Is it possible to lay laminate flooring on linoleum?

When carrying out DIY repairs, as well as replacing flooring in residential premises, laminate flooring is often used. This material has gained popularity due to its wear resistance and large selection of colors. The use of such coating makes the home cozy and the floor comfortable. Installation of laminate in new buildings is due to the mandatory use of a substrate, and when updating the interior of an apartment, the question often arises about the possibility of laying modern slats on linoleum.

Preparatory procedures

First, purchase a laminate, the installation technology of which does not require gluing the substrate to the concrete base. After this, perform the following work:

• carefully inspect the old surface to identify cracks and irregularities;
• eliminate defects using special adhesive and putty mixtures, and if defects are found in the floor under the linoleum, make a concrete screed in the damaged areas;

ATTENTION! Height differences across the entire area of ​​the room should not exceed 2 mm per 2 sq.m!

• if necessary, the linoleum is fixed and tensioned;
• the surface of the old coating is thoroughly washed and dried;
• the laminate is unpacked, then kept at room temperature for at least 2 days;
• combine the texture of the design and cut out blanks of the required size.

Is it possible to lay laminate flooring on linoleum?

There are two opposing answers to this question, and both are completely valid. To answer this, the existence of possible conditions for laying new material on the old coating is assessed.

To be able to carry out installation work, it is necessary that:

• the linoleum surface was clean and dry;
• the old coating was well fixed;
• the presence of depressions and convexities should not exceed a difference of 2 mm;
• cracks and worn-out areas were repaired;
• The service life of linoleum should not exceed two decades, because the deceptive external integrity of the material will not allow it to be used as a base for laminate flooring.

Compliance with the above conditions makes it possible to lay a new coating on the old one. But if any of them are not met, then the old linoleum is dismantled to prevent premature wear of the laminate.

IMPORTANT! The presence of mold makes it impossible to use an outdated coating for laying lamellas! In cases where a small number of damp places appear or it is possible to completely eliminate them by cleaning and drying, the old layer is left.

Laminate manufacturers do not recommend using materials other than a specially made substrate as a backing. Experienced craftsmen, on the contrary, do all possible types of local repairs to the old coating to use it as an underlying layer, especially since the labor intensity of installation is reduced several times.

Using linoleum as a substrate

The underlying layer is made of foamed polymers, the purpose of which is:

• waterproofing;
• depreciation;
• sound insulation;
• thermal insulation.

Modern linoleum coverings have these properties, so a laminate can be laid on the new material, but the rigidity of the upper protective layer and possible unevenness will require the use of an additional thin substrate. And the installation of new lamellas on a hard old coating less than 4 mm thick will require the use of a standard underlying layer to comply with installation rules.

ATTENTION! Elimination of local irregularities with the help of small pieces of foam substrate must not be allowed! This will lead to rapid wear of the new panels and weakening of the locks!

Linoleum is used as an underlying layer if the following conditions are met:

• the coating has a short service life, but has not lost its technological properties;
• there are no height differences of more than 2 mm;
• the material is well tensioned and firmly attached to the concrete base of the floor.

REFERENCE! To preserve the service life of the laminate, it is not recommended to use panels from Chinese manufacturers when laying over old flooring.

Instructions: how to lay the bed correctly

To obtain a standard pattern, the slats are laid along the light flux from the window so that the sun's rays are parallel to the longitudinal line. It is recommended to use wide and long panels - this helps reduce waste. During installation, observe the following order:

• before carrying out work, it is necessary to carry out preparatory procedures, which will allow the material to adapt to temperature conditions and make the base smooth and dry;
• when laying the substrate on top of linoleum, it is placed perpendicular to the longitudinal lines of the lamellas;
• the first row of panels laid out is laid out with a gap of 10-20 mm from the walls and secured with wedges that rigidly fix the laminate, and this makes it easy to join subsequent connections;

IMPORTANT! The quality of the next rows depends on the evenness and straightness of laying the first row! The wedges are removed after completing installation work in the entire room.

• the panel locks are placed “facing” towards themselves, which facilitates the joining of connections;
• It is recommended to start laying a row one after another with a cut lamella, which will allow you to use the material sparingly and create a specific pattern;
• The last row, if necessary, is trimmed along the longitudinal line of the pattern.

ATTENTION! Partial pruning of the last row is carried out after laying the penultimate one! Preliminary measurements and calculations are often erroneous.

If, when installing the panels, you had to deal with a heating pipe or other communication, then, after preliminary measurements, a hole is made in the laminate using a drill and a special wood bit, or the outline of the required cavity is cut out with a jigsaw. After laying the material, the resulting recess is covered with a blank, which is made from waste. Open end surfaces are treated with silicone sealant or other moisture-resistant material.

In what cases can you not put laminate on linoleum?

New panels can quickly collapse and will not fulfill their purpose if:

• the surface of the old coating has greasy stains that cannot be removed;
• the service life of linoleum has long expired and its properties do not correspond to the initial characteristics of the material;
• the old layer has large differences in height, especially if they are caused by the unevenness of the concrete floor, on which linoleum was laid without a screed in Soviet times;
• the old coating is poorly attached or not fixed at all to the concrete base;
• defects and cracks cannot be repaired or restored;
• Fungus or mold has formed on the surface of the old linoleum or underneath it, which cannot be removed.

Rules for caring for laminate flooring

Regardless of how the coating is laid: on linoleum or a substrate, you need to know the operating conditions and strive to comply with these conditions. A careful attitude will allow you to preserve the material over a long period of use of the floor slats.

You need to be careful when choosing detergents and floor cleaners - they should be designed for cleaning such panels. Savings in this case will be inappropriate, because an aggressive chemical environment will destroy the protective layer of the laminate and moisture will get inside the material, which will lead to damage to the coating.

It is not recommended to move furniture along the surface of the slats, because... you can undermine the protective layer. And if there is a need to install heavy household items: sofas or massive cabinets, then it is recommended to make spacers from fiberboard under the legs of such furniture, which will cover the area of ​​the supports. Even when moving a chair or coffee table as usual, you must carefully lift the item and slowly place it in the desired location.

REFERENCE! A big danger for laminate flooring is women's shoes with thin and high heels! Walking on panels in such shoes is prohibited!

Having studied the features and conditions for installing modern slats on linoleum, everyone will be able to independently determine the possibility of carrying out such work in the required room. Considering the complexity of partial restoration of worn-out areas or major repairs of the floor, many will give preference to laying laminate flooring on old material. It is important to comply with the requirements for such installation.