If you want to get stuck into the home decoration yourself, then laminate is perfect. Intelligent click connections make laminate easy to lay, even for the inexperienced.
Information is contained in the EPLF Technical Bulletin on laying. (LINK zum Verlegemerkblatt)
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 for acclimatization 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 properly.
The substrate
Generally speaking, all sub-floor surfaces suitable for the laying of floor coverings are suitable for the installation of floating laminate floor coverings, e.g. all types of screed or cast plaster floor including heated sub-floors, particle board substructures, slab-type constructions, wooden flooring, as well as existing hard floorings such as tile, stone slab or plastic floor coverings, etc. The most important factor when laying a laminate floor is the condition of the substrate: It must be conducive to the proper processing and installation of laminate floor coverings according to the producer’s laying instructions.
Get more information in our EPLF bulletins
Learn more: EPLF® Installation of Laminate Floorcoverings
Learn more: EPLF® Underlays
The right laminate for every room
With the appropriate equipment, low-maintenance, robust laminate floors are suitable for all living and working areas, and they also have new applications in commercial and office spaces and doctors' surgeries. Manufacturers are also able to offer floorboards with integrated sound insulation and useful additional features: These include anti-static surfaces, increased protection against micro-scratches using electron-beam technology and special anti-slip surfaces for use in entrance areas and workspaces. Innovative moisture-protection devices allow laminate flooring to be laid in bathrooms and kitchens: A special board formulation and a corresponding impregnation of the top layer reduce swelling, whilst the edges receive a special sealant for protection purposes. Finally, patented locking methods ensure that the joints are securely locked. Thus, laminate flooring can be employed as a warmer alternative to traditional tiling.
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.
Learn more: EPLF® Installation of Laminate Floor Coverings
