It is known that repairing an apartment or a house is an expensive business. In addition, unforeseen expenses often arise. Therefore, many are looking for an opportunity to save on something during repairs - construction materials or work.
A popular and reliable material for flooring is laminate. It has high strength, is aesthetically attractive and not complicated in care. Laying a laminate - this is the point in the total cost of repairs, where you can save. To date, many are wondering how to lay the laminate yourself. This flooring is very easy to handle, so you can put laminate floor by yourself. Naturally, there are several nuances in this case, which may not be mentioned in the instruction. In this article, we'll tell you how to put the laminate floor correctly.
How to lay the laminate yourself
Before laying the laminate floor, it is necessary to carry out preliminary training. It consists of the following items:
- laminate preparation. After the laminate has been bought, it must stand for at least 24 hours in the room in which it will fit. This is necessary to ensure that the boards are "used" to the conditions of the room and adapted to humidity;
- surface preparation. If the laminate should be placed on the old wooden floor or parquet, then it is necessary to first estimate the degree of horizontal surface. If the differences in the floor height exceed 5 mm at a length of 2 meters, then the floor must be leveled by grinding. The old surface should be strong and not bend. Otherwise, it must be replaced. If the laminate is to be placed on a concrete floor, then its horizontality must also be checked, and in the event of unevenness, align it with a screed;
- waterproofing. On the prepared floor should be laid stripes of dense polyethylene with an overlap of 15-20 cm perpendicular to the laying of laminate boards.
If the laminate is laid on linoleum, waterproofing is not necessary. The main thing is that the old coating should be flat. After preliminary preparation, you can start laying the laminate. First of all, you need to choose the direction of laying the boards. Experts recommend to lay the laminate along the direction of light in the room. This makes it possible to hide all possible joints.
Laminate boards are joined together in two ways: with glue and with the help of a lock.
There are two locking systems: Click-locks and Lock-locks. The first option is a prefabricated lock, the second is a snap lock. Click-locks are easy to use and have a low probability of damaging the laminate. Lock locks are more economical, but they do not have such a high quality of panel connection.
Before laying the laminate floor, measure the room. If necessary, cut the boards. Leave a gap of 10 mm near each wall. The gap prevents the laminate from swelling after expansion in warm conditions. Laying the laminate should be started from the corner furthest from the window. The boards need to be interconnected, and if necessary, hammered. If the laminate panels are joined together by glue, then the room can not enter for 10
How much does it cost to put a laminate
For those who have found the answers to all questions for themselves, how to put the laminate correctly will not require additional costs. If the customer decided to resort to the help of builders, then the cost of laying 1 square meter of laminate can be up to 50% of the cost of the material itself. In the latter case, you should only use the services of specialists who know how to properly lay the laminate, even if the price of their work will be higher.