The floor is an integral interior attribute. Vinyl laminate is particularly popular among many diverse floor coverings. On the peculiarities and varieties of material, the nuances of its installation and will be discussed in our article.

Characteristics of the coating

Vinyl laminate (in the photo) is a material consisting of two layers:

• external;
• internal.

The outer layer consists of polyurethane and aluminum oxide. It serves as the basis for applying various patterns or patterns imitating natural materials (stone, wood).

For the manufacture of the inner layer, high-quality vinyl is used, which is the key to the maximum possible operational period of the coating.

Both layers are made in such a way that each side has a protrusion with a width of 25.4 mm. These protrusions are covered with adhesive composition. This adhesive strip is a good basis for connecting adjacent vinyl tiles.

Thanks to the unique properties of vinyl laminate, it is used in different premises: offices and residential buildings, children's and medical institutions.

The main technical characteristics of outdoor vinyl laminate include:

1. Strength. Thanks to the protective polyurethane film, there are no traces of heavy furniture and random scratches from heels or female studs do not appear on the material.
2. Solid service life. In the offices, he will last 10 years, and in the residential premises - up to 25 years. With normal care, the operating period can increase significantly.
3. Excellent moisture resistance. Installation of vinyl laminate can be carried out in rooms in which a large level of humidity.
4. Ecology. Vinyl floor covering is harmless to humans. It can be laid in the residential rooms, since the coating does not secrete toxic substances.
5. Good sound insulation and thermal insulation qualities. When severely, a strong sound is not published on the coating. When installing vinyl laminate on a concrete tie, you can easily walk barefoot without any problems.
6. Simplicity of transportation and installation. For flooring, special tools and special skills will not need. And if the vinyl laminate is not high-quality enough, he is uncomplicated without any problems and is reinstalled.

The process of laying the laminate can be carried out on the old flooring. Moreover, in this case, you do not need to do the surface alignment or a device of a concrete screed. Due to the elasticity of vinyl, he smoothes all the irregularities of the old floor (even with surface drops by 4 cm).

Types of vinyl laminate

Depending on the characteristics of the structure, the vinyl laminate is divided into three types:

• self-adhesive;
• with a lock;
• rolled glue.

Self-adhesive vinyl laminate tile is a floor covering, which is made in the form of rectangles or squares of various sizes. The inner part of the material consists of a adhesive base, which is additionally protected by the film. Self-adhesive laminate is the perfect solution for self-installation. The only nuance is that the base is clean.

The main element of the vinyl laminate with the lock is the tape tape. Thanks to it, there is a connection of panels without joints. Installation of the floor covering does not provide its gluing to the base. Laying material is based on floating technology.

It is more complicated and significantly more expensive to engage in the installation of adhesive vinyl laminate. It is sold in the form of stripes having a small width and rolled into a roll. For these purposes, it is necessary to purchase special glue, which is applied to the entire surface of the base. After that, the laminate is glued to the floor.

Depending on the scope of use, vinyl laminate is divided into:

1. Domestic. It has a thin protective coating and is used in residential rooms with a small patency.
2. Commercial. It has sufficient thickness for use in rooms characterized by high permeability. The operating period reaches 10 years.
3. Special. Withstands maximum loads and is used in public buildings and sports complexes. The minimum service life is 15 years.

Selection of material

Now there are many firms manufacturers of vinyl laminate. Among the variety of products, two types of flooring are distinguished:

• vinilam;
• fine Floor.

Vinilam vinyl laminate

Vinilam vinyl laminate, for the manufacture of which the quartz crumb is applied, is one of the most popular flooring. The secret of the demand of the material lies in high wear resistance (43th grade) and moisture resistance (reaches almost 100%).

Thanks to this characteristics, this laminate can be laid in any rooms:

• offices;
• trading halls;
• cafes and restaurants;
• children's and public institutions;
• residential buildings and apartments.

Naturally, the price of the floor covering Vinilam is above the value of ordinary laminate. But the material will fully justify itself, because it will last for several years more.

In addition to excellent moisture-repellent properties and wear resistance, Vinilam quartz laminate is characterized by:

• attractive appearance;
• magnificent heat-insulating and noise absorbing qualities;
• a variety of colors and shades;
• the preservation of the initial type during the operation of the coating;
• the possibility of dismantling if necessary.

Thanks to the unique properties, the warranty period for Vinilam vinyl laminate may exceed 25 years.

Vinyl Laminate Fine Floor

The Fine Floor vinyl laminate also relates to a demanding floor covering. It is a material consisting of several layers.

Each layer has its purpose:

1. The first two layers are processed by ultraviolet rays. Due to this, the material becomes an impossible burnout and appearance of spots.
2. The raw material for the third layer is polyvinyl chloride, which protects the floor covering from premature wear.
3. Next, the decorative layer is located, which creates a certain structure of the material (stone, wood, tile).
4. A layer consisting of optical fiber improves attractive features of the decorative coating and enhances the sound insulation properties of the coating.
5. The double glass layer does not allow deformation changes of the material and ensures its optimal flexibility.
6. Due to quartz sand and fiberglass flooring can be mounted on a warm floor.
7. Next there is another layer of reinforcing glass.
8. Vinyl is the last layer of Fine Floor laminate.

As for the technical characteristics of the FINE FLOOR cover, they are practically similar to Vinilam laminate. Panels are easily cut and connected without seams.

Preparatory stage

There are a number of requirements that should be followed before installing vinyl laminate. These include:

• outdoor coating should adapt to the conditions in the room where it will be laid;
• installation work is carried out at a temperature of at least + 15ºС and air humidity not more than 60%;
• when laying a laminate for a warm floor, the heating system is turned off for 4-5 days before the start of installation and turns on only after 6-7 days after the finish coating flooring.

Packaging with vinyl laminate is entered into the room and are not unpackled. If the material transportation was carried out at a temperature of less + 10ºС, then its installation is performed only after 2-3 days. Otherwise, installation work can be carried out after 24 hours.

For high-quality laying of vinyl laminate, it is necessary that the air temperature is within + 15 ° C - + 26ºС within 24 hours before the installation work and the same time segment after their conduct.

Special attention is paid to the preparation of the foundation. It is necessarily cleaned of garbage and dust. The surface should be dry regardless of the type of base. This is especially true when using adhesive vinyl laminate.

The humidity of the floor surface should not exceed 5%. This is due to the fact that Vinyl delays moisture. What is fraught with the destruction of glue in excess moisture content under flooring. And this after some time will lead to the dugout of the laminate.

To measure the humidity of the floor, you should use the hygrometer. In the absence of the device, a polyethylene film is taken with a size of 1 * 1 m, stacked on the base and attached to it with scotch. A day later, the optimal surface humidity is checked. If the inner surface was covered with condensate, then the humidity is higher than the norm.

Alignment of the base is made depending on the variety of vinyl laminate. If adhesive flooring is used, the surface should be aligned to the maximum. Otherwise, all existing defects can leave the mark on the laminate.

If you plan to install a castle vinyl laminate, just to close the deep cracks with a putty or cement mortar.

Installation of floor covering

Now directly to how to lay vinyl laminate. Consider the nuances of mounting both lock and adhesive material.

Laminate flooring with lock

When laying a locking coating, no surface markup is required. Work begins with far from the corner. The distance from the wall to the material should be in the range of 5-6 mm.

The following sequential steps are performed:

• the first panel is taken and the adhesive tape is cut on one side;
• the panel is placed in such a way that the cut side is pointing to the wall;
• the other side of the laminate will be shrinking with the following number of material;
• the first panel of the second row with a sharp knife is shortened by 1/3 part of the length;
• she will begin the second series;
• further stacked material size;
• the panel of each subsequent row is stacked in a checker order.

The process of connecting panels itself is not difficult. After removing the protective film from the end part, the panel is rolling into the groove of the adjacent panel. A reliable docking of the laminate castle is provided with a slight rusting of the rubber image. If something went wrong when the panels are connected, then there is a possibility of heating adhesive tape. This uses a typical hairdryer.

Laying of adhesive coating

The procedure for gluing vinyl laminate is largely reminded linoleum laying and provides:

• surface markup;
• applying glue;
• laying tile;
• elimination of obtained defects;
• removal of excess glue;
• seeing the coating.

To facilitate the work, it is recommended to determine the central point of the floor. After that, the entire area is divided into four equal parts, and the installation of the laminate begins with the center of the room. For gluing flooring, use the dispersion or acrylic glue. Application of the composition is carried out using a toothed spatula.

Laying the laminated tile is carried out towards itself. The junctions are adjusted immediately until the hypothesis of glue. After filling out the entire surface, the presence of defects that lightly be eliminated are checked. Otherwise, the service life of the laminate will significantly decrease. Excess glue is cleaned with a wet rag.

Floor washing is carried out after a day. It is recommended to engage in the installation of furniture and other items in 2-3 days.

Video on the installation of vinyl laminate: