Nowadays, laminate is one of the most common flooring options. But masonry Any material has its own invisible moments. This is exactly what we will talk about next.

Invisible styling moments

If you are asking whether it is possible to lay new laminate on hardboard, then you have come to the right place. We will try to figure out what the difficulties of such work are and how to avoid them.

Laying laminate on fiberboard sheets

During the installation process laminate based coatings The evenness of the floor base is extremely important. Only in in this case it is possible to lay the panels correctly.

Main! Differences in height are verified using bubble level. In this case, the value should not be more than 2 millimeters. All bumps and holes should be removed. Most manufacturers dictate their own values ​​for height difference. But under any circumstances, the base must be particularly even, otherwise the claps of the lamellas cannot be avoided. Yes, and panels covered with laminate can jump out of their connections, which are called “locks”.

Therefore, before laying laminate flooring, it is recommended to correctly assess the condition of the floor. And if the base is uneven, the problem must be removed. Typically, you can apply mixtures to puttying works to the surface without even removing the fiberboard. This is when the sheets are laid on concrete.

It is best to straighten the base under the laminate by removing the plywood. And if the floor is flat, lay the panels directly on it. If not, make a screed. This is the best option. Practice shows that if there are a considerable number of unevennesses, then it is easier to make a screed than to level everything with putty.

Laying a laminate flooring on concrete screed

The main thing is to adequately assess the condition of the floor base, so as not to unnecessarily lay the laminate on the fiberboard and damage everything. No one is against laying laminate panels on fiberboard sheets. This is ordinary material, and it is permissible in this case. Let's just return to the fact that the floor must be level.

Conclusion

Whether to lay fiberboard sheets on the floor or not depends only on your desire. There shouldn't be any problems. Look carefully at the quality of the material and ask the store for quality certificates for any products so that masonry was high quality.

How not to lay laminate flooring. Laminate on wooden floors in Khrushchev, without plywood

I'm planning on putting laminate flooring on. Now the floor is painted wood. Fiberboard, like thick cardboard, is nailed on top. This fiberboard is also painted.
But in some places there are small bulges on it, and where it is nailed %u2013 there are depressions. Can laminate be placed directly on this fiberboard or does it need to be removed?
Will the floor play on convex areas?

Related materials

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User comments:

In principle, laminate is a very undemanding flooring material. From the point of view of optimizing installation, fiberboard is most often used to level the floor before laying the laminate. But in your case, in my opinion, it would be optimal complete replacement DPV, in order to avoid unevenness, if this is not possible, then try to neutralize these unevenness with the help of some adhesive materials (silicohelium with shavings, for example).

Do you really have such bulges there that it will be noticeable on the laminate??? If you are not satisfied with this, then you can put in new fiberboard, or even better, it should be plywood. You can simply glue it to the screed using any parquet glue, and screw it around the perimeter and in the center with self-tapping screws, this is done to ensure that the base is strong and reliable. But the most important thing!!! Be sure to place a backing, such as cork, under the laminate.

It is not recommended to lay laminate flooring on flat surface. All unevenness should not exceed 3mm per 1 lm; if you have more, then they must be eliminated. The base must be clean, dry, even and durable, so not fiberboard, but chipboard (chipboard) is more suitable; it can even be laid on top of fiberboard (so as not to tear it off).

My husband laid laminate flooring on Lenolium; according to many finishing workers, this is even better than concrete or self-leveling floors. If, as you say, where the depressions are nailed, then as I understand it, they are not depressions, but a little bit of the nails is simply pressed off, and about the bulges - if these are not bubbles, as happens there, they swell from moisture, or something like that, then no scary. Our floor was not very even at all, we were too lazy to level it, and there is a place where you step and you can feel the laminate sagging a little, but we’ve been living here for 3 years now and there are no problems, nothing goes anywhere or moves apart.

If I were you, I wouldn’t take risks with the laminate and additionally put either at least 8mm plywood or OSB plate- 6mm. This will be enough. First, check the floor level; the difference should be no more than 5 mm per square meter. Good luck!

Those who are used to ripping off money for all sorts of nonsense write about “levelling” and other costs. Laminate is easily replaceable and cheap, so don’t worry about it laser levels floor evenness and other marketing and management tricks.

Chakra, we did the same thing. Old linoleum They didn’t take it off, they decided it would be warmer with it. Before laying the laminate, only the roughest irregularities were smoothed out with adhesive putty. We laid a lightweight foam base and laid laminate flooring. It bends here and there, but nothing critical has happened to it for more than two years. Correctly noted, if it breaks, it can be easily replaced. Even if you can’t find the same design, a piece from under the furniture can be placed in a visible place, and placed under a bed or carpet of a different color.

In principle, it is quite possible to lay laminate on fiberboard, but it is better to lay a special underlay; it is inexpensive, but it will smooth out small unevenness well. Nail holes don't matter at all. If the bulges are no more than 2 mm, then this is not a problem. If they are large, you can try to process them with a grinder or file.

Lay them along the boards and you will break the locks.
Fill it with sand and it will crunch.
If you are leveling with a plane, hammer the nail heads deeper
As an option, I will suggest using gypsum fiber. Cheaper than plywood, additional hydro-thermal insulation + leveling + speed.
If the floor area does not hit the level, a frame is made under the level, filled with a fine fraction of expanded clay, 2 layers of gypsum fiber board are laid with the seams offset, then a 2 mm substrate, then a laminate. Tested for 4 years, no problems

Nail holes are nonsense. If the bulge is no more than 2-3 mm, it’s also not scary. If your swellings are large, try treating them with a file or sander. In any case, additionally lay a special underlay under the laminate (watch the video on how to lay laminate yourself, everything is very clear there). No other leveling or replacement of the fiberboard is necessary.

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Before laying laminate flooring on an uneven wooden floor, you should study the recommendations of professionals. Renovation work is often very scary for people. Of course, when you think that a lot needs to be done, even if the repair is purely finishing in nature, you immediately feel uneasy. In fact, everything is not so scary and not very difficult if you know exactly what you are going to do and how to prepare for repair work. First of all, you should think carefully about what problems you may encounter during the repair work.

Easy installation of laminate flooring on uneven floors

Many residents of apartments and houses prefer to have laminate floors in their homes that are pleasant for their household members. Often in houses and apartments with wooden floors, specialists are faced with the fact that it is completely impossible to lay laminate flooring directly on the floor until the problem can be eliminated.

Before installing laminate flooring on an uneven floor, it is recommended to place a backing on it.

The most common possible problems uneven walls, floors or ceilings, as well as a number of other individual characteristics that may be present in your apartment or house:

• Moved walls;
• Non-standard window openings, etc.

Why is there no way to lay laminate flooring directly on the floor? There are reasons for this. Laying on uneven surfaces can cause the laminate to become lumpy, which subsequently leads to damage to the integrity of the coating. Laying on such a floor is not only impractical, but also difficult in itself. In this case, it is almost impossible to fit small laminate tiles. How can you determine whether the floor is level if no defects are visually noticeable, but laying the laminate is not possible? A good assistant in this matter will be the usual building level, which accurately determines whether the surface is flat or not.

If it is discovered that there is any unevenness on the floor surface, you should stop all work that has already begun and begin to correct it.

Now the question arises, how to turn an uneven floor into evenness? Relevant specialists will always help answer this question. They know better than anyone else the dangers of repairing a crooked floor, and how you can fix it all yourself. The most common method for leveling a floor is to use a material such as a leveling underlay, which should be laid on the floor surface. And yet, there are also some nuances here. Let's take a closer look at this type of substrate.

Why do you need a leveling underlay for laminate flooring?

According to experts, most often similar problems are noted by repairmen to varying degrees of unevenness of walls, ceilings and floors. If the unevenness of the walls can somehow be circumvented, for example, by using special tiles or panels installed on the metal frame, and uneven ceilings are harmoniously hidden under suspended ceilings, then an uneven wooden floor is a more serious problem.

Leveling underlay for laminate flooring is great solution for small uneven floors, be it a wooden floor or a rough concrete floor.

Thanks to the leveling underlay, you can make the floor level and extend its service life.

In this case, the underlay can be used when laying both laminate and parquet floors without screed. The substrate can vary in thickness, which varies from 1 to 4 mm, so that it is enough for leveling, as well as by manufacturer and type of material itself.

So, the leveling substrate can be:

1. Polyethylene foam backing. This is the most popular synthetic-based material. Different low performance prices, high thermal insulation, which makes it excellent material for leveling and simultaneous insulation of the floor; in addition, such material is not subject to attacks by rodents and pathogenic microorganisms.
2. Cork type of substrate. It is a high-quality, environmentally friendly leveling material with a price that matches the quality. At the same time, it is more advisable to lay a cork underlay for a long period under a high-quality expensive floor. Some manufacturers of cork substrates equip their material with an additional adhesive layer.
3. Bitumen substrates with the addition of cork chips. Regarding the pricing policy, it is as expensive as its cork counterpart, but due to the addition of bitumen, it has excellent hygroscopicity and sound insulation.
4. Expanded polystyrene type leveling material. Laying such a substrate allows you to maintain the maximum level of the floor and will help level out minor unevenness and imperfections in the floor surface.
5. Combined substrates. Most often, for their production, companies use a combination of polystyrene foam and polyethylene foam.
6. Pine needle tiles. Environmentally friendly material for leveling the floor surface. Laying such a substrate is not difficult, but it is worth remembering that coniferous tiles are laid diagonally.

Thus, it can be noted that before buying a leveling underlay, determine what type of floor it will be laid on, what the price line of underlays is and what properties and disadvantages the selected underlay model has.

Do I need to carefully level the floor under laminate?

It was considered where to start working on finishing the floor, how to choose a substrate, and what to pay attention to, but you need to decide whether maybe you don’t need to deal with leveling? Finishing work themselves imply the presence of an already flat surface on which finishing will take place, but with some materials this rule can be neglected, with the exception of laminate. Laminate tiles should always be laid on a perfectly flat floor surface. Otherwise, you will only get a headache.

If the room is residential, then for ease of use the floor should be leveled before laying the laminate

The following flaws are also possible:

1. A difference in floor surface level will cause deformation of the laminate panels.
2. Differences in the level of 2 adjacent sections of the floor will also cause poor adhesion between the panels, which will lead to cracks.
3. The seams between laminate tiles will be subject to divergence, and therefore deformation of the laminate material itself. Broken seams will have to be puttied more than once.
4. On an uneven floor surface, especially at the transition between rooms, laminate flooring creaks.
5. Due to the divergence of the panels, moisture will get under the coverings, which will cause irreversible sad consequences, and the floor will have to be completely replaced.
6. If the floor is uneven, you may notice that some of the laminate panels, and maybe several parts, are pressed through.

As you can understand from the above, you always need to level the floor surface as much as possible before laying the laminate, otherwise you risk prolonging renovation work Not even a single day or even a month, and accordingly, material costs for repairs will increase.

Is it possible to lay laminate directly on fiberboard?

Very often, people moving into apartments of the so-called old building find that the floors are covered with fiberboard material, in other words, plywood or chipboards. The question arises: is it necessary to remove everything down to the rough surface of the floor, or can you install the laminate directly on top of the slabs?

If you are laying laminate flooring on fiberboard, then it must be thoroughly sanded and cleaned of debris and dust.

Experts say it is possible.

In addition, fiberboard and chipboard slabs can be used to level the floor level in an apartment, especially if there is not a strong permissible floor slope. A floor with a slope is the case when the height of one part of the floor is 0.1-0.2ᵒ or more higher than the other.

The advantages of this material work in defense of the use of fiberboard and chipboard boards:

• With such slabs you can level the floor surface without any problems;
• Having good rigidity, the slabs are an additional guarantee of the longevity of the laminate;
• Pleasant cost of leveling material compared to others;
• Does not require special conditions - chipboard and fiberboard are covered with different types floors in different rooms.

Although such slabs are not full-fledged high-quality boards, they are capable of covering and masking uneven floors, but also due to their great endurance, they can be used even in rooms with high traffic or the presence of massive heavy furniture. Such slabs allow you to correct uneven floors and level the floor surface. For these reasons alone, you can give the go-ahead for installing stoves in the room.

If initially there were no fiberboard or chipboard slabs on the floor, but you want to cover the floor with them, then first of all it is necessary to install the slabs with all responsibility. Next comes the installation of the laminate itself, which in turn follows certain classic installation points, regardless of the type.

When laying laminate flooring, it should be taken into account that a plinth will be installed around the perimeter of the room.

Let's consider what types of installation can be used:

1. Laying the laminate perpendicular to the light source. This method is good if you are worried that the seams between the tiles will be visible.
2. It is possible to lay the light diagonally and classically in a herringbone pattern. This can often be found in older apartments.

Each installation method allows you to achieve a special pattern on the floor surface, which makes the room more interesting and cozy.

Ways to lay laminate flooring on an uneven wooden floor (video)

So, there are enough options for getting the job done. It is important to understand for yourself what you want to get as a result. And then all that remains is to follow the chosen technology.

Major home renovations usually involve changing the flooring. A material such as laminate is practical and convenient. It combines some of the qualities of linoleum and externally imitates wooden plank floors or parquet.

Laminate flooring is very easy to install and does not require careful maintenance. This coating would be a good option in a home with small children.

Laminate can withstand any impact. For example, he is not afraid of an overturned pan of boiling water or spilled paint. This type of flooring is available in a wide range with various patterns and ornaments.

Useful information ! Besides classic design Nowadays, under wood, you can see original carpet patterns, coverings that imitate marble, etc.

It is worth noting that laminate, like other flooring options, has some disadvantages. First of all, it is worth noting their fragility.

Its service life is no more than 5-6 years. This is due to the fact that bottom layer Laminate board is chipboard or fiberboard. Therefore, laminate, just like wood, is characterized by high porosity and over time it begins to warp.

What is the underlay for?

To ensure that the laminate does not lose its original appearance for as long as possible, you need to use an underlay for this floor covering. In addition, it will act as a shock absorber and prevent subsidence and deformation of the coating when it is subject to loads. Substrates are different and each of them has both its pros and cons.

Izolon and polystyrene

Izolon- This is a material in the form of foamed polyethylene. This type substrates have an acceptable cost. It is able to withstand the influence of moisture, the occurrence of fungus, which often affects wooden surfaces. But isolon has one drawback: it is short-lived.

Isolon breaks easily and sags very quickly under load, so it cannot cope with the task of shock absorption. However, he has good sound insulation, which makes it especially in demand. Under the laminate, the isolon is connected by gluing with tape.

Polystyrene- This is a more expensive material with a two-layer structure. A thin layer of aluminum foil is placed on top of the polyesterol layer.

In order to connect the pieces of polystyrene placed under the laminate, you will need adhesive tape made of aluminum staniol, which can be purchased at any hardware store. Laying polystyrene involves great difficulties, unlike isolon. This is due to the fact that it does not roll out well.

It fills voids well, but under the influence of load it is greatly deformed and sags.

Cork backing is the most expensive option available. But the high cost only indicates the appropriate quality of the material.

Important! Cork has excellent noise and heat insulation qualities, and also does an excellent job of shock absorption. If there is a substrate of this type under the laminate, it will not sag or deform under the influence of loads over time.

Moreover, it is of natural origin and does not contain heavy chemical compounds that are harmful to the human body.

If we talk about the disadvantages of a cork substrate, then they include the fact that it does not withstand moisture well. In order to neutralize this drawback, it must be coated with a waterproof compound.

In this case, the tar will be the best option. In order to protect the substrate from moisture emanating from the concrete floor, it should be laid on glassine or greenhouse film. On sale today cork backing, having a rubberized base or an option with bitumen.

Having decided to use a cork backing, you need to know that its thickness should be within 4 mm. The most optimal indicator is 2-3 mm.

A thicker underlay, in combination with an uneven floor, will lead to large joints between the tiles, as a result of which the floor surface will not look aesthetically pleasing. Before you begin laying the laminate, the floor should be leveled.

The substrate is not able to smooth out all its defects and irregularities. In addition, this will have a positive effect on service life flooring material.

Wood fiber substrates

Wood-fiber substrates are presented in the form of slabs laid under the laminate. They perfectly dampen the sounds of footsteps, but are powerless in the fight against penetrating noise.

Useful information! If you want to protect yourself from sounds noisy neighbors, such a substrate plan should be abandoned. The main advantage of this material is thermal insulation, so it will ideal option for rooms on the first floors, where the floor is always cold.

• In order to enhance the effectiveness of the wood-fiber backing, the slabs must be laid perpendicularly.
• Many craftsmen recommend placing them at an angle of 45° to the direction of the checkers. Adjacent rows can be shifted relative to each other by? slab length.
• A distance of 2 mm should be provided between the plates, the distance from the plate to the wall is 1 cm. In this case, during temperature changes in the air, the deformed substrate will not compress the floor covering.

Specialized substrates

Specialized substrates are made from non-traditional materials that produce a variety of construction companies. Such options include polymer porous substrates, etc.

Important! It is quite difficult to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of these substrates, since the manufacturer often conceals their structure. However, specialized substrates are usually of good quality and provide all the necessary functions.

A good alternative to the traditional underlay would be its liquid variety, which involves an adhesive mass connecting the laminate to the base. In this case, the mass will not prevent the deformation of the laminate during fluctuations in room temperature and air humidity. The mass retains its elasticity and dampens noise well.

Fiberboard substrates have excellent sound and heat insulation. Their disadvantage is high porosity, as a result of which this kind of substrate is not able to withstand the influence of moisture.

By taking certain precautions, you can extend the life of the material. If moisture gets under the laminate, this will not lead to its deformation, but if water gets in regularly, it may become damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to provide it with proper operating conditions or cover the fiberboard panels with appropriate waterproof materials.

Fibreboard substrates, exactly like fiber products, you need to lay it at an angle of 45 ° to the laminate dies, which will help prevent the gaps from matching. It is important that there is a gap of 1-2 mm between the slabs, and 5-10 mm between the slab and the wall.

The stability of the slab can be increased by gluing it to the floor at several points. Another option is to attach it with staples or nails.

Coniferous tiles

Coniferous underlay for laminate is an innovation that appeared on the trading market relatively recently. The cost of such material is quite high, so sometimes you can find it in construction stores not so simple.

You can often see Izoplat coniferous boards on sale. This type of material has environmentally friendly qualities and is capable of allowing air to pass through, thanks to which the greenhouse effect can be prevented.

If we talk about elasticity, then pine needles cannot compete cork covering. Tiles made of pine needles have a thickness of 4-5 mm, which does not meet the requirements of laminate manufacturers. The substrate is laid diagonally.

Bitumen-cork substrates

The basis of this material is kraft paper in combination with bitumen. Fine cork chips are applied on top of the material. Crushed pieces of cork (2-3 mm) are used as topping.

Bitumen is characterized by the fact that it does not allow moisture to pass through, is able to retain sounds, is breathable, and therefore does not allow the formation of condensation. The cost of the bitumen substrate is quite high, so it is advisable to lay it under expensive types of laminate. Conclusion

Using a laminate underlay is not prerequisite. However, without it, it will be necessary to carry out repeated repairs after 5-6 years. You can extend the life of the laminate by laying panels and special slabs.

Their task is to protect the house from extraneous noise and cold. In addition, they prevent deformation of the laminate flooring.

Do-it-yourself laminate on a wooden floor: video instructions. Laminate is a coating that requires perfect preparation level base. But what if it is not possible to dismantle the old floor and install a new cement screed? Is it possible to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor? These questions are of interest to those who have decided to refresh the interior without resorting to capital investments. You can learn about methods of laying material on an existing surface from the recommendations and video given in the article: how to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor with your own hands.

Laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor is a common method of laying new flooring.

Is it possible to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor?

The question of the possibility of laying laminate flooring on an old wooden floor often arises due to the fact that the cost of dismantling and installing a new one cement base in many ways exceeds the cost of purchasing the flooring itself. In addition, the feasibility of carrying out overhaul is not always justified, as it is associated with the duration of the process, while you can change the interior of the room by resorting to cosmetic repairs.

Laying laminate flooring in an apartment

Is it possible to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor and not be afraid that the coating will deform, creak when walking, or come apart at the seams? Knowing how an old wooden base behaves and what measures need to be taken to comply with the basic requirements for laying laminated floors, you can safely begin the work. The technology for laying laminate panels on a wooden floor is similar to the procedure for installing a covering on a screed.

Despite the warnings of manufacturers and some laying specialists, it is possible to lay laminate flooring over a wooden floor, taking into account two main differences between a wooden and a cement base:

1. Instability wooden base. Laminate flooring boards laid over a wood base may move. This will lead to additional stress on the laminate joints, which are the most vulnerable point of this flooring.
2. Loss mechanical properties wooden flooring during operation. This fact obliges, before laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor, to carefully check wooden structure for defects and fix loose elements.

Laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor is one of the simplest jobs that a novice master can do

In order for the laminate to be perfectly smooth, not come apart in locks and serve for a long time, it is necessary to prepare the base taking into account all the requirements for the surface when laying this material. The base should be:

• flat - deviation from the horizon should not exceed 2 mm per 1 linear meter of surface;
• absolutely dry;
• clean - it is necessary to remove from the surface all debris and dust that arose during the preparation process;
• stable - there should be no displacement of the base elements relative to each other.

How to level a wooden floor under laminate

There are several alignment options wooden floors under laminate:

• scraping a wooden floor;
• covering the floor with plywood or chipboard;
• leveling with plywood using pads and bars.

Leveling the floor under the laminate using plywood sheets

The choice of one or another surface correction option depends on the degree of unevenness of the wooden base.

Repairing an old wooden base

Work on preparing a wooden floor for laying laminated flooring is carried out either immediately before installation, or in advance. It depends on how complex the process will be and how long it will take to fully meet the technical requirements. First you should check the condition of the wooden floor for any possible defects.

Most often, boards that have been in use for more than one year have a slightly convex surface as a result of applying several layers of paint to them. The edges of the boards or parquet slats may be damaged in the form of cracks, holes and gouges. In addition, it is possible that the floorboards do not adhere tightly to the joists at the joining points. Sometimes there is a significant slope of the floor in one or more directions. All these shortcomings require elimination.

Repair of individual wood floor panels

Before laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor, you should fill all the potholes, wedge and secure the loose elements with glue and screws. If there are cracks in the wood, they are stapled together using construction stapler. Moldy and rotten boards must be replaced with new ones. To eliminate the creaking of a wooden floor, you need to go through all the floorboards.

Useful advice! To avoid squeaking, you should use self-tapping screws rather than nails when reassembling the floor, since most often the sound appears precisely at the junction of the nail and the wood.

Get rid of squeaking wooden covering It is also possible by driving wedges between poorly fixed boards and joists, as well as between adjacent floorboards. This method will help neutralize the friction of the boards against each other. If the plank flooring is very worn, this method may not be effective. However, the main threat to the integrity of the laminate remains the unevenness of the base.

Restoration of a wooden floor before laying laminate

How to lay laminate flooring on an uneven wooden floor: surface treatment by scraping

If all the floorboards of the wooden base are well secured and the surface does not have a significant slope, you can use a scraper or power planer for leveling. This method is appropriate for surfaces whose unevenness does not exceed a slope of 5-6 mm per square meter. Local irregularities are eliminated by sanding the defective areas with sandpaper or using a hand scraper. This treatment is also used in hard-to-reach places.

To facilitate the process, it is recommended to begin leveling by dividing the entire surface into several sections. After processing, the plane of each section and the quality of grinding are controlled. Before starting work, it is necessary to deepen the heads of all self-tapping screws 2 mm into the wood in order to avoid contact with the metal knives of the power grinding tool, which could lead to their damage.

Upon completion of leveling, check the entire surface of the wooden floor using a level, then carefully sweep or vacuum away sawdust and dust. If the small debris remaining after leveling is not removed, there is a possibility that it will get into the locks of the laminated covering, and this, in turn, will lead to unwanted squeaking when moving on the laid laminate.

Checking the horizontal level of the floor using a level

Before laying the laminate on a wooden floor after leveling, it is necessary to treat the entire surface with an antiseptic compound or dry it and dry thoroughly. To reduce possible deflection of the laminated coating, it is recommended to lay panels of material perpendicular to the direction of the boards.

Useful advice! Before starting leveling work using scraping, you should take care of the safety of the interior items in the apartment: furniture and accessories should be covered with polyethylene to prevent fine dust from getting on them.

Leveling the floor with plywood under laminate

One of the simplest and at the same time low-cost methods of adjusting the surface to the required level is the method of laying plywood on a wooden floor under a laminate. To perform such work, you should purchase plywood sheets with a thickness exceeding the thickness of the finished laminated coating. It is recommended to choose the thickness of plywood for laminate flooring in the range from 12 to 15 mm.

Before starting installation, it is a good idea to check the humidity level in the room. This can be done by placing a sheet of polyethylene on the floor measuring approximately 1x1 m. The polyethylene should be pressed tightly to the floor and left for three days. If after this time the inside sheet does not form condensation, in such a room you can use plywood sheets.

Installation of plywood sheets on the floor

The process begins by cutting plywood sheets. They are cut into squares measuring 60x60 cm. Individual outer sheets are adjusted to the contours of the room, fill niches and go around protruding areas. When laying, gaps of 7-10 mm are left between the sheets, which serve as expansion joints. The distance between the outer sheets and the wall should be between 15 and 20 mm. In order not to mix up the cut plywood sheets during assembly, it is recommended to number them.

You can attach plywood boards to the floor using glue, but you can do without it. Using the laying diagram and numbering, the sheets are laid out on the wooden floor in their place and fixed with self-tapping screws in the corners of the square and along diagonal lines in increments of 15 cm. For fastening, it is important to use self-tapping screws, the length of which is three times the thickness of the plywood. After final assembly, plywood sheets are carefully sanded with coarse sandpaper.

Laying plywood under laminate on a wooden floor with fastening to joists

Before laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor, you can use the method of leveling the surface by laying plywood and attaching it to joists. This method is quite labor-intensive and expensive. The principle of this method is to install the logs in such a way that their upper edges are in the same horizontal plane. To achieve this position, wedges or blocks of wood are placed under the joists. When laying adjustable joists, their position is fixed using adjusting screws.

Leveling the base using joists and plywood

Plywood boards are cut using circular saw and laid on the logs, while checking the horizontal level of the plane of each sheet. Laying is done in checkerboard pattern to avoid matching the seams at one point. The sheets are fastened to a wooden base using self-tapping screws along the perimeter and diagonally in increments of 20 cm. For quick and convenient installation It is recommended to pre-mark the mounting locations.

Useful advice! Do not use plywood sheets with phenol-formaldehyde adhesive for installation in residential areas. This material has excellent moisture resistance, but can harm human health, being toxic.

After complete installation, the sheets are sanded and treated with an antiseptic solution, and then the laminate is laid on the plywood. On wooden floors leveled in this way, the floor covering will remain durable and long lasting. The only drawback of laying plywood on joists is that this option is not very suitable for rooms with low ceilings, since their height may decrease to 8-10 cm. In addition, trimming the door leaf may be required.

Sanding plywood sheets

Is it possible to lay laminate flooring on fiberboard?

When renovating an apartment, many people wonder whether it is possible to put laminate flooring on a wooden floor covered with fiberboards? Some recommendations note that if the fiberboard boards are laid flat and held tightly, they can be used as a base for a laminated coating. However, some experts do not agree with this statement.

The thing is that wood fiber panels do not have the ability to redistribute the load over a large area, unlike plywood or chipboard sheets. In addition, when fiberboard sheets are laid, there is no way to carefully examine the condition of the old wooden floor. How to lay laminate on a base whose elements may be rotten or worn out? This can lead to the fact that over time, all existing defects will appear on the finished floor covering.

The use of fiberboard, which is based on pressed paper, as a base for a laminated coating raises serious doubts about the durability of the repair. On old floors, under load, a play of up to 0.5 mm may appear, which will cause the laminate locks to become loose. This can lead to squeaking and broken locks. And if you consider that wooden floor joists can be cracked, the gap can be significantly larger.

Installation of fiberboard under laminated covering

Considering that not everyone has the opportunity to dismantle an old wooden floor or rebuild it (which is also expensive in itself), you can lay laminate flooring on fiberboard. However, the condition must be met that the fiberboards are sufficiently firmly fixed to wooden floor. And if the base for the laminate is strong, then big difference no, what is the base - chipboard, plywood or fiberboard.

Laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor with your own hands

To understand how to properly install laminate flooring on a wooden floor, you need to have an understanding of the material itself, its classes, types of substrate used, calculations and installation technologies. This information will help when carrying out work to avoid mistakes that lead to damage, waste of material, and will also contribute to high-quality and durable installation.

Laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor

Selecting material: calculation and purchase of laminate

The amount of laminate required is calculated based on the area of ​​the room, the material consumption rate and the installation method. First of all, you should determine the surface area to be covered. The number of square meters of the room is divided by the area of ​​one laminate board. As a result, the required number of coating strips is obtained. Knowing that each pack contains 8 boards, you can easily determine the number of packs.

When purchasing material, you should also take into account the consumption coefficient, which varies from 5 to 14%. This or that coefficient value depends on how the laminate panels are laid. If you decide to lay the laminated flooring diagonally, the maximum coefficient is taken. Consequently, there will be more material waste.

Useful advice! When purchasing laminate, make sure that all packages are from the same batch. The same material from different batches may differ in color.

In addition, it should be taken into account that during installation work, the plate lock may be accidentally damaged or incorrect trimming may be performed. In this case, it would be useful to purchase several boards in reserve.

Installing laminate flooring is a simple but responsible process.

To work with laminate in residential premises, choose a coating with certain technical parameters. Manufacturers present four classes of material, the main indicator of which is wear resistance. The most common slabs are 6, 8 and 10 mm thick. The thicker the board, the stronger coating. For household use Class 31 and 32 material are quite suitable.

In addition to strength indicators, laminate slabs are distinguished by locks. There are two types of locks - CLICK and LOCK. The CLICK lock is more common; it holds the seam perfectly and allows unevenness up to 3 mm on linear meter surfaces. Panels with the second type of lock are difficult to install, require a perfectly level base and are used less frequently.

Preliminary preparation of the base

Before laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor, you should analyze the condition of the existing subfloor. It is necessary to identify all existing defects: potholes, cracks, holes. Loose boards should be wedged and secured with glue and screws. Potholes should be filled with wedges using glue, and if possible, the ventilation holes should be cleaned.

Repairing old wood flooring

A completely old floor should be dismantled down to the supporting joists. If the inspection reveals that some elements are rotten, they should be replaced. Flooring boards that are leaky on one side can be turned over with the unworn side up, and completely rotten ones can be replaced with new ones. Checking the slope of the floor is carried out using building level and slats.

If a difference in the floor surface of more than 3 mm is detected, the scraping method should be used. If you don't have a sanding machine, you can always rent one. It will be more reliable to level the floor by laying chipboard or plywood. In addition to the leveling function, such a coating will provide additional insulation and soundproofing of the floor.

Leveling a wooden floor with chipboards

Laying chipboard slabs is done after strengthening all elements of the wooden floor and impregnating the base with an antifungal compound. The baseboard is dismantled and unnecessary objects that could interfere with the process are removed. The slabs are laid from the corner of the room. A gap of about 10 mm is left from the wall. Place the chipboard sheets so that the joints of the material fall on the lines of the beams.

Chipboard slabs are secured with self-tapping screws, and care must be taken to ensure that the heads of the fasteners do not extend beyond the surface. The pitch of the screws should be about 30 cm. After laying all the chipboard panels, the joining lines must be putty with thin-layer compounds specially designed for working with wood. When the solution dries, the surface of the chipboard boards is sanded.

Installation of tongue-and-groove chipboard

The base of freshly laid chipboard should be thoroughly dried. Ideally, the slabs should be left for about a week to allow acclimatization and excess moisture to evaporate. If during this time it turns out that some joints have swelled or shifted, they should be sanded, puttyed and cleaned with sandpaper.

Useful advice! The chipboard floor leveling technology allows you to prepare a wooden floor of any quality for laying laminated flooring.

Necessary tools for work

For people who do not do professional repairs, but are planning to lay laminate flooring themselves, a logical question arises about a set of tools for the job. To lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor, you will need a tool that should be in the arsenal of every owner:

• construction tape;
• ruler, pencil;
• construction knife;
• hacksaw or jigsaw;
• rubber mallet;
• pliers.

Tools needed for flooring installation

Do not forget about the plinth, for fastening it you will have to slightly expand the range of tools. If you intend to install wooden skirting boards, you will need a miter box. In the case of plastic skirting boards this device will not be needed. You will also need a screwdriver or drill to tighten the screws.

A hammer drill can also be useful for making holes for mounting baseboards. Not everyone has this power tool, but it can be rented for the duration of the work.

Choosing a laminate underlay for a wooden floor

Before laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor, it is correct to cover the surface with underlay. This layer allows you to compensate for minor unevenness, provide moisture and sound insulation of the laminate, as well as the space between the coating and the base. There are quite a lot of types of substrates, and they differ in composition, properties, cost, appearance and other characteristics.

Heat-saving underlay for laminate

The material for making substrates can be synthetic (polyethylene foam), natural (cellulose, cork, pine needles, etc.) or combined. The most budget option is foamed polyethylene - lightweight, easy to install, but fragile material that quickly compresses and does not provide proper moisture exchange. A more durable substrate is made of polystyrene in the form of 1x1 m slabs; it does not cake and provides high-quality sound insulation. But these types of substrates are more often used when the base is made of concrete.

Before laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor, it is recommended to arrange a backing layer of natural material. The cork substrate has excellent properties; in combination with laminate, it demonstrates excellent heat and sound insulation. Its cost is quite high, but this is compensated by the long-term preservation of the wooden base. The thickness of the substrate is selected based on the same parameter of the laminate board.

Useful advice! You cannot use several layers of substrate to level the surface of the base. Uneven surface sex is eliminated in other ways.

For example, a 3 mm thick substrate is selected for an 8 mm board. As for laying the material, it should be noted that the strips of the substrate are placed end-to-end without overlaps and permanently attached to walls or a wooden base. The connecting lines are taped along the entire length or in periodic places.

Laying laminate flooring on a synthetic substrate

How to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor: installation technology

As soon as everything preparatory work are completed, you can proceed directly to laying the laminated panels. The process of laying laminate flooring is relatively simple and does not require special knowledge and skills. However, it is still worth familiarizing yourself with some installation nuances. Choose a place where the laminate packages will be located, remove the doors from their hinges, and clear the room of unnecessary items.

Before laying the substrate, it is necessary to remove all debris and thoroughly remove dust from the surface of the base. The backing strips are laid parallel to the future location of the laminate boards. If a single piece of backing is not enough, you need to connect several parts with tape, cutting them using the mirror cut method. All connecting lines are also taped.

Next, lay the first row of covering. Don't forget that the laminate panels should be positioned across the wooden base boards. Carefully connect the slats of the first row to each other. First we collect solid panels, and then measure the length of the last board of the row and mark the cut line. When trimming, you must turn the board 180 degrees, otherwise the locks will not match. At the mark, cut off the excess part. As visual aid use the video: how to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor with your own hands.

Don’t forget to leave gaps between the end of the panel and the wall, into which you can place 8-10 mm wide stops made from laminate scraps. After the starting strip is formed, the next one is assembled. The distance between adjacent rows should be small to make it easier to connect them. The formation of the next row begins with the cut lamella.

Laminate manufacturers have done everything to ensure that its installation does not cause much trouble.

After assembling the second strip, it must be carefully lifted, holding the end joints, and turned slightly so that the lock snaps into place. You need to go along the entire length of the strip, alternately lifting the end joints and snapping the locks. In order for the locks to fasten tightly, it is necessary to tighten them by tapping them with the palm of your hand or a mallet.

All other rows of coverage are assembled using this principle. It is best to lay laminate panels in a chaotic order, i.e. Some of the rows should not be started from the cut board of the previous strip, but from the whole board or from a shortened piece.

Useful advice! When laying laminate flooring, it is recommended to separate the covering of each room from other rooms using an expansion joint. It is placed in the doorway between adjacent rooms.

Features of laying the last row of laminate

The closer the installation moves to the last row, the more inconvenient it will be. When the room is 80% covered, you need to lay the panels, turning in the opposite direction and standing on the already laid laminate. Some difficulties are caused by laying the last row, which must be carefully measured and cut along the strip.

The quality of laminate installation will directly determine its service life.

When the laying process reaches the last strip, the distance from the edge of the penultimate row to the line of the opposite wall along the entire length may not be the same. In view of this, marking the last row is done in stages: first, the first board is marked and cut, then the next one is measured and cut, and so on until the end of the row. We outline the outlines of the first panel with a pencil and cut out the required strip according to the markings.

As soon as the laminated coating is laid, begin attaching the baseboards. The connecting points between rooms are covered with special thresholds to prevent dust from entering there. At the end of the work, remove sawdust and debris from the coating and wipe the surface with a slightly damp cloth.

How to properly lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor in hard-to-reach places

Laying laminate flooring in places where pipes, heating radiators pass, around doorways and in other hard-to-reach places no special difficulties has no idea. Bypassing the pipes is done in the following way: make marks on the board with a pencil and cut out the corresponding holes in it, not forgetting to take into account the temperature gap between the coating and the pipe (8-10 mm).

Laying laminate around pipes

Gaps around pipes and other iron elements must be treated with a suitable color acrylic sealant, while expansion joints near the walls should remain empty. Subsequently, their unaesthetic appearance will be covered with baseboards. The material is laid in a similar way near thresholds, steps and other protrusions.

As for going around doorways, before laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor, it would be correct to remove the panel from its hinges and determine whether the door will close after laying the coating. To do this, you need to sum up the thickness of the laminate, the substrate and the leveling layer (if there is one). Subtract the resulting value from the distance from the edge of the door to the wooden floor. If less than 3 mm remains, the door leaf will need to be trimmed.

After all the calculations, lay the laminate around door frame, leaving an allowance of 8-10 mm, return the door to its place and check its movement. If necessary, file the door to the desired size.

Installation of laminate flooring in a doorway

Training video: how to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor with your own hands

According to the principle that it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times, home craftsmen are invited to familiarize themselves with the instructional video of laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor. From the videos you can learn everything related to the installation of coating on a wooden surface.

Video: DIY laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor

On the Internet you can find a whole series of courses on how to lay laminate flooring. Video instructions for installing flooring contain visual information and practical advice How experienced craftsmen, as well as those who first tried to level a wooden base and lay a lamination coating on their own.

In the training videos you can see master classes on leveling the floor with plywood and chipboard, learn about the features of a wooden base, choosing a substrate, as well as step by step instructions for laying laminate. In addition, in the video materials you can find recommendations for eliminating possible defects in wood flooring.

Video: how to lay laminate flooring near a doorway

There are many educational videos about the installation of skirting boards, the features of interlocking connections of floor coverings and the technology of fastening panels of material to each other. Thematic video tutorials contain information on how to lay coating around radiator pipes, in niches, ledges, near doors and steps, as well as in other hard-to-reach and inconvenient places.

Some video tutorials are devoted to eliminating and repairing defects in already laid laminated coating. From them you can learn how to disguise scratches and dents formed on the laminate from fallen heavy objects or heels, as well as how to eliminate damage caused during the installation process: chipped corners and edges, seam divergences, swelling of the coating.

Leveling a wooden floor with any of the following existing methods allows you to use it as a base for laminate flooring. If all work on preparing the floor surface is carried out in accordance with technical requirements, the floor covering will last quite a long time, without requiring repairs and at the same time maintaining an aesthetic appearance.