How To Level The Floor Under The Laminate? Preparing The Wood Flooring For Laying, Leveling The Wood Base With Plywood And Other Materials

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How To Level The Floor Under The Laminate? Preparing The Wood Flooring For Laying, Leveling The Wood Base With Plywood And Other Materials
How To Level The Floor Under The Laminate? Preparing The Wood Flooring For Laying, Leveling The Wood Base With Plywood And Other Materials

Video: How To Level The Floor Under The Laminate? Preparing The Wood Flooring For Laying, Leveling The Wood Base With Plywood And Other Materials

Video: How To Level The Floor Under The Laminate? Preparing The Wood Flooring For Laying, Leveling The Wood Base With Plywood And Other Materials
Video: How To Plywood Subfloor Leveling for Laminate Flooring Installation DIY MrYoucandoityourself 2024, March
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He prefers to cover floors with laminate more and more often. This material is unpretentious in operation, does not require much effort when laying. In addition, it is aesthetic and suitable for residential apartments and private houses, as well as for office premises. The coating is purchased for a lot of money, but it will be a pity to spend it if the floor creaks under your feet, and even worse - cracks. The reason for these troubles is the uneven styling. Leveling the floor under the laminate can be done with your own hands.

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Why do this?

Laminate is made on the basis of fibreboard and is a laminated plate that is assembled into a common floor surface using locking fixed joints. The plates are very rigid, therefore the sub-base or the carrier layer under the laminate must be flat, otherwise the material is exposed to stress and, accordingly, cracking.

The locks connecting the laminate slabs will also quickly wear out, the seams may come apart. Therefore, the floor on which the covering will be mounted must be prepared and trimmed. According to the norm the curvature of the bearing layer should be 2 mm per 1 linear meter in all areas of the room.

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The alignment of the laminate slabs is carried out by a floating method, that is, they are not fixed on the base and the substrate, therefore, when the coating is folded into a single layer, an expansion joint remains along the entire perimeter of the room along the walls. This explains the horizontal position - one of the important requirements when laying this coating.… On an uneven surface or with a slope, the floor will slowly move to a lowered area of the room, the plates will stop temperature deformation, as they will rest against one edge of the room with a slope, and will begin to collapse.

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A very important circumstance is dryness of the substrate surface … Laminate does not like moisture, delaminates and becomes unusable if water gets in. Therefore, when choosing the methods of arranging the base for the subsequent laying of the floor finish, these requirements should be taken into account.

Now there are high-quality slabs already covered with various compounds that protect against moisture and even the locks between the laminate slabs have a thin layer of hermetic glue, but under the laid coating it is still necessary to create conditions that exclude any moisture in the structure. At the same time, the floor will delight you for many years.

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Types and characteristics of the base

Alignment under the laminate is performed on one of the following bases:

  • Concrete floors or cement-sand screeds;
  • Floor slabs in private houses or apartments;
  • Wooden floors on logs.
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Methods for preparing screeds and slab floors are usually similar and have the same conditions. For all, preparatory work is required. Concrete bases must be cleaned of dirt, dismantle the old screed and the old finish coating, if any. Damaged plank floors, damaged tiles, screed are removed. If the floor is moldy, this sub-floor should also be completely dismantled. Plywood sheets or chipboard mounted on wooden joists should be checked for damp areas, delaminated edges.

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Required tools:

  • Grinder or scraper, respirator and earmuffs for working with a scraper;
  • Roller or brush. These tools are used to apply a primer to a concrete base and an antiseptic to a wood base;
  • Roulette;
  • Building level;
  • A drill with a special attachment for mixing solutions or a construction mixer;
  • Screwdriver, self-tapping screws, PVA glue, construction gloves;
  • Beacons are construction slats that help level the floors.
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What is better to level?

For leveling concrete bases, screeds from cement-sand mortars with various components are used. They are suitable for the first coat as they cover the main large cracks and irregularities. But for the floor, on which the laminate will be laid directly, another layer of mortar is needed, thinner for evenness and smoothness. Next, you should lay the substrate, which gives thermal insulation. These floors are quite heavy, they create a certain load on the floors. This should be taken into account in advance, having assessed the possibility and feasibility of installing this floor in each specific house or apartment.

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Self-leveling mixtures or, in other words, self-leveling floors are often used to level concrete floors. When pouring the mixture, the coating becomes perfectly even, all small cracks are eliminated and the errors of the previous layer are leveled. Only suitable for very flat surfaces.

Expanded clay is also used - a material often used and lightweight. The weight load on the floors from it is minimal. It has many positive properties: retains sound insulation, does not burn, environmentally friendly, does not enter into chemical reactions with the materials used for flooring. The expanded clay coating retains heat for a long time, is very durable, is not afraid of dampness and is relatively inexpensive. Preparation for laying the finished floor is carried out very quickly in time, since the material is dry.

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There are also ways to dry the leveling of the bases. For example, the installation of wooden beams with a measured pitch and laying on top of plywood, chipboard or OSB boards, as well as a screed using Knauf technology with dry mortars. In the second case, between the installed metal guides, backfill is made with fine-fraction expanded clay and then leveled with laid gypsum-fiber plates (GVL). At the same time, the surface is reinforced, insulated, soundproofed. The only drawback is that GVL boards are moisture resistant, and it is necessary to cover them with a waterproof primer or use special water-repellent ones.

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With irregularities of no more than 4 mm, when the minimum leveling is necessary and the laminate cannot be simply laid on the base, and more complex assemblies of structures are inconvenient and expensive, substrates are used. They are of several types: polyethylene, cork, cork-bitumen, wood-chip coatings, polyurethane foam, polypropylene foam, izolon, foil.

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Often, a substrate is also used on already smoothed floors to better preserve the back side of the laminate boards. The most inexpensive option is, of course, polyethylene foam.

Preparing wooden floors for laminate is a more difficult task and more costly. Along the installed new wooden logs, the floor is leveled with plywood sheets, OSB or chipboard. Recommended thickness of plywood sheets for laminate is 12 mm. But if the old plank floor is still strong, not damp and suitable for subsequent installation, then you can carry out a partial restoration and significantly save money.

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There are two ways to do this:

  • Scraping or sanding by machine and hand. Cycling can be done when there are no serious irregularities in the boards. The second method is leveling by laying boards of the same plywood, chipboard or OSB.
  • Putty application. Suitable for wooden floors. Irregularities should be shallow, putty is applied in several layers. Each layer requires drying, so it takes a lot of time for such repairs.
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After laying the laminate, it is recommended to apply a mastic. It will be an additional protective layer, and will also emphasize the aesthetic and finished appearance.

Basic ways

When preparing a concrete floor, work is carried out in two stages. First, with the help of a screed (cement-sand mortar), deep irregularities are eliminated, and then a self-leveling mixture is applied, giving a smoother finishing surface. The work algorithm will be as follows:

  • In an apartment or in a private house, all remnants of the previous coating, debris and paint stains are primarily removed from the concrete base.
  • Deep cracks are filled with a cement-based mixture.
  • The entire floor area in the room is treated with a primer mixture.
  • With the help of a building level, rack beacons are installed and strengthened with mortar.
  • A mortar is being prepared for a screed based on sand 75%, cement 25%, grade M400.
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  • The carefully mixed mixture is poured across the floor, spreading to the markings of the lighthouses. The thickness of the concrete layer at the thinnest point must be more than 7 mm.
  • After the first layer has hardened, it is advisable to carry out additional priming.
  • Let the floor dry. When the solution sets, the lighthouses-slats must be removed, and the voids under them must be filled with a solution and the surface must be allowed to dry again.
  • Cover everything with plastic wrap, which will keep the moisture in the layer. The rough application can be considered complete. It is necessary to wait until the layer has completely solidified before proceeding to the next stage.
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  • When preparing a self-leveling mixture, you should strictly follow the instructions of the instructions and mix with a special attachment on a drill or a construction mixer. Attention should be paid to the shelf life of the product, as it is limited.
  • The concrete floor is poured with a mixture.
  • After three days, the floor will be ready to install the laminate. For better preservation of the panels, a backing can be laid.
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Expanded clay is often preferred for its many positive properties. Sequence of preparation:

  • The surface of the floor is covered with a film that extends onto the walls by 10-15 mm. The film is a waterproofing layer.
  • Then an edging tape is applied around the perimeter of the room, it indicates the height of the filled layer.
  • Sheets of gypsum fiber board or plywood are laid on smoothed expanded clay, fixing with each other with self-tapping screws and special glue. Sheets are laid out in a checkerboard pattern.
  • After the slabs are laid, any substrate is laid, and laminate panels are assembled on it.
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Leveling a wooden floor under a laminate:

  • The degree of humidity in the room where the floor is laid must correspond to the humidity of the plywood sheets. It is necessary to wet them before laying and leave to dry in this room. Sheets must be used no more than 50 mm thick.
  • Logs with a thickness of at least 3 mm are installed and fixed with glue or self-tapping screws.
  • Plywood needs to be cut into squares with even edges and laid on logs, joining the edges. Lay the sheets in a checkerboard pattern and avoid joining four sheets at once. Gaps of a few millimeters must be left between the squares to maintain the temperature balance of the floor.
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  • Cut the required holes.
  • Secure with self-tapping screws with invisible heads.
  • It is necessary to provide a double layer of material near the walls, therefore, layers of gypsum fiber board or plywood near the walls are laid with a cut rebate.
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Putty is an inexpensive way to level laminate floors. By mixing sawdust and a mixture of putty based on PVA glue, you can cover a space with a large footage, spending very little time. This is done as follows:

  • Carry out preparatory work by cleaning the floor from dirt and dust. Dry sawdust for the preparation of the mixture must be made wet so that they do not dry out quickly, as they will pick up moisture from the putty.
  • Next, on the floor, you need to fill beacons from wooden slats or sheets of gypsum fiber board.
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  • The space between them is filled with a solution of PVA, putty and sawdust. Multiple coats can be applied if required to fill and align gaps and cracks. Each layer must be set to dry time. The thickness of each layer should be 20 mm maximum. Pouring a new layer must necessarily begin only after the previous one has completely dried.
  • In the process of work, you should constantly check the horizontality of the poured surface with a building level.
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Scraping is an easy way to level boardwalks. The whole process is carried out using a scraper, and some difficult to access areas will need to be processed with a hand scraper. If the condition of the floor is sufficiently satisfactory, when the boards are not seriously damaged, they resort to this leveling option. The scraper will not be able to exclude too obvious floor relief, but it will even out minor irregularities:

  • The room where the work will be carried out must be empty.
  • The floor is checked for defects. Cracks and chips are putty, as well as various voids between the boards. You can lay them with sawdust. Defective boards need to be replaced if necessary. Check that there are no protruding nails or staples. You can remove aged, peeling varnish with a wire brush. Then the floor is passed with a roughing machine and thoroughly washed with water or pure alcohol. Allow the tree to dry.
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  • The scraper is filled with sanding paper belts (paper grain is reduced with each new layer).
  • Start the process from corner to corner of the room with a snake. The next new strip should overlap with the previous one. When finishing the work, you should walk with the looping machine, moving parallel to the plank floor.
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  • It is important to remember to change the sandpaper and clean it when using the scraper.
  • At the end of the work, the floor must be swept or thoroughly vacuumed, and then wiped with white spirit.
  • Any underlay can be laid to preserve the back of the laminate.
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How to fill correctly?

Consider in more detail the leveling of the screed with self-leveling mixtures. These compositions are often called self-leveling self-leveling floors, seamless polymer floors. It must be remembered that dry self-leveling masses are poured into water, but not vice versa. Use a special attachment on a drill or construction mixer for mixing. The consistency is kneaded until all lumps disappear. Next, they start laying.

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In the case when the area of the room or even the entire apartment is very large, it is necessary to divide it into sections. At the same time, they are poured in at the same time period - having started work in the morning, do not transfer it to another day. Begin pouring from a high base level. For faster spreading, spatulas are used and help them to distribute the solution over the surface of the base.

The solidity of the pouring of each section should be ensured by a high speed of work; the sections should not be allowed to dry. Joints when pouring a new part must be carried out with a spatula and smoothly connected with the previous pouring. So that no air bubbles remain in the solution, should be walked with a toothed roller or brush.

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There is an option of filling with tile adhesive under the laminate. It is advisable if, for example, after the last layer of the subfloor has dried, cracks appear or the areas between the beacons have dried unevenly. This happens if the preparation of the composition was carried out with violations, beacons were incorrectly installed or the screed was poorly aligned. Also, a layer of tile adhesive can raise the level of the floor. A cement-sand screed or self-leveling mixture has a minimum thickness of 4-5 cm, and filling them with a small layer, they can crack and peel off. therefore leveling with glue in this situation is the best option.

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To exclude peeling of tile adhesive, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the pouring surface from the smallest particles of dust and dirt. Next, you need to prime the base for better adhesion and let it dry for as long as indicated in the packaging instructions. Then you need to knead the glue solution, following the manufacturer's instructions. For leveling with tile adhesive, a wedge up to 3 meters long must be used. The solution must be poured out in parts or completely, distributing it horizontally along the beacons with a wedge.

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The primer helps the materials to "grab" with each other, that is, it has high adhesion, which allows us to make the structure strong. The absorption of the mortar from concrete is reduced due to the primer compounds, thereby preventing its cracking.

Warming

It has already been said above about some types of insulation, but we will try to classify them and understand the principle of correct laying in a floor structure under a laminate. When installing wooden floors according to the installed logs, you can select insulation of the appropriate thickness and lay it between them. For example, polystyrene, expanded clay or min. cotton wool. Insulation in the form of slabs must be fixed. Next, a plastic wrap should be laid on top of the insulation, which will create a vapor barrier. For a smoother surface, chipboard, OSB or plywood sheets are installed, then laminate panels.

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Concrete floors for laminate can also be arranged with insulation along the logs. If alignment is necessary, you should think about how high the insulation layer should be. When the screed is re-poured, a fraction of expanded clay is added to it or plates of mines are placed under the screed. cotton wool, polystyrene. Self-leveling compounds should be used in case when there is absolutely no place for the insulation and it can be no more than 1 cm. On a concrete surface with a flat surface, you can put sheets of gypsum fiber board, foamed polyurethane, polyurethane foam, isolon. The thickness should be no more than 2 cm. It is also possible to install a membrane with thermal insulation.

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When installing a water floor, metal-plastic pipes are laid directly into the screed with a snake throughout the entire area of the room. Between the pipe and the laminate panels, the height should be no more than 3 cm so that the heating can be felt.

There are three types of electric floor: cable (laid in a sand-cement screed), infrared film, rod mats. It requires less space than water, it is more precisely controlled in temperature.

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Successful examples and options

A few examples of leveling surfaces for laying a floor with a finish coat. An example of machine scraping a wooden floor. Alignment with plywood sheets on wooden logs, floor insulation. The correct scheme for laying plywood on logs in a checkerboard pattern with gaps between the sheets.

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Leveling the base with the first layer of screed along the beacons. Step-by-step pouring of a self-leveling mixture. Step-by-step technology for arranging a dry expanded clay screed for leveling the floor for laying laminate. Laying a polyethylene backing under the laminate.

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From the foregoing, we can conclude that it is imperative to carry out work on leveling the floors before laying the laminate. The service life of the floor will depend on the quality of the work done with your own hands and the right materials.

For information on how to level the floor under the laminate, see the next video.

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