Laminate is one of the most popular flooring these days. It is used both in apartments and in private houses. The main advantage of this type of flooring is the quality and relatively inexpensive price per square meter. The coating will last a very long time. Parquet board is many times more expensive. The advantage of the laminate is also a large assortment of colors on the market. It fits perfectly into any interior.
The only disadvantage of the laminate is that it is thinner than parquet. To make the floors warmer, people are laying laminate flooring on plywood.
What conditions must be met to evenly lay the material?
To cover the floor for a long time, you need to put it on a perfectly aligned floor. If alignment is not done, cracks will soon appear between the laminate panels. Garbage is clogged in them, the material deteriorates.
Before work, the room where the installation will take place must be ventilated. Do not lay this coating in a room where humidity is high.
How to pre-level the floor?
The advantage of the laminate is that it can be put on almost any surface. Some lay it on concrete floors, others on wooden. Experts say that you can even leave the old linoleum, provided that the floors are even. Then it will serve as a floor heater.
In the event that obvious floor defects are noticeable, they must be corrected immediately. These include various cracks, indentations. The bias of the floors also needs to be fixed. Starting repairs, people are interested in what to put plywood for laying laminate flooring. You can leave concrete or any other old coating.
Most often, the work of smoothing the coating takes more time than laying the laminate.
To make the leveling process quick, experienced specialists offer laying laminate on plywood. The sheet is fixed on wooden boards. If earlier there was parquet in the room, then plywood is laid directly on it. You can get underfloor heating without even using a heating system. Plywood also provides sound insulation.
How to choose a material?
Before starting work, you should carefully consider the choice of plywood, especially the components in its composition. It must be completely safe for people, and not contain toxic substances. The material is taken as the basis of the coating, so it should not be expensive.
Plywood is divided into three types:
- FOF. This is a specialized material used in industry. It has its own characteristics in use.
- Moisture-resistant plywood (FSF) contains substances hazardous to human health as part of the glue. It must not be used for decoration in the bathroom and in the kitchen.
- Special for use in residential buildings (FC).
Wood for the production of plywood is taken from conifers or birch is used. Material obtained from coniferous species will not rot over time, but substances that are hazardous to human health remain in the glue. This type is suitable for roofing.
For interior work, decoration, as well as for the manufacture of furniture, birch plywood (FC) is widely used.
When choosing a material for the basis of the laminate should focus on this type. Searched plywood has its own classification by quality. It can be divided into four classes.
The first class includes a perfectly smooth material, without knots. It is believed that plywood of the fourth quality is the most fragile. For the floor, you can safely take the material of the second class.
Necessary tools
Laying plywood on the floor under the laminate is carried out using special tools:
- Square for marking. Only after proper marking can the panel be cut.
- You can’t do without a jigsaw. It cuts the laminate panels, depending on the desired length.
- Five meter tape measure. It is necessary for panel measurements.
- Laminate block. With it, the panels are knocked together at an optimal distance. Experts recommend choosing plastic bars. They are more convenient to work than wooden. Such tools will not leave chips on the laminate.
- To create gaps between the floor and the wall, wedges are required.
- Hammer drill. It helps in installing skirting boards, and their dowels are attached to the floor.
How does floor leveling work?
There are several alignment methods:
- Using plywood.
- Cycle of the old floor, in the presence of irregularities. Irregularities should be no more than 6 millimeters per square. The marking of the floor is made in several sections and is alternately processed by an electric machine. If there are few irregularities, then you can use sandpaper.
- Laying laminate on logs and plywood is possible. This method is used when the floors are tilted or creak. It is necessary to fix the slats to the concrete base. These are the lags.
How to make plywood flooring with your own hands?
Laying plywood in front of the laminate is a rather painstaking process that does not endure haste. There are several stages in this work:
- It is necessary to divide the plywood sheet into squares. Most often they are sawed, after which they need to be decomposed and adjusted to each other. It is important to consider the features of the room where the floors spread. After layout, the sheets should not be close to the walls. There should be a small gap, no larger than 20 millimeters. You will need a pencil, which you need to number the sheets so as not to confuse the stacking order. It is better not to make long seams, so it is more convenient to offset each sheet during the laying process.
- The next step is the screed. It is made with concrete. It is advisable not to avoid this stage when wooden floors are taken for the base. To proceed to the next step, let the screed dry. This process takes a lot of time, up to a month. The screed is closed with polyethylene, wood bars are held around its perimeter. After three days, the coating is removed. If there is no excess moisture, then you can begin to lay the laminate. When there is moisture on the film, you need to wait until it dries completely.
- Plywood is coated with a special primer. A layer of glue is applied to the screed, a sheet is placed on top and fixed with self-tapping screws. At the end of this phase of work, plywood must be sanded. Many process the surface with drying oil. It helps in the future not to become moldy. You should think about waterproofing the floor in advance.
Pros of Using Plywood
Among other options for substrates, plywood has several advantages: it provides sound insulation, as well as thermal insulation. The biggest plus is the effect of heat saving coating. Nice to walk on the warm floor. Plywood helps to skillfully hide all defects and irregularities that have not been eliminated at the stage of preparatory work. Laying a laminate on plywood with your own hands will not cause you any trouble. This operation can be done with your own hands.
Styling recommendations
The technology of laying laminate on plywood has its own nuances. It is necessary to start work from a far corner, preferably farther from the door. Horizontally stacked first row of panels. It is necessary to monitor the joints and how exactly the boards lie in relation to the wall. In order not to shift the gap between the wall and the floor, you can put limiters. They are sold in wood and metal.
After finishing the first row, one board usually rests against the wall. The excess part is cut off with an electric jigsaw. The trick in laying the second row is that its joints at the ends do not coincide with the first row. A new panel is taken, a small part is cut off from it (about a third). From it originates a new series. The second row should be laid similarly to the first.
On the second row, the boards are first bonded, and then they are attached to the first row. When laying the laminate on plywood, it is important not to damage the panel when knocking it with a hammer. To do this, you need a bar. They put him to the panel and beat him. Keeping the gap between the wall and the laminate, the rows are brought to the end.
Paving Options
Laying a laminate on plywood can occur in several ways: herringbone and others. "Herringbone" is considered one of the most complex techniques, and covering the entire apartment with one canvas, removing thresholds, is considered a high level of skill.
The connection of the panels depends on the type of lock. Ideally, a minimum of waste should remain.
Steps to complete the installation
After the laminate is lying on the floor, it is worth reminding yourself of the wedges. They must be removed. After that, you can install skirting boards. Slice locations can be masked with plugs. It is better to think about communications well in advance by cutting out special holes.
After the installation process is completed, door sills are attached . They are needed to mask the differences in floor heights between rooms.
What time can I handle?
Laying a laminate on plywood usually takes about five days. Most of the time (this is three days) is spent on preparatory work before installation. A day is spent on screed and its drying. On your own in a week you can put a laminate in the apartment.
Process features
It is important to consider that the laminate is called a “floating coating”. This name is based on the mount. Laminate does not stick to the floor. The coating rests on the adhesion of the elements to each other.
Laying and fixing plywood under the laminate should take place in a heated room, with a normal level of humidity. Otherwise, the coating will rot and will have to be redone in the near future.
When laying the floor in the kitchen, the experts recommend laminate joints of the laminate. This is explained by the fact that the kitchen is the place where water is most often spilled, and the laminate is afraid of water. With increased moisture, it can swell. If it was laid in a monolith, then in order to replace one component, you will have to disassemble the entire structure. Therefore, sealant is the optimal solution for joints. It is used without fail.
It is important to exercise caution in the subsequent use of floors. Do not abuse water. Wet cleaning must be carried out carefully, making sure that there is no water left on the floor.
Many people wonder if there is a substitute for plywood when laying a laminate. There are many options. The most popular is a special substrate made of water-repellent material. But her main disadvantage is that with her floors will be cold. Plywood in this sense will win.
Conclusion
So, we found out how the laminate is laid on plywood. As you can see, this work can be done with your own hands. But so that the result is not upset, you must always follow the instructions and tips.