How To Apply The Primer To The Floor Surface

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 22:24

• Surface requirements
• Primer functions
• Laminate on a concrete base
• Choosing a primer for concrete
• Laminate flooring on a wooden surface
• Selection of primer for wood
• Application features

Regardless of the quality of the laminate purchased, great attention should be paid to preparatory activities. This applies not only to pouring a screed or replacing an old wooden floor, but also to priming the floor. Otherwise, you can forget about the long service life of the flooring. The characteristics of priming the floor before laying the laminate depend on the surface to be treated.

Surface requirements

When choosing a laminate as a flooring, the base will require high-quality preparation. The very foundation of the requirement will be the flatness of the surface. For two meters of the length of the room, only a height difference of 2 mm is allowed. If this figure is higher, you will have to tinker with the alignment.

If there is a slope in the room, it must be uniform and of high quality. A slope of 4 mm is allowed for two meters of the room. Before applying the primer to the floor, allow time for the substrate, be it concrete or wood, to completely dry before laying the laminate. Otherwise, there is no need to talk about any quality. And the coating itself will begin to swell within a short time.

Another requirement is cleanliness. If even fine sand, dirt, dust remains under the laminate, a creak and an unpleasant sound will occur while walking on it. Therefore, you will have to make every effort to carry out cleaning.

All this shows that laminate flooring requires a very high-quality base, to which maximum efforts are made in preparation, as well as priming. Only in this case will the life of the flooring be extended.

Primer functions

A primer is generally used to increase the level of adhesion - the adhesion of one material to another. But this is only the main function, since there are a sufficient number of others that the primer exhibits when used on the base before laying the laminate as a floor covering:

• For gluing the material, the dust that appears most often becomes an obstacle. All these particles adhere to each other perfectly using the applied primer. This means that she will cope with such a problem very easily.
• When treating the floor with a primer, the likelihood of such negative consequences as mold and mildew is practically excluded. All this can harm the laminate itself, as well as human health.
• The subfloor under the flooring will have the same quality as moisture resistance.
• Powerful traction of all materials in a bundle. Even the existing minor voids under the laminate will be filled with a previously prepared primer. In addition, there are deep penetration primers that can cope with the task quickly and efficiently.

Laminate on a concrete base

When pouring concrete, a prepared mortar is usually used as a base for the laminate. It contains a fine fraction of crushed stone. This all creates a barrier to the flooring due to minor protrusions.

Yes, and with concrete mortar it is very rare to achieve a really flat base.

To cope with height differences in the area in the room, self-leveling mixtures are usually used, which are available in the assortment in the hardware store. The stages of the work are as follows:

1. Small cracks on the surface are treated with tile adhesive.
2. A deep penetration primer is used to apply to concrete floor surfaces.

3. Looking at the instructions from under the ready-made building mixture, it is diluted to the required consistency. The proportions here must be observed without fail. As a result, a solution should be obtained that resembles sour cream in rarity. There should be no additional mechanical impurities in the self-leveling mixture, as well as lumps.

   

   All this will have a negative impact on the flooring in the future.

4. The solution is distributed with a spatula. The start of work is carried out from the highest point, which was previously determined. This will allow the mixture to spread independently over the entire surface.
5. This mass will contain a large number of air bubbles. To get rid of them, a special roller with spikes of a certain length is used. They roll the mixture to remove errors.

This is the whole process of how to make a self-leveling floor in front of the laminate, after which you can start laying the flooring on the surface of the concrete floor. It should be remembered that work on the flooring of the coating can only be started when the leveling mass is dry. It usually takes a few days to complete.

If there are significant potholes in the base, concrete mortar should be poured. As in the above case, the surface must go through a priming step before applying the solution. Only then is the screed done before laying the laminate. In this case, the mixture during operation will not crumble and spoil the floor covering, creating extraneous sounds while walking.

Choosing a primer for concrete

The concrete surface under the laminate cannot accept all types of primers available in the store. This should be considered carefully so that all the positive qualities appear. Acrylic and epoxy are best suited for priming the floor before installing the laminate.

Acrylic mixture as a primer is considered a versatile product. It can be used not only for concrete, but also for drywall, wooden base, even synthetic materials.

The epoxy mortar is formulated directly for application to concrete substrates. During operation, it can withstand various chemicals, while protecting the surface from moisture and destruction of layers.

If necessary, antiseptics can be added to the primer mix. This will eliminate the likelihood of developing fungus and similar microflora.

It should be noted that the primer is applied in several layers before laying the laminate. The first coat should dry for 6-8 hours, after which the second coat is applied. Installation of the laminate does not start immediately on the primer layer. An additional layer is preliminarily made in the form of a substrate, which can be a cork or foamed polyethylene. The substrate performs heat insulation and moisture protection functions. In addition, the noise level coming from the floors below will be noticeably reduced.

Laminate flooring on a wooden surface

Many people think about whether the floor is primed before laying the laminate on a wooden base. Over time, wood flooring can begin to rot and lose its original appearance.

This should be checked carefully before priming the surface prior to installing laminate flooring. If damaged boards are present, it is best to replace them with new ones, rather than experimenting thinking whether the floor needs to be primed before installing the laminate or not.

If there are slight differences in floor level, you can use a method such as scrambling. Large inaccuracies in the floor will be hidden only by a correctly laid OSB board. There are also alternative materials that will differ in quality and cost. The choice is up to the performer. In any case, the floor must be primed in front of the laminate.

It is also imperative to eliminate areas where the wooden floor bends. This is not permissible for laying laminate flooring, since it will fail very quickly. The existing creak when walking on wooden boards will also appear when walking on laminate. To avoid this, you should correctly perform the preparatory measures. When all the initial steps have been completed, you should think about choosing a specific option for a primer composition.

Selection of primer for wood

Do not even think about whether you need to prime before installing the laminate. The main thing is to choose the appropriate material option. The most optimal as a primer on a wooden base is a universal alkyd mixture. But this mortar is usually used on other surfaces as well before laminate flooring.

For wood, you can also purchase a polystyrene primer. True, in this case, all measures should be taken for high-quality ventilation of the room where the work is being carried out. This is due to the fact that the primer mixture contains a large amount of toxic substances that can have a negative effect on human health.

Special is the shellac mixture for priming the floor before laying the laminate. The peculiarity lies in the fact that it is used for coniferous and freshly laid wood.

The laminate itself is not laid on a wooden base covered with a primer, but on an additional layer of substrate. It should be noted that the flooring must be laid perpendicular to the previously laid planks.

Application features

When a specific primer is chosen, you should think about how to apply it correctly. Previously, the entire surface is cleaned to the maximum, as in every type of work.

Even all greasy stains are best removed with a solvent.

The primer can only be applied on a flat surface. All wet areas must be completely dry to work with. One coat of primer will not be enough. Allow time for it to dry and proceed with further application of the layer. Drying times vary. Everything is spelled out according to the instructions from the manufacturers, which you should pay attention to. It is worth paying attention to the fact that long time frames between the applied layers will lead to the appearance of dust on the surface.

The standard application of the primer is two coats. Does the floor need to be primed before installing the laminate? If there is a base that is too porous, more layers will have to be used to achieve the desired result.

Treatment of the floor surface before laying the laminate with primers will increase the service life of the floor covering itself, eliminate the likelihood of mold and mildew, and protect against moisture ingress. The main thing is to choose the right composition for application on a concrete or wooden base, which must be carefully prepared. Not only will the operational period of the coating increase, but it will also be possible to get rid of the negative manifestations of the floor base in the room.

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