DIY diagonal laying of laminate, instructions

There is an opinion that laying laminate can only be done horizontally or vertically. This is a fundamentally wrong approach - there are other installation methods that allow you to add variety to the design of the room and achieve interesting visual effects. One of these methods is diagonal laying of laminate flooring.

Laying laminate diagonally

If you follow the instructions, the laminate is laid strictly vertically or horizontally. This is a standardized approach, which in geometrically complex rooms can even create additional difficulties.

You can add sophistication to the design by laying the laminate diagonally. This method does not in any way affect the service life of the coating or its reliability, but the room acquires a certain style, and in a situation where the room has rounded walls, protrusions and other geometric elements, the diagonal type of installation is much better suited.

Important! With the horizontal/vertical installation method, the coating lies parallel to the wall. Diagonal laying requires an angle of 30-45°. It is determined depending on the wishes of the owner and the geometric specifics of the room.

This installation method allows you to create the effect of increasing space. An interesting solution from a design point of view would be to use lamellas of different shades, which will visually increase the coverage area, focusing attention on the corner parts - for this, lamellas of a darker color are selected in the corners.

Laying the underlay

Underlay for laminated floors.

Its thickness should be no more than 4 mm. There is no need to make the backing thicker, as this will again affect the wear resistance of the locks. Nowadays there are plenty of materials to choose from for the substrate. The cheapest are substrates made of polyethylene (penofol, isolon, etc.).

Cork bases are the most environmentally friendly, but they are also the most expensive. Extruded polystyrene foam is also used, which is rectangular sheets with a corrugated side.

The choice of substrates is rich and is constantly updated with new types of materials. The service life of such a substrate (from any specified material) is significantly longer than that of a laminate. You can choose any variety based on its cost.

When laying the laminate on a concrete base, a waterproofing layer is placed under the substrate. To do this, use ordinary polyethylene with a thickness of 0.2 mm or a similar film.

The laminate must be left for at least 48 hours before use in order to adapt to the room conditions. It is better to carry out installation based on where the light falls in the room. If laid crosswise, the joints begin to cast a shadow and become even more noticeable, distorting the integrity of perception.

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Methods for laying laminate flooring require different options for attaching the dies.

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Pros and cons of diagonal laminate laying

Laying the laminate diagonally is best suited when the room uses a minimum of furniture. This method allows for the possibility of varying the nature of the drawing, allowing you to create real masterpieces.

The disadvantage of this method is the increased consumption of material, as well as high labor intensity, which leads to increased costs for layers if the process is not carried out independently.

However, the installation process using a diagonal method is not much more difficult than the horizontal one. For this reason, it is quite possible to handle the installation yourself.

Two diagonal laying patterns

There are two ways to lay laminate diagonally: from the central axis of the room sequentially in both directions to the corners or from the far corner of the room through the center of the room to the opposite corner.

To work you will need:

Jigsaw or hacksaw.
Knife for opening packages.
A steel bracket that allows you to fit the end of the last panel in a row. Without a bracket this will be very difficult.
Plastic wedges. They are needed to maintain the distance between the panels and the walls.
Roulette.
Square.
Mallet and die (for Lock locks).
Pencil.

Choosing a laying angle

For diagonal laying, it is customary to start from an angle of 45° - this angle will allow you to use almost all sawn-off pieces of laminate during installation. There will be much less waste. However, there are times when the configuration of the room will dictate a different angle. Please note that an angle less than 30° will look bad. Acceptable angle sizes range from 30 to 45°.

Advice. Laying the laminate diagonally must be done with an assistant; it will be very difficult to do it alone.

From the center

With any installation method, work begins with installing plastic wedges around the perimeter of the room, which will remind you of the required distance between the flooring and the walls.

First, the first row of entire panels is assembled along the central diagonal axis of the room. The length of the last two pieces of laminate that will adjoin opposite walls in this row is measured from the end of the last intact panel to the plastic wedge. Save the remaining sections - they will fit on the other side of the row, and you will not need to saw the whole panel.

When the central row is laid, installation continues from it, first towards one corner, then the other. With an assistant, you can work in two directions simultaneously.

To install laminate in outer corners, you will need to mark three or more points on the panel. It’s more convenient to make a template and use it to saw off the panel to size. A piece of laminate cardboard packaging is perfect for a template. Or you can lay the coating tangentially to this outer corner.

Important! Laminate panels with a Click connection are inserted into the laid panels at a 45° angle, lowered and clicked into place. Before starting work, carefully check the possibility of laying the purchased model according to the “from the center” pattern. If the model you choose can only be laid in one direction, work will have to start from the corner.

After installation is completed, the plastic wedges are removed and the plinth is attached to the wall. Remember that laminate flooring is a “floating floor” and cannot be rigidly fixed. One more tip. Lay out the pieces remaining after cutting and try to use them in your work. Then even a 10% reserve will seem excessive to you.

From the corner

It is recommended to start laying from the corner with one whole panel. Both end sides are cut to the selected angle. The first whole panel (we consider it whole, it only has the ends trimmed) will set the direction for the entire floor.

Next, the installation continues towards the center of the room. We’ll leave the remaining corner for now; we’ll return to it later, using the remaining pieces of laminate.

To lay the laminate around the pipes, the panel is cut at an angle where the pipes pass, and cutouts are made in it using a drill to fit the pipes. It's even easier to make cutouts at the junction of two panels.

Laying the next row begins alternately with a whole panel or with half a panel if the floor covering is laid in a checkerboard pattern. When laying with an offset of a third of the board, the row begins with a whole board, the next one with a board 2/3 of the length, then a row with a panel 1/3 of the length. Then again the row starts with the whole panel. Both methods will not only make the coating neat and beautiful, but also increase its strength.

Important! Entire panels of one row are fastened at the ends. The length of the last two pieces of laminate that will adjoin opposite walls in this row is measured from the end of the last intact panel to the plastic wedge. Save the remaining sections - they will fit on the other side of the row, and you will not need to saw the whole panel.

You should be very careful to follow the direction of the tenon and groove in the row and in the panel you are going to cut. As the famous character of everyone’s favorite comedy movie said: “There’s no need to rush!” True, there they were talking about the return of a full-fledged member to society, and here - about the “fate” of one panel.

When the outer pieces for the next row are cut off, the entire already assembled row is removed from the connection with the adjacent one, completely assembled and only then finally fixed in the lock. It is for laying a long row that you will need the help of an assistant.

To cut panels intended for laying in the inner corners of the room, you will need to mark three points of the triangle. It’s more convenient to make a template and saw off the panel using it. A piece of laminate cardboard packaging is perfect for a template.

The main advantages and disadvantages of laying laminate flooring diagonally

Pros:

Suitable for rooms with complex geometry;
Allows you to visually increase the space;
A winning option with minimal furnishings;
Becomes a decoration of the interior of the room;
Suitable for continuous floor finishing with lamellas, without joints or thresholds.

Interesting: modern designers use this type of installation to zone a room. This can be achieved by combining different textures and colors of slats in a given room.

Minuses

Increase in consumables. This method requires an average increase in material consumption of 15%, compared to horizontal or vertical laying of lamellas.
If specialists are hired for installation, they will demand a large payment for such work.

Across

This option is suitable for long narrow rooms. If you lay the slats across, you can visually expand and shorten it.

A laminate with chamfers is suitable for this; it will beautifully and effectively highlight the joints between the planks and add volume to the floor.

Cross laying should also be used if dictated by the furniture layout.

The disadvantage of this type of lamella arrangement is that the consumption of the required material increases by approximately 15%. This occurs due to an increase in the number of prunings, and consequently, waste.

Laying laminate diagonally with your own hands

You can install laminate flooring yourself using this method. The technique is practically no different from the usual laying of laminate, but requires compliance with certain features. By following them, you can save money by doing all the work yourself.

Material stock

Before you begin preparation and installation, you need to make sure there is a sufficient amount of laminate. The principle of laying using the diagonal method is similar to the horizontal one, but the outer panels will be trimmed on both sides of the row, and the cuts will be triangular.

Due to geometric features, the diagonal laying method requires increased laminate consumption. The required amount is calculated in a fairly simple way - take the area of the room for standard installation and add 15% additional material.

For those new to styling, it is recommended to use this surcharge, although for experienced professionals it can be as little as 5%.

If you plan to use an angle of less than 45°, then there will be even more waste, which means increased material consumption. For this reason, 45° is the optimal laying angle.

Surface preparation

The preparation process for laying laminate diagonally is normal. The most important thing is a perfectly leveled floor. It is mandatory to use a substrate under the laminate, which performs many important functions, including smoothing out height differences, sound and heat insulation.

Important! The substrate allows you to smooth out mini-differences. Its presence does not mean refusal to level the floor and fill the screed.

The surface must be thoroughly cleaned of debris and moisture is not allowed. Otherwise, there is a high chance that the laminate will deform in the very near future.

Laying from the corner

This is the most commonly used installation method. It is best to place the long side of the lamella in the direction of the sun's rays falling through the window. In this case, the joints become less noticeable. The cuts behind the walls are covered with plinths.

The initial rows will consist of a trimmed trapezoidal board, the upper side of which is equal to the side of the trapezoid of the previous lamella in the row.

There are a number of tricks to keep in mind when using this method:

To create a uniform cutting angle, you should make a single template according to which the lamellas will be cut;
If there is more than one lamella in a row, it is necessary to cut off a small triangle at the first lamella on the left;
Assembly is carried out along the short ends, after which the row is connected to the already laid laminate;
During the installation process, you need to tap on the short ends to compact it, but this must be done carefully - they are much more fragile than the long side;
The last row with this type of installation is formed by cutting the lamella to the format of a small triangle.

The rest of the installation process is standard.

The sequence of laying laminate of the indicated varieties

Laminate laying technology.

Laying the laminate begins from the left corner of the room. Before laying, you need to measure the width of the room and calculate how wide the last row will be. This is necessary so that when laying out the last row there is no gap of 2-3 cm along the wall. It will not be possible to cover it with a plinth, and making a thin strip of laminate is very problematic.