Choosing a floor covering for their home, each owner seeks to buy the material that will last a long time, it will look spectacular, not be damaged by the claws of pets, furniture and accidental drops of any objects. A vinyl laminate satisfies all these requirements - a rather “young” finishing material, but already managed to fall in love with the consumer.
Features of Vinyl Laminate
Vinyl laminate has a large number of advantages, which is due to its popularity among designers, craftsmen, finishers and repair customers:
- Versatility - vinyl laminate can be used in rooms for various purposes, including in the kitchen, in the children's room, in the hallway, in the office.
- A variety of colors and shades allows you to choose a coating for any interior, taking into account the characteristics of style and color scheme.
- The strength of the material is explained by its special structure. The boards consist of two layers - a vinyl base and protection. The PVC base contains various additives, for example, quartz. The outer layer of the laminate also consists of vinyl mixed with fiberglass.
- Vinyl laminate is durable and durable. The service life of the coating with proper operation is 15-20 years.
- Despite its synthetic origin, the material is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, does not accumulate static electricity, has good heat and sound insulation.
- PVC laminate is easy to clean, not afraid of modern household appliances.
- The material is fire resistant. Vinyl coating does not burn and does not support combustion. When exposed to open flame, the panels only melt.
IMPORTANT! Vinyl laminate is easy to install. Even an inexperienced person can cope with laying this flooring if he follows the recommendations below.
Surface preparation before laying
Any finishing work begins with the preparation of the base, and work with PVC laminate is no exception. Installation of panels with a lock is carried out without glue, which simplifies and speeds up the work process. The base under the laminate should be even, clean and dry. If the rough floor has significant differences, it is necessary to make a screed.
A 9 mm thick OSB board can be laid on a wooden base. This is done for aesthetics rather than for necessity. Flexible vinyl laminate can even be placed on old floors with a difference of up to 3 mm per 1 m2. However, all the cracks have to putty.
If a new screed is made, the moisture from the concrete should completely evaporate. Otherwise, condensation will collect under the laminate, which with the adhesive installation method is fraught with lagging of boards. Old concrete floors are best leveled with a self-leveling finish.
Instruments:
- rubber mallet;
- roulette;
- stationery knife;
- wood hacksaw;
- square;
- a simple pencil;
- limiters.
IMPORTANT! The purchased laminate should lie in the finished room for at least 24 hours. This is necessary to adapt the material to local humidity and temperature.
Laminate installation process: step by step instructions
The vinyl laminate is easy to cut out - all that is needed is to cut the top layer with a clerical knife and bend the panel along the cut line. You do not need to select a drawing, since the material is produced mainly with abstract images.
Glueless laminate installation
Laying starts from the far corner of the room. Throughout the entire perimeter of the room, it is necessary to install limiters 1-1.5 cm thick, due to which a compensation gap is formed between the walls and the coating. This gap will prevent the lamellae from swelling on hot days when the heated material expands. The expansion of the boards also occurs with increasing humidity in the room.
First, the first row is completely laid. If a piece of 1/3 or 1/2 size remains from the last lamella, it is possible to start the formation of the second row from it. This will result in an offset by a third or half of the board. Joining panels is effortless. In order for the spike to easily fit into the groove, the second plank in relation to the first must be brought down with a slope of 25 °, then with a slight pressure lower it to a click. Last but not least, end locks are connected. If the locks are very tight, you can use a rubber mallet, a light tap of which will not harm the lamellas. So gradually, step by step, the entire floor of the room is filled.
Glueing the laminate
The glue mounting method is slightly different. Here, preliminary marking is necessary - the floor is divided into 4 squares. First, a square is laid that is farthest from the entrance, and work begins from the center of the room to the walls. Glue on the back surface of the lamellas is applied with a notched trowel. The adhesive mass must be kept for several minutes (the exposure time depends on the composition and is indicated on the label) and only then can the panel be applied to the base. Excess adhesive between the boards must be removed immediately with a damp cloth. Operation of the coating is allowed no earlier than 24 hours.
Self-adhesive laminate is equipped with a sticky base with a protective coating. This type of laminate is widely used in rooms with high humidity. For installation, you just need to remove the protective film, apply flexible material to a clean base and walk along the entire surface with a rubber roller.
Leave Your Comment