Laying laminate on uneven floors

Now a large number of consumers prefer laminate as a universal floor covering. This is due to its many merits. So that the operation of the selected material is not accompanied by unpleasant moments, it is important to observe the correct installation technology when carrying out installation work. The main obstacle that can destroy the impeccable appearance of any laminated panel is the condition of the rough finish of the floor. The presence of an uneven base is the main problem interfering with the high-quality installation of the laminate. If the laminate is laid on an uneven floor without leveling the surface, certain consequences will not take long to wait, namely, the deformation of the base to the extent that the coating will need to be removed.

Possible consequences

Almost any coating has significant drawbacks in the form of irregularities, chips, potholes, height differences. If the laminate is laid without additional measures to level the floor, the following consequences will occur:

• The slats during operation will gradually begin to subside under the influence of gravity. Laminate laid on an insufficiently strong and smooth surface will sag and deform.
• Over time, the panels loosen, their integrity is broken.
• The presence of concrete bumps will cause cracks on the surface of the laminate.

It is also worth noting that the panels, laid on an uneven base, begin to produce unpleasant creaking sounds associated with the movement of tenants.

Is it possible to eliminate such flaws and provide the laminate with a perfectly even coating? Of course. The floor with overfalls of more than 2 mm should be leveled.

Preparatory work

Laminate after the acquisition should lie for several days in the room in which the installation work will be carried out. So the material can adapt to external conditions. It should be noted that you should not open the package. This time can be devoted to the study of the existing floor plane. The presence of a flat surface and relatively high-quality base allows for direct installation. If there are serious flaws, leveling the floor is required.

Special substrate

For small changes in floor height, you can use a special material in the form of a porous substrate. It has sound and heat insulation properties. Such a foundation will hide minor imperfections of the floor. The cost of such a substrate is low. Laying laminate on an uneven floor with his hands on the substrate is very fast. The resulting coating will be of good quality and a long period of operation.

Note! Such a substrate is used as a means for insulating the room and protecting it from extraneous noise even with a flawless base.

Construction markets offer a significant selection of leveling substrates. They are made:

• cork wood;
• made of foamed polyethylene;
• from cork and bitumen;
• from polyurethane special purpose.

In order not to be mistaken with the choice of substrate, you need to carefully read the instructions for its use. It specifies the boundaries of the drops, which can be leveled with the help of the substrate of this type. The substrate is spread on the film, providing reliable waterproofing. After that you can start laying laminate floating method. Gluing the base and additional fixation is not required. Do not forget that the selected option is applicable for floors with small differences. In case of more serious problems with the base, it is necessary to carry out measures to level the floor, while taking into account the type of surface available.

Assembly process

Getting to laying laminate flooring, you need to pay attention to the temperature regime. It should correspond to the mark of 30 degrees. Lamellae join each other, adjusting the end parts of the material. In any room there are points that are subjected to increased exploitation. Mostly such places will be entrances to the rooms and access to the balcony. The joints of the laminated panels in this case need additional fixation with glue. Brand of glue is usually selected according to the recommendation of the manufacturer of the laminate. To the joints did not stand out against the general background, it is necessary to carry out laying according to the direction of the sun's rays.

Note! Regardless of the characteristics of the material selected, small openings should remain along the walls.

For the organization of gaps using special wooden struts.

Video, представленное в этой статье, поможет разобраться с особенностями монтажа выравнивающего основания. Также здесь есть информация, касающаяся выбора подложки.

Laying on different surfaces

Concrete floor. The floor in traditional urban apartments is most often concrete. Often there are visible irregularities. For their elimination apply special mixtures. The presence of significant differences provides a basis for applying cement to the floor. Before performing the leveling works, it is recommended to knock out strongly protruding irregularities.

After creating the screed, you must wait for the surface to dry completely. Laying laminate can be at a residual moisture content of not more than 5%.

Wooden floor. In some houses there are still coatings of wood. Often they can be seen in Khrushchev, country-type buildings. Such floors often do not differ impeccable evenness. To begin with, it is necessary to measure the level of differences in such a floor, then fix the loosened planks and sand the surface.

Significant defects are repaired with the help of plywood sheets, and the base is leveled in advance with cement or plaster. As a result of these manipulations, you can achieve a perfect surface.

To prevent moisture from accumulating under the coating, it is necessary to lay a reliable waterproofing layer. Such measures are particularly important in damp areas.

Other grounds. Laminate is laid not only on concrete or wood, but also on linoleum, fiberboard, chipboard. In this case, you can put wood shavings on the floor. But such material will cause significant harm to health, because its composition contains harmful components. The coating of laminated floor panels with linoleum requires mandatory cleanliness and dryness of the base.

Laying laminate on an uneven floor without prior preparation, each of the masters takes a serious risk associated with the rapid wear of the coating and the deterioration of expensive material, so it is not recommended to conduct such experiments.

Video

Instructions for laying laminate: