Can laminate be laid on hardwood floors?
parquet is a robust and durable floor covering. Nevertheless, it can happen that a new floor is desired in the course of renovation or remodelling and laminate is chosen. The question then arises as to the correct procedure for laying laminate on hardwood flooring.
Which parquet is suitable as a substrate for laminate?
In general, it should be noted that laminate can not be laid on every type of parquet.
Only fully glued parquet is suitable as a subfloor for the new floor – in this case there is nothing to prevent direct installation.
Laying laminate on floating parquet is not recommended. In this case the parquet should first be completely removed before the new floor can be laid.
What should be considered when laying laminate on parquet?
Apart from the fact that the parquet must be fully glued, there are a number of other factors involved in the laying of laminate must be taken into account on parquet:
Just like the screed when laying a new floor, the parquet must be clean, dry and level before the laminate can be laid on it. Larger unevenness should be levelled in advance by sanding or filling with levelling compound. However, minor unevenness of approx. 1 to 2 mm can usually be compensated with a impact sound insulation for parquet .
The impact sound insulation is highly recommended for laminate on parquet because the combination of the two floor coverings would otherwise be very noisy.
Moisture-permeable insulating materials such as cork or cardboard are suitable. It is even easier if a laminate with integrated footfall sound insulation is used.
A vapour barrier, on the other hand, should not be used for laminate parquet always. Parquet is a wooden floor that absorbs or releases moisture. This could easily cause waterlogging under the PVC film, which would result in permanent damage to the floor.
In order to achieve more stability of the floor, the laminate should be laid crosswise to the existing parquet. It should be noted, however, that light incidence can cause a changed joint pattern.
The use of click laminate is recommended, as this is not only relatively easy to install without expert help, but can also be removed again without leaving any residue, as it does not have to be glued.
Since laminate expands and contracts again with temperature fluctuations, expansion joints should be taken into account when laying laminate on hardwood flooring. This gives the floor the necessary clearance without causing undesirable joint formation or dents.
If laminate is laid on hardwood flooring, this changes the construction height, or thickness of the flooring. It may therefore be necessary to shorten door frames or leaves accordingly. Height differences at transitions can be laminated with profiles.
