In which direction to lay the laminate diagonally. Diagonal laying of laminate: material calculation and installation features

Laminate is one of the most popular floor coverings. Natural color and texture give the room coziness and warmth. At the same time, it is difficult to surprise anyone with such material. The most common option for laying laminate flooring is longitudinal. Later in the article, the diagonal laying method will be considered.

Advantages and disadvantages

This type styling gives a spectacular appearance room, adds volume, while the length and width do not visually decrease. Also, this method will look relevant in long and narrow rooms. In rooms of complex shape, it is undesirable to choose longitudinal installation - all the flaws will be visible, so you should choose another option.

The advantages of this installation include:

The ability to hide uneven walls. If the room has more than four corners or the walls are not parallel to each other, this installation will help hide almost all imperfections. When laid longitudinally, all these imperfections will be clearly visible;
IN small rooms is happening visual increase volume, especially when the room is not occupied with furniture;
Clearly emphasizes the naturalness of the coating;
If the window is asymmetrical, diagonal laying allows for better and more uniform penetration of light into the room;
In square and rectangular room such laying of the laminate will give special beauty. To do this, it is advisable not to make the floor monotonous, but to choose several colors and combine them correctly;
If it is necessary to connect two rooms, the transition of the floor from one to another room will be less noticeable;
With the right combination of straight and diagonal laying, your floors will look amazingly beautiful;
Easy determination of the focal point of the room. In the corners from which the coating pattern comes, it is necessary to place something large that attracts the eye: a fireplace, a chest of drawers, corner sofa or a large floor mirror.

The main disadvantages include:

Increased material consumption and large amounts of waste. Material consumption increases by about a quarter relative to the actual floor area;
A large amount of time for calculations, sketching a plan and the work process itself;
A small room with asymmetrical walls is the most inconvenient for this type of work. There will be much more waste;
If exposed to moisture, especially on cheap material, swelling or changes in the properties of the material are possible. Only expensive laminate can withstand changes in humidity or small amounts of water.

We calculate expenses

To start making calculations, you need to know these parameters: length, width, area, number of angles, degree measure of angles. We also determine the angle of laying the laminate itself. Most often, an angle of 45 degrees is chosen due to the convenience of calculations. The angle of 30 degrees is used less often, the rest are almost not used due to the complexity of calculations and drawings.

To correctly calculate the number of elements, you need to know exactly the floor area, length and width of each part. It is also necessary to remember geometry. There is a universal formula for calculating if the laying angle is 45 degrees, it looks like this: Number of elements = (area of the room + (width of the floorboard x width of the room x 1.42)) / area of one floorboard.

As an example of calculation, you can take an area of 6x9 m. The width of the part is 10 cm, its length is 1 m. The quantity will be = (6 x 9) + (0.1 x 6 x 1.42) / 1 x 0.1 = 548.5 floorboards . We can conclude that to cover a room of this size you will need 549 elements. In this case, you should always take a reserve: it is recommended to take 10% more than what was calculated, that is, 549 + 10% = 604 parts.

For angles other than 45 degrees, universal formulas no, so it's easier to use this angle.

Methods

There are two installation methods:

From the center to two opposite corners;
From one corner to the opposite.

The first option is chosen when working alone. When working together, you can choose both the first and second options. Together, you can start from the center and move to different corners.

There are also some tips on styling methods:

Don't stop there cheap laminate. During installation and over time they may appear. various defects;
Before installation, the material must be kept for a day in the room where it will be used. This is necessary for the laminate to get used to the temperature;
Work should be carried out in a warm and dry room.

Technology

Before starting work, you need to prepare the necessary tools:

Hacksaw or jigsaw;
Hammer or mallet;
Square;
Roulette;
Pencil or marker;
Scotch;
Stationery knife.

It is also best that before starting work, a plan drawing of the diagonal layout is drawn up, which will clearly indicate how many boards are needed and how to lay them correctly. This diagram will help both when purchasing the material and when installing it, placing the drawing in front of you.

First you need to thoroughly clean and make the floor smooth and clean. After this, the underlay is laid over the entire surface of the floor. Joints and seams are sealed with tape. Excess pieces are removed with a knife.

You need to decide whether the room will be without thresholds or with thresholds. If there are thresholds, you need to calculate the gap from the material to the wall and make a workpiece to maintain this gap.

We start laying from the corner of the room. You should always take into account and cut holes for pipes in advance.

When connecting the first and second rows of laminate, you need to either have someone stand on them or use a weight. After this, you can safely continue working.

You need to lay the parts diagonally with your own hands in the same way as when laying bricks. It is necessary to make offsets of 25-35 cm so that the coating is stronger and does not deform at the joints.

Parts must be trimmed at the same angle. You can use a pre-prepared template, and for a 45 degree angle you can use a regular square.

When a row consists of more than one floorboard, they will first need to be assembled into a row. Only after this can a whole series of parts be laid out at once. You can immediately assemble a trapezoid with corners, but there is an option to assemble only the long parts, and measure and saw off the corners separately. To compact the parts perfectly, you can use a hammer or rubber mallet.

Using this technology, row after row goes until the opposite corner. There is a small corner left at the end. It is necessary to mark it correctly and carefully insert it into the right place.

For waterproofing, the joints of the elements are coated in advance. hydrophobic composition or silicone.

Display rules

In order to lay laminate flooring correctly, you need to cut it correctly.

To do this, you must follow some rules:

Strict adherence to the angle you have chosen to work. The best thing to do is make a template and work from it. It is best to saw with the tool you are used to;
When working with a jigsaw, there should be increased speed. This is necessary to avoid chips and burrs. At low speeds, an even cut will not work;
Cutting with a grinder will not be difficult if a metal or laminate disc is installed.

Laying linoleum is not difficult if you follow the laying rules. The process itself will be simple if you properly prepare the surface, choose required material and be ready to work yourself.

Interior ideas

You might wonder if there is any point in laying laminate flooring diagonally. After all, this activity is more expensive and takes more time than conventional longitudinal installation. This requires great skill, maintaining all angles at all times. But the result is worth it.

Diagonal laying makes the room wider, which is especially important in long and narrow rooms. When choosing contrasting boards, this type of installation allows you to achieve a beautiful play of colors and shades. This type of installation is universal and can be used in all rooms.

The most popular way to lay laminate flooring is longitudinal. It is the simplest and most economical. This method is often indicated on the instructions that come with the coating packaging. Most of those who decide to do the repairs themselves try not to deviate from the basic rules of installation. Of course it is good option, especially if there are no problems with the layout of the room, and the installation error is several degrees. But what to do if the room has uneven walls and ledges? IN difficult situation It is better to lay the laminate diagonally.

With the classic installation method, laminate boards are located parallel to the walls - along or across the room. The laminate is laid diagonally at an angle of 30 or 45 degrees. The last option is considered the most optimal.

Advantages and disadvantages of diagonal laying

The pros and cons of laying laminate flooring diagonally are controversial. It cannot be said that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and vice versa. The undeniable advantages of this installation method: unusual design and the ability to zone space.

Diagonal laying is the shortest path to creative and interesting design rooms. The skills acquired during the renovation will be useful to visually smooth out uneven walls and hide defects in the layout of the room.

Laminate laid diagonally - good way visually expand the room. It is often used by interior designers. This floor looks most impressive in rooms that are not overloaded with furniture and accessories. In this case diagonal pattern laminate visually expands the space even more. It seems that the room has really become more spacious.

Here is a photo of the laminate diagonally in various options:

One of the most important arguments in favor of diagonal laying is that such a floor pattern looks stylish and opens up scope for designer possibilities. You can visually enlarge the room and make it lighter, divide the space into separate zones using different ways styling

How to calculate the required amount of material

Laying laminate at an angle of 45 degrees is technically more difficult than classic method installation and requires more materials to implement the plan. For this reason, considering required amount laminate, add 15-20% to the resulting value. Professionals with extensive experience in laying laminate flooring can install extra expenses to a minimum - up to 5%. If you decide to do the repairs yourself and have little experience in such work, it is better to play it safe and take more material.

How to do diagonal laying

So, how to lay laminate flooring diagonally? Before starting work, take paper, a simple pencil and a ruler. Draw a diagram of the room to scale and sketch out the layout of the boards on the plan. Consider the location of the windows: the boards should be laid so that sunlight fell on them in parallel. Thanks to this, the seams between the slats are almost invisible. You can do it detailed diagram like in this photo:

Next, get to work directly. In order for laminate flooring to be laid correctly, it is important to level the base of the floor well. This is a mandatory rule when installing any flooring regardless of the method.

Floor preparation

From a technical point of view, preparing the base for diagonal laying is no different from the traditional longitudinal installation of laminate boards. There are several stages:

Fill in concrete screed and wait until the mixture dries completely. Vacuum the floor, clearing the surface of dust and small debris.

The second layer is waterproofing: primer or thick polyethylene film.

A substrate is laid on top of the previous layers: cork, polypropylene, polystyrene foam, etc. Depending on the material, the sheets of the substrate are laid joint-to-joint or overlapping.

Laminate installation

You can lay the boards from corner to corner or from window to doorway. In the latter case, try to place the longitudinal joints in the direction of the sun's rays. You can start installing the floor from the center of the room so that the boards are level. Pull the cord diagonally from one corner of the room to the other. This will serve as a guide.

The first row should be laid strictly parallel to the guide. Lay the boards from the center to the left. With the diagonal laying method, the end locks are connected first, after which the entire long row is interlocked with the next, already fully assembled row. It is best to do the work with assistants. If you work alone, use a weight. This will make the process of connecting the longitudinal locks easier. Once you have secured the two rows and placed a weight on them to prevent them from coming apart, you can safely continue working.

The slats are laid according to the method brickwork or in a checkerboard pattern with an offset of at least 30-40 cm. The coating will be stronger and stronger, without deforming during use.

When you reach the walls, do not lay the laminate end-to-end. Be sure to leave small gaps of 1.5-2 cm. The fact is that with natural fluctuations in temperature and air humidity, the laminate will expand and contract. If not done, the floor will swell and cracks may appear. To ensure that the floor is laid evenly and the distance to the walls is the same everywhere, use small pegs while working. Once the laminate is completely installed, get rid of them. These gaps will not spoil the appearance of the floor. They are covered with a plinth, which is attached to the wall.

When making repairs with their own hands, some people encounter the problem of trimming the outer lamellas. The boards must be cut strictly diagonally, taking into account the direction of the wall. The cut should be parallel. How to do this correctly and smoothly? Use a ruler to measure the distance from the top corner row to the peg between the wall and the boards, measure the distance from the bottom in exactly the same way external corner to the peg. Transfer the obtained values to the whole lamella. Mark the resulting points and connect them with a line. Clearly cut the panel along it as shown in this photo:

You can cut the laminate with a hacksaw or jigsaw strictly from the back side.

Whatever technology you decide to use to lay laminate flooring, always choose quality material. Don't skimp on coverage at the expense of quality. A medium or premium laminate will last much longer than a cheap one. When installing the floor in the kitchen, it is better to choose moisture resistant coating. After you have purchased and installed laminate flooring in your home, let it sit for at least 48 hours. Maintain the temperature in the room: not lower than +17, so that the laminate, after being in the warehouse, gradually gets used to the new conditions.

Do not install laminate flooring in a damp room. This material does not tolerate sudden changes in humidity and large quantity moisture in the air. This causes the lamellas to swell and swell. If you have recently plastered walls and other surfaces, it is better to wait to repair the floor. It is necessary that the humidity level in the room returns to normal.

Do not allow water to get on the laminate floor, especially if the most inexpensive material is chosen. The quality of this coating is the least resistant to any influences. Moisture-resistant panels are not afraid of an accidentally spilled glass of water, but even they will not withstand too much of it.

Laminate flooring should only be laid on a substrate and only on a flat base. If these conditions are not met, then we can expect that unevenness of the base will lead to deformation of the coating. The substrate prevents the laminate from changing its structure and is a good heat and sound insulator.

Laminate also goes well with any floor heating system. Don’t forget about the so-called thermal joints - those same gaps along the walls. It is worth considering that in office premises such gaps are significantly wider than in the living room. The size of the gap is calculated simply - 1.5 mm for each meter of room width.
Please note that all tips apply only to rooms with a humidity level of no higher than 65%.

Heavy, oversized furniture does not allow the floor to “breathe”, preventing the panels from naturally expanding and contracting. In this case, experts recommend increasing the gaps between the coating and the walls by another 1 cm around the entire perimeter.

Were you inspired by the photo and decided that you want to do the same? Correctly laying laminate diagonally at 45° is a little more difficult than along or across the room. You will be required to be more careful in your work and more accurate in your calculations. This installation option is less economical in terms of money. But in the end, you will get a beautiful and original floor that will stylishly fit into any interior and visually increase the space. And this is especially valuable in small rooms.

The general technology of working with laminate is not particularly complicated and does not cause serious problems for beginners and people without experience in such work. The main difficulty arises when it is necessary to deviate from standard conditions and lay the coating in a different form.

Such cases include laying laminate diagonally, when finishing material it is laid at a certain angle, which raises a lot of questions, especially among “home” craftsmen.

Features of this installation method

Traditional methods of working with laminate are universal solutions when there is no need to visually adjust the volume of the room, shift the emphasis to the floor area, or hide any unevenness or blemishes in the interior.

With their help, you can achieve a sane effect when the location of the panels coincides with the direction of natural light. But this is an ideal case, which is not always possible to implement in practice.

Diagonal laying is not so universal and has its pros and cons, which, with the proper skill, can be successfully applied to typical premises and rooms in the private housing sector.

When laying diagonally, material consumption increases by 15-30%

Among the main advantages of this installation technology are the following:

location window openings does not always meet standard standards, which delays adjustments when working with laminate. The diagonal helps to shift or lay the material so that the light falls in the desired direction;
strong unevenness of the walls or their non-parallelism to each other. Flooring along the room will only enhance the effect of unevenness due to the correct orientation of the panels. The diagonal method of laying the laminate can level out small unevenness, thanks to the choice of the desired laying angle and the correct texture of the material;
small or too cramped spaces. Laminate diagonally allows you to visually expand and “stretch” the room, shifting the emphasis from correct forms for a not quite standard styling, while emphasizing the beneficial design solution and the uniqueness of the room.

Among the disadvantages are some difficulties of work and a general waste of material. That is, without certain skills in finishing or people who want to save on the total cost of work should not resort to such methods.

It is better to make do with proven solutions that practically eliminate any difficulties in calculations and preparing the material for direct laying on the surface.

How to calculate material

Calculating the required amount of material when standard way flooring does not cause any particular difficulties - you need to know the area of the room in which the installation will be carried out and the area of one laminate panel/package. Next, the total area of the room is divided by the area of one panel/package and the minimum required amount of material is obtained.

Diagram illustrating the number of panels and trims when laying diagonally

With a diagonal arrangement, everything is somewhat different. To be more precise, a cut at a certain angle will be required for each outer panel in a row, and not through the row, as with the longitudinal or transverse method of flooring.

This condition will lead to relatively increased consumption. Additionally, this can include the costs of damage to panels during fitting and installation. As a result, it turns out that the amount of material can be 20-30% higher than with classical methods.

In some cases, this is quite true, but we suggest not relying on “maybe”, but conducting real ones. To do this you will need to use the installation diagram below.

In the diagram, the rectangular room is divided into 3 sections, which conventionally show the three main stages of installation. That is, first of all, the panels are installed at the AEC site, then ECFB, and then at BFD.

Laying diagram showing the direction of laying laminate panels

As a result, knowing simple geometric formulas and the area of the room, you can calculate the number of scraps and the required number of laminate panels. That is, the total amount of material required will be equal to the sum of the area of the panels laid on the surface and the area of the scraps obtained during the work.

Further calculations will be carried out using the following formulas, based on the fact that the laying will be carried out strictly at an angle of 45 degrees and S1 + S2 = 1.42 AC, which in turn is equal to the sum of the areas of the two extreme sections.

For example, let’s calculate the required material for a typical room 8 m long and 4 m wide. For the calculations themselves, we’ll take a laminate 1 m long and 12 cm wide.

room area: 8 * 4 = 24 m2;
trim area: (1.42 * 4 * 0.12) = 0.682 m2;
panel area: 0.12 * 1 = 0.12 m2;
number of panels: (24 + 0.682) / 0.12 = 206.

That is, 206 panels is the minimum required amount of material, which does not include damaged or defective panels. This point should also be taken into account when purchasing material.

For people who are not too concerned about the total cost of work, you can skip manual calculations and use a calculator, which is not so accurate, but allows you to get an acceptable result. The form of the calculator can be seen just above.

Preliminary actions and tool preparation

Preparing the surface for laying laminate diagonally is standard set actions that include checking the load-bearing foundation for the degree of deviation, the presence and assessment of the complexity of damage to the foundation, and eliminating the detected problems.

Basic steps for leveling concrete base before installation

Conventionally, preparation can be divided into two groups, corresponding to one or another type of base:

Without elimination existing problems further finishing and flooring modern materials will not make sense, since laminate or parquet board require an almost perfectly flat plane. This allows you to guarantee the use of the material for 5-7 years without visible problems.

To level out differences of up to 2-3 mm, a substrate made of natural or foam materials is used, which is spread over the floor area before installing the panels.

To lay laminate flooring you will need an electric jigsaw, a hammer, a square, a tape measure and accessories for tamping.

Directly before laying the laminate diagonally, it is recommended to keep the laminate panels in a warm room for 2-3 days. This will allow the material to acquire a “shape” appropriate temperature conditions and indoor humidity.

To fit and cut the laminate, you can use a hacksaw, a fine-toothed blade, or an electric jigsaw. It is more convenient to mark using a square, tape measure and pencil. Installation and tamping of the panels is carried out using a mallet and a special clamp.

If necessary, you can purchase inexpensive ones, which are used for 2-3 laying cycles, after which they are disposed of.

Technology of laying laminate diagonally

Technologically, the process of working with laminate with a diagonal arrangement of the coating differs from other types of installation similar material. The main difficulty, as a rule, is caused by the measurement algorithm for the outermost canvas in the row, which will be described below.

Various types of substrates will help level out minor flaws in the supporting base.

Flooring technology for diagonal laying can be divided into the following points:

Preparing and cleaning the base. The load-bearing base is checked for technical compliance. When differences exceed 3 mm per 2 m2, unevenness on the floor surface is eliminated. If necessary, the surface is cleaned from cement deposits, oil stains, paint, abrasive particles and dirt.

After cleaning, you can treat the surface with an antiseptic or primer.

Fitting and laying the substrate. The underlay is laid out on the floor surface. If necessary, the canvas is trimmed to length. The joints between adjacent sheets are glued using paper tape. If desired, placed under the substrate polyethylene film, which will play the role of an insulating material.

The substrate is spread along the length of the room without overlap

Laying the first canvas. U different manufacturers and masters meet various recommendations for installation of the first canvas. Basically, this is laying from a corner or from the first solid sheet. We recommend using the first case, when installation begins with adjusting the corner.

The canvas for the corner is marked from the edge of the solid laminate lamella

Marking algorithm. To mark, it is advisable to use a construction square, which will allow you to accurately measure an angle of 45 degrees. To apply markings, use a regular pencil. The panel is trimmed using electric jigsaw. Preparing the panel for the corner is carried out on a single piece by marking the desired corners from the starting mark.

To mark subsequent panels, you will need to measure the greatest distance along the outer edge of the previous lamella

Marking and adjusting subsequent canvases. After preparing and trimming the canvas, which is located in the corner, its greatest distance along the outer edge is measured. This distance is set aside on the next panel and sawn off at an angle of 45 degrees. Then the process is repeated.

In a long row, material is trimmed at an angle only from one edge

Long row marking. For rows where the whole web is cut at an angle on only one side, it is recommended to take the required measurement only after adjusting the first blade. For example, the first laminate panel is adjusted, then the required number of solid panels is laid, and only after that the required distance for the outer panel in the row is measured.

During the installation process, you should remember the temperature gap, which should be 1-1.2 cm. To do this, you can use special mounting wedges or laminate residues. When installing panels, it is not recommended to use a regular hammer or other tool that can damage the groove of the panels.

Before laying the laminate diagonally with your own hands, we recommend that you watch the video, which clearly demonstrates the installation of the first sheet, marking and cutting the sheets.

Laminate has long established itself as a practical material. It is considered stylish and attractive. The specificity of this material allows it to be laid out in geometric patterns of varying complexity, and the effect of such installation will be indescribable. For example, laying laminate flooring diagonally is an unusually beautiful option that can significantly transform a room.

Pros of using diagonal laying:

With this installation, the panels are located at an angle to the walls of the room, successfully hiding all the shortcomings. If the walls are not parallel, regular option The arrangement of the panels will only emphasize this flaw, and diagonal laying will hide it.
Diagonal laying creates a unique visual effect of visual expansion of space. This will be especially relevant in small spaces.
The main advantage is the beauty and sophistication of the finish.

Price issue

If you decide to use this installation option, then be prepared for the fact that you will have to spend more material, and therefore more money. This is explained by the fact that where the ends of the laminate meet the walls, they will have to be cut at an angle to “fit” them in place. From this it turns out that more material will go to waste than with classical way laying out panels.

Experienced craftsmen make do with a 5% supply of material when laying, because they have developed an instinct for the optimal location. For those who decide to do this for the first time, it is better to take 10-15% of the material in reserve.

Note! It’s better to buy all the material you need for installation at once. Because there is no guarantee that after some time you will find exactly the same color.

Necessary tool

roulette,
jigsaw,
metal ruler,
small wooden block and a rubber hammer,
pencil,
spacer wedges.

Laying laminate

The most common layout for laying laminate flooring diagonally is from the corner of the room. The work is being carried out in stages.

First, the surface is carefully prepared. If work is carried out on concrete floor, then it should be smooth and dry. When laying on wooden floor it is also tested for reliability. Align wooden surface You can use sheets of plywood.
Then a substrate is laid on the surface. The joints must be glued with tape.
To control the accuracy of the installation, you need to stretch the rope diagonally across the room.
To select the required angle of inclination of the panel, you can first lay out several boards on the floor.
After you collect several rows, they need to be fastened together. To do this, use a rubber hammer. Just do not overdo it when connecting, so as not to damage the locking connection.
The gaps between the walls are fixed with wedges.
If it is necessary to lay boards where pipes pass, holes are pre-cut in the panels, which can be filled with acrylic or silicone-based sealant.
The final part of the work involves installation of skirting boards. For this purpose, it is better to choose high-quality material with the ability to pull the cable inside it.

Trimming corners

Trimming is carried out at an angle of 45°; for this, a square is used or you can prepare a template in advance. The first rows are made from one panel. Each row is a trapezoid. The adjacent side should be equal in length to the outer part of the previous row.

First, using a square or template, mark the cut location and cut the required angle with a jigsaw or other tool.
When you reach rows of several panels, you must first saw off the corner from the leftmost plank and connect them into one row. Such a connection will be temporary, so you should not be zealous in achieving density.
Next, we measure the size of the remaining piece (don’t forget to take into account the thickness of the wedge that is inserted between the wall and the canvas), take the next panel and cut the required angle according to the resulting size.
The entire row is disengaged from the previous one, the resulting corner is inserted, and all connections are finally secured.
Thus, row by row all corners are displayed. Having reached the edge of the room, you need to change the direction of the segment of the left corner. Further work is carried out in a similar order, only in the opposite direction.

Having completed all the work correctly, you will receive an even and beautiful coating.

When choosing a material, you should not settle for cheap options. Due to poor quality, various defects may appear during operation.
After purchasing laminate, you need to let it “sit” in the room where you decided to put it. This is necessary so that it gets used to the room temperature after storage.
Laying work can only be carried out in dry rooms. Increased humidity levels can affect the quality of the material.
During installation, it is necessary to leave “thermal joints” between the wall and the panels. They will provide additional protection against compression or expansion. Gaps must be provided on all sides of the room. The gap is calculated as follows: for every meter of room width, you need to leave a 1.5 mm gap around the perimeter.
If there will be heavy furniture in the room where the laminate is being laid, then the gap should be left within 10 mm from each wall of the room.

The photo shows examples of laying laminate diagonally; you can also watch a video where the work process is described in more detail.