How to lay laminate on uneven floors

Laminate is a floor covering that has recently supplanted many materials. The price category and variety of structural patterns satisfies the needs of any category of consumers. A competent attitude to this product of finishing work in the process of preparation and installation will thank you with a long service life. One of the main requirements is a perfectly flat concrete or wood base on which it is placed.

Why floor unevenness should be eliminated

Sawdust is the main material for the manufacture of the laminate, so its strength characteristics are not designed for additional loads. The uneven surface of the floor leads to deformation of the castle joints of the laminate, as a result of which the separation of joints starts. The panels gradually swell and become unusable. It is impossible to lay the laminate on the concrete floor, even with the slightest irregularities, tubercles and elevations.

The presence of depressions is also adversely affected. In such places, the panels bend, making not very pleasant sounds when walking. In addition, any unevenness leads to the formation of cracks in the canvas.

Alignment of the wooden floor

You can fix the roughness of the wooden base yourself by choosing the method most suitable for your conditions:

• lay plywood;
• remove defects with a power planer or grinder.

Before you begin, carefully check the entire wood flooring. The boards should be dry and no signs of decay. Even the slightest hint of such defects requires a partial replacement of the floor. Otherwise, there may be a swelling of the boards, which will lead to deformation of the laminate.

Level the floor with plywood when there are a lot of bumps or no grinding tool. The base material must meet the requirements of moisture resistance. Plywood flooring has several advantages:

• light weight;
• the ability to perfectly level the surface;
• reduces labor costs;
• withstands heavy loads;
• affordable cost;
• not demanding during operation.

Sheets of plywood are not laid entirely, but are cut into pieces so that there are no long seams. First, fixing rails are installed that do not allow the displacement of the sheets, which are laid with the expansion of the seams. And it is better to grease the plywood with oil paint, thus enhancing the water-repellent effect. For fastening, use self-tapping screws, the caps of which should be deepened so that they do not come in contact with the laminate.

Having chosen the second method for eliminating unevenness in the floor, first deepen the heads of the self-tapping screws and nails. Only then grind until the surface is completely leveled.

Using PVA glue and sawdust
This method for eliminating unevenness of a wooden floor is tested by time and professionals. Prepare a not-so-liquid composition by mixing sawdust with PVA glue. Fasten the guides strictly on the level on the floor, and fill the space between them with the mixture. And so two or three layers, having waited when the previous one has settled. After complete drying, lay the sheets of plywood, fixing them.

Concrete leveling

At first glance, the concrete floor is an excellent basis for laying laminate flooring. However, unforeseen problems arise during operation. Rather, they will have to be felt at the stage of operation of the floor covering, the service life of which will decrease when the base is uneven. Check for irregularities using the building level. The permissible difference ranges from 2 mm to 3 mm. Error correction is required if the barrier is exceeded.

This type of floor base is most common in apartments and is characterized by the greatest number of defects:

• influx of concrete;
• cracks;
• plane changes;
• potholes and chips;
• exfoliated areas.

Each of these shortcomings requires its elimination. And the methods used to level the floor depend on the specific disadvantage.

1. A small number of concrete tubercles can be cut down with a chisel or sawed off by a grinder. The use of a conventional cutting wheel will lead to its destruction. For concrete, you need a special circle, which is used in working with tiles. Large bumps can be eliminated by using a hammer drill.
2. The depressions existing in a small amount are leveled by pouring them with mortar. With significant screed defects, the surest solution is bulk floors. In this way, numerous and various disadvantages can be aligned. First you need to clean the concrete coating from the remnants of the old clean floor. Potholes, cracks, chips are filled with cement mortar. Large flows are lost, small ones can be left, they will be filled with a screed. Prepare the prepared surface with a primer. For accuracy, walk around the perimeter of the room and mark on the walls the level of the subfloor. When mixing the solution, keep in mind that the mixture should be thick. Then it will not spread, and the possibility of the appearance of new irregularities is excluded. Let the first layer dry. At the final stage, prepare a self-leveling mixture or, if possible, buy a ready-made one. The consistency should be such that the solution spreads naturally, creating a perfectly smooth surface. You can lay the laminate only when everything is completely dry.
3. When laying panels on concrete floors, dust appears. This is not scary during installation, but the problem arises during the operational period. Firstly, dust from the screed settles between the joints and subsequently penetrates the room. Secondly, its particles interfere with the tight fit of the panels, which again leads to deformation. Therefore, you should adhere to the advice of specialists when installing a floor from a laminate.

Recommendations for laying laminate on a concrete base
To remove dust screed, treat its surface with a primer, preferably in several layers. Under a clean floor, it is recommended to lay a plastic film that protects against dust and at the same time serves as a vapor barrier. This method is used to avoid moisture from the concrete mortar on the laminate.

Leveling the floor using a backing

Aligning a wooden floor is more difficult than concrete, according to the technological process and longer in time. One of the easiest ways to eliminate the bumps in any kind of floor is to arrange the leveling substrate, but this is possible provided that the errors are very small. The attached instructions for each type of material indicate what sizes of errors the product can eliminate. The leveling ability depends on the thickness of the substrate and its density. Can be used for uneven concrete, wood flooring, linoleum flooring, plywood, etc.

Varieties of substrates:

• polyurethane;
• cork-bitumen;
• foamed polyethylene;
• natural cork.

Each of the listed materials is laid on the surface of an uneven base. If the subfloor is concrete, it is recommended that you first lay a layer of polyethylene. The surface itself must be thoroughly cleaned even of small debris. First, the first row of the substrate is laid immediately before the installation of the laminate plates, and each subsequent one overlaps by about 30 cm. Secure the seams with adhesive tape or tape. Neither the laminate nor the floor are attached to the substrate.

All types of such leveling materials have excellent characteristics: sound insulation, strength, softness.Therefore, it is desirable to lay a substrate layer on the leveled surfaces.

The replacement of flooring from linoleum to a more relevant laminate is carried out according to the generally accepted principle. When the floor is level, you can safely lay the canvas on top. But if there are irregularities, you will have to tear off the old material, clean up the dirt, and then carry out the whole series of measures, as described above, depending on the type of rough foundation.

Do not speed up the process by ignoring the recommendations given. The result may be a partial or complete dismantling of the laminate, additional financial costs, spent nerves and time.

Video: how to lay the laminate yourself