Laying laminate on a wooden floor: installation technologies. How to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor with your own hands? How to install laminate flooring on a wooden floor with your own

Diagnosis of the condition of a wooden floor

Characteristic signs of main defects:

1. Gaps between boards. Even dried wood has some moisture content and continues to dry out over time. The dimensions that change the most are those perpendicular to the direction of the fibers (that is, the width of the board).
2. Cracks in floorboards. They can have two reasons - internal stress (usually the case with solid boards) and the impact of fasteners.
3. Creak. Almost all wooden "household" floors begin to creak over time, even if they are installed correctly. The floorboard between the joists is a beam, with two pinched ends, that bends when acted upon in the center. The floorboard will “spring”, and the strength of adhesion to the fasteners will weaken, and a squeak will appear.
4. Rotting. It can be identified in areas of peeling and swelling of the paintwork or determined by a dull sound when tapping the floorboard with a hammer.
5. Subsidence of floorboards. Two possible reasons are an incorrectly selected joist layout step for this board thickness or the destruction of the joist.
6. A clear feeling of dampness coming from the floor. The reason is the absence or poor quality of waterproofing of the ceiling on which the wooden floor is laid.

Base repair

Elimination of each defect has its own technology.

In principle, ordinary gaps between the base boards will not affect the quality of laying the laminate, since the direction of laying the base and the finishing coating should be mutually perpendicular.

Large gaps can be sealed with slats with a thickness equal to the size of the gap and a width equal to the thickness of the floorboard.

And if it is necessary to level the surface, then an additional subfloor will be created from plywood, chipboard or fiberboard.

Cracks in floorboards, like cracks, do not need to be filled with putty. But if they pass through the attachment points, then this will be one of the reasons for the creaking. And we must fight this.

It is almost impossible to completely eliminate the creaking of wooden floors. It can be loosened if the fastening is strengthened. The nails are “recessed” with a hammer, and one or two self-tapping screws are screwed in next to them. The head of the screw should be recessed into the body of the board by a couple of millimeters.

The rotten board can be removed completely or partially (the repair fragment must rest on the joists).

The last two defects will require radical measures. You will have to dismantle the wooden floor. If the floorboards sag due to a large joist pitch, then the joists will have to be moved and new ones added.

If subsidence of the floor occurred only in one area, then the joist was initially rotten or it rotted due to poor-quality waterproofing.

In the first case, the defective joist is replaced (and neighboring ones are inspected - some types of rot are very “contagious”).

In the second case, the floors are waterproofed again and the floors are re-laid, replacing damaged elements.

Leveling the surface

This stage is necessary if the difference in height of uneven bases is more than 2 mm per 1 m. The surface can be leveled in two ways:

• grinding (recessing the fastening heads);
• using sheet wood materials - plywood, chipboard or fiberboard.

Plywood or chipboard is considered more moisture resistant, but only class E1 can be used for residential premises.

Fiberboard (or hardboard) is more environmentally friendly, but also more sensitive to high humidity.

A prerequisite is that under the wooden floor there is a good waterproofing layer that protects the wood and laminate from fumes from below. This is especially important for the first floor, rooms above arches, etc. Why not under the laminate? In the manufacturers' instructions, you can find a clause that states that materials for protection against evaporation must be located under an additional organic floor. Plywood, chipboard and fiberboard, like wooden floors, are this very “organic”. If a vapor barrier is laid under leveling sheets, the conditions for normal use of the wooden floor will be violated, and it will begin to rot.

Attention! The substrate serves for sound insulation and compensation of small (up to 2 mm) irregularities. It does not replace a vapor barrier film.

Large sheets of plywood and chipboard are usually cut into several pieces, otherwise they will wobble and sag on uneven surfaces. For example, a standard rectangular sheet of plywood 2.44x1.22 is cut into 2 or 8 squares, and a large square sheet (1.525x1.525) is cut into 4.

Then a preliminary layout of the sheets is done, with offset rows and a gap between the walls (at least 10 mm). Additional fragments are cut out, numbered, and attached to the base with self-tapping screws. A gap of up to 5 mm is left between the sheets (to compensate for changes in geometry under the influence of changes in humidity). The seams between the sheets must be sealed with elastic putty.

Preparation for installation

Before purchasing laminate, you need to calculate it. Knowing the area of ​​the room, the direction of laying in the room (length, width, diagonal), the dimensions of the laminate board and installation features, it is easy to do it yourself. But managers of a trading organization can do the same.

There are also simpler techniques.

For example, for rooms that are standard in shape and laid out along their length (or width), it is enough to provide a 5% margin (for cutting the planks to length). When adjusting the width, you need to increase the calculated value by the number of narrow strips.

When calculating, it is important to take into account that using the trimmed part of the panel is possible if:

• length not shorter than 40 cm;
• The width is no narrower than 10 cm.

If the cutting of the last panel of the first row is more than 40 cm, then you can start laying the second row from it.

Each next row must have a seam offset (along the short end) of at least 40 cm relative to the previous one. You can make a “rhythmically” repeating pattern with an offset of 1/2 or 1/3 of the panel.

The Lock allows you to assemble each next row one panel at a time, tapping them together through a special bracket or block.

The Click lock does not require any tamping, but the second and subsequent strips must be pre-assembled along the short end. When assembled, the strip is completely closed to the previous row: it is held suspended at an angle of 30°, the tenon is inserted into the groove until it clicks and lowered.

After completing the laying of the last row, the wedges are removed and the gap is closed with plinths.

Flooring in a modern interior is characterized by variability and a rich variety of materials, textures, and execution techniques. Reliable designer floors attract special attention. Among the various ways to decorate your home, laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor is especially popular. It is worth noting that not every floor covering is compatible with a wood base, although there are craftsmen who claim the opposite. In order for the installation to be correct, it is worth knowing its subtleties: let’s figure it out together.

Peculiarities

Laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor is not the most difficult, but important stage during renovation. As in any other matter, here you need to take into account the specifics of the work and possible problems during the flooring process. An ideal option for a country house is laminated floors made according to a special “floating” principle.

Provided that the foundation of the house is a structure made of boards, beams and joists, the work is carried out taking into account the strength and reliability of these structures. Before you start laying laminate flooring, you should study some of the nuances of the work.

For best results, you need to let the purchased laminate sit for two days.

Packaged laminate in the form of laminated panels, adapted for laying on a wooden floor, is folded in the center of the room so that there is a space of about 1 meter from the wall. It is important that the material is at room temperature and the humidity level does not exceed 75%. This way the laminate better adapts to the environment and returns to normal before installation.

It is better to open the package with the material immediately before work. It is purchased with a reserve. After work, of course, there will be a lot of waste left in the form of chipped bars and boards. But this is even necessary in order to make adjustments with greater accuracy during the work process. To install laminate flooring yourself, you will need a standard set of tools, which includes:

• tape measure and pencil;
• hammer;
• construction square;
• jigsaw;
• drill;
• substrate.

A substrate is placed on the prepared base (sold in sheet or roll form). It can be laid over the entire area of ​​the room at once or as the laminate is laid. The joints are secured with masking tape or construction tape. Next, the material is laid directly.

The laminate is placed perpendicular to the window so that the light falls along the laminate. This way you can avoid errors when joining panels. It is important to achieve a tight fit of the material; this will allow you to lay the laminate along, across, in a checkerboard pattern or diagonally across the room.

It is necessary to start work from the corner of the wall with the doorway. The first row of laminate is laid in such a way that there is a gap between it and the wall (5-10 mm). In this regard, special wedges and other tools are used for more precise work. Each subsequent sheet is laid at an angle of 30 degrees with a strong fixation on the floor (we help ourselves with a hammer, carefully tapping each section).

For reliability, experts recommend doing the work in rows (first the entire first row, then move to the second, and so on). This is done in order to ensure geometrically correct laying of the laminate with correct joining of panels or pieces of material. Moreover, each subsequent row should begin with the remaining piece of laminate (about 200 mm long).

The presence of pipes and protrusions can be avoided by drilling out the coating areas using a drill. If it is necessary to lay floors throughout the house, it is recommended not to stop at the doorway of the next room, but to go a little further.

Important while working find your own style of performing operations (speed, styling features). This will allow you to complete the task faster and better. The last row of installation can cause difficulty. In this case, installation is carried out with a sheet or panel carefully selected in size. Although there is always a possibility of error.

How to put it correctly?

The specifics of laying laminate flooring on a wooden base are related to the mobility of the floors and the peculiarities of the fastening of the building material. Installation of laminated panels is carried out on a reliable static structure. A “floating floor” is different in that it rests freely on the base (subfloor). Laying modern laminated boards allows you to do without adhesive, since the joints are hermetically secured or closed using a locking method. You should lay or lay the laminate with a partner in order to maintain greater accuracy when joining.

There is, of course, an adhesive technology for laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor, but here you should take into account the consumption of glue and the labor intensity of the work. The adhesive method makes it impossible to use laminated panels in another place if necessary. Installing laminate flooring on a wooden floor without using glue has many advantages, which is why this method is so popular.

Joining the panels here is not difficult; the installation looks great and is strong enough to withstand heavy loads. Invisible seams allow air to pass through, preventing the wooden base from rotting.

Laminate flooring work takes place in several stages.

Preparing the base

It is necessary to prepare the wooden base of the floor (level it with sheets of plywood or OSB). Also, pieces of roofing material or rolled up glassine are placed under the logs. These are the most economical and easy-to-implement methods of preparing the base for laminate flooring. It is not recommended to cover the base of the floor with vapor or waterproofing materials. This will cause condensation to accumulate on the wood. As a last resort, you can use a diffusion membrane.

Underlayment flooring

A prerequisite for a high-quality laminate floor on a wood base will be the underlayment. It should only be natural material, for example, bitumen-cork or bitumen-rubber pressed base. Such layers can have different thicknesses. When choosing them, they are guided by the parameters of laminated panels. For example, under a laminate with a thickness of 8 mm, a substrate with a thickness of 3 mm (without overlap) is used. For fixation, you need construction tape at the support points and along the joint lines.

Is it possible to do everything yourself?

In order to cope with laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor yourself, you do not need to be a professional builder. Do-it-yourself work is doubly appreciated. It is carried out step by step in accordance with the instructions that can be found in the packaging of the building material.

If installation is planned in your own home, first carry out work to dismantle the old wooden covering and check the strength of the joists.

You must be prepared for the fact that dismantling will take some time. This is the dirtiest and dustiest job. But dismantling is not always required, so you can bypass some recommendations on this matter and go directly to the work of laying a new laminate. Let's see how this is done:

• For high-quality installation, it is important to achieve a flat, smooth floor surface, eliminating the squeaks of the floorboards (they are attached to plywood using self-tapping screws or other leveling material).
• It is necessary to ensure reliable fixation of the substrate over the plywood sheet. Now you can lay the laminate panels perpendicular to the floorboards to evenly distribute the load.

It is worth understanding all the advantages of laminate. Its strips can be easily restored over time, although the laminate itself is not a completely natural material.

Rules and preparation

Today, laminate in the interior is an inexpensive, but quite durable floor covering, often imitating natural wood. Laying laminate panels on a wooden base can be done in a few hours. You will be lucky if there is no need to make additional screed on the joists or level the old wooden floors. However, it is impossible to do without such preparation completely.

Well-known sheets of plywood are used as a reinforcing base. Laminate flooring is laid on a special substrate (purchased separately and comes in different types). This way the floor covering will not “walk” and will not lose its original properties. Problems may arise if, before laying the laminate, it is necessary to level the base in several stages. This applies, first of all, to old houses with rotten or crooked floors.

How to put it on an uneven base?

Taking into account the main defects of wooden floors, you have to work with a rather hard and uneven surface. In accordance with the ideal flooring technology, a difference of about 1 mm is allowed for every 2 m. Such stringent requirements are due to the fact that the laminate panels are fastened at the edges using a locking method.

Otherwise, with increased loads on the floor against the backdrop of an uneven surface, you can encounter a lot of troubles. For example, floors may come apart in places where there are loose joints, and water and debris may get into the gaps. On an uneven surface, deforming, the laminate quickly becomes unusable.

The logs that serve as support for a wooden floor can, for objective reasons, dry out, change, or collapse.

An imperfect old floor in an apartment (for example, in a Khrushchev building) should not become an obstacle to changing the interior design. The coating can be adjusted by leveling the crooked floor in several stages. In a private house, a greater amount of work will be required on this part using modern fasteners, special glue and screed (if necessary). You can lay laminate flooring on an uneven surface by following simple principles:

• make more durable fasteners for the base (the logs are fixed with a concrete screed);
• existing floor boards are securely fastened to each other using sheets of material with self-tapping screws and construction adhesive;
• Before laying a new covering on the floor, you should get rid of the creaking of the boards (this will ensure reliable joining of the material).

Installation procedure

Installing the laminate on an already prepared and leveled floor surface will take no more than a day. This takes into account the time it takes to lay the substrate. Installation of logs is not required, this means that the stability of the structure has been checked and is not in doubt. Laminate lays flat on a planed clean floor, without wide gaps or large overlaps.

It is not necessary to completely replace or add beams to the floor structure, but boards and nails falling out of their nest must be removed or additionally secured. Installation of additional joists may be required to redistribute the load on the floor (for example, if an extension is planned to the room). A square or checkerboard pattern for laying laminate flooring is considered a classic option for installing flooring made from this material.

For more information on how to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor, see the following video.

Successful examples

Examples of stylish interiors allow you to evaluate the work to transform the room. For example, in many houses and cottages today you can find beautifully stylized laminate flooring, which is almost the same in installation technology as before. There are no less successful examples of a similar floor using the example of a one-room apartment. For example, the base is a subfloor with a concrete screed 70 mm lower than the required level.

Laying the laminate in this case is possible in two ways:

• using a thermal screed (expanded clay with cement mortar);
• using sheets of plywood on a wooden floor.

Dismantling the old floor in an apartment is faster and easier. For reliability, fiberboard scraps are placed under the logs. To avoid sagging under the plywood at the base of the floor, additional bars are laid in such a way that they are flush with the joists. As an additional fastener, the entire structure is threaded with self-tapping screws. There's nothing complicated about it.

The laying of a new coating itself requires skill and experience in working with a building level (the error in evenness is permissible no more than 2 mm per 1 meter). Laying plywood as a substrate should have a thickness of no more than 10 mm. Sheets of plywood are laid between the joists in such a way as to prevent the floor from sagging. The edges of the sheets should rest on the joists. To avoid floor creaking, the seams of plywood sheets (backing) are laid with a gap of about 2-3 mm at a distance of 5 mm from the wall.

Among the fairly wide variety of decorative floor coverings, there are not many options that can be laid on a wood base. Although, with strict adherence to the necessary rules, almost any material can be laid. But a laminated coating, created according to the floating principle, is an ideal solution for a wooden base. In this article we will talk about how to install laminate flooring on a wooden floor, as well as what options there are for laying laminate flooring.

How to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor?

Laminated panels are only fastened to each other; there is no need to fasten them to static building frames, to the floor or wall. A floor created using the floating method sits comfortably on a sub-base and gives it the opportunity to expand and contract. The base also does not interfere with the laminate when it changes its geometry due to changes in temperature and humidity levels. The design features of laminated panels make it possible to do without adhesive. The glueless method is the most popular. It pleases both the wooden base and the owners of country houses with excellent spontaneous aeration, which is necessary for ventilation of parts of the wooden structure.

Despite its artificial composition, laminate does not differ much from timber during operation. Because its main part consists of MDF panels, chipboard, HDF and the same boards made by pressing wood processing waste. The basis of laminated panels is an important indicator that determines the scope of application.

When installing any high-quality laminate on a wooden base, it is worth considering certain features of this material:

• a material that is made of wood will lose its quality after some time, for this reason, before installing the laminate, carefully inspect the floor, as well as the condition of the supporting beams and joists
• timber is not highly resistant and stable, therefore, even a slight displacement of the panels will cause an increased load on the interlocking joints
• Old wood flooring often has an uneven surface, bumps or depressions. Before installing the laminate, it is necessary to get rid of all defects so that the panels do not separate or cracks form.

Before laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor, you need to level the surface. There are several ways to level a wooden surface:

• using sheets of plywood or particleboard (chipboard). To do this, you need to take a thick sheet of plywood and treat it with an antiseptic solution to prevent the proliferation of microorganisms. Next, adjust its size using a special saw, after which you can lay them on the base. Backing slats will help level the level of inclination of the base, and self-tapping screws will secure the sheets
• scraping. This method is suitable for old floors that have minor flaws. Provided that the base imperfections range from 4 to 6 mm per square meter. meter, you need to conditionally divide the coating into several parts. Each of the resulting parts must be processed with an electric planer.
• installation of support beams or joists. When the base has a significant slope or creaks strongly, you need to fit and attach special slats made of timber, called joists, to the concrete base.

In addition, if a rotten board is discovered, it must be replaced. Secure loose boards using self-tapping screws. When the logs wobble, they need to be strengthened at the base. For this purpose, drill a hole and secure the logs using an anchor. When the foundation subsides, special support wedges must be placed under the joists. Any cracks and crevices, even the smallest ones, should be sealed with putty.

Upon completion of all repair work, you need to thoroughly clean the base from dirt and debris, then you can implement the second stage of installing the laminate.

Do-it-yourself laminate installation on a wooden floor

On the leveled and repaired base, you first need to lay a 3 mm thick foamed polypropylene or balsa wood backing. The backing sheets are placed end to end and connected to each other using wide tape or construction adhesive tape.

Laminate panels are laid from the window towards the door. Thus, the joints between the laminate plates will be the least noticeable. The first row is placed at a distance of 1 cm from the wall. To maintain this distance, you need to insert a wedge between the panel and the wall. This gap is called temperature; it is needed to compensate for the linear expansion of the coating.

The second panel is mounted in the end lock at an angle of 25 degrees. It's rare to not trim the last panel in a row. More often than not, the rooms are so large that they need to be cut off. The second row begins with this piece.

Upon completion of the installation of the second row, it is worth carrying out the operation of minimizing the joints. To do this, you need to tap the panels with a hammer through a wooden stand. This is done until the joint is reduced in size. Then you can move on to the third row.

When the entire laminate has been laid, you can begin installing the skirting boards, which serve as an additional fixation for the panels and give the finished appearance to the decorative coating.

There are certain types of laminate flooring. Having made your choice, you need to make calculations in order to go to the store for a certain number of panels. To choose the direction of installation, you need to make sure that the pattern and texture of the panels are compatible with the lighting of the rooms and their shape. Today, modern materials make it possible to lay decorative coating along the line of sunlight, across it, as well as to perform herringbone installation. However, the latter option is not applicable to all laminate models.

Conventional panels are not suitable for herringbone installation. The panel must contain special locks that allow you to lay the laminate in a herringbone pattern or squares. For example, the collection of Quick Step Noblesse panels contains materials of small size, with a specific locking connection, which makes it possible to interlock the panels at an angle of 90 degrees. The panels of the quick step collection are laid along the line of natural light, as well as against it. When installing panels against the flow of light, you can visually enlarge a small room, but the joints will be visible.

When the window openings are located on one wall of the room, experts advise using the direct option of laying the panels in the direction of the sun's rays, because when installed across, the joints of the panels will be obvious and spoil the entire appearance. Laying across the light is carried out when the room is narrow. With this arrangement of laminated panels, the room visually expands and gives more volume. This option is very suitable for corridors or other long rooms. The essence of direct installation is that the panels are laid parallel to the wall, starting from the doorway. Trimming costs are minimal - only 5-7%, which significantly saves the amount of raw materials.

Diagonal installation is the most difficult and costly. Pruning costs are about 17%. This option is implemented at an angle of 45 degrees. There are two types of installation, from the corner of the room and from the middle. The second option is the lowest waste and simpler. Due to the unusual and neat installation, the room visually expands. Diagonal laying is used with an open view of the floor, when there are no carpets and the room is not cluttered with furniture.

Today, beveled laminate is gaining popularity. This option belongs to a special series of laminated materials. The chamfered panels lying on the floor look like a plank floor created from a single board. This laminate is produced at an angle, creating a beveled plane of the board throughout its thickness. The structural element is created along the entire perimeter or on two opposite edges.

There are two types of chamfers:

• V-shaped
• U-shaped.

In the process of joining two panels, an almost imperceptible groove is formed, which resembles laid elite parquet or solid wood. These recesses are not felt to the touch, so dust will not accumulate in them. And the ends of the material are most often impregnated with wax, so no liquid will penetrate inside. The recesses make it possible to hide minor flaws. According to experts, these recesses do not allow the material to “walk,” which provides a tremendous advantage compared to standard series. Now you know how to lay laminate flooring with your own hands.

In this article we will talk about the experience of laying laminate flooring on a wooden floor in a panel house. We will talk about budget repairs that everyone can afford.

This is what the floor looked like before the renovation...

The first problem that every resident of a panel house has encountered is the creaking of wooden floors. Here's why this happens: The floorboards are nailed to the joists, which have become loose over time, causing the floor to creak.

The next problem is a very uneven floor with large differences between the boards. To lay laminate flooring, such a floor must be leveled, and the maximum permissible height differences should not exceed 2 mm per 1.5 m.

To eliminate these problems, we decided to level the wooden floor using plywood. But if you just screw plywood on top of the creaking boards, then, of course, it won’t get any better. Therefore, you first need to strengthen the floor with screws.

We dismantle the old baseboard. If it is plastic, there will be no problems, but a wooden baseboard needs to be torn off with a pry bar or a nail puller. We pull out all the protruding nails and remove large protrusions with a plane. Before laying plywood, do not forget to thoroughly wash and vacuum the floor.

Now it is important to determine at what height the wooden floor is raised above the slab; for this, 1-2 holes are drilled in the boards. You need to know the distance between the base and the boards to determine the size of the screws for the floor. Usually it is 8-10 cm, but on the first floor there are even 25 cm.

After raising the floor level, the door may not open: the thickness of the laminate with the backing is almost 1 cm + the thickness of the plywood (minimum 0.6 cm). If the door is old, then you can cut it without any problems with a hacksaw, simply by removing it from its hinges. And to trim a door with a laminated coating, be sure to place thick plywood underneath, otherwise chips will appear at the cut site.

Material calculation

Next you need to calculate how many screws you will need. To do this, we look at how many joists there are in the room (they can be found by nails or seen in a crack near the wall). Then we count the number of boards in width and multiply the resulting amount by the number of joists.
Each board is screwed with 1 screw to the joist, every 40-60 cm. For example, if there are 11 joists and 28 boards in the room, then you will need 308 screws + 10-20% for reserve.

It is better to screw the plywood every 15 cm; if less often, it will swell and dangle when walking. The length and width of the room are measured and the resulting amount is divided by 15 cm, and then the values ​​are multiplied. For example, our room measures 3x5.6 m. Divide 3 meters by 0.15 = 20 pieces, divide 5.6 m by 0.15 = 38 pieces. Now we multiply 20 by 38 and get 760 pieces, + 10-20% for stock. For plywood, wood screws 25-30 mm thick and 3-3.5 mm thick are suitable.

Now we calculate how much laminate will be needed. To do this, you need to find out the dimensions of the room, and do the calculations in the store, because laminate panels have different parameters. Our room is 17 square meters. m. In one box there is a laminate with an area of ​​approximately 2.6 square meters. m. Divide 17 by 2.6 = 6.53. We round up, which means we will need 7 boxes, and half the box will be in reserve in case of defects.
This should be enough if you lay the laminate in the usual way: trimming costs are approximately 5%. If laying diagonally, the margin should be at least 10%.

When purchasing laminate, it is important that the delivery lot on all boxes is the same. In boxes with different batches, the shade of the design may differ. Also, the pack must be intact, otherwise the locks may be damaged.

Now we count the amount of plywood. We chose plywood with dimensions of 1.43x1.52 m, that is, the area of ​​1 sheet will be 2.17 square meters. m. We divide the area of ​​the room (17 sq. m.) by the area of ​​plywood and get 7.8 sheets. This means you need to buy 8 sheets of plywood. The thickness of the plywood must be at least 12 mm.

Reinforcing boards with screws

So, all the materials have been purchased, let's start strengthening the floor with screws. There is an article on the site about what to do with a creaking floor in an apartment; it partially talks about this work.

Since the screws were difficult to insert into the wood, we first drilled holes about 70% of the length of the screw, and then used screws to tighten the boards to the joists.

Of course, if you have a powerful screwdriver, you will be able to do this much faster without additional drilling. In our case, the cheapest Chinese screwdriver, which quickly sat down, so the whole job lasted for several days.
The main thing is to screw the boards tightly to the joists so that they do not dangle when walking.
Since the doors will soon be replaced, we cut down the slopes to install the plinth.

During work, it turned out that there was too much blowing from under the floor on the street side, so we had to seal the gap with foam. In this case, you need to moisten the surface before treating with water, and also spray the foam after application, since the polymerization process of the polyurethane foam requires moisture.

Leveling with plywood

To level the floor with plywood, place the sheet on the floor and screw it every 15 cm with screws. Don't forget to leave a small gap between the sheets and near the wall. The even position of the plywood sheets is controlled using a level. Sheets that require trimming are cut with a hacksaw or jigsaw.

Laying the substrate

We chose the cheapest substrate, made of polypropylene. Before laying, vacuum the floor again.
We lay the backing with a reserve on the walls so that we can trim off the excess later, and glue it together with tape. The substrate should lie in one layer, joint to joint.

Laying laminate

Having finished preparing the floor, we begin laying the laminate flooring. Before this, you need to store the laminate indoors for several days (to adapt the material to the temperature and humidity of the apartment).

Laying begins from the corner of the room, preferably from the most visible place. However, there is a small nuance here: if the door opens into the room and no one plans to remove it, then they begin to lay the laminate from there, otherwise it will not be possible to lay the last row.

It is best to place wide laminate joints along the light from the window, so the gaps will be less visible (over time they will increase).

Modern laminate flooring is installed without glue, using the locking method. This type of flooring installation is called floating because it is not rigidly fixed to the floor, but lies freely on the underlay. During the change of season, the coating changes size slightly, so you cannot firmly screw the laminate to the floor. There are locks along the perimeter of the panel that connect if you insert one of the panels at an angle and then lower it.
To see how it works, watch the video tutorial:

The main rule when laying laminate flooring is to leave a gap of about 1 cm near walls, pipes, doors and other obstacles. However, you should not make a gap of more than 2 cm, because the thickness of the plinth will not be able to cover it.

For ease of installation, stores sell a special kit for laying laminate flooring. It includes wedges of the same thickness, a mounting foot for installing the last row and a wedge of panels.

To additionally seal the seams, you can buy a special sealant paste and coat the locks with it before joining. However, in wet rooms it is better to use tiles or porcelain stoneware.

The second row is laid in the same way as the first, and then inserted into the previous one. To simplify the task, we recommend laying the panels as close to the lock as possible, so that you can then simply lift the entire row and click it into place. This is done by simply pressing the row at an angle.

Some types of locks allow you to join the laminate not as a whole next to the previous one, but one piece at a time. For example, Quick Step laminate has universal locks: they can be inserted horizontally or at an angle. At the same time, there are Click locks that only hammer horizontally.

It is not necessary to immediately leave a gap between the first row and the wall. It will be more convenient to collect 3-4 rows, and then move them to the wall, and you can put something heavy on top. This is much easier, especially if the wall is not very smooth.

Another important feature is that the panels are laid in a checkerboard pattern. If the first row started with a whole laminate panel, then the second should start with half, and the third again with a full panel. This way the connections of the locks will be tighter, and the cost of cutting will be minimal.

Thus, we lay the remaining rows of the laminate in a checkerboard pattern. When we reach the heating pipe, cut a round hole with a jigsaw or drill. Then we simply lay the scrap and press it with a plinth or glue it to liquid nails.

When we reach the last row, we need to file each panel to the width, taking into account the gap. Installation occurs in exactly the same way; press firmly on the panel at an angle.

Installation of skirting boards

The plastic plinth with cable duct consists of two parts. The first is a wall mount, and the second is a decorative attachment that snaps on top. There is another type of fastening - first, metal brackets are attached, and then a plinth is put on them.

We drill holes for dowels approximately every 30 cm and fasten one part of the plinth. We fasten the main part, hide the wires, then put on the decorative attachment. For a beautiful connection, we use special components for the plinth: adapters, external and internal corners, plugs.

We put a special lining around the pipe to hide the gap (it costs about 50 rubles). In our case, the pipe was very close to the wall, so we had to trim the baseboard and saw off the lining, and then glue it with liquid nails.

Buy the baseboard and all components together with the laminate. Otherwise, if there is a shortage of material, you will have to visit many stores before you can find the right color.

And the final touch is to attach the threshold to the door. It is needed to hide the height difference between rooms. The rules for laying laminate flooring require separating different rooms with a gap so that the coverings are independent. However, in practice, if the same covering is chosen for adjacent rooms, you can not use the threshold, but do everything without seams: it will be prettier and easier to clean. If some kind of defect later appears, it is more convenient to actually saw off the coverings in the doorway.

Floor repair cost

1. 1. Birch plywood 6 mm thick, 8 sheets – 2300 rub.
   2. Laminate Kronostar White Pear 31 class – 7 boxes. 1 sq. m. cost 235 rubles in Leroy Merlin. Total 4112 rub.
   3. Backing for polypropylene laminate – 1 roll, 2 mm thick, 25 m long – 320 RUR.
   4. Screws and dowels - about 600 rubles.
   5. Plastic plinth with cable channel 8 pieces, 2.5 m each - 150 rub.
   6. Piping around the pipe, connectors and corners for the plinth - 420 rubles.
   7. Threshold – 160 rub.

As a result, the amount is: 9112 rubles.

• It is better to take thicker plywood; 6 mm is still not enough, so you should not skimp on this. Next time we would take plywood of at least 12 mm. If the floor is too uneven, then you need to lay plywood in 2 layers, with the joints offset.
• We advise you to choose screws that are not too thick or long, as they will be difficult to screw in.
• You cannot buy a soft substrate thicker than 3 mm; it will spring strongly when walking, and the floor will be pressed under you. To find out more detailed information, we recommend reading our article about.
• If the laminate is laid on a concrete floor, then before laying the backing you need to lay a layer of polyethylene for waterproofing.
• For productive work you will need a good screwdriver with a powerful battery. This way you will save a lot of time.

By spending a small amount of money on repairing the old wooden floor, we got rid of the squeak and made it smooth and pleasant to walk on. It took three days to prepare the floor for the laminate, and one day was spent on the installation itself.