Laminate installation without thresholds

Laminated with a solid carpet throughout the apartment looks aesthetically pleasing and solid. It’s comfortable to move around. The absence of thresholds simplifies the cleaning process. But is everything so simple? In this article, we will examine the different sides of this issue. We will tell you under what conditions laying floors without thresholds makes it possible to enjoy its advantages, and under which it can create problems.

Laying laminate in the apartment without thresholds

To obtain the desired effect of laying the laminate without thresholds throughout the apartment, some mandatory requirements must be observed. Their violation is fraught with negative consequences, which can outweigh the attractiveness and comfort resulting from this method of flooring.

It should be noted that all manufacturers of the laminate unequivocally recommend performing work with tearing the web in doorways. When flooring rooms with a large area, it is necessary to make expansion joints, which make it possible to compensate for the processes of seasonal expansion of dies.

Laminate flooring is a derivative of wood, preserving its ability to absorb moisture from the air and in direct contact. During periods of wet weather, fluctuations in air temperature, and during water bays, such processes inevitably lead to the physical expansion of the dies. Violation of the recommendations for their installation will result in swelling of the coating, creaks or the appearance of cracks between the dies. This can impair the strength of the clutch or cause the dies to fall out. Manufacturers of German and Belgian products call 100 m2 (or a room of 10 by 10 meters), as the maximum integral floor area for flooring as a single carpet. For products manufactured on Russian lines, this area is 48 m2 (or room 8 by 6 meters).

The risk of performing seamless laminate flooring over a large area or throughout the apartment / house can be taken only by experienced craftsmen who are well aware of the parameters of the physical expansion of the material, the technology of its laying and capable of perfectly performing work in specific conditions. The first condition is to prepare the ideal foundation for further work. In this case, it is better to exclude even surface level fluctuations allowed by the manufacturer.

IMPORTANT. The base of the floor should be perfectly flat.

This effect is achieved in various ways, depending on which alignment of the base is performed. It can be:

• liquid leveling mixtures / thin-layer bulk floors - for concrete foundation;
• immaculately made flooring from OSB boards, plywood;
• leveling with a grinding or grinding machine - for a wooden floor.

Alignment of the concrete floor with a mosaic grinder is allowed.

Information on the maximum permissible area on which the laminate can be laid without thresholds is contained in the instructions placed on the inserts in packs with dies. The parameters of permissible humidity of the base and other recommendations regarding the installation of the material are also indicated there.

IMPORTANT. The entire surface of the base for installation should be brought to zero. After that, it is brought to a perfectly clean state.

Performing flooring in two or more rooms with one carpet without a threshold requires professional knowledge and skills. Performing such work by a layperson is possible only after careful preparation.

Laminate is classified by strength level. A higher class will ensure the appropriate coating quality and long service life. When choosing, you should pay attention to the density of the dies and the quality of the joints. Choosing a class of material for flooring without thresholds, they are guided by the most intensively operated room. Otherwise, the coating in it will become unusable much earlier than in others. This will force earlier to replace the entire surface covered with one carpet.

Performing flooring in a private house will require the installation of hydro and thermal insulation layers, which are laid across the direction of installation of the laminate. The substrate is made with an overlap of about 10 cm.

IMPORTANT. Before starting work, the laminate must be in the same room for at least 2 days. Do not install in high humidity. Its level must be acceptable specified in the instructions for the material.

In places adjoining walls, door frames, pipes or other objects, it is necessary to leave technological gaps.

Advantages and disadvantages of this method

Professionals and manufacturers favor laminate flooring with thresholds. Work without thresholds is resorted to in cases where threshold profiles do not fit into the design project of an apartment or house or they are categorically not accepted by the customer.

We list the main advantages and disadvantages of the method without thresholds:

The table shows that the flooring without thresholds has more minuses than pluses. In addition, manufacturers of decorative joints offer a wide range of stone, wood and other materials in various shades and shapes. With their help, you can create smooth joints, rounded and more complex shapes.

How to lay a laminate without thresholds

For the rational use of the material, it is desirable to make accurate measurements and perform scaled layout of the dies on paper, taking into account the direction of their placement. You should start work from the wall with the window in the largest room and move towards the exit.

Further operations are performed in the following sequence:

• first-line dice need to cut down the lock;

• wedges or improvised gaskets ≈ 12 mm wide are laid along the room’s perimeter, right next to the walls, to create a technological gap for expanding dies without expansion (they are removed at the end of work);

• preliminary laying of the first row to determine the length of the last lamella;

IMPORTANT: If preliminary laying of the first row shows that the last lamella needs to be cut by more than two-thirds, one-third of the length of the first lamella is shortened.

• after laying the first row, all subsequent rows are mounted with a shift of 1/3 or 1/2 of the length of the lamella (the same over the entire area).

It is not necessary to increase the technological gap to avoid expansion of the coating, since this leads to the formation of gaps between the lamellas.

Laying laminate in two rooms without a threshold

Laying a laminate in a doorway without a threshold between rooms will require special attention and preparation. Professionals believe that flooring should be installed before installing the door frame.In this case, the laminate is trimmed in the shape of the doorway. If the door is already installed, it is necessary to remove the door leaf, and cut into the door frame, into which to put the lamella. Propyl is made with the expectation that there is no pressure on the laminate, the gap should be ≈ 10 mm. To do this, lay a lamella with a substrate on the draft floor next to the door frame, mark a horizontal line (taking into account the gap), along which they then cut. After mounting all the lamellas, a skirting board is installed. If the room with the laminate is adjacent to the kitchen in which the tiles are laid, the dies joined with the tiles must be cut as accurately as possible, and the joint must be wiped with a special grout.