How to lay laminate flooring on a concrete floor?

One common option for homeowners looking to update their spaces with a long-lasting and attractive finish is to lay laminate flooring over a concrete floor. Laminate is a great option for do-it-yourselfers because it is simple to install and maintain, unlike traditional hardwood. Make sure your concrete subfloor is level, clean, and dry before you start. It is imperative to rectify any imperfections prior to installing your laminate as they may have an impact on the finished product.

Prepare the concrete surface first. After sweeping away any dust and debris, thoroughly clean the area with a vacuum. Next, attach a plastic sheet and leave it there for a full day to see if there is any moisture. Moisture can cause damage to laminate over time, so you should take care of any accumulation of moisture underneath before moving further.

It’s time to install a moisture barrier after your subfloor has been prepared. Usually, this entails covering the whole floor with a foam or plastic underlayment. This barrier not only shields your laminate from moisture but also slightly cushions your steps and lessens noise.

After installing your moisture barrier, you can begin installing the laminate planks. Start in the room’s corner, ideally along the wall that is the longest. To allow for expansion, leave a tiny space—typically a quarter-inch—between the planks’ edges and the walls. To keep this distance as you move across the room, use spacers.

Interlock the tongue and groove edges firmly as you lay each plank. For a more natural appearance and improved structural integrity, stagger your joints rather than aligning them exactly in a row. Trim planks with a saw meant for cutting laminate flooring as necessary to fit around doors and other obstructions.

After the planks are all in place, cover the expansion gap with baseboards or quarter-round molding by removing the spacers. Lastly, thoroughly clean your recently installed laminate floor to get rid of any installation residue. For many years to come, regular upkeep on your laminate flooring will keep it looking its best. This includes sweeping and occasionally damp mopping.

We outline the necessary procedures in our guide, "How to lay laminate flooring on a concrete floor," to turn your concrete area into a chic, long-lasting surface. Homeowners and DIY enthusiasts wishing to improve their spaces effectively and affordably will find this article’s practical tips and techniques useful for everything from prepping the concrete surface to selecting the best underlayment to effortlessly installing the laminate planks.

Preparing the base for laminate flooring

Prior to attempting to install laminate flooring over a concrete floor, you should familiarize yourself with general information about the material: its composition, its response to different operating environments, the specifications for the base upon which it will be installed, etc. This information is crucial since without it, it is challenging to comprehend and adhere to the laminate installation requirements outlined in SNiP and consolidated rules (SP).

As a material, laminate consists of multiple layers sandwiched together. The first layer is a laminating film that shields the slats from UV rays and mechanical stress (abrasion). The second layer is patterned paper that has been covered in a layer of acrylic or melamine resin. The third layer, which is also referred to as the laminate’s body, is made up of highly compressed wood fibers (HDF).

The bottom layer of the floor covering, known as the fourth and protective layer, can be composed of melamine resin, plastic, or paper that has been impregnated with paraffin. The image titled "Layer-by-layer structure of a laminate" provides a clear picture of what a laminate looks like layer by layer.

The weakest part of the entire laminate floor is how the panels are attached to one another with unique locks.

They readily crumble under abrupt dynamic impact and are extremely hygroscopic. Thus, the specifications for the base that the floor is mounted on. It ought to be:

• Durable. A base that bends under the weight of furniture or several people in one place will instantly break the locking connections of the slats;
• Smooth. Any unevenness, even a 2 mm bump, will push part of the lamella body (about 1 mm high) outward after a few months of use of the floor. After some time, this point will be erased and the floor will have to be repaired (if the locks allow this);
• Dry. Pressed fiberboard has the highest degree of hygroscopicity. If the surfaces are protected by manufacturers from moisture penetration, then the interlocking connections are open. When installing laminate flooring on a poorly dried base, even standard waterproofing does not help. Additional measures are needed to protect the lamella locks from concrete screed condensation.

The first step in installing laminate flooring on a concrete floor with a base is preparation. This is a sequence of actions carried out one after the other.

1. All furniture and appliances are taken out of the building, and the baseboard is disassembled.

2. Break the old screed with a hammer drill, hammer, and chisel. In this instance, it would be best to dispose of the garbage bags beforehand to avoid distributing dirt throughout the apartment. The management company will not permit the bags to be thrown into containers, unless it is a new building in which case a special container for construction waste is placed in the first year following the house’s commissioning. You’ll need to order a truck in order to get them to the landfill.

3. After being removed from the screed, the concrete floor is swept and then vacuumed. A chisel is used to remove the remaining screed.

The concrete undergoes a meticulous examination. "Cement laitance" and repair mortar are used to fix chips, peeling, and cracks that have been noticed.

Note: The work "Preparing the base for a floor screed" contains detailed instructions for preparing the base floor for a floor screed.

5. The room is measured in order to ascertain the height differential. After measuring the height of the floor, a screed line is drawn on the wall in addition to the horizon line. Beacon lines are chosen and put to the ground. A detailed description of the calculation methodology can be found in the work "How to check the floor level in an apartment yourself?"

6. Beacons are affixed to the wall after a damper tape is stapled there. Although the roles can be switched, you must allow space for the tape when installing beacons so that the profiles do not press up against the wall. The tape will still need to be put on first if the beacons are to be mounted atop mortar piles; the technology indicates that the mortar piles should be flush with the wall.

Based on practical experience, installing beacons on self-tapping screws is the most convenient method. A screwdriver, rule, and level are used to adjust their height after they are screwed into dowels spaced along the lighthouse’s entire length. After that, you can unscrew them and use mortar to seal the holes. To check the height of the screed in the center of the room, it is best to screw screws into the corners, onto the screed line, and stretch a fishing line—or any string—diagonally. The article "How to set up beacons for floor screed?" details every step of the beacon installation process.

7. If laminate flooring is to be installed, the base must be soundproof and waterproof. These can be completed either on top of the screed (known as a "floating floor") or prior to pouring the screed (known as a "floating screed"). Roll materials, basic polyethylene film, and special solutions (liquid bitumen, different mastics) can all be used for waterproofing. The primary consideration when working with roll or film materials is:

• waterproofing material must be installed on the wall;
• sheets of film or materials should be laid overlapping – overlap each other by 10-15 cm;
• joints (seams) are taped.

The work "Waterproofing floors under laminate" provides information on installation techniques, types of waterproofing materials, pros and cons, and prices as of early 2020.

The laminate not only conducts sound waves well, but it also amplifies (resonates) them. Sound insulation lets you isolate the sound from the laminate.

Be advised that sound insulation may not always be able to be completed as a stand-alone technological operation. When there is enough noise absorption in the substrate, it is combined with its laying.

Soundproofing material sheets are laid end to end, and the seams need to be sealed with construction tape. Choosing soundproofing elements is challenging because there is a wide range of prices and materials to choose from. We suggest reading the article "Soundproofing the floor in an apartment under a screed with your own hands" to help you better understand this diversity.

8. The installation of a screed completes the preparatory work; with its assistance, all concrete floor imperfections are leveled. If the room’s height permits, it is dried using plywood sheets or expanded clay (the latter is also an option, though it is more costly and made of OSB). Low ceilings require the screed to be poured either wet (typical cement-sand mortar in a 1:3 ratio) or semi-dry (containing only 1/3 water).

Expanded clay can be used as a filler to reduce the weight of a dry or wet screed. The beacons must be followed when applying the screed. If they are not available, you will need to level the base surface using self-leveling floors, also known as self-leveling mixtures.

Note: If you’re interested in these topics, you can read about the types, benefits, and drawbacks of the technology of hand-made floor screeding in a series of articles on the website called "How to make a floor screed with expanded clay?", "Technology of wet floor screed with expanded clay," and "Dry floor screed with expanded clay."

The effect of an uneven base on the service life of the floor

The laminate manufacturers’ connection locks necessitate an extremely level subfloor. Uneven surfaces are not suitable for installing laminate flooring. Both SNiP and the set of construction rules (SP 29.13330.2011) consider this point. They specify that the height differential in every direction along the length of the room cannot be greater than 2 mm. Additionally, a slope of more than 20 mm is prohibited in each room; in a small room, this restriction is limited to 0.2% of the length of the room, or much less.

The laminate panels’ locks quickly break if these guidelines are broken. Thus, the floor only bends by 1 mm when a person walks; this is not noticeable to the naked eye, but the locks detect it. They start to gradually collapse if the deflection is a little larger. The locking joint is similarly destroyed over time by continuous pressure from heavy furniture (beds, closets, etc.). A creaking sound made while walking is the first indication of lock failure.

But as with anything, there are exceptions:

• The height difference is only important when installing furniture. If it is not planned to be placed (corridor), such a requirement can be ignored;
• For lamella locks, the presence of tubercles and pits is scary. If the floor does not have rare changes, it is wavy, such holes and bumps will not harm it and it will withstand its entire service life.

Required Tools

To put together a lamella floor, you will require:

• electric jigsaw for cutting laminate (you can use a hand saw for wood);
• crowbar;
• mallet made of rubber or wood;
• block for padding lamellas;
• gaskets;
• square;
• marker;
• metal ruler 1 m long.

Calculation of material requirements

Purchasing construction supplies is a prerequisite for starting any construction project. Anyone who prefers to work independently can figure out how much material there is. It is the floor area. The resultant number rises by:

• 10% for cutting during direct styling if the panels are laid along the room,
• 12-15%if across,
• 20%if the lamel is laid with a Christmas tree or diagonal,
• 30% when installing a pattern.

We purchase the required quantity of them after dividing the result into the Lamelian area in the package (as required by the manufacturer).

Subway – functions and way of laying

When the base is prepared in compliance with the consolidated rules (SP 29.13330.2011), how should a laminate floor be laid? Place a substrate underneath the laminate floor instead of rushing through another intermediary technological operation.

The substrate is the component of the laminate floor structure that matters the most. She

• eliminates small changes in the height of the concrete screed;
• It is a shock absorber for static and dynamic loads on the laminate;
• provides additional sound insulation;
• retains heat.

The substrate functions as a moisture-resistant layer in addition to being treated with waterproofing mixtures. If not, a polyethylene film must be laid underneath to shield the floor from moisture condensation from the concrete screed. Typically, work is done concurrently with floor installation. A rolled backing sheet is placed on top of laminate. The substrate’s second row is laid once it has been fully filled, etc.d.

The article "Substrate for laminate" provides information on how different substrates are rated, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, step-by-step installation techniques, and the price of the most widely used materials in 2020.

Laminate installation

How should laminate flooring be installed over concrete? Over time, advances in technology have made it possible to install laminate flooring over concrete floors. Every master knows its subtleties.

• You need to buy laminate from one manufacturer, and you should pay attention to the type of lock. It can be different even in packages produced in the same year.
• Work on assembling the floor must begin after the lamellas, freed from the packaging film, have lain for 2-3 days where they will be installed. During this time, they will change their size, adjusting to the temperature and humidity of the apartment.
• Laminate flooring should be laid on well-dried concrete. Its humidity can be determined using a moisture meter. But in private construction it is not always available. The solution is simple: 1 m2 of plastic film is glued to the concrete with tape. If condensation appears on it in the morning, the base must be dried.
• The spikes are cut off from the lamellas of the first row. They are laid with the cut side facing the wall.
• Between the first row of the laminate and the wall, at a distance of half a meter, gaskets with a thickness of 10-12 mm are installed to form a technological gap that compensates for the expansion of the flooring under the influence of humidity and temperature. Many builders use purchased wedges for this. Spacers are also placed at the beginning of each row (when connecting the ends of the lamellas, padding is needed so that the floor panel will rest against the wall and remove the technological gap).

• Regulatory documents allow minor changes in the color tone of the laminate. In purchased packs, the color of the lamellas may vary. To avoid noticeable color spots on the floor, you need to take material from different packs one by one.
• In adjacent rows, the end connections of the lamellas should not coincide. They have weaker locks and break when the load increases. Therefore, laminate panels are laid in the following sequence:

1. the first line is a whole lamella;
2. 2nd line – lamella cut by 1/3;
3. Line 3 – panel cut to 2/3.

The picture makes it very evident how lamellas should be laid out in this pattern.

Occasionally, they practice chopping off half of the lamella instead of one third of it. Everything remains the same in theory aside from the pattern of floor laying.

8. Starting with the window, install should be done. However, since it won’t be possible to slide the final laminate panel under the overlay, installation should start from the wall where the door is located if the decorative overlays on the door frame are not removed but rather trimmed.

Instructions for laying laminate flooring

How can the direct method of installing laminate flooring be applied to a concrete floor? Technology, stepby step

1. The substrate is laid in one row. If this is done across the entire room at once, then you will need to walk on it, which leads to deformation that is difficult to restore. The floor assembly begins here. Note that many experts lay three rows of lamellas at once;
2. Gaskets are installed between the first line of lamellas and the wall (thickness – 10-12 mm). After this, the row is pressed tightly against the spacers. A spacer is placed at the beginning of each row. This way the compensation gap is fixed;
3. Already from the second row, the laminate panels are first installed in the locking joints along the length, and then hammered forward with a wooden or rubber hammer until the end locks are completely connected. The manufacturer prohibits hitting the edges of the lamella – you need to use a mounting bracket or a piece of laminate. In this case, the padding is installed in the lock of the adjusted lamella;
4. After covering the underlay with the floor covering, its second strip is laid. The work continues again in the same order;
5. Before laying the last row of laminate, you need to carefully calculate its size so that after closing the lock there will be a technological gap.

How to bypass heating pipes

The hardest part of installing laminate flooring is getting around the heating pipes. In this case, the steps are as follows:

• The center of the holes for the pipes is located. The first action is to snap the lamella into the lock and move it towards them. At the end, the middle of each pipe is marked with a pencil. Then the lamella is removed from the connection and moved close to both the gasket near the wall and the pipe. Again, a pencil is used to mark the middle of the pipe on the side of the panel. Using a square, draw lines from each mark. Their intersection will be the center of the future hole;
• Holes are drilled with a drill. Their diameter should be 2 cm larger than the diameter of the pipes (connecting a laminate panel cut into two parts will reduce the diameter of the hole by the thickness of the cut);
• Using an electric jigsaw or saw, the lamella is cut along the axis of the drilled holes;
• On the outside of the pipes, the lamella is inserted into the lock and moved towards them;
• Between the wall and the pipes, a piece of lamella is glued both from the side and from the end to the adjacent lamellas.

After meticulous labor, the cut-in is invisible.

Conclusion

You can have a stunning and long-lasting floor by using laminate flooring. Technology for installation doesn’t require any specialized training or expertise. It’s crucial to finish every task in a precise order:

1. lay polyethylene film to waterproof the lamellas from screed condensation;
2. select and install the substrate correctly;
3. lay the lamellas in accordance with the instructions.

Heating pipe bypassing is a simple and independent process. Do-it-yourself projects give owners a unique sense of satisfaction:

1. a very impressive floor was obtained;
2. family budget saved;
3. there is a reason for pride in front of friends and acquaintances – the cycle of work was completed independently.

Of course! This is a succinct wrap-up for your post about installing laminate flooring over concrete:

Any room can be made to seem and feel completely different by installing laminate flooring over concrete. There are a few crucial steps you must take in order to produce a polished and long-lasting outcome. First, thoroughly prepare the concrete floor. This entails adjusting any uneven areas and monitoring for moisture.

Then, to shield your laminate from any possible water damage, install a moisture barrier. This is an important step, particularly in damp spaces like bathrooms or basements. After installing your barrier, it’s time to install the underlayment. In addition to offering soundproofing and cushioning, this also helps even out small concrete imperfections.

When it comes time to actually lay the laminate planks, start in one corner and move your way around the space. Don’t forget to allow for any potential expansion of the flooring due to natural movement around the edges. To keep this gap constant during the installation, use spacers.

As you work, pay attention to the layout and straightness of the planks to ensure a consistent look. To ensure a snug and secure fit, carefully place each plank in its designated spot using a tapping block and hammer. If needed, use a saw to trim the final row of planks to fit while keeping the expansion gap intact.

Install baseboards or quarter round molding to cover the expansion gap and give your new laminate floor a polished look once all the planks have been installed. Frequent upkeep, like sweeping and sometimes damp mopping, will prolong the beauty of your floor for many years.

You can install laminate flooring on a concrete floor and improve the visual appeal and comfort of your living area by following these steps.

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