Laying laminate flooring can be done if desired by any property owner with a minimum of building skills. To do this, it is enough to familiarize yourself with the installation technology of this floor covering and have some free time. You also need to know what kind of do-it-yourself laminate laying tool is required in order to do the job efficiently.
Preparing Consumables
In addition to the fact that you need a set of tools for laminate flooring, you need to purchase building materials.
Among them:
- film for waterproofing;
- masking tape (to limit the jigsaw);
- regular tape any color for gluing the joints of the substrate, with its help prevent the material from slipping during the installation of the laminate;
- substrate under the floor covering, which will eliminate small irregularities of the screed and perform the function of a heater;
- silicone sealant, capable of filling small defects in the concrete surface, such as cracks and crevices;
- leveling mixture, which is necessary to eliminate pronounced flaws on the basis of the floor structure.
If you have materials for laying the flooring, you can begin to select the tools necessary for installing the laminate. Some of them are already at home, others can be searched from friends and relatives, and others need to be bought.
List of required tools
Most of the tools that will be needed to repair the floor are used by home craftsmen in everyday life. The rest can be purchased as a set or separately.
The main tool is considered to be an electric jigsaw, shown in the photo, with a power of at least 500 watts. It is advisable to choose products from a well-known manufacturer in the middle price category. You should not purchase a model that is too cheap, as it will quickly become unusable due to its inability to withstand the load. In the event of a jigsaw breakdown, work will have to be stopped until a new tool is purchased.
Basic set of tools for laying laminate flooring, which should be available:
- Hammer or mallet. Needed for fitting and making an accurate connection of floor planks. With the help of a hammer, both the snapping of individual boards and their padding are performed. reverse side With this tool, you can easily insert the last row of slats.
- Roulette 5 meters. The main thing is that the sealed iron end stays firmly on it. It is used during the preparatory work for accurate measurement of floor area.
- Stationery knife . In the process of work, it will be required to open packages with building materials. They are cutting the substrate. Truth, modern material breaks easily along special lines.
- simple pencil. It is desirable that it be with a soft lead. With it, mark the laminated coating. In case of an error, a thin mark can be easily removed.
- Square (25-30 centimeters). Used for marking materials.
- Hacksaw (jigsaw). Used in the process of cutting and sawing dies. A hacksaw with a wide blade with fine teeth will certainly be required if there is no gap between the base of the floor surface and bottom door frame. Alternatively, you can use a grinder, but it is not easy to make an accurate cut with it, especially for a non-professional.
- Protractor or goniometer. It may be necessary in the case when it is decided to lay the laminate diagonally. You need to set it to an angle equal to 90 degrees, and mark the lines along which the elements will be trimmed.
- Finisher for laminate. This toolkit is needed for the final padding of the panel.
- Drill. Can be manual or electric. It is used, if necessary, to make a hole for self-tapping screws when arranging a screed from plywood sheets. Also, a drill will be required to prepare the base for the installation of flooring.
In addition to the above tool, you will need the following additional (auxiliary) tools:
- Clamp for laminate (metal bracket).
- Restrictive wedges.
- Knockout bar.
- Feather drills.
Clamp for laminate
With its help, padding of the extreme laminated boards mounted along the walls of the room is carried out. A laminate clamp is used to evenly distribute impacts along the entire length of the coating. The clamp is a curved plate. To provide efficient work, its thickness should be at least 5 millimeters. At the ends metal plate there are folds located in different directions at a right angle. One end of the brace is wider than the other.
For tamping, you will need to make some effort and therefore it will be difficult to do without a hammer. Laminate laying bracket helps to keep the edge of the boards intact. The clamp can be made by hand. Its wide end is applied to the end part of the lamella, and the narrow end is beaten with a hammer.
Restriction wedges
Needed to lay planks near the walls. With their help, it will be easy to provide a gap of 8-12 millimeters. This distance is necessary when expanding the floor tiles as a result of changes in temperature and air humidity in the off-season. The created gap gives the planks some freedom, as a result of which the floor covering does not warp.
Laminate wedges are removed after installation is completed. By the way, the gaps are not visible on the finished floor, they will be covered with skirting boards.
tamping block
As the name implies, its main function is to tamp each die. It helps to clearly join the boards to each other. Thanks to its use, all locking connections remain intact and undamaged.
A tamping bar for laminate is made not only from wood, but also from plastic. In order for it to serve for a long time, when buying it, you should pay attention to the cost of the product and quality. The bar should weigh approximately 1.5 kilograms. When tamping, you need to ensure that the edge applied to the board is even. In the event that the surface of the bar is even slightly damaged, it must be replaced.
If there is no tamping block available, do not use a laminate hammer. You can solve the problem with the help of an unnecessary segment from the bar. It is necessary to dock the locks and carefully knock out the die. The effect of applying the segment will be similar to that of the bar.
Fountain drills
They are used for precise and accurate drilling in the manufacture of holes in the laminate for heating drains or laying other utilities, including plumbing. Holes must be made 4-6 millimeters larger than the cross section of the laid pipes.
Thus, almost all auxiliary tools required for laminate installation can be easily replaced by a more convenient and not so expensive analogue that does not affect the quality of assembly work.
Using new tools
Most of the modern instrument that has recently appeared on the domestic construction market, recommend the use of the engineers of the German company "Wolfcraft":
- Floor Cutting Machine PVC boards . It provides silent cutting of panels without generation of dust. Therefore, when cutting lamellas, you will not need to use a hacksaw or jigsaw. The cut is made at an angle of 90 degrees. Design feature application of this device lies in its ease of use, since special efforts no need to apply. This is possible due to the special structure of the machine blade.
- Square with automatic angle division. Such a device allows you to quickly and effortlessly measure the angle of the adjoining walls and easily transfer the measurement result to the laminate board. The working scale of such squares begins with a 30-degree mark.
- Cover marking template. Helps to very quickly mark the place of the cut of the last row. An analogue of such a tool can be found among everyday items.
- Contour for applying curves and lamella shapes. The device is necessary for quick marking of cut lines. It easily copes with the display of shapes and then applying them to the laminate for further cutting, for example, a semicircle under engineering Communication or decorative elements. Through the use of an outline, it is possible to combine the design of different templates.
This article provides information on what tools are needed for laying laminate flooring and what kind of work they are needed for. Will be in the hands of a home craftsman basic set tool or somewhat advanced, this will not affect the quality of the work. For example, the cut result is not affected by what it will be done with - a hacksaw or a jigsaw. This nuance will only affect the timing of the work.
The complex of works on the device of a high-quality floor includes not only compliance with the technology and the choice of material, but also the right tool for laying the laminate, which does not allow it to be damaged.
This set includes devices that do not require prior professional training. Someone who is used to doing repairs with their own hands or a neighbor has them. You will need to purchase / manufacture 1 or 2 specific positions that are used to lay exactly the floor.
What to use at work
Special tools for laying laminate flooring are selected from a minimum simple options (manual application) to professional electrical equipment that allows you to work quickly and accurately. In any case, both will be applicable to laying panels and will affect the speed rather than the quality of the flooring.
The minimum required set of tools for laying a laminate with your own hands looks like this:
Additionally, the following items may be required:
- drill, “feather” drills for punctures in the board for pipelines or other communications (Ø 5 mm more than the pipe);
- contour copying bends and shapes;
- laminate marking template (allows you to quickly and accurately draw a line along the panel profile).
The size marking is applied with a construction pencil or marker. You can take an ordinary soft pencil - it all depends on the experience of making an accurate cut along the marking line.
Independent decision-making, which tools are needed for laying laminate flooring, is possible in the direction of expanding the list. Failure to use, for example, a sidewall will result in damage to the material (even from a single blow), and the absence of spacers will lead to a weakened supporting structure.
Percussion instrument
The rubber tip of the mallet softens blows without damaging the coating. The mallet leads the laminate tool for good reason - she will have to work hard and thoroughly. It is needed when fitting and ensuring a tight fit of the docking joints.
You can’t take the first metal hammer that comes across for the following reasons:
- The weight. Impact with a heavy object can cause deformation of the lock profile or edge.
- Square. Wooden mallets are specially made to have a large footprint, which reduces the chance of nicks and dents. The use of narrow metal counterparts is carried out to obtain the maximum effect at the point of contact.
- Hardness. There is a significant difference in this parameter between the wood of a slab and iron. Chips will quickly appear on the tree under impact. In this case, splitting can scratch the laid material. The mallet is covered with rubber to prevent such situations.
Direct blows to the locks are prohibited, even with a rubber mallet. In the absence of a bar, a joint is knocked out through a gasket comparable in density to a laminate. You can take an unnecessary piece of the same board.
Saw
In this case, it is necessary to decide which tool to use, based on the capabilities and planned scope of work. For the long term, it's wise to have your professional laminate laying tool handy.
A hand saw is taken with a blade having fine teeth. Special saws for electric jigsaws have their own markings showing the type of material being processed.
Working as an angle grinder requires experience and skills in cutting laminated multilayer panels in order to get a smooth edge of the cut fragment
With high speed, practically without crumb formation, the cross-section of the lamella is made on a floor panel cutting machine. The specially shaped blade allows you to cut workpieces to size without much effort with one hand. The only drawback is that it cannot be dissolved floorboard along the longitudinal axis (last sheet). Full Review tools for laying the coating, see this video:
measurements
The measuring tool is included in general purpose laminate flooring fixtures. To draw straight lines you will need:
- tape measure with a measurement limit of up to 5 m;
- 90° elbow, ruler length 30 cm;
- protractor (put off sharp corners if necessary).
A universal assistant when laying laminate in a diagonal way is a square with automatic corner division.
Its range starts from 30° and makes it possible to quickly measure and transfer the angle of adjacent surfaces to the workpiece to be marked.
Clamp
To tamp the last piece of flooring into tight engagement, you need a bracket for laying the laminate. It is permissible to make it with your own hands.
The strip of metal is bent at 90° on both edges. The thickness of 5 mm ensures the rigidity of the product (it will have to be knocked on). One side (wider) hooks the edge of the board, and the narrow opposite end is hit with a mallet to fit the joint.
The design of the clamp differs in that it consists of 2 moving parts - you can adjust the width of the gripping jaws. For a detailed overview of the clamps, see this video:
This technique is needed when it is not possible to deliver direct blows to the sidewall due to the presence of a wall.
Padding
The most wearable styling fixture is made of wood or plastic.
The density of the material must be equal to or slightly less than the laminate being laid (to avoid damage).
Weight about 1.5 kg. The plane of contact lying on interlock connection, even and of sufficient size.
Damaged, out of shape bar should be replaced.
Gap exposure
The technological space between the wall and the floor, left for the thermal expansion of the structure, makes it possible to maintain the wedges for laying the laminate in a given size, which are subsequently closed with a plinth.
The size of the gap depends on the width of the room and is in the range of 0.8 - 1.2 cm. It is the observance of this requirement that is the beginning, end of work and the key to a long service life of the flooring.
The quality of a laminate coating depends on many factors, one of which is correct handling tiles during installation. Despite the external simplicity of the technology, to assemble the floor covering with bare hands almost impossible, so the work will require a simple and handy tool for laying laminate flooring, only in this case it is possible to obtain even, almost invisible seams and a smooth, like a table, surface of the coating.
How to choose the right set of standard tools for laying laminate flooring
In the process of installing a floor covering, you have to perform several basic operations:
- Measuring and marking the length of laminate boards. In addition, it will be necessary to correctly mark the cut lines, strictly maintaining their perpendicularity to the side faces;
- Cutting material into precisely measured pieces. In addition to linear cuts, it is necessary to cut fillets or internal arcs, for example, to bypass heating pipes;
- Fixing a cut-out slab or lamella in a precisely defined position, if necessary, knocking out and sealing the joints in the laminate locks.
All of these operations are almost impossible to perform with one tool. Even if you try to mark, cut and lay the laminate flooring using some universal Chinese hand saw, with a ruler and a square applied to the canvas, there is not much point in such an organization of labor, since each operation must be performed by your own specialized tool or fixture. This is the only way to achieve good accuracy and quality.
Advice! In addition, when laying laminate tiles, you have to perform a large number of typical operations, so it is best to use a laminate laying kit, otherwise, after a couple of hours of work, your hands will simply “fall off” due to an uncomfortable tool.
You can choose a standard set for laying laminate flooring, which are offered in sufficient quantities by building supermarkets and firms, but it is more important to understand what tools are needed for laying laminate flooring in order to choose the most optimal and convenient option.
Simple tool kit
The minimum list of tools required for laminate installation depends on how complex the laying pattern is planned to be chosen. For the simplest laying option, without corner and parquet dressings, a set for laying laminate from eight tools is suitable:
- Linear and curly cutting laminate;
- Measurer and marking tools - a tape measure with a tape length of at least three meters, a carpenter's corner and a steel locksmith's ruler of a meter length;
- Carpenter's wooden mallet with a rectangular block of soft wood;
- Set of wedges and mounting clamp;
- Building level.
Note! If the laying of the laminate flooring is being done for the first time, or if there are walls with a large number of transitions and niches in the repaired room, there are outlets for water heating pipes, it makes sense to purchase a laminate repair kit.
It includes wax crayons in different colors and a heating device. If it is necessary to restore a damaged laminated surface of the coating, it is enough to heat up the wax and fill it with a chip or scratch.
Fixtures and tools for measuring laminate
At the first stages of laying the floor covering, the laminate slab and the laying place have to be measured many times before a certain skill and eye is developed. Pre-measurement of long laminates is done with a tape measure. More accurate marking in size for cutting must be done using a steel ruler and a joiner's corner.
The same tools are used to mark the cutting line. Initially, the exact distance is measured with a steel ruler applied to the edge of the lamella. Further, without tearing off the tool, a corner is applied to the steel ruler, and a cutting line is drawn, taking into account the width of the cut.
Tools for cutting laminate
Most often, the cutting of the laminate coating is performed with an electric jigsaw or a cutting nozzle for an electric drill. Blades for cutting wood are chosen for cutting the fiber material of the laminate, but some craftsmen recommend using fine-toothed titanium tools designed for cutting metal. In this case, the cut is smaller, and the quality of the end face of the cut laminate is much higher. The cutting of the laminate is performed at the maximum rotational speed of the power tool. So it turns out faster, and the quality of the cut is higher.
For some models of electric jigsaws, a device is attached in the form of a guide of two aluminum strips. A simple device allows you to cut along the line as evenly as possible. But even in this case, the edge has to be sharpened with a bar stuffed with emery cloth in order to remove traces from the blade and make the butt as smooth as possible.
Before cutting the laminate with a tool, the cut line is sealed with transparent tape. This avoids the lifting of the fibers and the edge of the laminated layer.
The best option for a cutter for laminated boards is considered to be a swing cutter, as in the photo. Except High Quality and accuracy of the cut, when the cutting edge of the tool moves, the edge of the plate is pressed in a specific way, which significantly improves the resistance of the laminate joints to scuffing.
Can be used hand saw with a fine tooth and a blade length of at least 50 cm, but only on condition that there are skills in working with a tool in cutting fiber plates. Considering the fact that when laying you have to cut the laminate dozens of times, it is still better to use an electric tool that significantly reduces physical stress.
Laminate leveling tool
In addition to marking and cutting laminate sheets, when laying the material, tools are used to align joints and control horizontal coverage. Often, masters neglect the use of the building level, motivating their decision by the fact that the horizon was made when preparing the base for laying the laminate. In practice, the joints and locks between individual slabs may not fully snap into place, and after a while the junction of the two pieces may rise slightly. Visually, such a defect can not always be seen, and the building level will immediately show a violation.
In this case, you need to lay a wooden block on the joint and gently tap the entire length of the seam with a carpenter's hammer - a mallet. In a similar way, the joint is knocked out in the horizontal direction. Laminate installation kits usually include rubber installation hammers, but many experts believe that wooden version more convenient to use and at the same time allows you to more accurately dose the impact on the surface of the bar.
Of course, it is impossible to hit the joint directly with a mallet or rubber mallet, without using a bar, this method leads to local destruction of the edge of the laminate. Often work surface a wooden block is stuffed with leather tape or a piece of linoleum to soften the transmitted force.
For installation, a bar 20-25 cm long is used; the use of long planks for tamping does not make sense, since they are ineffective. In some cases, for example, when laying a laminate, when the distance to the opposite wall becomes so small that it is simply not possible to hit with a mallet, it is applied T-tool from two bars connected by a transverse bar.
Before laying the laminate flooring around the perimeter, lay out plastic wedges or beveled wooden bars. This is done in order to fix the gap between the wall and the laminate when laying. The presence of such a gap allows the coating to expand with changes in temperature and humidity in the room.
Laying laminate is within the power of not only masters in the field of repair, but also for beginners. The very design of this type of material involves simple and quick installation using snap-locks or a thorn-groove system. Detailed Instructions and instructional video to help short time master the assembly technique, but without special tools, even an experienced stacker will not cope with the task efficiently. Before starting work, you need to take care of what devices will be used to measure, cut boards, drill holes and other operations.
Laminate cutting tool
For cutting laminate are used:
- jigsaw;
- machine;
- a circular saw;
- hacksaw.
The electric jigsaw will cut the blade perfectly evenly and quickly, preventing the appearance of chips and deformations. The light and compact device is very convenient to use. There are modern models LED backlight working area.
The machine will allow you to divide the board into two parts with one movement, but for all its pluses, the device is not designed for longitudinal cutting of the laminate when you need to adjust the shape of the last board in a row.
A circular saw equipped with a blade with a large number of teeth is suitable for sawing, but if you are not familiar with this tool, it is better to use safer devices.
It will be possible to cut a laminate board with a hacksaw with fine teeth, but the process will take a lot of time and require considerable effort. The teeth become dull, and the tool has to be sharpened or changed from time to time.
Another nuance in the process of installing this type of flooring is drilling holes for pipes. In this case, it will come in handy:
- electric drill;
- pen drills;
- hacksaw for metal.
It is easier to make small holes with a hacksaw for metal and avoid chips than when working with a jigsaw.
Laminate assembly tool
The lock laminate is good because its fixing does not require the use of glue or nails. A beautiful floor will be ready in just a few hours, but the master will still need additional tools to speed up the process and achieve a good result. The easiest way is to immediately purchase a set for laying laminate flooring, and how to use its contents will be discussed below.
The standard set includes:
- wedges;
- bars;
- bracket.
Wedges allow you to make an even gap between the edge of the board and the wall. They also prevent the laminate from slipping during installation. Wedges can be made independently.
With a tamping bar, tightly fit one board to another. The finished bar has a special shape, made of high-quality plastic. Also, the bars from the set are equipped with a rubber backing.
The bracket replaces the tamping bar in the last row against the wall - it presses the last panel in the row from the end part. The use of a bracket will protect the wall surface and material from destruction.
It is undesirable to use a tamping hammer: there is a risk of not calculating the impact force and damaging the material. If for some reason you still have to replace the bar with a hammer, then it is better to look for a mallet, and not use a metal tool.
What other tool is needed for laying laminate flooring?
Measurements and markings are performed using:
- roulettes;
- pencil
- square.
You will need a level when installing laminate flooring on an uneven floor. The check will allow you to make a decision regarding which method of eliminating differences is appropriate in a particular case - substrate sheets, chipboard, logs, or something more solid, up to the arrangement of a cement-sand screed.
By and large, laying laminate flooring is a simple matter. Of course, a specialist in this field will need a minimum time to complete this work, but a person without special training will be able to cope with this task. True, he will need more time for this, but it will be possible to save a decent amount on the installation of a laminate flooring. Having familiarized yourself with the basic rules and laying technology, you need to figure out which tool you need for laying laminate.
Laminate laying tool
This tool is a must have, it is the most important in this work and is used to accurately cut the last boards of the row. The cost of such a tool depends on its power, functions and popularity. For an apartment where the amount of work is small, it is enough to purchase a jigsaw with a small power - 400-500 W (it costs between 2000-3000 rubles). A cheaper tool does not need to be bought, as it does not withstand prolonged loads and fails quickly. You also need to get a set of saws.
When laying laminate, it is used to tamp the panels in order to eliminate the gaps between them. For this, a hammer or a wooden mallet weighing 0.5 kg is suitable.
Not less than important tool when installing laminate. Suitable metal corner 30-35 centimeters long.
Required for marking.
It is necessary at the initial stage, when measurements of the area of \u200b\u200bthe room are made. Its length is determined by the size of the room. Usually 5m is enough. Masters prefer to use roulettes with a lock.
It is used for padding panels. It is better to use the special plastic bar that comes with the styling kit. Its special shape makes it possible to compensate for the impact, preventing damage to the lock of the laminate boards and their surface. The edge of the used bar must be perfectly even so that, adjoining the panel, it does not damage it. Therefore, the use of an ordinary piece of board instead of a special bar is unacceptable.
7. Restrictive or spacer wedges
They are installed between the wall and the lamellas in order to maintain the technological gap. If this is not done, then high humidity indoors, the laminate expands and, resting against the wall, may swell.
She knocks out the last panel in the row from the end. On one side, she clings to the edge of the lamella, and on the other side she is knocked out with a hammer. It is not recommended to use a mount instead of a bracket - you can damage the edge of the board, and if the wall is plasterboard, then it will deteriorate.
A metal bracket, spacer wedges and a tamping bar - all this makes up the mounting Laminate laying kit, which costs about 600 rubles.
The door is mounted, as a rule, after laying the laminate flooring. But if it has already been installed, then in order to lay the panels under door frame, it will need to be filed. For this, a hacksaw with fine teeth and a wide blade is used.
11. Miter box (coal cutter)
If the corners of wooden (or MDF) skirting boards are standard (90º), you can wash down with only a miter box and a hacksaw. And in cases where the value of the angles of the walls is more or less than 90º, you can’t do without an angle cutter. Plastic skirting boards installed with fittings.
Greatly facilitates the work when laying plywood on wood flooring, installing interior thresholds and screwing skirting boards. If there is no screwdriver, a reverse screwdriver is also suitable, but if there is none, the plinth can be installed with a simple (Phillips) screwdriver.
It is necessary for opening laminate packages, and also for cutting the substrate. You can get by with an ordinary kitchen knife, but it is better to have a mounting knife.
When laying laminate flooring, you will also need such tools and materials:
- drill to the perforator (5x35 and 6x40mm);
- scotch;
- dowel-nails (5x35 and 6x40 mm);
- construction knee pads (to protect the knees).
So, for laying laminate on your own, you need to have the following tools: a tape measure, a jigsaw, a hammer or mallet, a square, a construction pencil, a puncher, a hacksaw, a miter box (or an angle cutter), a standard set for laying laminate, a screwdriver or a screwdriver. This entire set of tools will cost about 5,000 rubles.