Laying laminated plywood on the floor. Which plywood is better to lay on the floor under laminate: types of plywood, selection tips and step-by-step installation process. Installation of joists under plywood

Most construction specialists, both theorists and practitioners, believe that it is undesirable to simply lay laminate flooring on a base, even a perfectly level one. Moreover, this applies equally to both concrete and wooden bases.

A layer between the subfloor and the laminate is desirable in any case. AND the best option Such a substrate will be used for laying plywood under the laminate. This simple operation will not only remove all the unevenness of the base, but will also become a good shock absorber, and will also serve as a good heat and sound insulator.

Choice

Depending on the base, the question of what thickness of sheets should be purchased is decided. If this concrete base, new or pre-leveled, then there is no need to purchase high-quality expensive material for the substrate. A thickness of 3-4 mm is quite sufficient, even if the appearance of such plywood is not very presentable. After all, to lay the substrate you only need to have a flat surface.

Under the laminate, you can choose grade 3 or 4 plywood.

A different approach must be taken when choosing material for a wooden base. Here, in addition to leveling the surface, plywood also serves to increase the rigidity of the subfloor. Therefore, you need to take thicker sheets - from 10 mm and above.

More precisely, the required sheets can be determined only by assessing the condition of the wooden base in each specific case. If the floor is in satisfactory condition and does not sag underfoot when walking, then you can get by with a sheet thickness of 10 mm.

If, when walking, the floorboards sag or creak, then in this case you need to use sheets with a thickness of 16 or even 20 mm. This thickness of the plywood sheet is enough to give the base the necessary rigidity. In any case, the cost of plywood will be much lower than the cost of damage due to level base laminate

But, having purchased the sheets the right size, you shouldn’t immediately put them under the laminate. First you need to perform several preliminary operations, equally important for any foundation. You need to thoroughly sand the subfloor to remove any unevenness, and after sanding, use a vacuum cleaner to remove all dust and small chips. If necessary, the concrete base must be primed to eliminate small depressions and cracks. And only after this you can begin laying plywood under the laminate.

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Laying features

The plywood is laid with a shift to give the floor greater rigidity.

An ordinary plywood sheet in hardware stores has the shape of a square with a side of 1.5 m. It is difficult to work independently with such a large sheet, and during operation such a large area will be subject to expansion and warping. Therefore, for convenience and to increase the number of expansion gaps large leaf It is better to cut into 4 equal parts.

It depends on the base how the plywood sheets will be attached to it. If the floor is wooden, then self-tapping screws are needed, and for fastening to concrete floor You will need water-dispersed glue, the base of which is PVA.

It is very important that installation is carried out with sheets whose humidity does not differ from the humidity in the room. The secret is that the plywood is moistened with water room temperature and leave to dry indoors for 2-3 days.

But if sheets of plywood are attached in different ways, then there is one general rule in the laying order: they need to be laid in a checkerboard pattern. Those. the sheets of the next row are laid with an offset of at least 30 cm to those already laid. This is necessary both to give the floor greater rigidity and for better functioning of the expansion gaps.

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Installation of the substrate

Installation should begin with the preparation of the required amount of material and a trial installation. It should be taken into account that the plywood must cover the entire floor area, and do not forget about compensation gaps. Such gaps are left at walls of 12-15 mm, between plywood sheets - 4-5 mm, and near communications going into the floor - 8-10 mm. Upon completion of the trial laying, the sheets must be numbered, indicating on each row and place in the row.

To install the plywood backing you will need:

jigsaw;
construction laser level;
electric drill and a special grinding attachment for it;
screwdriver;
vacuum cleaner;
paint roller or brush.

When laying plywood on a concrete base, it must first be cleaned of minor damage and distortion. To do this, just prime the plywood sheet special glue- mastic. This mastic is then applied thin layer(2-2.5 mm) on a leveled base, and plywood is immediately laid. To make the attachment to the base more reliable, use self-tapping screws and dowels.

It is better to prime plywood when laying it on a wooden base. But there is no point in gluing plywood to wood - it is attached to the subfloor with self-tapping screws. In this case, it is very important that the heads of the screws are recessed into the plywood, otherwise they will quickly damage the laminate board placed on top of the plywood with their protruding edges.

To correctly perform this technological operation, you first need to drill a hole in the sheet equal to the diameter of the screw, and then in the same place, using another drill, drill larger holes a third of the thickness of the material, equal in size to the diameter of the screw head.

The sheets are stacked and fixed in accordance with their numbers.

The plywood sheet is fastened with self-tapping screws or nails at a distance of 15-20 cm.

The screws used for fixing must be screwed in increments of no more than 20 cm, and the distance from the screw to the edge of the sheet must be at least 2 cm. You must also follow the rule: in order for the fastening to remain strong for a long time, the screws used for fastening must be at least 3 cm apart. times longer than the thickness of the sheet. Those. with a plywood sheet thickness of 10 mm, the length of the screws must be at least 30 mm, and with a thickness of 16 mm - no shorter than 48 mm.

Since a perfectly flat surface of a subfloor is called ideal because it is almost never encountered in the practice of installing floor coverings, when laying the underlay certain difficulties may arise with the organization of a flat horizontal plane under the laminate.

If plywood is laid on a concrete base, then this problem can be solved simply: the laid plywood is tapped over the entire area, and if there is a suspicion of a void under the sheet, more glue must be added to this place.

When leveling a wooden floor, another technique is used to eliminate detected voids: strips of plywood 30-50 mm wide are placed in these places. Such places must be attached to the floor even if the fastening step jumps over them.

There is nothing complicated about installing a plywood underlay for laminate flooring. Anyone who knows how to hold a hacksaw, drill and screwdriver can do it. These are additional costs, both in terms of money and time, but by making such a substrate conscientiously, you will provide your laminate floor with at least 30 years of reliable service. If you neglect such a substrate, then, depending on the condition of the subfloor, the service life of the floor will be reduced by 2-3 times, or even more.

Think and make an informed decision. Good luck!

If the question arises about the upcoming leveling of the floor, the first thought that arises will be: cement screed. It doesn't always fit. What to do when the apartment has a wooden floor, reinforced with joists, but quite strong? What to do if there are no plans to dismantle the wooden covering yet, but there is a desire to lay a new, laminated one? In this case, the best solution would be to lay plywood. How to carry out installation and what the thickness of plywood should be for laminate flooring on a wooden floor will be discussed below.

Plywood is environmentally friendly, durable, helps increase thermal insulation, levels the surface and increases sound insulation. If you have not yet decided which plywood will help you level your floor, you can purchase material III or IV category. This plywood is affordable and has been treated against moisture.

The method of installing plywood and its thickness are determined by the type of base on which it will be installed. When the base for laying is properly leveled, the thickness is acceptable plywood sheets in 10 mm. If it is necessary to level the surface of the base using additional spacers, then a material with a thickness of at least 15 mm is selected.

A special requirement for the strength of the material is imposed in the case of laying plywood boards on logs. In this case, the sheets are subject to significantly greater load; plywood with a thickness of at least 18 mm is suitable.

How to lay laminate on plywood with your own hands

The entire floor area is covered with plywood under the laminate. Sheets, the standard parameters of which are often 1500x1500mm, are pre-cut with a jigsaw into 4 equal parts. They are laid out using the bricklaying method, i.e. the sheets of the subsequent row are positioned with a shift relative to the previous one by approximately 30 cm. As a result of this installation method, we obtain the highest level of rigidity of the plywood layer.

These squares should be screwed to wooden floor not close to each other, but at a distance of 2-3 mm. The gap between the wall and the sheet should be larger, 15-18 mm. Those. we leave expansion gaps that allow the material to change in size under the influence of temperature and humidity. Without this necessary gap, the floor is not guaranteed to avoid squeaking or warping.

To install and fasten plywood under the laminate, self-tapping screws are used.

Self-leveling floor or concrete screed under the laminate is the best option. But after pouring, the drying stage of the screed begins; its duration can be from a week to a month, depending on the size of the layer. The repair threatens to take a long time, but laying plywood under the laminate can help out, reducing the duration of the repair and money spent.

Laying on a wooden floor - a lot here is determined by the strength and condition of this floor. The old board covering must first be carefully checked to see how durable it is. Next, it is prepared for working with it. The flooring must be opened to check the condition of the joists and boards. If rotten boards or joists are found, they must be replaced followed by treatment with an antiseptic.

We recommend sanding old painted boards so that there are no bulges on their surface. Before laying plywood on a wooden floor under laminate, it must be cut and adjusted. To do this, distribute the sheets on the floor, trying to cover the entire area.

Don't forget to leave gaps at each wall and between the plywood pieces. Having selected the location of each fragment, you should number them and draw a plan for their location. Next, remove the plywood. It is necessary to thoroughly clean the wooden floor from any contamination. We fasten the plywood to the wooden base with self-tapping screws, recessing their heads. We constantly monitor the evenness of the flooring, for example, using long, even slats. If we see gaps under the lath in some places, then we level these areas by placing suitable material under sheets of plywood, for example, pieces of fiberboard.

It's more difficult, but more quality way leveling the floor with plywood under the laminate. With its help, it is possible to achieve the most leveled floor from plywood flaps, on which it is easy to install any floor covering, including laminate.

We consider it useful to remind once again that plywood, when laid on joists, must have a thickness of at least 18-20 mm.

Pieces of plywood and joists must be treated with an antiseptic. This will prevent mold or mildew from occurring. The floor must be dry and free of dust and dirt.

You need to draw a line on the wall, which will be a beacon, a boundary when installing the floor. The boundary must be drawn along all the walls of the room; it is accurately measured using a level so that even the smallest error does not appear during installation.

Installation of joists under plywood

We are preparing the lags. As a rule, these are ready-made bars made of durable wood. They can be purchased at any store that sells construction supplies. Try to choose bars made of wood coniferous trees, well dried. The size of the logs is approximately 50X100 mm, their length is usually 3 m. You will also need to prepare gaskets made of wood; they are installed under the logs. The dimensions of the spacers are approximately 10x20 cm, their thickness is at least 2.5 cm.

Advice: When installing logs, they should be placed perpendicular to the light rays penetrating into the window of the room. If installation is done in the hallway, the logs are placed perpendicular to the direction of people's movement. Leave a distance of approximately 50 cm between the joists.

Do not forget to leave a gap of approximately 3 cm from the wall to the joist.

During the installation of lags, it is necessary to ensure compliance with the marked level. If the joist is lower than necessary, then raise it by placing wooden wedges under it. First, you should build wooden logs around the perimeter of the room and only then begin laying the cross beams.

For fastening the joists in wooden base screws are used; in concrete, anchor screws are used.

When the sheathing is done, we begin sheathing with plywood. Plywood boards must be cut into 4 equal parts with a jigsaw. We begin to attach the square pieces to the logs like brickwork (see recommendations above), not forgetting about the compensation gaps. The joints of the plywood sheets should be in the middle of the joists. It is good to screw the plywood to the joists using self-tapping screws with plastic dowels, spaced from each other at a distance of 50 to 100 mm.

Leveling the floor under the laminate with plywood and laying it on joists is the most the right way, when it is necessary to correct a large difference in heights between different points of the floor, 5 cm or more. Plywood flooring will be a strong and level base for any floor covering, including laminate. Eco-friendly birch plywood is completely harmless to humans.

If your apartment has already been screeded, choose for yourself - lay laminated boards directly on the concrete base or lay plywood first, which will ensure the most level surface of the base and thermal and sound insulation of the floor.

Let's prepare the concrete base for laying plywood:

Let's determine whether the base has dried well enough, especially if the screed is fresh. To do this, you should put a small flap on the screed polyethylene film, press the edges tightly to the floor. After 3 days, check for condensation under the film. If condensation does not form, the screed is ready for coating. Otherwise, you should wait a little, and then it is advisable to use a waterproof grade of plywood.

As in previous cases, we cut the plywood sheets into four parts. We polish the cut areas. We adjust the pieces of plywood, then be sure to clean the base from dust and debris.

If the difference in surface heights in different areas does not exceed 1 cm, you can install plywood sheets directly on the concrete floor. In this case, choose plywood sheets with a thickness of at least 18 mm. Apply adhesive mastic to the surface of the screed. Plywood fragments must be laid on the base and secured with self-tapping screws along the perimeter of the sheet and also diagonally.

For large values of height difference in various points The screed will correctly level the floor with plywood and lay it on the joists. This option was discussed earlier.

Conclusion

So, the floor is leveled under the laminate with plywood and prepared for laying the laminated covering. We choose the thickness of the sheet depending on the installation method and the condition of the wooden floor. Before laying the laminate, the plywood flooring must also be sanded, most carefully at the joints in order to avoid even small differences in levels. Be sure to clean it work surface from dust and move on to the next important stage - installation of the laminate on a well-prepared base. We wish everyone success!

Laminate has recently become a popular material used for finishing flooring. But this coating has one serious requirement for the floor itself - the base must be strong and level. A small difference within 2 mm per 1 m of length is allowed, because a substrate will be placed under the laminate, it will hide the defect. Several materials can create evenness of the plane: plywood, OSB boards and self-leveling floors. More often, plywood is laid under laminate on a wooden floor, as a cheaper and simpler method.

Laminate on plywood

Regardless of what floor is present in the room: concrete or wood on load-bearing beams, plywood is laid on logs. These are wooden blocks laid along or across the room. There are two main requirements for installing logs:

The distance between them should be equal to half the width of the plywood sheet, because this material rests on three logs, one of which should lie in the middle of the slab, two at the edges. In this case, the plywood sheets must be joined on one joist.
The entire joist structure must be located in the same horizontal plane.

What plywood to use

First of all, the question concerns the strength of the material, because it will be subjected to serious loads. Therefore, plywood sheets with a thickness of at least 10 mm are selected.

The second selection criterion is the moisture resistance of the material, because various liquids are often spilled on the floors, which means the base must resist the destructive effects of moisture. Therefore, it is recommended to use FK grade plywood, which can be used in interior spaces.

The third selection criterion is the type of material. There are four of them in the plywood panel category. It is better to use the second or third grade for laminate.

Rules for laying plywood

Despite the apparent simplicity of laying plywood, there are some nuances that must be observed.

The sheets are stacked with an offset of half their width. The floor should have a brick-like structure.
A compensation gap of 1 cm is left between the sheets in case of thermal expansion of the wooden floor. The same distance is left between the base and the walls of the room.
The plywood is fastened with wood screws every 10-15 cm. The heads of the fasteners are recessed into the sheet to a depth of 0.5-1 mm.
Laying plywood under the laminate begins from the far corner of the room and moves to the side front door.
After installation is completed, the wooden floor is covered with drying oil, preferably hot.

Plywood on joists

Alternative to lag construction

Today, there are alternative designs to joists that are used for laying plywood under laminate. This mainly applies to concrete foundations.

Installation on adhesive composition with additional fastening with dowels. The latter are self-tapping screws for concrete. An important component of the process is a smooth concrete floor, which must be carefully prepared.
On leveling studs that cut into the concrete floor. A nut with a wide washer is screwed onto them, sheets of plywood are put on top, a wide washer is placed on top and the nut is screwed on. By raising or lowering the bottom nut, you can adjust the level of the plywood relative to the floor. It is secured to the studs with two nuts. For the top nut and washer, a round groove must be made in the plywood sheet so that the fasteners do not extend beyond the plane of the wooden floor.

Today, as an alternative to stiletto heels, different designs made of metal or plastic. But the essence of their application is the same - to get an adjustable plywood base. The only requirement for plywood is a thickness of at least 20 mm.

Rules for laying laminate flooring on plywood

Laying the laminate on plywood begins after the drying oil has dried. First of all, spacer wedges made of plastic or wood are installed along the walls at the level of the covering being laid. They will create a compensation gap between the floor and the wall in case of thermal expansion of the former. The wedges are attached to self-tapping screws and plastic dowels. You will have to drill holes in the wall for each self-tapping screw. After dismantling the wedges, they will not be visible, because this section of the wall will be covered with a plinth.

The second stage is laying the substrate. This is a porous structure synthetic film of small thickness. It is spread on a wooden floor without fixing it with anything. If the width of the substrate is not enough to cover the entire floor area, then laying is done in end-to-end strips using self-adhesive tape.

The third main stage is laying the laminate. There are four requirements for it:

You need to start the process from the far corner of (any) room from the front door.
Laying is done in the form of brickwork with a half-panel offset. This ensures uniform distribution of loads over the entire surface.
The boards are laid perpendicular to the wall in which the window is located.
The first row is laid with a spike towards the wall.

Installation of laminate flooring on a plywood base

To carry out the work you will need: a hacksaw for cutting laminate flooring, a clamp - a special tool similar to a crowbar (nail puller), a mallet, a pencil and a ruler, wooden block 10 cm long and 40x40 mm cross-section or a special plastic puncher.

Here step-by-step instruction How to properly lay laminate on plywood.

Entire panels are laid along the wall from the corner towards the front door. If the last floor element does not fit in one piece, it is cut with a hacksaw to the required size. It is important to lay the panels close to the spacer wedges. To connect them, use a mallet and a wooden block. Two boards are pressed against each other with their ends and a block is placed at one end, which is hit with a mallet.
A clamp is used to install the last board. Its two ends are directed towards different sides. Therefore, one end is inserted between the wall and the laminate, it is directed downwards; the second, which looks up, must be hit with a mallet. In this way, one board is connected to another.
The next row of laminate should begin with half of the panel, which is obtained by cutting the whole panel in half.
Now you need to connect the half with the laid ones. It is brought to the laid row at an angle of 30-45°, the tenon is inserted into the groove and lowered onto the wooden floor. A click should be heard indicating that the connection has occurred successfully.
Next, entire panels are laid in the second row up to the wall. The last element may also not fit in one piece, so it is cut and installed using a clamp.
The third row of laminate flooring begins with solid board. The fourth from half and so on alternately.
The width of the last row usually does not fit on the floor. The boards will have to be cut lengthwise to the required size, taking into account the compensation gap. For example, if the distance from the wall to the penultimate boards is 14 cm, then the width of the latter should be 13 cm. Cut off the edges with the groove.
The last panels are being installed.

AND finishing touches: spacer wedges are dismantled, baseboards are installed, which are attached to the wall, and not to the laminate, the floor is cleaned of debris and dust.

To better understand the nuances technological process, we recommend watching this video:

There are quite a lot of options for leveling the floor, for example, to lay laminate flooring. All of them are available for self-execution and allow work to be done quickly. Sheets of plywood are purchased quite often by both professionals and amateurs as a level base. There should be no difficulties in the work, but it would be useful to find out the properties of the materials that you plan to use, as well as the nuances of their installation. The article talks Tom will go How to lay laminate on plywood.

Everything you need to know about plywood

Since the main task is to obtain a smooth and durable surface so that the laminate lasts longer, the lamellas do not diverge, and there is no creaking when walking, then the choice of plywood must be approached with skill.

How is the material produced?

Plywood is a product of the wood processing industry. The basis is veneer sheets various breeds trees (deciduous or coniferous). The manufacturing process is reminiscent of assembling a layer cake. There can be several “floors”, but the minimum number is three.
Wood fibers have a longitudinal or transverse direction; when gluing sheets into a single product, veneers alternate with different directions. The outer layers always have the same fiber orientation. Therefore, the division of plywood into longitudinal and transverse depends on the direction of the “pattern” of the outer layers of the building material.

Tip: during installation, you need to lay the sheets taking into account the main trajectory of movement around the room. The plywood fibers should be perpendicular to it. If the sheets are laid on logs, then their direction is chosen taking into account this requirement.

Classification of plywood by purpose

A material with the same name is not always suitable for leveling the floor.
Construction plywood- this is what you need to ask sellers in stores.
Industrial variety it's not like that good quality, like the previous option, but it can be used.
Furniture, structural and packaging types of plywood are worth ignore. They are not useful for the floor.

Dividing the material according to moisture resistance

In some houses, such a characteristic of plywood as resistance to moisture absorption is especially useful. Labeling will help determine this indicator.

FBA- an environmentally friendly version of the material, but it cannot be used without creating a waterproofing layer: the moisture resistance of such plywood as an indicator is practically absent.
FSF- has increased protection against moisture. The glue used for its production includes phenol-formaldehyde resin. This building material can be used not only for internal, but also for external finishing work.
FC- This is plywood, in the production of which an adhesive composition with a base of urea-formaldehyde resin was used. It resists moisture well and meets all the requirements of materials intended for indoor use.
They also produce plywood with markings FB, which is perfect even for a humid tropical climate, but in the conditions of our apartments and houses it is not necessary to use it, especially if you plan to install a heated floor. Bakelite glue, which is used for its manufacture, is also used in the material with the letter designation BS And BV. If you need to level the floors on a personal yacht, you can purchase them, but for apartments it is better to limit yourself to one of the above options.

Division according to the principle of surface treatment

After the floor is covered with plywood sheets, the coating will need to be sanded over the entire area.

You can avoid additional labor costs if you immediately purchase plywood marked Sh2. This means that it has undergone a polishing process on both sides. Ш1 - designation for sheets of material with a smooth surface on one side. NS - letter designation unsanded plywood.

Material quality

Like any other product, plywood can be first-class or far from acceptable quality. This is what it can be depending on the presence of knots or other defects.

"E" category. This material is elite. There are no knots on the veneer, no other defects (cracks, poorly processed edges). It can be used as a leveling layer, but it will be unreasonably expensive. Usually it is not used for such operations.
I category. Minor defects in the form of uneven swelling or shrinkage of veneer and knots are allowed. But their length should not exceed 20 mm. There may be wormholes, but their diameter should not exceed 6 mm, and there should be no more than three such defects per 1 m².

II category. The presence of falling out, fused or unfused knots is assumed. Number of wormholes per 1 square. meter should not exceed six pieces. If the choice is made in favor of this material for other work, then, if necessary, defects can be hidden with veneer inserts. In the case of leveling floors, such additional actions are not necessary.
III category allows fused or unfused knots, holes and wormholes (no more than 10 per square meter). It can be used for installation of structures hidden from prying eyes. Our case is just one of those.
IV category assumes any manufacturing defects.

Advice: to level the floor under the laminate, it is better to choose any category of plywood from the first to the third. In principle, all sheets will be covered with laminate panels, and no one will appreciate their “beauty”. Therefore, you can save a little on appearance here.

Size range

One of the principles of a thrifty owner is reasonable savings. Correct calculation of materials greatly contributes to this. Therefore, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with standard sizes plywood.

The material is produced in the form of square (1525 × 1525 mm, 1220 × 1220 mm, 1475 × 1475 mm, 1270 × 1270 mm) or rectangular (1525 × 1350 mm, 1525 × 1220 mm, 1525 × 1475 mm, 1525 × 1 270 mm) sheets .

Advice: taking the largest sheets possible is not always profitable. Approach the measurement of room area and calculation Supplies care must be taken to reduce the amount of trimming.

The thickness of the plywood is selected depending on the method of its installation. To create a base on the joists you will need material with a thickness of 16 to 21 mm. This is provided that one layer is laid out. And if you plan to lay the base under the laminate in two rows, then the thickness of the sheets can be reduced to 8 or 10 mm. To lay plywood directly on the subfloor, a material of at least 6 mm is suitable. The thickness of finished plywood for an adjustable floor starts from 10 mm. Accordingly, if House master decides to independently produce an analogue of such material, then when purchasing the base he needs to focus on this indicator.

When everything is clear with the quality and quantity of plywood, it’s time to start leveling the floor. You can do this in one of four ways.

How to level plywood under laminate

It all depends on how smooth the subfloors in the house are. On a high-quality cement screed and a wooden floor with a deviation of different sections in height of no more than 2 mm, plywood can be attached without the use of joists and without additional leveling.

The wooden base will need to be treated with acrylic sealant or prepare a putty mixture (sawdust and PVA glue lightly moistened with water) and use it. If differences between floor areas of 1 m² are more significant, then it would be correct to make a sheathing from timber. It is better to disassemble wooden floors that have significant deviations in height and install them from new lumber.

Fastening plywood with glue and screws

The method is quick, simple and applicable to any flat floor, both wooden and concrete.

Sheets of plywood are marked, cut into pieces of the required size, and the necessary recesses are cut out for door jambs or to bypass heating risers. Most often, plywood with standard dimensions is sawn into four parts.
Each fragment of the future foundation is laid on the floor, taking into account technological gaps. Along the walls they have a size of 10 or 20 mm, and between the sheets they are left with a tire of 0.5 to 1 cm. This is not just the prevention of a squeaky floor, but ensuring natural air circulation. Such foresight will have a good effect on both the plywood itself and its service life. finishing coating for the floor.

Advice: when laying sheets, keep in mind that each subsequent row will begin not with a whole sheet, but with a sheet of plywood shifted in half. That is, installation is carried out in an order reminiscent of brickwork. And when sawing and pre-laying fragments, they should be marked, since afterwards they will have to be removed for preparatory work.

So, it was decided not to level the base of the subfloor, but it still needs to be prepared. This stage is slightly different for wooden and concrete surfaces.

Now the plywood sheets are in the prescribed manner put on glue, not forgetting to leave gaps. Additionally, each fragment is secured with self-tapping screws or any other hardware at intervals of no more than 20 cm from each other. The screw heads must be properly embedded in the plywood. Unsanded material will need to be processed mechanically or manually using sandpaper. After cleaning, the plywood base can be covered with a backing and laminate can be laid.

Adjustable plywood floor

A specially produced type of material is used for it, in which holes are drilled using a drill according to the applied pattern. The height is adjustable using anchors equipped with washers and nuts to secure the desired position.

First, the anchor pins are driven into the concrete base. A nut and washer are screwed onto them. The height of the nut is set according to laser level. Now sheets of plywood are laid on the anchors. The excess length of the rods is cut off. Now you can lay the second layer of plywood so that the upper slabs overlap the joints of the lower slabs.

Such a floor cannot be called cheap, but in case of significant differences, this system allows you to do without leveling and installing timber sheathing.

Leveling the floor with sheets of plywood along the joists

The subfloor is cleared of debris and covered with film for vapor barrier. Using a level, the zero mark is determined and beacons are set (at intervals of approximately 20 cm). Logs made of timber with a cross-section of 80 × 40 mm are laid on top. When laying them, you need to focus on the beacons: if there are large depressions, using available materials, they construct linings to align the lags at the level. The interval between the guides should be from 40 to 60 cm.

After the rough installation of the longitudinal joists, their even position is checked again using a level and final fastening is carried out with hardware. In order for the sheathing to take on a finished look, you need to secure it cross members designs. The distance between the crossbars should not exceed 50 cm, and the minimum step of their location is 30 cm. The thicker the sheet of plywood that is laid, the more often it should be attached to the beams, which means that the distance between the transverse sections of the sheathing must be reduced.
The empty space between the joists is filled with any insulation; if the base allows, it can be filled with expanded clay. After the thermal insulation layer has been created, the logs are covered with a layer vapor barrier material and begin marking and sawing sheets of plywood of the required size. At the same time, we should not forget that the laying will be done in the same order of brickwork, and the joint of adjacent sheets of plywood should be in the middle of the log.
The need to make a base in two rows of plywood sheets is assessed ambiguously by experts. Some believe that this will produce a more durable surface. Others remind us of how the material is produced (when layers of veneer with different grain orientations are alternated). And this feature in itself provides plywood with the correct thickness with sufficient strength. In any case, the master himself will have to decide.

Installation of plywood base on boards

The described method is suitable for a bulk subfloor. This method of insulation and simultaneous raising of the base is used both in apartments and in private houses. The dry screed is poured and compacted in accordance with the technology, and laid on top wide boards. Most often, material with a width of 200 or 150 mm is used.
The interval between the guides should be approximately equal to their width. On top of them, starting from the far end of the room, a layer of vapor barrier is laid.

Light: you can only move on the boards without stepping on the screed.

A sheet of plywood is immediately attached to the self-tapping screws on top of the vapor barrier. Next after the starting sheet, a solid layer of material is fixed, placing it on the opposite wall with the necessary shift.

Advice: installation should be carried out in exactly this sequence, immediately fixing large pieces of plywood in order to cover as much as possible with them. large area. This is due to the mobility of the dry screed. And by using this method of fastening, you will be able to move around the floor more freely and secure smaller elements in their places without fear. plywood base.

Now you can begin installing the finishing coating.

How to lay laminate flooring on plywood

The first step will be laying the substrate. Which of its types are on the market today? building materials The home master himself decides to purchase it, depending on personal preferences and budget size. But the need for such a layer between the rough plywood base and the laminate board is justified.

The underlay is not attached to the floor; it will be pressed tightly against the laminate. You just need to tape the canvases together with tape, because the width of the material in the roll is not enough to cover the entire floor area in the room.

Some general rules will allow you to avoid the main mistakes made when laying laminate flooring on plywood.

The general appearance of the laid laminate slats, when viewed from above, should resemble brickwork. That is, the rows will alternate, starting either with a whole plank or with a trimmed one. This staggered laying method helps to properly distribute the load on the lamellas.
Laminate flooring is not mounted flush against the wall. A gap of approximately 1 cm is left so that during further use of the floor, the lamellas have room to expand. Loose adhesion of the material to the walls along the entire perimeter of the room is a guarantee that after a while the laminate will not stand on end. You can purchase spacers from hardware store or use identical pieces of scraps from laminate boards.
You need to carefully study the manufacturer's recommendations indicated on the packaging. It contains information about the required thickness of the substrate, describes the basic principles of installation and the locking system. Most often, lamellas are attached in two ways:
Click connection assumes that the elements are first joined under the right angle, then carefully move along the groove until a characteristic click occurs. It means that the alignment was correct and the panels are firmly attached to each other.
The lock connection requires connecting the top of the die to the groove of the preceding lamella. You can also find out if an action was performed correctly by clicking on it.

Laminate requires special care when tapping the plank (to ensure a tighter fit). It is convenient to use a mallet or a regular hammer, but do not allow the tool to come into direct contact with the board (you can damage the locks). When tapping, you need to attach a piece of laminate to the board and apply pressure to the lamella through it.
In order to snap the lock into the panel that completes the row, use a clamp. This tool has bends at the ends that are located at right angles, but each oriented in its own direction.
Before you begin laying the first row, the interlocking joints facing the walls must be cut off.
For sawing material, it is better to stock up electric jigsaw. It is more convenient for them not only to cut boards to length, but also to cut out recesses in order to go around the radiator or door frame.

The first row is mounted from solid lamellas. The choice of direction is dictated by the location of the window in the room. It is recommended to make row joints parallel to the light flow. This will make them less noticeable. You should start work from the corner farthest from the entrance, located on the left side. When calculating, it is important to take into account the fact that the length of the cut element must be at least 30 cm. This should be taken into account so that the coating remains durable throughout the service life of the laminate.
You can lay the boards one by one, joining each one to the previous one. Carrying out the entire sequence of actions until the lock snaps into place. Or assemble the planks in rows and combine them with the slats already laid along the wall. The first method is preferable for those who are going to work alone or have little experience in laying laminate flooring. The second option allows you to speed up the installation process, but you will need a couple of assistants so that the long row is docked and connected to the previous one properly.
The second row begins with a board shortened from the first lamella of the initial row by 1/3, and the third - offset by 2/3 of the length. After the panels of the second row are joined to the first, you need to lay spacers along the wall to provide a gap.
So, a laminate coating on plywood is gradually formed. The last row adjacent to the wall can be easily connected to the previous one using a clamp. Now all that remains is to remove the wedges that prevent the slats from coming into contact with the walls, install the baseboards and carry out general cleaning. You can arrange furniture and invite guests so that they can appreciate the skills of a home craftsman.

When laying laminate flooring, one of the main requirements is that the subfloor surface should be as smooth as possible, and the easiest way to achieve this is with plywood. Dense, smooth sheets can be easily mounted on any base, covering various defects, and also serve as additional thermal insulation. And the absence of “wet” processes significantly reduces the time for repairs, which is also important. Let's consider which plywood is best to lay on the floor under laminate, what to look for when choosing, and how to lay the material yourself.

The strength and durability of the plywood substrate directly depends on the thickness of the sheets, strength indicators, number of layers and type of processing. Therefore, when choosing plywood, you should pay attention Special attention Not appearance, A technical specifications material.

Plywood thickness

The choice of plywood thickness depends on the type of rough base and the method of laying the sheets. If you plan to lay plywood on concrete screed, a thickness of 15 mm is quite sufficient; for a plank floor it is better to take a little more - 18 mm. In both cases, the sheets are laid in one layer. When installing on joists, it is recommended to attach plywood in two layers to avoid sagging of the material and to give the base maximum rigidity. Here you can take sheets 15 mm thick or make the bottom layer thicker, for example, 21 mm, and the top layer thinner (12-15 mm). The wider the distance between the joists, the thicker the flooring should be.

The thickness of plywood is determined by the number of layers of veneer it consists of. The thickness of each layer varies within 1-1.5 mm, so different manufacturers of plywood of the same thickness may differ in the number of layers and vice versa. It should be noted that sheets with the maximum number of layers have the greatest rigidity, and not thicker ones.

Sheet sizes

Based on size, plywood is divided into format and large format. The first type includes sheets with maximum dimensions 1525x1525 mm, for the second - from 1830x1525 to 3000x1500 mm. It is more convenient to work with smaller plywood, but at the same time, a large number of joints reduces the rigidity of the coating. When choosing the size of sheets, you must take into account the size and configuration of the room so that you have to trim the material as little as possible.

Material of manufacture

Based on the material used, plywood can be birch or coniferous. This means that in the first type the upper layers are made of birch veneer, in the second - from pine, spruce or larch veneer, as well as other conifers. The inner layers are usually made from cheap wood, both hardwood and softwood. Visually distinguishing the material is quite simple: birch plywood is lighter and has a weakly expressed texture, while coniferous plywood has a richer color and a beautiful pattern on the surface.

The bending strength of birch plywood is 10-12% higher, so it is used where the floor is subject to increased loads. It is denser and heavier than coniferous, which is not always convenient during installation, and is also more expensive. Coniferous plywood is more practical: it is cheaper, lighter in weight and resistant to rot, fungi, and mold. This type is more suitable for installing a subfloor in a residential building, because there are no intense loads on the base, and moisture is often high.

Combined plywood is also produced, the structure of which includes both birch and coniferous veneer. This material combines good quality, strength, attractive texture and affordable cost, and it is most often used in furniture production and interior decoration.

Prices for plywood for flooring

plywood for floor

Grade and marking

Depending on the quality of the material, there are four main grades and grade E - elite, the properties of which are regulated by GOST 3916.1-96. The types of veneer on the front and back sides may differ, which helps reduce the cost of products.

Material grades	Characteristics
	The highest quality. The presence of visible processing defects or wood defects is not allowed. The surface of the sheet should have an even color and pattern
	Veneer High Quality, no more than three defects per sheet are allowed: small knots up to 1.5 cm in diameter, closed cracks, brown veins, edge processing defects up to 2 mm wide. Inserts that differ in color or texture are also allowed, provided that their area does not exceed 2% of the sheet area
	No more than 6 defects per sheet are allowed: fused or unfused knots, small cracks, wormholes with a diameter of up to 6 mm, dark veins. Also on the surface there may be minor dents, leaked glue, inserts of a different shade with an area of up to 5% of the total area of plywood
	The number of defects is no more than 9 per sheet. These can be knots, wormholes up to 6 mm in diameter, inserts that differ in texture and color, cracks up to 2 mm wide, stains of leaked glue. Defects in edge processing and disruption of the fiber structure in certain areas are also acceptable.
	Lowest quality material. Veneer may have a wavy surface, torn fibers, dents and cracks of varying lengths. There may be a large number of wormholes and small knots on the sheet, leaked glue

The lower the grade of the material, the cheaper it is and the lower its performance properties, since the presence of cracks or wormholes reduces the bending strength of the sheet and its resistance to mechanical stress. The grade is indicated by two numbers that indicate the grades of the outer layers of veneer. For example, the numbers 1/2 in the marking of plywood mean that on one side of the sheet there is veneer of the first grade, on the other - of the second. The numbers 1/1 indicate that both sides of the sheet have first-grade veneer.

Grade 3 plywood is quite suitable for laminate flooring: it is inexpensive, but at the same time quite strong and durable. If the screed serves as a rough base, and the traffic of the room is low, in order to save money, you can use fourth grade plywood. It is not practical to use grade 1 and 2 plywood as a subfloor due to its high cost.

In addition to the type of plywood, you need to know other markings. According to GOST, sheets are marked with special paint on the reverse side. The marking must include the following designations:

Name;
brand;
grade;
emission class;
type of material processing;
sheet dimensions.

Of primary importance is the grade of material, which is based on the type of binder for the veneer sheets and determines the degree of water resistance of the plywood.

Brand	Characteristics
	Urea glue, which is relatively resistant to moisture, is used as a binder. The material has good strength, low content of toxic resins, and low cost. This type of plywood is widely used in construction for interior work.
	The binder is phenol-formaldehyde resins, thanks to which the material has excellent resistance to moisture and mechanical stress. Due to the presence of toxic components, plywood of this brand is not suitable for residential premises
	Bakelite varnish is used for gluing veneer. Finished sheets have maximum resistance to water and other negative influences. It is characterized by high cost, which limits the use of plywood in construction
	Albumocasein natural glues act as binders. Of all types of plywood, this is considered the most environmentally friendly, but it is not resistant to moisture.
	Melamine resin is used for gluing veneer. This binder provides high resistance to moisture and does not emit toxic compounds, so plywood of this grade can be used in residential premises

Equally important is the emission class, which is designated by the letter “E” and the numbers 1, 2, 3 and indicates the content of formaldehyde resins in 100 g of material:

E1 – less than 10 mg;
E2 – from 10 to 30 mg;
E3 – from 30 to 60 mg.

To avoid negative consequences For health reasons, E3 plywood should not be used in residential premises.

According to the type of surface treatment, the material is divided into polished and unpolished, and this is designated as follows:

NSh – unsanded sheets;
Ш1 – plywood sanded on one side;
Ш2 – grinding on both sides.

The roughness that is present on the surface of unsanded sheets does not in any way affect the quality of laying the laminate, so there is no point in overpaying and buying sanded plywood. Moreover, it is inappropriate to use painted or laminated sheets, the cost of which is much higher than usual, but the performance properties are the same.

As for plywood manufacturers, the most preferable are the products of domestic companies, which combine good quality with a very reasonable price. For European manufacturers, the cost is higher, but for Chinese companies, the quality of plywood often causes a lot of complaints, and the characteristics of the material in most cases do not correspond to the declared ones.

Which plywood to choose?

So, by comparing the characteristics of plywood, you can confidently choose the best option. The main criteria here are the reliability and safety of the material, while external characteristics do not play any role. For a bedroom, children's room, living room, the best option would be 3 or 4 grade plywood of the FK brand with a thickness of 12-15 mm. Emission class is only E1, others are not suitable. As for the material of manufacture, there are no special recommendations; you can use both birch and coniferous plywood.

In the kitchen or hallway you need to select stronger plywood with a thickness of 15-18 mm, still of the same 3 or 4 grades. Recommended brand - FK or FKM, emission class E1. For convenience, you can use Sh1 plywood, mounting the sheets with the sanded side up. By smooth surface It’s easier to lay a heat-insulating backing, the material doesn’t cling to rough edges, and there’s less need to adjust.

How to lay plywood under laminate

Installation of plywood is quite simple and does not require special skills. Let's look at how to properly lay plywood under laminate on a subfloor made of boards. Before starting work, you should prepare the necessary tools and materials:

screwdriver;
jigsaw;
self-tapping screws;
foamed polyethylene backing;
plywood sheets;
roulette;
scotch;
level.

It should be noted that the subfloor must be in good condition, and this applies not only to the boardwalk, but also to the joists. If the floor is severely worn out, or certain areas are rotten, you cannot lay plywood. Firstly, it is impossible to securely fasten the flooring to rotten boards, and secondly, the wood under the plywood will continue to deteriorate until one day the floor sag under your feet.

Step 1. Prepare the base. Remove the baseboards, check the integrity of the boards, strengthen loose areas with screws, and seal large cracks. If there are noticeable unevenness in some places, you need to remove them using grinder. Finally, the floor is vacuumed or swept to remove all excess.

Step 2. Measurements are taken carefully and the sheets are cut to minimize the number of joints. In this case, you need to take into account the mandatory gap around the perimeter of the room with a width of 8-10 mm and gaps of 2-3 mm between the flooring sheets.

Advice. After cutting the plywood, it is recommended to sand the ends of the sheets to remove burrs and loose fibers.

Step 3. The underlay is laid on the floor in strips end to end. The edges of the material should extend onto the walls by approximately 5-10 cm. At the joints, the substrate should be taped with tape to seal the heat-insulating layer. In addition, this will prevent the strips from moving when laying the plywood.

Step 4. The prepared sheets are laid one by one on the floor, leaving a gap from the wall. The joints between the sheets are shifted in each subsequent row by about a third of the sheet width. Be sure to check the horizontality of the flooring with a level to avoid differences in height (when installing laminate, maximum differences of up to 3 mm per meter are allowed).

Step 5. Fix the plywood to the floor with self-tapping screws, screwing them in increments of 15-20 cm and always at the corners of each sheet. The fastener caps should be recessed by 1-2 mm.

After this, the floor is ready for installation of the laminate, and lay flooring on such a basis it will not be difficult. The edges of the thermal insulation substrate protruding from the walls are cut off upon completion of all work, before attaching the baseboards.

Prices for Tarkett laminate

Tarquette laminate