Using mastic
It is often necessary to apply special protection. For the treatment of the seams of the laminated floor, a special laminate mastic is used. With its help, it is possible to improve the quality and durability of the tool joints. The field of such treatment does not penetrate dirt and moisture into the floor covering. As a result of mastic treatment, the following goals are achieved:
- Provides a strong connection of floor elements.
- Moisture protection guaranteed.
- No dust accumulates on the boards.
- The floor covering is protected from mechanical damage.
It is not recommended to process with mastic material that has already received reliable protection during manufacture. The best result cannot be achieved, but you can only spoil the laminate.
With the help of mastic, scratches and other defects on the floor surface can be removed. For this purpose, you can use solid or liquid mastic..
Before starting such work, you need to thoroughly clean the floor from dust, moisture and dirt. It is necessary to apply hard mastic in those places where there are detected defects. After processing, the floor surface must be polished with any means at hand. A piece of fabric with a fleecy surface is fine..
If liquid mastic is used, then its residues on the floor surface are removed with a plastic spatula. After applying to the damaged area, the mastic must be carefully leveled and polished. It is not recommended to walk on the treated surface for several hours..
As a rule, the surface of the laminate floor is treated with mastic to achieve the gloss lost over time. This is a rather complicated procedure, especially when it comes to a large surface. The mastic is applied to the lint-laden fabric and spreads evenly over the entire floor surface.
Benefits of using
Laminate flooring is used by many consumers these days. Responsible homeowners do their best to ensure that this floor lasts as long as possible. Therefore, they apply a protective material in the most vulnerable areas of the laminate flooring. Waxing of joints and tool joints will provide maximum protection of the floor from moisture penetration.
Providing reliable protection to your flooring, you can regularly wet cleaning without risking harm to the laminate..
Protection of the laminate from water allows you to preserve the floor covering for a long time and relieve the owner of the premises from frequent replacement. In fact, it is not just wax and paraffin that can protect your flooring. It is necessary to pay attention to the quality of the purchased material..
The rules for applying the material for water resistance are indicated in the instructions attached to it. At the joints of the lamellas, the protective agent will become a reliable barrier to moisture penetration. On the sales market there is a sufficient selection of products for the treatment of laminate flooring in the places of the joints.
How to process laminate flooring after laying?
One of the types of flooring is laminate. According to its quality characteristics, this material is divided into classes. Laminate impregnation reliably protects the floor from moisture penetration. That is why this type of coating is indispensable in rooms with high humidity levels..
Laminate is an inexpensive and beautiful flooring material that can beautify the interior of any room. The board is produced in a wide range of colors, so it can be matched to the design of any interior. Only the exact adherence to the laying of the board during the installation of the floor covering will ensure its longevity. But how to protect your laminate from water?
What impregnation to choose?
What to cover your laminate with for water resistance? Since the main material for its manufacture is parquet board, consisting of natural solid wood, as well as chipboard, the laminate is still susceptible to moisture. The best protection is natural wax, which can significantly extend the life of the laminate.
Waterproof wax is not only used to protect against moisture, but also to lay the material during the installation of the floor covering.
Do not forget that there is wet cleaning to maintain cleanliness, which also will not negatively affect the laminate with reliable impregnation. It provides sealing of joints and is indispensable in rooms with high humidity levels..
Impregnation of laminate flooring after installation is recommended in residential and public areas. Being an indispensable tool for protecting the laminate from moisture in the places of the interlocks, the impregnation also facilitates the process of laying the board during the installation of the floor covering..
Impregnation is applied to both sides of the lock, which will help completely eliminate the penetration of moisture. Thanks to her, it is possible to avoid the creak of the floor covering during its operation..
Such processing is carried out for all types of materials that serve as flooring and have a lock connection. As a rule, it is recommended to apply such a product with a regular brush..
Laminate processing methods
Processing the laminate after laying it is reduced to sealing joints and seams. This is a rather expensive material, so it is advisable to reliably protect it from moisture and mechanical damage..
Most laminate manufacturers apply paraffin wax to the surface of the tool joints during the manufacturing process. Such processing allows you to extend the life of the material, reliably protecting it from moisture penetration into the flooring.
It is necessary to treat the laminate after installation in order to increase the degree of its protection. After all, unfortunately, not all manufacturers carry out pre-processing during its production..
Savings can significantly affect the life of the flooring, so you should not be tempted by the low price of the laminate when buying it..
If the material was covered with paraffin, then the processing of the laminate locks from moisture during installation is not required. Laminate board stackers previously used paraffin candles to process the surface of joints and seams.
Nowadays, such a laborious process is simplified, thanks to the availability of special tools for high-quality processing of laminate boards..
After laying the laminate, the locks are processed and the joints are processed. Only in this case, moisture will not be able to harm the material..
Pro Tricks for Cutting Laminate Flooring
The application of paraffin will be the answer to the question of how to protect the laminate from moisture. Only paraffin or wax that protects against moisture will allow you to keep the laminate flooring in full safety for a long period of time.
Protection of the laminate from moisture is extremely necessary, since it helps to keep the floor from deterioration for a long time. Joint processing is carried out so that moisture does not penetrate into the interior of the floor covering.
Circular Saw – Requires Experience
You can also cut the laminate with a circular saw, equipping it with a disc for metal work. At the same time, we put the board prepared for cutting and marked out on some flat plane. The laminated film should not be at the bottom, as with a jigsaw, but at the top. Slowly and smoothly moving the circular disc along the mowing line of the cut, we obtain a smooth and high-quality cutting surface. During operation, the disc does not get stuck in the laminate.
But for those who have never taken such an instrument in their hands, it will be difficult for habit. It takes a lot of effort and effort to achieve the desired result. Having acquired dexterity over time, it will be possible to saw the laminate very quickly and efficiently. But this process requires patience..
If you have not previously sawed other materials with this tool, then it is better to give preference in favor of a jigsaw.
How to choose the best tool?
The choice is guided by two groups of factors. Firstly, on the characteristics of the material, the conditions of laying and the amount of work. Secondly, on the parameters of the tool itself. For example, how to cut laminate flooring at home? In this case, it makes no sense to arm yourself with productive electrical equipment, since a small volume of panels for household laying will also be processed qualitatively by a guillotine with a hacksaw. If you plan to design a huge office space using a wear-resistant laminate model, then a circular saw or an angle grinder would be a good choice..
Fitting laminated panels
- Looking at the composition of the laminate, its structure, you can decide that it is not difficult to saw it with anything. In general, it is. But nevertheless, it is better to do it, more conveniently, more accurately. Instructions on how to cut laminate flooring can be good advice, but not guidance..
- The type of cut, its clarity, depends on the tool with which the laminate is sawn. It is desirable that the cutting structure of the saw be as small as possible, then the cut will be normal..
- An even cut of the laminate depends not only on the fineness of the teeth. It also depends on the speed with which it is sawed, on the material from which the saw is made, and on its qualities. If these values are high, a jigsaw file with large teeth can make a perfect cut..
- I must add that there is no such thing as a jigsaw file for cutting laminate flooring. There are various nail files for wood or metal. Anyone can be used. You just need to know that if a saw for metal with a small blade, it will knit in the laminate, if with a large one for wood, it will be easier to go. The cut is almost the same.
- An electric circular saw with the most common wood cutting discs cuts laminate flooring perfectly. There are no special discs for cutting laminate here either. Each hand-held electric circular blade can play this role.
- With this cutting method, it is almost impossible to cut in different directions. In this case, you need to take an electric jigsaw, and for curly cutouts, a file for metal, it is thinner.
How to Install Laminate Flooring for beginners
Take advice. When working with a manual electric circular, it is better to turn the laminate face down. This will remove the torn edge of the paper. This can happen if the laminate board is not turned over, if the saw blade is not sharp enough..
It is perfectly possible to cut the backing and laminate with an angle grinder. Saw blades are taken for metal or concrete. This work will cause smoke to the room where it is done. It is possible to insert a blade with teeth into an angle grinder. This is not the best option, the cut will certainly be uneven.
You can cut the laminate with the simplest hacksaw for metal or wood, but always with fine teeth. It will be difficult to cut wide panels or a laminated board lengthwise with a metal sheet. But the cut trace after it is clearer than after working with a canvas on wood.
Advice. In extreme cases, you can get by with a construction knife. This is in isolated cases. Cut the laminate board if necessary, but no tool. A deep line is drawn under the ruler with a knife, the laminate breaks with a blow of the hand. The other part of the panel is pressed with a knee to the stool.
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Updated: 22 July 2018
Jigsaw tool
The best result in cutting laminate can be achieved by using a jigsaw for this purpose. It is a lightweight, very easy-to-use tool that will quickly be approached by any newbie master. Even a woman or a teenager. Cutting with a jigsaw is carried out at high speeds, which avoids damage to the structure of the fiberboard. If you act at the same time quickly, confidently, then the cut will turn out to be almost perfect..
The main thing in using a jigsaw is the choice of the file. Modern tools are usually initially supplied with special files for cutting laminate. They are distinguished by a special shape, pitch and way of setting the teeth. However, ordinary metal files – narrow, with small teeth will cope with this business just as well..
In order not to damage the decorative surface, the cutting line is applied (with a pencil or chalk) to the wrong side of the laminate board. It is laid on a table (chair) with the wrong side up so that the part that is planned to be cut is in a suspended state. They fix the laminate on the table with one hand, and quickly cut off the excess part with the other.
The jigsaw allows you to cut the laminate quickly and safely
Using a circular saw for cutting
The advantages of this tool include high cutting speed and the ability to work with several panels at the same time. It has already been noted that an angle grinder is distinguished by similar performance, but there are also serious features in the circular grinder. Its cutting capacity is much higher, therefore, if you are thinking about what is the best way to cut a laminate from a commercial or semi-commercial series, then you will not find this method better. Such panels are characterized by high strength, hardness and rigidity. Therefore, even in piece processing, not every jigsaw or hacksaw will cope with this task. An angle grinder will undoubtedly do batch cutting, but not as quickly and efficiently as a circular saw.
What a professional uses
In any case, an amateur can be easily distinguished from a professional, not only by the speed and quality of work, but also by the tool used. This also happens with the installation of laminate flooring. Professionals use a laminate cutter to cut in a very short time.
As you can see in the photo, this cutter. it is a hand-held machine equipped with a sharp blade that is fixed to the base. The blade is easily adjustable for different types of cuts. With the help of the machine, you can cut slats along, across and at various angles, without spending a lot of effort and energy.
The principle of working with the machine:
- The lamella is placed on the machine support in a horizontal position.
- The cutter adjusts to the layout.
- The builder applies force to the handle and the blade gradually cuts the lamella.
A professional machine is something that makes it very easy to cut a laminate without chips, so everyone who is engaged in laying laminate is trying to get it..
You can use any of the tools presented, but remember that the most important thing in sawing laminate is the quality of the edge. Remember the advice: in order to make as few chips and irregularities as possible, do not put much effort on the sawing tool, because this will force the tool to pull the fragments out of the material body, and not cut them.
Now you know all the sawing methods, so you can decide on your own the question of how to saw off the laminate.