Contrary to popular belief, the wall is not difficult at all. Even a beginner can do such work without having any special skills or abilities. And although this is quite paradoxical, the technique when designers use materials for purposes other than their intended purpose is quite popular today and is successfully used in the interior.

Laminate on the wall - new and original

walls and will increase the space of the room several times. In addition, this finishing method has many other advantages. There are several ways to install this material on vertical surfaces.

Advantages of using laminate for walls

Sten began to be used for many reasons, which are usually called prerequisites:

1. The structure of this material allows not only to lay it, but also with the help of certain fasteners you can attach the panels to any surface, including the ceiling and walls.
2. Increased wear resistance. Thanks to a special manufacturing technology, laminate can be used under different loads depending on its class. And since when using laminate on walls, there is practically no load on it, the service life of the material immediately increases 3 times.
3. Laminate on the wall is comparatively cheap way decorate the room. You can use even the lowest class of laminate with minimal wear resistance and low cost. Such walls will last much longer.
4. Laminate is antistatic if covered with film. Therefore, you don’t have to worry that dirt will accumulate on the walls, and it’s very easy to sweep away ordinary dust during the cleaning process.
5. A wide selection of colors and textures only popularizes the use of such material on walls.

Laminate was originally created as a floor covering, but thanks to these features it began to be used in wall decoration:

• It is durable, so it can withstand even a lot of applied force without problems.
• It can be washed with special detergents, so it is very easy to care for.
• On the wall in the interior it looks very stylish and elegant, so thanks to its use you can realize even the most daring design solutions.

What rules should you follow?

To prevent the panel finishing from becoming unusable ahead of schedule, it is recommended to adhere to special rules:

1. It is advisable to attach laminate sheets exclusively to a flat surface, otherwise it may fall, thereby tearing the plaster from the wall.
2. It is not recommended to use laminate in rooms with high humidity (in the toilet or bathroom). For finishing it is better to use other materials.
3. It is not recommended to fix the panels too rigidly; it would be better to be a little elastic. This way the panels will be able to move slightly if their linear dimensions are changed.

Attaching the laminate to the wall can be done in several ways: using glue and attaching the laminate to the frame.

Using glue at work

Such fastening is considered quite reliable, but the plates will adhere well to the glue only if there is no high humidity in the room and a special adhesive composition is used for the work.

You can use universal adhesives or purchase special glue that is suitable for installing panels. The surface of the wall must be leveled to perfect condition before starting work.

If there are large irregularities, you will need to seal them with putty before finishing. Deviations of the wall plane must be within 3 millimeters, otherwise it will not be possible to attach the laminate panels perfectly. Then the wall is degreased and impregnated with a special primer; you can begin laying the laminate only after the surface has been completely dried.

How to fix laminate flooring on the wall? start from the bottom left corner. The laminate panel is applied and glued to the wall, then the panel is torn off and dried for 10 minutes.

After this, the torn panel is returned to its place. This procedure is not at all necessary, but it makes it possible to increase the adhesion of liquid nails to the wall. Horizontal laying should be done gradually; too many panels should not be installed at once.

If the wall is finished vertically, then the laminate can be laid right up to the ceiling. After each new row, you need to tap the previous one to avoid its displacement and peeling from the wall during the work process. It is imperative to leave small (about 10 mm) deformation gaps under the ceiling and below.

Frame installation

You can attach the laminate to the wall using a more labor-intensive and complex method, but all the work can be done with your own hands. Before starting work, you will definitely need to mount a special frame, taking into account the method of attaching the laminate (vertical or horizontal).

For vertical installation, you need to assemble the frame vertically, for horizontal installation, respectively, horizontally. The bars must be installed perfectly evenly, especially for the outermost load-bearing ones. It will depend on them appearance the resulting design.

Now you need to pull the threads between the bars and install the intermediate ones. Thus, laminate is to metal, and to wood. This will allow you to avoid loosening in the future, and the laminate will not deteriorate and will not lose its appearance.

You can attach the laminate to the wall after the frame has been completely prepared and all communications in the room have been laid. If necessary, the space is additionally insulated or filled with soundproofing material (mineral wool is excellent for this purpose).

Now you can attach the laminate panels to the resulting structure. In the chosen method, they can only be fixed using clamps. These are staples that will not interfere with the panels connecting well and securely holding the finishing material on the frame.

How to attach laminate flooring to a wall? The clamp will need to be inserted into the grooves of the laminate panels, then nailed to the block using a stapler. Such a mount is considered not only very reliable, but will always remain slightly movable. Thus, with some changes in temperature or humidity, the laminate will be able to react calmly, and the wall surface will not deform.

The choice of fastening method depends only on the taste preferences of the owners, their ability to pay for the work of a specialist or the desire to do everything efficiently and reliably with their own hands. Decorating walls with laminate is becoming more and more popular, because in this way you can create original wall decor and preserve the interior of your home for a long time without making repairs.

Sometimes when creating an interior, unexpected decisions are made regarding the use of one or another finishing material. An example is the use of laminate flooring to finish a section of a wall, a niche, or even a ceiling. Laminated plates imitating valuable wood bring a certain charm to the interior, adding sophistication and comfort. If you decide to add some zest to the decoration of the room, you just need to find out which mounting method to prefer and how to lay the laminate on the wall surface.

Material for wall mounting - rational selection without overpayment

The idea of ​​decorating walls with laminate arose due to the similarity of this floor covering to natural wood, the texture of which this material is intended to imitate. You can also use natural wood in the form of lining – special boards equipped with locking joints – for interior wall cladding, but many are stopped by the complexity of installing this material, the need to treat it with various impregnations, and paint and varnish it. Laminate flooring does not require any additional measures: after installation, the surface is ready for use, while the floor board is practically not inferior to natural wood in terms of external qualities.

Another common option for wall cladding with imitation wood texture is the installation of decorative plastic panels. Forming a finishing surface from PVC does not present any special difficulties; the money is much cheaper. But the strength of plastic panels is low (easily damaged by mechanical stress), the appearance and choice of various decorative patterns are so-so. In addition, plastic is flammable, no matter what its manufacturers say about it, and there are also questions about its toxicity. That's why laminate is preferred on the wall, especially if we're talking about about living rooms.

We found out that the material in question is quite appropriate for decorating walls. All that remains is to choose the right floor board from the variety that is offered in a specialized retail chain. It’s worth immediately drawing attention to the fact that there is no such thing as a wall laminate - all types of material models are initially intended to form a floor surface. Can any laminated boards be mounted on a wall surface? In fact - any. But there are still purely practical nuances that should be taken into account when choosing a material.

Firstly, this is the wear resistance class. The higher this indicator, the stronger the decorative surface and the less susceptible to abrasion, scratches, chips and other mechanical damage. With the wall mounting method, the importance of this criterion for the quality of laminated boards is leveled out, because for obvious reasons, hardly anyone will walk or move furniture on the wall. For a laminate on a wall, a wear resistance class of 21-23 is quite sufficient; purchasing plates with a more durable surface is not advisable, since as this indicator increases, the cost of the material increases sharply, although this does not affect its decorative properties in any way.

Secondly, this is the quality and type of locking connections. When installing laminated boards on the floor, which is carried out using a floating method, the reliability of the locks plays an important role, since only through these devices the entire structure is held together. When attaching a laminate to a wall, in any case, additional fasteners are used, which bear the main load. In this case, the lock only helps to tightly fit the individual structural elements one to one, making the joints between the boards unnoticeable. The quality of the locking connections also affects the cost of the laminate, so you should not overpay when trying to choose a material with durable and functional locks.

When choosing a laminated board for wall mounting, the main criterion is the decorative component. The main thing is to choose a material with a texture that will optimally fit into the intended interior design.

Using laminated boards – where is this option appropriate?

Creative imagination when developing interior design options is not limited by any boundaries, so there are no specific recommendations on where you can make a wall, panel or niche from laminate, and where it is better to abandon this idea. But this is from the point of view of design creativity. A practical approach to the question of the feasibility of covering a wall surface with laminated boards indicates some limitations of this method of wall finishing. It is not recommended to use laminate for any cladding in rooms where there is or may be high humidity or direct contact with water, therefore this cladding method is not used in bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, open or uninsulated balconies and loggias.

In rooms with a normal microclimate, the use of the floor covering in question for wall cladding is not limited, but attaching the laminate to the wall completely is not quite the case. First of all, it's expensive. Secondly, this material looks much more interesting when it is allocated a specific area. For example, a panel is often formed in this way in the bedroom behind the head of the bed. Another option is a niche or a kind of shield that highlights the area on the wall where the TV is installed. This solution is interesting - the same material with the same decorative texture that is laid on the floor. This design option visually increases the space by continuing the floor into the wall without a visual transition.

The traditional way to decorate a hallway is to form panels at the bottom of the wall. For these purposes they use various materials– , MDF, wooden lining, plastic cladding products. We can also use laminate in this case - the material is quite durable, easy to clean and care for, and this is exactly what is needed for panels in the hallway. In addition, laminated boards, which have high decorative qualities, are good for highlighting individual interior elements in bedrooms, living rooms and even children's rooms. In fact, in rooms with a normal residential microclimate, laying laminate on the wall can diversify the interior in various options, as long as it is appropriate from the point of view of visual perception and combination with other finishing materials used in this room.

How to create a base for wall mounting floor plates

When covering walls with laminate, the requirements for surface quality are the same as for the subfloor when using this material for its intended purpose. The base on which it is planned to lay the decorative cladding should be as level as possible. The laminated board lacks elasticity; the smoother the surface, the greater the contact area of ​​the facing plates with the base. The permissible curvature of the wall on which installation will be carried out should not exceed 2-3 mm per linear meter, while the base surface must be vertical and lie in the same plane.

How is the required result of preparing the base surface for wall installation of laminated boards achieved? There are several options:

• plastering along guide beacons;
• installation of gypsum boards using a pre-created sheathing;
• assembly of a load-bearing or wooden beam for subsequent laminate cladding.

The first option for preparing the base is the most economical in terms of materials costs. Plaster can be made with various compositions - gypsum mixture, lime and cement-sand mortar, polymer-cement plaster materials. Taking into account the fact that we are talking about interior decoration, it is preferable to use it inside the building to level the wall surface. plaster mixtures gypsum-based, although the other listed options for working solutions are also appropriate and applicable. If you plan to install the laminate on the wall using an adhesive, after the plaster has dried, it must be impregnated with a primer - the treated surface will hold the glued facing material much better.

Regarding the plasterboard base. Why is it preferable to sheathe gypsum boards along profiles, but not to glue plasterboard sheets with glue? A plasterboard false wall based on the created sheathing is much stronger, but the weight of the laminated plates is considerable. If, however, the base is formed from plasterboard glued to the base surface, the sheets must be additionally secured with dowels or self-tapping screws (depending on the structure of the mounting base). Laminate is much heavier than gypsum board, if we take the same area of ​​both materials, so the adhesive alone to which the drywall is attached may not withstand the proposed operational load. The plasterboard surface also needs to be prepared. First, all seams are reinforced and filled with mortar, then the gypsum board is primed, and only after that (when the primer has dried) the laminated cladding is laid.

You can attach laminate directly to the wall if it meets the requirements. If the base surface has significant curvature, there is an option to do without leveling it. To do this, a sheathing is created, the load-bearing elements of which can be metal profiles or wooden beams. With the expected horizontal installation laminated boards, the racks are installed vertically. If there is a desire to lay the facing plates vertically, the load-bearing elements of the frame are mounted horizontally. The pitch of the racks or horizontal crossbars is made within the range of 40-60 cm. Taking a smaller step is not rational due to excessive consumption of material; more than the indicated limits is not possible for reasons of the strength of the base.

If wooden beams are chosen as load-bearing elements, do not forget to treat them with antiseptic and water-repellent impregnations - this will greatly extend the service life of the created sheathing.

Methods of attaching laminate flooring – glue, clamps or nails?

There is no single technology for fixing floor boards to the wall surface, because no one has developed it. Laminate is a floor material, and its installation on other surfaces is not provided, therefore all methods of attaching such cladding to a wall or lathing are the fruit of the practical conclusions of craftsmen who had to do this. True, relatively recently, manufacturers, having learned about the growing popularity of the wall use of laminate, began to produce special fasteners for these purposes - clamps. Fixing a floor board on a vertical surface using clamps is one of the ways to secure laminate flooring to a prepared wall.

The second method of fastening the cladding in question is to use special nails with a very small head (so as not to interfere with the snapping of the locking joints), which are driven into the base using a special pneumatic gun. Such nails are primarily intended for fixing wooden lining, but craftsmen have adapted this method of fastening for laminated boards. Fixation with nails is reliable, but causes complaints from many specialists. The fact is that the nails fix the plates too rigidly, and the laminate is created by manufacturers taking into account its floating installation, which provides for the possibility of free mutual displacement of the boards relative to each other under mechanical load or temperature deformation. Be that as it may, there is such a way. It is up to the owner to use nails or choose another method for fixation, especially since there is a choice of how to attach the laminate to the wall.

One of the installation methods is with “liquid nails”

If the laminated board is fixed to the sheathing, you will have to choose from the methods described above (clippers or nails). When it is a smooth plastered wall or lined with plasterboard, it is better to use the adhesive installation method. As glue (again, guided by practical experience), it is convenient to use some varieties of “liquid nails” - universal adhesive compositions for polymer based, which are packaged in tubes designed for special pistols. The polymers that form the structural basis of such adhesives have sufficient elasticity even after complete hardening, which corresponds to the principle of floating laminate installation on the wall.

Some craftsmen share their successful experience of gluing cladding boards onto polyurethane foam. This turns out to be much more economical when compared with liquid nails, and much faster. However, polyurethane foam can lose its properties over time, gradually deteriorating, so there are not many guarantees regarding the durability of this method of fastening. Does it make sense to combine the use of foam as glue with additional fasteners, clamps, for example.

Decorative cladding - 3 main principles

There is also a way to put laminate on the wall - first a solid board required sizes assembled on the floor, after which it is lifted and glued to the wall surface. The method is original, but has disadvantages. Firstly, this can only be done when the cladding area is small. Secondly, this method does not work if you need to attach the laminate to the sheathing. Another disadvantage of this technology is that you need an assistant, or better yet, two, so methods using floor boards directly on the wall or sheathing are much more often used.

When installing laminated plates, work begins from below one of the corners. It will be more convenient for right-handed masters to start from the left corner, for left-handers - vice versa. Before gluing the laminate, or rather its first board, you need to make a stand for the entire length of the wall being tiled. The thickness of the stand is about 10 mm. After finishing the work, the stand is removed and a deformation gap is formed, preventing contact of the created cladding with the floor surface. The same gaps are made with adjacent walls and ceilings.

For wall mounting, you need to follow the same basic principles as for floor installation of the material.

1. 1. First of all, this is the spacing of the seams in adjacent rows (the seams cannot coincide or be too close). Usually they make sure that the seam of the adjacent row falls in the middle of the board or with a slight offset from the center.
2. 2. Taking into account possible deformation displacements of the plates relative to each other, so that tension does not arise between the fixed material, we recommend treating the locks with a special gel, which significantly reduces friction and additionally protects the seams from moisture entering them.
3. 3. When simultaneously using the adhesive method of installation and mechanical fixation (some craftsmen consider the combination of glue and metal fasteners to be the only correct technology for attaching laminate to a vertical surface), it is advisable to use clamps that allow the facing plates to move. First, we put the board into locks, glue it, then put on the clamps and fix them to the base.

Covering a wall with laminated boards is not very difficult. The main thing is to approach the work responsibly, not to rush anywhere, and to choose the right base material and means of fixing the laminate. If you follow the simple rules described above, finishing activities will not take much time, and the boarded wall surface will add sophistication to the interior for many years, delighting the household.

Wall decoration with laminate is a rather “young” look finishing work, allowing you to quickly get a flat, attractive and smooth wall surface. Of course, laying laminate on the wall is not suitable for all rooms in the apartment, for example, in the bathroom or kitchen due to high air humidity; the panels can quickly become unusable. In other areas of the apartment, such as the hallway, living room or bedroom, installing laminate flooring on the wall can solve quite a lot of technological problems.

Advantages of finishing interior walls with laminate:

• High finishing speed;
• Smooth and attractive surface;
• Thermal insulation of the wall;
• Soundproofing the wall;
• The ability to hide communications that are inappropriate in the interior.

There are two ways to install laminate flooring on a wall - adhesive and hanging. Let's look at all the ways to attach laminate flooring to a wall and choose the simplest, cheapest and most reliable one.

Glue mounting technology

Attaching the laminate to the wall using the adhesive method is done using liquid nails. The main condition for fastening in this way is that the surface of the walls must be perfectly flat. The walls are pre-leveled with cement-sand plaster with mandatory grouting, after which the entire surface of the plaster is primed with a primer that increases adhesion and strengthens the surface of the plaster. For example, you can use primers betogrunt or betocontact.

In principle, it is possible to abandon priming altogether, but for this you will have to, for example, in proportions of 1 to 2.5. Also, before applying to the wall, its plane can be leveled not with cement plaster, but plasterboard sheets, mounted either with gypsum glue, or according to the false wall principle on.

To fasten the laminate to the wall using liquid nails with locks, start from the very bottom of the wall, with the panel positioned so that its ridge is located at the top. If panels with click locks are used, then they are mounted on the contrary with the groove up, and the ridge located below is first cut off with a jigsaw or circular saw with fine-toothed disc. Liquid nails are applied to the back of the panel in the form of a snake, avoiding the adhesive getting on the locks. After this, the panel is pressed tightly against the wall and pressed for a while with heavy objects at hand.

You can glue the second horizontal laminate panel to the wall using liquid nails with your own hands after 24-48 hours. That is, when the liquid nails between the first bottom panel and the wall dry well and harden. Here the first horizontal panel acts as a stop for all subsequent panels. Before fixing the last laminate panel to the wall, it is first sawn to length in accordance with the existing gap.

Disadvantages of installation with liquid nails

Firstly, you will have to fork out for materials for preliminary leveling and preparation of the walls. That is, purchase cement and seeded sand or gypsum board and metal profile. It is also necessary to take into account the deadline for completing the work on leveling the walls.

Secondly, it can take up to 4-5 days to glue the laminate horizontally to the entire wall from bottom to top. This is due to the fact that it is unrealistic to glue all the horizontal panels in one go. The bottom panel is glued, after 1-2 days another 3-4 panels are glued, and after a day the remaining panels are glued to the ceiling. Otherwise, when trying to complete the job in one go, for example when gluing a panel in the middle of a wall, the bottom laminate may move away from the load-bearing plane.

Wall decoration with laminate is in an unusual way decoration, since it has long proven itself as a strong and durable floor covering. However, laying laminate on the wall is increasingly replacing wall decoration with plastic or MDF panels, lining or plasterboard. In addition, the technology and installation methods are quite simple; you can do them yourself if you follow photo examples and video instructions.

Laying laminate on the wall

If you are wondering what arguments exist for laying laminate on walls, it is worth listing its advantages:

1. Modern laminate is an environmentally friendly material without harmful fumes.
2. It is durable, strong, and has a service life of more than ten years.
3. Laminate will hide any unevenness in the walls, so it can be used both in an apartment and in a private house.
4. As a floor covering, laminate should be chosen of the highest strength class. But, using it as a wall covering, you can save significantly on this by choosing low classes, since the material on the walls is not exposed to the same influences as on the floor.
5. Thanks to the wide variety of textures and shades, you can bring any design idea to life in your apartment.
6. Antistatic – dust will not accumulate on the walls, and the ceiling can be washed.
7. Working with this material is quite simple; you can do it yourself.

However, there are some disadvantages:

1. The material is sensitive to high moisture.
2. Sensitivity to temperature changes, which may have negative impact on the appearance of the material.

Choosing a laminate

There are three types of laminate: tongue and groove, click and adhesive.

You can use it to cover a wall, but only if it is perfectly flat.

Laying methods

Before choosing a method for laying laminate flooring yourself, you should understand two questions:

1. Glue or lathing?
2. Vertical method or horizontal?

The first question reflects the methods of fastening - using glue or by arranging lathing on the wall. The adhesive method is quite simple, it is suitable for all types of laminate, but it places high demands on the quality of the wall surface - it must be uniform and even, otherwise gaps and joints will be visible, and the panels on such a wall will not be able to last for a long time. But this method is very simple, installation is easy to do with your own hands. The method of creating sheathing has advantages in that there is no need to spend time and money on leveling the walls, and it also creates additional sound and heat insulation of surfaces. If, when decorating the walls with laminate, the ceiling is additionally decorated, this will serve as good sound insulation from neighbors above.

The second question reflects how laminate flooring is laid - in vertical or horizontal stripes. The horizontal method, at first glance, seems to be the simplest - the panels are laid in horizontal rows on top of each other. But all joints must be covered with skirting boards, which are attached to the wall with dowels. They need to be installed every meter and a half, otherwise the entire cladding, without additional fastenings, will fold like an accordion. To give strength to the laminate with this installation method, you need to alternate half-sections, i.e. shorter panels, with longer ones, stacking them on top of each other (see photo). Shorter panels will allow the load to be evenly distributed across the mounting points.
The vertical method of laying laminate will create original design a wall, the design of which will also affect the ceiling, if, for example, you combine different shades or sizes of panels (see photo).

What will you need to install laminate flooring on walls?

When laying laminate flooring on walls and ceilings with your own hands, you will need the following tools:

To make the installation process and technology more understandable, you can watch the video at the end of the article for clarity.

Step by step instructions

1. Preliminary calculation of the required amount of material. At the same time, do not forget to count the excess material for fitting and trimming.
2. Preparing the surface for installation - first clean the wall or ceiling, level it, and dry it if the adhesive method is used. When creating the sheathing, wooden or metal slats with a width of 20–40 mm are used, fastened with self-tapping screws with a width between them of 30–40 cm. The location of the slats should be perpendicular to the location of the slats.
3. Selecting the starting point for laying. If the entire wall is laid out, laying begins from the top left point, unless part of the wall reaches the ceiling - from the floor from the same point. You should mark the distance of one strip and start laying the cladding from this border, regardless of the method of laying the laminate.
4. Installation of laminate panels. When using the adhesive method, the adhesive composition is applied to reverse side panel and presses tightly to the surface, you can also glue the locks. It is not recommended to rigidly fix the panels butt to butt. When creating the sheathing, the fastening technology is carried out similarly to working with lining and plastic panels, using clamps or small nails
5. Installation of skirting boards. After the laminate is laid on the wall or ceiling, the joints with the wall or floor must be covered with baseboards and corners.

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