How to lay laminate flooring

If you have started home renovation and are looking for a suitable flooring, pay attention to the laminate. This material is cheaper than natural solid parquet, but more beautiful than linoleum.

Laminate is a multi-layer panel, assembled on a plastic base. The layers include wood chips. The result is a safe floor covering, outwardly resembling parquet, but more functional.

Choice of laminate

The material is produced serially in the form of panels. The size of the board is on average 0.2x1.3 meters. Thickness varies within 7–12 mm. The last indicator is the most important. Indeed, when choosing, one should rely not only on external properties, but also on the bearing capacity.

Thin plates from 7 mm suitable for use in places, where the load on the floor will be minimal. For large areas and commercial spaces use durable 12mm boards. The minimum thickness of the laminate in places with a heavy load on the floor must be at least 10 mm.

How much to buy?

The material is acquired from the calculation of the area of ​​ u200b u200bthe room, but with a small margin. Standard packing – it's 8–10 panels. When buying, you should take into account the amendments for the expansion of the material during operation.. So, for square 12 m2 should be purchased 12.5–13 m2 laminate.

Pay attention to the completeness of the floor covering. A shock-absorbing material must be placed under the laminate.. Usually it is foamed film, which is sold with him. If there is no such film in the kit, it needs to be purchased separately. The quantity is determined based on the area of ​​the room. The film is laid end-to-end, without overlap, so no stock is required.

Styling technique

The laminate is laid flat, cleaned floor:

• plywood should first be laid on the concrete screed;
• on parquet or floor on expanded clay basis it is laid without additional materials.

Leave the flooring in the room after purchase, where are you going to lay it, on 1–2 of the day. When laying, the laminate must be at ambient temperature.

Sequencing:

1. laying the cushioning film end-to-end over the entire area of ​​the room;
2. the first line of the laminate is laid along the longest wall. Exceptions are narrow and long rooms.. Here, laying is done along the narrow side.;
3. a built-in locking system is used for panel mounting. It is necessary to insert wedges with a thickness of 5–88 mm at a distance of 20–30 cm. The resulting space will allow the material to expand freely.. Otherwise, the laminate will start to lift.;
4. when the first row ends, the last panel needs to be sawn off to size. The remainder will serve as the beginning of the next row.. Use an electrical appliance for work, hacksaw or jigsaw. The panels are staggered. If the last board was too short, take a new one, cut approximately in the middle and start a new row from there;
5. fastening of the next panel to the previous one is carried out through the locking system. To do this, insert the next lock into the lock of the laid board at an angle of 50–60 degrees. Snapping occurs when the panel is lowered to the floor;
6. the second and subsequent rows are collected separately on the floor, then insert with a side lock into the lock of the previous row;
7. the last row – the most important. Here you should carefully measure the required panel width., then cut it off and lay it like the previous ones.

Finally, install the skirting board, but don't attach it to the laminate. Installation is carried out to the wall, so as not to damage the flooring.