Laminate flooring is one of the most popular flooring materials in apartments and houses. This coating looks aesthetically pleasing, solves the problem of cold floors and is environmentally friendly, therefore it has earned the love of many people. But some do not know where to start making repairs and in what order to install doors and improve the floor. Let's figure it out.
Floor covering characteristics
First of all, do not confuse laminate and parquet flooring. Visually they are similar, but there are a number of differences between them. Parquet is a solid board, varnished, equipped with assembly grooves and sanded after a long drying period. It is 100% natural material, however, the substances used in its processing are sometimes toxic. In addition, the surface of the parquet is easily scratched with sharp objects.
Therefore, consumers often prefer an untreated wood floor or laminate.
Laminate production technology is very different from other coatings. It is an alloy of many layers of different materials. The base consists of chipboard. The bottom edge is covered with a protective layer of plastic or special paper, which stabilizes the board and makes it easier to install. The upper decorative edge is laminated, for which the coating got its name.
This material was created by the Swedish company Pergo. They were the first to come up with the idea of putting resin-impregnated paper with a special mineral protective layer on the boards that were sanded and joined together. They also did not forget about the stabilizing layer at the bottom of the board, which lightens the load and significantly extended its life. Although modern technologies make it possible to obtain floors in a different way, many of the characteristics of the laminate bring them closer to the first samples.
Among the positive properties of the coating, one can note its strength. It is much more resistant to dirt, dents and scratches than parquet. He is not afraid of pull-out bed structures, sofa legs or chairs.
In addition, the laminate does not fade in the sun and does not change color over time. It is also resistant to humidity and temperature extremes. The service life of the laminate is still lower than that of a natural parquet board, however, it is quite long: up to 20 years. It is much easier to care for than other types of wood flooring, which is why this type of flooring is much more common in modern apartments.
These qualities make it a versatile finish that can be used in any room. Laminate flooring is in an affordable price range.
Its cost is much lower than that of a natural board.
Another advantage of the laminate is its harmlessness to the health of people, animals and the environment. Although laminate flooring uses a small amount of plastic and other man-made substances, most of it is natural products, which distinguishes it favorably from laminate flooring.
If we compare the laminate with parquet, then we can note the difference in voicing. The first floor is noisier and colder. However, only this type of coverage is suitable if you want to equip the apartment with underfloor heating.
Having decided on the choice of material, it is necessary to understand how to properly lay such a floor. It is recommended to carry out such work only with full confidence in their abilities and the presence of the necessary knowledge.
Otherwise, it is better to turn to a team of professionals who will complete the repair quickly and efficiently.
Advantages and disadvantages of installation
If, nevertheless, the decision is made to cope on its own, it is necessary to decide what to do first: lay the floor or hang the doors. This question is often asked by beginners when repairing, because each possible path has its pros and cons.
First of all, it should be noted that the installation of floors in any case is done after gluing wallpaper or other wall decoration. Otherwise, they will be quickly damaged by traces of plaster, paint and scratches from careless handling during repairs.
This is the main dilemma of renovation.: If the floors are laid before the doorway is installed, the laminate flooring is likely to be damaged. But at the same time, it will be much more convenient to take measurements and hang the door, knowing exactly what the result will be in the end.
You can first of all install a doorway. But then it will be necessary to carefully arrange the threshold so that it looks aesthetically pleasing and invisible.
In addition, you can not guess with the height of the door, then it will have to be removed and filed, which, of course, is inconvenient.
Start from the floor
How the door frame is placed depends on the order in which the doors or floor are installed. Interior doors are usually installed second. If the first step is to install the floor covering, then it is necessary to pre-prepare the doorway before installation.
The opening is installed as usual, but you need to cut it so that it fits in height. These measurements can be taken directly after the floor has been laid, but do not try to do it by eye. Otherwise, the scanty door frame will ruin the whole impression of the repair.
The door also needs trimming. It is better to produce it on the side in the removed form, and not on weight. Needless to say, it will turn out much more equal and accurate.
Some time ago, in Soviet apartments, the distance between the door and the floor of a few centimeters was the norm. So there was no need to worry about the calculations and it was easy to change the flooring if necessary.
However, at the present time it will look very repulsive.
The smaller the gap, the better the work will be done.
First of all, put the door
The door is mounted immediately if a high threshold is set. Indeed, in this case, the installation of the floor before the threshold is installed does not make sense.
Installation of doors is primarily appropriate when laying near the front door. Also, high thresholds are used in bathrooms. So it is customary to stabilize the microclimate in the rooms and prevent flooding of the corridor floors when the water level in the bathroom is high. This is especially true for laminate or wood floors.
Despite the fact that the laminate is resistant to moisture, you should not expose it to systematic flooding.
Joint decoration
An important point that you need to pay special attention to when laying the floor is the design of the joining of the two coatings. Most often, it falls on the threshold, although this is not necessary. There are various options for how this work is done:
- Joint to joint. In this case, it is necessary that the junction of the two materials be one-level. It will be easy to handle with a special putty. This type of work is most often performed between living rooms and a corridor or a living room and an entrance hall. When performing this operation, the starting material must have a rigid structure. This type of decoration work is possible when combining different types of laminate or parquet or parquet and tiles.
- Podium. This option helps out if the difference between the levels of the two coatings is impressive. It allows you to elegantly process the joint, zoning the room. Before proceeding with the processing of the screed with tiles or other material, you need to develop a design project that takes into account all the necessary measurements.
- Nuts. A wide variety of models of these products is used in the processing of both the simplest joints and joints of fancy shapes. In the first case, straight thresholds made of plastic or metal of the required width are used. They can always be cut or sawed off with a hacksaw. There are also flexible aluminum and plastic sills with rubber backing. They are more widely used.
General conclusions and recommendations
Laminate is an inexpensive and convenient way to decorate a residential building. It serves for a long time and looks beautiful. At the same time, you can choose colors and textures for any design and purpose of the room.
The question of whether to install the floor or the door first is decided individually. If we are talking about interior doors and the level difference between them is small or absent, nothing prevents from laying the floor first of all. This will make it easier to make the measurements needed to hang the door. Inaccuracies and mistakes can be avoided.
However, there is a high risk of damaging the floors during installation. As a last resort, it is allowed to cover the laminate with several layers of thick cardboard, but care must be taken that the protective coating does not slip anywhere. Therefore, complete safety of the surface cannot be guaranteed.
Some people prefer to immediately mount the door frame.
This is especially convenient if there is a high threshold or linoleum is on one side of the door.
When installing interior doors, it is always necessary to ensure that the joint between the floor coverings of different rooms is aesthetically pleasing and reliable. There are various techniques, among which the most common are joint to joint and the use of special sills. It is also possible to organize a podium in an apartment or house, but this method requires an individual approach and a specially developed construction project. It is applicable only if the level difference is greater than 50 mm.
Feedback from users who have already put laminate flooring in their home using such methods are positive. They note the high quality of the surface, the warmth of the material and the excellent appearance. An additional plus is the ease of installation. They advise everyone to lay laminate flooring in their own apartment.
You will learn more about what is installed first: laminate or doors in the following video.
