Laminate is considered to be one of the most popular types of flooring. It is distinguished by its beautiful appearance, durability and ease of installation. However, all laying work must be carried out in accordance with certain requirements, otherwise even the most quality material will fall into disrepair too quickly. Many beginners have a natural question: how to lay laminate flooring, along or across the room? There is no unequivocal answer to it, so let's figure out what the direction of orientation of the lamellas during installation will depend on.
How to lay the laminate - along or across
If you listen to advice experienced craftsmen, then you can hear that there is one rule, according to which the orientation of the lamellas in the rooms is made. The direction of the coating strips depends entirely on where the main light source is located.(for example, a window or bright lamps that will replace the first option in a windowless room).
Why will the direction of the lamellae depend on the light source? It's simple - the rays of the sun or the light emitted by the lamp, falling on the material perpendicularly (at an angle of 90 degrees), will demonstrate all the joints. They will be especially noticeable if the lamellas are docked poorly. And therefore, the laminate is always laid in such a way that the planks of the coating are located along the rays of light - only then can the visibility of the joints be reduced. Thus, the lamellas will lie with their narrow side towards the window, and the installation of the coating is carried out starting from one of the side walls of the room (usually from the one where there are no doors).
On a note! Where there is no natural light source, the laminate is laid, focusing on artificial.
Prices for laminate "Tarkett"
tarkett laminate
Laminate laying direction
Laminate manufacturers note that this coating is very easy to install and anyone can handle this task. Yes, this is partly true, since the lamellas are equipped with special locks that allow them to be easily fastened together. If initially there was a laminate only with a Lock lock, which requires certain skills to work with it, now it has become widespread the new kind connections are Click locks, which anyone can really connect. We will talk about them a little later.
On a note! Technologies do not stand still and develop, in connection with which completely new lamellas with 5G and Megalock connecting systems enter the market.
In fact, everything turns out to be much more complicated than the laminate manufacturers kindly reported. This is especially true not only for the careful preparation of the base, but also for the orientation of the planks in the space of the room. Most often, in apartments, the laminate is laid depending on the direction of the light, as mentioned above. If the planks are laid along the light source, then the floor will resemble an ordinary plank, and the joints will practically not be noticeable.
But sometimes it makes sense to put a coating and perpendicular to the direction of the rays of the sun or lamp. So due to the coating, you can visually enlarge the room, which is important for narrow rooms with a window at the end. In this case, the light will highlight the joints, they will become more noticeable, but thereby visually make the room more spacious.
On a note! If the lamellas are laid perpendicular to the direction of light, their texture will be much more noticeable.
The scheme of the direction of laying the laminate in the rooms
Also, the laminate should be oriented and depending on the direction of movement along it. Sometimes there are rooms in which you can clearly mark the lines along which people living in the house move. Most often these are corridors, halls. In this case, the priority when deciding on the orientation of the slats will not be light rays, but the direction of movement - the laminate is laid along these lines. This method will reduce the rate of abrasion of the coating in the area of the joints, due to which finishing floors will last longer.
How to lay laminate - along or across the room
Features of laying laminate in non-standard cases
Sometimes the laminate is placed in rooms that are non-standard in shape and lighting. It can be difficult to navigate and decide in which direction the coating strips should “look”. In this case, the diagonal laying will save the situation. The coating is mounted relative to the walls at an angle of 40-60 degrees. Thus. you can not only revive the interior, but also make the joints inconspicuous.
On a note! This method, although criticized quite often, is still used in rooms where windows are located on adjacent walls.
Unfortunately, the method has certain drawbacks. Due to this laying, the abrasion of the joints increases, and the consumption of material also increases - there are too many scraps.
If the room has the shape of the letter "G", then the lamellas are also laid diagonally or in a herringbone pattern. So the floor looks quite interesting, the room will not seem narrow.
What to focus on
However, in reality, everything is not so simple. The fact is that the direction of laying the laminate will depend on many factors, and not just on light sources. We will figure out what can affect the orientation of the lamellas in the room, and also decide on what factors it is worth making one or another decision.
The first step is to evaluate the number and location of windows in the room. If it is one, then there should not be any special problems - it is enough to lay the laminate, starting from the far corner of the room, so that the lamellas are oriented along the direction of the light. Thus, it will turn out to make the seams inconspicuous. If there are two or more windows in the room, then you should look at which way the room is better lit, and navigate when installing the coating on it. If there are no windows in the room at all, and this is a fairly common occurrence in corridors, then it is recommended to orient the laminate depending on the direction of the light coming from the main source - for example, a chandelier.
Advice! It is not bad to immediately evaluate the interior of the room, find out where and what furniture will stand. This will allow you to present an overall picture of the finished room and figure out how to lay the laminate so that it looks better.
The shape of the room also matters. If the room is narrow, then it is better to discard the desire to hide the seams - here they can play a positive role by visually expanding the room. In rooms that are particularly complex in geometry, a diagonal installation method is used, although in this case it is recommended to invite specialists to help, since a beginner in the world of repairs is unlikely to cope with the task.
It is also important to consider the arrangement of furniture in the room. If it is planned to install a lot of interior items in the room, and there will be carpets on the floor, then there is no point in observing the direction of the laminate joining lines.
Important! If the laminate is laid on wooden planks, then the lamellas should be laid perpendicular to the floorboards - then the floors will sag less. If the wooden floors are covered with plywood, then the laminate planks can be laid in any way that is more convenient.
You can calculate the amount of laminate for a room both independently and using our calculator. It is quite simple, and knowledge of primary school arithmetic will be sufficient. But let's leave the laminate calculator for now, and turn to theory.
First you need to decide on the installation method. There are two installation options:
- Straight.
- Diagonal.
Everything else is a gradation of these options relative to the light source:
- Parallel.
- Perpendicular.
or the location of the bars relative to each other:
- Simple (spread 10-20 cm).
- Chess (runaway 50% of the length of the bar).
You can also bring as a separate option a patterned look of styling. In this case, from the laths of the laminate different shades a pattern is laid out on the floor. But this option is the most consumable, and laying a laminate with your own hands in this way will not work without experience. And very important point – without a run, it is impossible to lay a laminate.
Doing repairs in your apartment or house yourself? The article "" will be useful to you more than ever.
Plank dimensions and material consumption
The most common sizes of laminate planks are 128 - 139 cm long and 18.5 - 19.6 cm wide, which we will include in our calculation. There is no one standard for all manufacturers. There is a laminate with a length of 0.5 to 2.1 m and a width of 1.8 to 60 cm. Therefore, it is definitely impossible to answer how many m 2 of laminate in a package. On each package of laminate, in addition to the dimensions, there is the total area of \u200b\u200ball the planks in the package.
The total area of the required laminate will always be greater than the total area of the room. The amount of waste depends on the installation method and the experience of the finisher:
- Patterned - waste up to 33%.
- Diagonal - waste 11-14%.
- Direct - waste 5%.
Calculations are presented on the example, because it is the most common option.
How to calculate the amount of laminate
There are two ways to calculate the amount of laminate. For example, consider a standard room 4 by 5 m. And a laminate measuring 1.285 x 0.186 m. The area of one plank: 1.285x0.186 = 0.239 m 2. There are 8 planks in the package, the total area is 1.912 m 2 . How many squares in a pack of laminate need to be specified directly in the store, because different manufacturers produce them according to different standards.
The easy way
Take advantage of our online calculator to calculate the area of a room:
Laminate flooring has long enjoyed high popularity due to its strength, durability, appearance. In addition, they are easy to install. A room of 20 m2 can be covered by one person in about 2-3 hours. The performer will only need accuracy, accuracy and the ability to work with a jigsaw. Laying laminate on a concrete floor starts with.
Floor surface preparation
The laminate is laid on a flat, clean and dry surface. If the floor screed is rough, it must be covered with a thin layer of liquid mortar. It could be like cement-sand mortar, and a special mixture for leveling the floor.
If other Finishing work- then it is necessary to carefully examine the floor for sagging of putty, plaster and, if necessary, remove them with a hard spatula. Special attention should be given to the corners of the room. After that, the room needs to be swept, and even better to vacuum.
For proper styling Laminate will require the following tools:
- marker;
- roulette or corner;
- jigsaw (electric);
- scotch.
The nuances of laying laminate
Regardless of the type of floor surface ( concrete screed, wooden or plywood floor) quality styling laminate depends on some important nuances:
- the laminate should not lie close to the wall;
- you can not put it in one layer if the length of one side exceeds 5 meters. In this case, it is laid in several pieces, between which there must be a technological seam. The seam is covered with a decorative strip;
- you need to be extremely careful about the cracks. A small gap between the panels left in the first row will be repeated on each strip of laminate;
- laminate panels are stacked in a checkerboard pattern. There must be a distance of at least 30 cm between the locks.
We lay the substrate under the laminate
On the prepared concrete floor you need to spread the substrate. It comes in sheets and rolls. Sheet is more expensive, but on a regular screed, you can also use a roll. The thickness of the substrate should be selected depending on the abrasiveness of the surface. If it is even, a thickness of 3 mm will do. If the screed is rough and uneven, the thickness of the substrate should be greater.
The substrate is laid in strips from one wall to another. You can immediately cover the entire room. It must be laid in the direction of the light. If there are several windows in the room, then the direction of the light can be ignored.
Then glue the spread strips of the substrate with adhesive tape end to end.
Let's start laying laminate
It is also necessary to lay it in stripes in the direction of the light. You need to lay the first strip like this.
Lay one sheet of laminate in the corner of the room.
Connect the next sheet to the first. To do this, each sheet has a lock. To make it work, attach the attached sheet to the first at an angle of 45 degrees.
Then it must be lowered onto the substrate. The two sheets are securely fastened together. There should not be any gaps, even microscopic ones.
One by one, the sheets should be laid from one to the other edge of the room. The last sheet will need to be cut with a jigsaw.
Laminate should not come close to the walls. Leave a gap 1 cm wide from each wall.
The first strip is laid. Between it and a parallel wall you need to place the same supports.
The next strip of laminate can be started from the piece remaining from the first strip, if it has a length of 30 to 90 cm. If it is larger, it should be cut, if it is smaller, set aside and cut the whole sheet.
We form the second strip in the same way as the first one and lay it evenly, as in the photo
Raise the strip. She will enter the castle, after which she can be lowered, pressing well against the first.
Subsequent strips are laid in exactly the same way.
After a couple of hours, the room will look something like this.
The last strip is cut not only across, but also along, so that the distance to the wall does not exceed 1 cm.
As a result, laying laminate on a concrete floor will look like in the photo at the beginning of the article and will remain
Laminate is one of the most common types of flooring used today in residential and commercial spaces. Laminate floors are resistant to various influences, have excellent performance and performance characteristics, long term operation. That is why it is quite common to find laminate flooring on balconies and loggias, although many experts recommend abandoning such a practice.
It should be borne in mind that different models from different manufacturing companies will differ in performance and performance, so for balconies and loggias it is best to choose wear-resistant models with a high level of resistance to the negative effects of temperature extremes and high humidity.
In addition, certain problems arise during the installation work, because a balcony room, as a rule, has a limited size, so the laminated panels have to be cut, adjusted to the dimensions of the balcony and loggia, which is often very difficult to do with your own hands. Also, before laying, you need to properly prepare the base.
On the modern market there are also laminate models with imitation various materials(wood, tiles, stone), so you can easily choose the right decor for the balcony.
Many manufacturers allow the use of their laminate on balconies and loggias, but only under certain conditions:
- The loggia or balcony is qualitatively glazed. The best option- two-chamber or three-chamber glazing using PVC structures. Everything is clear here - in no case should precipitation be allowed to fall on the laminated coating, because. this will lead to its premature destruction and loss of all performance characteristics.
- Was done effective insulation balconies or loggias. If the room was insulated outside and inside in such a way that even in the most harsh winters the temperature in it does not fall below -5 degrees, then such a balcony is suitable for laying laminate. In the event that it was not possible to achieve the required temperature indicators with the help of insulation, then the use of heating elements is allowed.
- Measures were taken to eliminate the likelihood of condensation on the balcony. Condensate will not accumulate with high-quality insulation, but it is important to thermal insulation works as correctly as possible (if possible, it is better to entrust their implementation to professionals).
If throughout the year it is warm on the balcony, there is no high humidity and no condensation accumulates, then it is possible to lay a laminate of any type and from any manufacturer on it, without any restrictions. In fact, in such a case, a balcony or loggia is a functional room, so any floor coverings can be mounted on them, as well as inside a house or apartment.
At the same time, if the work on the insulation of the balcony has not been completed, then this is not at all a reason to refuse to lay the laminate floor, if there is a desire. In such situations, attention should be paid to laminate models with increased moisture resistance. Models of this type are resistant to temperature extremes and high humidity, which is achieved through high-quality processing of all surfaces of laminated panels with special hydrophobic and wax formulations, so the coating can last quite a long time even in difficult operating conditions.
In addition, models have long been presented in stores waterproof laminate(this is not the same as moisture resistant laminate). The production of these laminated coatings is not made from fibreboard, as is the case with standard models, but from household polyvinyl chloride. That is why manufacturers allow waterproof models to be laid not only on uninsulated balconies, but also in the bathroom, bathroom, near pools, in showers.
Moisture cannot do any harm to PVC flooring. Externally, these models look exactly the same as a regular laminate. In addition, during operation they do not emit toxic and other harmful substances, because the components used for their manufacture are environmentally friendly.
If the balcony is not sufficiently insulated, choose models with increased moisture resistance for the balcony
Features of laying laminate on balconies and loggias
Experts note several rules for laying laminate on a balcony at once. You need to pay attention to the following:
- Immediately before laying, the panels must be kept on the balcony for several days so that they can “get used” to the operating conditions. In the case when a waterproof laminate is being laid, it makes no sense to keep the panels on the balcony for several days.
- Before installing laminated coatings, you should consider the installation of a heat-insulating layer on the floor, because. Laminate won't make a good insulator. The best option: rough base - heat-insulating layer - profile system- laminate.
- Installation of laminated coatings is best done in sunny weather, when there is no wind and precipitation. In the process of work, it is recommended to close the windows, which will eliminate the effect of temperature fluctuations on the laminate.
- Laying the laminate should be done on a perfectly flat and clean rough base. Laminated panels will not last long if there are various bumps, pits and other defects and uneven floors under them, so they must be eliminated before installation work. The maximum allowable level of difference is no more than 2 mm per 100 cm of the floor surface.
- During the laying of laminated panels, it is necessary to leave a small technological gap, the size of which usually does not exceed 10-15 mm. This gap should be between the wall material and the laminate, not between the laminated panels. If technological clearance will not, then some panels may be deformed after some time of operation.
- It is recommended to cut laminated panels using electric jigsaw. If such a tool is not available, then Circular Saw with teeth minimum size. IN extreme cases it is allowed to use a hacksaw for wood with fine teeth.
Features of laying laminate on a balcony or loggia will largely depend on the operating conditions of the floor covering, the size of the room and many other nuances. If possible, it is best to entrust this work to professionals who are familiar with the peculiarities of installing laminated coatings in such premises.
According to what scheme can a laminate be laid on a balcony?
There are three ways of laying laminated panels on the balcony, which are most popular:
- Perpendicular to windows. With perpendicular laying of laminated panels relative to the window, during the operation of the floor, the seams between the lamellas will not be noticeable, therefore, the feeling will be visually formed that a monolithic and solid one has been laid flooring. When choosing this laying method, 8-10% more material will be required than the total area of \u200b\u200bthe balcony room.
- parallel to the windows. If the laminate is laid parallel to the windows, then this approach will visually increase the size of the room, but the joints and seams between the individual lamellas will be clearly visible. Option is good for small balconies and loggias.
- Diagonal styling laminate is suitable for balconies that have an unusual and non-standard shape (round, triangular, polygonal, etc.). Diagonal laying allows you to increase the size of the room, but in this case you will need to purchase 15-25% more laminate than the total floor area of the balcony or loggia.
The choice of styling scheme will depend on the personal preferences and desires of the owners, so it is rather difficult to recommend something specific here.
How much does laminate flooring cost?
The cost of a laminated coating for installation on balconies and loggias will depend on several factors. It should be noted that the balcony is not a passage room in a house or apartment, so the floor here is unlikely to experience a constant and high load. That is why you can choose models of 31 or 32 service classes, which can serve in the conditions of an insulated balcony for more than 10-15 years without any problems.
Prices in this category of laminate flooring vary quite a lot. For example, Kronospan and Egger offer models of 31 operating classes for 400-600 rubles per sq.m., while for Quick-Step or Kaindl laminate you will have to pay more than 1200-1400 rubles per sq.m.
Waterproof laminate is noticeably more expensive than traditional laminate coatings, which is due to the peculiarities of production and the very high performance of such models. Almost all models moisture resistant laminate correspond to 33, 34 or 43 operating classes, so their performance is incredibly high.
Such a floor is guaranteed to serve on the balcony for more than a dozen years. Manufacturers' prices here are appropriate: Aquafloor - 2200-3000 rubles per sq.m., Berry Floor - 1200-1800 rubles per sq.m., Holzplast - from 2300 rubles per sq.m., Kronoflooring - from 2000 rubles per sq.m. m.
From the foregoing, it becomes clear that the balcony and the laminate are perfectly combined, incl. forward!!! Dare!!!
