Lay laminate on uneven floors: highlights

Before you put the laminate on an uneven floor, you need to begin to achieve a flat foundation. Although the knowledge of some nuances will also not be superfluous in this matter. The first thing you need to pick up quality material. In other words, too “budget” his choice does not make sense. Especially if you plan to lay out the laminated surface in a room with a high degree of terrain and humidity.

In this situation, the savings will not take long to wait. Given the high number of fakes and products of dubious quality, to navigate the market of building materials can be very difficult. But if you show some interest in the documents for the goods, then with a high degree of probability you can protect yourself from low-quality products.

However, preparation is not limited to just one choice. After the laminate is delivered to its destination, it will need to go through a small acclimatization procedure. For what the material is kept indoors in the horizontal position for a period of 2 to 3 days. In this connection, the geometry of the panels is normalized in accordance with the specific microclimatic conditions.

After the acclimatization period, it will already be possible to lay laminate. But whether the uneven floor is suitable for these purposes, we suggest to understand.

How to lay laminate on an uneven surface?

Some homemade craftsmen who are trying to do the laying themselves do not even worry about whether or not the laminate can be laid on a surface with large differences in height. The opinion of professionals in this matter is unequivocal - it is impossible. Preparation of the base (alignment of the existing rough surface) is mandatory.

And if you do not level the surface and leave it as it is? In this case, you can forget about the long period of operation of the new laminate coating. The glued panels to the base will withstand such "harsh" conditions for no more than a year, and the laminate laid in the method of the locking joint will "hold out" even less (about 2 months), since regular overload will contribute to their cracking. Naturally, the floor on the irregularities will be very "musical", giving creak after each step on it.

Before laying the laminate on an uneven base, it is necessary not only to level the subfloor, but also to install the substrate in order to provide an additional layer of thermal and noise insulation. Some believe that you can do a litter on the existing surface of the chipboard to make it smoother. Only chipboard (especially low-quality production) is not recommended for use in residential areas, because when heated, they emit into the internal atmosphere of the home a pair of toxic formaldehyde.

The best option is to install the laminate on a perfectly aligned base. Only in this case, the voltage from the inside in the assembled coating will be small. If we designate all the requirements for the surface in figures, then they will be as follows: no more than 2 mm of height difference per meter linear length.

Main points of leveling the concrete surface

Often a uneven floor beneath the laminate is a concrete screed. First, the base is checked for evenness, determining the severity for correcting repair errors. A great floor alignment option is the use of self-leveling compounds.

In a situation where too large differences in height are detected, a pre-grinding operation is performed.

If the foundation requires a more thorough repair, then cement compositions for special purposes will be needed. Such mixtures are a more economical option, since their cost is many times cheaper than self leveling. They are used as finishing coatings.

Working with such solutions presupposes certain skills, but the alignment procedure is carried out with minimum costs. After that, they stand for some time (indicated on the mixture packaging) so that the new screed becomes durable. And after drying, the screeds go directly to the technology of laying laminated products.

The main points of leveling the wooden base

A standard modern apartment, as a rule, has a concrete floor. But in the apartments, older in age, and in private homes on the floor are wooden boards. Naturally, the old floors deform over time. Therefore, for the wooden floor requires preliminary preparation for the subsequent laying of the laminate.

First of all, assess the condition of wooden floors, and then make repairs. It is imperative to eliminate bending and kinks of boards, visible crevices and swells, their creaking.The wooden floor is leveled by grinding after all the loose boards are secured.

Alignment of the wooden floor can also be achieved by laying the plywood layer. Only the need for repair as a result of this is still not excluded. It is also appropriate to use cement or plaster compositions for leveling. Their selection is made, being guided by recommendations of manufacturers.

Let's return to directly laying the laminate: it is carried out after the work has been done on preparing the base surface.

A smooth and high-quality base-surface will make it possible to disguise even insignificant errors of incompetent styling.

The use of the substrate is mandatory in all situations, both for the base surface of wood and for it from concrete. If the installation of laminate plan to carry out in a room with a high concentration of moisture in the air, then impose a layer of waterproofing. It will prevent condensation from accumulating under the laminate. On a concrete base, it is a good idea to additionally apply a primer.

Having laid out the markings in advance, they start laying the panels. Particularly accurate marking should be provided for laying out the first row. Based on the color and texture of the acquired material, they reveal the interaction of light and panels, the method of their placement. Easier to install are products that have a thorn-groove installation system. It is important to provide a compensation gap between the wall and the floor, since the locking system of the laminate allows you to get a "floating" floor. The final cycle of work is the attachment of floor baseboards and thresholds at the joints with walls and other coatings.