First of all, it is worthwhile to figure out what is a substrate. This term indicates an intermediate coating, which is located between the base, that is, the floor, and the laminate itself.
Why do you need a substrate? The fact is that the laminate is wooden material, despite the fact that its main part consists of fiberboard, polymers and other components. Since the laminate is made of wood, it has all the disadvantages of this material, that is, with high porosity, grozen, sensitivity to high humidity and other. The floors from the laminate constantly “breathe”, which can only be compensated with the help of a substrate.
In addition, the substrate also matters the shock absorber mitigating the deformation of the laminate when you step on it. Finally, the substrate slightly increases the soundproofing properties of the coating.
So, which substrate to choose under the laminate from their huge variety:
Foamed polyethylene. This material does not differ in great strength, very quickly compressed under load and is easily torn. However, this variety of polyethylene does not differ in a significant price, it is easy to install and is not at all afraid of moisture;
Polystyrene. Polystyrol -based substrate has a couple of layers. The first layer is directly polystyrene, and the second is aluminum foil. When laying the foil should be on top. The substrate of the substrate occurs using a special adhesive tape. It can be distinguished from the shortcomings that it is quickly compressed from constant loads;
Technical traffic jam. A cork basis substrate is the most expensive of all varieties. It is almost not subject to pressing, has excellent heat indicators and sound insulation.
It is best to use such a substrate for residential premises, for the bathroom, kitchen and other premises that have a significant level of humidity, it is not too suitable.
After the cork substrate is laid, it is worth covering it with a special water -repellent solution, with which it can significantly increase its official period. As the main advantages of the cork coating, it can be called that it is completely safe from an environmental point of view, it is almost not deformed and has great resistance to wear.
Of course, you need to choose the right one not only a type of substrate, but also its thickness. Some believe that the thicker the substrate, the better it is able to compensate for all the irregularities of the foundation. However, for some reason, no one takes into account the fact that during the load there is a deformation of the substrate, in one place it is compressed, and in another, on the contrary, it becomes higher. This suggests that a vertical gap may form between the floor and the sub-sub-submit. The gap, in turn, leads to deformation of the dies at the joints, because they are the weakest places. It turns out that the substrate cannot be made too thick, the optimal value of the thickness is 4-5 millimeters.