Why does new laminate flooring squeak? If laminate flooring creaks, what to do in such a situation: basic tips and recommendations on how to get rid of the unpleasant sound. Video: what to do to stop the floor from creaking

Less than six months ago, a hired team installed Kronostar Superior 32 class laminate flooring on screed in all our rooms. We bought a coniferous backing for the covering; we chose 7 mm to make it warmer. When we entered the apartment for the first time, a slight grinding sound was heard here and there, but the master reassured us that the coating was new and would “sit” in place. 5 months have already passed, but everything is still the same, and in some places even worse. I don't want to dismantle the floor. How to fix this defect quickly and at minimal cost?

Answer

Why does it squeak

Laminated parquet with a glueless joining system is assembled into a monolithic floor using locks. However, if after installation the coating crunches or creaks, it means:

1. The laying technology is violated: uneven base, crumbling screed, incorrectly selected substrate, lack of compensation gaps around the perimeter, etc.;
2. A low-quality coating with crooked locks and broken plank geometry was chosen;
3. The climatic operating conditions of the coating are not met.

Since you do not have a floor heating system installed, and you have chosen a reliable manufacturer, the reason for the appearance of extraneous sounds is precisely the violation of the installation technology. It’s difficult to say anything about the screed without disassembling the coating. But the problem (and perhaps not the only one) is definitely in the underlying layer.

The underlay serves as a protective damper between the base and laminated parquet, slightly levels out differences in the subfloor (but not more than 2 mm for every 2 meters of surface), and ensures comfortable operation of the coating. It is NOT a complete sound and thermal insulation material, and does NOT replace self-leveling finishing floors or leveling flooring made of gypsum fiber board, plywood, or chipboard.

Manufacturers indicate on the insert in each pack of laminate that the maximum permissible thickness of the substrate is 3 mm. Optimal – 2 mm. That is, initially purchasing coniferous mats with a cross-section of 7 mm was a mistake. The craftsmen actually created a springy underlying layer, which is why the planks bend in the area of ​​load and the locks begin to crack and break.

Unfortunately, to get rid of the defect, you will have to completely disassemble the coating, remove the backing, carefully prepare the base in accordance with the requirements of the manufacturer and SP 29.13330.2001/SNiP 3.04.01-87 “Floors”, purchase a new underlying layer 2-3 mm thick and reassemble the lamellas in the same order as they lay before.

How to eliminate squeaking without disassembling

To eliminate crunches and creaks in local (rare) areas, you can use the experience of parquet layers:

1. Remove damaged (constantly creaking) strips in the amount of 1-4 pieces and install new ones.
2. Introduce a sealing or adhesive mass under the coating using the injection method.

Let's take a closer look.

The first option allows you to correct mistakes made during floor preparation, such as holes, potholes, sagging, bumps, etc. You will need the following set of tools and materials:

• grinder (circular saw, jigsaw),
• chisel or crowbar,
• new underlayment and laminate,
• adhesive sealant or gel for sealing seams.

Using a power tool, a part of the slab is cut out, the cut off element of the plank is pryed up with a chisel and removed. The base is cleaned of old substrate, debris, sand and dust. Next, floor defects are eliminated: the holes should be filled with quick-drying repair compounds, and the bumps should be removed with sandpaper or simply cut off with a construction knife or steel spatula. After drying and cleaning from dust, the base must be primed and covered with a backing. Cut off the protruding part of the locking ridge of the new plank, apply glue or sealant, insert it into the opening and fix it. If excess adhesive is squeezed onto the surface, it should be immediately removed with a soft, slightly damp cloth, and the lamella should be loaded for 24-48 hours.

Collections of laminate flooring are updated every year, so after a long time you may not find exactly the same laminate. In this case, try to choose a suitable thickness and shade. Better yet, immediately purchase a few pieces in stock for future repairs.

The second method is simpler, but with its help you can eliminate the creaking at only one point. Required:

1. Drill or screwdriver.
2. Filling or adhesive compound. This can be PVA glue, sealing compound for joints Bindulin Parkett-Dicht or Tarkett Click Guard, sealant for wood joints Bostik PK PROFI-SEAL SMP or Bostik 3071 Cork, repair parquet adhesive for eliminating voids Eurocol Parquet Doctor or Stauf Repamed, expanding repair polyurethane Adesiv Adegloss 10 or Vermeister Polifoam. It is not advisable to use polyurethane foam, since under load it quickly settles and also crumbles over time.
3. Syringe or gun for injection.
4. Masking tape or paper tape.
5. Wood sealant or repair wax with a melter and a rubber spatula to restore the plank.

Filling compositions for parquet, laminate, parquet boards.

In the defective area, you need to drill a hole and remove dust. Apply masking tape to the top of the cover. Introduce the filling composition with a syringe or using a nozzle, load the laminated parquet so that the mass is distributed over the voids, remove the excess along with the tape. After 2-6 hours, fill the hole with sealant or wax and level the surface. For reliability, you can apply it on top with a thin brush. a small amount of matte or glossy varnish.

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Laminate has earned people's love due to the fact that it is easy to install and is not very demanding on quality. installation work. But sometimes inattention or obvious amateurishness of the installers, not taken into account the features of this floor covering lead to the occurrence of defects - creaking, knocking when walking, undermining the joints of the plates. Defects, as a rule, are interconnected and follow one after another. They can lead to damage to the integrity of the locks and final damage to the coating.

Why does the new floor squeak?

For some time after installation, the laminate “settles down” - it takes the shape of the screed surface. During these few weeks or even months of walking, the joints of the planks take on a lot of load and wear out. Therefore, a slight squeak is possible; you should not pay attention to it.

How to fix

After installation, the laminate needs to be wiped and treated with silicone-based protective compounds - they will penetrate the locks and reduce friction between the individual planks.

Creaks and knocking noises when walking

This defect occurs if the laminate is laid without gaps or is pressed tightly along the edges with a plinth or door trim. As it gets warmer, the linear expansion of the boards puts pressure on the walls, the boards rise. The large “bubble” that appears in this case bends when walking, the boards rub against each other, and creaking and knocking occurs over large areas.

Remedy

If such a defect occurs, you need to remove the baseboards and check the gap between the covering and the wall. It should be 8-12 mm. If the gap is smaller, you should increase it - go through the floor or carefully trim it with a vibrating saw.

Creak in a local location

If the noise is coming from one specific place, you should assume that there is a small hole there. Laminate always strives for a perfectly flat surface; if it is laid on an uneven base, the floor will make sounds when uneven. Diagnosis is quite simple - you need to find an even plaster rule, place it on the floor and step on the creaking place. If a gap appears, then the cause has been found.

How to fix

Only dismantling the floor covering, substrate, and re-preparation of the base will help.

If the laminate was laid on wooden floors, the fasteners are recessed, the coatings are sanded with coarse sandpaper. Evenness is controlled using a laser level or rule. If the coating “plays”, it needs to be strengthened and the amount of fasteners added. The surface can be covered with large-format OSB boards or plywood - they will smooth out unevenness.

An uneven concrete base should be leveled by re-screeding or using self-leveling compounds.

A fragile or crumbling coating that deforms under load must be removed and a new one poured. In rare cases, a deep penetration primer will help.

Grains of sand in castles

Grains of sand that get into the locks create an additional gap and, when loaded, produce a nasty squeak. Sand can get into locks for various reasons:

• poor quality production;
• violation of packaging during transportation;
• unprimed floor covering;
• carelessness of the handlers.

Remedy

To identify and correct the defect, you will have to disassemble the entire coating. Vacuum the base, prime it, re-lay the underlay carpet wiped with a damp cloth. Before installation, the locks of each plank are wiped or vacuumed to remove every grain of sand.

Substrate mismatch

The base for the laminate must have certain shock-absorbing properties, but be quite strong in compression. Polyurethane foam sheets are excellent for these purposes. They have sufficient strength, elasticity, and are easy to install. However, for various reasons, sometimes there is a desire or need to replace the material with something cheaper, for example, foamed polyethylene. It is too soft, so the laminate locks will easily “sag” under the weight of a passing person. The defect can be corrected only by replacing the incorrect substrate with a more suitable one. ABOUT making the right choice You can find out from experienced installers or sellers - they have probably already encountered the issue and have everything they need on sale. The most popular solution is 3 mm polyurethane sheets.

Incorrect layout of boards

In order for the floor to have maximum rigidity, there must be a distance of at least 1/3 of the length of the board between the short sides of adjacent boards. In order to save money, irresponsible installers violate this rule and during operation it turns out that three or four joints converge at one point. The laminate will sag and creak even with a strong, level base - the substrate will allow it to be pressed in by 0.5 - 1 mm, which is more than enough.

How to fix

To correct the defect, you will have to work - you need to sort out the laminate so that the joints fall in the middle of the adjacent boards, this is called staggered laying, or “deck”.

Folk ways to solve the squeaking problem

All of the above methods helped to identify and eliminate the cause of the squeak. There are methods of “symptomatic” treatment aimed at reducing friction between the mating surfaces of the locks.

First method- before laying, rub the laminate locks with wax or paraffin.

Second method- silicone spray polish for cars is applied to the joints in the creaking area. After a couple of minutes, the greasy area is removed with a clean rag and wiped with a damp alcohol wipe to degrease.

Both methods are aimed at lubricating creaking surfaces and can only be used in emergency situations. It is more correct to determine the exact reason why the laminate creaks and remove it, since further use can damage the floor covering.

A beautifully made laminate flooring can literally cause some inconvenience just a few days after installation. When walking, laminate flooring can make sounds: from a small crunching sound to a long, drawn-out squeak. What are the reasons and how to make it so that it doesn’t creak indiscriminately? Let's try to figure it out.

Why does laminate flooring squeak when you walk?

Laminate is a beautiful and high-quality coating, but even these factors cannot guarantee its trouble-free use. It is characterized by some unpredictability and even full compliance with the installation technology will not give any guarantee. Why there is a creaking and the floor begins to crack - there are several reasons for this. In some cases, the “bad behavior” of the floor covering is influenced by one thing, and in some cases, the cause of the squeaking is a whole complex of unsuccessfully performed actions. Let's analyze the reasons. Sometimes you want to walk barefoot beautiful sex, and so that it does not cause discomfort.

Uneven base under the coating

The technology for laying laminate flooring requires careful attention. The floors must be leveled to perfect condition, otherwise the problem of squeaking cannot be avoided. If the base is poorly prepared, the laminate does not creak over the entire surface, but only in certain places. Precisely in those where there are base defects, small holes or irregularities. Even the smallest and most inconspicuous ones, over time they will lead to the strip of laminate sagging and the laminate, experiencing the heaviness of the weight, will bend when walking. This will lead to the squeaking sound.

Substrate thickness

The correct technology for laying laminate flooring involves the use of a special fabric - a backing. It is used to level out small defects in the base. Its thickness varies and, as a rule, in such cases a thick substrate is used. And this is completely wrong, since the squeaking problem will not be solved, but will only get worse. The thicker the substrate, the more the laminate will sag and the stronger the squeak will be.

Normal substrate thickness for correct installation laminate should not exceed 3 mm. This is the most optimal number.

The gap between the laminate and the wall is too small

When laying laminate flooring, it is necessary to leave a gap between it and the wall. Its minimum size is at least 7 mm. The choice of size will depend on the total area of ​​the room where the covering is laid: the larger it is, the larger the gap should be. It could be three centimeters, or even four. The main thing is that it is then covered with a plinth; accordingly, the width of the plinth will need to be taken into account.

The gap is necessary so that the laid laminate can diverge and, thus, take the position that will be optimal for it. The voltage on butt locks is reduced and creaking does not occur. With a very small gap left, there is not enough space for the “expansion” of the laminate, it begins to press into the walls and baseboards, which leads to the appearance of loud, unpleasant sounds. The same thing will happen if you put the covering close to the wall, without the necessary free space.

Inconsistent room humidity

Laminate flooring is extremely sensitive to changes in humidity in the room. As the humidity level increases, the material will squeak or crunch a little when walking. And what is especially unpleasant is that this will happen not only in some specific places, but over the entire surface of the floor. Such sounds are not at all pleasing, but cause irritation and nervousness. As soon as the humidity begins to drop, the sounds produced by the laminate will begin to decrease in level and become quieter. With normal humidity, the squeak will disappear completely.

Sand and dust particles

One of the reasons why laminate flooring makes strange sounds is the presence of sand and dust particles under the coating. During installation, it is necessary not only to follow the technology, but also to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the material used. The boards themselves and the base must be perfectly clean, so a vacuum cleaner is required when working. With its help, dust, sawdust, and sand are collected.

All work on preparing laminate boards, trimming and filing, is best done in another room. Then there will be significantly less waste, which is what needs to be achieved for the job to be done correctly.

Any debris, dirt or dust, even the smallest particles, getting on the connecting lock of the material, can not only lead to a nervous state with its crunching, but will also do its dirty work in damaging the original material.

If the base of the floor has been leveled, over time, under the weight of objects, it may begin to crumble. The laminate, resting against its base, grinds the crumbled particles, thus creating the “favorite” creaking and crunching underfoot by everyone.

With the help of a building material such as laminate, you can transform any room. But sometimes, during its operation, when walking on it, it begins to creak, which is very hard on the ears. Then a reasonable question arises: how to get rid of this squeak. In general, if such noise appears, it most likely means that the coating was installed in violation of the technology. Any problem that may be causing the unpleasant creaking of a laminate floor can be corrected, the main thing is to find it.

These unpleasant phenomena often appear because customers do not want to listen to the advice of craftsmen who warn that this material is quite capricious and needs a perfectly even base. Craftsmen refuse to carefully prepare the substrate, allowing the laminate to be laid on an existing, previously unprepared base. When the surface is prepared correctly, the laminated coating lasts quite a long time and without problems.

However, often even with full compliance with the main points of installation technology and surface preparation, the laminate coating begins to creak. So why does laminate flooring squeak when walking even in this case? Creaking immediately after laying may be present due to the fact that the panels rub against each other for some time and shrink. Unfortunately, in some cases this squeak does not go away on its own. Therefore, we have to look for the cause and way to solve this problem.

There is not always one reason for this situation; there may be several. To figure out how to deal with such noise, you need to consider them separately.

It was already noted above that creaking laminate flooring can be a consequence of an uneven and unstable base. In order to eliminate this reason, the base should be carefully leveled even before laying the material. Creaking sounds occur due to friction between laminate boards or their in separate parts. This process occurs because the laminated panel changes its position on an uneven surface when pressed. If you constantly hear a creaking sound when walking on a laminate floor, then the entire base will have to be leveled.

Laminate flooring is creaking, what should I do?

If you yourself did not take part in laying the laminate and have no idea how it was installed, then it is advisable to invite a specialist to find out the cause of the creaking. If you laid the laminate flooring yourself, then you can easily cope with the problem yourself.

Can be heard different tips about eliminating unnecessary sounds. For example, some experts sometimes recommend lubricating laminate cracks with machine oil or silicone. This method can actually help, but only for a short period of time. After which the squeaks will start again. In addition, such a lubricant can greatly damage the material itself, as a result of which it becomes unsuitable for use. Then you will have to purchase and lay laminate flooring again.

Presence of base defects

Laminate flooring creaks, how to fix it? If this problem does not occur everywhere, then you can remove some individual panels. It is also recommended to remove the skirting boards and thresholds that secure the laminate in place local repairs. It is best to sign each removed panel, for example, put a serial number on the back side. This will help you install them back correctly.

If, after removing the laminate panel, a depression was identified in the surface of the base, which is precisely the cause of the creaking, then this unevenness must be eliminated. The operating procedure in this case is as follows:

1. It is recommended to level the surface using quick-hardening solutions, which are applied with a spatula.
2. After the mixture has dried, the leveled area must be sanded. Otherwise, even small irregularities can only aggravate the problem.
3. After sanding, a thin layer of cardboard should be laid on the surface, after which the backing is returned and the laminated boards are installed back in place.
4. If the coating creaks almost over the entire area, this indicates that it was initially laid incorrectly. Then you will have to completely disassemble it.
5. Then you need to level the base. To do this, you can use self-leveling floors. Using this solution, it is recommended to fill all the recesses in the base. This, in turn, will make the surface perfectly flat.

If the basis for the laminate is a plank floor, then perhaps it was this that caused the unpleasant sounds. This is due to the uneven position of the boards, or the fact that they may move away from the joists on which they were laid.

In such cases, there is more work to be done, namely: removing the entire floor, including baseboards, thresholds, and laminate flooring. Then check the wooden base and try to find areas that may be causing the floor to squeak under the laminate. Particular attention should be paid to floorboards that show signs of aging, fungus or mold. We replace damaged and damaged boards or joists.

Then you will need to firmly secure the boards that have moved away from the joists, after which it is advisable to scrape off their surface. The latter is necessary to ensure that the surface of the board becomes perfectly flat. If scraping is problematic for some reason, then the flooring of the boards can be made smooth using plywood with a thickness of at least 10 mm. Sheets of plywood must be installed with glue and secured with self-tapping screws. A substrate is laid on top, on which the laminate is then installed.

Presence of construction waste

Quite often, the laminated coating creaks due to particles of construction waste or grains of sand getting between the substrate and the slabs. This can happen when the base was poorly prepared before laying the laminate - small debris and sand were not removed. To eliminate this problem, we dismantle the covering, the substrate, remove the debris using a vacuum cleaner, and put the floor back together.

You can still wait until all the debris rubs out on its own under load. This idea is acceptable if the laminate itself is very good quality and is resistant to mechanical damage. It’s better not to do this with inexpensive material. The fact is that garbage will only destroy it over time, and this can make the situation worse. Still, it is better to remove the entire laminate and clean the floor with a vacuum cleaner. Particular care must be taken to vacuum the joints. The boards should be wiped with a damp cloth. After cleaning, the laminate is put back into place.

Presence of screed defects

Laminate flooring can make squeaks due to unevenness of the screed. In this case, the creaking appears because in places of unevenness the substrate wears off and the laminate becomes loose. If this problem occurs, the flooring is removed and a new underlay is applied. Before this, you can fill the floors with a special self-leveling solution, and then lay the coating on it again.

One of the reasons that the flooring may squeak is the incorrect size of the gap between it and the wall, or its absence. This gap must be at least 8 mm. In large areas, this value should reach 28 mm. When laying the covering without a gap, it may rise in some places, and this, in turn, will certainly cause squeaking. It is important that the plinth strip does not press the flooring, but is suspended above it. To solve this problem, you can simply cut off the outer planks and move the baseboard itself a little higher.

Creaks may appear immediately after laying the laminate flooring. Experts attribute this phenomenon to the presence of residual stress in the locks of the boards. This problem usually resolves itself when the material adapts to the geometry and microclimate of the room.

Presence of substrate faults

The cause of squeaking flooring may be that the underlay used to smooth out uneven floors is too thick. Gradually it begins to cake and sag in places where there are holes. In this case, the floor must be leveled and the underlay replaced with a thinner one. One of the highest quality materials for this is cork. This substrate prevents the base from being pressed through. It is recommended to use flooring less than 2.7 mm thick. Thicker substrates, even high-quality ones, are too hard. Over time, such material will break under the influence of mechanical load, which is why it will no longer be able to smooth the surface of the base.

Failure to comply with installation technology

It must also be said that laminate is a material that reacts very sensitively to possible changes in temperature and humidity. This can also cause squeaks. Therefore, before laying it, it should lie in a room for several days, where the material will gradually adapt to the room microclimate, in particular to humidity.

When climate conditions change environment laminate produces squeaks and crunching sounds that appear throughout the entire area of ​​the floor covering. To solve this problem, it is best to wait until the season changes. Gradually, the flooring should itself adapt to the room microclimate. If squeaks appear from autumn to spring or from summer to winter, then the reason for this is the unevenness of the floor. In this case, noise can be eliminated only by completely dismantling the coating and eliminating existing unevenness in the base.

In general, if the installation was carried out in compliance with all technological standards, then the flooring itself will stop creaking over time, taking on the optimal position. After a couple of months, it’s worth listening to whether the laminate creaks. If the noise continues, this indicates that the cause of the problem is different.

It’s another matter if material of dubious quality was used during installation. Inexpensive flooring is most often purchased because they want to save money. In general, you should not purchase goods from a supplier whose reputation does not inspire confidence. If you nevertheless decide to buy a relatively cheap laminate, then it is advisable to find out the opinions of people who have recently used it. Reviews can be read, for example, on the Internet.

If you don't know anything about the laminate flooring you're purchasing, you may be very disappointed. After all, even if the flooring is laid in compliance with all the rules, this will not help to avoid the appearance of squeaks. Once they arise, they will not disappear on their own. You will have to endure until the next repair or start unscheduled repairs, which will require a complete replacement of the floor covering. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase only high-quality materials, especially if you plan to use them for a long time.

If a person has little experience and decides to install laminate flooring with his own hands, then the result may be that the floor will be mounted flush against the walls. Experienced people know that when laying flooring around the entire perimeter, it is necessary to leave gaps. Moreover, their size depends on the area of ​​the room. So, if the laminate is installed in a room with a small area, then the distance should be at least 8 mm. IN large rooms it must be at least 10.5 mm. In rooms with a very large area, the gap should be increased to 21-29 mm. As work progresses, a plinth will be installed around the perimeter to hide it. Connections to other materials are closed using protective profiles. If you do not make gaps, this can lead not only to squeaking, but also to damage to the coating.

If the gap was not provided when installing the baseboard, it is recommended to correct this so that the floor covering is not damaged. To do this, the baseboards are first dismantled, after which the gap between the wall and the base is increased by filing the boards.

The flooring may become noisy due to very heavy furniture being placed on it. This is due to the fact that the large weight of interior items prevents the natural behavior, and in particular, the expansion of the laminate.

New flooring often behaves unusually at first. So it can float under your feet, and when you walk, sometimes there is a clicking or squeaking sound of the laminate after installation. In fact, this is normal behavior of the new material, which is due to the fact that there is still tension in the locks. If all the requirements of the technology for laying the flooring and preparing the surface are met, over time it should stop creaking. If the noise does not stop, then it is obvious that you will have to look for the cause. Many people try to deal with “creaky floors” using talcum powder. The fact is that this material not only does not help, but can also create new problems.

By the way, adhesive types of laminate creak the least. This is due to the fact that the glue plays the role of protecting the locks from the penetration of foreign debris into them. However, if the flooring is noisy due to defects in the base, then the adhesive laminate, like other types of this material, will most likely also creak.

If after purchase the laminate is not used immediately, then it is necessary to observe certain important rules its storage. So, it should lie on a flat horizontal surface. In general, you should not use the material immediately after purchase. First, it must adapt to the indoor climate for a couple of days. This is especially important in winter, when the laminate sold is most likely stored in cold warehouses. Under these conditions, it does not have its normal form. In order to return it to its usual appearance, the material must lie for some time at room temperature. After which it can be used at work.

Any responsible manufacturer building materials gives recommendations on the use of its products. They must be followed.

If you know the main reasons for laminate flooring squeaking, then it’s easy to conclude that it’s best to prevent them rather than deal with them later. If extraneous sounds still appear, then you should pay close attention to this problem. After all, she won’t be able to decide on her own. In addition, over time it can become even more serious, which, obviously, will require large expenses.

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Laminate is considered one of the most the best materials of all intended for floor coverings. This coating looks very impressive and solid, and also lasts a long time. The advantages of laminate include ease of installation. Often, apartment owners and country houses They even install this material with their own hands.

Usually, after installation, no problems arise with the laminate. However, sometimes it happens that such a coating begins to creak. What could be the reasons for such a problem and what is the easiest way to eliminate them? Later in the article we will figure out why laminate flooring creaks. What to do (without analysis and with analysis of the coating) in this case, you will learn in detail from the article.

The main causes of the problem

Laminate is, unfortunately, a rather capricious material. This type of coating can lie on the floor without causing any problems to its owners for decades. Or it can manifest itself within a few days after installation. If you start making irritating sounds when walking, first of all, of course, you should find out why the laminate creaks. What to do without disassembling or with disassembling the coating in this case? The answer to this question depends precisely on what exactly caused such an unpleasant phenomenon.

Laminate flooring in a room can creak due to:

• violations of the required technology when preparing the foundation;
• too thick or thin substrate;
• absence of a temperature gap between the coating and the walls;
• poor quality of the material itself;
• aging

Violation of base preparation technology

It often happens that the laminate creaks in only one place in the room. What to do without or with analysis of the coating in this case - we’ll talk about this below. First, let's find out what the reasons for such a squeak could be. The appearance of irritating sounds in only one place most often means that the base preparation technology was not followed during installation of the coating.

Before subflooring, the floor must be leveled. In this case, use or cement mortar, or a special mixture. Defects in the base cannot be left under the laminate. If you step on a lamella located above the hole in rough floor, it will bend a little. As a result, the elements of the locking connection will move relative to each other. And, as a result, a creaking noise will be heard. Measures in in this case must be taken immediately. Otherwise, after some time, the locking connection will become unusable and a very noticeable gap will appear in the coating.

How to usually level the base

It would seem that in order to get rid of the creaking that arose due to violations of the preparatory work technology, you only need to remove several lamellas, eliminate existing defects and install the material in place. But in practice, unfortunately, everything is far from so simple. The fact is that dismantling part of the boards not from the edge of the covering, but directly on its area is impossible. This is explained primarily by the design features of the lamellas themselves. Therefore, if irritating sounds appear even in just one place, the coating usually has to be dismantled almost completely (from the wall to the problematic board itself).

Laminate flooring creaks: what to do and how to solve the problem without dismantling the coating

Dismantling such a floor is a technologically quite complex and costly operation. The fact is that the laminate (and especially the Lock system) has very weak locks. Therefore, it is almost never possible to disassemble without losing material.

This is why owners of apartments and houses often almost panic if the laminate flooring creaks. “What to do without disassembling the coating?” - Almost all property owners are beginning to ask this question. In any case, you can hear it quite often on specialized forums. And the answer to it, of course, exists.

So, how can you avoid unnecessary expenses if your laminate flooring squeaks? What to do without disassembling (unevenness will have to be eliminated not just anywhere, but under the boards) of the coating? It turns out that you can get rid of a squeak in one place on a laminate floor with just the help of PVA glue and a large medical syringe.

A hole is first drilled in the problem board using a drill. Next, glue is pumped into it with a syringe. As soon as the substrate is saturated and the PVA begins to protrude out of the hole, the operation stops.

How to drill the coating

So, you need to drill a hole in the problem board and fill it with glue if the laminate creaks. We have found out what to do without disassembling the coating and how to fix the problem of an uneven base in this way. Now let's take a closer look at how to carry out this procedure according to all the rules. And let's start by finding out what technology exists in laminate.

Unfortunately, it often happens that when carrying out this seemingly very simple operation, a large and ugly chip appears on the board, which is difficult to disguise in the future. Or the board simply cracks. In order to avoid such troubles, before you start drilling, you should take care of choosing the right tool. That is, the drill needs to be properly equipped. For laminate, as for wood, hardened steel twist drill bits are best. Moreover, you should choose not the standard version with a sharpening angle of 118°, but a sharper one. Otherwise, during operation, the drill will definitely begin to deviate to the side, and in this case, the risk of a chip or crack increases significantly.

How to close the hole

At the next stage, PVA glue is squeezed into the hole made with a sharp drill from a syringe if the laminate creaks. What to do and how to fix this problem without disassembling the coverage is therefore clear. However, after carrying out such a not too complicated procedure, the owners of the apartment have another completely logical question: “How to disguise a hole drilled in the floor?” You can do this using:

• putty or sealant;
• special;
• epoxy resin;
• self-adhesive film;
• mastic.

At the final stage, you need to carefully remove excess masking material from the laminate with a clean rag and very carefully treat the repaired area with fine sandpaper. Then the part of the board with the closed hole should be polished with a cloth and covered with one layer of colorless matte varnish.

Creak due to temperature gap

So, we found out, if the laminate creaks in only one place, what to do indiscriminately. The reasons for the appearance of irritating sounds, however, may lie not only in the unevenness of the base. Sometimes squeaking occurs not in one place of the coating, but across its entire area at once. This problem arises among owners of apartments and houses most often due to the fact that when laying the laminate, too narrow a gap was left between the outer boards and the walls.

This type of coating, like wood, can expand or contract when there are fluctuations in humidity or air temperature in the room. Therefore, a small gap is created around the perimeter of the walls when laying the laminate. Its width directly depends on the area of ​​the room. If the gap is too small, tension will arise in its thickness as the coating expands. As a result, the elements of the locks begin to put pressure on each other, which causes creaking.

Fixing the problem in this case is also quite simple. To do this, you need to remove all the baseboards. You can increase the temperature gap itself to the required width using a grinder. Of course, this work must be done correctly.

How to cut the coating

Next, let's take a closer look at what to do if the laminate creaks due to an insufficiently wide temperature gap. What to do indiscriminately (the problem is solved by sawing off the “extra” part of the boards) is clear in this case. But how can you reduce the coverage area by a few centimeters without damaging the boards?

Laminate is a material consisting of several layers. Therefore, you should put a disc with the smallest cutting structure on the grinder. In this case, the cut line will be very smooth.

Instead of a grinder, you can also use a jigsaw. For this tool, of course, you also need to choose a suitable file. Otherwise the cut will be sloppy. In this case, you can use either a narrow metal file with fine teeth or a special one designed specifically for working with laminate.

Eliminating other causes of squeaking

Thus, you now know, if the laminate creaks, what to do without disassembling (unevenness in the base can be eliminated with PVA glue, and the temperature gap can be expanded using a grinder) of the coating. But, of course, annoying sounds can appear not only due to violations of the subfloor preparation technology or the laying of the boards themselves. The reasons for this phenomenon are often: poor quality laminate, incorrectly selected substrate or aging subfloor.

In all these cases, it is, of course, impossible to do without dismantling the coating. Poor quality laminate or unsuitable underlayment will have to be replaced. If the cause of the creaking is the aging of the finished floor, you will need to perform an even more complex operation. In this case, you will have to not only remove the laminate, but also dismantle the leveling screed. Creaks in the subfloor appear mainly due to the boards moving away from the joists. Therefore, in order to get rid of annoying sounds, they will need to be nailed down or screwed tightly with self-tapping screws.