Laminate has gained popularity among other materials due to its beauty, accessibility and practicality. In addition, the technology of laying the laminate is simple and affordable even for non-professionals.
Surface preparation
The first step is the right choice of material that suits your taste and fits into the interior solutions of your apartment. It is not recommended to put the laminate in the bathroom due to increased sensitivity to moisture. Carry out laying work with your partner.
Before starting work, align the floor. The wooden or concrete floor should have a flat surface on which to work. A self-leveling mix is ideal for concrete paving. To eliminate the roughness of the wooden floor, you should use a grinder, the process can be very time-consuming.
After leveling the floor, you can proceed with its waterproofing. For this, as a rule, they use a special substrate made of foamed polyethylene that does not allow moisture to pass and retains heat.
Laminate Laying Technology
You can start laying the laminate on either side of the room. It is desirable to arrange the boards perpendicular to the window so that butt defects between them are not visible.
The first row of boards is laid along the wall so that they are firmly attached to each other, and each of them is hammered. To do this, use a small wooden plank attached to the laminate board on its end side. Do not knock excessively so as not to damage the crest of the material.
If there is damage on the surface of the board, replace it with a new one. Therefore, the laminate is purchased with a margin in case of unforeseen circumstances.
The laminate is aligned along the wall, at the end the board is cut to the desired size. Wedges about 1 cm in size should be placed between the wall and the laminate. Cut pieces of the board can be used as wedges. Laminate is a floating coating, that is, it can expand and contract. Clearances are necessary to prevent swelling of the coating.
The second strip should start with half the board, the next row with the whole, and so on. As a result, the laminate board will be laid “open-ended”, which improves the appearance of the coating.
Obstacles in the form of radiator batteries and pipes should be avoided by cutting holes of the required size in the board with a jigsaw.
Diagonal styling
There is a technology for laying the laminate diagonally. Installation of the coating begins from the corner of the room, trimming the edges of the rows at an angle of 45 °. The boards for the second row are cut so that the end joint between them falls in the middle of the row. Subsequent rows are also laid down, keeping track of the “run-up”.
Diagonal laying allows you to visually increase the area of the room, however, the material consumption increases by 7-8%.
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