Laying a laminate on a concrete floor with a substrate

The variety of flooring is striking, the laminate is especially popular. The material is based on a fiberboard, a special lower layer that prevents moisture from entering the base, and the laminated surface helps the lamellas withstand external influences.

When buying a new apartment, many owners prefer this coating, so the question of how to lay a laminate on a concrete floor is always relevant. Below is information on how to lay or lay a laminate with a substrate yourself.

What are the laminate locks

The technological process for installing a laminate on a concrete surface remains unchanged regardless of the lock joints. Basically, the material is stacked in rows. Despite the fact that quite a lot of locks have been invented, more and more perfect devices appear every year that allow the lamellas to be fastened together. At the moment, the most popular and common are two types of castle compounds:

  1. Lock - grip with direct effort. The side with the spike is straight, without tilting, it is substituted for the groove and is driven into the socket with effort. In this case, it is allowed to apply the shock method. In most cases, a strong connection is accompanied by a click - this is an end connection;
  2. Click - connection at an angle of 45 degrees. After the spike is inserted into the groove, the lamella lowers to the surface, and the connection snaps into place - this type of lock is often used on the sides of the lamellas.

IMPORTANT! It is worth noting that for different types of laminate, combinations of castle joints can differ significantly. To make the joints more durable and resistant to moisture penetration, they can be lubricated with the sealant itself before adhesion, and then the coating should be laid.

Laminate Features

This material has become very popular recently, many apartment owners prefer to lay it on the concrete floor. There are several reasons for this, for example, it is an order of magnitude stronger than linoleum, and much cheaper than parquet. And the technology is quite simple.

A wide range makes it possible to lay material with imitation of a wooden board or natural stone. The demand for the material is due to positive characteristics:

  • low cost, allowing you to equip a beautiful flooring without a lot of money;
  • resistance to various kinds of damage and wear resistance;
  • ease of installation - with a competent approach, anyone can mount a floor covering without attracting professionals;
  • A huge selection of textures and colors. On sale you can find a laminate not only imitating various natural material, but also with the image of flowers and fruits;
  • easy to clean, just wipe it with a damp cloth so that the flooring gets its original appearance.

In addition, the lamellae are resistant to fading and loss of color.

If we talk about the cons, we can note:

  • unnaturalness - various chemical elements are used in production;
  • sensitivity to water and a moist environment, as the material may be deformed due to its influence.

Many experts believe that when choosing a floor covering, it is necessary to give preference to a laminate, if an inexpensive, practical and durable material is chosen.

Substrate and other materials

Before laying the laminate on a concrete floor, you need to spread the substrate, which is necessary so that the floor covering lasts a long time. In addition, the material has heat and sound insulation properties, and allows you to smooth out small irregularities in the concrete base.

Also, do not forget that concrete can accumulate moisture, especially at temperature extremes, which can lead to deformation of the lamellas, the use of a substrate eliminates this possibility.

There are several types of this material, there are both natural and synthetic products, for example:

  1. The cork backing is made from natural raw materials. It is a soft, resilient, natural material with enhanced sound and heat insulation and environmental friendliness. In addition, it is durable and wear-resistant. Of the minuses, you can highlight the high cost.
  2. Expanded polystyrene product - is inexpensive, but also does not last as long as cork. This is a good, fairly budget option, for repairing an economy. But it is worthwhile to understand that this synthetic product may emit a toxic poisonous gas during combustion.
  3. The made foam polyethylene. Not a good option, albeit inexpensive. The fact is that such a substrate very quickly loses its elasticity during operation.
  4. Coniferous substrate - a new material, is expensive, but lasts a very long time without losing its strength characteristics.

When choosing a substrate, it is worth giving preference to the material that will be optimal for a particular case. But often the choice is affected by the cost of the product.

First row styling

The quality of the laminate surface is determined by the correct installation of the first three rows, and especially the very first.

There are mandatory conditions that must be observed when installing the first row of slats:

  • when laying between the wall and the floor base, a gap of 1 cm is maintained, which is subsequently masked by the baseboard;
  • when cutting the extreme slats, their length should be at least 30 cm;
  • when laying the final row, you can not leave inserts less than 5 cm, if when calculating this is the exact distance, it is worth trimming the lamellas of the first row.

Important! If you plan to use a thin skirting when installing flooring, then the technological clearance should be appropriate.

When installing the initial row, they begin by removing the locking part directed to the wall. These actions are carried out both from the transverse and from the longitudinal side. Assembly is carried out according to the instructions that are attached to the material, depending on the type of lock on the lamellas, by snapping the joints at an angle of no more than 45 degrees.

On a note! If the transverse sides interlock, then you need to try to prevent the shift and skew of the strips lying next to each other.

Checking the correct joining of the lamellas is simple, just swipe it along the seam with your finger. In this case, the finger should not feel even the slightest bias. As soon as the first row is ready, it is moved to the wall, not ignoring the gap, which is better to fix with special wedges so that it does not move.

The clamps are installed every 40 cm, while it is worth adhering to the rule on each side of the castle connection with 2 spacers.

If you have to trim the last bar, then this action is performed as follows:

  • turn the lamella 180 degrees horizontally;
  • lay up face up;
  • set 2 wedges against the wall;
  • with the help of a building corner draw a straight line;
  • saw off the element.

Now you can finish the assembly of the initial row.

Connection piece

The piece remaining after trimming the lamella is used for laying the second row if its length is at least 30 cm. If this parameter is not met, then the sawn lamella is left and laying begins, sawing off a new element.

The 2nd row is assembled regardless of the initial one, while it is worthwhile to check the quality of the transverse castle joints - there should not be any shifts and inconsistencies.

Move the finished layer to the first row, check the groove well, there should be no foreign objects: chips, crumbs and dust.

Carefully lift the row at an angle that should be fixed at the proper height with the help of improvised items.

Insert the lock of the second row completely into the striking plate of the first.

It is worth immediately warning that the first time it will not be easy to do.

Gradually removing the props, hold the lock tightly around the entire seam without snapping. If the actions are performed properly, the second row will hang at a slight angle above the surface of the base.

Check everything again - if everything is good, then you can snap the structure with a few blows of a mallet or fist.

In case of distortions, or small cracks, you will have to disconnect the row and perform all of the above actions again

Advice! When laying, it is better not to use a laminate padding, even with a bar - this rule should be observed strictly on the first 4 rows.

The first few rows are very mobile, so shifting the structure is very simple, even with a little tapping, and you will have to start all over again.

Installation in the location of communications

You need to saw off the bar of length, attach it to the wall in the place where the communication pipes are, put marks.

Then it is worth measuring the distance from the wall to the end of the conduit, not forgetting to take into account the technological gap.

Using a construction angle, draw a rectangle along the marks and cut out the element of the desired size with a jigsaw.

If you need to equip a small recess in the end, then you can use a drill with a drill of the desired cross section, while the cut will look more neat and aesthetically pleasing.

As soon as the cut is ready, you can install the lamella in a permanent place, previously having missed the seam with sealant, immediately remove the excess with a clean, damp rag. Do not forget to install spacers - 2 on the side of the longitudinal cut and 2 on the side of the transverse.

Finally

If the surface of the concrete floor is properly prepared and the substrate for the laminate of the proper quality is purchased, then it will not be difficult to make flooring yourself. For this, you do not need to have a building education or special knowledge. If you perform everything correctly and in accordance with the instructions, then the beautiful, floor in the apartment will please you for more than one year.

Watch the video: Concrete Subfloor Preparation Leveling for Laminate Hardwood Floor Installation MrYoucandoityouself (March 2024).

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