How to lay a square laminate on a wooden floor. Laying laminate flooring properly

Laying laminate on a wooden floor is a good solution for updating it, especially if the floorboards are deformed, creaking and generally no longer pleasing to the eye. In this article you will find detailed instructions on how to lay laminate with a video and tips for preparing a wooden floor and laying it yourself.

Laminate is a fiberboard panel covered with a waterproof film, decorative paper and a layer of acrylate or melamine resin. There are three types of this cover: with "Click" and "Lock" locks, as well as without locks.

Can laminate flooring be installed on wood floors? Yes, if properly prepared.

Wood floor preparation

Before starting installation, check the condition of the wooden floor. As a rule, old boards have a convex surface due to numerous layers of paint on the center of the board and damage to the edges. Often, the floorboards bend and do not fit snugly against the joists at the attachment points. In addition, it happens that the floor has a significant slope in one direction or another. Before you start laying a laminate, you need to eliminate all identified shortcomings, because. technology requires it.

floor leveling

Calculation and purchase of laminate

Before heading to the store, you should measure the floor area and calculate the required number of panels. When calculating, you need to take into account the necessary margin - from 5 to 14% of the total, depending on the method of laying the laminate on a wooden floor.

Laminate flooring on wood floor

The prepared floor must be covered with a polypropylene substrate, for which the canvases are spread end-to-end, and the joints are glued with special adhesive tape. Also, the panels are kept in the room for about two days in advance.

Before starting laying, many people ask themselves the question: “How to properly lay a laminate on a wooden floor relative to a window?”. Indeed, the types of rooms can be different and the direction of the flow of light can beat the ideas of designers, so the panels can be laid in any way.

But usually the laminate is laid with their own hands perpendicular to the window, and rightly so - while the joints will be less noticeable.

After choosing the laying direction, measure the distance between the walls and calculate the number of whole panels and the width of the latter.

Panels with "Click" lock

How to lay laminate on a wooden floor with these fasteners? The boards of the first row are fastened with ends, aligned taking into account the gap, to obtain which thin slats are laid along the wall. The gap is necessary so that when the temperature in the room rises, the laminate does not “swell”, but simply smoothly moves towards the wall. In the same way, the second row is assembled and tilted into the lock, then lowered and snapped into place, providing a strong connection with the first row, and so on. According to this technology, the first row is laid first, and then all the rest, constantly monitoring the evenness with respect to the walls.

Panels with lock

Laying apart - in this case, the spikes are inserted into the grooves with the horizontal arrangement of the panels. Then, using a hammer and a bar, the connection is sealed.

Adhesive connection

Everyone probably knows how to lay a laminate on a wooden floor using the adhesive method - for this, the junction of the groove with the spike is treated with glue and fixed with adhesive tape until it dries completely.

There is one important feature - the panels must be placed in a checkerboard pattern. Then the connections will be denser, and the consumption will be minimal. At the end of the laying work, skirting boards are installed so that the room takes on a finished look, and debris does not get into the gaps.

Watch the video instructions for laying laminate on a wooden floor:

So, how to lay laminate on a wooden floor? A video of proper installation, taking into account all the nuances, can be viewed on the website of panel manufacturers, which will significantly complement this article.

Despite the fact that - hard work, requiring a lot of time to prepare, the result will exceed all expectations - the floor will sparkle with its novelty and serve for a long time.

Laminate is a common flooring. It is cheaper than parquet, but it also looks attractive. More resistant to wear and damage than natural wood. Laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor is a do-it-yourself task. In order for the material to be laid correctly, the technology must be observed. It is worth starting installation only after studying a sufficient amount of material on the topic.

Installation surface requirements

Laminate on a wooden floor can only be laid if the conditions that the old plank flooring must satisfy are met. Do-it-yourself installation of a laminate without complex preparation can be carried out if such characteristics of the base are provided as:

• integrity;
• height difference is not more than 2 mm per meter of surface;
• strength;
• lack of moisture and damage by various microorganisms (mold, fungus, etc.);
• the absence of too wide cracks and holes 9 no more than 5 cm).

If these conditions are not met, before laying the laminate on the wooden floor, it is leveled.

Definition of drops and their elimination

You can correctly identify the magnitude of deviations before laying the coating with your own hands from the horizontal by using the following devices and devices:

• laser level;
• hydraulic (water) level;
• bubble level;
• rule.

It is easiest to use the last two tools. High accuracy is not required here, it is only important to determine the scale of the problem and choose the right way to fix it.

Wooden flooring can be laid after leveling by the following methods:

• a substrate made of elastic materials is suitable only for small problems, if it is required to lay a coating on a surface with differences of several millimeters (thickness is taken from 2 to 5 mm);
• leveling mixtures and cement screeds are also used for simple cases;
• scraping the floor allows you to cut off protruding sections, while it is important to control that the boardwalk does not become too thin and does not begin to sag;
• installation of plywood will eliminate almost all irregularities and prevent such troubles as floor creaking and bending.

Plywood laying technology involves two scenarios:

1. With a height difference of less than 1 cm, you can lay sheets with glue and self-tapping screws. For greater efficiency, a substrate is laid under the material. Laying parts in this way can be done quickly enough. First, the base is cleaned, degreased and primed. After that, a layer of up to 2-3 cm is applied with an adhesive composition and the sheets are fixed. After the glue dries, you can proceed to the screws. For them, before laying the material, holes are prepared at a distance of 2 cm from the edge of the sheet and 15-20 cm from each other.
2. The second technology is suitable for differences of more than 1 cm. At the same time, logs with a section of 15 by 40 mm serve as the basis for plywood, which are fixed with their own hands on the boardwalk with self-tapping screws. As in the previous case, the surface is cleaned, the log boards are laid out and fixed, after which sheets of plywood are screwed onto the screws.

It is important that with any method, sheets are cut before starting work. To do this, they need to be laid on the floor, cut out the parts of the desired size and number them to indicate the order in which the plywood is laid. Installation is best done using moisture-resistant material of the second or third grade. The substrate under the sheets performs soundproofing and shock-absorbing functions. It can be made of elastic materials such as isolon, polyethylene foam.

The minimum allowable sheet thickness is 10 mm. It is important to take into account the patency of the room and the load on the floor from furniture and equipment.

It is best if the do-it-yourself plywood underlay for the laminate is made with a thickness of 14-22 mm. If you lay a thinner material, it may bend or crack.

Floor covering installation

After the leveling substrate is completed and the surface is prepared, you can proceed to the next stage of work. Laying laminate on a wooden floor is done by hand in the following order:

1. If plywood or another rigid base is used as the base, a laminate underlay will be required. It is needed to avoid knocking the coating on plywood or screed. Unlike leveling, a large thickness is not needed here. The layer is taken from 1 to 3 mm. The joints of the material are glued with construction adhesive tape. Can be additionally attached to the edges.
2. The laminate is brought into the room and allowed to adapt to temperature and humidity conditions. To do this, it is recommended to wait 2 days. Installation begins with determining the laying direction (parallel to the light, perpendicular, diagonal).
3. Measure the distance between the walls and calculate the number of boards. If the last piece is less than one third wide, it is recommended to start laying the first row of elements by sawing them in half.
4. The laminate is laid, taking into account the way the coating is attached.

Parts can be stacked in three ways:

• click lock;
• lock lock;
• adhesive connection.

The board is set at an angle of 45 degrees to the previous one, after which the lock is latched. The system is collapsible, that is, if necessary, you can easily replace or repair the underlying wooden floor. Between the walls, the parts are wedged using thin rails, this is necessary to provide a seam that compensates for the expansion of the laminate under load or changes in temperature. First, they collect a row among themselves, and then attach it to the previous one. Installation continues to the opposite wall of the room.

Laying is performed in a run. The length of the board and the width of the room are measured, after which the number of boards in one row is calculated. If an uneven number of elements is obtained (about half remains), in order to provide a run-up, it is rational to start the next row from the half that remains from the previous one. This will minimize the amount of material spent on coating. If an integer number of boards fit in the width, then the first row begins and ends with a half, and the second is made from whole parts. So you can do the dressing without waste.

Fastening is carried out by planting the spike into the groove. Installation, unlike the previous method, is not performed at an angle. It is necessary to bring the element to the already laid one and lightly tap on its opposite edge.

Most often, they tap with a rubber hammer through the bar so as not to damage the groove of the element.

Adhesive laminate

Most often used in wet areas. Instructions for laying the exit with the previous lock. The difference lies in the fact that the joint is coated with an adhesive solution. After laying the laminate, you need to wait for the glue to dry. During this period, it is best to glue the boards together on top with adhesive tape. After the laying is completed, the wedges that were responsible for the gap between the wall and the flooring are removed and the skirting boards are installed. The adhesive tape is removed after all work has been completed and the adhesive composition has dried.

Most often on sale you can find a laminate with a Lock type lock. To guarantee the quality of laying, it is important to correctly fasten the elements to each other and ensure that all requirements for the base, especially evenness, are met. Subject to technology, we can talk about the durability of the floor and its attractive appearance.

Manufacturers indicate on the laminate that it is best to lay it on a concrete base. But if you are planning a renovation in a private house, then there are most likely wooden floors. Can laminate flooring be installed on wood floors? Can. How is the laying of laminate on a wooden floor, we will understand in the article.

Wood is a rather whimsical material, and that is why laying a laminate on it is more problematic than on a concrete base. Material manufacturers still do not recommend laying laminate on a wooden floor, so you do the work at your own peril and risk. Of course, nothing terrible will happen, it's just that over time the tree is deformed, which can lead to distortion of the laminate.

The tree can change depending on weather conditions, high humidity causes it to swell, and dryness causes it to dry out. All this can affect the lining.

Before proceeding with the installation, it is still worth making sure that the wooden planks are intact. They should not have cracks or cracks. Planks should be straight without buckling. It will not be superfluous to check for the presence of mold or insects if the tree has not been treated with special means.
The wood should not crumble, check it for rot. If there are any, then it’s not only impossible to lay something on such a floor, but its complete replacement is also required. If you have only a few boards that have deteriorated, you can replace them and the neighboring ones. It is best to lift the entire floor and look at the boards for defects completely. If there are no defects, but the boards are shaking, then they need to be fixed.

Benefits of laminate

Laminate has been in great demand lately, which is not surprising. Its appearance can compete with many more expensive materials. The laminate pattern can imitate any other material, while it will look decent, and not ridiculous, as is the case with PVC panels. A wide range allows you to choose a laminate for any interior.
Laminate is divided into classes, and the higher it is, the better its characteristics. Accordingly, the price will be more expensive. But in general, the material is considered wear-resistant and durable enough.
Laminate flooring is easy to maintain, just vacuum and wipe it down with a damp cloth. Just squeeze it well and use special detergents.
Laminate is made from wood shavings. Therefore, it is a fairly safe material. But, it is treated with special means for protection. And these are the ones to pay attention to.

Unscrupulous manufacturers can save on this, so contact only trusted suppliers. And so the laminate can be laid even in the children's room, it will not harm human health.
When repairing, the budget is often limited and the question may arise: is it possible to lay the laminate yourself? Yes, you can do the work without special training, installation is not difficult and laborious.

The term of operation of the laminate, subject to all conditions of installation and use, reaches 20 years. In the process, it will not lose its appearance if it is properly cared for.

Preparing the floor for installation

Laminate is installed in a locking way. You don't need glue during the process. Although it is sometimes used, but then it will not be possible to replace a separate element, and the quality of such a floor will be inferior.

Laminate is made on the basis of wood, which means that it cannot be used in rooms with high humidity. The only exceptions are waterproof species. Therefore, if you are going to lay it in the kitchen, pay attention to this fact.
Before laying laminate flooring, you need to prepare the floor. How to do it? First, check to see if the floor creaks. If this happens, then the boards can be fixed with self-tapping screws or anchors. Hats should not be higher than the surface of the bar, they must be carefully drowned.

Small cracks or holes can be sealed with sealant or foam. Rotten boards are best removed completely. But if the damage is minimal, you can sand the damage and treat it with an antifungal compound, and then seal the gap with foam.
If the base is uneven and there are high-altitude differences, then they must also be eliminated without fail. You can put wedges, and plywood on top, thus securing the bar in the desired angle.

How to lay laminate on a wooden floor

How to lay a laminate with your own hands on a wooden floor? Before proceeding with the installation, hold the laminate in the open package so that it adapts to the conditions of the room.

Laminate is laid only on the substrate. It depends on it the life of the material. Many manufacturers can even refuse a guarantee, since the instructions for the laminate always indicate the need for a substrate. Why is she needed? The substrate acts as an additional protective layer for the laminate itself. It takes over the function of the base leveler.
The substrate can absorb a certain amount of moisture without letting it through to the planks. The laminate will lie on it evenly and will not subsequently stagger and rub against the base, which significantly increases its service life. In addition, it acts as an additional material for heat and sound insulation.

The substrate is spread butt-to-leaf. There shouldn't be even the slightest overlap. Tape is used to fasten the sheets. The installation of the laminate starts from the wall, attach spacers 1 cm thick to it, so that later it does not swell or bevel.

The first planks are installed with a spike to the wall. The boards are stacked in a checkerboard pattern, so the next row starts with half the board. Planks are attached to each other in two ways: click and lock. With the click system, the board tilts at an angle of 30-45 degrees and is pressed against another board with force. When the lock clicks into place, you will hear a click. You can additionally tap the board with a rubber mallet to consolidate the effect.

The lock system immediately uses a rubber mallet. You just need to hammer one bar to another until it clicks. If there are obstacles in the form of pipes in your way, then simply cut the panel so that the hole is then placed on the pipe. A hole is cut into the board. You need to make it a little wider than the pipe itself, and then lay the rubber gasket. The last panel may be wider than necessary. In this case, it must be cut off. This must be done very carefully.

Sometimes the laminate is laid on the glue. More often this method is used in rooms with high humidity. The process is almost identical to the castle, only at the joints you do not attach the planks to each other, but glue them.

In the process, for better fixation, you can use adhesive tape at the joints. Then you need to wait until the glue is completely dry and you can remove the adhesive tape.

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 difference 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.

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 vary. 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. m. 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 screws.

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.

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

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.

Laminate laying

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.

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 main rule when laying laminate flooring 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.

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 as possible to the lock, 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.

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 one 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.

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.

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. The rules for laying laminate flooring 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. 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.

• 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 a 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.