When self-laying, we strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rules for installing the laminate, which are located in each pack on the liner attached to the floor..
To install laminate flooring you will need:
- A hammer.
- Laminate block.
- Saw for wood or jigsaw.
- Clamp for mounting the latest laminate panels.
- Spacer wedges for wall gaps.
- Ruler and pencil.
- A polyethylene film is necessary when laying laminate on concrete floors as a vapor barrier.
- 2mm sound absorbing backing.
Since the laminate is laid in a floating way, that is, the panels should not be fixed to the base in any way, it is strictly forbidden to rigidly fasten the panels with nails, screws, glue, etc..
Note:all packs of laminate must be intact, and the boards must not be damaged. Defective panels must not be used in the installation of the floor, as they are not covered by the warranty and cannot be returned. If a defect is found during installation, stop stacking and issue a return of unopened packs to the seller.
Laying laminate flooring is permissible on linoleum, parquet board or other coating, provided that the requirements for evenness, strength and moisture content of the base are met. Laying laminate flooring over carpeting is undesirable due to static electricity.
If laying on a concrete base, the relative humidity should not exceed 2.5%. All screed irregularities exceeding 3 mm per 1 running meter. m should be eliminated. Substrate must be clean, dry, level and sound.
Begin laying in such a way that the light from the window falls parallel to the seams of the laminate. In the event of a perpendicular fall, the seams from the laminate will be more clearly visible.
If you want to lay the laminate on a heated base, then this heating must be water. This is due to the fact that a sharp heating of the floor is extremely undesirable for laminated parquet and can affect the violation of the lock connection and, as a result, lead to the formation of cracks.
If you are laying laminate flooring on a concrete base, you will need a plastic wrap to provide vapor barrier against residual moisture in the screed. After that, the sound-absorbing substrate is spread, already on which the laminate is installed.
No vapor barrier required for linoleum or wood flooring.
Laying the laminate begins with the formation of the first row of 2 planks, while special spacer wedges are installed, providing a gap between the laminate and the wall from 7 to 15 mm. These gaps are necessary so that the wall does not interfere with the wall expanding and narrowing after laying. If your laminate floor stands on end, then it is very likely that this rule is violated. The laminate is installed with a lock on itself to facilitate the snapping of the panels.
After the formation of the first row, we proceed to the second. Please note that professional installers always mount the laminate in half of the board, that is, the top view should resemble the brickwork of the wall in the brick floor, although the instructions allow installation with the boards offset relative to each other at least 20 cm. between panels when expanding and contracting the laminate.
The second row panel is applied to another panel at an angle, inserted into the lock and snaps into place, while it should be half the length of the board. Please note – until the laminate snaps into place at the ends, but only tries on.
Further, the formation of the second row continues without end (on the short side) snapping with the help of the next board.
Then all 4 panels are joined and tamped. They will serve as a start for subsequent installation. Please note that the spacer wedges must remain in place. Next, the remaining rows are installed..
A clamp is used to mount the last board adjacent to the wall. It allows you to easily connect to the previous panel.
Pay attention to how the last panels are installed.
The photo below allows you to visually imagine how you can solve the problem by bypassing the pipes of the heating system.
After laying the laminate, you can start installing the skirting board. Here is an example of clip-on skirting boards. When using ventilation pads, the lower part of the skirting board should not impede the outflow of residual moisture from the screed.
When laying laminate in large layers, it must be remembered that if the area of the laminate to be laid exceeds 12 m in length or width and is more than 120-150 m2, it is necessary to provide expansion joints at least 12 mm wide. Otherwise, cracks will begin to form in the laminate sheet and the floor covering will become unusable..
For repairs, the door frames must be installed last. If your doors are already installed, then you need to make a cut in such a way that there is no pressure on the laminate and there is no rigid attachment to the base.
Sometimes, when laying, a situation arises that it is impossible to install the panel due to interference. In this case it is necessary to cut off part of the lock and fix the panel with laminate glue..
The laminate is cleaned with a dry wrung cloth at room temperature and natural humidity. You can use additional detergents recommended in the manufacturer’s instructions.
Please note – no floor covering likes abrasive action, that is, the effect of sandpaper. Therefore, take care of felt pads on frequently moved items..
Can you provide more specific instructions on how to install laminate flooring? I’m interested in doing it myself but would like to know more about the step-by-step process and any tips you may have.