How to quickly level the floor under the laminate. Is it necessary to level the floor under the laminate - leveling wood and concrete floors, the right materials and optimal technologies

Hard, clean, dry and necessarily even - these are the requirements that apply to the substrate for laying laminate flooring. Unfortunately, despite the numerous efforts of manufacturers, many craftsmen still do not know how much it is necessary to level the floor under the laminate.

According to the requirements of all manufacturers of hard flooring, including laminate and parquet board, the bearing layer must comply with the conditions of the instructions and SP 29.13330.2011 / SNiP 2.03.13-88. In particular, the basis must be:

Tough and durable. That is, the floor should not bend or collapse with an effort of 15 MPa or more.
Clean - dust-free, free from traces of bitumen, glue, old paint and varnish and other coatings, soot, etc.
Dry. For cement-sand and concrete screeds the residual moisture coefficient should not exceed 5%, anhydrous - 1.5%, wood and wood-containing - 12%. Subject to the above indicators, changes in the geometric dimensions of the subfloors are minimal. Even with sudden changes in temperature and humidity.
Smooth and monolithic. The permissible level of unevenness is no more than 2 mm for every 2 meters of the surface. The base must be virtually smooth, without pits or bumps, sagging or cracks.

Checking the flatness of the base.

As practice shows, it is the last condition that is most often violated. It is not difficult to check the evenness of mineral and wood floors. It is much more difficult to correct the flaw. But why level the floor in an apartment, house, office or store under the laminate? The answer is simple - for a durable coating. Any defects under the flooring are a source of constant creaking, crunching and crackling, as well as the rapid destruction of locks and slabs.

Manufacturers of building and finishing materials have developed many optimal schemes to eliminate irregularities, dips, drops, distortions, cracks and other defects in the base. Namely:

The advantage of mineral screeds is high compressive and shear strength, improved density. In addition, they can be used in rooms with normal and high humidity in combination with waterproofing materials... The layer thickness varies from 1 to 100 mm, that is, this series is suitable for eliminating both minor irregularities and significant differences. The disadvantages are a decent mass (with the exception of perlite-based, etc.), a laborious process and a long drying period - from 7 to 28 days.

Prefabricated bearing layers allow you to level the floor under the laminate with your own hands in 1-3 days. This is the most convenient and quick way elimination of deficiencies of the base with a layer of 20 mm. The finished dry screed weighs much less than the mineral one, and the finishing material can be laid immediately, without a technological break of 2-5 weeks. The downside is that this type rough coating not recommended for wet rooms, moreover, the strength does not exceed 15 MPa.

It would be useful to mention sound insulation. The laminated flooring is laid in a "floating" way, that is, without bonding to the base. For this and some other reasons, floor material resonates with shock and airborne (sound) noises. Therefore, it is recommended to lay a noise-scattering or noise-suppressing layer of vibroacoustic membranes, elastic polymer plates, fibrous mats, frame systems with gypsum fiber board and other similar materials under a solid or prefabricated screed. The range of similar products for the floor is wide, the selection the best option it is better to entrust it to a specialist.

Leveling the concrete floor

The concrete base is universal. You can work on it with any existing composition or complex. Therefore, depending on the type of defects, the following alignment techniques are used:

Grinding

If the surface has slight bumps, sagging, drops, then you can choose the fastest but dusty way of smoothing - grinding. For this are used sandpaper on a hand grater or professional grinders, often complete with construction vacuum cleaners.

The units can be rented, but you will have to buy the components (abrasive wheels, nozzle cups for stone and concrete, respirator, goggles). Or hire specialists with their own equipment.

Partial leveling with repair mortars

To seal cracks, potholes, local recesses, as well as to create slopes on balconies or terraces, it is not necessary to re-form a thin or medium-layer screed. Use special formulations, called repair. These are dry mixes based on cement / gypsum binder, ready-made pastes or polymer filling compounds, the main difference of which is in the following properties:

fast set of strength;
small processing area or layer thickness;
short drying time - from 1 hour to 3 days.

When choosing products, keep in mind that the compositions are universal (for indoor and outdoor use) and are intended exclusively for indoor use. According to the manufacturers, they are suitable for any topcoat in residential and commercial buildings.

Concrete screed

Under the screed layer is meant the upper part of the subfloor structure, on which absolutely any topcoat is mounted, from ceramics to laminate. The screed is designed for:

creating an even, as smooth as possible surface;
ensuring the static and dynamic strength of the structure;
uniform distribution of deformation loads on the underlying layers or supports;
formation of the required slopes.

Mineral screeds are characterized by the same density of the entire layer and compressive strength from 150 kg / cm² and more. The surface should not have cracks, sagging, chips and other defects. Thickness varies from 3 to 10 cm, depending on specific conditions (type of base base, availability of communications or floor heating systems, type of reinforcement, etc.).

Screed layers are made from:

industrial dry mixes. Convenient to use ready-made DSP, packaged in bags of 25-50 kg. Can be mixed with water or polymer dispersions.
self-made cement-sand mortar. To do this, you will need cement of a brand not lower than M400, fine-grained quartz sand in an approximate proportion of 1: 3 (by weight). The composition is added pure water about 0.45 or 0.55 liters per 1 kg of binder. The finished mass must be homogeneous, gray, brands not less than 150-200.
concrete. Foam concretes of a category not lower than B3.5 (ρ = 600-1000 kg / m³) are used, light masses like expanded clay concrete, perlite concrete of a class not lower than 5.0 (ρ≥1300 kg / m³), as well as standard concrete of class B15 (corresponds to M200) ... Screeds made of cellular and lightweight concrete masses are distinguished by their porosity and high thermal insulation properties. In contrast, classic concrete gives less shrinkage and a more durable layer.

Mineral floor screed is formed in 5 stages:

The optimum drying time for the screed is at least 28 days, regardless of the layer thickness.

Self-leveling floors

They are dry industrial mixtures consisting of a binder, fillers, modifying additives. They are produced in a wide range and include:

Thin-layer equalizers, working in a layer from 0 to 30 mm. Are characterized by high degree spreadability and minimum drying time - up to 5 days;
Finishing thin and medium-layer compounds designed to form a smooth and even floor up to 60 mm thick for laying laminate, parquet, linoleum. Drying period - up to 14 days;
Basic or universal mixes for initial leveling up to 100 mm. They are used both indoors and outdoors. After 14-21 days, the surface is ready for laminate installation.

For the weak load-bearing structures lightweight mixtures are produced in which the quartz filler is replaced by crushed perlite, expanded clay, etc.

It is not difficult to form a floor from self-leveling compounds: the mixture must be sealed with water, applied as quickly as possible by hand or mechanized way on the prepared substrate, lightly level and roll with a needle roller for deaeration.

Rough self-leveling mixtures are often confused with self-leveling decorative floors. The former are dry compositions based on cement or gypsum, the latter are polymer (polyurethane, epoxy, methyl methacrylate) liquid or semi-liquid compositions intended for the formation of so-called 3D coatings.

In fact, it is a prefabricated flooring made of durable sheet materials, fixed on concrete floor using self-tapping screws or on a frame support. Such constructions are irreplaceable if:

Avoid wet processes;
It is necessary to speed up the production of work;
It is required to significantly raise the level of the carrier layer (adjustable floors) or smooth out the drops.

There are many design options. Let's list the main ones:

Bulk

This is a structure, the lower layer of which is a backfill of expanded clay, expanded perlite mass, quartz or silica sand, fine-grained slag and other inorganic bulk materials with a maximum modulus of grain size of 2-5 mm, moisture content not exceeding 1%. Instead of a nonmetallic filler, you can use EPSP boards tightly stacked to each other, mineral wool or foam (PSB-35 or 50).

Dry screed on a loose basis.

The top layer is formed from durable GVL sheets, Chipboard, OSB or plywood. It is best to use Knauf-Superfloor with a 50 mm mounting rebate, QuickDeck tongue-and-groove chipboard, etc.

The minimum thickness of the backfill screed is 40 mm, and the maximum thickness is 100 mm. This type of sub-floor is suitable for both slab and beams(monolithic, prefabricated, etc.).

Wireframe

In fact, this is the well-known floor on the logs. Installed on a concrete base by level wooden slats or metal profiles with an interval of no more than 40-50 cm, insulation is placed in the "windows" if desired. Sheets of plywood, chipboard and other similar materials are fixed on top of the frame.

Adjustable

The floor is laborious in execution, but useful for new construction or renovation. Wooden logs or plywood sheets rest on threaded fasteners and supporting elements screwed into them: stand rods, stand bolts, anchors, etc. The position of the supports in height varies due to the rotation of the bolt around its axis. The level of the rack is fixed with a dowel-nail or a special stop that does not allow the structure setting to go astray.

Adjustable floor principle.

Hard

It is the simplest carrier layer in execution, allowing to level the concrete base and increase its thermal insulation properties. On the cleaned and primed floor, using hardware, "liquid nails" or polymer glue, sheets of plywood, gypsum fiber board, chipboard and other similar materials are fixed in 1-2 layers. Optimum thickness flooring - 12-24 mm.

The choice of method depends on the financial capabilities and condition of the base concrete base. It is best to invite a specialist who will determine the necessary parameters and propose options for eliminating deficiencies with a detailed cost estimate.

How to level a wooden floor

If you plan to install laminated parquet on a boardwalk, then you need to check each plank. Floor elements must sit firmly, evenly and tightly to each other. A foundation that meets these criteria does not need additional preparation.

But if there are noticeable differences, irregularities and other disadvantages, then the following technologies are used for alignment:

Any of the above leveling methods allows you to create a flat, strong and reliable base under the laminate. Of course, some skills and knowledge are required to work, so if you are not confident in your abilities, contact the professionals.

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Any floor covering has a number of requirements for the bearing base on which it is planned to be laid. Laminate is no exception - the surface before laying should be almost perfectly flat with minimal damage. How to level the floor under the laminate when the base has never been repaired?

Basic requirements of the laminate to the base

Uneven subfloor and moisture lead to fracture at the tool joints

Technology for working with laminate and laminated floor cladding stipulates that the coating will be laid on a flat base. Maximum tolerance- 2 mm by 2 m2.

The minimum deflection, if not damaged, can be leveled with a substrate. For deviations of more than 2 mm, it will be necessary to prepare the base and level the floor.

The absence of strong drops and adherence to the conditions during installation ensures that:

the service life of the laminate will depend only on the process of its operation;
there will be no breakage or severe damage to the lock connection;
the laminate does not deform, bend or break;
lack of squeak and other extraneous sounds when walking on the surface.

In order to determine whether the base in your apartment or house meets the basic requirements, you will need to take a long ruler, a wooden batten or any other straight object. Next, the ruler is applied to the floor in various places: near the door and window openings, in the middle of the room and near the walls.

Large deviations will be visible to the naked eye. If differences are observed only in a certain area, then we recommend that you refrain from local alignment and still carry out full complex works.

Leveling methods for concrete and wooden foundations

Plywood alignment can be done for both concrete and wood subfloors

Concrete and wood flooring is the typical subfloor found in most residential apartments and houses. In some houses, the floor can be performed in a combined way, when logs are laid on a concrete slab, and a rough wooden floor is already laid on them.

In new buildings and houses under 15-10 years old, the floor is usually left completely concrete. The developer levels the floor slab with a rough screed, but even such a foundation requires careful inspection and leveling work.

The main methods for leveling a concrete floor are as follows:

pouring a self-leveling mixture;
pouring a cement-sand screed;
dry screed device;
laying plywood or particle board;
installation of a floor on logs with further laying of plywood / particle board.

The choice of a specific alignment technology depends on technical condition your gender, the parameters of the room and the timing of the work. In case of large damage, it is most advisable to level it with a concrete or dry screed. For small front lines, fill in the leveling compound.

The alignment of the wooden base under the laminate is carried out in the following way:

enumeration of the existing structure;
plywood flooring.

The scraper is well suited for plank floors and subfloors where there is an old finish, such as parquet. To eliminate serious flaws this way does not fit. We recommend brute force old construction, level the plank floor and lay the plywood sheets.

The process of repair and restoration of concrete foundations

Installation diagram of beacons when pouring a cement screed

The best way to level the concrete base under the laminate is to pour a cement screed with further plywood flooring. Sometimes, plywood can be replaced with DSP or not laid at all, but instead a layer of self-leveling mixture can be poured over.

A dry screed, which is suitable for apartments and houses where leveling of the floor is required with minimal pressure on the supporting base, has shown itself no less well. This is especially true for old houses and houses built more than 30 years ago.

Within the framework of this article, we will reveal in detail the first method, since it is more versatile and suitable for most modern apartments, but if you wish, you can read the article telling. Before making the screed, you will need to prepare the old base.

To do this, you must thoroughly clean the surface. concrete slab overlap or "open up" old screed down to the stove. Next, we remove all construction garbage, dust and cement build-up. We inspect the surface of the base for cracks, strong dents, shells, etc.

If necessary, you can buy ready-made mixture in bags

If any are present, then they must be eliminated using cement-sand mixture or custom placeholders. Then you can purchase necessary materials and carry out work.

To mix the screed, you will need M500 cement, fine-grained sand and water. The proportions of sand to cement are 3: 1. The amount of water depends on and affects the plasticity of the mixture. The best solution for distribution is obtained with an amount of water equal to 45-50% of the mass of the cement used.

You can use our screed calculator. Enter your room data and mortar parameters. As a result, it will be seen how many and what components are required.

The work sequence will consist of the following stages:

Further work can be carried out only after complete drying. You can test this by gluing a small piece of polyethylene to the floor surface. If after 8-12 hours drops of water and perspiration appear on its surface, then you should wait until the residual moisture has completely evaporated.

For further work you will need to purchase plywood, taking into account the area of \ u200b \ u200bthe room and a stock of 10-15%. For fixing, construction glue and dowel nails will be used. As a tool, you need a spatula, hammer, screwdriver, screwdriver and hammer drill.

In order not to describe the laying technology, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the video material showing in detail the process of applying the glue mass and laying plywood on the screed.

Sequence of actions for a wooden floor

Leveling a wooden floor under a laminate is no less time-consuming process than preparing a concrete base, but in this case the use of liquid mixtures is not required.

All work can be performed using a power tool (jigsaw, screwdriver, drill) and building materials(plywood, wooden bar). Self-tapping screws can be used as fasteners.

For thermal insulation and leveling small irregularities plank floors will require a polyethylene foam backing. It is better to process load-bearing logs and old floor structures with a wood preservative.

General scheme for fixing plywood sheets to a wooden floor

The process of working with a wooden base will consist of the following stages:

Sometimes, you can abandon the old flooring and immediately lay plywood, but for this it is better to use material with a thickness of 18 mm or more. When leveling a plank floor, sheets are usually used with a thickness of no more than 12-18 mm.

You can see in more detail the process of plywood flooring in the video below.

When planning to replace the flooring, many opt for a laminate. This material is unpretentious and aesthetically attractive. Moreover, it is easy to install. But in order for the laminate to serve for a long time, it is very important to lay it on a well-prepared and perfectly flat base. Let's figure out how to level the floor under the laminate.

One of the most popular floor finishing materials is laminate flooring. This finishing option attracts many because it is easy to install. Therefore, many undertake work on their own.

However, sometimes the result is not happy - the floor creaks, noticeable cracks appear on the coating, which worsens it. appearance... All these troubles are due to the fact that the base was not well prepared before laying the laminate. Let's figure out how to properly perform floor leveling work.

Why align?

Some DIYers underestimate the importance of careful preparation surface, considering that the unevenness on the base must be compensated for by the substrate. However, the thickness of the substrate is very small, so it is futile to use it for leveling.

If you lay the laminate on an uneven base, then unpleasant consequences this error will appear very soon. Laminate is a material that does not differ in elasticity, therefore, under loads on uneven places on the floor, the interlocks will begin to collapse. Therefore, leveling the floor is not a waste of time, but a necessity, ensuring a long service life of the coating.

The choice of alignment method depends on the following parameters:

base material - wood or concrete;
the degree of unevenness, that is maximum height drops.

Wood floor

It is difficult to find a perfectly flat wooden floor, especially after several decades of use. Before proceeding with alignment, you must:

perform cleaning by thoroughly cleaning the floor from dust;
make an audit to identify loose or damaged boards;
if the need arises, some of the boards must be strengthened or replaced.

cycling;
the use of self-leveling mixtures;
use of plywood.

Let's consider the listed methods in more detail.

Cycling

This alignment option can only be used if there are slight differences in the surface. To perform the work, you must use a mechanical clipper and a manual scraper (you will need to manually handle corners and other hard-to-reach places).

The essence of the method consists in cutting off the top layer of the boards that make up the floor covering, while small irregularities on the surface are destroyed.

Advice! After scraping, the floor is usually covered with two to three coats of varnish or paint.

Use of plywood

This option should be used if the floorboards are old. They should be dismantled and removed. Next, you should check the log system on which the floor is laid. If necessary, they need to be strengthened. For the lag system to serve reliable support floor, it is necessary to place them in increments of 15-20 cm. Leveling in height must be done using a level.

The optimum thickness of plywood used for leveling the floor is 12 mm. It is necessary to lay the sheets "apart", that is, the joints between sheets in odd rows should not coincide with the joints of sheets in even rows. The sheets are fastened with self-tapping screws. It is important that the screw heads do not protrude above the floor surface, therefore it is necessary to use countersunk screws.

Advice! When choosing this method of leveling the floor, keep in mind that its level will rise by about 2-3 cm, and when using the system of adjustable rack-lags, you can raise the floor to a level of up to 10 cm.

Self-leveling mixtures

To level the wooden floor, you can use special self-leveling mixtures. Such mixtures in a wide range are presented in every hardware store. You must choose an option that can be used on wood surfaces, so read the directions on the packaging carefully.

Work order:

an audit of the condition of the floor is carried out, if loose or semi-rotten boards are found, then they must be replaced;
all cracks must be covered with wood putty;
spread a layer of waterproofing on the floor so that the film enters the walls;
prepare the mixture according to the instructions on the package;
apply it to the floor surface, let dry.

Concrete floor

If it is necessary to level the concrete floor, then a new screed must be made. It is convenient to use ready-made mixtures to make the screed; their use greatly simplifies the leveling process. Making a screed using a ready-made mixture is carried out in two steps.

First stage

At this stage of work, the concrete floor is leveled "roughly". The finished mixture is laid in a sufficiently thick layer, filling deep grooves and leveling out the differences. For the manufacture of a rough screed, mixtures with large particles are used.

Rough screed manufacturing process:

the concrete floor must be thoroughly cleaned and inspected. If you find old adhesive coatings or places with weak, crumbling concrete, they must be removed by cleaning the surfaces;
using a level, it is necessary to outline the thickness of the future screed by drawing a line along all four walls;
on the floor surface, it is necessary to lay the concrete mortar with slides to install the pendulum rails. Beacons are installed in increments of half a meter, they need to be leveled using a level;
now you need to prepare the mixture to create a screed, for this you need to follow the instructions given on the package with the dry mixture;

the finished mixture must be distributed over the floor surface, leveling with a long rail - the rule. To align the mortar correctly, it is necessary to lean the ends of the rule against the edges of the pendulum rails;
in order to remove air that may be contained in the mixture in the form of bubbles, the finished screed must be rolled with a needle roller;
now you need to give time for the solution to dry, how long it takes depends on the type of mixture used, the drying time is indicated on the package.

The final stage

After rough screed dries up, you can proceed to the final leveling of the floor. For this, mixtures with fine fractions (finishing) are used. These mixtures have a thinner consistency and create a thin layer with an even surface.

The mixture is prepared according to the instructions on the package. It is not necessary to level it, since it is quite liquid and spreads over the surface, forming a thin even layer (therefore, these mixtures are called self-leveling). After the finishing layer has dried, you can start laying the substrate and installing the laminate.

So, before you start laying your laminate flooring, you need to carefully level the base. The choice of leveling method depends on the base material and its condition. On concrete base screed, wooden floors are cycled or sheets of thick plywood are laid on the logs.

If the plank floor has lost its appearance and there is a desire to replace it with a laminate, it is not at all necessary to start a large-scale renovation. Dismantling the old coating is only justified in case of serious wear and tear and the presence of large damage, for example, a lot of rotten or cracked boards. If the floor is still strong, it may well serve as a rough base, you just need to eliminate minor defects and properly prepare the surface. And now in more detail about how to level a wooden floor under a laminate and why to do it.

Laminate flooring itself is relatively tough and can withstand short-term loads without visible deformation, of course, within reasonable limits. But under the weight of a person or large-sized furniture, the panels will surely bend, and the longer the impact, the stronger the deformation. With a sharp pressure, the laminate can even break through if there is a void under it.

If the irregularities are very small, the panels are unlikely to break, but they will not hold firmly either. First, the coating will begin to spring under your feet, then the locks will loosen, gaps between the lamellas and an unpleasant creak will appear. All this leads to rapid deterioration of the laminate, and very soon it will also have to be replaced. It is easy to avoid such problems - you just need to level the old floor with high quality.

Squeaky panels are the lesser of the problems that can happen when laying laminate on uneven floors.

We identify problem areas

First of all, you need to make sure that the structure is strong. To do this, walk across the entire area, stepping on each floorboard.

The absence of deflections and strong squeaks indicates a good condition of the floor, but if such defects are found, you need to try to find their cause. Perhaps it is just that the boards have dried up or the nails have loosened, which can be determined visually. Severely damaged floorboards, that is, rotten, with wide longitudinal cracks, gnawed by mice, must be replaced with new boards.

Prices for Kronospan laminate

laminate Kronospan

Next, the skirting boards and one or two boards are carefully dismantled to assess the state of the lag. It often happens that the flooring is in good condition, and the logs have already begun to rot or cracked, sagged under load. If such damage is detected, as well as there is a smell of dampness from the underfloor space, the flooring will definitely have to be removed and the damaged elements replaced. But if everything is in order, the boards can be stacked in place.

If necessary, the floor is pulled out with self-tapping screws, strengthening problem areas, hammer in protruding nails, and replace rusted ones. The hats of the hardware must be deepened into the boards by 1-2 mm.

Now you need to determine the degree of unevenness in the floor, since the complexity of the work depends on this. In different places of the room, a level is laid on the floor and the height of the clearance is measured. At the same time, they check whether the floor has a slope, which will also have to be eliminated.

Alignment methods

So, having determined the degree of unevenness of the plank floor, you can easily pick up optimal way to level the surface. The more the swings, the more time and effort it will take, but the result is worth it.

Floor condition	Method of eliminating irregularities
	It is enough to cover such small defects with a polymer or cork substrate. The main condition is that the thickness of the substrate must correspond to the greatest difference. Such a material perfectly compensates for unevenness in the floor and at the same time increases the sound and heat insulating properties of the laminate.
	Damage is best repaired with wood putty or a homemade repair compound made of sawdust and PVA glue, and sanded after drying. The protruding areas can also be easily removed with sandpaper.
	The best option is to scrape the floor. In order for the result to be of high quality, such processing is carried out after pulling the flooring, and not before it. In addition, the heads of the fasteners should be recessed into the boards by 3-4 mm, since the scraper removes upper layer wood. The work requires some effort, but as a result, the base is flat and smooth.
	Here the best option there will be floor sheathing with sheets of plywood, chipboard, OSB or DSP using linings or narrow logs. These materials will provide a perfectly flat plane and completely cover all defects of the subfloor.
	Such a floor can be leveled with a wet screed. The main condition is the device reliable waterproofing sub-floor to avoid rotting wooden elements... The method is laborious, but it allows you to perfectly align large drops and create solid foundation under the laminate. To reduce the load on the logs, it is better to prepare the mortar with light aggregates, for example, fiberglass

With a significant deformation of the floorboards, severe wear and dryness of the wood, these methods will be ineffective. If such a floor is covered with plywood, this will not stop the destructive processes, and one day the base under the sheathing may fail.

Requirements for materials

When choosing materials, it is imperative to take into account the operating conditions of the floor and the type of room. For residential buildings and apartments, you should select environmentally friendly materials with appropriate labeling. This applies not only to the flooring itself, but also to repair compounds, impregnations, as well as plates used for leveling - OSB, plywood, chipboard. Do not think that the laminate will protect against harmful fumes: no matter how tightly the lamellae are laid, toxic substances will definitely find a way out, especially when the room temperature rises.

When choosing chipboard, OSB or plywood, be sure to pay attention to the emission class - in residential premises it is allowed to use materials of class E1, with the least content formaldehyde. The higher the class, the more toxic resins are in the slabs. Now you can find OSB with an E0 emission class - in these plates the formaldehyde resin is replaced with a synthetic binder that is safe for health.

As for the thickness of the slabs, it all depends on the degree of load on the floor and the strength of the flooring itself. If the floorboards are thick and strong, and the intensity of the loads is low, plywood or OSB 12-15 mm thick will do. For a walk-through room, it is better to take plates 18 mm thick, and if the flooring is performed directly on the logs, then it is recommended to use plates 15-18 mm thick and lay them in two layers with bandaging the joints.

Sealants, putties and leveling compounds must be specifically designed for wooden surfaces... They have sufficient elasticity and do not crack during thermal expansion of the boards, which means that the floor under the laminate will last longer. The same applies to protective impregnations: you need to use only those compounds that are suitable for processing wood indoors. When buying such products, carefully study the information on the packaging so as not to be mistaken.

How to level the floor with your own hands

Consider two options for leveling plank floors - using plywood and DSP. Both methods allow you to achieve an ideal plane, but at the same time they are distinguished by the complexity of the implementation and the duration of the work.

Plywood alignment

This method makes it possible without special efforts eliminate large floor differences - up to several centimeters. True, it is not suitable for rooms with intensive traffic and heavy loads on the floor, but for a bedroom, living room, office, it is quite an acceptable option.

What you need to work:

level;
screwdriver;
self-tapping screws 5x60 mm;
plywood sheets with a thickness of 8 and 10 mm;
scraps of plywood, drywall, wood planks for substrates;
jigsaw;
a circular saw;
tape measure and marker.

Step 1. First you need to determine the zero level and put markings on the walls. Most convenient to use laser level but if not, the water level will do. Along the markings on the walls, you need to put dots every 25 cm - these will be beacons for laying the substrates.

Step 2. Square-shaped blanks for substrates are sawn from scraps of wood, plywood and other scrap materials. It is desirable to make them the same in size, but the thickness should be different, since the height differences at different points of the floor are also different. The more irregularities, the more blanks will need.

Advice. Instead of a large number of substrates, you can use strong wooden slats of various thicknesses, which are stuffed in increments of 30-40 cm over the entire area of the subfloor. They act as a log for plywood and can effectively eliminate slopes of up to several centimeters.

Step 3. The floor is cleaned of debris and dust, and markings are made on the floor along the beacons on the wall: they stretch the cord between the marks on opposite walls and draw straight lines on the floor.

Step 4. Along the lines, the substrates are screwed to the floor with a step of 20-25 cm.First, the substrate is applied to the floor, checked with zero level, then screwed with a self-tapping screw in the center. Having completed the row, a level is laid on top of the substrates and the plane is checked again.

Advice. In order not to check each element, you can screw the extreme substrates in a row and lay a metal profile on them. After that, it is enough just to attach the part to the profile to find out whether it is suitable in thickness or not.

Step 5. Having fixed the substrates over the entire area, proceed to the installation of the cladding. The first sheet is laid from the corner of the far wall, leaving a gap of 10-15 mm around the perimeter. Check the horizontal again by applying a level to the plywood in several places.

Step 6. Another sheet is laid next to it with a gap at the junction of several millimeters, the edges are adjusted. Be sure to check that there is no difference along the seam between the sheets.

Step 7. Screw the plywood to the floor. For reliable fastening, plywood must be screwed through the substrates, but since they are located from below and are not visible, it is necessary to make markings on the sheathing surface. The benchmarks for this are the rows of substrates that have not yet been covered with plywood. Self-tapping screws are screwed along the outlined lines at a distance of 25 cm from each other.

Step 8. The remaining sheets are cut and fitted. Since in this case the plywood is mounted in two layers, it is not necessary to shift the joints in the rows - they will overlap with the top layer of material.

Step 9. Plates of the second layer are laid so that the direction of the fibers is perpendicular to the fibers of the lower layer, and the intersections of the seams are completely overlapped. In addition, the plywood should be positioned so that the side cuts are directly above the substrates. For fixing accuracy, it is desirable to make the same markup as on the bottom layer. At the joints between the sheets, you can insert thin scraps of fiberboard to maintain uniform gaps.

Advice. Before screwing in the self-tapping screw, holes must be drilled in the plywood with a thin drill. This will allow the sheets to be held securely to the floor and not to damage the fibers.

Step 10. After completing the installation of the second layer, check the plane again with a level. You also need to make sure that all the screws are sufficiently recessed into the skin, otherwise the sharp protrusions will damage the laminate over time. Now all that remains is to clean the surface of dust and debris.

As a rule, such a floor does not need additional processing. You can immediately lay a thin underlay and start installing the flooring. But some craftsmen recommend sealing the joints and grooves from the caps of the self-tapping screws with putty.

DSP alignment

This is a more costly and time-consuming method, although it is quite common. It is used in the case of small differences or slopes in the floor plane.

Step 1. Dismantle the skirting boards and clean the floor of debris. Now you need to determine the location of the lag. They can usually be seen by the nail heads in the floor, which are arranged in rows across the flooring, but if the nails are hidden under a thick layer of paint, you will have to do it differently. To do this, it is enough to remove one of the boards under the wall - the edges of the log will be in plain sight. If the flooring is parquet, you need to remove several extreme planks, insert a screwdriver into the hole and run along the gap.

Step 2. They mark on the floor surface where the logs pass and stretch the boards with self-tapping screws. Self-tapping screws are screwed in every 10 cm in order to tighten the coating.

Step 3. In places of the greatest differences, a substrate of planks, scraps of plywood or fiberboard of a suitable thickness is screwed to the floor.

Step 5. Having laid the first sheet, screw it around the perimeter with a step of 15 cm and in the center. Self-tapping screws for wood are used for fixing. The rest of the sheets are mounted in the same way, laying them apart.

Step 6. After installing the DSP, the surface is thoroughly dedusted, primed and, after waiting for the soil to dry, covered with a thin layer of a leveling mixture. The mixture is rolled out with a needle roller. This layer will allow you to eliminate minor defects, such as grooves from the heads of self-tapping screws and possible drops at the joints.

Step 7. The dried floor is primed again, and after a few hours they begin to lay the substrate under the laminate and the laminate itself.

Video - How to level a wooden floor under a laminate

Laminate is an unpretentious material, and it can be laid on almost any surface. The main thing is that it is prepared - the floor must be flat so that the laminate does not deform during operation. Thus, the preparation of the floor for the laminate is precise.

How to level a concrete floor under a laminate

It can be equipped in apartments, the floors of which are made of reinforced concrete slabs... It allows you to get an almost perfectly flat surface. The leveling of the concrete floor is carried out in two main stages. Currently development building technologies really fast, and therefore today, instead of the traditional screed device, surface preparation and leveling is carried out using special mixtures called self-leveling floors. Despite this, the laying technologies have remained practically the same.

Instructions

Let's consider the process of preparing a floor for a laminate in more detail.

Stage one

At the first stage, a rough, so to speak, rough alignment is carried out. The mix applied at this stage makes up most of the thickness of the entire screed. To carry out this procedure, mixtures with large fractions of components are used. If there is peeling or weak concrete, cement or carpet glue, remnants of previous coatings on the floor surface, then they must be removed and the surface cleaned. Otherwise, the prepared floor will have air bubbles, which will significantly impair the adhesion of the base mixture and leveling mixtures.

The work on rough alignment itself is carried out as follows:

Mark the desired thickness of the screed using a level

The required thickness of the screed is marked along the perimeter of the prepared room, using a level.

Making bases for beacon rails

Slides are created concrete mortar... A system of lighthouse rails is installed on these slides according to the level.

Installation of lighthouse rails

After that, it is prepared cement mortar... It consists of seventy-five percent of sifted sand and twenty-five percent of M-400 grade cement. Using a drill, which is equipped with a special nozzle, the solution is mixed in a suitable clean container.

We mix the cement mortar for the screed

Please note that when preparing a self-leveling mixture, the dry component is poured into the water. We recommend using the prepared mixture immediately, as diluting the thickened mixture with water is unacceptable. We also recommend paying attention to the shelf life of the mixture intended for arranging the screed. It can be limited.

Focusing on the lighthouse slats, we fill the screed.

Pouring solution

After that, we level it, relying on the ends of the rule on the lighthouse rails.

Beacon alignment

When mixing and pouring cement mix air bubbles often form in it. They need to be removed. For this, the tie is rolled with a needle roller.

Needle roller for self-leveling floor

If the floors are from monolithic concrete, be aware that they are very absorbent. Therefore, such floors are recommended to be treated twice. To obtain a level surface, be sure to mark a horizontal level. The base is poured only after the installation of the beacons.

Stage two

After the rough leveling, the final leveling of the floor is carried out. To do this, the sub-layer must dry completely. Fine-grained mixtures are used for finishing leveling. These mixtures have a liquid consistency and are applied in extremely thin layers, spreading almost evenly over the floor surface and creating an almost perfectly smooth and even surface.

Finishing alignment concrete floor

Leveling wooden floors under laminate

Wooden base

Leveling old wooden floors is somewhat more laborious than leveling concrete floors. One solution is to completely remove the old wood flooring, but this process will be quite time consuming and costly. As a rule, in some places the boards protrude, in others, on the contrary, they sag. Read about here. Let's consider other methods.

Cycling

This method will not completely solve the problem, but if you need to quickly level the floor, it is quite acceptable. Scraping is carried out by means of a scraper and a hand scraper (in hard-to-reach places).

Scraping the wood floor

The scraper quickly cuts off the top layer of the wooden floor, and allows you to get a fairly even coating in a short period of time. As a rule of thumb, when scraping, no new coating is applied to the old floor; instead, the floor is covered with several coats of varnish on top.

Use of plywood and chipboard

This option is practically optimal and inexpensive. Chipboard or plywood is laid on the old wooden floor. The optimum thickness is twelve millimeters. For improvement thermal insulation properties We recommend placing under the layer of these materials. Since plywood or chipboard sheets are capable of sagging, you will need to equip a good, reliable system supports. Beacons are installed on self-tapping screws, logs are installed on beacons.

Self-tapping screws with a countersunk head are used to fix the plywood. This technology has one drawback - it will raise the floor. But this is not so scary, since the maximum lifting height is only three centimeters.

If the room has high ceilings, it is possible to use special floor systems equipped with adjustable joists. In this case, the floor can rise up to ten centimeters.

Laying of the polyethylene foam underlay under the laminate.

Now you know how to level the floor under the laminate. If you follow all the instructions in this article, you will get an excellent laminate flooring that will last a very long time.