What comes first: wallpaper or laminate?

Repair involves high-quality finishing work to eliminate the shortcomings of the premises that were revealed during operation. Carrying out renovation work is not an easy task. In addition to precise planning, a number of other questions arise, such as: what comes first - wallpaper or laminate.

Repair

Wallpaper is understood as a construction and finishing material for finishing walls and ceilings indoors. Sold in the form of a rolled canvas, the width of which is 53, 75, 106 cm, and the length is 10 or 25 m. By type they are divided into: paper, vinyl and non-woven.

Laminate refers to a floor covering based on high-density fibreboard. The top layer consists of a decorative and protective wear-resistant film.

Wallpapering and laying laminate implies that all preparatory work on the surfaces has been completed:

1. They do work on leveling the floor (rough and finishing screed);
2. Work has been done to level the walls (plastering, puttying the walls);
3. The room is clean and dry.

Important: Preparatory work on surfaces is carried out at the final stage of repair, i.e. after work has been completed on remodeling, installing windows, installing or replacing a heating system, etc.

Laminate installation

Before laying the floor covering, all preparatory work to prepare the floor surface must be completed. Laminate flooring is not placed on a bare concrete floor; a backing must be laid (cork, polyethylene foam, polystyrene foam, etc.). The joints of the substrates must be fixed with tape.

The technology of laying it perpendicular to the window opening will help hide the seams of the joints of the laminated covering. Also, when laying, you need to leave a gap of 1 cm between the wall and the outermost adjacent board. To set a fixed gap, use wedges (special slats).

Laminate boards are attached to each other using wedge locks or glue. Gaps in laminate boards are eliminated using a block and a hammer. After laying the last row, the wedges are removed.

Wallpapering

Regardless of the type of wallpaper, pasting is done as follows:

1. Before gluing, treat the walls with a primer and let dry;
2. For the first sheet on the wall, use a leveling level to find a vertical line and mark it;
3. Cut the sheets, adding a couple of centimeters to the length;
4. Prepare an adhesive solution;
5. Apply glue to the wall or a sheet of wallpaper;
6. Start gluing;

Modern wallpaper is applied joint to joint.

What is customary to do first and why

In accordance with building codes and regulations, finishing work is carried out from top to bottom. And also when choosing the right method, you must be guided by the degree of dust formation and the amount of debris from the process. Also, the sequence of work should be selected based on the greatest to least probability of damaging the previous work.

Of the above requirements, the choice of priority finishing will fall on laying the flooring. Installation of laminate eliminates the possibility of damage to the walls, unlike other floor coverings that require adjustment in places where they touch the walls.

Another argument is that the laminated coating is sensitive to high humidity. The wallpapering procedure should take place in a draft-free room. Also, the room should be closed until the wallpaper glue has completely dried. During this period, a greenhouse effect is formed in the room. Thus, the structure of the laminate may be damaged, which will adversely affect its performance properties.

When wallpapering, there is a high probability of staining the laminate. Therefore, when performing initial renovations in a room, it is necessary to first glue the wallpaper and then lay the laminate.

Is it possible to do the opposite?

There are no prohibitions, but only recommendations on the sequence of gluing or laying. Moreover, the intended service life of the laminate exceeds several times the period of use of the wallpaper. The service life of some types of laminate reaches 25 years. In any case, the next time you change the design of the room, you will have to change the wallpaper while the floor covering is laid.

To ensure the integrity of the floor covering when wallpapering, it is necessary to use plastic film or other flooring that can protect the floor covering.

Reference: Monitor the integrity of the film to avoid damage and contamination of the laminate. Use stepladders and other construction equipment with rubberized smooth legs.

In any case, changing the interior by replacing the wallpaper will be cheaper and more expedient than replacing the laminate. But at the same time, carefully carry out the preparatory work to protect the laminate. Protect the floor covering from water.

After gluing the wallpaper, you need to let it dry, while covering the flooring with film. Then, after the glue has completely dried, do not forget to ventilate the room - this will help get rid of excess moisture.

Most renovation professionals will advise you to glue the wallpaper first, and then lay the laminate. At the same time, no one will forbid you to do repairs in reverse order.