Lay it yourself
Easy, quick, clean
Few floor coverings are as easy to lay as laminate flooring. However, always refer to the fitting instructions and leave the laminate in the room where you want to fit it for at least 24 hours before laying it. Laminate is mostly made of wood, which has to adapt to the room temperature and air humidity before it can be laid.
The substrate
The most important factor when laying a laminate floor is the condition of the substrate. Is it sufficiently even and dry? Screed floors require a vapour barrier such as commercially available PE film (approximately 0.2 mm thick). This prevents any residual dampness in the floor from penetrating upwards. You will also need an insulating underlay to reduce footstep sound. Laminate flooring can be laid not only on screed but also on old floors such as wood, stone, ceramic, plastic etc. However, always note the manufacturer’s specific instructions!
The best way to lay laminate
• Lay two or three rows as a test first of all. Align the boards so that they are straight and angular and so that the tongues and grooves engage with each other. The first board in a row should be at least 40 cm long. Use wedges to maintain a gap of at least 8 mm from the wall to allow the laminate to expand and contract.
• Then calculate how to cover the width of the room. The boards in the last row should not be any less than 5 cm wide. If this is not the case, you will have to trim the boards in the first row.
• Then click all the boards together until the whole floor is laid. The total area covered by the laminate should not exceed 8 – 10 metres in length or width, otherwise you will have to use an expansion joint.
• Lay the boards of the last row, precisely aligned, on top of the previous row, the tongue sides facing the wall and the decor facing upwards. Take a leftover piece, lay it alongside the wall and use a pencil to mark the distance from the wall on the top row of boards. Allow a gap of at least 8 mm from the wall, mark another line with the pencil and trim the long edge of the board with a jigsaw. Remember, the boards in the last row should not be any less than 5 cm wide. Fit into place with a drawbar, and you’re done!
• Now all you need is the skirting boards, which may be screwed down or fitted in place depending on the system. These form the edge of the floor along the wall. Brand-name manufacturers offer a range of different products to match different decors.
Any leftovers or old laminate can be easily disposed of.