Preparation of the base
First you need to carefully prepare the surface on which the laminate will be laid. To do this, all garbage is removed from the floor, it is done wet cleaning. If the difference in height is more than 3 mm per 1 m, as the standards for styling require, then the floor is aligned. This is achieved at the expense of a cement-sand screed, bulk floors or false-lamps from plywood or oriented-brown plates. A film is laid on a prepared surface about 0.2 mm for waterproofing the floor. The film should go to the walls, on the floor it is mounted on the overlap, after which the seams are sealed with adhesive tape. The rolled foamed material 2-3 mm thick is laid in the direction of laying the laminate for sound – and thermal insulation, as well as for the device of proper depreciation. The roll substrate creeps with a gap from the walls of 1-2 cm, as well as with a gap between each subsequent sheet of the substrate.
How to prepare a laminate correctly
Before laying it, the laminate should lay down in a closed package in the room no day, and in a horizontal position. This is necessary so that it adapts to the conditions in which it will be operated. Now you need to decide in which direction the laminate will be laid. It is better to have longitudinal joints in parallel to the direction of the falling light – so the seams between the panels will be invisible completely.
Tools necessary for laying laminate
We will need to lay the laminate:
• Roulette
• Pencil
• ruler, preferably long
• rubber hammer
• wedges (from laminate scraps or special plastic)
• bars – to drive a spike into the groove
• hook – for vertical docking of laminate panels
• Electric
DIY laminate laying
Most of the types of laminate are designed for fastening by a floating way, that is, only among themselves-locks or bayonets systems. The coating is not attached to the base.
In order to exclude the deformation of the floor as a result of changes in humidity and temperature in the room, the gaps between the coating and the wall along the entire perimeter of the room are needed at least 1 cm. This is done using wedges that are installed at the time of installation of the first laminate board. After the laminate coating is ready, the gaps against the wall are closed with a baseboard, and at the door – a decorative thorough. Laminate should be laid in a checkerboard pattern. After the first row of laminate is laid, do not rush to lay the second. It needs to be started with a board of 40-50 cm long, best of all that remains of the previous row to simply save the coating. As soon as the first two rows are ready, they need to be thoroughly fixed among themselves. This is done using a wooden bar and rubber hammer. The bar is brought to the side surface of the board, and with the help of it and the hammer the seam formed by the boards is knocked out. They do the same with vertical seams, only this time the hook is used.
Laminate care
Any flooring is afraid of abrasive particles, which is especially true for materials with varnish coating. In order for your floor to serve as long as possible, you need to monitor its purity and prevent firm debris and sand on it, in order to avoid scratches. Wet cleaning is best done with a slightly moisturized rag and special detergents: the laminate is afraid of excessive humidity and aggressive chemicals. If furniture often moves in the room, then it is better to make soft nozzles from felt on the legs – they will also not allow you to scratch the varnish coating.