One of the most convenient floor coverings to install is laminate. Its beauty is that you can lay it even without experience. It's simple. But even if not everything turns out perfectly right away, mistakes are easy to eliminate. The covering can be disassembled and re-installed. And to avoid this, you need to know how to lay laminate flooring correctly. And the first thing you need to decide is the direction of installation - along or across the room.
There is a rule for choosing the direction of laying the laminate: they try to lay it so that the flow of light is directed along the board. That is, if there is a window in the room, the bar should be turned with the short side towards it so that the light falls along the long side of the window. As in the left diagram. What is this rule based on? With this orientation relative to the window, the light slides along the long joint. That is, it gives the impression of a solid coating. Only short joints are visible - in the places where the planks meet transversely.
Second point. With this position of the coating, the structure on the board is more clearly visible. But only if the surface is structured - with imitation of wood fibers.
But, if the room is long and narrow, this method of installation will visually add length. This is not at all what is required. In long rooms the board is turned across. This cross-lay option is the middle one in the picture. The transverse direction of laying the laminate visually makes the room shorter and wider. As for the fact that the joints will be visible, the latest trend is laminate with chamfers. These are specially formed grooves along the edges of the laminated plank. They are needed just to highlight the joints. So “visibility” of joints is not an acquired taste. It is critical for you that they are visible - place them away from the window. You are more concerned about the correct geometry - choose the transverse direction of the laminate when laying it in a long room.
Options for laying laminate flooring - along or across the room There is also an intermediate option - laying diagonally. If you can’t decide how to lay the laminate correctly - lengthwise or crosswise - choose this method. It has the advantage that it is easier to hide geometry imperfections. Not all our rooms have the same width at the beginning and at the end. When laying longitudinally, you have to adjust this by cutting the boards lengthwise. It's not always easy. In the case of diagonal laying, this problem does not exist. True, the consumption of material for the same area will be greater - due to more waste. The difference is 10-15% of the room area.
How to properly lay laminate flooring on balconies and loggias
And in the corridor, and on the balcony, and on the loggia, the choice is still the same - along, across or at an angle. But how to lay laminate correctly if the light is artificial or comes from all sides - like on a balcony? Yes, whichever you like best. The area of the loggia or balcony is small, so you can throw a few pieces this way and that way. And see how exactly this particular coating looks better on your loggia or in the corridor. In a specific color, with a specific texture.
The direction of the laminate when laying on a balcony and loggia can be any By the way, the same can be done in the room. It is necessary to collect some area “dry”. No fitting, fixing or glue. This will definitely help you understand how to lay laminate flooring - along or across the room to make it look beautiful.
Now let's look at the disadvantages of all options. If you lay the laminate on the balcony along the long side, then if the geometry is violated, it will be difficult to trim the edge boards. If you lay it across, you will have to cut a lot. After all, everything must also be done so that the joints do not coincide. And the good news is that if the same covering was used in the room, you can use the remaining pieces. They are easier to apply here. Diagonal laying - cutting each board at an angle. If it doesn’t bother you, why not. But there’s nothing to “expand” visually here. A meter and a half wide, no matter how you lay it, it won’t seem wider.
Which direction should I lay laminate flooring in the hallway?
In the corridor the situation is somewhat different. Here you can start from large light sources. If they are on the ceiling, the direction is arbitrary. If the light comes from the walls, you need to look at which direction of the laminate will look better. To do this, turn on the lighting, lay out several boards as you expect. Like? This means that you should lay laminate flooring in the hallway like this. I do not like? We change the position of the boards until we find an acceptable installation method.
You can also navigate the corridor by the location of the doors. For example, you want the laminate to flow from the living room or dining room into the hallway without a joint. Then the direction of its placement in the corridor appears automatically. It will be a continuation of the covering from the room.
How to lay the laminate - along or across the room, you decide for yourself. Do what you like best Another option is that you don’t like the longitudinal joint of the boards under the doorway. This means that you choose a method of installation so that the laminate strips fit under the doors at the end. Straight or at an angle - here, again, your choice.
Where to start styling
Regardless of the type of lock, it is more convenient to work if you place the spike in the center of the room. Therefore, it is most often recommended to start laying laminate flooring from the far right corner from the entrance. The first plank is laid with a groove to the wall, a tenon in the room, and all the others in exactly the same way. But it’s correct and convenient to do this if you decide to lay the laminate “along the light”, that is, from the window, which is located on opposite side from the entrance.
With the transverse method, start from the wall farthest from the entrance. When laying at an angle - from the far corner to the right or left. Here as you wish. But this is not the rule either. You can start from the entrance, if it’s more convenient.
There are some restrictions if you need to lay the laminate as a single sheet in two adjacent rooms or make an exit to the corridor without a joint. Then they begin laying, focusing on the middle of the doorway. Laminate flooring in an opening looks better if it is laid symmetrically. So the “starting” strip is placed in the center of the aisle. You can beat it off with a paint cord and focus on this line.
If you have no experience, it is better to nail strips along this line, which will serve as guides for the first row. Lay the covering in one direction - to the right, as is usually done. Then remove the guides and place them to the left. In this direction you will get a “reverse” installation - you will need to insert the tenon into the groove. But you can get used to it. Although this method takes a little more time.
How to choose the direction of laying laminate flooring in an apartment
We know how to properly lay laminate flooring in every room, but how to choose the direction of installation throughout the entire apartment? Take an apartment plan, a pencil and an eraser. We outline the selected installation methods by room. After all, they don’t have to be the same. Geometry, area, and the coating itself may be different. Let's look big picture, let’s figure out which direction is best to lay the laminate in the hallway and hallway.
Plan for laying laminate flooring by room If everything suits you, you can start and then proceed with installation. If you want something different, you can “play” with the directions. But what looks good in the picture doesn’t always look the same in reality. Often it's the other way around. The easiest thing is to look at someone you know with a similar layout. This makes it easier to decide whether you like what you came up with or not. In principle, the good thing about laminate is that you can rearrange it if you don’t like the result. In this regard, this is an ideal coating.
Questions may still arise in terms of where to start laying the laminate. Logically, from the room farthest from the entrance. The general order is first in the rooms, then in the corridor. If one of the rooms will be laid as a single sheet with the hallway or corridor, and the remaining rooms will be laid on their own, then first the covering will be laid in the rooms with separate laying, and then in the room where the laminate opens into the corridor.
If you plan to have a continuous flooring without thresholds throughout the entire apartment, then laying begins first in the “front area”. As a rule, this is the living room or dining room. The covering is taken out of it into the corridor and laid before entering other rooms. And they are already starting from this direction. In this case - as described above - draw a starting line, nail guides along it and work to the right, then to the left. Or, vice versa, if it is more convenient.
To solve not an easy task how to install laminate flooring narrow corridor you should thoroughly understand the properties of this excellent material and its ability to optically change the perception of the surrounding space,
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This is especially important when laying flooring in architecturally complex rooms.
The high strength of the coating, excellent abrasion resistance and fairly good moisture resistance allow you to successfully use laminate to lay the floor in a hallway or corridor, and the variety of colors and textures of this material allows you to solve the most complex design problems.
How to properly lay the floor in a narrow and long corridor to compensate for the lack of natural light and visually change the perception of space. It turns out to be very simple, you just need to fulfill a few conditions:
- Avoid purchasing flooring with a very pronounced narrow longitudinal pattern, and use models in the form of a wide board, with a plain pattern or in the form ceramic tiles;
- Choose the right installation direction to visually change the space;
- Take into account the location, nature and intensity of light sources, because some types of lighting contribute to the “appearance” of seams between the coating slabs on the surface;
- Be very careful when choosing a color, taking into account that more light tone visually expands the room
- Due to the increased load on the floor, it should be remembered that installation is only possible on a high-quality substrate minimum thickness and very carefully prepared surface of the screed or subfloor.
Surface preparation
In order to install laminate flooring in a high-quality manner in a narrow and long room, it is necessary to take the preparation of the screed very seriously and, if necessary, putty the surface, and given that this is a corridor with a large load on the coating, it is best to do finishing layer using self-leveling construction mixture, guaranteeing minimal shrinkage and high strength.
Select the underlay for the laminate with a minimum thickness to ensure the least shrinkage in areas with maximum load. It is best if it is a cork that is not afraid of moisture and has excellent springing ability. If installation is carried out on a correctly selected substrate and ideally smooth screed- this does not allow the covering slabs to bend, which further masks the seams and improves the appearance of the floor.
Along or across?
There is an opinion that in a long narrow corridor it is best to lay the laminate across the room so as not to visually lengthen it even more. But as reviews show, this statement is only partly true, because a narrow and long pattern placed across it will not add beauty to the coating and balance the perception of the room as a whole.
You can lay a plain laminate across, a coating in the form of a wide board with a uniform texture, and a laminate in the form of ceramic tiles, which is also somewhat wider than the traditional one, which is ideal for such complex rooms.
A laminated coating with a small, uniform pattern or imitating porcelain stoneware can be placed on the floor and along the room, especially if such a long and narrow corridor may end with a window, the light from which falls on the laminate at a certain angle, revealing the tile seams. In this case, you should definitely take into account the rule that laying laminate flooring in a corridor or other room with a window should be done so that the long seams are parallel to the incident rays of light.
Neither along nor across
But what if you need to put laminate flooring in an L-shaped corridor? Here, the method of laying boards diagonally or in a herringbone pattern, well known since the times of parquet floors, comes to the rescue, which, firstly, creates an original pattern, secondly, does not visually narrow the space and, thirdly, allows the use of a more varied coating texture.
Of course, you have to put up with a lot of waste, but light laminate flooring in a narrow corridor, laid diagonally, creates that balanced perception of the room, which is clearly visible in the photo.
Variety of colors
The color palette of the laminate flooring should not only be in harmony with the overall style of the room, but also meet some specific requirements.
You should not put either very light or dark laminate on the floor in the corridor, which will require more frequent cleaning. wet cleaning, which will negatively affect the durability of the coating. Light laminate in the hallway in the photo from various angles it looks very respectable, but on such a surface traces of dirt brought on shoes are very visible, on a dark surface traces of dried water will be very clearly visible, but the floor is subdued gray or beige tones optimal solution for a corridor or hallway.
Having finished preparing the surface and choosing the color and pattern of the coating, you can lay the laminate on the floor, taking into account a few simple recommendations:
- Before laying laminate in the hallway, the material should be kept in this room for 48 hours for acclimatization.
- Laying begins with careful marking and the most accurate placement of the first three strips, which will serve as the basis for the future coating;
- The parts of the covering are connected in a checkerboard pattern, and the lock on the short side is snapped after the long side of the strips are aligned;
- Since the corridor is a room subject to significant changes in temperature and humidity, installation is carried out with a mandatory gap between the wall and the covering to compensate for the linear expansion of the material. The easiest way to maintain the gap is with a removable strip, which is dismantled after installation;
- When placing laminate crosswise, you should not use very short pieces of board at the edges in order to save material. This reduces the strength of the coating, which is unacceptable in a room such as a corridor.
As reviews show, laminated coating in narrow and long corridors- this is the maximum effective method installation of durable, wear-resistant floors with a minimum amount of waste, which is laid on any type of subfloor, which is impossible when using ceramic tiles or linoleum. Laying a laminate floor shown in the video is so simple that if you have the necessary tool and with the proper level of accuracy can be done independently.
Laminate - modern finishing material, which has long gained great popularity. It can be seen in administrative offices and private cottages. The appearance of the laminate is attractive.
But to lay laminate flooring you need to level the floor. After this, you need to decide how to install the laminate: along or across the room? Any of these options can be used during installation. To do right choice, take into account several important factors:
- lighting;
- dimensions of the room and its geometry;
- plate lamella design.
Installation differences
Laying laminate flooring relative to the parameters of the room - along or across - requires a competent approach. This is as important as creating a new interior. Laminate flooring can be laid lengthwise or crosswise. Each method is used depending on the existing conditions.
You can also lay laminate flooring diagonally. But to get such an effect, you will have to spend material and make additional calculations that require high professionalism.
When installed lengthwise, the joints are not visible when light from the window enters the room
In which direction to lay the laminate depends on several nuances that relate to the direction of the panels. Experienced craftsmen who create laminate floors can easily determine how to install the laminate.
Experience tells us which method is more practical. To determine which direction to choose for laying the laminate, take into account the location of the windows.
The general rules for installing laminate flooring require that the floor covering be parallel to the rays of light. In other words, the installation is performed perpendicular to the wall where one or more windows are located.
Why is this so, what are these conclusions based on? When laying laminate along or across a room relative to the window, the edges of the panels do not provide shadows and become invisible. Laminate laid in this way is considered practical. The seams become invisible, and the base looks monolithic and perfectly smooth.
The placement of windows is not always done on opposite walls. The light falls unevenly. You have to decide how to do the installation correctly.
The direction of the light rays must be taken into account when planning floor finishing. The longitudinal edge of the laminate should be oriented relative to large window. In order for the finishing to look good, the complexity of the perimeter of the room being finished is taken into account.
Whether it is possible to lay laminate flooring, placing the panels across the room, is decided individually. The classical rules do not apply in this case.
Sometimes you have to install laminate flooring in rooms where there are no windows at all. The performer himself decides which way is best to do this. For example, to create the visual effect of expanding a room, you can create a transverse pattern.
Preparatory work
Installation of laminate, regardless of direction, is carried out only on a leveled surface. If it is uneven or has small indentations, the joint locks will begin to separate.
Large loads experienced by the floor covering will cause a gap to appear. Moisture will begin to penetrate through it, and the panels will become unusable. The most practical basis for laminate flooring is considered to be:
- concrete screed;
- wooden floor.
Before laying, a substrate is made. It is made from several types of material:
- natural cork: expensive, but with excellent properties;
- bitumen sheet with cork inclusions: excellent waterproofing agent;
- high strength polyurethane foam;
- polyethylene, the most available material with low cost.
According to manufacturers, if the laminate underlay is made correctly, it levels the base. This statement is somewhat exaggerated. The laid backing layer is done to provide thermal insulation. The substrate only compensates for unevenness. She doesn't align them.
Good to know! Installation of the substrate is carried out only end-to-end. The joining points are secured with tape. As a result, the substrate does not move during installation.
No less interesting: - stages of work, advice and choice of materials
Tool for the job
To get the job done you will need a small set of tools:
- electric jigsaw;
- rubber hammer;
- block of wood;
- roulette;
- pencil.
Choosing a direction
Before starting work, keep the laminate in the room where it will be installed for 48 hours. The material will pick up room humidity and ambient temperature.
Only after this the installation technology is selected. Referral can be done in several ways:
- diagonal;
- perpendicular;
- parallel.
The direction of the light rays is taken as the reference point. The diagonal method of installing laminate flooring is suitable for narrow spaces. It visually expands the room.
Floor coverings are made in different ways. Some people like the lengthwise way of laying, while others think the crosswise direction is beautiful. Any of these methods does not affect quality.
Important! When the panels are located along the direction of the light rays, the impression of a solid coating is created. If the incidence of light is perpendicular, the joints of the lamellas become noticeable, and the coating does not have a solid appearance.
If the window is located on a small wall, the panels are laid parallel to the long wall. This technology is used by professionals. They call this technique straight laying.
This method saves material, and the coating becomes attractive and original. This layout gives beautiful view simple and inexpensive laminate.
How is laminate installed?
The method of laminate installation affects the beauty of the coating and its further operation. The strength of the floor is achieved by laying each subsequent row, moving the seams.
An economical option is to install cuttings of the board that ends the row. Where furniture will stand on the surface, lay pieces of laminate less than 30 centimeters long. Thus, minimal material consumption is achieved. This will not affect the quality of the coating or its aesthetics.
High strength is achieved by laying the material in a checkerboard manner. In other words, the next row is offset by half the panel. The pattern becomes attractive, especially when the panels are chamfered.
If you move the panel by a third of its length, an original coating is created where the end seams do not match.
Competent installation
Work begins after determining the far angle. The finished coating should be 10 mm behind the wall. This value is controlled using special wedges or cutting the laminate.
This gap is necessary to allow the panels to expand if the humidity changes. In the first row, panels with a cut ridge are placed. This allows you to create a smooth edge that faces the wall. With the help of a lock, subsequent rows are joined.
The design of the locks has several differences, so docking is performed in two ways: at an angle or in a single plane. To create a tight connection, the panels are tapped rubber mallet. After complete assembly of the first row, last panels sawed off to the required size.
Laying the second row begins with the third part of the lamella. This start will prevent the seams from matching. All subsequent rows are assembled in the same way. In the last row, the boards are sawed down to create a centimeter thermal gap.
It is important that the installation is carried out in relation to the existing lighting. The long side should be directed perpendicular to the light beam. The joints of the panels will become invisible, and the length of the room will be visually expanded.
The room will look larger if it is laid diagonally. IN small spaces, where there is no daylight, installation of the laminate is done across the room.
If the laminate is laid on wood covering, the plates are placed across the floorboards.
For detailed instructions on laying laminate boards, watch the video below.
Laminate is rightfully considered one of the most popular types floor covering. He is distinguished by his beautiful appearance, durability and ease of installation. However, all work on its installation must be carried out in accordance with certain requirements, otherwise even the most quality material will fall into disrepair too quickly. Many novice craftsmen have a natural question: how to lay laminate correctly, along or across the room? There is no definite answer to this, so let’s figure out what will determine the direction of orientation of the lamellas during installation.
How to lay laminate flooring correctly - lengthwise or crosswise
If you listen to advice experienced craftsmen, then you can hear that there is one rule, according to which the orientation of the slats in the rooms is carried out. The direction of the coating strips depends entirely on where the main light source is located(for example, a window or bright lamps that will replace the first option in a windowless room).
Why will the direction of the lamellas depend on the light source? It’s simple - the rays of the sun or the light emitted by a lamp, hitting the material perpendicularly (at an angle of 90 degrees), will demonstrate all the joints. They will be especially noticeable if the lamellas are joined poorly. And therefore, the laminate is always laid so that the coating strips are located along the rays of light - only then can the visibility of the joints be reduced. Thus, the slats will lie with their narrow side facing the window, and the installation of the covering is carried out starting from one of the side walls of the room (usually from the one where there are no doors).
On a note! Where it's missing natural spring light, the laminate is laid, focusing on the artificial one.
Prices for Tarkett laminate
Tarquette laminate
Laminate laying direction
Laminate manufacturers note that this coating is very easy to install and anyone can cope with this task. Yes, this is partly true, since the slats are equipped with special locks that allow them to be easily fastened together. If initially laminate was on sale only with a Lock lock, which requires certain skills to work with it, now it has become widespread the new kind connections are Click locks, which really anyone can connect. We'll talk about them a little later.
On a note! Technologies do not stand still and are developing, and therefore completely new lamellas with 5G and Megalock connecting systems are entering the market.
In reality, everything turns out to be much more complicated than laminate manufacturers kindly reported. This especially applies not only to the careful preparation of the base, but also to the orientation of the planks in the space of the room. Most often, laminate flooring in apartments is laid depending on the direction of light, as mentioned above. If the planks are laid along the light source, the floor will resemble a regular plank floor, and the joints will be practically invisible.
But sometimes it makes sense to lay the coating perpendicular to the direction of the rays of the sun or lamp. So, due to the covering, you can visually enlarge the room, which is important for narrow rooms with a window at the end. In this case, the light will highlight the joints, they will become more noticeable, but thereby visually make the room more spacious.
On a note! If the slats are laid perpendicular to the direction of light, their texture will be much more noticeable.
Diagram of the direction of laying laminate flooring in rooms
Also, the laminate should be oriented depending on the direction of movement along it. Sometimes there are rooms in which you can clearly mark the lines along which the people living in the house move. Most often these are corridors and halls. In this case, the priority when deciding on the orientation of the lamellas will not be the light rays, but the direction of movement - the laminate is laid along these lines. This method will reduce the rate of abrasion of the coating in the area of joints, due to which finishing the floor will last longer.
How to lay laminate flooring - along or across the room
Features of laying laminate in non-standard cases
Sometimes laminate flooring is installed in rooms that are non-standard in shape and lighting. It can be difficult to navigate and decide in which direction the covering strips should “look”. In this case, diagonal laying will save the situation. The covering is mounted relative to the walls at an angle of 40-60 degrees. Thus. You can not only enliven the interior, but also make the joints unnoticeable.
On a note! This method, although it is criticized quite often, is still used in rooms where windows are located on adjacent walls.
Unfortunately, the method has certain disadvantages. Due to this installation, the abrasion of the joints increases, and the consumption of material also increases - too many scraps appear.
If the room has the shape of the letter “L”, then the slats are also laid diagonally or in a herringbone pattern. This way the floor looks quite interesting, the room will not seem narrow.
What to focus on
However, in reality everything turns out to be not so simple. The fact is that the direction of laying the laminate will depend on many factors, and not just on light sources. Let's figure out what can affect the orientation of the slats in the room, and also decide, depending on what factors it is worth making this or that decision.
First of all, it is important to assess the number and location of windows in the room. If there is only one, then there should not be any special problems - it is enough to lay the laminate, starting from the far corner of the room, so that the lamellas are oriented along the direction of the light. This way you can make the seams unnoticeable. If there are two or more windows in the room, then you should look at which one illuminates the room better, and guide you when installing the covering on it. If there are no windows in the room at all, and this is a fairly common occurrence in corridors, then it is recommended to orient the laminate depending on the direction of the light coming from the main source - for example, a chandelier.
Advice! It’s a good idea to immediately evaluate the interior of the room, find out where and what furniture will be placed. This will allow you to imagine the overall picture of the finished room and figure out how to lay the laminate so that it looks better.
The shape of the room also matters. If the room is narrow, then it is better to discard the desire to hide the seams - here they can play a positive role, visually expanding the room. In rooms with particularly complex geometries, a diagonal installation method is used, although in this case it is recommended to invite specialists to help, since a newcomer to the world of renovations is unlikely to cope with the task.
It is also important to consider the placement of furniture in the room. If you plan to install a lot of interior items in the room, and there will be carpets on the floor, then there is no point in observing the direction of the laminate joining lines.
Important! If the laminate is laid on wooden boards, then the slats should be laid perpendicular to the floorboards - then the floors will sag less. If wooden floors are covered with plywood, then laminate planks can be placed in a way that is more convenient.
Laminate is a practical and multifunctional floor covering. Most manufacturers of laminated parquet claim that it is very easy to install. However, people who have not done this before often face one problem: how to lay the laminate correctly - across or along?
Laminate direction
Its service life and wear resistance depend on the chosen direction of laying the floor covering. There are several ways to place laminate flooring in a room:
- around the world;
- across the world;
- by movement;
- diagonally.
Around the world
Many craftsmen recommend using this method of installing the material, since with its help you can create a floor with completely invisible joints. The light coming from the window creates the effect of an endless plank and the flooring seems monolithic.
Across the world
When using this cross masonry, the panels are placed along the wall perpendicular to the window. Thus, you can visually increase the area of the room, make the floor more voluminous and highlight the texture and joints of the lamellas. For this, it is recommended to use a laminate of at least class 32.
By movement
In walk-through rooms and rooms with a constant direction of movement of people, laminated parquet should be laid in the direction of movement. This will reduce the abrasion of the surface and increase its service life.
It is not recommended to lay laminate flooring in a room across the movement, as this will cause its edges to wear off several times faster.
Diagonal placement
The material is not located parallel or perpendicular to the walls, but at an angle of 30–50º. This method often used to give the interior originality. The main disadvantages of diagonal laying are:
- high level of abrasion of joints;
- increased laminate consumption;
- need to use special means for care and cleaning of floor coverings.
Features of installation in different rooms
The direction of laying the laminate also depends on the room:
- The diagonal direction is used in irregularly shaped rooms.
- Laying laminate flooring in a narrow room is done across, as this will visually expand the free space.
- In rooms with high ceilings, transverse installation is used, and in rooms with low ceilings, longitudinal installation is used.
- In a narrow corridor L-shaped laminated parquet is laid in a herringbone pattern or
How to lay laminate flooring correctly from A to Z
Preparation for installation
Laying laminate flooring in a hallway or room begins with preliminary preparation surfaces.
Concrete floor
Old concrete floors develop cracks over time. Before laying a new floor covering, they must be widened and sealed. cement mortar. After this, the floor is filled with screed, sanded and coated with primer. To do this, you can use Ceresite ST 15.
Wooden floor
Repairing wood floors can take a long time because sometimes you have to replace damaged boards. You can use plywood to level the surface. However, before that it needs to be processed grinder to remove all irregularities.
Laying the underlay
During the manufacture of laminated parquet, slabs of wood waste or soaked paper. All these materials do not tolerate direct contact with a wet surface. Therefore, before laying laminate along or across the room, it is necessary to place a special substrate that will not allow moisture to pass through. To do this, use ordinary polyethylene or a diffuse membrane, which performs many functions:
- surface leveling;
- protection of the underside of the floor covering from abrasive abrasion;
- soundproofing;
- protection against moisture that concrete and wooden floors can emit.
Laying out the backing is quite simple. The strips spread over the entire surface with an overlap of about 20–30 cm. For greater reliability, polyethylene sheets can be joined together with tape.
Installation process
Having prepared the surface and decided on the direction of laying the laminate in the room, you can begin installation.
Manufacturers produce products equipped with different lock systems. Laminate can have Click or Lock locks. The first ones are mounted in one plane, so it is very important that the floor surface is perfectly flat. Panels equipped with Click locks are connected to each other at an angle of 40 degrees.
The adhesive method of joining boards is also sometimes used. With its help it is created monolithic coating, which practically does not allow moisture to pass through.
The installation process may differ depending on the connection method used.
Installation of coating with Click-locks
The first board is placed in the far left corner of the room. After that, the next one is joined to it at a slight angle. To secure the panels together, they need to be pressed slightly to the floor. Thus, the first row of coating is laid.
The next one is laid with the boards offset by 20–40 cm. This is done to evenly distribute the pressure on the panels. To connect the rows, one of them will have to be raised above the floor a few centimeters and inserted at an angle of 30–40 degrees into the ridge of the second row. All subsequent rows can be laid in the same way.
This installation method is slightly different from the previous one:
- installation also begins in one of the corners of the room;
- the second panel is inserted into the groove of the first from the end side;
- the boards need to be hammered against each other for a more reliable fixation;
- When installing the next row, do not forget about shifting the panels in a checkerboard pattern.
Unlike the previous method, here the elements of the second row are immediately connected to the first.
Slight difficulties may arise when laying the last row, since there may be little space left between the wall and the floor. In this case, you will have to start trimming the boards. To do this, you need to place the panel on the penultimate row and measure the part that will have to be cut.
Installation of adhesive coating
To connect an adhesive laminate, it is better to use a special glue that does not allow moisture to pass through. It is not recommended to skimp and use PVA glue, as this may cause the panel joints to swell.
Laying technique:
- the first board is laid with a groove against the wall;
- after, on end side the adhesive mixture is applied to the second panel;
- Having connected the elements together, they need to be knocked down with a block or a small hammer;
- this sequence of actions is repeated until the first row is completely laid;
- the side parts of the boards of the second row are coated with glue and inserted into the panels of the first;
- After laying the first few rows, you need to wait 2-3 hours for them to dry a little, after which you can continue laying.
The choice of direction for laminated panels must be approached very seriously. It is recommended to weigh all the bad and the good side each of the methods. Also, when choosing, you need to pay attention to the features of the room where the panels will be used. This is the only way to determine how to lay the laminate, lengthwise or crosswise.
Video: How to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor