Laminat laying: technology features

Laminate - a fairly cheap and durable coating, very often used for finishing the floor in modern premises. Its main strengths can be considered high resistance to mechanical damage and aesthetic appearance.

The history of laminate began in 1977, when the first boards were sold. However, at that time, this material was not sufficiently disseminated. The fact is that laying the laminate was very difficult, it required professional skills and the availability of special equipment. In addition, it was very expensive. Therefore, the homeowners preferred parquet for finishing.

The situation changed when in 1996 the specialists of the Belgian company Unilin Decor NV invented a lock, which allows to connect individual panels in an adhesive way. Laying a laminate quick step (as it was called an improved coating) now did not represent anything complicated. It became possible to do this even on their own. As a result, such panels became a hit of sales in 1996 and are very popular to this day.

In 2002, the same company locking the boards, was significantly improved in terms of ease of snapping. As a result, the laying of the laminate has become even simpler. The installation technique does not represent anything particularly complicated. The only thing to remember is that the base under the laminate floors should be perfectly even. This can be a concrete screed or leveling floors leveled by level. It is possible to install on a wooden or tiled surface. In the case of a large degree of unevenness of the substrate, it is better to pre-cover the rough floor with sheets of plywood or OSB.

Laying the laminate should always be done in such a way that the boards lie along the direction of the light rays, that is, perpendicular to the window. If this condition is not met, the joints between the panels will be very noticeable, which can visually damage the appearance of the coating. If the windows are located on two or more walls, as an option, it is allowed to lay diagonally.

The boards are mounted in staggered order, that is, with the rows offset so that the panel of one row relative to the other panel is shifted by a quarter or half. Options for laying the laminate are not very diverse. Installation can start from the corner or from the door. In this case, it is necessary to leave a gap - the space between the coating and the walls along the entire perimeter is not less than 1 cm. The laminated board can vary in size depending on the weather conditions, and therefore, if the cover is made butt-end with the walls, it can later "swell". Gaps are necessary and next to static objects on the floor - pipes, heating radiators, etc.

First, the first board is laid, then a second tenon is inserted into the groove of its end and with a slight effort is snapped. In this way, the first row is mounted. The last board is cut to the required length. The remaining piece, if its length is not less than 25 cm, is put in the beginning of the second row. After several planks are connected, the first row is slightly raised, and a second row of plates is inserted into its side groove.

Despite the fact that laying the laminate is not anything complicated, you need to observe a certain amount of accuracy and do not violate the technology. In this case, you are guaranteed to get a quality and beautiful coverage that will serve you more than one year.