Many people prefer laminate flooring. This material gives the room a beautiful and neat look. As a rule, the advantage of laminate is that its installation is simple and quick. It only takes a couple of hours to lay laminate flooring in one room. That's why it's best to do this job yourself. In addition, you will need basic tools that are found in almost any home.
But laying laminate flooring is also associated with other stages of work. For example, there are cases when the floor surface has unevenness, which is unacceptable for laying laminate flooring. Therefore, in case of strong differences, it is necessary to first level the surface using a screed. It may also be necessary to carry out preparations, for example, by dismantling the old surface.
DIY laminate installation
Immediately before laying the laminate, it is important to thoroughly sweep the floor, removing dust and other debris, since the laminate must be laid on an extremely flat surface, and even small differences can lead to unevenness in the seams.
Next, you can begin laying the laminate underlayment. There are several types of substrates that differ in cost, noise insulation properties and heat retention. There are rolled substrates, which are cheaper, as well as sheets of thin polystyrene foam, which are of higher quality.
First, you can cover part of the room with underlayment.
Rolls or sheets of backing are connected together along the seams with tape.
You will need a construction knife to trim the substrate.
Then you can begin laying the laminate. Initially, you need to buy the required number of packages of laminate, taking into account that some sheets may be defective. Also, approximately 10% of the total floor area is scraps that will remain after work.
The seam lines should be in the same direction as the rays of light that are directed from the window. As a rule, there are always instructions on the laminate packaging indicating in which direction the installation should be carried out. First, the first strip is typed from one edge. When you reach the edge, the last laminate board needs to be cut. To do this, use a square and a pencil to mark the exact cutting line. In addition, you will need a tape measure and a jigsaw with a wood file.
Of course, it is most convenient to use a jigsaw, but not every home has one. It is important to maintain a distance from the wall to the laminate of approximately 0.5 - 1 cm. In this opening you need to insert temporary wedges, which can be made from laminate scraps. These wedges must be inserted on each strip.
When you begin laying the second strip, you can start by cutting off the previous board. First, you can assemble the line completely, and then insert it into the grooves of the previous strip.But this is convenient if you are doing this work together. If you are installing laminate flooring yourself, you can install it partially one board at a time. To do this you will need a hammer. First you need to install the board in the groove, but in order for it to fit completely into the lock, you need to tap it on the side with a hammer. To avoid damaging the lock when hit with a hammer, you can place something under it, for example, a piece of laminate flooring or a block of wood.
The subsequent strips are laid in the same way. It is important that the layout of the boards is not repeated more than 4 - 5 stripes. If, when attaching the boards to the groove, there is even a slight gap or gap in the seams, then it is necessary to reinstall the line, since the unevenness will continue to increase. As you progress, you will also have to install an additional underlay for the laminate.
The most difficult thing to install is the last line. Since it will be on the opposite side of the room against the wall, it will be impossible to knock the boards with a hammer so that they fit into the groove. You will also most likely need to trim the boards along the laminate line. In this case, after cutting and joining the line completely along the entire length of the room, insert its grooves into the lock of the penultimate strip. Next, you can rest a nail puller or pry bar against the wall so that the strip falls into place.
In addition, you will need trimming in the doorways. At the edge of the doorway, where the border of the laminate ends, you can install a metal threshold in order to fix the coating.
At the end, all the wedges can be pulled out and plinths installed in the corners to match the color of the laminate.
