material: old linoleum, turf, polyurethane or cork cloth. On the market, you can choose an affordable product that will protect the room from noise and extraneous sounds.

Such a multi-layer construction will be an excellent support for laminated boards and will protect the old wooden floor from rotting. Although you can do without it.

Main work: laying laminate on the old floor

Options

From an aesthetic point of view laminate- excellent flooring. The pattern of natural wood creates coziness and warmth of the living space. It is unobtrusive and pleasing to the eye, in perfect harmony with furniture and other interior items.

There are three options for laying panels:

simple: boards are laid like ordinary floorboards strictly in one line;
parquet(herringbone): parts are placed at an angle to each other;
diagonal: laminated products lie at an angle of 45 degrees to the wall. This is the most original way of arranging panels. But it is the most expensive, since with such laying, the consumption of the laminate is halved. This should be taken into account when buying products in the store.

Do-it-yourself non-professionals should start laying the floor with a simple installation. Diagonal and parquet pattern requires a certain skill and tool skills. This is hard and long work.

Ways

At the stage of buying a laminate, it is important to decide on the method of laying it. There are two of them:

adhesive;
castle.

The first method involves the use of a special adhesive. It takes a lot of time to complete construction work. Then it takes a certain period for the product to dry. This increases the time of the beginning of the operation of the floor. However, this method is considered the highest quality, and the coating with it lasts longer.

Most often resort to the castle method. Each laminated board is equipped with a system of fasteners, which are combined during laying, snap into place and securely fix the products to each other. Laying the laminate this method significantly reduces installation time, and the floor can be walked on immediately after completion of work.

Laminate is laid on an old wooden floor with both methods. With the adhesive method of fastening, you can not use the substrate. The composition is evenly distributed and further serves as a natural shock absorber.

Tools

Installing laminate flooring on an old hardwood floor requires a simple set of tools and fixtures. It includes:

plastic or wooden plate;
mallet (rubber mallet);
measuring tools: tape measure, square;
small wooden wedges to insert between the wall and planks;
sharp knife for opening packages;
jigsaw or hacksaw.

Laminate laying technology

Laminate start laying from the window from the left corner. The grooves of the boards should be directed towards the wall, the ridges outward.
Stepping back from the wall 10-15 mm, put a wooden plate, which will create a uniform gap between the wall surface and the coating. At the end of the work, it is taken out, the gap is sealed with sealant and closed with a plinth. This gap is necessary, since the laminate is a movable product, which will narrow and expand during operation, it needs “space”. Otherwise, the boards will break.
First, the first row is laid along the entire wall, fastening the laminated panels with a lock. The last board may be longer than necessary. It is cut with a jigsaw or hacksaw to the desired size.
The remaining trim can be used when laying the second row, starting from it. In this case, the vertical joints of the panels will be additionally fastened with the long side of the board.
Combining the comb and groove of the products, you should be extremely careful not to break the thin contour and not violate the integrity of the panels.
The boards of the second row are first fastened in width, and then attached to the first row along the entire length of the room. The entire strip is gently lifted at an angle of 35-40 degrees and lowered to a characteristic click.
In order for the boards to lie tightly and not to form a gap between them, a mallet is used. She knocks together details with light movements.
Further, laying the laminate on a wooden floor is carried out according to an established scheme.
In the last row, it may turn out that the width of the boards is greater than necessary. Then measure the length to the wall and transfer the parameters to the wrong side of the laminated part. Along the resulting line, the board is cut along, keeping the ridge, which will need to be aligned with the groove of the previous row. These actions are performed with all products intended for laying in the last coating line.

If all the measures for laying the laminate with your own hands are carried out in accordance with the requirements of the technology, then with proper operation, the coating will last for many years. A smooth, old, wooden floor as a base for the finishing canvas contributes to the good preservation of the "puff" products. On such a floor will be warm and comfortable.

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Do-it-yourself wooden floor under the laminate
Laying tiles on a wooden floor: technology and its features

When repairing a house or apartment, one of the main problems is flooring. Replacing it is one of the hardest jobs. This is especially true for wooden bases. In a house whose walls are made of wood, or in apartments of an old building, wooden floors are often found along the logs. Such flooring can raise a lot of questions, one of which is whether it is possible to lay a laminate on a rough wooden floor.

Foundation Requirements

The question posed can be answered in the affirmative. A base with wood flooring can serve as a rough surface for a laminate, but certain conditions must be met, which are dictated based on the characteristics of the finishing coating:

The integrity of the flooring, the absence of cracks and potholes, there should not be areas where boards are missed or stacked with a run.
No big elevation changes. If there are serious irregularities, there is a possibility of damage to the connecting element of the laminate. The fastening of individual boards is carried out according to the groove-thorn system, and with significant deviations of the base from the horizontal, the thorn may simply break, the floor covering will cease to be a solid surface, and there will be a need for repair work. The maximum possible vertical difference is 2 mm per meter of length.
Foundation strength. The flooring must not include damaged elements. It is also important that the joists are in good condition. All parts of the structure must be securely fixed: when the boards move relative to each other, such an unpleasant phenomenon as creaky floors occurs.
No damage. Laminate flooring should only be installed on a wooden floor that is not damaged by fungus, mold, rot or other micro-organisms. It is important that the wood is of normal moisture content, since the increased water content - ideal conditions for the development of destructive organic matter.

When all these requirements are met, you can not worry about the safety and service life of the floor covering.

Inspection of the base before starting work

Before laying a laminate on a wooden floor, you need to assess its condition. You can do it following these guidelines:

First, the draft floor is visually inspected. It is necessary to make sure not only the safety of the flooring, but also the log under it. The boards may be fine, but the destruction of the support bars will eventually cause the floor to warp, squeak and sag. Piece materials can only be laid on a stable base that is in good condition. It is best to remove a few floorboards for inspection and make sure that there is no moisture or rot underneath.
After visual inspection, tools are used to measure the horizontalness of the deck. The laser level will become the most accurate device, but its high cost and the need for special skills during operation do not allow the device to be used for self-repair. Available options will be hydraulic and bubble levels. The first one is easy to make on your own, but working with it is quite laborious. You can buy a bubble level at any hardware store. The price depends on the length of the case and averages several thousand rubles. To lay a laminate on a wooden floor, a level 1-2 meters long will be enough. The simplest and most accessible tool is the rule. This is a long rail made of wood or a metal profile. It is important that during the manufacture the accuracy of geometric dimensions (parallelism of faces, degree measure of angles) be observed. Also, to work with the rule, you will need a ruler, which will measure deviations from the horizontal.

After completing the research, you can proceed to further work. If the rough coating meets all the above requirements, then you can put the laminate on the wooden floor immediately after it has been treated with antiseptic compounds. They are needed to protect the material from damage by fungus and mold. Fire resistance can also be improved by treating with fire retardants.

If the base does not meet the requirements, then it is possible to lay the laminate on the wooden floor only after it has been leveled and strengthened.

Troubleshooting work

It all depends on the extent of the damage. There are several main groups depending on the complexity of the problem:

the base is in good condition, the irregularities are 1-2 mm, there are no cracks and gaps;
the base is in good condition, there are no cracks, unevenness is not more than 5 mm;
height difference exceeds 5 mm, there are gaps or potholes, the width of which is less than 5 cm, boards and logs are in good condition;
boards and logs are damaged, there are serious defects in the elements.

In case of severe damage to the floor, it is completely replaced

In the latter case, there is only one way out - replacing the subfloor. In this case, it is worth considering the degree of damage. Sometimes only the flooring needs to be replaced, and the logs remain in good condition. In another situation, the support bars are also damaged. If you need to replace the entire rough pie, you should think about using a cement-sand screed as a base. This is true only for multi-apartment stone houses, the floors of which were originally made of wood. With a wooden structure of the building, it is better not to overload the floors with a heavy screed.

Having determined the degree of the problem, you can begin to eliminate it, and then lay the laminate on the wooden floor.

Irregularities 1-2 mm

The following measures will help to eliminate such differences:

laying a substrate made of elastic materials, the thickness of which is taken within 2-5 mm (when using a laminate board with a thickness of 8-10 mm, thicker substrates up to 10 mm are used, the choice depends on the final floor covering);
leveling compounds;
laying cement screed;
scraping (removal of the top layer of wood with a special machine).

All these methods will not require serious financial and labor costs. It is only important to remember that when using cement, further work can only be started after it has solidified. Strengthening can take an average of 2-4 weeks.

For self-leveling mixtures, there is also a drying period, but it is several days.

Irregularities up to 5 mm

Here, screeds from various materials can also be used. Scraping should be used with caution. it is important to control that the thickness of the removed layer does not greatly reduce the bearing capacity of the flooring. The minimum cross-section of the subfloor boards depends on the lag step of the expected load from furniture and equipment. As an average value, boards with a thickness of 32 mm can be given. It is important that after cycling the thickness of the element satisfies the requirements.

Irregularities more than 5 mm

Plywood will help to strengthen and level such a floor. Use sheets with a thickness of 14-22 mm. The method of fixing on the base depends on the height difference:

for irregularities less than 1 cm - on glue and self-tapping screws;
for irregularities of more than 1 cm - laying on the logs.

Plywood will provide not only an even, but also a strong base for a laminate floor, not a wooden floor, so it can also be used for minor damage to it, such as cracks, the absence of some flooring details, and the like.

In this article, we will talk about the experience of laying laminate on a wooden floor in a panel house. We are talking about budget repairs that everyone can afford.

This is what it looked like before the renovation...

The first problem that every inhabitant of a panel house faced was the creak of wooden floors. That's why it happens: the floorboard is nailed to the joists, which loosened over time, and the floor began to creak.

The next problem is a very uneven floor with large differences between the boards. To lay a laminate, such a floor must be leveled, while the maximum allowable height differences should not exceed 2 mm by 1.5 m.

To eliminate these problems, we decided to level the wooden floor with plywood. But if you just screw plywood over creaking boards, then, of course, it will not get any better. Therefore, first you need to strengthen the floor with screws.

We dismantle the old plinth. If it is plastic, there will be no problems, but the wooden plinth needs to be torn off with a mount or a nail puller. We pull out all the protruding nails, remove the large protrusions with a planer. Before laying plywood, do not forget to wash and vacuum the floor well.

Getting the wood floor ready for renovation

Now it is important to determine at what height the wooden floor is raised above the stove; for this, 1-2 holes are drilled in the boards. Knowing the distance between the base and the boards is necessary to determine the size of the floor screws. Usually it is 8-10 cm, but on the first floor there are all 25 cm.

After raising the floor level, the door may not open: the thickness of the laminate with the underlay is almost 1 cm + the thickness of the plywood (minimum 0.6 cm). If the door is old, then it can be filed with a hacksaw without any problems, simply by removing it from the hinges. And for trimming a door with a laminated coating, thick plywood must be placed under the bottom, otherwise chips will appear at the cut site.

Material calculation

Next, you need to calculate how many screws you need. To do this, we look at how many lags are in the room (they can be found by nails or seen through a gap near the wall). Then we count the number of boards in width and multiply the resulting amount by the number of lags.
Each board is screwed with 1 screw to the log, every 40-60 cm. For example, if there are 11 logs and 28 boards in a room, then 308 screws + 10-20% for the stock will be required.

It is better to fasten plywood every 15 cm, if less often - it will swell and dangle when walking. The length and width of the room are measured and the resulting amount is divided by 15 cm, and then the values \u200b\u200bare multiplied. For example, our room is 3x5.6 m in size. Divide 3 meters by 0.15 = 20 pcs, divide 5.6 m by 0.15 = 38 pcs. Now we multiply 20 by 38 and we get 760 pieces, + 10-20% for the stock. For plywood, wood screws 25-30 mm thick 3-3.5 mm are suitable.

Now we consider how much laminate is needed. To do this, you need to find out the dimensions of the room, and do the calculation already in the store, because the laminate panels have different parameters. Our room is 17 sq. m. In one box, a laminate with an area of approximately 2.6 square meters. m. Divide 17 by 2.6 = 6.53. We round up, which means we need 7 boxes, and half the box will be in stock, in case of marriage.
This should be enough if you lay the laminate in the usual way: cutting costs are approximately 5%. If laying diagonally, the margin should be at least 10%.

When buying a laminate, it is important that the delivery batch on all boxes is the same. In boxes with different batches, the shade of the picture may differ. Also, the pack must be intact, otherwise the locks may be damaged.

Now we count the amount of plywood. We chose plywood with dimensions of 1.43x1.52 m, that is, the area of \u200b\u200b1 sheet will be 2.17 square meters. We divide the area of the room (17 sq. M.) by the area of \u200b\u200bplywood and get 7.8 sheets. So, you need to buy 8 sheets of plywood. The thickness of the plywood must be at least 12 mm.

Strengthening boards with screws

So, all the materials have been purchased, we proceed to strengthen the floor with screws. The site has an article about what to do with the creaking of the floor in the apartment, it partially talks about this work.

Since the screws were difficult to penetrate into the wood, we first drilled holes about 70% of the length of the screw, and then pulled the boards to the joists with the screws.

We strengthen the floor in rows along the logs

Of course, if you have a powerful screwdriver, you can do this much faster without additional drilling. In our case, the cheapest Chinese screwdriver, which quickly sat down, so all the work dragged on for several days.
The main thing is to tightly fasten the boards to the joists so that they do not hang out when walking.
Since the doors will soon be changed, we file the slopes to install the plinth.

During the work, it turned out that it was blowing too hard from under the floor from the side of the street, so I had to seal the gap with foam. In this case, it is necessary to moisten the surface before treatment with water, and also spray the foam after application, since moisture is necessary for the polymerization process of the mounting foam.

There was a strong breeze from the street from this crack

It got so much better

Plywood leveling

To level the floor with plywood, lay the sheet on the floor and fasten it every 15 cm with screws. Do not forget to leave a small gap between the sheets and near the wall. The even arrangement of plywood sheets is controlled using a level. Sheets that require trimming are sawn with a hacksaw or jigsaw.

Substrate laying

The cat is scared...

We chose the cheapest substrate, made of polypropylene. Before laying, vacuum the floor again.
We lay the substrate with a margin on the walls, so that later we can cut off the excess, and glue it together with adhesive tape. The substrate should lie in one layer, butt to butt.

Laying laminate

Having finished preparing the floor, we proceed to laying the laminate. Before that, you need to store the laminate for several days in the room (to adapt the material to the temperature and humidity of the apartment).

Laying starts from the corner of the room, preferably from the most prominent place. However, there is a small nuance here: if the door opens into the room and no one plans to remove it, then they begin to lay the laminate from it, otherwise it will not be possible to lay the last row later.

We start laying from the door

It is best to place the wide joints of the laminate along the light from the window, so the gap will be less visible (they will increase over time).

Modern laminate is mounted without glue, using the locking method. This type of flooring installation is called floating, because it is not rigidly fixed to the floor, but rests freely on the substrate. During the change of season, the coating changes its dimensions a little, so it is impossible to screw the laminate hard to the floor with screws. Along the perimeter of the panel there are locks that are connected if one of the panels is inserted at an angle and then lowered.
To see how it works, watch the video tutorial:

The panel is laid in the corner and the next one is joined from the short side. Thus we collect the first row. The last panel, most likely, will have to be filed. This can be done with a jigsaw or saw, but make sure that the teeth are small, otherwise there will be chips on the laminated surface.

First row done

The main rule when laying laminate is to leave a gap of about 1 cm near walls, pipes, doors and other obstacles. At the same time, you should not make a gap of more than 2 cm, because the thickness of the plinth will not be able to cover it later.

The wedge is needed to withstand the same gap near the wall

For ease of installation, stores sell a special kit for laying laminate. It includes wedges of the same thickness, a mounting foot for installing the last row and a wedge of panels.

For additional sealing of the seams, you can buy a special sealant paste and coat the locks with it before docking. However, in wet rooms it is better to use tiles or porcelain stoneware.

The second row is laid in the same way as the first, and then inserted into the previous one. To simplify the task, we recommend laying the panels as close to the lock as possible, so that later you can simply lift the entire row and snap into place. This is done by simply pressing the row at an angle.

To connect, insert the panels at an angle

Then we lower the panel so that the second row lies next to the first

We join adjacent rows with our hands

As a result, the joint should not be visible.

Some types of locks allow you to join the laminate not in a whole row to the previous one, but one at a time. For example, Quick Step laminate has universal locks: they can be inserted horizontally or at an angle. At the same time, there are Click-locks that only hammer horizontally.

It is not necessary to immediately leave a gap between the first row and the wall. It will be more convenient to collect 3-4 rows, and then move them to the wall, and you can put something heavy on top. This is much easier, especially if the wall is not very flat.

Another important feature is that the panels are stacked in a checkerboard pattern. If the first row started with a whole laminate panel, then the second row should be started with a half, and the third again with a full panel. So the connections of the locks will be denser, and the cost of trimming will be minimal.

Half of the room is ready

Thus, in a checkerboard pattern, we lay the remaining rows of laminate. When we reach the heating pipe, cut out a round hole with a jigsaw or drill. Then the trim is simply laid and pressed with a plinth or glued onto liquid nails.

When we reach the last row, we need to file each panel in width, taking into account the gap. Installation takes place in the same way, we snap it with a strong pressure on the panel at an angle.

The floor is almost ready

Skirting board installation

Plastic plinth with cable channel consists of two parts. The first is a wall mount, and the second is a decorative nozzle that snaps into place at the top. There is another type of fastening - first, metal brackets are attached, and then a plinth is put on them.

We drill holes for dowels approximately every 30 cm and fasten one part of the baseboard. We fix the main part, hide the wires, then put on a decorative nozzle. For a beautiful docking, we use special accessories for the plinth: adapters, external and internal corners, plugs.

We put on a special stroke around the pipe to hide the gap (it costs about 50 rubles). In our case, the pipe was very close to the wall, so I had to cut the plinth and saw off the stroke, and then glue it on liquid nails.

Buy a skirting board and all accessories at once together with a laminate. Otherwise, if there is a shortage of material, you will have to travel to many stores before you can find the right color.

And the final touch is the fastening of the threshold at the door. It is needed to hide the height difference between the rooms. Laminate laying rules require that different rooms be separated by a gap so that the coatings are independent. However, in practice, if the same coverage is chosen for adjacent rooms, you can not use the threshold, but do everything without seams: it will be prettier, and cleaning will be easier. If some defect appears later, it is more convenient to actually saw off the coatings in the doorway.

floor repair cost

1. Birch plywood 6 mm thick, 8 sheets - 2300 rubles.
2. Laminate Kronostar Pear White 31 class - 7 boxes. 1 sq. m. cost in Leroy Merlin 235 rubles. Total 4112 rubles.
3. Substrate for polypropylene laminate - 1 roll 2 mm thick, 25 m long - 320 rubles.
4. Screws and dowels - about 600 rubles.
5. Plastic plinth with cable channel 8 pieces, 2.5 m each - 150 rubles.
6. Stroke around the pipe, connectors and corners for the plinth - 420 rubles.
7. Porozhek - 160 rubles.

As a result, the amount is: 9112 rubles.

The cat obviously did not like the new slippery floor

It is better to take plywood thicker, 6 mm is still not enough, so you should not save on this. Next time we would take at least 12 mm plywood. If the floor is too uneven, then you need to lay plywood in 2 layers, with offset joints.
We advise you to choose not too thick or long screws, they will be difficult to screw.
You can not buy a soft substrate thicker than 3 mm, it will strongly spring when walking, and the floor under you will be pressed through. For more information, we recommend reading our article on.
If the laminate is laid on a concrete floor, then before laying the substrate, a layer of polyethylene must be laid for waterproofing.
For productive work, you need a good screwdriver with powerful battery. So you save a lot of time.

Spending a small amount to repair the old wooden floor, we got rid of the squeak, made it smooth and pleasant to walk on. It took three days to prepare the floor for the laminate, and one day was spent on laying alone.

Wood floor finishes vary. A suitable option would be a wood coating, as natural material will remain environmentally friendly and harmoniously fit into the interior. The wooden surface is pleasant to the touch and keeps heat for a long time. In addition, the material is easy to install and process. You can easily achieve the desired color, shade or shine.

As a rule, the laminate is laid on a leveled concrete screed. However, you can also lay the material on wood flooring. In this article, we will look at how to properly lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor.

Features of installing laminate

Locks are installed on the sides of the laminate plates, which, during installation, must fit snugly with the adjacent board. Therefore, it is possible to lay a laminate on a wooden floor only on a hard, even surface. If the flooring is uneven, the locks will quickly wear out and disperse, and gaps will form at the joints. This leads to deformation and damage to the material. The technology of laying laminate on a wooden floor allows a surface difference of 1 mm to two meters.

Thus, the floorboards must be free of cracks, rot and other noticeable damage. They must have a sufficient margin of safety and a flat surface without knots, depressions and protrusions, not sag under load and not creak.

If you plan to lay laminate on an old wooden floor, the surface is pre-leveled and the boards are replaced if they are rotten or creaking. Let's take a closer look at how to prepare the coating and how to properly lay the laminate on a wooden floor.

Wood floor preparation

Before laying a laminate on a wooden floor, it is important to eliminate board deflections, squeaks and other defects. To do this, the logs are firmly fixed to the concrete base, and then the floorboards are rigidly connected to each other. First, floorboards are laid across the log and fixed with screws or nails. When the boards and logs are fixed, the wobbly boards are additionally fastened with another material. You can take chipboard with a thickness of over 15 mm.

Chipboard should be laid on top of the floor boards and secured with self-tapping screws. Before installation on a chipboard plate, a grid with cells of 10X10 centimeters is marked. The fastening of materials is done along the lines of intersection of the grid and the plates are laid at a distance of 3-5 mm from each other. Such a gap is necessary so that the wooden slabs can expand if necessary without deforming the floor.

After laying the chipboard panels, the floor area is sanded in overlapping strips of 10 centimeters. If the floor is new and even, then it is possible to install the laminate on the floor without plywood immediately on a wooden base. However, before starting work, the surface must be leveled with a grinder. And now let's take a closer look at how to lay a laminate on a wooden floor.

Types of fastening laminate

Before laying a laminate on a wooden floor, it is important to choose the right material and method of connection. The boards are divided according to the type of castle. The “Lock” connection system assumes that the tongue and groove are located in the same horizontal plane. In this case, the laminate boards are laid horizontally, inserting the spike into the groove. This connection characterizes ease of installation. But it is not very strong, as the spikes can break off. Therefore, experts do not recommend using this type of laminate.

The "Click" system is stronger and more reliable. It implies a three-dimensional design, in which the panels are laid at a certain angle. This is the most popular connection, which is durable and long service life. In addition, the coating can be easily disassembled if necessary.

For kitchens and rooms with high humidity choose adhesive laminate. It forms a single monolithic surface, which is characterized by high density and strength. But the installation of such materials is complicated by the fact that glue must be applied to the lock joints. This surface is not applicable to underfloor heating! In addition, the resulting surface can be used no earlier than 10 hours after installation.

The technology of laying laminate on a wooden floor

After leveling, the floor surface is covered with a waterproofing film to protect wooden materials from decay, mold and mildew;
Then a 3 mm thick substrate is installed. The substrate is made in strips of cork or polypropylene and mounted butt-to-butt, then fixed with construction tape or tape;
The installation of the laminate is carried out from the window to front door starting from the corner. The first row is placed in the gap from the wall 8-10 mm from the walls, and a wedge is placed between the wall and the material. Such a gap is needed to compensate for the expansion of wooden plates during temperature or humidity changes;
The first row is laid completely and starts with a whole panel. The second row starts half of the board. It also fits to the end. Thus, even rows start with whole panels, and odd rows start with half;
If the “Click” lock is used, each next row is placed in the end lock to the previous one at an angle of 25 degrees. To do this, the last board of the first row must be cut;
Each next row of laminated panels is placed with a displacement of the joints of the previous one by 40 centimeters or more;
After installing the laminate around the perimeter, the wedges are removed between the material and the wall, and then the plinth is installed.

Final work

After the work is completed, the skirting boards are installed. In this case, it is important to fix the skirting board only to the wall and not to the laminate boards! Experts recommend choosing only wooden planks. Such products will harmoniously complement the design, give the room a finished look and preserve the naturalness of the floor. Before installation, the materials are left in the room for two to three days so that they “get used” to the temperature and humidity in the room.

Products are laid along the walls as they should be installed. Installation starts from one of the corners. When attaching, make sure that the skirting board fits as tightly as possible to the wall. On the one hand, the first bar is sawn at an angle, and on the other, for connection. Washed down for connection is made at an angle of 45 degrees. The rest of the skirting boards are also laid, making cuts and attaching to the wall with self-tapping screws.

Skirting boards after installation are puttied and varnished. Laminate does not need to be varnished! The plates are already covered with a protective film that cannot absorb liquid materials. In addition, the material may crack in some places due to the application of varnish.

Laying laminate on a wooden floor with your own hands requires care and accuracy in work. It is important to lay the slabs correctly, the service life of the flooring will depend on this. If the work is done illiterately, soon the products will begin to move away from each other, the surface will become uneven and ugly. In addition, water can penetrate into the cracks, as a result, the wooden floor is deformed and becomes unusable. To avoid such problems, contact the professionals!

Masters "MariSrub" will perform work on the installation and finishing of the floor in wooden house including laying laminate flooring. We guarantee quality and reliability! Have you decided to build your country cottage or country house from a log or timber? We offer a full range of works, which includes the installation of a log house, the construction of a foundation and a roof, installation of a floor and a ceiling, carrying out engineering networks and final finishing. We are building wooden houses on a turnkey basis and under shrinkage under an individual or standard project.

Almost any modern finishing materials can be laid on old wooden floors. This statement also applies to the laminate that is popular these days. True, its installation on a wooden base has a number of features. We will describe them.

Wooden bases and laminate - are they compatible?

Traditionally, laminated boards are mounted on a leveled concrete base. It is ideal for this finishing material. But now many home craftsmen very successfully cover laminate and wood floors. The technology of laying such bases has some differences from the standard technique, due to the structure of natural wood products. Let's deal with them. This is not difficult, since the wooden base differs from the concrete base in only two features:

1. Wood floors are less stable. If we put the laminate on such a base without proper preliminary preparation, the coating will serve us for a very short time. Loose old boards will create an increased load on the locks. They are considered the most weak point laminated products. It is clear that the destruction of the locks will very quickly lead to the deformation of the entire coating. As a result, instead of a beautiful and practical floor, we will have at our disposal a design that is unattractive in appearance and extremely inconvenient to use.
2. Wood substrates tend to lose their original mechanical characteristics over time. Therefore, before laying the laminate, it is necessary to carefully analyze their condition and, if necessary, replace elements that do not inspire confidence (support bars, logs, and so on).

In addition, the surface of wooden floors in most cases has a lot of bumps and roughness. They are required to be removed.

If we take into account the described features of wood and perform its high-quality preparation, we will be able to correctly lay the laminated products and be confident in the durability of the created coating.

Floor preparation - self-restoration and repair

We have found that laying laminate on an old wooden floor is quite possible. But provided that the latter has a satisfactory condition and meets the following requirements:

1. There are no gaps between the base elements.
2. When moving on the floor, there is no creaking, and the boards do not bend under the weight of a person.
3. There are no traces of wood decay.
4. The floor is fairly level. The permissible height difference for every two meters is no more than 2 mm.

When some areas of the floor base are affected by fungus and mold, it is recommended to replace them. Installing new boards will solve a similar problem. The main thing is to use high-quality and well-dried material. Do not use wet products. New boards after installation will begin to dry out, which will lead to deformation of the coating. If the traces of rotting are insignificant, they can be removed, covered with a waterproofing film on the entire floor, and then moisture-resistant plywood sheets are placed on it. They will protect the surface from moisture and help to make the base as even as possible.

If there are squeaks and deflections, you need to nail the boards to the logs using nails or self-tapping screws that are suitable in size. This type of restoration of the base is available to any self-taught master. In some cases, it is necessary to do minor repairs to the logs on which a wooden base is installed. A similar operation is performed when the support elements "walk" under load. Bricks can be placed under the logs or additional bars can be installed. Also, squeaks can occur due to the friction of the floorboards against each other. The problem is solved by filling the gaps between the individual elements of the floor. There is another option to get rid of squeaks. It involves filling the gaps between the floorboards with talc or graphite chips.

Next, we take a building level 200 cm long and measure the floor base in order to determine the height differences present on it. If they are available (and significant), do not get upset. There are several effective brooms for leveling wood bases. About them further.

Methods for leveling a wooden base - use a suitable

There are two ways to make the floor surface even with your own hands - by scraping and laying particle boards or plywood. The first technique is suitable for bases with insignificant (up to 6 mm per square) bulges, outgrowths and depressions.

Very small local wood defects can be removed with a hand scraper or coarse-grained sandpaper.

It is better to get rid of more serious irregularities covering the entire base or most of it with an electric planer (it cuts off convex areas perfectly) or a grinder. Before using these tools, the wood should be thoroughly cleaned of dust and debris, and the hats of the hardware that protrude to the surface should be sunk into the wood. Nails and screws should not stick out above the base. This is guaranteed to lead to damage to the working knives of the planer, grinding unit.

The procedure for scraping wood flooring is simple. It is necessary to divide the entire floor area into several separate zones and alternately process them with sanding equipment. After grinding each section, we must check the quality of the work performed. When the entire floor is processed, reuse the building level. If we managed to remove high-altitude differences, we remove wood dust and sawdust from the base. The operation is preferably carried out with a broom and a vacuum cleaner. Important! After cleaning, not a single gram of dust should remain on the floor surface. It clogs the locks of laminated boards, which is why they creak mercilessly and make other unpleasant sounds during the operation of the coating.

Irregularities larger than 6 mm cannot be corrected by sanding. We are just wasting our time and energy. In such situations, as was said, you need to level the floors with plywood (as an option - chipboard). We choose material wisely. We buy plywood with a thickness of more than 10 mm with a moisture-resistant coating. Experts advise using sheets marked FK or FSF for living rooms. If planned for non-residential premises, can be purchased . It has maximum strength and moisture resistance. But for living rooms it is not used, as it is characterized by a low level of environmental safety.

It is advisable to treat plywood sheets with a fungicidal composition or ordinary drying oil. After that, we proceed to leveling. First, we put plastic or wooden wedges under the logs, trying to level out the height differences. Then we cut the plywood sheets into blanks of suitable sizes with a circular saw. It is necessary to calculate in advance how many products will be needed to cover the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe floor base. At the same time, we take into account that plywood is placed in a checkerboard pattern or with some offset. It is unacceptable that the corners of four different workpieces touch at one point.

Plywood blanks are laid indented from the walls (1–1.2 cm) and with a mandatory gap between them (about 2.5 mm). This is done so that the material does not deform during expansion under the influence of changing humidity and temperature conditions in the room. We fix plywood with self-tapping screws. We install them, stepping back from the edge of the blanks by 20 mm. The hardware is screwed along the perimeter of the sheet so that the distance between them does not exceed 20 cm. Some experts advise coating the wooden base with glue before laying the plywood. This operation prevents loosening of old boards. But the use of an adhesive does not eliminate the need for fastening blanks with self-tapping screws.

Underlayment - you can't do without it

Used in a mandatory manner. It is a roll product necessary to prevent contact of the mounted finishing materials with a rough wooden base. Also, the substrate distributes the load on the coating and compensates for them. This achieves the effect of reducing the pressure on the floor. In fact, the use of the described material makes it possible to protect the locks of the laminate from damage and gives the entire coating a level of strength sufficient for normal use. Additional functions of the substrate are the alignment of insignificant height differences, vapor barrier and sound absorption.

Linings for laminated boards are made of different materials:

natural cork;
polyethylene foam;
polyurethane foam;
bitumen sheets.

And are popular. The choice of a particular product is up to you. But remember that experts recommend laying softwood or natural cork underlays on wooden floors. They interact with the base material in the best possible way. It is these linings that should be used when installing an expensive laminate.

The substrates are produced in rolls and in separate sheets. The rules for laying linings do not depend on their shape. Both sheet and roll products are placed end-to-end on the base, and then reinforced with adhesive tape. This prevents the risk of shifting the substrate during the installation of the laminated coating. Notice! It is not necessary to attach lining material to the floor and walls.

Piece by piece laying laminate - technology for dummies

To properly lay a laminate, it is enough to know a few rules. First of all, under these types of cladding, it is not necessary to lay special hydro- and vapor barrier layers. There will be zero sense from them, but a lot of harm. Condensation will begin to accumulate under the insulating films, which in a short time will destroy the structure of the wooden floor. Second moment. Before starting finishing work, you should draw up a layout of laminated panels on the floor. There is no need for an ultra-precise drawing. But a simple freehand sketch will greatly facilitate the calculation of the required amount of material, as well as the process of its installation.

The docking of individual elements of the laminated coating takes place according to two algorithms. The first involves the preliminary assembly of rows of individual dies and their subsequent connection to each other. The second way is to build up each panel separately. This technique is called piecemeal. It is she who is used by almost all self-taught masters, laying the laminate on their own. Let's consider step by step a piece-by-piece method of facing a wooden base:

1. We take four laminate dies, stand in the far corner of the room (in relation to the door).
2. For two panels that are planned to be placed against the wall, cut off the comb. We cut the third board by the amount of displacement of adjacent rows of the laminate to be laid (it is taken within 30–40 cm), do not touch the fourth (leave it intact).
3. We perform docking of dies without a comb. We carry out this part of the work according to the recommendations of the manufacturer of the laminated coating and the type of lock it is equipped with (Lock, Click).
4. We dock the third (cut off) to the resulting structure of two products, and then the uncut one.
5. The resulting part is laid on the place designated for it on the floor. We leave a gap between the assembled segment with mating wall surfaces of about 10 mm. Spacers-gaskets are usually installed in it.
6. We add the fifth die to the first row, cutting off the comb from it, and the sixth we lengthen the next strip.
7. Further, we proceed by analogy until the installation of two complete rows is completed. Remember! The comb facing the wall is always cut off.

Cut off the last dies at the ends of the strips. The dies located in the last rows are fixed with a mounting bracket. We collect the subsequent strips according to the described algorithm. But now there is no need to trim the ridges. We simply join the products according to the groove-thorn system. We cut the dies of the last row to the required dimensions directly at the place of their installation and fix them with a clamp (special bracket).

Last moment. Temperature gaps left near the walls should be covered with plastic plinths after installation is completed. And the gap in the doorway is usually decorated with an aluminum or plastic profile.

Update your old wood floor with modern materials. And enjoy the new interiors of your home. Good luck!