How to lay plank floors in your home. DIY wooden flooring. Cedar and linden
Wooden flooring is the most environmentally friendly type of flooring, yet it is affordable and easy to install. But installation requires certain theoretical and practical knowledge from the beginner. In this article I would like to consider in detail information on how to properly lay a wooden floor with your own hands. We have already talked about the types of floors and materials used in their manufacture earlier. In this article we will look step by step at how to lay a wooden floor with your own hands.
Wooden floors do not lose their relevance. Many appreciate it for the naturalness of the material, its availability and low cost. Anyone can install a floor in a wooden house with their own hands.
What types of wooden flooring are used in house construction?
Flooring in a wooden house is carried out in two ways:
- with the help of lags,
- along the floor beams.
Each has its own characteristics and installation subtleties. Let's look at the designs in more detail.
Installation on joists, pros and cons
In the first case, laying is done on the ground and logs are used. This method is the most popular. But you should take into account the fact that this method is not suitable for rooms with low ceilings. When constructing a double floor, 70–90 mm of height is consumed.
Advantages of flooring on joists:
- the ability to hide large differences in floor level.
- the opportunity to conduct communication between the sexes.
Preparation of material and tools
To install a wooden floor in a house, you will need the following tools and materials:
- level
- hammer
- drill
- screwdriver
- mallet
- roulette
- nails or screws
- nylon thread
- timber 50*100 mm
- board, plywood, chipboard or OSB sheet (depending on your choice)
- insulation
- hydro- and thermal insulation
- wood processing product.
To construct the structure along the logs, a wooden beam measuring 50*100 mm is used. It must be prepared in advance and allowed to dry. If you use raw or overdried material, deformation of the structure may occur. Of course, you can buy chamber drying, but it will cost more. A few days before installation, the timber must be brought into the room. The same requirements apply to the boards from which the floor will be made.
You can take special boards with a locking connection or simple chamber-drying ones. The choice depends only on your wallet size and imagination. It is necessary to treat all lumber with antiseptics. Before purchasing material, we take measurements of the area on which the flooring will be made. It is better to buy all the material with a reserve and from one batch.
So, all preparations have been made, let's get to work.
Main stages of work
The stages of work can be divided into:
- preparatory work
- laying the joists
- lay insulation
- laying boards or other material
- surface treatment or laying finishing material
Preparing the base of a wooden floor structure along the joists
Over the entire area of the room, we remove a layer of soil to a depth of 250 mm below the ground level near the house. We fill in a layer of crushed stone and moisten it with water. Pour sand on top and moisten it with water again. We compact each layer thoroughly. Thus, we create the basis for laying the lags.
Lay out the columns
We mark with pegs the places for future support columns for the logs. We stretch the nylon rope along and across the ground. At the intersection there will be bases for supports. A separate cement base is made for each pillar. Pour cement mortar into the formwork. We give the cement time to dry and cover it with an insulating layer.
We lay out a brick column. The pitch between the pillars varies from 70 to 100 cm.
This depends on the thickness of the joists. The larger the lag size, the smaller the step. We lay out columns of bricks with a height of 200–400 mm, securing each one with cement mortar. All columns must be at the same height. We check this using a laser level. We lay out two to four columns under each joist (depending on the length of the joist). We lay waterproofing on top of each brick pillar. You can use roofing felt.
The arrangement of the support pillars can be seen in the photo, which shows the layout of all layers.
Laying lags
We attach the logs to the posts. Each log should be on the same level with the first beam of the log frame for a columnar foundation; on a tray foundation, the upper part of the base is taken as the level.
First, we install two logs on opposite sides of the room. The rest are laid out relative to the outer ones along a fishing line stretched level. We secure the timber to the posts using anchors. We nail 50*50 mm bars across the bottom edge of the beam at a distance of 400–600 mm from each other. We secure them with nails or self-tapping screws. We create a subfloor structure by securing the material chosen for this purpose to the bars.
If the size of the wooden logs is less than the length of the room, then we connect them end-to-end on posts using corners and self-tapping screws.
You can watch the video for more details on the process of preparing the base and laying the lags:
Insulation and floor insulation
We put a vapor barrier on the subfloor. We lay insulation on top (which one depends on your preference). For a wooden floor, it is better to give preference to a type of insulation that allows moisture and air to pass through well. The insulation fits tightly between the joists without gaps. We spread a layer of insulation and proceed to laying the wooden floor. It is necessary to leave a ventilation gap of 1-1.5 cm between the insulation and the future board. It would be good if in the future an exhaust pipe was installed into this gap, which would preserve the floor and remove excess moisture.
Laying floorboards or other sheet material
Laying a wooden floor with your own hands can be done using various materials, but the simplest and most well-known methods are boards and plywood. This material is available and any finishing coating can be laid on it: linoleum, laminate, carpet, etc.
Plank flooring
All boards should be sanded and laid out on the joists. Each board must be numbered to avoid further problems in the laying order. The floorboards start from the wall, leaving a gap for ventilation. At the end of installation it should be covered with a plinth.
The first finished floor board is laid at a distance of 20–30 mm from the wall. This gap must be left around the entire perimeter of the room. This way ventilation will occur and deformation shift will not occur. We attach a bracket to the timber behind the board and leave a small gap. We put a rail in it. We drive a wedge into the resulting space, which will tighten the boards tightly. We secure the board with nails or self-tapping screws (you must initially drill a hole in the board), which must be driven in at an angle. The bracket is removed. When laying boards, it is necessary to respect the location of the wood rings. They should be directed in different directions.
We lay out two boards again and repeat the entire sequence of actions described earlier. We compact each board with a mallet and then secure it with nails or self-tapping screws. We repeat all this to the opposite wall. The last board is fixed with the same gap from the wall as the first.
To finish laying a wooden floor with your own hands, you need to sand the joints to avoid unevenness. The floor can be treated with paint, varnish, or any floor covering can be placed on top.
Plywood flooring
Flooring on joists in a wooden house can be done using plywood. The first stages of creating a supporting structure proceed in a similar way. The only difference is that plywood of a certain size is laid on the joists. When laying sheets, leave a small gap between them. The sheets are secured to the joists along the entire perimeter and diagonally with self-tapping screws.
We lay any floor covering on top, finishing the wooden floor along the joists.
All stages of installing a wooden floor on joists can be seen in the video:
Flooring on wooden beams
Laying a wooden floor with your own hands is easier and faster. There is no need to build a structure for the future floor. The flooring is made on beams fixed in the walls of a wooden house. The house is built immediately with beams. They dry out along with the log house. Laying the floor on beams gives stability to a wooden house.
At the initial stage we lay the rough base:
We fix a beam on both sides of the ceiling, to which boards or other panel material (plywood, chipboard, OSB, etc.) are tightly fitted.
We are carrying out waterproofing work on the lower deck. We use special insulating materials for this.
The floor should be insulated using. The technology of floor insulation using beams is similar to the insulation and insulation of a structure using joists.
Cover the main floor. Treated boards with a thickness of 35 mm are laid on wooden beams. The process of attaching the material to the beams is similar in technology to laying a wooden floor along joists.
The process of laying a wooden floor on beams is presented in more detail in the video above. After reading the article and carefully reviewing the video materials, you can do the work correctly and conscientiously.
Having examined two types of floor installation in a wooden house, it became clear that laying a wooden floor with your own hands is possible even for beginners. Choose the option that is preferable in terms of technical characteristics and material costs. Be sure to follow the instructions in this article. Then everything will work out and the floor, laid with your own hands, will delight all inhabitants with its warmth and naturalness.
A high-quality, beautiful floor that creates comfort in an apartment is the key to a pleasant stay. A good coating will save the owner from many problems, including health problems, if the choice is made in favor of an environmentally friendly material. However, of all existing finishing materials, only wood can boast of absolute safety. And a wooden floor in an apartment is the perfect combination of comfort, coziness, environmental friendliness and beauty. How to make it yourself? This will be discussed in the article.
Despite the abundance of offers on the construction market and the mass of various options for finishing floors, many are still of the opinion that nothing can be better than a wooden floor. Especially in an apartment or private house. Many positive reviews about this finishing method can be heard from those who are seriously worried about their health. Indeed, we are surrounded by synthetics and artificially created materials, and we would like to at least feel somewhat safe at home, and it is doubly pleasant to relax in environmentally friendly rooms.
Also, a wooden floor is not only safe for humans in terms of health, but also practically a standard of quality. The wear rate of a board base is very high - on average, wooden floors can last for decades without repairs or replacement of floorboards, of course, provided they are installed correctly. They are distinguished by high strength and other physical characteristics. For example, a wooden floor retains heat well, making it very pleasant to walk on – you won’t feel like it’s cold in the apartment. Even covered with paint, it is pleasant to the touch and looks great.
On a note! Wooden floors can be varnished to preserve the color and texture. This option is chosen by those who prefer to decorate their apartment in eco-style.
However, wooden floors fit perfectly not only into eco-style. It can be installed to implement almost any design idea. Except that it may not suit a high-tech or other modern style. But even here there is a way out of the situation, if you really want to make wooden floors in your apartment - they can be painted in any color.
Another advantage of a wooden floor is the ability to lay it yourself and, if necessary, repair it. Of course, recommendations from experienced specialists will not hurt in this matter, but anyone can still figure out how to carry out the work if they have the right desire.
A wooden floor may not be the final covering option - it may well become the basis for laying any other material, except perhaps when the wooden base is completely dismantled. In general, linoleum, laminate, tiles, etc. can be laid on a wooden floor. Also, due to the installation features, various communications can be laid under a wooden floor; it can be additionally insulated or waterproofed.
Types of floor boards
Having found out that wooden floors are an excellent flooring option, you should understand that they can be made using different materials. More precisely, it will be a board in any case, but the floors can be decorated with different types of it, starting from the shape and ending with the type of wood from which it is made.
Popular types of boards for creating floors.
In general, when choosing a floorboard, you should focus on personal wishes and preferences, as well as the general idea of interior design. It is also worth remembering that wood is still not the cheapest material, so you definitely need to focus on your budget when choosing a material.
Prices for engineered flooring boards
engineering board
Choosing wood for coating
Among all interior elements, the floor is most susceptible to various negative influences; it wears out faster than other parts of the finish. However, proper care and the right choice of material from which it will be made will allow you to keep it beautiful for a long time.
Solid board - larch
Various types of wood can be used to create floor boards, ranging from ordinary birch or pine to oak. These can be both coniferous and deciduous trees. A dendrological certificate will help you understand which wood boards are best to buy.
Table. Information about different tree species.
| Wood species | Characteristics from a construction point of view | Physical indicators |
|---|---|---|
| Most common in Russia. To harvest and create building materials from it, the Daurian variety is most often used, which grows in Siberia and the Far East, as well as the Siberian and European varieties. The color of the wood is pleasant, brownish-reddish, with clearly visible stripes of growth rings. It has a minimal number of knots, is durable, dense, and not prone to rotting. The main disadvantage of such wood is its tendency to crack when drying out and the difficulty of processing. | Density - 665 kg/m3, wear resistance 0.14-0.17 mm, resistance to rotting - 9.1, bending strength - 109 MPa. |
| The trees most often harvested are Norway spruce or Siberian spruce. The wood is light yellow, delicate in color, up to white, with clearly visible rings. Durable, strong, resistant to rot, but its performance is slightly worse than that of pine. Difficult to process due to the large number of hard knots. | Density - 445 kg/m3, wear resistance 0.24 mm, rot resistance - 3.6, bending strength - 79 MPa. |
| The second most common coniferous crop in Russia. Most often, the ordinary variety is used for harvesting. The wood has a pleasant reddish-yellow hue, rich color, the texture is very beautiful due to the pronounced growth rings. It has good strength properties, is not prone to rotting, and is easy to process. | Density - 505 kg/m3, wear resistance 0.28-0.31 mm, resistance to rotting - 4.6, bending strength - 85 MPa. |
| Its characteristics resemble spruce, but does not have resin passages. The most durable types of fir are European and Caucasian. Others are used extremely rarely. | Density - 375 kg/m3, wear resistance 0.26-0.3 mm, resistance to rotting - 3.8, bending strength - 68 MPa. |
| The wood is similar in appearance to oak, bends well and does not crack. It looks very beautiful and expensive. | Density - 680 kg/m3, wear resistance 0.14-0.17 mm, resistance to rotting - 4.9, bending strength - 118 MPa. |
| The most famous type of noble wood. Color – brown, brown-yellow, with clearly visible textures. A durable, rot-resistant type of wood with excellent flexibility. It is not afraid of moisture, as it absorbs it quite slowly and releases it just as slowly. | Density - 690 kg/m3, rot resistance - 5.2, bending strength - 103 MPa. |
| The color is reddish or yellowish white, with distinct textures and an interesting mottled pattern. Durable, reliable, flexible option. | Density - 680 kg/m3, wear resistance 0.14-0.17 mm, rot resistance - 3.3, bending strength - 104 MPa. |
On a note! Interestingly, cedar also belongs to the genus Pine, but it is not used for making floor coverings due to its rather soft wood.
Undoubtedly, the best option in terms of strength and beauty is oak, but it is very expensive and not everyone can afford to buy such a board. It may well be replaced by ash, but it is unfairly rarely used. Beech is prone to deformation due to its tendency to absorb moisture - it reacts sharply to changes in its indicator in the room.
Only larch can boast of an optimal price-quality ratio, which can easily compete with oak in almost all respects, with the exception of strength.
On a note! The cycle track in Moscow's Krylatskoye, built before the 1980 Olympics, was completely covered with larch. At one time, this cycle track was considered the fastest in the world. Also, the buildings of Venice stand on larch stilts. And, as you know, there is enough water in it. Larch in water does not begin to rot - on the contrary, it “petrifies” and its strength characteristics increase.
Pine is also often used to create floors, due to its availability - this species grows almost everywhere, and therefore is not expensive at all. It is also easy to use, as it can be processed without much effort.
How to choose the right board size
The generally accepted and erroneous opinion of beginners is that to create a floor, the ideal option is to use the widest board. But this is far from true - on the contrary, using this type of material, you can encounter a lot of problems. It is the wide boards that most quickly begin to deform and bend, reacting to any changes in the microclimate in the room. In the future, large gaps may appear between the floorboards. Also, the boards are quite difficult to work with due to their heavy weight. When making wood flooring in your home, it is highly recommended to use medium-sized boards.
In the photo - pine boards
As for the length of the board, everything is limited only by the possibilities of transportation and ease of working with the material. Floorboards of any length are suitable for flooring. Moreover, if necessary, long boards can be easily shortened by simply sawing them.
"Warm" and wooden floor
Wooden floors in an apartment may well be combined with a heating system. The most convenient way is to install the system itself on joists and lay boards on top. Heating can be modular or rack-mounted. For example, in the first case, a special structure is made from chipboard with grooves into which the heating pipes are laid.
Also, a wooden floor can serve as the basis for creating a heating system. To do this, pipes or heating modules are installed on its surface, and then any other type of finishing material is laid on top.
We make the wooden floor in the apartment ourselves
Installation of a wooden floor can be done in different ways depending on the desired final result, the type of subfloor and other factors. Let's take a look at the three possible types of wood flooring installation.
Wooden floor with joists
This method is often used if there is at least some kind of rough foundation - for example, a concrete floor. In this case, the wood covering will be laid on so-called logs - long bars fixed to the base and serving as a kind of support for the floor. The joists can be installed on small concrete columns or bricks.
This type of structure can withstand significant loads, but it is important to remember that the step between individual bars should be small, otherwise the floor will sag. The main thing is that the logs themselves are quite strong and do not bend when walking on the floor. They are also installed strictly horizontally, and the board is laid perpendicular to them.
Wooden floor on beams
Sometimes a wooden floor can be mounted not on concrete floors and joists, but on wooden floor beams - this option also has a place, since it is simple and at the same time very reliable due to the wide cross-section of the beams. The system can also be supplemented with lags.
The beams themselves, up to 4-12 m long, are installed directly on the foundation and secured. Since they have a very large weight, it is recommended to involve outsiders to help in the construction. Logs are mounted on top of the beams, and then floor boards are laid.
Wooden floor on concrete
This is the “apartment” option, since it is the simplest and most convenient to implement in an apartment. In this case, the wooden floor is simply laid on a concrete base - the main thing is that it is fairly level. Otherwise, it may need to be leveled using other materials. Logs can also be used here.
Basic recommendations for laying wooden floors in an apartment
Installation of a wooden floor in an apartment must be carried out according to certain rules. Only this will ensure high quality work. Recommendations for laying wooden floors:
- work is usually carried out closer to spring, when the winter cold begins to recede;
- there should not be high humidity in the room;
- the base must be well prepared if we are talking about laying the floor on concrete;
- it is necessary to install waterproofing, especially if the apartment is on the ground floor;
- if insulation is installed, it should lie without gaps;
- the boards are laid along the long wall of the room, perpendicular to the wall with the window.
Laying a wooden floor
Before you begin installing a wooden floor, you should prepare all the tools and materials that you may need. These include:
- board;
- insulation;
- timber 50x50 mm;
- waterproofing roll material;
- jigsaw or saw;
- perforator;
- screwdriver;
- self-tapping screws;
- building level.
The instructions for installing a wooden floor look something like this.
Step 1. The logs are installed on the concrete floor that has been prepared and cleared of debris. The logs are set at the same level at a distance of about 40-50 cm from each other. Installation starts from the highest point of the floor.
Step 2. You can secure the logs to the concrete base using metal corners and dowels. To do this, holes are drilled in the floor and joists according to marks made with a pencil through the holes in the corners.
Step 3. The joists and the entire base are completely covered with waterproofing material. For this, thick polyethylene film can be used.
Step 4. Dense insulation is placed between the joists - for example, mineral wool.
Step 5. After this, the floor boards can be laid. The whole process begins from the wall farthest from the exit of the room. The board is not laid close to the wall, but with a small compensation gap taken into account so that the floors do not become deformed in the future. The gap will later be closed with a plinth.
Step 6. The boards are screwed to the joists with self-tapping screws. In this case, the fasteners are screwed in at an angle of 45 degrees. Approximately 2 screws are required per mounting point.
Step 7 This way the entire floor is covered. If a tongue and groove board is used, it is important to ensure that the tenon on the next board fits into the groove of the previous one. The boards are knocked together with a hammer if necessary. The main thing is not to damage the end of the board.
Video - Laying boards on the floor
How to protect a wooden floor
Unfortunately, if the finished wooden floor is not treated with anything, it will quickly lose its attractive appearance. Therefore, it must be coated with varnish or paint. Before applying these compounds, the floor is cleaned of dust and debris. Then you can apply varnish and dry it well, sand the finished surface and again apply a couple of layers of glossy varnish.
Attention! You can move on such a floor only a day after the work is carried out, and interior items are placed only after 7-10 days.
In order for the wooden floor to please the owner of the apartment, it is important to pay attention to all the work carried out and the choice of material. The success of the event will depend on this. A properly laid and protected floor will last for many years and will not let you down.
The right choice of flooring affects the overall perception of the home. Both the comfort and appearance of the room depend on this. Natural, environmentally friendly materials are increasingly popular among consumers. They allow the house to “breathe”. Therefore, wooden floors remain the most popular floor covering for residential premises. Anyone can lay a wooden floor with their own hands. But you can’t do without the relevant experience, advice or recommendations of professionals.
Choosing wood for wood floors
The first step in laying wood flooring is choosing the wood. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the financial capabilities of the family, climatic conditions of residence, the degree of load expected on the floor, and the type of room where the floors will be laid.
For small residential buildings, it is recommended to choose softwood: spruce, larch, pine, fir or cedar. Boards made from these types of wood are characterized by their low cost, special strength and wear resistance. Of the wood in the mid-price segment, oak is universal. Aspen and alder are also widely used in flooring; they are especially suitable for bedrooms and children's rooms.
What should you keep in mind when choosing wood?
- The wood must be dry. A damp board will subsequently lose its shape. Overdried wood can also become deformed.
- Carefully inspect the boards for visible defects: cracks, resin stains, splits. You should not buy wood with such defects, even if you are offered a discount on it.
- Buy a board with a reserve: it is better to take 15% more.
- Choose a board at least 2 m long.
- Make sure all the boards are from the same batch. Then you will be sure that the material was processed under the same conditions. This means that both the pattern and the color scheme of the boards will approximately match.
- To make wooden flooring, it is better to use tongue and groove wood, which does not require additional sanding.
Types of wooden floors
Wood flooring technology
Modern society is already tired of plastic and other polymer materials. More and more preference is now given to traditional wood. Although it is not as practical, strong and durable as many modern materials, it is the most acceptable option for human health. Flooring in wooden houses is made of parquet staves, panel parquet or plank flooring.
The design features of the flooring in houses made of timber imply a two-layer structure. First, the preparatory layer is laid - the base. The next stage is wood flooring.
Flooring in a wooden house can be done using two methods. The first method involves laying on the ground using joists, the second - on floor beams.
Any of the methods has advantages and disadvantages. The choice of flooring installation method depends on the preferences of the owner and the design of the building itself.
Wood processing
Before starting work, flooring boards, joists and gaskets should be treated with a fire retardant (a substance to increase fire resistance), as well as bio-impregnation to protect against fungus and putrefactive bacteria.
Waterproofing
Waterproofing must be laid along the base under the future floor. It can be dense polyethylene or penofol. The second option is preferable, since penofol provides hydro- and noise insulation, and also serves as a kind of shield from electromagnetic radiation.
Base equipment for wooden floors
Foundation on joists
The most common method is to lay a wooden covering on the joists. Among the advantages is the ability of such a design to hide differences in floor level, the ability to conduct communications under the base. For this purpose, it is rational to use a wooden beam (50x100 mm). It should be noted that the arrangement of such a base requires an additional space of 7-9 cm, so this option is not suitable for low rooms.
Before laying, the logs must be brought into the room and left there for several days. When laying, they are placed at such a distance as to subsequently prevent the boards from sagging.
Marking and laying lags
First, lay out two logs at the same level near opposite walls. Nylon threads are stretched between them every 1.5 meters. The remaining logs are installed based on the threads. The voids between the joists must be filled with insulation or fiberboard in two or three layers.
The distance for placing logs intended for laying boards with a thickness of 30-40 cm is 80 cm. If the boards are thinner (for example, up to 30 cm), then 50-60 cm. For boards that are thicker than 40 cm, it is possible to place the logs on distance up to 1 m.
Installation of logs
The height of the logs must be adjusted using wooden wedges made of thin plywood. The logs and wedges are attached to the wooden base with long nails or wood screws. To install logs on a concrete base, anchors or dowels are used. After fixing the logs, fiberboard slabs are laid.
Features of laying boards on joists
The dimensions of the boards are selected so that each of the joints is at a right angle to the edge of the board, in the center of the log. The first row of boards on the joists should be laid along a stretched line, one and a half centimeters away from the wall. Boards are attached to each joist. It is necessary to pre-drill holes for the screws with a thin drill.
Gaps between the wall and the flooring can be easily masked with baseboards. For greater reliability, it is sometimes recommended to use staples: the boards are joined first with staples and then with nails. This will make the surface of the flooring look neater.
Plywood base
A plywood base is an excellent option for subflooring in a residential area. During operation, plywood is almost not deformed. Therefore, this type of base is quite reliable and durable. Laying plywood on a wooden floor will also be advisable if the old plank floor is loose or cracked. If necessary, dismantling the floor covering made on a plywood base will not be difficult.
The plywood base does not require additional work. The new coating is laid directly on its surface. It is not recommended to use plywood as a base in rooms where frequent temperature changes and high humidity are possible (in the bathroom or unheated rooms).
Before starting to level the floor, sheets of plywood are placed on the floor and a diagram of how they will be laid is drawn with chalk. Taking into account this scheme, the logs will be laid. Floor leveling usually begins with the installation of beacons over the entire area of the room. To do this, the surface is divided into squares with a side of 20-30 cm, in the corners of which self-tapping screws are screwed.
They are set using a level and a screwdriver. Next, the logs are laid on which the plywood will be laid. The thicker the plywood that is to be laid, the larger the gaps between the bars may be. On average, this is 40 cm. Sometimes crossbars are installed between the logs, the distance between them should be no more than 50 cm.
If the joists suddenly sag, you need to lay down pieces of plywood coated with parquet glue. The logs themselves are attached to the base in different ways. These can be anchors, self-tapping screws, corners, pads made of glued plywood, set with glue. When using anchors, their caps are recessed into the wood by 2-3 mm. The entire structure is additionally glued with glue, otherwise the floor will crack.
To protect against condensation, the logs can be covered with rolled glassine on top, and only then plywood can be laid. In this case, you need to ensure that the edges of the plywood sheets lie on the joists, and that there is a small gap of 1-2 mm between the sheets themselves. This is necessary in case the plywood becomes deformed due to mechanical stress. The plywood is laid after the glue has dried.
The plywood is attached using self-tapping screws. To fasten one sheet you will need 8-9 self-tapping screws. To avoid unevenness at the joints, these places need to be sanded.
Concrete base
If the concrete floor is perfectly flat (a screed has already been made), then the wooden layer is laid directly on the concrete base. But direct contact between the board and concrete should be avoided. Ground mastic or foamed polyethylene will help with this. In the second case, the material is laid with an overlap; it will serve as good waterproofing.
How professionals lay a wooden floor - the video will tell novice builders.
In order to lay wooden floors yourself and avoid mistakes, follow this sequence:
- First, sanded boards are placed on the beams to mark. The flooring is made so that the age-old rings of wood face in opposite directions.
- After fitting, the boards must be numbered in order to maintain order during final installation. This will help avoid additional grinding and the need to adjust the size of the material every now and then.
- Laying begins from the wall, leaving a gap for ventilation. Subsequently, this gap will be closed with a plinth. It is better to hammer nails into the board at an angle, driving the head deeper.
- After laying the first board, staples are driven into the beams at a width of 4-6 cm from the edge, leaving a small gap. A safety rail of small thickness is placed in the gap thus obtained. Then a wedge is driven in between the bracket and the rail (a little more than a gap). When driving the wedge, the edges of the boards will be pressed closely together, which will help avoid gaps.
- Next, the boards are nailed down. Now the staples can be removed. Lay a couple of boards again, press them with a slatted and wedge, and nail them to the beam. The wood is fastened using a punch and nails. Each of the subsequent boards is compacted with a mallet, and then fastened with nails. It is difficult to lay the boards tightly if the tongues are not machined correctly.
- Sometimes, near the wall, the ends of the boards are sawed down so that the bottom is slightly shorter than the top. There are often problems with installing the last board. You can make it easier to install the last board by leveling the top of the tongue using a plane. Then the board is glued, and then nailed with nails with a secret head closer to the edge. Don't worry about the appearance: the nails will hide under the baseboard.
- After completing the flooring work, the joints are sanded. To eliminate unevenness and differences, even during installation, you can place a little cardboard, roofing felt or roofing felt under the bars at the joints. It is better not to add wood chips.
- Previously formed gaps between the wall and the wooden flooring are masked with skirting boards with grooves or bevels, or fillets.
- After this work, it will be possible to lay laminate flooring on a wooden floor, parquet, and parquet boards.
Tinting will help “repaint” your floor from relatively inexpensive types of wood and give it noble shades. We will tell you about special tinting compounds - stains, with the help of which wood can be given any color:
Surface treatment
It is known that as a result of the influence of natural factors (humidity, the action of microorganisms, various mechanical damage, the consequences of improper use), the coating, shining with freshness and cleanliness, begins to deteriorate, becomes unusable, while losing its decorative and functional properties. To extend the durability of wood and improve the quality of the coating, proper care is necessary.
If you want to leave it without any coating, then the final step will be to process it:
- grinding;
- leaching with soda (treatment with ointment-like soap);
- primer with a mixture of drying oil and vegetable oil;
- painting or varnishing.
When applying stain, varnish or paint, move parallel to the grain of the wood. This way marks from the passage of a brush or roller will be less noticeable.
Lovers of natural shades will certainly be interested in such an ancient processing method as fumigating wood with smoke. Depending on the type of wood and the quality of the wood, different specific shades are obtained.
In custody
When choosing a material for flooring, many are guided by aesthetic considerations, their own concepts of comfort, and value for money. Therefore, even today, when many new materials have appeared on sale, everyone who can afford it chooses wooden floors.
Today there are many known ways to install flooring in a house or apartment, but most often the long-known and proven method of laying it on joists is used - bars of various shapes and sizes installed under the finished floor. The secret of such enduring popularity lies in the numerous advantages that this floor design has:
- good thermal insulation;
- high sound insulation characteristics;
- uniform distribution of load over the entire surface;
- the ability to hide various communications in the space under the floor;
- ease of assembly (if you have certain skills, installation can be done with your own hands).
An important argument for using this method is its relatively low cost.
Characteristics and technical features of the log
Lags are called beams on which finishing floor boards are laid. They are laid perpendicular to the direction of the floorboards. Logs can be made of polymer materials, metal or reinforced concrete, but most often wooden bars are used. The reason for such widespread use of lumber is not only its affordable price. It is easier to install a wooden structure yourself or disassemble it if you need to urgently replace one or more elements.
Wooden beams are mainly used for flooring. You can reduce the cost of work if, instead of beams, you lay hewn logs, the price of which is slightly lower. But this option has one drawback: the logs must be aged for at least a year in a well-ventilated area with low humidity.
Important! In order for the structure to be as stable as possible, the logs must be made of solid logs without any joints.
Installation of the floor on logs can be done both in a private house and in an apartment, since there is a technology for laying it on the ground, on reinforced concrete and on massive wooden floor beams.
Material calculation
To calculate the number of boards needed for the floor, it is enough to know the area of the rooms in the house or apartment. Correctly calculating the size of the logs and the required number of them is much more difficult. When making calculations, experts recommend taking into account the following: the type of finishing material (boards, plywood), its thickness, the base to which the logs will be attached (to the ground or concrete or wood).
So, if plywood is used to lay the finished floor, the distance between the bars should be minimal. Under boards with a thickness of 20 mm, it is recommended to place logs in increments of no more than 30 cm, with a board thickness of 24 mm - no more than 40 cm, and so on. If the thickness of the board is 50 mm, the distance between the beams can reach 1 meter.
The cross-sectional dimensions of the beams largely depend on the type of base. When performing work in a house on an earthen foundation, the distance between the posts or supports is taken into account. Accordingly, the larger it is, the thicker the logs should be.
For your information! When performing flooring work in an apartment, where the base is predominantly reinforced concrete, the section dimensions are selected depending on the thickness of the insulation and the height of the ceilings.
For those who have decided to install the flooring with their own hands, but do not have experience in calculations, it is worth turning to specialists for help. They will help you correctly calculate the number and dimensions of the minimum cross-section of the logs.
Installation of a floor on joists on a concrete base
This type of work is considered the simplest, so many people do it with their own hands. There are two ways in which you can align all the beams to the same level. In the first case, it is necessary to check the base and, if necessary, eliminate differences using an additional screed. Faster installation can be done by adjusting the height of the beams with wooden or plywood wedges.
The work is carried out in the following sequence:
- waterproofing (roofing felt, glassine, polyethylene) should be laid and leveled on the concrete surface;
- It is recommended to additionally lay soundproofing material in the apartment;
- The logs are laid on the surface prepared in this way, and the distance between adjacent beams depends on the material of the finished floor (boards, plywood);
- the bars should be leveled in height using wedges and secured;
- between them it is necessary to lay thermal insulation, which is covered with waterproofing material;
- The final stage is laying the wooden floor.
Despite the relative simplicity, you should not try to lay floors in an apartment with your own hands without some experience. It is better to invite professionals to do this work.
You can see all stages of installation in the following video:
Wooden floors on joists on the ground
The installation of flooring on joists on the ground is used in private homes. This is the least expensive design, but it is not easy to install it yourself.
First, preliminary work is carried out in the house: the top layer of soil is removed along with the plant roots and debris located in it. It is recommended to level the remaining soil.
In this case, the bars are fastened to small posts. You can build them as follows:
- First, they dig recesses, the dimensions of which are at least 40x40, and the depth is 50 cm l (more about this in the following video:
- Pour the solution so that the foundation protrudes 5 cm above the ground surface;
- Roofing material must be laid on top of the foundation, and then a brick column is laid out, the size and height of which depends on the width of the bars.
After laying the beams, you should check the horizontal position. Deflections can be leveled with wedges, and excess can be removed with a plane.
In the case where the floors on the joists in the house are raised above the ground surface, there is the possibility of additional insulation. To do this, bars are nailed to the joists for laying the subfloor. It is necessary to lay insulation on top of it and level it, leaving at least 5 cm of free space before the final coating. To ensure that the replacement of floors on joists is needed as late as possible, the ventilation of the subfloor should be properly done. The installation is completed by laying the boards.
Wooden floors on joists installed on floor beams
Those who plan to install flooring in a house on wooden floor beams with their own hands should take into account one important point: they can be used as joists if the step length does not exceed 30-35 cm, as in this video:
If the beams are laid less frequently, the finishing coating is installed on the logs installed on top. They are laid perpendicular to the beams, and fastened with self-tapping screws.
After finishing the work, it is necessary to check the entire base with a level and, if necessary, level it with wedges and a plane. The installation of the finishing coating completes everything.
Finished flooring
Regardless of what technology was used in the work process, the final stage of installing a wooden floor along the joists is laying the final covering. Mostly boards or plywood are used for this.
There are several recommendations that can be followed to properly lay the flooring. Start work from the far corner of the room. Boards or plywood are laid in such a way that there is a compensation gap of at least 1 cm between the wall and the covering. When laying each subsequent row, the material is shifted so that 4 seams do not meet at one point.
Plywood and boards are cut so that the seam falls in the middle of the base beam. Fastening must be carried out to all beams without gaps. In boards and plywood sheets, it is necessary to pre-drill holes for fasteners, this will prevent them from splitting. Holes for pipes should be made with a small allowance (8-10 mm). After installation is completed, a plinth is installed around the perimeter of the room.
Finishing the finished floor involves eliminating differences and roughness. Plywood and boards are sanded with coarse sandpaper and polished with fine-grained abrasive.
Quite often, plywood is used in cases where it is necessary to replace or level the old floor covering. To learn how to do this, watch the next video.
Installing a floor on joists requires certain skills and experience. Their absence when doing the work yourself can prevent you from installing the floor covering correctly and efficiently. If you are not confident in your abilities, contact professional builders. A wooden floor laid in compliance with all requirements has an excellent appearance and has a long service life.
Before laying plank floors as a finishing coating, you need to choose the right material, prepare the base and lay several insulating layers in the cake. Wooden floors can be laid on beams or hollow, solid monolithic slabs.
Hydro- and vapor barrier is mandatory, acoustic materials and insulation are used as needed. A water-heated floor under a tongue-and-groove board is not effective.
The quality of the material determines the comfort of living, the budget for repairs and operation, and the service life of the flooring.
When manufacturing sheet piles, manufacturers are required to comply with the requirements of GOST 8242:
Important! The thickness of the sheet pile affects its rigidity and strength, therefore, for the BP-27 beam and the DP-35 board, the beam pitch/jog is 0.6 m, and for the DP-21 sheet pile it is reduced to 30 cm.
Lumber quality
The tongue and groove is made from edged boards of Extra, A or B grade, the output parameters are controlled in accordance with GOST 8242:
- integrity - boards 6 - 14 cm wide are usually solid, wider products are glued using furniture board technology;
- cleanliness of processing - roughness 120 microns for varnishing, 200 microns for painting, back surfaces of lumber have 500 microns;
- humidity – 8% when packed in film or 12%;
A wide board is more convenient to work with and is usually made by gluing, so it is less susceptible to warping. Coniferous species pine/spruce are considered budget, larch and cedar are valuable species, by default impregnated with a natural antiseptic. A solid-length tongue and groove made of hardwood without splicing is always shorter than a coniferous one. This is due to the structure of the wood.
Prohibited breeds for flooring are:
- linden, poplar for the entire range;
- BP-27 and DP-27 made of aspen and alder are suitable exclusively for residential premises;
- DP-35 is not made from alder and aspen.
Important! On the back side, the tongue has several narrow or one wide cut, necessary for air circulation and compensation of internal stresses in the wood.
Preparing the base
The tongue and groove is laid either on joists/beams, or less often on the subfloor, depending on the specific tasks being solved and additional conditions that need to be taken into account:
- a continuous subfloor is more expensive than a subsystem made of bars or boards on edge as joists, laid at intervals of 30–60 cm;
- the attic and basement floors must be insulated and insulated from damp vapors;
- Acoustic materials with reflective and absorbing properties are often placed inside interfloor ceilings.
If the tongue-and-groove board is planned as a finishing coating on the floor slabs, the logs are mounted on the screed. Or across beams on floors of this type, only if the pitch of the beams does not correspond to the design size (more than 60 cm).
Waterproofing
Regardless of the floor, moisture can penetrate into the floors, therefore, when making a wooden floor with your own hands using beams or reinforced concrete slabs, it is necessary to take into account the nuances of the design:
- waterproofing is created from dense membranes, fused rolled materials or polyethylene films (2 layers of 150 microns minimum);
- applied in a continuous layer;
- extends onto the walls by 15 cm;
- joints are sealed.
If a wooden floor is made using joists on a slab floor, the waterproofing is laid on a leveling layer (screed or expanded clay sand). After installation, the floor slabs have significant unevenness; without a leveling layer, the film can be torn by the soles when walking.
Waterproofing wooden floors on floor slabs.
Floor beams do not provide a continuous rigid horizontal layer. Therefore, a binder is attached to them:
- edged board from below, which is the ceiling of the lower floor
- pieces of edged boards on top of the skull block, fixed along the beams in the lower level
Vapor barrier for wooden floors along beams.
Important! In this case, the vapor barrier is laid on top of the plank flooring and on top of the beams, that is, not in one level, but in steps.
Thermal insulation
Since the contours of a water-heated floor are not used under the wooden finishing floor coverings, the interfloor ceilings along the beams are not insulated. However, thermal insulation is necessary inside floors in contact with unheated levels - attic, underground. In an unused and unheated attic, tongue and groove boards are not used, since the room is non-residential. However, for walking here, edged boards or boards made of this material can be laid. In this case, you should take into account the nuances:
- the waterproofing layer is not able to completely prevent moisture from penetrating into the ceiling structure;
- wood (beams and joists) absorbs this moisture, but cannot evaporate back if vapor-proof polystyrene foam is laid around it;
- rotting begins, the proliferation of mold, mildew, and pathogens begins.
Therefore, it is necessary to lay mineral wool or Ecowool inside a wooden floor or between logs made of a bar on a reinforced concrete slab. These insulation materials are hygroscopic, they also absorb moisture and do not interfere with its evaporation from adjacent wooden structures.
Soundproofing
In conventional mineral wool insulation, basalt or fiberglass fibers are oriented horizontally. In special soundproofing mineral wool they have a vertical orientation. Therefore, one layer of thermal or sound insulation does not solve all problems.
Screeds on floor slabs use comprehensive sound insulation:
- layer of elastic material – partial absorption of airborne and structural noise;
- a layer of concrete with a minimum thickness of 5 - 6 cm - the screed has a large mass and reflects part of the wave that penetrated through the previous layer.
Soundproofing the floor.
When making a boardwalk yourself, a massive concrete screed is absent by default, the effectiveness of the soundproofing structure is sharply reduced, and it will not be possible to significantly increase the level of sound insulation.
Vapor barrier
After the wood and insulation have absorbed the moisture that has penetrated them, these materials begin to evaporate it. The task in this case comes down to freely removing moisture from the beams and insulation, but not letting excess moisture back out of the room. For this purpose, special membranes are used that allow steam to pass in only one direction.
- it freely passes moisture through itself;
- moisture condenses on the outer surface of the membrane;
- is removed by natural ventilation in a specially provided air layer inside the wooden floor.
Vapor barrier of boardwalk.
The cuts on its back surface are responsible for circulation under the tongue and groove board. In order for air to flow into the structure and flow freely out, ventilation hatches are made in the plank flooring and decorated with grilles. They are placed diagonally across the room near the baseboard in the least visible places.
Purpose of the log
In different floor designs, joists solve the same problems:
- floor slabs - under the finishing coating it is necessary to hide insulation, sound insulation and provide a ventilated space, so the tongue and groove is nailed or screwed to the joists with self-tapping screws;
- wooden flooring - logs are needed when there is a large distance between the beams to prevent deflection of the tongue-and-groove board;
- ensuring a horizontal level - gaskets, polymer wedges or leveling floor studs are used;
- providing a spatial box - inside which insulating materials can be placed.
The logs are made either from a 50 x 150 mm board or from a block of suitable cross-section. To ensure vertical stability, jibs and spacers can be mounted between them.
Wood floor technology
Before laying wooden floors in rooms, you should consider the following nuances:
- even after special treatment, wood is not recommended for use in rooms with high humidity;
- By analogy with a log house, the floor covering will inevitably shrink, so not all the boards are fastened in a row, but only in the first, every fourth and last row;
- after 6 - 12 months, the covering is sorted out, the gaps between the floorboards are eliminated by repeated tightening, bent and warped boards are replaced with new ones.
The easiest way to treat lumber in a wooden house is to treat it with a fire retardant and antiseptic before laying it, and then just saturate the cut areas when cutting it. For the convenience of developers, manufacturers produce colored fire-bioprotection so that the surface is evenly treated with a protective composition.
Laying scheme
Rows of tongue and groove boards are placed across the beams or joists. In wooden floor structures, there is no choice of orientation of the floorboards relative to window and door openings. On reinforced concrete slabs, logs can be oriented in any direction.
- in complex projects the rooms have an original configuration;
- During construction, mistakes are made, due to which opposite walls are not parallel to each other;
- If you can choose the orientation of the floorboards, it is better to place them with their ends facing non-parallel walls.
Advice! It is not recommended to use a diagonal layout of tongue and groove boards. Otherwise, when joining after 6 - 12 months, to eliminate cracks from shrinkage of lumber, the floorboards in each row will have to be cut near the walls.
Installation of tongue and groove boards
To lay a wooden floor from profiled tongue and groove, you need to perform the following sequence of actions:
Clamps, jacks or wedges are used for bonding. Gaps between floorboards are not allowed. Boards with a standard width of 6.4 - 14 cm are fastened on one side, with a wider board - on both sides along the width of the floorboard. Fastening is carried out through the head of the nail/screw or at 45 degrees into the groove. In the latter case, the maintainability of the floor covering sharply decreases.
Since the laid tongue and groove will inevitably have to be additionally bonded after six months to a year of drying out, during initial installation it is better to fasten it vertically, and during final installation after a specified period - in a lock at 45 degrees. In 85% of cases, the tongue and groove is painted, less often it is opened with two layers of varnish.
Read more about the nuances of flooring tongue and groove boards.
Thus, in a private house, it is possible to lay plank flooring from sheet piles, both on beams and on floor slabs. All work can be done independently; no professional equipment or tools are required.
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.
