What you need for laying laminate flooring

Laminate came to the construction market relatively recently, but has already won the love of many apartment owners. The fact is that it combines low cost, durability and ease of installation of flooring. But in order for the assembly of the flooring to live up to expectations and not be a troublesome task, it is still necessary to prepare a little for it.

What you need to prepare for laying the laminate

Installation of flooring made of lamellas is just the final stage of work. Indeed, before this it is necessary to tidy up the rough floor - the only way to avoid many problems during the operation of the laminate and significantly extend its service life. It implies repair of the base and elimination of its irregularities. As an option, when finishing preparation, you can use self-leveling mixtures based on:

• cement, gypsum, fine sand and plasticizers - for concrete floors;
• synthetic fibers, polymers and fiberglass - for wood.

REFERENCE. Before leveling, it is important to identify all the weak points of the rough coating and repair them. After completion of the preparatory work, the permissible unevenness of the floor is 2 mm per 2 m2.

It is also recommended that prior to installation, adaptive exposure of the “boards” in the room be carried out. To do this, it is necessary to print the ends of the packaging and leave the laminate for at least two days in the room in which it will lie.

What tools are needed

All tools used when working with slats can be divided into 2 groups:

• the main - without which proper styling is impossible;
• auxiliary - its absence is compensated by great labor costs and attentiveness.

The first group includes:

• tape measure, square, pencil - for measurements and marking;
• jigsaw - for cutting lamellas, a tool with a capacity of about 500 W is enough;
• a hammer and a boss (wooden block) - to ensure that the locks snap into place without damaging the lamellas;
• clamp - to press the extreme row, when there is little space for hammering.

The auxiliary ones include:

• restrictive wedges, without which it is difficult to maintain the correct compensation clearance between the laminate and the wall;
• masking tape - for gluing the fabric before cutting in order to mark and prevent chip formation;
• glue or sealant - can be useful for additional fixation and waterproofing of simple locks;
• scoop and broom, without which it is impossible to keep the rough foundation clean;
• construction level - for continuous monitoring of the correct connection of lamellas.

This list may be supplemented depending on the installation features of skirting boards and substrates.

What materials to prepare

Much depends on the foundation. So, when laying a laminate on concrete, it is necessary to take care of laying a vapor barrier, which can be played by a simple polyethylene film. But its use on a wooden base is prohibited - this will lead to damage to the entire floor.

The thickness of the substrate also depends on the quality of the rough base. Her task is the heat and sound insulation of the laminate. At the same time, it can smooth out small irregularities in the finish screed. However, sometimes they try to use a substrate as a coating that compensates for serious defects in the base. To do this, choose a material with a thickness of more than 3 mm, which leads to the appearance of extraneous creaks during the operation of the laminate.

REFERENCE. Regardless of what the substrate is made of, its thickness should not exceed 3 mm. Reason: elasticity of the material. Too thick a layer does not compensate for the shortcomings of the subfloor, but only enhances their effect on the laminate - the slats under load will bend even on a perfectly flat surface due to the compression of the soundproof pillow.

To prevent the displacement of plates or tapes of the substrate during the installation process, they are fastened together with a simple adhesive tape. But if a rigid base of plywood is prepared under the laminate, then it is attached to the subfloor with dowels and screws. In this case, a drill with drills is also useful. When installing a heated floor, in addition to the heating system, you will also need an ordinary foil - it is several times more effective than foil substrates that reflect heat inside the room.