Laying linoleum does not require professional skills or special knowledge; you can do it yourself.
In this article we will give basic tips that will help you properly prepare for self-installation: how to calculate the required amount of material, how to prepare the room and base, what tools to purchase.
Calculation of linoleum
It is necessary to measure the entire floor area and draw up a floor plan. Walls may be uneven, so you should take measurements at different points, taking into account niches and doorways so as not to patch them in pieces later. Put all dimensions on the diagram. Calculate the length of the coating based on the width of the canvas. If possible, it is better to lay linoleum in one sheet without joints. The store sells rolls 1.5-4 m wide.
Buy linoleum with a margin, taking into account the overlap of 5-10 cm on the walls. If you cannot avoid joints, try to calculate the material in such a way that there are minimal connections between the panels.
Preparing the base for installation
Linoleum should be laid on a well-leveled base. There should be no dust or crumbs on the floor. This is especially critical for thin material - any pebble will visually manifest itself after installation, and during use in this place, abrasion or cracks may appear.
The concrete base must be leveled with a special compound and dried properly. Lay linoleum only after complete drying.
Check the wooden floor for the presence of fasteners (screws and nails). If any are found, remove them or drown them in boards. To level the floor, lay sheets of plywood or OSB, sand the joints and putty. If linoleum is laid directly on a wooden floor, the coating will repeat the unevenness of the boards and will look unsightly.
When should you lay linoleum: after wallpapering or before?
If you lay the covering before wallpapering, it can be damaged later by stepladder legs or tools. Special care is required here. If you vouch for it, then it is still better to install it before pasting, since rolling out and cutting the roll in a room with freshly pasted walls is very problematic - there is a risk of damaging or staining the wallpaper when adjusting and trimming the linoleum.
Tools required for installation
- Metal ruler
- Roulette
- Pencil
- Double sided tape
- Knife with replaceable blades
- Adhesive for welding joints
- Glue or mastic, notched trowel (if you are going to glue the linoleum to the base)
Preparing the premises
- The room temperature must be at least 18°C.
- Clear the room of unnecessary items and remove all furniture.
- Remove baseboards.
- Remove old flooring.
- Eliminate base defects.
- Lay sheets of plywood or OSB on the wooden floor.
- Level and prime the concrete base.
- Plaster the joints between the floor and walls. If there are large cracks there, foam them first. After the foam has dried, cut off the remains and putty.
The floor is ready, you can start
Hello! Please tell me, is it correct to lay laminate flooring or wallpaper first? If you paper the walls first, then the dust from cutting the laminated floor and baseboards will probably settle on the wallpaper. And if you install the flooring first, then while working on the walls in the room, there will most likely be an increased level of humidity, which is not good for laminate. I really need professional advice, preferably with explanations.
Answer
Good afternoon The question, at first glance, is controversial. But in fact, the technology has been developed for many years and the correct algorithm for dealing with finishing decorative materials has been developed.
Remember a simple rule: on fully prepared substrates, repairs, or rather finishing, are carried out from top to bottom. That is, the order is like this:
- apply a coating to the ceiling (in some cases, the exception is tension and complex acoustic systems);
- treat the walls;
- make the floor
Thus, it is logical to first glue the wallpaper, wait for the glue to dry, and then lay the laminated covering.
For proof, let's turn to the technical part. The instructions for flooring materials always contain the following clause:
“Due to the hygroscopicity of laminated coatings (90% of the product consists of wood), installation should be carried out after all “wet” work has been completed.”
But wallpapering walls refers specifically to such events. Let us now take a look at the instructions for adhesive compositions for wall roll materials (fiberglass, paper, non-woven, natural, vinyl):
“From the moment work begins until the glue dries completely, the windows and doors must be closed.”
This is necessary in order to prevent premature drying of the adhesive composition, the formation of unglued areas and blisters on the surface of the fixed wallpaper. In a room completely isolated from air exchange, an increased level of humidity is established for several days, reaching 95%. The maximum permissible humidity parameter for laminated coatings is 60–70%, but no more. When exceeded, the slats swell, change geometry, and the floor swells. And there is no guarantee that in a month or two the finishing material will return to normal. Rather, on the contrary, you will be forced to partially or completely replace it with a new one.
Evidence of high humidity is fogged windows.
Arguments like “dust will settle on the wallpaper”, “during installation they can scratch the walls” or the completely original one - “you need a flat surface so that you can spread the rolls” do not stand up to criticism. First, ask the finishing craftsmen to work carefully. It is not difficult and does not in any way infringe on anyone's rights. Secondly, invite workers to carry out all cutting processes in a different room. Thirdly, when the specialists finish laying the floor, simply vacuum the walls with a regular household appliance. And lastly, any base prepared for laying laminate is distinguished by its evenness and strength. Spread plastic film on it and go ahead - measure, adjust, apply adhesive compound, fix.
Another argument in favor of gluing wallpaper first is the impossibility of working with canvases without a stepladder or a special table (the so-called construction trestles). Support feet of accessories can damage the surface of laminate flooring. Of course, many try to protect it from scratches with cardboard overlays, glassine, backing, and thick plastic film. But in practice, hired finishing teams hardly monitor the flooring, so the formation of defects is inevitable.
When to lay laminate flooring forward
What to do if the master insists: first you need to lay the floor covering. Demand that he justify this decision.
The first reason for changing the correct repair order is the lack of wallpaper itself (they didn’t have time to bring it, they couldn’t choose, etc.).
The second is ease of use. Dismiss immediately such an argument from a finisher who installs laminate or specializes in wall coverings. The main thing is not comfort, but the quality of workmanship and safety of the installed building materials.
And the third is “last minute” deadlines for the implementation of a certain type of work. These are external circumstances that do not depend on the desire of the master. Therefore, the customer assumes all risks.
So the correct sequence is:
- prepare the base for wallpaper;
- work on the base floor for laminate;
- install box beams in the opening (do not hang the door on hinges);
- stick wallpaper;
- After the glue has dried and aired for 3–5 days, lay the laminate and install the baseboards.
Advice! If you need repairmen, there is a very convenient service for selecting them. Just send in the form below a detailed description of the work that needs to be performed and you will receive proposals with prices from construction teams and companies by email. You can see reviews about each of them and photographs with examples of work. It's FREE and there's no obligation.
Pasting wallpaper and laying flooring (linoleum, laminate ceramic tiles) are one of the final stages of any cosmetic renovation in a residential area. Therefore, sometimes the question arises about the sequence of production of these finishing works. What to do first - glue the wallpaper before laying the floor, or do it after you have prepared a flat, clean surface for rolling out and cutting the wallpaper.
There is no clear answer to this dilemma. It all depends on the professional skills of the finishers and the type of flooring. Only one question can be answered unequivocally: you must first glue the wallpaper if you will be laying carpet on the floor.
Gluing wallpaper before laying flooring - advantages
Pasting any type of wallpaper involves quite a lot of construction waste. First of all, these are scraps and thin strips formed when cutting rolls, soaked in glue, after trimming along the floor surface, around window and door openings, sockets, ventilation holes, heating pipes. These strips and pieces, when they get on the floor, not only leave traces of glue, but also dry very quickly and stick tightly to any type of floor covering - laminate, linoleum, floor boards, and to remove them you need to soak them in water for a long time.
The second factor is the wallpaper glue itself. Even with the most careful application, drops cannot be ruled out on the floor covering. It will need to be wiped off immediately with a damp cloth or sponge. Otherwise, difficult to wash off stripes remain on the floor covering, clearly visible when the lighting angle changes.
The third problem is the likelihood of damage to the floor covering (linoleum, laminate) by the legs of a stepladder or scaffolding, from which it is convenient to glue wallpaper. On a concrete screed, marks from a stepladder or scaffolding can be removed with one stroke of a spatula and putty and will not in any way spoil the appearance of the floor covering.
The only drawback of this sequence is the risk of damage to foamed or embossed wallpaper when rolling out linoleum rolls that exceed the width of the room.
The hard edges of the linoleum when you lay it can damage the thin, loose polymer coating of the wallpaper that was pasted before and leave irreparable defects on the walls.
From the listed risks we can conclude that if you value laminate or linoleum more than wallpaper on the walls, it is better to glue the wallpaper first and then lay the flooring.
Advantages of laying flooring over wallpapering
Laying laminate flooring requires cutting the boards. A jigsaw is usually used for this. As a result, a large amount of fine wood dust is formed, which can settle on the uneven surface of profiled (embossed) wallpaper if it is already pasted before finishing the floor.
On clean linoleum (laminate), you can safely roll out rolls of wallpaper and lubricate the sheets before gluing them to the wall, without fear of staining them with cement from the screed.
It is more comfortable to work on a clean linoleum or laminate floor than on a concrete screed or get confused in the constantly clumping plastic film that can be laid on the screed before gluing the wallpaper.
Way out
When choosing between a sequence of actions, proceed from your own experience in finishing work.
If you are more confident that gluing wallpaper is an easier operation for you, leave it for the final stage of finishing. First, it is better to lay laminate or linoleum.
By being careful and careful when moving a stepladder across the laminate flooring or by covering it with plastic film beforehand, you will minimize the damage that can be caused by spilled glue or a hard stepladder leg when you are gluing the wallpaper.
This especially applies to laying rolled linoleum. It is better to first lay the linoleum and cut it in place before gluing the wallpaper, and then roll it back into a roll if you do not want to take risks. But this method does not guarantee that when you subsequently roll out the linoleum roll, you will be able to achieve complete coincidence of the cut corners and holes. These discrepancies will have to be covered with decorative skirting boards or patches.
This problem does not arise if laminate or ceramic tiles are laid first. All work on sawing and drilling can be done in an adjacent room or on the balcony, completely avoiding the formation of construction dust in the room with new wallpaper.
Instead of a conclusion
From the analyzed advantages and disadvantages of each method of producing the final stage of finishing work, a conclusion follows. The choice of the sequence of what to do first, paste wallpaper or lay flooring, depends entirely on the skills of the master and habit. Neither method has any obvious advantages or obvious disadvantages.
During the repair, questions arise that relate to the order of performing certain tasks. The processes are done carefully, using natural technology. Therefore, you need to know what is used first: wallpaper or linoleum.
First of all, first of all...
When it comes to wallpapering during renovation, many questions immediately arise. It is especially important to decide what will be done first: wall cladding or flooring. The sequence of processes leaves builders who are just starting out and residents confused. Therefore, it is necessary to determine what to do in this situation.
Finishing option
The following parameters are taken into account:
- amount of dust and debris during work;
- the volume of the process being carried out;
- repair technique.
Not all construction masters are unanimous in favor of a specific order. At the same time, a large number of workers still prefer to stick first wallpaper. And only after that, with peace of mind, they lay down linoleum or other material for finishing the floor.
Why do they tend to take this order? It's simple. Pasting walls requires the use of the entire plane of the room. It is not possible to fix the paper itself on the wall surface without wallpaper glue, so specialized mixtures are used. Applying them vertically will not work because of the inconvenience, so you have to roll out the roll on the floor, which usually leads to damage to the new coating.
Sequence of work
There are 2 styling technologies. To understand what is done first: glue wallpaper or creeps linoleum, let's consider two options.
Linoleum installation
Method 1
Work can be done when the floor base is ready for the installation process. To do this, prepare the surface - make it smooth and clean. The fencing structures are plastered and leveled. The next sequence of work looks like this:
- do wallpaper;
- then begin the process of installing linoleum;
- We weld seams at the junctions of pieces of flooring, if complete material was not used;
- mark the baseboard.
Method 2
This option is suitable for those cases when dirty work has not yet been carried out, and the planes of the floor and walls are not prepared for work. The sequence of the process is as follows:
- we level the walls using plaster or putty;
- priming walls and partitions;
- before going to bed linoleum, prepare the floor - fill it with concrete or self-leveling mixture (as an alternative solution, use plywood or fiberboard);
- cut the material into pieces;
Wallpapering
Main! When cutting linoleum, ensure that you leave a gap of 0.5 mm at the joining points of the material and next to the walls.
- glue the wall trim;
- using glue, mark linoleum;
- The final stage is welding the seams of the floor covering and attaching the baseboard.
Under any circumstances, all construction work is carried out from top to bottom.
WALLPAPER. Pasting the First Canvases on the Wall.
“When are suspended ceilings installed? Should I glue wallpaper or install suspended ceilings first? - these are perhaps the most asked questions after the question - “how much does it cost?” Many organizations involved in stretch ceilings respond - upon completion of all apartment renovations, i.e. after completion of all types of finishing work. I wouldn't agree with this. So, I'll tell you why. They answer this way only because, apart from suspended ceilings, nothing connects these organizations with construction and finishing work. Organizations that deal with the full range of finishing work can identify several scenarios when installing a stretch ceiling.
1. Stretch ceiling over the entire area of the room.
If the stretch ceiling is adjacent to the walls without any decorative moldings, then the walls are first finished, and then the stretch ceiling is installed. Naturally, if you really want to, you can always influence the order of work and do the opposite, first the ceiling, and then the wallpaper. But then difficulties will arise - where to find craftsmen who will agree to glue wallpaper (or rather, trim it) under a suspended ceiling.
first wallpaper, then installation of stretch ceiling
That is, theoretically, it is possible to hang wallpaper after a stretch ceiling when there is no way out - the ceiling is standing, but the wallpaper is old and needs to be changed. But if you have a choice, then don’t listen to stories about:
“The stretch ceiling is mounted in a certain aluminum or plastic profile, which is attached to the wall every 10-15 cm around the entire perimeter of the room. If you have concrete or expanded clay concrete walls, then every 10-15 cm on your wallpaper there will be gray dust knocked out of the mounting holes with a puncher, but if you have a brick house, then the dust will be correspondingly red.”
We have been working with stretch ceilings for 9 years, and during this time we have installed wallpaper ceilings many times, and everything went smoothly and cleanly. Simply, when drilling walls, special tools with a vacuum cleaner are used, or a vacuum cleaner is simply substituted.
In 99% of cases, suspended ceilings are installed after wallpapering (or other finishing of the walls), because this is more convenient for everyone. But there are always exceptions. If you have several rooms with suspended ceilings, then you can agree with the installer to split the installation into 2 stages:
1. For the rough finishing of the walls, they will install profiles for you, that is, they will do all the dusty work.
2. In a couple of weeks (when the wallpaper has already been hung on you), the installers will arrive and just fasten the stretch ceiling fabric into the already pre-rolled profile. We are always ready to meet our clients' needs.
It will also be useful for you to know that there are several types of suspended ceiling fastenings. A standard profile for suspended ceilings leaves a 1.5 cm gap at the junction of the ceiling and wall after installation. This gap is closed with a plastic insert.
If baguettes are glued on top, this insert will not be visible. But if you decide not to use baguettes, then it is better to choose gapless stretch ceilings, which have a perfectly tight joint between the ceiling and the wall without any gaps.
2. The stretch ceiling will be decorated with baguettes (ceiling plinths).
The second case is when the suspended ceiling will be installed over the entire area of the room, but it will be decorated around the perimeter with baguettes (ceiling plinths). In this option, there is a strict procedure for the implementation of work, which cannot be changed. First, all the walls in the room are plastered, then the suspended ceiling is installed, and then the baguettes are glued under it. The baguettes are then puttied at the joints and painted, and only after that they begin to finish the walls, be it wallpaper or decorative plasters, but they come after the baguettes, under them.
first suspended ceiling, then baguettes and wallpaper
The sequence is as follows: suspended ceiling, then baguettes, and then finishing the walls with wallpaper or other materials.
The question of whether or not to use decorative moldings in the design of your ceiling is purely a matter of your taste and the chosen interior style.
3. In a room with plasterboard boxes.
The first case is if the suspended ceiling is not stretched over the entire room, but only as an insert in a plasterboard box. With this version of the ceiling, a certain plasterboard structure is mounted around the perimeter, it can be a circle, an oval, a square or anything else, then it is puttied, painted and a suspended ceiling is inserted into the middle of this structure. With this option, I 100% agree with the opinion of most companies involved in suspended ceilings; the ceiling must be installed after painting the main ceiling, i.e. upon completion of all types of work. That is, at the time of installation of the stretch ceiling, the floor covering must be laid, the walls must be finished, and the plasterboard box must be installed, painted and puttied.
first we putty and paint the box, then we install the suspended ceiling
In some articles and forums, a bunch of “BUTs” are written on similar topics regarding the installation of a stretch ceiling at the end of the renovation. There are concerns: whether construction tools and sawhorses will damage the floor covering, and whether dust from drilling the walls will settle on the wallpaper and much more. In this case, we can only vouch for the installers of the World of Ceilings company - all necessary measures are taken to ensure that your finish remains safe and sound. That is, a vacuum cleaner is used so that not a single speck of dust settles on your wallpaper, the legs of the trestles are wrapped so as not to scratch the floor covering, the floors are covered with a special material, and all other aspects are also controlled to the maximum.
If you are not confident in the reliability of the company and ceiling installers, and there are concerns about the finishing of the walls and floors, then you can only complete the work related to the plasterboard box: puttying, painting. Then they will install a suspended ceiling in it, and you will continue finishing the floor and walls with peace of mind - this scenario is also possible.
As a rule, in the case of a suspended ceiling in a plasterboard box, installation of the ceiling occurs after all other finishing work has been completed. As for the safety of the finishing that has already been done, let us worry - we have a lot of experience.
What is the installation of suspended ceilings or wardrobes first?
What to do first: a wardrobe up to the ceiling or installing a stretch ceiling and installing a cabinet underneath? We are inclined to believe that it is both more convenient and, as a result, more beautiful when they first make a wardrobe, and then stretch the stretch ceiling, attaching it to the upper base of the cabinet in the right places.
But there are opinions that: What if you decide to move the wardrobe to another apartment? I don’t know statistics on the number of wardrobes transported from one apartment to another, but this is not practical. After all, most often a wardrobe is installed from wall to wall and from floor to ceiling; the likelihood that in your next apartment you will need exactly these dimensions is negligible.
As for practicality in the installation sequence, we note: a suspended ceiling is a delicate matter, of course, it can be washed and rubbed with a rag, it will not be damaged when hit by a ball, but if, when lifting a cabinet, you hook it and pull it across the ceiling with something sharp, then there is a high probability of damage. Therefore, it is much more successful to first assemble a large cabinet up to the ceiling, making a 7-centimeter plinth in the upper part, and then install the suspended ceiling.
It is especially important to consider the sequence in the case of hidden ceiling lights. Then, even more so, you first need to make a cabinet, and then mount a profile with lighting above the cabinet so that the luminous strip does not go behind the cabinet.
What comes first: floors or suspended ceilings?
Here you need to take into account the type of flooring in order to correctly plan the sequence of work. If it is laminate or vinyl floors, not to mention linoleum, that is, dust-free flooring, then it is most often produced after finishing the walls, and accordingly it can be done after the stretch ceiling.
But if we are talking about tiles on the floor, then the tiles are traditionally laid first, the laying (cutting) of which is accompanied by dust. The same applies to parquet, if you plan to lay parquet on the floor, then it is better to start with it. Sanding parquet flooring is a dusty business, and it can settle on the ceiling, so first the floor, then the suspended ceilings.
tiles and parquet up to the ceiling, laminate after
Summarize.
If you are installing a ceiling for the entire room, immediately determine whether you will use a baguette for decoration; if so, then mount the ceiling, then glue the baguette, and only then glue the wallpaper.
If you do not use a baguette, then decide for yourself when to install the ceiling. On the one hand, there is dust and a mounting gap on the wallpaper, and on the other hand, will the painter take up the wallpaper after installing the ceiling (trimming the wallpaper overlaps is done with a paint knife under the ceiling).
If the suspended ceiling is in a plasterboard box, then first all the finishing work (especially on the box), and then the ceiling.
If there is a wardrobe up to the ceiling, then first the wardrobe, then the suspended ceiling.
The sequence of installation of the floor or ceiling is determined by the type of floor covering. Tiles and parquet first, and laminate and linoleum - after the stretch ceiling.
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