Floors made of modern materials look beautiful, they are easy to clean and environmentally friendly. But when laying them, you should follow the basic rules. And the main one is leveling the base, which simply has to be strong and reliable. Take laminate flooring, for example - everyone wants to level the floor under the laminate quickly and cheaply.

We will warn you right away that it will not work very cheaply - the materials required for such work are not distinguished by low prices. But the speed and excellent quality of alignment will be guaranteed. Laminate flooring will turn out to be great. Naturally, provided that the base meets the necessary requirements.

What surfaces can the laminate be laid on - requirements for the base from the side of the laminate

The base under the laminate should not have large irregularities. A height difference of not more than 2.5 millimeters per meter (linear) of the base is allowed. To check this, they take a rail two meters long, a level or a rule, and measure in different directions. If the resulting result does not exceed 1.5 millimeters, then it is quite possible to do with the substrate - it will perfectly smooth out the existing error.

If the base often has large bulges and depressions, then it must be leveled very carefully. Otherwise, very soon, gaps and distortions will appear at the joints between the laminated boards. This will happen because when walking on an uneven floor, the joints of the lock type will not withstand the loads. Indeed, in the places of the depressions, the surface will be especially vulnerable, because there will be a void under the laminated coating. The bumps are also bad - with a sufficiently large load, they can push through the laminate layer, or the locks will disperse again.

Concrete base: leveling methods

If we have in front of us an ordinary rough concrete floor, then, to put it mildly, we cannot expect an ideal surface. After all, this, as a rule, is the seamy side of the smooth concrete slabs of the apartment ceiling from below. And the wrong side does not have to shine with beauty or smoothness. Well, let's take a look at how uneven our base is and choose a way to fix it accordingly. To do this, we list below all the methods of leveling a concrete floor that are most appropriate today.

Grinding - simple and cheap

If there is only a slight leveling of the surface, then it makes sense to grind it. You can do it yourself by renting a grinder, or you can entrust the repairmen with this business. If the room is small (for example, a nursery or an office), and there is very little work to be done, then the floor will be perfectly sanded with sandpaper - it will smooth out small irregularities. This is the simplest and most economical method, but it is only suitable for a more or less flat floor.

Self-leveling compound - fast and effective

If the base has bumps and depressions, the height differences of which are up to 5 millimeters, then grinding is no longer enough. In this case, you can apply the self-leveling floor technology. In this way, the leveling of the floor under the laminate with your own hands is done quickly, and the result is impressive. Therefore, even a fairly high price of the required materials is not a decisive factor. To make the procedure clear, we will consider in detail all the stages of work.

Step 1. The first step, of course, is to clean the premises. The floor must be clean, without the slightest traces of dust and debris, otherwise the necessary adhesion will not work.

Step 2. Now we will split off the large bumps and seal the gaps with tile adhesive - it is best suited for this purpose. However, if one is not at hand, it is quite possible to do with diluted cement.

Cracks in an old concrete base can be repaired with any suitable, inexpensive sealant.

Step 4. We dilute the self-leveling mixture according to the instructions. It is usually printed on the packaging. At the same time, first pour water into the container (about two-thirds of the volume), then gradually add the dry contents of the bag. To mix the solution, we will use a special mixer designed for construction work. Lumps of dry mix slowly begin to "melt", and the solution eventually changes its color. This means that its production has come to the stage of completion.

Step 5. As for the proportions, you will have to determine them empirically. By the way, it depends on whether we want to fill in a thick or thin layer for alignment. A mixture with a density of fifteen percent sour cream is suitable for obtaining a thin leveling layer - there is no need to talk about ideal smoothness in this case. However, such a base is quite suitable for a laminate, so there is no need to complicate anything - you can make a mixture of a similar consistency.

Stirring and preparing the mixture.

Step 6. Now carefully pour the prepared solution onto the base. If there is a point on the floor that is higher than the others, then we start with it - this will go faster.

And to help the solution spread over the entire floor at a good speed, we will help it with a spatula. After that, take a spiked plastic roller and roll it over the poured mixture, helping to align it and squeezing out the air that has got there from under it. So the floor will turn out smoother, and there will be no small holes from air bubbles on its surface.

Distribution of the mixture with a needle roller.

Step 7. Let's be patient and wait until the mixture sets well. It is not worth walking on the base in a day - several days should pass to strengthen it.

Video: Leveling the floor under parquet

Cement screed - a tribute to tradition

If the surface of the base is very problematic, then a good old screed made of sand and cement will help level the floor under the laminate. To do this, you can use either a ready-made dry mixture, or prepare it yourself. In the latter case, we take three times more sand than cement and prepare a solution. Just enough water is needed so that the mass in consistency is similar to fatty sour cream.

Step 1.With the help of a building level (laser or water), we measure out the necessary markings, according to which we put marks on the walls.

Step 2. Then we install special lighthouse rails on the floor. Please note that the floor must not be wet or dirty.

Step 3. Between the slats we put the mortar, leveling it using a special slat or rule (a special tool for leveling the mixture is called a rule).

An example of a screed on a model.

Step 4. When 2 hours have passed, you need to wipe the cement mixture using a wooden scraper. And after 24 hours, you can pull out the guide rails. In this case, the holes remaining after them must be covered with the same cement mortar, well smoothing the surface in these places.

Rubbing the screed surface.

Remember that such a screed dries for a long time to complete hardening - almost a month. More precisely, 28 days - this is how much time you will have to moisturize the base 2 times a day, protect it from the likelihood of a draft and cover it with a film. But such an alignment will cost very cheaply - cement with sand has low prices.

Keep in mind that for laying the laminate, such an indicator as the percentage of moisture in the sand-cement screed should be no higher than 5. Before laying the substrate on the concrete base, PVC film must be glazed for better waterproofing.

Video: How to make a floor screed

In what ways can a wooden floor be leveled

We use plywood or chipboard

Very often, removing old wooden flooring is a thankless and laborious task, absolutely not justifying itself. So why not just put a few plywood sheets or particle boards on top of an old wood floor?

Step 1. When leveling the wooden floor under the laminate in this way, there is no need to rush. Otherwise, you can later regret what you have done, finding cracks or crevices in the new floor. Therefore, you must first check whether the planks that make up the old floor are strong enough. Who knows - maybe they are already completely rotten or badly shaken and sagging. All problem boards must be replaced.

Step 2. Now you need to lay the plywood bars or strips that will serve us as a log for plywood or chipboard sheets. If you have the opportunity to raise the floor height by 40 - 50 mm, then it is best to use wooden blocks of 50/60 mm or 40/80 mm in size as logs. If it is not possible to raise the floor height to such a distance, then plywood strips 5 - 7 cm wide can be used as a lag.

Before laying the log, you need to find the highest place on the floor and start laying from it. You need to lay the logs perpendicular to the way the boards go on the floor.

We put the first log and in those places where it does not adhere to the floor we put chips, adjust it to the level and fasten it with self-tapping screws. The next log should be laid in parallel, at a distance of 40 - 50 cm and adjusted in level not only along it, but also in relation to the neighboring log.

After all the logs are laid, you need to lay the crossbars between them at a distance of 80 - 100 cm and also adjust them to the level.

Step 3. After laying all the logs, it's time to lay sheets of plywood or chipboard. Plywood for these needs is suitable with a thickness of at least 10 mm. You can cut sheets of plywood or chipboard as you like. Each laid sheet is screwed with self-tapping screws along the perimeter, along the log. In view of the poor environmental friendliness of non-laminated chipboard, it is best to cover it with paint after installation.

Try to lay the plywood sheets so that each edge rests on the logs.

Loop by machine

There is a hand tool called a cycle. With its help, you can level the base made of wood, scraping off its top layer, only this is a very long process. It will be much faster if you use a looping machine. The main thing is to try not to hit the knives of this machine on the nail in the floor - hammer in all the nails and screws deeper beforehand. To do this, take a doboinik and drown their hats.

With the help of a scraper, the top layer of the wood surface will be removed, and the result is a smooth floor, called a rough floor. We remove dust and debris from it - now you can lay the laminate.

But to carry out such a complex operation in order to then cover this floor with a substrate and a laminate, in my opinion, is not rational. Despite the fact that it is very difficult and even impossible to level a strongly curved floor in this way!

Video: How to put a laminate on an old floor