Today, a wide variety of materials are used as finishes in apartments and private houses. One of the interesting solutions is the use of a laminate for walls. This material has both advantages and disadvantages, which you need to know about before starting repairs. How a laminate is made on a wall in a hallway, what features a similar finish is characterized by will be discussed further.
Material Features
Today, designers are increasingly choosing flooring materials as decoration. Laminate on the walls in the hallway (a photo of the finished work is presented below) today is often mounted in apartments and private houses. This is an interesting option, providing a lot of opportunities for design.
Today, a laminate is on sale, which differs in coloring, texture, as well as a number of other characteristics. It allows you to give the living room interior an unusual, interesting appearance. Before you begin, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic qualities of the material. This will avoid errors.
You can experiment. Laminate can be selected of different types or to lay the surface with the same type of panels. Layout patterns may also vary. The choice depends only on the preferences of the owners of the house. In addition to natural wood, a laminate can imitate a number of other coatings. It can be stone, leather or other decorative surfaces.
Benefits
When deciding to mount the laminate on the walls in the hallway (photo is presented below), it is worth weighing all the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution. The presented finishes have a number of advantages. Laminate is more durable than PVC or MDF panels. Therefore, upon impact, it will not bend or break.
The surface does not absorb moisture, which is especially important in the hallway. This becomes possible due to the presence of a polymer layer on the surface of the panels, as well as a dense structure. In this case, clean the surface with a normal soapy detergent.
In addition, the laminate flooring offers a wide range of design options. It is an environmentally friendly material. It does not release toxins into the environment. Stacking is straightforward. Even a novice master will cope with this work. At the same time, it will be possible to create an original interior with minimal effort and time. If we compare the laminate with natural wood, which it usually imitates, it can be noted that it costs less. At the same time, the resistance to adverse environmental factors in the laminate is higher. These are the main advantages of the material.
disadvantages
Laminate on the wall in the interior of the hallway looks spectacular. However, it is worth paying attention to some of the disadvantages inherent in the presented variety of finishes. The cost of a laminate is higher than that of MDF or PVC panels. Therefore, repair costs will increase markedly.
In addition, in order to mount the laminate on the walls, the base must be strong enough. The surface should be smooth, otherwise the installation will be noticeably more complicated, and the final result will be unsatisfactory. Although, at first glance, the finish seems easy, it is far from the case. In order for the laminate to adhere well to the wall, the surface must be durable.
It is also worth considering the operational characteristics of the material. It should not give in to temperature differences. If the hallway is constantly damp, cheap types of panels can be deformed. They will need to be additionally treated with a special sealant. It also increases repair costs.
Waterproof or moisture resistant?
The walls in the hallway with laminate and MDF panels have a number of differences. The first of these materials looks more aesthetic. Laminate manufacturers provide a huge selection of shades and textures. MDF has fewer design options.
You can choose a laminate waterproof or moisture resistant. These are two different types of materials. Moisture-resistant type of finish has a special composition. His locks are waxed. This additionally protects the material from moisture. This option is most suitable for the hallway. Here, water may enter the finish surface, but in small quantities. Therefore, a moisture resistant laminate will be more appropriate here.
The waterproof finish is suitable even for a bath or bath. It does not absorb moisture that stays on the surface for several hours. Of course, such material will last longer, but its cost is much higher. Therefore, not every owner of a house or apartment will decorate the walls in the hallway with a waterproof laminate. Conventional varieties of material in this case will not work. In the hallway, the non-moisture resistant laminate will quickly become unusable.
Decorating Tips
The decision to decorate the walls in the hallway with a laminate is very practical. Perform installation work must be correct. The cheapest laminate is not suitable for this room. It is necessary to purchase material that is characterized by a high class of wear resistance. Only in this case, the finish will be durable.
There are various design options relevant to such a room. You can trim the walls and floor with a laminate that will mimic a tree. Other design options look interesting. So, for example, only the bottom of the walls can be laminated. The top is papered, stained or plastered. Can be done and vice versa. The walls in the hallway with laminate and decorative bricks will look spectacular if the upper part of the walls is decorated with decorative panels. At the bottom, a decorative brick masonry is created.
There are finishing projects that involve creating a decorative stone trim in combination with a laminate. In some cases, the emphasis is on only one wall. You can trim it with a laminate that will mimic wood or stone. You can hang lamps along the length of such an accent wall. The light stream will be directed down. This will create an interesting decorative effect. The entrance hall will resemble a medieval castle.
Color
It is worth noting that the laminate on the wall in the hallway of Khrushchev will look harmonious only if the color is correctly selected. The visual impression of the room depends on this. Light colors make it possible to make a small corridor with a hallway visually more spacious. Dark shades, on the contrary, visually reduce the space.
Laminate shades are divided into cold and warm. You can not mix these two types when creating finishes. The colors may include shades of green, red, brown, blue and other colors. You need to select the colors in accordance with the existing interior.
The shade of the laminate can be matched to the color of the furniture or other walls. Sometimes the finish contrasts with them. Depending on the design, both options will be appropriate. It is also worth paying attention to the brightness of colors. It depends on whether the laminate will be clearly contrasted with the rest of the interior or whether it will become just an unobtrusive backdrop for furniture in the hallway. Contrast is possible only in one group of shades. Also, the color is sometimes chosen to match the tone of the floor or front door.
Design Tips
It is quite advisable to finish the walls in the hallway with a light laminate, if the room is very small. In combination with the right lighting, the interior will look very harmonious.
If it is planned to finish the whole wall with a dark laminate, for the subsequent finishing it is worth picking up bright plain wallpapers. You can also paint the walls in beige, milky, light yellow. The choice depends on the tone of the dark laminate.
With white laminate, dark stucco looks spectacular. It can also be a saturated shade, for example, purple, burgundy, etc.
To create the illusion of infinite space, not only the walls but also the floor are finished with laminate. Moreover, the material in this case should be of the same type. Although many designers argue that it is better to make the floor and walls in the hallway, trimmed with laminate, contrasting.
Mounting Methods
When developing your own design of laminate walls in the hallway, you should take into account the methods of fastening the panels. Three varieties of materials are on sale. This can be an adhesive, sheet pile and clink laminate.
The adhesive material has no locks. Installation is carried out using exclusively glue. The composition is applied not only to the rear of the panel, but also to the ends. The glue must be moisture resistant. He will not let water into the material. Best for these purposes are silicone compounds (can be sanitary), as well as liquid nails.
The panels in this case are glued sequentially one after another, starting from the corner. Protruding glue should be cleaned immediately with a damp sponge. The surface of the wall in the case of such installation should be perfectly flat. Otherwise, in some places the panel will peel off from the surface. It will be necessary to redo the work soon. Therefore, pre-uneven walls are finished with putty.
Click and sheet pile laminate
How to decorate the walls with laminate in the hallway? It is necessary to consider the type of panel mounting to the wall. In addition to glue, there are other types of laminate. It may be clickable. In this case, to fix the two panels, they are tilted at an angle of 20 ° relative to each other. So it turns out to bring the laminate into the grooves, which are called locks.
They snap into place easily, creating a strong and even connection. There will not even be a minimum distance between the panels. They will be pressed tightly against each other. Additionally, the panels are treated with glue. So the laminate will be firmly fixed to the wall. Lock joints can also be waxed or waterproof. This will significantly extend the life of the finish.
The tongue-and-groove laminate has joints in the form of a tongue-and-groove lock. It does not need to be further glued. Fixation occurs on the frame. At the same time, the master applies staples-clamps.
Strength class
Laminate on the wall in the hallway is less stressed than on the floor. Therefore, it is absolutely not necessary to purchase for this material the highest class of wear resistance.
For wall decoration, a laminate from the category from 21 to 31 classes is suitable. This is quite enough to withstand the minimum loads that can affect the walls. For a narrow hallway, it is better to choose material with class 31. For a wide hallway in which people will not lean against the wall almost never, a laminate of class 21 is suitable.
It should be borne in mind that although wear resistance will be minimal, the laminate should be waterproof.
Styling scheme
Doing the walls with laminate in the hallway with your own hands is simple. Before you begin, you need to determine which direction will be set for the panels. They can be stacked vertically or horizontally, diagonally or in a herringbone. There are many options.
If you need to visually expand the space in the hallway, you should choose horizontal laying of panels. They can be from one batch or consist of pieces of different laminate. This allows you to create an original design.
Vertically laid panels increase the height of the ceiling. If installation is carried out in Khrushchev or another small apartment, this type of installation will be the best solution.
When laying herringbone or diagonally, a lot of waste remains. But the finish looks really original. You can apply other styling options, for example, decorating only certain sections of the wall with a laminate, framing them with a plinth. In this case, you can show imagination.
Adhesive mount
You can mount the laminate on the wall in the hallway with glue. To do this, you need to prepare the surface, level it with putty. This option is suitable for any type of panel, regardless of whether they have a lock or not.
The panel on the back side is treated with glue. Then it is pressed against the surface of the wall. If there is a lock, it is also treated with glue.
Crate Creation
If the walls in the apartment are uneven, you can perform the installation differently. In this case, a crate is created. Laminate on the wall in the hallway can be mounted in this way only if there is significant free space. Otherwise, the dimensions of an already modest hallway will noticeably decrease.
First, a frame is mounted from metal or wooden rails. The slats are fixed at a distance of 20-50 cm parallel to the direction of the panels. The laminate is attached to the frame with the help of clamps or self-tapping screws.