Thanks to the efforts of flooring developers and manufacturers, modern installation of laminate flooring in the kitchen does not present any particular difficulties even for novice tilers. You just need to follow the recommendations for preparing the base and strictly follow the sequence of assembly of the lamellas. You will also need a good tool, time and great patience, since assembling laminate flooring in a kitchen is still different from working in residential premises.
Ways to install laminate flooring in the kitchen
There is one peculiarity of laying laminate flooring in the kitchen with your own hands. The kitchen area differs from living rooms in its humidity and regular sanitary cleaning of the floor covering. The most important thing that frightens and stops apartment owners from installing laminate flooring in the kitchen is the possibility of a flood due to a water spill from a washing machine or a break in the water main. Water flows into the joints, and the expensive flooring in the kitchen turns into unusable trash.
Therefore, laying laminate flooring indoors is done in two ways:
- Adhesive installation. In this case, a moisture-resistant type of laminate coating is used. When laying slats on the kitchen floor, the ends are coated in the locking joints with sealant or a special elastic adhesive. The result is a coating in the kitchen that can withstand a small and short-term water spill;
- Use of waterproof laminate. All preparatory procedures and the installation of the flooring itself are no different from installing laminate flooring in living rooms. The tightness of the coating is ensured due to the characteristics of waterproof lamellas and a special locking device.
For your information! Waterproof laminate brands are much more expensive than moisture resistant ones; when choosing a coating, pay attention to the class of the material. Waterproof coatings start from class 32.
According to experts, such laminate flooring in the kitchen can withstand for 20-30 minutes. a layer of water up to 5 cm, provided there is no mechanical load. If at this moment you do not walk on the waterproof laminate, then there will be no leaks, and half an hour will be enough to collect water from the laminate in the kitchen.
DIY installation
Almost everyone can make a kitchen apron from laminate with their own hands. It is very important to follow the sequence of actions and perform everything carefully and carefully.
All installation steps are divided into several stages:
- Preparatory work . The surface of the walls must be covered with putty. It eliminates all irregularities and defects. The wall should be leveled and prepared for subsequent installation.
- Installation of sheathing. Self-assembly of the structure is not difficult. It is advisable to take small blocks of 4x4 cm and attach them to the wall at a distance of 50 cm from each other. The sheathing can be assembled either over the entire wall or over part of it.
- Installation of laminate to the sheathing. The laminate sheet is secured with screws, plastic dowels or screws to a lath covered with concrete screed or linoleum. In certain cases, special glue is used. When joining elements to each other, all connections are covered with sealant, which increases the degree of protection from external influences. Always start attaching the plates from the bottom.
- Final works . It is best to cover the edges of a laminate kitchen apron with decorative corners made of polymer materials.
How to choose the right material for installation in the kitchen
The difference in cost between the two different types of laminate is quite significant, and if you use branded brands for installation, it is quite possible that for the price paid for waterproof laminate for the kitchen, you can install two or three rooms.
It is quite possible to choose moisture-resistant laminate brands for installation in the kitchen if the following conditions are met:
- There is no washing machine in the kitchen;
- There are new water and sewer pipes, high-quality taps and mixers;
- It is planned to lay a strip of tiled floor tiles along the future façade of the kitchen unit.
A small amount of water spilled on glued laminate flooring will not affect its quality and will not lead to repairs or installation of new material. But if at least one point is not met, it’s not worth the risk. In addition, waterproof laminate flooring has significantly higher abrasion resistance, so its repair or new installation, even under heavy load conditions in the kitchen, is done half as often as for moisture-resistant laminate flooring.
Characteristics of a laminate kitchen apron
Laminate is a floor covering consisting of several layers of fibrous material (most often paper), which looks very similar to parquet. It can also imitate wood, leather, stone and ceramic tiles.
Due to such diversity, relatively low cost and practicality, laminate is actively used for repairs in all countries of the world.
And if a few years ago the material was used exclusively for finishing the floor, today designers are increasingly suggesting the use of laminate for walls. Since high-quality laminate is resistant to abrasion, can withstand mechanical friction and does not delaminate when exposed to high temperatures, it can even be used to decorate walls in the kitchen.
An apron made from this material will perfectly cope with its tasks, fit into any design and fit any set.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before choosing a laminate kitchen apron, you need to understand what advantages and disadvantages such a coating has.
The main advantages of laminate:
- relatively low cost. Despite the affordable price, high-quality laminate is not inferior in characteristics to other, more expensive products;
- ease of installation. Compared to tiles, installing such an apron will not be difficult;
- moisture resistance. Only the moisture-resistant type of coating has this property. If we are talking about installing a kitchen apron, preference should be given to this particular material, since the surface will have to come into contact not only with water, but also with steam;
- ease of care. To keep the wall clean, the surface must be wiped with a cloth soaked in a soapy solution;
- durability. If you treat the laminated apron with care and minimize mechanical stress, it will not lose its original appearance for a long time;
- a wide variety. Laminate differs not only in colors and shades, but also in texture. An undoubted advantage is that the coating can imitate the structure of natural materials: stone, wood, granite.
From an environmental point of view, laminate is also clean and safe. Since the elements are made mainly from natural materials, it does not emit toxins, so it can be safely installed in any room, even in bedrooms.
Laminate has significantly fewer disadvantages, but they are also present. Before purchasing, be sure to familiarize yourself with them:
- If you install an apron from a regular laminate rather than a moisture-resistant one, it will quickly lose its attractive appearance due to constant contact with water. The surface may begin to swell and become deformed. The area near the sink is usually the first to suffer;
- laminate reacts to elevated temperatures and may also begin to deform. To avoid this, it is recommended to place the slab at the maximum permissible distance from the wall.
On a note! If you decide to install a laminate apron behind the stove, the distance between them must be at least 10 cm, otherwise the wall will quickly begin to deform.
Sequence of the process of laying laminate flooring in the kitchen
First of all, you need to inspect the door frame. This needs to be done for two reasons:
- Firstly, before laying laminate flooring in the kitchen, you will need to decide on the method of joining the level of the kitchen laminate flooring to the threshold of the door frame or to the parquet if the door opening is made according to a threshold-free scheme;
- Secondly, it will be necessary to level the piece in front of the kitchen entrance in the same plane with the rest of the subfloor. Most often, a rise and fall of the concrete base is formed along the threshold.
For your information! It is known from practice that most defects in concrete floor screed are concentrated at the entrance to the room.
Hence the creaking of the new laminate immediately after installation, the subsidence of the coating, and even the edge of the lamella coming out from under the threshold. Such defects are most often found in private homes, but can sometimes be found in old apartment kitchens.
Preliminary calculation and selection of tools
The process of laying laminate flooring in the kitchen has one remarkable feature: if the calculation of the number of lamellas is made with an error, then the covering can be laid with one missing board, which will have to be hidden under the kitchen unit. It is clear that such a scheme significantly reduces the value and strength of a laminate floor. Most often, they resort to it if expensive imported installation material was brought to order, and one strip was missing. Considering the enormous weight of the furniture cabinets in the kitchen, nothing will happen to the floor.
To calculate the number of slats, you will need to know the dimensions of the kitchen and the dimensions of one strip. The calculation sequence is as follows:
- We divide the longitudinal size of the kitchen by the length of one strip of laminate, we get the number of pieces, for example, 6.2;
- We divide the width of the room by the transverse dimension of the lamella, we get the number of rows, for example, 17.7;
- We round and multiply 7x18 = 126, with 8 pieces in a package we get 17 packs.
It is best to buy kitchen material in advance and store it in a cool, dry place. You can begin laying laminate flooring only after completing all renovation work in the kitchen.
To work, you will need a jigsaw, a tape measure, a construction square, a construction knife, a hammer, a set of dowels with plugs, tape and lining material.
Preparing the floor for laying laminate
In theory, laminate flooring can be installed not only on a concrete base, but also on a wooden floor, an old floor covered with plywood, and even tiles. The main thing is that the base is as level as possible with the horizon and does not have defects on the surface exceeding 1-3 mm, depending on the substrate used.
The only exception is waterproof laminate of class 34 or even 43. The material is very expensive, but in terms of wear resistance we can say that it is eternal, so for a good coating it is best to remove the old floor and level the concrete base.
The simplest leveling option is to use a self-leveling mixture. If you have no experience in such work, then you can invite a specialist; the filling will take no more than an hour, and the procedure is inexpensive.
The pre-cleaned floor is primed with a potting mixture with double the amount of water, then a damper strip is glued along the perimeter of the kitchen and a self-leveling compound is poured. The filler is rolled with a needle roller, and after a day you can begin laying the laminate.
Types of laminated coatings
Modern technologies offer on the market several types of laminated coatings with similar properties. Let's look at them in detail:
- MDF panel. They are distinguished by their low price and ease of installation to all types of lathing. The main disadvantage of the product is that its laminated surface is ordinary varnished paper. Therefore, the material is hygroscopic;
- Chipboard. No lathing is required at all. In addition, the laminated surface of the product is denser, which has a positive effect on its strength. The main disadvantage, again, is the hygroscopicity of the material;
- HDF laminate or laminated hardboard. It is a compressed material. It has good density, which allows it to be used as a protective apron in the kitchen;
- Laminate flooring. An ordinary floor covering used as a kitchen apron will do an excellent job with its responsibilities.
DIY installation options are divided into two types:
- Glue or liquid nails. Installation is carried out on a flat base without the use of plaster;
- Lathing. A structure made of slats or blocks on which the material is laid.
Depending on the installation method:
Glue. With this installation method, adhesion to the base will be insufficient, so this installation option on the lathing is not recommended.
Tongue and pile. Using nails or staples, the structure is mounted on glue and wooden sheathing, and fixed in a similar way to clapboard.
Clicky. More reliable fastening than tongue and groove. This will securely attach the adhesive to the sheathing. Small nails are used for additional fixation.
Chipboard and MDF
You need 4 to 6 holes in the wall. Plastic dowels together with long screws will securely secure the product. We will cover the ends with a special profile for the edge. It is better to seal it with sealant.
This way not only fixes the material, but also provides additional protection from water. Special fasteners for the mirror will allow you to hide the caps from the screws. MDF panels are fastened in a similar way. Unlike laminated chipboard, the ends of the panels are already laminated .
HDF
It is more difficult to make a kitchen apron from this type of laminate on the wall. We install a more frequent sheathing of 2x4 cm slats. Treat it with drying oil and let it dry completely. This will help her fight moisture. We fix it on the wall.
A perfectly flat surface is not required. The design will completely hide all the imperfections of the wall. The grid cell is mounted no more than 30 cm. The recommended method of fastening and edging is using liquid nails. Despite the frequency of lathing, less material is required than for other materials.
Laminate flooring
Conventional laminate is installed not only above the work area, but also, if desired, over the entire area. We take a laminated panel and attach it vertically in one row. The combination of a dark wood-like bottom with a light top has proven itself very well in practice.
We fasten the sheathing using liquid nails. The use of locks, screws and nails is not possible. This design is necessary when the surface covering is longer than the length of the board. With a perfectly flat base, the material is installed without lathing.
If there are irregularities, the sheathing becomes horizontal, in the form of four rows of slats, the thickness of which is no more than 25 mm. The edging is finished with a corner made of plastic or aluminum.
Laying lining material
To arrange the floor in the kitchen, two types of linings are used - coniferous mats and cork cloth. The material is laid on concrete in rows with mandatory bandaging of the seams. The joints must be glued with tape so that under load the lining material does not spread to the walls of the room.
The standard thickness of the lining is only 8 mm, therefore, if the work is carried out with the dismantling of the subfloor, sometimes you have to lay out two layers in order to guess the height of the laminate relative to the threshold level.
Laying laminate flooring in the classic way with locks
In the traditional version, laying the laminate begins from the far wall of the kitchen, moving towards the front door. Soft spacers are first laid around the perimeter, pressing and limiting the laid laminate flooring. There should be a gap of 5-10 mm between the kitchen walls and the ends, which will later be closed by installing skirting boards.
The first lamella is sometimes laid with a clamp on the glue, the next board is installed from the narrow part, joined into a lock and leveled on the substrate. The next row begins with half a board, this ensures that the joints are offset by half the length. The slats can be laid offset by a third or a quarter of the size, but it is worth considering that the beginning or ending piece should not be less than 20 cm.
If the installation is carried out with sizing, then the end and longitudinal tenons are initially glued, then the lamella is inserted into engagement with the end of the previous board, laid on the substrate and clicked into the lock of the previous row. Everything is done by hand, no hammer blows.
The last lamellas have to be cut so that part of the canvas extends at least 15-20 mm under the base of the future kitchen threshold.
Laying laminate flooring with glue
The technology of installing lamellas on an adhesive base is used mainly for waterproof coatings of class 33-34. The thickness of the PVC laminate board is only 5 mm, so the base must be perfectly level.
Laminate can be glued directly onto concrete, but it is best to prime the base first. This way ensures good penetration of the adhesive mass into the very dense structure of the self-leveling base. As a result, class 34 laminate does not peel off even under impact loads or uneven distribution of furniture, which any kitchen cannot do without.
A good primer makes it possible to save on glue consumption, although it is better not to think about saving when laying laminate flooring on a concrete kitchen floor. The glue is applied with a comb spatula along the entire length of the canvas; after laying the board, you need to check its position using a building level.
Do-it-yourself countertop installation
It is understandable that many people want to save money on repairs (without sacrificing quality, of course). Therefore, many people decide to carry out certain types of installation on their own.
For example, installing a kitchen countertop yourself. It would seem that this is not difficult. However, there are certain nuances that should be taken into account during installation.
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For example, if you absolutely do not know how to work with wood, chipboard or other material, it is better for you not to cut the tabletop sheets yourself, but to order ready-made ones.
If you plan to install a countertop made of expensive materials, it is better to leave the installation in the hands of professionals. Moreover, sometimes it comes as a gift with an expensive order.
If you decide to carry out the work yourself, be prepared to dismantle old materials, take measurements and cut new ones.
Be sure to process the edges. Skirting boards must be sealed and installed. Don't forget about the special cutouts for the faucet and sink.
Recommendation for self-installation: make a preliminary template before ordering the countertop. This will protect you from mistakes and incorrect material sizes.
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