Almost everyone in their life has come across squeaky laminate floors, and knows how annoying it is. Especially the creak of the laminate is terrible when there are small children or a sick person in the house.
Any, even careful movement on the floor involuntarily leads to a creak that interrupts the child's restful sleep, irritates a sick or elderly person.
Meanwhile, there are ways to lay the laminate so that it does not creak.
Well, if the floor has already been laid and has begun to creak, then our recommendations will help you eliminate the creak of the floors.
Why do the floors in the apartment creak
This article discusses all cases of squeaky laminate floors that prevent the appearance of squeak during operation, tips for eliminating squeak in already installed floors.
When laminate flooring creaks, the most demanded task becomes how to correct such a defect.
Let us consider in detail all the options for the appearance of a creak and establish the cause of the creak of the floors in the apartment.
Substrate irregularities
The main reason why laminate flooring creaks is the irregularity of the base on which the floor covering has been laid or is being laid.
The most common causes of squeak are depressions or pits, over which the laid laminate sags. And if you step on this place, then the material sags, which causes an annoying creak.
It is possible to exclude the appearance of a squeak, only thorough.
There are times when laminate flooring creaks after installation.
In an already installed laminate floor, creaky areas are eliminated by partially disassembling the laminate above the recess. Recess alignment is done using mortar and checking the flatness of the area.
Mandatory check of the floor evenness is a big rule and the elimination of the main cause of the squeak.
Subfloor swings and grooves are the main cause of floor squeaks.
After the surface is completely dry, the laminate can be laid on the floor.
If the entire floor creaks, you will have to remove the entire laminate.
Attention! Before disassembling a laminate floor, be sure to number all the dies. This will greatly simplify the subsequent assembly process.
The base, freed from the laminate, is leveled by pouring the floor. After complete drying, the surface is primed, a substrate is laid on it. The thickness of the substrate cannot be more than 3 mm.
Wrong liner thickness
This is a common mistake for inexperienced parquet flooring. To smooth out surface irregularities, a thick substrate is often used. And this is the reason why the floor creaks. The reason is trivial, with a large thickness of the substrate, the laminate sags in the grooves, which causes a squeak. The recommended thickness of the backing material is up to 3 mm. More and styling method.
By the way, when choosing a substrate, give preference to substrates that provide sound insulation, smoothing irregularities, and moisture resistance.
Invalid gap between walls and laminate
To eliminate the squeak of the floor from the laminate, a gap is maintained between the laid out surface and the walls, the size of which should not be less than 7 mm.
The gap is regulated by the area of the laid out surface. The larger the area, the greater the gap must be maintained when laying.
To avoid squeaking laminate flooring, be sure to maintain a gap when laying around the perimeter. The presence of a gap allows the laminate to take a comfortable position, does not allow stress in the lock joints.
Since the laminate expands with increasing temperature, with a small gap, the board rests against the walls. And when walking, the coating rubs, causing a creak.
And how to get rid of the squeak of the laminate if the gap is not maintained?
It is necessary to remove the skirting boards. If the laminate located against the walls rests against it or the substrates are not pulled out, then it is necessary to remove the stops and establish a gap. To form the desired gap, you will need to remove the board and cut out those places that abut the wall. If for technological reasons it is not possible to do this, then you can do this, you can either cut out the laminate with a drimer or deepen the wall with a perforator.
After revision, we vacuum and install the skirting board.
Humidity changes
The reason for the squeakiness of the laminate may be the increased humidity in the room.
Attention! When moisture returns to its original state, as a rule, the floor stops creaking.
When installing laminate flooring, try to measure the humidity in the room and keep it constant throughout the year.
But how to eliminate the creak of the laminate if the humidity in the room is constantly changing?
In this case, you just need to withstand the time so that the laminate will get used to the differences, remember them. Over time, creaks and crunches will go away.
Sand and dust ingress
Clean up The floors must be laid on a clean surface. Substrate, laminate boards, base are thoroughly vacuumed and wiped. They must be free of dirt and dust.
Attention! It is not recommended to lay the laminate without a vacuum cleaner.
If dust gets into the locks, over time, it will certainly lead to a squeak and the destruction of the locks.
By the way, a poorly made surface screed can crumble over time, causing a creak. Under load, the laminate touches the base, frays the screed components.
Such a technological technique will reliably protect the base from destruction.
If the laminate squeaks after installation, and the reason is in sand and dust, then you cannot do without disassembly.
Each die is numbered, the floors are disassembled, dust is removed with a vacuum cleaner.
The surface is carefully primed in several layers. The next layer of primer is applied only after the previous layer has completely dried.
A new substrate of the required thickness is laid on the base, and the laminate is laid on top, according to the numbering.
Poor board quality
One of the reasons for the squeakiness of laminate floors may be the poor quality of the material. Even a high-quality substrate, cleanliness during assembly, the right gap, the right underlay will create a squeak if you are installing low quality laminate flooring. Low-quality laminate flooring has a weak point in locks that are not kept in size. This is what causes the squeak.
The squeak is eliminated only by a complete change of the coating. ...
Tension in locks
This reason is the most common. Moreover, such a defect can also be observed in a high-quality laminate, but only in the first weeks or months. Professional laminate flooring has one quality, it can adapt to the geometry of the room, taking the optimal position.
It is only necessary to provide the laminate with gaps so that it can take a comfortable position. The squeaks will disappear by themselves after a few weeks.
And how to eliminate the creak of the laminate without disassembling?
Here are some helpful tips that will save you the day by eliminating the squeakiness of your parquet or laminate floor.
- Elimination of local squeak. To eliminate the local creak, it is necessary to warm up a paraffin candle. It is necessary to pour hot wax and wipe the seams of the laminate boards in the places of squeak. Grouting is best done with a thin plastic trowel. Good results are obtained by grouting with an old plastic card that has already been out of circulation.
- If your laminate creaks, what to do indiscriminately? The floor creaks against the walls, then, after removing the skirting boards, foam the joints with polyurethane foam or fill them with PVA glue.
- In the middle of the room, the problem is solved by drilling holes with a diameter of 0.6 mm and pumping PVA glue with a syringe and not stepping for 48 hours.
- If the thresholds are walking, then they can be glued to transparent silicone.
- Fill with oil as a means of eliminating squeak.
- Use polyurethane foam in the floor hollows.
Conclusion:
- The reason for the squeakiness of laminate floors affects the difficulty of fixing the problem.
- To avoid squeaking, you need to make an even base, choose a substrate of the required thickness, work in a clean room with clean materials, and use a high-quality laminate.
- To permanently eliminate the creak of the laminate flooring, it is recommended to make the perfect floor screed.
- Monitor the humidity of the room.
But the decision is always yours and
One of the unpleasant consequences that can lead to improper installation of laminate flooring is the creak of the laminate panels when walking. And the question of what to do if the laminate creaks arises quite often.
In this article, we will analyze the main reasons why this squeak occurs and consider how to fix it.
Reasons why laminate flooring creaks
In fact, there may be several reasons why the laminate creaks after installation:
- The most common reason is laying laminate flooring on an uneven base.... If the laminate panels were mounted on an insufficiently level base, for example, on a concrete floor with flat drops, then the creak of the laminate will appear pretty soon.
Here's the thing: immediately after the unevenness is compensated by the lining under the laminate. But over time, the lining is compressed, and the load on the laminate locks increases. It is under these conditions that a creak occurs.
- Another reason for squeaking is debris, sand or small stones under the laminate.... This situation arises if the base has not been thoroughly cleaned before.
As in the previous case, at first the creak does not appear, since the substrate reliably protects it from it. But as soon as the substrate loses its shape and elasticity, you immediately begin to hear a characteristic sound.
Note!
A telltale sign that sand or debris is causing the squeak is that the laminate squeaks when walking barefoot, not just walking with shoes.
- Also, the laminate can squeak if there is no necessary gap between the laminate and the baseboard.... Indeed, the skirting board should not be tightly pressed against the laminate - otherwise the laminate, which is a sufficiently "mobile" floor covering, will not be able to freely deform under loads, but will "rub" against the edge of the skirting board.
- In addition to the gap between the plane of the laminate and the skirting board, a gap of at least 10 mm is also required between the edge of the laminate and the wall.
The absence of this gap also results in unnecessary compression of the laminate panels. As a result, there is an increased load on the locks and squeak under load.
- Well, and finally - one more reason. Even on a flat surface, laminate laid according to all the rules will creak if it is a low-quality laminate.
That is why you should not buy the cheapest laminate flooring models (although their price seems rather tempting).
Otherwise, we will no longer have to look for the cause of the creak, but find out why the laminate is cracking and where the cracks come from.
Anti-creak laminate flooring
Cutting the laminate
When we have figured out why the laminate floor creaks - it's time to move on to the steps to eliminate the creak.
If the laminate makes a creak due to the lack of a gap between it and the wall, the problem is solved the easiest way.
To eliminate the squeak, we proceed as follows:
- Dismantle the skirting board covering the gap between the laminate and the wall.
- We disassemble the laminate panels adjacent to the wall (how to disassemble and assemble the laminate can be studied using the video instructions).
- Using a circular or reciprocating saw, we cut the edges of the panels so that the gap is the 10 mm we need.
- We mount the panels in place.
Advice!
In this case, it will not be superfluous to check whether the skirting board is also involved in the creak. If it seems to you that the gap between the skirting board and the plane of the laminate is not enough, it is better to fix the skirting board a little higher.
How to eliminate the creak of the laminate in this situation, we hope, figured out. Moreover, it is not difficult to do this even with your own hands, without involving the masters of laminate flooring.
But what if the gap between the laminate and the wall is sufficient, and the laminate still creaks?
Most likely - the matter is either in the uneven floor, or in the garbage, as we noted earlier.
Cleaning the floor under the laminate
If you think the squeak is caused by dust and sand under the laminate flooring, then the best way to get rid of the squeak is to remove the dust and sand.
Of course, if you have laid a very high-quality laminate flooring, then you can just wait - over time, the grains of sand will grind between the concrete base and the laminate panels, and the creak will go away. But it is better not to risk it, because the laminate during this time can seriously wear out on the inside.
We do the cleaning of the floor under the laminate as follows:
- We disassemble the laminate throughout the room... If the laminate creaks only in one place - you can limit yourself, so to speak, to "local destruction".
- We shoot. After dedusting the base, by the way, it is better to replace it - and not lay the worn-out one in its old place.
- We clean the base under the laminate with a vacuum cleaner. In some cases, you can first walk on the floor with a damp cloth.
- Before laying the laminate back, wipe the locks and the underside of the panels with a damp, clean cloth.
By the way, before removing the creak of the laminate in this way, you can try a compromise solution: insert a sheet of cardboard into the gap between the wall and the laminate under the creaking area. It should help - but, however, only if the area near the wall creaks.
Leveling the floor
But what if the laminate floor creaks due to being installed on an uneven floor?
Here you will have to prepare for major repairs.
The instruction in this case is as follows:
- Dismantle the laminate, remove the backing from the base.
- We put a leveling cement-sand screed on the concrete base.
- Apply a self-leveling coating on top of the dried screed.
- We cycle the wooden base, and if the scraping did not help, we level it by laying sheets of thick plywood or chipboard on it.
- We check the plane of the resulting base using a level.
- As a safety net, we remove dust from the base using a sufficiently powerful vacuum cleaner.
- We put the substrate on the base.
- We mount laminate panels, making sure that construction dust does not get into the locks.
As a rule, after all this, the creak of the laminate "goes away" forever.
We hope these tips will be useful to you, because you can implement them even without special skills. So if you or someone you know has a squeaky laminate - you already know what to do!
Laminate flooring assumes a special installation system. This and other factors can cause the floor to squeak after installation.
It is not necessary to change all the lamellas and arrange new repairs. There are the most common problems that can cause a nasty defect to appear. Let's analyze them and how to eliminate them.
Possible reasons
Squeaking may occur at different times after the floor has been installed. The main reasons are:
- There are so-called temporary squeaks... Then the laminate stops emitting unpleasant sounds after a short time or after the change of seasons. This is caused by changes in temperature and humidity in the room. This is possible if, prior to installation, the floor covering was not left in the room to adapt to the conditions of future use.
- Dusty ground or stones easy to recognize. In this case, the slats creak underfoot without shoes. Particles fall into cracks and locks. Large gaps between the joints - the problem of laying not according to technology or drying of materials.
- Compensation clearances between the wall and the skirting board are necessary to reduce the load on the covering panels. A squeak also occurs due to non-observance of the instructions. Anchoring the skirting boards should give a little freedom for subtle movements of the laminate. When this is not possible, the load and the characteristic sound appear again.
- Uneven base Is a big problem and requires significant efforts to fix. The presence of pits in the finishing screed, the depth of which is more than 3-4 mm, will help to determine this cause. The savings in leveling result in re-repair costs. Due to the indentations, the substrate is erased, the lamellas bend, the level and geometry of the floor are disturbed.
- Base from old parquet, planks may also cause squeaking. Diagnosed by parsing part or all of the coverage. The elimination method depends on the scale of the defects.
- Thick backing over time, it gets lost due to stress and its softness. The changes are the same for an uneven base.
- Poor quality laminate Is one of the most expensive options. Unscrupulous manufacturers produce products from materials that are subject to low mechanical stress and lose their properties in the first or second year of use.
To prevent most problems, it is important to properly prepare the base, follow the installation technology and choose the right materials. For example, when laying laminate on old parquet and wood floors, it is difficult to achieve a perfectly flat surface. Therefore, plywood is mounted in sheets. The main assistant in such work is the laser level, which allows you to notice even small deviations and irregularities.
How it is carried out - see this material.
All the nuances of repairing a wooden floor in Khrushchev are discussed in detail here.
How can you fix this indiscriminately?
Dismantling of the entire floor covering is avoided. First of all, the cause of the squeak is established. Sometimes methods without global parsing help:
- Increased humidity contributes to a change in the structure of the laminate. Porous surfaces become thicker, take up more space, and an additional load appears at the joints in excess of the established norm. A simple way out is to measure the humidity and turn on the heaters. It is undesirable to turn on the underfloor heating system; it is better to heat wall radiators. They will remove excess moisture from the air in a particular room and do not directly affect the coating itself. The temperature can be increased gradually, noting the panel changes.
- If there are no gaps between the wall and the extreme lamellas, then they are increased by cutting. A suitable tool is needed. Long distances can sometimes be eliminated by placing a piece of thick cardboard between the wall and the panels. Disassembly is not necessary when the skirting board fits snugly. It is unscrewed, leaving a gap of about 10 mm. Distance between wall and adjacent lamellas cannot be less than 7 mm in small spaces. The maximum clearance reaches 30 mm if the room is spacious.
- Immediately after laying the laminate, there is a grinding noise from the locking joints or joints. They can pass in a couple of months after the start of operation. Otherwise, the cause should be looked for more carefully. Constant creaking in the locks is eliminated by pouring a special sealant. Before that, you need to make sure that they are free of dust and dirt particles. The tool will additionally give water resistance.
For information on how you can get rid of the squeak immediately after styling, see the following video:
How to eliminate the creak of the floor in the apartment with analysis?
Dismantling is an effective way to identify and eliminate the cause of long-lasting squeaks. It is often enough to disassemble a small area with lamellas:
- Uneven ground is not an exception. A complete dismantling of the floor covering is required here. Checking the height differences is carried out with a level instrument. The approximate tolerances of the grooves are - 3-4 mm per 1 sq. m... The surface is, if necessary, grinded and filled with a leveling screed. The finish is also produced with self-leveling compounds. Again, the differences are checked and the laminate is laid using the technology with substrates and gaps.
- There is a cracked screed. This is a violation of the rules for its filling. It is necessary to replace the entire layer and cover with a new one with a suitable primer.
- Garbage, sand, dust is removed after parsing the coating. In case of heavy dirt, the base is wiped with a damp cloth. Then use a powerful vacuum cleaner. The substrate is replaced with a new one, because it will be covered in dust and sand particles. The inner side of the lamellas and the locking joints are treated with a barely damp cotton or microfiber material. The laminate is reassembled, preventing dust from entering the joints on the surface of the base.
- Low-quality panels should be disposed of or used in places where the load and environmental impact are negligible. Changes to the layers make the laminate unusable and it is impossible to correct defects. Do the same with a soft and thick substrate.
- Local parsing is appropriate if sounds appear in a specific area. The removed lamellas are installed back after cleaning, filling the holes and priming the problem surface.
A bad advice is to lubricate the tool joints and joints with oil-based products. This will eliminate the squeak for a while, but it will ruin the laminate and the tightness of the panels.
07.08.2014 02:05
At first glance, it may seem that putting a laminate in a hallway or room is not so difficult, but in fact it is not. Now the laminate floor is gaining more and more popularity, it is not expensive and perfectly imitates a wooden floor. But many believe that it is not difficult to put it down. However, even the smallest violation of the laying technology can lead to the fact that the laminate creaks after installation, creaks, crunches, and so on. He is especially picky about the state of the foundation on which he is laid, and what to do in this case?
Why does laminate squeak after installation?
“In fact, even perfect adherence does not guarantee that there will be no squeak,” any seasoned installer can argue. This flooring is very unpredictable: it can lie for many years without any creaks, even when laid on an uneven surface. Or it may be that after laying on a prepared and absolutely flat surface, the laminate creaks. As a rule, a complex of reasons is to blame for the squeak, and not one, and this is what needs to be done.
Reason 1 - curved base. In this case, the laminate will squeak in the same place. There is a "hole" under the plate, and when stepping on such a plate, the laminate floor sags and makes an unpleasant creaking sound.
We strongly recommend to prepare the surface before laying, if not with a new screed, then at least with a self-leveling mixture. Measuring level differences will help determine the amount of surface deviation from the norm.
There are two ways to solve the problem of squeaking due to an uneven base. If the laminate creaks in one or two places, then you can disassemble the planks in problem areas and eliminate the hole with a solution, and then reassemble the laminate. If it “creaks everywhere”, you will have to disassemble it completely and level the surface with a self-leveling screed, and then prime it, put a non-thick substrate (no more than 3 mm) and put the laminate back on.
Reason 2 - thick substrate.
Some people think that a thicker underlay can hide unevenness in the floor and therefore choose it for installing laminate flooring. In fact, everything is exactly the opposite. The thick backing does not hide the unevenness of the base and only increases the sagging of the laminate laid over it, which causes a squeak.
The problem can be solved only by changing the substrate to a thinner one. The thickness of the backing under the laminate must be no more than 3 mm! Well, or put up with a creak and take into account previous mistakes in the future.
Reason 3 - a small gap around the perimeter. It is necessary to leave a gap of at least 7 mm between the wall and the laminate, and the larger the laying area, the wider the gap should be. It is needed so that after laying the laminate floor, relieve the pressure on the locks and the boards can expand to the required width. Sometimes they even leave a gap of 2 or 3 cm wide, then cover it with a plinth.
If the laminate began to creak due to the fact that a sufficient gap was not made, then it is necessary to remove the skirting boards and reduce the width of the laminate planks extreme to the wall, thereby relieving stress and allowing it to straighten. Attach the skirting boards in place.
Reason 4 - increased humidity. Sometimes it happens that the laminate starts to creak after the humidity level in the room rises. And usually the creak is not in some separate places, but all over the floor. After the humidity has stabilized, the creak decreases or disappears altogether.
In this case, we can simply advise you to wait for the change of seasons: wait for summer in winter, and wait for winter in summer. The reason for this squeak usually goes away on its own after a while. You can also reposition the laminate in order to eliminate the cause of the unevenness.
Reason 5 - dust, sand and fine debris.
Sand can get into the laminate flooring locks and cause not only squeak, but also breakage of the locks. That is why it is recommended to adjust the length of the laminate planks in another room and use a vacuum cleaner more often. A crumbling screed can also cause particles to enter the locks. That is why the surface must be carefully primed before laying the substrate.
It is very difficult to eliminate the cause of such a creak. It is necessary to disassemble the laminate (if you plan to use the same laminate later, it is advisable to number the planks), remove all debris and sand from the screed surface, then prime thoroughly and put a new substrate. You can put a plastic wrap between the screed and the backing, well, for sure.
Reason 6 - poor cheap laminate flooring. He, as a rule, has very low-quality locking joints, he can begin to creak even after all the conditions for laying the laminate are met.
Eliminate this cause of the squeak only by replacing the entire laminate with a higher quality one.
Reason 7 - tension in the connecting locks. If such a slight creak occurs during the first weeks after installation, then this should not be scary. If the laminate floor is laid in compliance with all the requirements and the necessary gap is left, then in the first weeks, creaking is normal, since the floor straightens, gets used to stress and humidity, even to the geometry of the room. The tension in the locks will persist for some time.
If the squeak does not go away for more than 3 months, you need to look for another cause of the squeak.
As you know, it is easier to prevent the cause of a squeak than to eliminate it later, therefore, these lists of reasons are more important for those who are preparing to lay laminate flooring. It is required to follow all the manufacturer's recommendations, even if they are completely trifling. It is imperative to let the laminate lie in the room where it will be laid. Let it acclimate to the new temperature and humidity. In the future, this significantly reduces the risk of squeaking.
It is worth saying that all of the listed reasons for the creak of the laminate can be attributed to the parquet board.
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No squeak!
Laminate is a beautiful floor covering with a very affordable price. It imitates wood floors very realistically and is easy to install thanks to a modern locking system. It seems that everything is simple with the laminate ... But only at first glance. In fact, this coating is very demanding on the quality of the base. For the successful installation of the laminate, it is necessary to strictly follow the installation instructions and observe almost perfect cleanliness during work. Any negligence can cause the laminate to squeak.
Even compliance with all requirements does not guarantee that the laminate will not be "naughty". Many people face problems: someone has a creaky laminate, someone has a crunch, and someone has a long squeak. This is frustrating and annoying.
Experienced laminate flooring workers say that this coating is unpredictable. Sometimes it fits perfectly on an uneven base and serves the owners faithfully without any creak. Sometimes, despite the exact observance of the technology, the masters are faced with a creak, crunch, "clatter". It is not always possible to identify the real cause. Often, a problem is based on a complex of reasons. What are the most common reasons why laminate flooring squeaks?
