The substrate, or lining, under the laminate is a thin material that covers the base of the floor for subsequent laying of the finish boards.
Why do I need a substrate for a laminate
The substrate should provide a number of tasks. The main functions of this material include:
- leveling the concrete base;
- ensuring the elasticity of the floor;
- soundproofing of the floor covering;
- waterproofing;
- providing thermal insulation.
The main tasks of the substrate device is to level the base, providing elasticity and sound insulation. Requirements for heat and waterproofing are considered additional and are presented when installing floors in rooms with certain characteristics.
Elimination of concrete foundation deficiencies
The area of any, even the smallest size, cannot be ideally prepared for laminate flooring. On the surface of the screed treated with a grinder, there are bumps that impede the quality of the lamellae.
If you lay a laminate without using a lining, all errors in the form of pits and tubercles will cause the formation of a bend in the floor surface. To violate the integrity of the lamellas, a 2-3 mm deflection is sufficient. As a result, at first the floors begin to creak, and later the locks of the laminate boards are destroyed, which further leads to the need for a complete replacement of the floor covering.
The lining will help to avoid the described problems. It smooths out small irregularities in the concrete base and forms a single, even area, which can significantly extend the life of the coating.
Elimination of fluctuations in floor coverings under load
On the floor there is a constant dynamic load when walking, as well as the sound effect of the reflected waves.
Ensuring the damper (damping) effect in this case is assigned to the substrate. It allows you to avoid the effects of sound vibrations and smooths out the voltage in the locks of the lamellas that occurs when walking. As a result, the integrity of the coating is maintained.
Soundproofing
A feature of the concrete base is the strong sound conductivity of this material, and if a laminate is laid without using a gasket, sounds from the lower floor will pass almost without obstacles. A laminate thickness of 8-12 mm is also not a serious barrier to noise penetration.
The neighbors below will be constantly unhappy with the increased audibility from the top floor. Only the use of a lining will help to avoid the penetration of extraneous sounds.
Waterproofing
This function is required to organize flooring in rooms located on the ground floor or in areas with high humidity, and therefore, in most cases, the waterproofing properties of the material when installing the base under the laminate are not important. To ensure water protection in standard rooms, it is enough to lay a PVC film under the substrate.
There are special types of linings with a moisture-proof coating, it is such a material that is used in such conditions.
Thermal insulation
Any coating under the laminate, regardless of the material of manufacture, allows you to protect the flooring from heat loss. Such an obstacle will reflect heat waves and will not allow heat to escape through the concrete base.
Types of Substrates
The choice of substrate for the laminate depends on the characteristics of the room. Modern industry produces many varieties of lining, and you can choose the necessary material for specific operating conditions without problems.
Substrates are distinguished by three main parameters:
- Form - substrates are roll or sheet.
- Material - from natural or artificial raw materials.
- Type of raw material - most often they produce linings from: polyethylene foam, polystyrene foam, expanded foam, cork, bitumen-cork material, coniferous mixtures and in a combined form.
Polyethylene foam
The most affordable material for organizing lining for a laminate. It is produced by foaming polyethylene and as a result, a material is obtained that perfectly resists the destructive effects of microorganisms, has a high level of thermal insulation and waterproofing, and also lends itself perfectly to cutting.
The disadvantages of polyethylene foam include poor sound insulation and low strength characteristics.
Expanded polystyrene
Inexpensive material that has all the necessary qualities of a substrate for a laminate: it evens out small irregularities in the concrete base, copes with high loads without changing the structure, dampens sound waves, and can act as a waterproofing material. It is made of extruded polystyrene foam.
Polypropylene
This material is not in high demand due to its bubble structure. During operation, the bubbles burst, the integrity of the canvas is violated, which leads to creases of the lamella lock.
Most often used as a waterproofing material.
Cork
Natural material copes with all loads perfectly, has improved thermal insulation properties and protects the room from sound waves. The disadvantages include the high cost of the cork substrate, so it is recommended to use this material when flooring an expensive and durable laminate.
Bitumen-cork
A layer of bitumen and cork chips are applied to the kraft paper. The result is a durable material with increased resistance to moisture.
Coniferous
For the production of coniferous substrates use natural wood. This material has improved soundproofing properties, smooths the surface of the screed well, absorbs condensate, but, like cork, is quite expensive.
Combined
It is made by splicing three layers. The upper and lower layers are made of polyethylene, and the intermediate is made of expanded polystyrene. Such a material perfectly copes with high humidity, getting rid of moisture vapor through the porous structure of expanded polystyrene.
Combined substrates have good flexibility, have a long service life, maintaining their original shape, and smooth the surface of the screed well. The disadvantages include the high cost and undesirable evaporation of expanded polystyrene for health.
Which substrate to choose
The variety of types of linings is confusing for a novice builder, but experienced finishers can easily determine which substrate to choose under the laminate based on the parameters and purpose of the room in the apartment, as well as on the thickness of the customer’s wallet.
Selection Criteria and Material Requirements
In order to understand how to choose a substrate for a laminate, you need to decide on the key selection criteria. General requirements include the following points:
- estimated life of the coating;
- acceptable material price corridor;
- operational properties (resistance to aggressive environments);
- degree of environmental friendliness of the material.
Also, a lining for the laminate is selected according to special criteria:
- degree of moisture resistance;
- thermal insulation level;
- required coating thickness;
- degree of sound insulation;
- variety (roll or sheet material).
The best substrate for the laminate is one that is suitable for specific tasks, which in turn depends on the location of the apartment and the purpose of the room where the floor is laid.
To organize the coverage of rooms on the ground floor, it will be correct to use a substrate with enhanced thermal insulation properties. In the nursery, a substrate that has increased soundproofing characteristics is well suited.
For floors with significant (up to 3 mm) differences, it is recommended to use thicker substrates. In private homes located in fairly humid areas, in addition to standard floor waterproofing, an Eco-Cover substrate is used, which will protect the room from moisture.
For rooms with standard technical characteristics, it is sufficient to use 2 mm roll material.
Substrate thickness
The standard mistake of the little informed apartment owners is to lay the most thick coating under the laminate. Thus, in their opinion, the best thermal insulation and noise protection are achieved. The reasoning is correct, but the nature of the laminate board to bend is not taken into account.
When distributing the vertical load, in the case of using a thick substrate, the board deforms at the point of adhesion with the adjacent board. As a result of prolonged dynamic exposure, the locks on the lamellas lose their properties and break.
When choosing a substrate for a laminate, one should take this feature into account and select a material with a thickness of not more than 3 mm, since the main purpose of the lining is to level the floor surface for the subsequent organization of the finish coating, and special advantages (thermal insulation, sound insulation and waterproofing) depend more on the quality and type of material .
The main criterion for choosing the thickness of the material for laying the laminate is the quality of the surface of the base. If the concrete screed has significant differences, it is recommended to use a lining with a thickness of 3 mm, in other cases it is enough to lay a material with a thickness of 1 to 2 mm, which provides the necessary insulation characteristics.
An exception may be the lining for thicker (up to 33 mm) and expensive laminate panels, in this case, lining material with a thickness of up to 5 mm is used.
Substrate Rating
The basic conditions for choosing a substrate were considered above. Which lining is best for a particular room depends on its purpose and location, but there is an objective rating of the highest quality materials, which takes into account all the pros and cons of coverage.
The following brands are among the most popular types:
- Isolon;
- Duplex;
- Isoshum;
- Eco-cover;
- Petroform.
Izolon, Tupleks and Petroform are produced in the form of rolls, Izoshum and Eco-Cover belong to sheet materials.
The following types are the most popular and inexpensive lining:
- Petroform, 2 mm thick;
- Isolon, 3 mm thick;
- Jermaflex, 3 mm thick;
- Isoplaat Startfloor Barlinek;
- Isopoline.
Laying the substrate under the laminate
Any beginner will be able to lay a substrate for laying the laminate. It is enough to adhere to the following rules:
- Before laying the substrate, it is necessary to clean the floor surface from dirt and dust.
- The next step is to lay a PVC film, which performs the function of waterproofing. The edges of the film should go 5-8 cm onto the walls, the joints are glued with tape.
- Now you can lay the substrate. The sheet material is laid end-to-end, the roll is cut off with a margin on the wall.
- Connecting seams fasten with tape.
The sheet substrate under the laminate is laid out immediately over the entire surface of the floor. If roll materials are used, each new piece is laid after laying the laminate on an already prepared surface. This installation procedure is necessary to preserve the consumer characteristics of the substrate for the laminate in rolls, since the rolled materials are more delicate and it is not recommended to walk on them during the installation process.