The floor, covered with high-quality laminate in compliance with the technology, ennobles the interior and allows you to use all possible design solutions. Using various methods of laying laminate, you can achieve a visual increase in space or change its proportions.
Understanding how the flooring is laid will help you choose the right option for the interior of the apartment. Not only the appearance of the floor depends on this, but also the amount of materials needed, and hence their cost. Depending on the complexity of the work, its payment will also be different.
Laminate laying direction
Laminate manufacturers offer lamellas of various sizes. They can look like boards of various lengths with or without chamfer, squares, parquet or ceramic tiles. Depending on the chosen type, the laminate can be placed in the longitudinal, transverse or diagonal direction.
The most common type of laminate, which imitates a wooden board, is usually laid perpendicular to the line of the window so that the rays of incident light do not highlight the joints. Beveled laminate is chosen to emphasize the texture of the wood, so they can be placed in any direction.
It must be remembered that the longitudinal lines on the flooring visually lengthen the space, especially when they form narrow stripes. Wide stripes make the room appear wider.
The arrangement of lines diagonally makes the room more spacious, provided that most of the floor is free from furniture and carpets. This method of laying laminate is considered more laborious due to the need to trim a large number of elements. This also leads to an increase in the amount of waste, which means that the consumption of materials will increase. 
To highlight functional areas, a combination of two types of laminate with different laying directions is sometimes used. In this case, the boundary of the coatings can be straight, broken or curved, located along the wall or diagonally. Cutting a laminate board with this laying method requires high precision and skill.
Joints must be closed with special connecting profiles. The alternation of dies of different shades with a chamfer looks spectacular, especially when placed diagonally. They can fit randomly or make a repeating pattern. All methods of laying laminate require careful preparation of the subfloor and compliance with the installation technology.
Advice! The lamellas can be equipped with a chamfer both on two sides and on four. This does not affect the functionality of the coating in any way, but significantly improves the appearance of the floor.
Way of connecting elements
In the past, adhesive bonding of laminate was often used, but this method is now considered obsolete. The connection of the lamellas is made by snapping the lock, while the joint is tight and neat. This is especially important for beveled laminate. In modern types of laminate, the following types of locking joints are used:
- The Lock is a connection with a tongue and groove located at the ends of the slats. For snapping, the elements are tapped with a hammer through a wooden block. Disconnecting such locks without damaging the lamellas is quite difficult.
- The Click lock has a slightly different shape. To connect, the comb of the installed board is wound at a certain angle, and then snaps into place when lowered to the floor. Such a connection is considered more convenient. It can be easily separated if necessary to dismantle the coating. At the same time, the lamellas are not damaged and remain suitable for reuse.
- The Uni Click lock can snap into place when turned and when hammered. As a rule, not only the long sides of the boards, but also the ends are equipped with a lock.
- A comb is cut off from the first row of lamellas.
- The elements of the first row are interconnected. The cut side goes to the wall. The excess must be cut off.
- The second strip begins with a lamella cut in half. The elements of the second row are connected and connected to the previous row.
- To ensure a deformation gap along the perimeter of the room, wedges with a thickness of at least 8 mm are inserted between the laminate and the walls at a distance of 25 cm from each other.
- Continue to connect the slats until the floor is completely covered. Stacking chamfered views is no different.
- The last row is cut to the desired width, taking into account the gap.
- At the junction with the door frame, the racks of the box are filed to get a coating under it.
Laminate has deservedly gained wide popularity. It has sufficient strength, durability, easy to fit and looks great. Varieties with a chamfer exactly imitate natural wood, having a lower cost. The diagonal arrangement of the laminate visually expands the room, but the consumption of material will be greater.
What is a laminate, I think everyone knows. This stuff is very popular right now. Excellent appearance and quite affordable price - these are the main factors that people take into account when choosing this flooring for their home or apartment. How to lay laminate This is what we are going to try to figure out now.
As usual, we start with surface preparation. To begin with, our subfloor needs to be examined for any irregularities. Basically, manufacturers allow unevenness up to 2 mm per meter of floor area. Those. You take an even rail (level, rule) 1 meter long and apply it to the floor in different places and in different directions, determining the presence of depressions and bumps.
Differences on concrete floors are leveled with a thin screed device from self-leveling bulk mixtures. If you have uneven wooden floors, then it is advisable to put chipboard or plywood on them. Good for laying laminate flooring. It is important to understand here that the more irregularities on the base, the more likely there are gaps between the laminate panels. When walking on the floor in places of unevenness, the panels bend relative to each other, the interlocks gradually wear out. And the lower the quality of the laminate itself, the faster the cracks will appear.
The next step is to lay the underlay. Its thickness is usually from 2 to 4 mm. It is not worth making the substrate thicker, this will again lead to wear of the locks. The choice of substrates is now very diverse. The cheapest are obtained from polyethylene foams (penofol, polyfoam, isolon and many others).
Cork substrates are more environmentally friendly, but also more expensive. There are substrates made of extruded polystyrene foam, made in the form of rectangular sheets. One side is ribbed. When laying, it should be facing down.
In general, the choice is large, and besides, it is constantly replenished. To be honest, I can't advise what to choose. I never felt any noticeable difference. As usual with every manufacturer, his product is the best. Let me just say that the service life of all the above types of substrates is much higher than that of the laminate itself, so any of them is quite acceptable.
When laying laminate on a concrete base, additional waterproofing must be spread under the substrate. It can be, for example, a simple polyethylene film 0.2 mm thick or any other waterproofing film.
Before laying, the laminate should lie in the room for at least 2 days so that it adapts to the temperature and humidity of the room. Laying is recommended to be done along the direction of sunlight. When laid across, the joints give small shadows and they become a little more noticeable, spoiling the integrity of the appearance.
In general, there are two ways to install a laminate:
- adhesive;
- castle.
The adhesive laying method has one good advantage - the joints are reliably protected from moisture penetration. As a result, the service life of the coating is increased. But the laying process itself is more complicated and time-consuming (compared to the castle), besides, there are additional costs for glue. In rooms where a floor heating system is installed, it is not recommended to use this method.
Glue laying is carried out by applying a special water-repellent glue to the ends of the panels (sold together with the laminate). Under no circumstances should a water-based adhesive (e.g. PVA) be used. This will cause the joints to swell. Glue is applied to the panel groove along the entire length. Then the groove is joined with the spike of the previously laid panel. The connection is sealed with light hammer blows through a wooden block. Excess glue is wiped off with a damp cloth.
After laying 3 rows of panels, it is better to let the glue dry for a couple of hours. Then we lay the floor to the end. The coating can be put into operation 10-12 hours after installation is completed.
The adhesive method of laying is now used less and less. There is practically no such laminate on sale. It is being squeezed out of the market by lock panels. This is due to the ease of installation of the latter. Moreover, the coating of the lock laminate can even be disassembled without damaging the panels and, for example, transferred to another room. Although, to be honest, I have never heard of anyone doing this.
Locks from all manufacturers of laminate have their own characteristics and differences. But in general, all of them can be divided into 2 groups: Click And lock.
When laying laminate with locks such as lock one panel is driven into another with a hammer. Thanks to special combs, the spike is securely fixed in the groove without the use of glue.
Type locks Click appeared later and are considered to be of better quality and wear-resistant. They are mounted by turning one panel into another at an angle (30-45º). Then it is pressed to the floor and the lock snaps into place. I’ll add on my own that you still have to hammer the laminate with a hammer, although manufacturers don’t write about this on the instructions.
The installation sequence of the laminate of all the types described above is almost the same. Laying starts from the left corner of the room. Before laying the 1st row, it is necessary to measure the width of the room and calculate how wide the last row will be. Otherwise, it may turn out that you cover the whole room and at the end there will be a gap of 2-3 cm along the wall. You can’t close it with a plinth, and such a narrow strip of laminate will not hold well. The width must be at least 5 cm. To do this, you will need to cut the panels of the first row to length.
Between the laminate and the walls it is necessary to leave a gap for thermal expansion. Usually it is made about 1 cm. The main thing is that it is then closed with a plinth.
So we collect the first row of laminate from left to right. The rightmost panel basically always needs to be cut off (do not forget the gaps). From the remaining piece, you can start the next row, so we get the necessary spacing of the seams. It is recommended that this difference be at least 30 cm.
Having typed the first row between the laminate and the walls, we insert wedges to provide the necessary clearance, while you need to monitor the straightness of the row. Actually, I do things a little differently. When knocking panels of subsequent rows with a hammer, the wedges often fly out, the straightness of the row is disturbed, in general, it is inconvenient. Therefore, I fix the first row with self-tapping screws with washers (if we lay them on a wooden floor) or dowel-nails with washers (if the floor is concrete). I screw them in the corners and at the joints of the panels of the first row. After finishing the installation of the laminate, be sure to unscrew it.
When laying laminate with glue and with hammer type locks lock each subsequent panel is first joined along the long edge, then along the end.
When laying laminate with lock type Click first, a whole series of panels is assembled and then it is completely inserted into the previous one. With a large width of the room alone, it is inconvenient to do this, it is better together.
When installing for tamping laminate panels, it is convenient to use a special set of tools. If this is not available, knock the laminate through a piece of panel (10-15 cm), inserting it into the groove with a spike. When installing the extreme right panels of the row and the entire last row, you can wring it out of the wall with a small nail puller, only carefully, through the lining, so as not to damage the walls and laminate.
After completing the installation, you need to install the skirting boards, and they can only be fixed to the wall, and not to the floor.
As a rule, when laying flooring, the most difficult is the connection of laminate and laminate. This is due to the fact that the joint should be neat so that it does not interfere with free movement and is invisible. Next, we will look at how to deal with this complexity.
I must say that the design of the joints causes difficulty only for those who are engaged in laying their own hands for the first time. Such trifles have long been thought out by specialists, so we can only use ready-made solutions. In this case, the connecting strips are such a solution.
The design of joints with the use of planks, or in other words a lock connection, turns out to be quite dense, as a result of which the tiles cannot move freely relative to each other when humidity changes or temperature changes in the room.
When a connection is needed
First of all, consider in what cases this connection may be needed. It should be understood that this is not about joining the tiles during assembly, but about those cases when the tile must be connected to the previously laid material, for which it is necessary to use a connecting profile for the laminate.
So, the need for this operation may arise in the following cases:
- Laminate connection between rooms, which is most often done in the aisle.
- When decorating large areas. In this case, the joints serve as damping gaps.
- When laying different types of material with mismatched locks in the same room.
- If it is necessary to finish steps or other differences in floor level.
Advice! By using different materials, for example, differing in color, you can perform zoning in the same room.
When purchasing a coating, you can ask the seller in advance if the strips that are necessary for the design of the joints in your particular case are available. It should be borne in mind that they may differ in both shape and material.
Profile form
Connecting strips, depending on their purpose, can be as follows:
- Straight profiles- are used when making joints between laminate and laminate or with other floor coverings, for example, with ceramic tiles.
- Transition profiles- located at different levels.
- Corner profiles- used when making joints of perpendicular surfaces on podiums and stairs finished with this material.
- Final Profile- used to frame the open edges of the floor material.
The above profiles have not only a decorative function. As mentioned above, the installation instructions for this coating require expansion joints. Connecting strips make these seams hidden.
Note! Expansion joints must be made every 7-8 meters. Otherwise, the coating will have nowhere to expand, as a result of which it will billow at the joints.
In the photo - a damaged coating as a result of the absence of expansion joints
Profile materials
Connecting strips can be made from the following materials:
- Laminated- made of wood-pressed fiber and covered with a decorating film. The pattern is selected in accordance with the pattern of the coating. Since it is necessary to connect the coating between rooms as discreetly as possible, the product is usually used in doorways.
- metal- usually made of brass, aluminum or stainless steel. Such slats are characterized by increased strength, so they are used in high traffic areas.
- Plastic- these are flexible and soft profiles, therefore they are usually used in the design of curved joints. The main advantage of these products is the low price and variety of colors. However, their service life is relatively short.
- Rubber- usually corner profiles that are used on stairs to ensure the safety of movement.
Mounting of connecting strips
All of the above connecting elements are sold complete with a mounting rail designed for flush mounting.
The connection is made as follows:
- The mounting rail is fixed to the base with glue or screws. The second option is more preferable, as it allows you to install the bar repeatedly, and also provide greater strength.
- Then a second coating spreads from the rail.
- After that, a decorative strip is installed in the mounting strip, which snaps into place with light hammer blows through a wooden block.
In the same way, this material can be combined with a tiled floor tile or some other coating. You can clearly see and learn how to connect the laminate between rooms from the video below.
Advice! Metal profiles can be installed in an open way using self-tapping screws or dowels. Holes for them are made at the factory.
Output
As a rule, the overall impression of the quality of the repair and the interior is largely formed by such trifles as the design of corners, joints and transitions. Therefore, the implementation of the connections must be taken no less responsibly than the installation of the floor material itself. The above information will help you cope with this work quickly and efficiently.
Flooring is an important step in home improvement. They are placed on different materials. Today the most common laminate. Because it has many benefits. Chief among them is attractive
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appearance and long service life. His choice is quite rich, so you can choose for every taste and any interior. The room in which the laminate is laid will be cozy, comfortable and beautiful.
Laminate-to-laminate bonding can be done in a variety of ways
Laying this coating is quite a difficult job and must be carried out correctly. Otherwise, the laminate will look of poor quality and its service life will be reduced. It is very important not only to think over the main laying work, but also additional ones. So, almost all floor coverings form joints that need to be hidden. They mostly appear at the intersection of different rooms. After all, each of them has its own coverage.
Connecting laminate and laminate is not easy enough. Since it must be done carefully, at the same time, so that it does not form a tubercle, which will create obstacles for the movement of people. In addition, it should be completely invisible. Otherwise, the room will not only be uncomfortable, but the view will deteriorate.
Connections: when is it necessary?
As experience shows, specialists can cope with this work quickly and efficiently. Basically, problems arise when a person performs all the work on his own. This is explained simply. He does not have the necessary experience and skills to work. Therefore, it is more difficult for him. But you can always use the advice and tips of professionals who have already taken into account and thought everything over for a long time.
Making connections is very important when arranging the floor. It allows you to firmly fix the planks of the coating, as a result, they will not be able to move under mechanical stress and other impact factors. This laminate will last much longer.
When making connections, it is important to understand that these are not the joints that were obtained between the tiles during their laying, but those that were formed with the material that was laid a long time ago. Also, there are a number of cases when it is necessary to carry out this procedure. These include:
- The connection that happened between the rooms;
- When laying the floor in a room with a large area;
- Laying different materials in the same room. It can be a laminate that differs in color, appearance and other things. This is mainly done for zoning;
- When finishing steps, thresholds and other differences that are on the floor.
Laminate to laminate joints: methods
The connection can be carried out in different ways. The most common is the use of planks. They form a laminate lock connection. You can buy them in the same store where the main material is. At the same time, their differences should be taken into account. They come in different shapes and materials.
So, allocate direct, transitional, angular and final. The former are used in the arrangement of laminate connections with a laminate or with another coating. For example, when making a connection between tiles and laminate. If the joint was formed due to a difference in floor levels, then it is better to use transitional strips. Corner ones are used when working with steps or when arranging podiums. After the laying of the main cover is completed, the opening of the edge will appear. They do not look aesthetically pleasing, so they must be hidden. To do this, use the final profile.
These additional materials serve not only as decorating. They will also make all expansion joints hidden.
Laminate interlocking: plank materials
The strips that are used in the design of connections are made from different materials. They can be laminated, that is, obtained from wood and covered with a special film on top, which performs the function of decoration. The choice of such profiles is quite large. It allows you to choose the one that will be most suitable for the main coating and after installation will not be noticeable. Basically, such connections are made in the doorway.
Another version of the profiles is made of metal. Basically, brass or aluminum is used for these works. They are very durable, so they are recommended for use in places where there is high traffic.
You can also use plastic profiles. They are highly flexible and soft. Therefore, they are suitable for uneven joints. In addition to these advantages, this material has a low cost and a large selection of shades. But the period of its operation is much inferior, which is a disadvantage.
For the design of corners, rubber profiles are better suited. In addition to their basic functions, they will make movement much safer.
Types of laminate connection
There are different types of connections. The most common castle. It firmly fixes the panels. Even with significant mechanical stress during operation, they do not change their position. Moreover, such a connection, without additional effort, is both disassembled and assembled. In this case, so-called click-locks are used. They can be reapplied up to five times.
Another advantage of such connections is that it has a high tightness index. So at high humidity, its properties are not violated. This does not affect the disassembly process in any way. It goes on easily and easily.
Adhesive bonding is also used. But this method is rare, it is not very practical, therefore, over time, it fades into the background, giving way to new methods of fastening. To perform this type of lock, glue is used, which lubricates the strips and seals them with a hammer.
This method is not very practical. Since it does not allow replacing one of the laminate boards or performing its general repair if necessary. And the process of removing the floor covering is quite complicated and lengthy. In addition, the low mobility and flexibility of the joints over time can cause it to break.
Above what has been said, it follows that it is necessary to responsibly approach the basic work of laying the floor covering, but also additional ones, such as connections.
When deciding how best to join the laminate, the craftsmen proceed from the structure of the materials being joined: it is easier to assemble the same type of planks into a single sheet than, for example, fit them under tiles and linoleum. The profile market offers a number of devices that facilitate the design of the floor from different coatings.
Before joining the laminate between rooms, it is important to consider the optimal conditions for applying this flooring laying technique:
- assorted sections of the laminate are easier to connect to each other in the doorway than to lay out all over;
- in order to provide an opportunity for natural thermal expansion of the planks, rows every 7-8 m should contain compensation gaps 1-1.5 cm wide;
- if different types of panels are used in different rooms, the lock connections may not match;
- zoning the room also implies careful design of the joints so that the selected shades and textures of the lamellas are harmoniously combined;
- if a podium is planned, without such a frame, the steps will look messy.
The lock connection is reliable and durable, it firmly holds all the details of the coating. At the same time, depending on the temperature and humidity conditions, the laminate is able to change dimensions, it narrows and expands. Deformation gaps allow you to maintain the integrity of the wood structure when changing the microclimate. If you correctly dock the material, that section of the gap that falls on the doorway will be masked.
How to join the laminate?
The connection can be made using thresholds, adhesives, cork compensators, mounting foam. The choice depends on the type of coverage and the characteristics of the room.
Castle method
Relevant for identical planks that match in height and structure. The locks in the lamellas taken from the same batch will match exactly, so this finishing method is used in small rooms that do not need additional deformation gaps.
Connecting strips - sills
The most common elements that attract low cost, ease of installation, widespread availability on sale. Depending on the version, the product can be glued or screwed over the gap that needs to be hidden between different-sized coating areas. Such a gap will be enough for the natural expansion of the lamellae, the wood structure will not warp and rear up.
Nuts are made from a wide range of materials, the most versatile being metal with variable lengths. They help to dock a variety of coatings, including laminate with linoleum and ceramic tiles.
Cork expansion joints
Usually they allow you to connect the lamellas together, less often they are used to work with mismatched types of floor finishes. Due to the soft structure of the cork, it is possible to lay the coating without gaps: when the wood expands, the expansion joint will shrink, and during the shrinkage of the panels, the material will take on its original shape.
The product is introduced after the completion of the floor assembly: a small spatula will help to lay it in the remaining cavity. Cork is difficult to see unless you know exactly where it is, as it matches the color of the main trim. If necessary, the compensator is tinted with paint or a marker.
Foams and sealants
They are used infrequently, as they stain the surrounding surfaces. Their advantage is the ability to mask gaps of any width; they can be used to join sections of complex shape. It is important to remove excess composition after application, otherwise traces will remain. In this case, it will not be possible to dismantle the surrounding panels without destruction, the sealant will not allow the wood to expand, so the method is not used in large rooms.
Often the connecting components are shipped with the laminate batch. They fit perfectly when arranging different materials, although they cost an order of magnitude more expensive than universal slats. Such elements are produced only by large brands that produce laminate.
Types of connecting sills (slats)
Depending on the material, the products are divided into:
- laminated. Pressed wood shavings are laid as a basis, a laminated coating imitating the texture of lamellas is provided on the outside. With their help, aesthetic docking is provided, but they are vulnerable to moisture;
- rubber. Usually they have an angular design, they are used to decorate the edges of podiums and stairs. Rubber is devoid of sharp edges, durable and strong;
- metal. They are made of aluminum, steel, brass, the outer decorative layer is made in wood, gold, silver colors. High strength allows them to be used in areas with high traffic;
- wooden. They are less common due to the high cost of the material, they are used to decorate the interface zone of sections collected from natural wood. They need careful maintenance, regular polishing and updating the varnish layer.
The following profile forms are common:
- straight. Standard variations that are in demand for the design of joints between coatings that have the same height;
- transitional. Designed specifically to work with multi-level materials;
- angular. They are used to combine perpendicular surfaces, for example, when finishing stairs, podiums;
With the help of finishing strips, the edge of the last laminated panel is decorated.
The nuances of mounting connecting profiles
The quality of the final joint is affected by the evenness of the rough coating: height differences are highly undesirable. The maximum permissible deviation from the horizontal in this case is only 2 mm.
It is important that before laying the laminate and all components acclimatize in the room for 48 hours, otherwise there is a high risk of swelling of the coating even if the expansion gaps are observed.
Installation is carried out at positive air temperature. It is advisable to orient the lamellas and joint zones in the studio apartment along the rays of light entering the room, in which case the joints will be less noticeable.
Docking options and technologies
The process of designing the connecting zones varies depending on what materials you have to work with. Most often, the task of interfacing the laminate in two adjacent rooms arises, and when laying the floor in the studio, wood flooring can be combined with linoleum and tiles.
between rooms
The algorithm for using thresholds:
- Make measurements of the connecting strip and the doorway. It is important to make sure that the nut not only fits into the entrance area, but also completely covers the entire length of the expansion gap.
- The bar is applied to the future location, markings are applied through the holes in the product: further holes for dowels in the rough base will be drilled along it. The fixing points should not affect the laminated base, they are prepared in the center of the gap. You also need to circle the location of the nut.
- In accordance with the markings, holes are formed in the subfloor, while the diameter of the drill is selected in accordance with the dimensions of the dowels supplied with the connecting strip.
- Dowels are placed in the holes, a threshold is laid on top.
- The bar is fixed with self-tapping screws, carefully screwing them in and tightening them tightly in plastic dowels.
The sills with hidden fasteners are mounted as follows:
- By analogy with the previous case, measurements and markings are made.
- The underside of the product is equipped with a groove into which the heads of self-tapping screws with already wound dowels are placed.
- Holes are formed according to the markup.
- The threshold is held over the masked gap, while the dowels with self-tapping screws are moved along the groove so that they fall into the holes created by the perforator.
- The bar is tapped with a hammer through a folded fabric or wooden block so that it sinks close to the level of the laminate.
There are also thresholds on a self-adhesive tape, they are easier to install, but there is a high risk of their displacement during operation.
with tiles
If metal sills are a priority, the algorithm for their installation is described above. Here you can also use a cork compensator as a docking profile.
Procedure:
- For the accurate introduction of a flexible cork compensator, it is cut not only along the length of the doorway, but also along the height of the floor covering so that it does not protrude above the laminate and tiles.
- After laying the laminate, the connecting element is fixed with construction adhesive. First, the rough base is covered with an adhesive, a cork bar is applied, but at this stage it is not pressed.
- To seal the gaps, acrylic sealant is applied, then the retainer is pressed against the laminate and the subfloor. Excess sealant is removed with a damp sponge, the surface is cleaned with a dry rag.
- On the other hand, ceramic tiles are laid.
Such a method of joining is expedient not only from the point of view of aesthetics, it allows you to protect the floor from water penetration, increase the operational life of the coatings.
With linoleum
The materials have different thicknesses, so here it is necessary to visually smooth out the difference in height. Multilevel joints are easier to organize using metal sills - this classic method is even for beginners.
If you want to equip the floor without deviating from the horizontal, you can put dense material under thin linoleum and use a convenient T-shaped molding when connecting.