Instructions for laying plywood on a concrete floor. Plywood under the laminate - the ideal way to level the floor How to level the floor under the laminate with plywood

Plywood is considered to be a durable material that can cope with any stress. Therefore, it is used not only for leveling floors, but also for all other surfaces in the room - these are walls, partitions and ceilings. Read the concrete flooring manual.

Plywood characteristics

Plywood has the following characteristics:

• high strength;
• tolerance and resistance to moisture;
• long service life;
• resistance to various external influences;
• has good sound insulation;
• able to retain and conserve heat;
• provides a robust design.

Styling

Most experts say that it is advisable to lay any laminate on a wooden floor. A concrete base is not desirable in this case. According to professionals, the best option for laminate flooring is plywood.

Plywood allows you to perfectly level the floor surface, improve the shock-absorbing and insulating functions of the laminate flooring, and also help to increase the life of the flooring. Before directly laying plywood on a concrete floor, prepare the surface:

• remove all irregularities on the concrete floor, clean them;
• sweep or vacuum the floor;
• any grooves or cracks in the concrete floor are removed with a primer.

The plywood itself is placed on the concrete floor, subject to certain rules:

• special plywood for laminate in the form of squares is sold, it is desirable to purchase it;
• cut the selected plywood into four equal parts, so that in the future it will be possible to avoid various deformations of the floor;
• the gaps must be kept at the recommended width, but not less than 5 mm. Experts recommend strictly following this recommendation;
• It is recommended to choose a water-dispersion glue based on PVA or two-component, it is necessary to strengthen the concrete screed under the plywood. After gluing, the plywood sheets must be fixed with self-tapping screws;
• care should be taken to fill the entire space under the plywood with glue. To accurately determine this, you can knock on the plywood - if the sound is dull, then the gluing is done with high quality. Instructions on how to properly lay the laminate here:.

• first of all, you should pay attention to the thickness of the slabs. For concrete floors, choose plywood with a minimum thickness of 12-15 mm. It is the thickness of the plywood sheets that determines the reliability of the base for linoleum;
• before direct laying, the plywood is checked for deflection under the weight of a person. If you stand on a sheet of plywood, and even bent a little, then you should choose thicker plywood slabs or additionally install support beams;
• plywood must be dried before laying under linoleum. And also it should be treated with plywood sheets with an antiseptic and an agent that protects against moisture.

• installation of a concrete screed to level the floor. A cement mixture is applied to the original subfloor and carefully leveled. It should be noted that this mixture will take a long time to dry. Professionals recommend letting the concrete screed dry for about 45 days.
• after the cement mixture has completely dried, a layer of waterproofing is applied to the surface in the form of a standard polyethylene film, which is fixed with tape at the joints. Read.;
• then you should start cutting plywood. As a rule, plywood sheets are stacked according to the “bricks” principle in order to avoid four seams at one point;
• plywood sawn into sheets is sanded to get rid of various irregularities. Next, the plywood surface is primed with glue-mastic;
• then adhesive mastic is applied to the concrete surface, and plywood sheets are laid on top in the above way. Plus, the plywood will need to be fixed to the base with dowels and self-tapping screws;
• the last step is sanding the plywood to obtain a perfectly even finish. Typically, a standard coarse sanding tool is used for sanding.

Alignment

Leveling a concrete floor with plywood without logs is quite simple. There are two ways:

1. On glue - this method was described earlier.
2. Adjustable plywood - this method consists of securing the plywood with nuts and washers. Holes are drilled in plywood sheets according to a previously prepared diagram. Then the sheet is applied to the concrete floor surface and holes are made in the floor through the holes in the plywood. Next, nuts with washers are inserted into these holes and fixed at a certain height, the remnants of the rods above the surface must be cut off. It should be noted that with this method the plywood is laid in two layers. The second layer is laid using the overlap method. An important point is the thickness of plywood for a concrete floor without logs - depending on what kind of material for the flooring is planned to be laid on the plywood. On average, the thickness should be 10-15 mm. Read on.

The cost of laying plywood on a concrete floor

Updated: 21.03.2019

The base for the laminate should be perfectly flat, otherwise, during operation, the panels will begin to creak and bend, the locks will loosen. There are several ways to level the floor under the laminate, the choice of which depends on the type of base, the degree of its deterioration, time and financial constraints.

It is advisable to level the wooden floor only if both boards and logs are in good condition, there are no rotten areas, wide gaps and other similar defects. If major repairs are required, it is much easier to dismantle the floors to the rough screed and level them on the concrete.

To prepare a plank floor for laminate flooring, you will need:

• sander or scraper;
• wood putty;
• roller and brushes;
• primer;
• plywood sheets, cement particle boards, gypsum fiber board or chipboard;
• jigsaw;
• roulette;
• screws and screwdriver.

First, the floor surface is carefully sanded or processed with a scraper.

Shavings and dust are removed, all minor defects are sealed with putty. Next, the base is primed twice, dried, plywood or other selected material is laid. Self-tapping screws are used for fastening, and the material is cut with a jigsaw. Now all that remains is to lay the flooring correctly.

Leveling the concrete floor

The easiest and cheapest way to level a concrete floor is by sanding. If the concrete base does not have cracks, and the differences in height are not more than 5 mm, the surface is simply processed using a grinder or grinder with a nozzle.

Then the floor is cleaned with a vacuum cleaner and primed. This option is not suitable for heavily damaged screeds, poor quality concrete and damp floors. In such conditions, leveling is carried out using a dry or cement-sand screed, as well as ready-made leveling mixtures.

Leveling the floor with self-leveling compound

Cement-sand screed

To work you will need:

• water and building level;
• container for solution;
• cement;
• sand;
• rule;
• slats for lighthouses;
• trowel.

The new screed can be poured onto the previous one or directly onto the floor slabs. It depends on how badly the base is damaged. If the old screed has irregularities of more than 2 cm, but at the same time is strong, it is not necessary to dismantle it. Having decided on the base, proceed directly to leveling the surface.

1. Find the highest point of the floor and put marks on the walls using a water level; the marks are connected in a horizontal line using a skip.
2. The floor is cleaned of dust and debris, a layer of waterproofing, a reinforcing mesh is laid, beacons made of metal slats are placed on a cement mortar. The distance between the lighthouses is about 1.5-1.8 m.

   Installation of beacons. In the photo, the floor is waterproofed, but no reinforcement was performed

   Reinforcement of the floor with mesh. Lighthouses can be fixed with gypsum or alabaster quick-drying mortars

3. Check the horizontal alignment of the slats with a building level.
4. Cement is mixed with sand in a ratio of 1: 3, diluted with water to a pasty consistency.
5. The mixture is poured between the beacons, starting from the far wall, and stretched with a rule along the stripes.

A day later, the lighthouses are carefully removed from the concrete, a little cement mortar is mixed, and the grooves formed are filled with it. The surface is leveled with a spatula, if necessary, small cracks are rubbed, and then the floor is covered with a film. The screed should be protected from drafts, direct sunlight and regularly moistened within 28 days. As soon as the moisture content of the concrete has dropped to 5%, the underlay can be laid and the laminate can be laid.

Dry screed

For a dry screed you will need:

• level;
• slats for lighthouses;
• damper tape;
• Gypsum fiber board or plywood;
• glue, self-tapping screws;
• expanded clay;
• waterproofing film.

The base is preliminarily cleaned of debris and the crack is sealed with a solution, the surface is primed. When the floor is dry, work begins on the screed device.

1. The level of the finished floor is marked on the walls.
2. The base is covered with waterproofing material, overlapping adjacent strips.
3. With the help of a solution, beacon slats are fixed on the floor, their horizontal position is checked.
4. A damper tape is glued along the perimeter along the marking line.
5. The space between the lighthouses is filled with expanded clay, which is leveled using a rule.
6. Gypsum-fiber sheets are laid on top of expanded clay, they are tightly joined at the seams.
7. Having laid the first layer, proceed to the second: the sheets are covered with glue on the reverse side and laid so as to overlap the joints of the lower layer.
8. Finally, connect the upper sheets with the lower screws.

Prefabricated dry screed

Quite often, the floor under the laminate is leveled using the dry prefabricated screed method - on the logs. In this case, the presence of bulk materials is not required; they are used only when insulation is required.

For alignment you will need:

• level;
• roulette;
• hacksaw;
• puncher;
• dowels;
• logs from a bar;
• Chipboard, plywood or gypsum fiber board;
• waterproofing material;
• damper tape.

First you need to determine the level of the finished floor and mark the walls. If the base is absolutely dry, you can do without a waterproofing layer, but with high humidity in the screed, it is mandatory.

1. The film is laid with an overlap, it is slightly wound up on the walls, the edges of the material at the joints are glued with tape for reliability.
2. The logs, pre-treated with a primer, are laid on the floor, leveled horizontally with wedges or pieces of wood. The logs are screwed to the screed with anchor bolts or using dowels, drilling holes with a puncher.
3. Sheathing sheets - chipboard, plywood, gypsum fiber board - are screwed onto the logs from above with self-tapping screws.
4. The seams between the sheets are sealed with putty, and after drying they are sanded.

Alignment

This method of alignment cannot be called cheap, but it is he who has the greatest advantages. The mixture is poured quickly and does not require much physical effort, the surface also dries much faster than a wet screed. Such mixtures are used on rough bases with height differences up to 5 mm.

The base is cleaned and the highest point is determined. Using a level gauge, markers are made on the walls with a marker to which the floor should be poured. Next, the surface is primed and dried. If the concrete is not of the best quality, the primer is applied in two coats. After drying, a film is laid on the floor with an overlap on the walls. Now comes the most crucial moment - the preparation of the mixture. It is necessary to dilute the dry mixture with water in exactly the specified proportions, and only mechanically. An incorrect ratio of water to dry components or mixing by hand will lead to delamination of the leveling mixture, the appearance of bubbles, and a decrease in the strength of the coating.

If the area is large, the pouring solution is prepared in portions so that it can be used before it hardens. The floor is poured in sections, starting from the far corner. For leveling, a special spatula is used - a squeegee, and then the mixture is rolled out with a roller with needles. The adjacent areas should be poured at intervals of no more than 10 minutes. After pouring, the floor is covered with foil and left for at least 3 days. During the drying of the polymer, it is necessary to exclude temperature extremes, drafts, mechanical loads and vibrations.

Table. Self-leveling mixtures

All of the above methods allow you to create the most even base for the laminate. If the technology is followed during leveling, such a floor will not require major repairs for 10-15 years.

Video - Leveling the floor under the laminate

Video - Leveling the floor under the laminate with a prefabricated screed

Builders are familiar with different ways of arranging a base for a floor finish. In order for the decorative material to lay down perfectly, look aesthetically pleasing, an absolutely flat rough surface is required. If in the house it is made of boards, then perhaps the most effective will be leveling the wooden floor with plywood.

Plywood sheets are thin layered wood. It is made from different types of wood, mainly pine. Sometimes birch is used. They are the most cost-effective options for creating recycled products.

When using plywood as a leveling base for laminate flooring, preference should be given to birch products. They are lighter, softer, pliable in processing.

Plywood differs in several parameters:

• brand;
• class;
• variety;
• humidity;
• the number of layers;
• dimensions.

Pressed sheets of a certain category are chosen for laminate, linoleum:

1. FOF - products with low moisture resistance;
2. FC - material with average resistance to moisture;
3. FSF is a moisture-resistant plywood, in the production of which a special adhesive is used, which reliably fixes layers that do not form voids.

Pressed wood products are of 4 types, determined by the number of defects. The best are considered first-class sheets that do not have any flaws (knots, chips, cracks, etc.). But for rough flooring, 3-4 grades of plywood with a significant number of defects are suitable.

Attention! For leveling the baseunder the laminatechoose birch plywood FC 3 grades. Its advantages are high strength and low cost.

Choosing plywood by thickness, it is worth stopping at 12-16 mm sheets. They will not bend, lie flat and stick tightly to the logs due to their weight. Such products have special strength, resistance to stress, durability. The thickness of the plywood is determined by the number of layers. Their total number is always odd. 12mm plywood has 9 layers. When pressing, veneers are placed perpendicular to each other to increase strength.

Plywood sheets have certain dimensions. Length and width parameters only affect the transportation and ease of installation of products. They do not actually affect the technical characteristics of the base.

Attention! Plywood is afraid of high humidity. Before layingunder the laminateit is stored in dry ventilated rooms. This will save the sheets from bending, they will not warp.

When buying pressed wood leveling floors, pay attention to the manufacturers. Preference should be given to domestic or European factories. They produce the right quality materials.

If work on the construction of the plywood base is carried out independently, you need to acquire a set of tools. They will help you to do the work correctly and as conveniently as possible. The list of tools includes:

• construction level;
• bench hammer (mallet);
• electric screwdriver;
• jigsaw;
• drill;
• self-tapping screws;

measuring devices:

• ruler,
• roulette.

It is important to master the skills of working with these devices and devices.

Plywood can have several variations. It is laid on logs or old, but in good condition, floorboards. The first method involves the installation of noise or thermal insulation.

Preparation of the base according to the first option

In any log house, the floors are laid on logs: wooden beams, laid at the stage of erection of the first crown of the walls.

1. Subsequently, a rough floor is placed on these supports. Substandard boards are used for it.
2. When installing thermal insulation on the first layer of the base, the slats are stuffed with a step of 40-50 cm (they are guided by the dimensions of the insulation).
3. This structure is closed with a waterproofing sheet without tension.
4. In the spaces between the slats, mats (rolls) of mineral or basalt wool are freely placed. In some cases, bulk materials are used, for example, expanded clay. It serves as excellent sound insulation.
5. A vapor barrier material is placed on top of the erected structure, slightly pinned to the slats.

After that, plywood is laid to finally level the floors. Such a base for laminate is durable and reliable, has additional comfort conditions.

Preparation of the base: option 2

If the floorboards are mostly well preserved in the house, some defects that can interfere with the correct installation and operation of the laminate can be easily eliminated. It is enough to do a few activities.

1. All protruding nail heads are sunk deep into the wood with a hammer.
2. The plinth around the entire perimeter of the room is removed.
3. Cracks and joints between the boards are not sealed with anything. The plywood leveling the floor will hide them.

If it is necessary to make thermal insulation, proceed according to the first option for preparing the base. However, in this case, it can turn into a waste of money. After the construction of the entire structure, a multilayer coating is obtained, which does not blow through, does not cool down due to the arrangement of materials perpendicular to each other. The plywood base retains heat well and it itself is comfortable for human feet, since it is made of natural wood.

Laying plywood under laminate

Plywood- flat material with a perfect surface. The dimensions of the sheets allow you to close the rough floor in the shortest possible time. For beginners, this is the most convenient way to build the perfect laminate base. How to align the pressed material base correctly?

1. With the help of the level, the differences in elevation are checked. If not, great. If a recession is detected, it is eliminated with the help of bars. They are cut out according to the thickness of the slope that has arisen and placed under the sheets of plywood.
2. Pressed wooden canvases are brought into the room in advance so that they adapt to the microclimate, absorb the required amount of moisture, and warm up in the room. How long it takes for a material to cure is determined by the place, method, position, temperature and humidity of the room in which it was stored before delivery to the facility:

• from 1 day to 3-5 days, it is necessary to keep the products relatively dry and smooth;
• a longer period is needed for those canvases that were in the warehouse at 5-8 degrees C and 10% humidity;
• above 7 days adapt plywood with slight deformation. It is placed in a pile so that it takes on the desired shape under the weight. When fastening such canvases, a larger number of self-tapping screws are used.

1. Plywood sheets of square shape are laid so that their edges fall in the middle of the bottom rung or floorboards. Ribs cannot be combined with the edges of the boards. Self-tapping screws will not be fastened to anything. The canvases are sagging.
2. A deformation gap of 0.5 - 1 cm is left along the perimeter of the walls. Since plywood is made from natural veneer, it needs space and the ability to "breathe". The laying of the laminate is also oriented along this gap, which cannot be placed close to the wall.
3. So that the joints between the individual elements of the rough flooring do not coincide, the second plywood row begins with half a sheet. With the help of a jigsaw, according to a predetermined markup, the one-piece blade is cut into 2 parts. The first is used at the beginning of the row, the second at the end.
4. When laying out the leveling pressed blades, try to lay them not end-to-end, leaving a minimum gap, similar in functionality to the deformation gap.
5. The laid-out canvases are fastened with self-tapping screws or hardware. They are screwed in with a screwdriver until the cap is completely drowned in the tree. Let a small dent form, then the hat will damage the laminate. The hole can be easily repaired with putty or filled with sealant.
6. Sometimes you have to align the plywood sheets themselves if their edges, for example, do not match. This is done using an electric planer or grinder. It is necessary to achieve a perfect surface so that the topcoat lies flat.

A backing is usually laid on a plywood base under the laminate. It acts as a shock absorber and intermediate layer between the pressed sheets and the topcoat.

Important points

Plywood and laminate are similar in that they are equally afraid of moisture. Responsible manufacturers specially impregnate veneers with compounds that protect them from water. If this is not done in the factory, you can protect the plywood with your own hands. This work can be carried out at any stage: during adaptation or at the end of installation.

Laying of multilayer canvases under the laminate is carried out at a temperature of 20-30 degrees C and relative humidity. Then the sheets are in optimal conditions and behave well when working with them.

In rooms with a high level of humidity, for example, in bathrooms, in kitchens, it is better to use other methods of leveling the floor and an alternative finishing material. If the microclimate is like in the tropics, the plywood will bend, the laminate will deform, and the floor will become unusable.

Plywood sheets- an excellent option for leveling a wooden floor under a laminate. It is convenient and simple. Any beginner in the construction business can use this leveling technology.

Video how to level a wooden floor with plywood

Views count: 1 162

Do-it-yourself wooden floor under the laminate We insulate the wooden floor on the logs
How to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor - video and installation features
Warm water floors on wood floor
Wooden floor

In a wooden house, a bathhouse, multi-storey microdistricts, a flat surface is required for laying floor coverings. If the base is a wooden floor, then plywood is spread on them. The leveling of the wood covering with plywood is the topic of our conversation about finishing materials. In it we will share our experience of laying it on wooden floors.

Leveling the wood floor under the plywood

First you need to determine the condition of the wooden floors, whether there are large differences in height between the boards.

If the floors creak, then you need to pour graphite powder with talcum into the cracks or hammer wooden wedges into them.

If this does not help, then fix the defective boards with self-tapping screws or dowels with screws.

If you cannot even out significant differences in height with your own hands, then you need to disassemble the decayed structure, replacing the destroyed boards with freshly planed ones.

Do-it-yourself plywood leveling of the wooden floor

First of all, we lay out plywood sheets on a wooden base in a checkerboard pattern to try on and determine the lag guides. Let's circle these lines.

We already have a rough outline of the location of the horizontal bars.

Number the plywood sheets and the floor so as not to be confused during installation.

Logs are square bars with a long side of 40-60 cm. Instead of bars, you can use boards or plywood sheets cut into strips.

Transverse strips are attached to the logs at a pitch of 40-50 cm. Metal corners make the connection of longitudinal and transverse stripes strong and reliable.

Using a level gauge, align the lattice base. To keep the logs on the same level, we put wooden spacers under them. And then, using metal corners and self-tapping screws, we attach the logs to the plank floor. You can also use dowels as lag fasteners, 3 times the thickness of the lag.

Between the lags, fill the free surface with sand or a homemade mixture consisting of sawdust and PVA glue.

We lay it out in two layers and leave it so that the leveling compound hardens.

If the lags are low or in the form of slats, then we use roofing material or roofing felt. Only after that we begin to fix the plywood.

Installation of plywood on minilags

Another method for leveling the floor with plywood in a wooden house is to use a mini-log.

This method is very accurate. Conducted only by craftsmen and engineers. The slightest inaccuracy in the calculations will make the design unreliable. Each building element is calculated separately using special devices.

Mini-lags (slats) are laid along and across in the form of a lattice. This method is used with a large slope of floors and significant differences in height - up to 8 cm. First, sheets of plywood are laid out for fitting in order to make markings. The thickness of the supports, the angle of inclination are calculated using formulas and programs.

Installation of plywood on the crate of point supports

The fourth way of laying plywood sheets is the lathing of point supports. The sabots are cut from planks or plywood and stacked in the form of a grid. The step between them is much smaller than with tape supports. This method is less accurate than using lag.

Leveling wood plywood for linoleum

Linoleum is a capricious coating, all roughness and irregularities, debris will be visible on it. Over time, due to its elasticity, it will take the shape of the base, enveloping the protrusions and grooves. Therefore, a perfectly flat surface is required for linoleum flooring.

Cooking wood flooring. Best to spend scraping wood floor.

To protect yourself from dust, you need to wear a respirator, from noise-earmuffs.

You need to work with a scraper, starting from the corner of the room, moving like a snake to the other end of the room. The corners are processed by hand.

Putty is needed to treat cracks and cracks in a wooden floor.... When the mixture is dry, you should repeat the cycle.

Collect dust after the process with a vacuum cleaner.

The wood flooring is treated with antiseptic agents. The top is varnished.

You can also cycle floors with a planer. But this is a more complicated process. Scraping of floors is carried out if the height differences are insignificant. In this case, plywood is not needed. It is also not needed when leveling a wooden floor with dry mixtures, which are applied to a sanded floor.

If the floors are sloped, plywood panels are required.

We take self-tapping screws and screw them into the wooden floor at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other. These are our beacons on which logs and plywood sheets will be laid. The caps of the self-tapping screws must be at the same level.

We cut plywood sheets into squares with a side of 60 cm. It is very important to check the sheets so that there are no cracks or chips.

We lay out plywood beams 3-4 cm wide. These are logs. They serve as a support for plywood panels. If there is a gap between the joists and the floor, then you can put a thin piece of plywood. Attach the logs to the floor using wood glue or self-tapping screws. Expanded clay can be poured between the lags. It will be a kind of insulation for floors.

We are starting the installation of plywood sheets. We lay out the plywood in a checkerboard pattern with an offset. We fix it with screws inserted into the dowels. To keep the coating neat, it would be nice to drill holes for the dowels before laying the plywood panels.

When laying plywood, the screws are simply screwed into the dowels. Plywood sheets are fixed on the logs. It is very important to step back 2 cm from the wall and leave a gap between the plywood boards. Then seal the seams with putty or mastic. When laying plywood, remember that only three edges of plywood sheets can converge at one point, no more. After leveling the floor with plywood, the floor must be sanded and varnished. You can also lay a substrate, and linoleum on top.

Leveling wood plywood for laminate

The leveling of a wooden floor with plywood under a laminate is almost the same as under linoleum.

First you need to remove the wooden skirting boards with a nail puller. Put the room in order, sweep, wash the floors. We make 2-3 holes in the floor in different places of the room to determine the height of the screw base. We make beacons in the form of self-tapping screws. The thicker the plywood, the greater the distance between them. The height of the lag is 30-50 mm. We fasten the plywood to the logs with self-tapping screws.

Often experts advise to level the wooden floor with two sheets of plywood. The main thing is that the seams do not coincide, but fit with an offset.

We have told you how to level the wood with plywood. Call the experts or make the flooring with your own hands - it's up to you. The main thing is that you do it correctly and accurately.

Tsugunov Anton Valerievich

Reading time: 6 minutes

The durability and appearance of your laminate flooring depends a lot on the correct preparation of the subfloor. Many apartment owners who have chosen laminate flooring complain about loose locks and cracking panels while walking. The main reason for these troubles is laying laminate flooring on uneven floors. In order for laminate floors to serve for a long time and do not cause problems during operation, before installing them, you need to take care of an impeccably level base. We will learn how to level the floor under the laminate in different ways.

In order to find out whether it is necessary to level the floor under the laminate, it is necessary to examine the surface for irregularities. To do this, you can use a rule, a meter-length ruler or an even piece of plywood. When placing the tool on the floor on each area of ​​the surface, pay attention to the gaps between the base and the rule. Laying the laminate on an uneven floor is unacceptable, therefore, if the height of the gaps exceeds 2 mm, then the base must be leveled. The same applies to height differences, which are determined by the building level. Alignment is required if the difference between the highest and lowest point on the floor is more than 2–3 mm.

Leveling the concrete base in different ways

You can prepare a concrete floor for a laminate using different methods. The choice of method depends on the scale of irregularities, the time allotted for repairs and on your financial capabilities.

Standard cement-sand screed

This method is designed to prepare a subfloor that has significant flaws. The cost depends on its thickness, but in general, the price of the material is relatively low. The main disadvantage of this method is the long waiting time - 28 days.

Leveling the floor under the laminate with your own hands with a cement-sand mortar is as follows:

1. Before starting work, the concrete floor is primed in 2 layers.
2. With the help of the level, the highest point of the base is determined, the boundary of the future fill is marked on the walls and the cord is pulled. They are installed and leveled on the base at a distance of 1.5–2 m.
3. The mortar is prepared from cement and sand in a ratio of 1: 3.
4. The screed is poured between two beacons to the required level and leveled using a rule.
5. Within 48 hours, the screed is moistened with water, and then trowelled with a solution of sand and cement in a 1: 1 ratio. At this stage, beacons are removed, and the voids are filled with fresh solution.
6. For 14 days, the floor is covered with plastic wrap, after removing it, the screed is moistened with water for 5 days, then left to dry completely.
7. After the installation of hydro and sound insulation, the preparation of the floor for the laminate is considered complete.

Dry screed

Performing a dry screed using bulk and sheet materials allows you to prepare the floor for the laminate as quickly as possible. The main disadvantage is the fear of moisture.

The essence of the technology is as follows:

1. A layer is placed on the concrete slabs, on which a profile is set according to the level, fixed on a gypsum solution and acting as beacons.
2. Expanded clay is poured into the space between the profile, on top of which a layer of vapor barrier is placed.
3. The top layer of the structure is made of plywood with a thickness of 10 to 12 mm or gypsum fiber sheets, which are glued and additionally fastened with self-tapping screws.

Leveling with plywood or chipboard

How do I lay laminate flooring on uneven floors that have significant differences in height? For this, plywood is used, laid on.

Leveling using plywood is as follows:

1. Before starting work on the walls, the level of the future floor is marked, hydro and sound insulation, and a shock-absorbing lining are laid.
2. At a distance of 3 cm from the walls and about 50 cm from each other, logs are laid and fixed with dowels - wooden beams with a section of 50 × 60 or 40 × 80. Differences in height are compensated by wooden spacers fixed to the base.
3. On top of the self-tapping screws, sheets of plywood or chipboard are fixed in such a way that their joints are located in the middle of the supporting module.

How to level wood floors

Preparing a wooden floor for a laminate can involve different steps, the choice of which depends on the degree of unevenness in the floor.

First you need to assess the condition of the current flooring. The strength of the floorboards and joists is checked, all elements are inspected for the presence of fungus and rot. Defects are eliminated - creaking floorboards are fixed, damaged ones are replaced with new ones, problem logs are strengthened with beams. The gaps between the floorboards are filled with a mixture of sawdust, putty and varnish.

Laying laminate flooring on uneven wood floors is not allowed, however, it can be installed directly on the old flooring, subject to certain conditions:

• the boards are not bent, do not creak or bend;
• there are no gaps between the floorboards, there are no traces of fungus on all elements;
• after measurements, no height differences of more than 2 mm were found.

Tip: Even if you have a perfectly flat wooden base under your laminate flooring, do not forget about a special cork backing.

In case of insignificant differences in height, a scraper or electric planer is used for leveling. Before sanding, it is imperative to fix the boards with long self-tapping screws and sink the nail heads into the wood to a depth of about 2mm.