Despite the impressive list of advantages, the wooden flooring requires repairs over time. Cracks may appear, the boards begin to sag and deform. Of course, this does not happen in a year, and not in two. But sooner or later you will have to decide how to level the coating.
Especially if planned. This topcoat requires an even subfloor, which can be achieved in several ways. We will consider all this below.
Why is it necessary to level the floor?
Many are interested in the question not of how to level the wooden floor, but why it is necessary. We hasten to assure you that this is an extremely important stage in the installation of a new flooring, which also extends the life of the main floor. All cracks, irregularities, deformations have a negative effect on the general appearance and on the topcoat. It doesn't matter if it is carpet or ceramic tiles. Trouble is inevitable in any case. For example, linoleum in places where the floorboards are curved will fray and crack, and the laminate will immediately begin to creak and the joints, accordingly, will not reliably adhere to each other.
Floor leveling methods.
So, if you do not know how to level a wooden laminate floor, then it is worth learning the basic methods that are actively used today. It should be noted that the choice depends on the initial state of the foundation.
- Looping;
- Self-leveling mixtures;
- Floor putty;
- Laying plywood sheets.
In order to understand how to level the wooden floor under the tiles, and in what cases each option is used, we will consider all the methods separately.
Looping.
We can say that this is the most time consuming method of alignment, but at the same time it is the most effective. It is suitable in the event that it is not planned to install a new coating, and the design is limited to varnishing or painting the renewed floor.
There are two methods of scraping, manual and mechanical. In the first case, a manual scraper is used, and in the second, a scraper. The manual method is already outdated and does not justify the labor and time costs at all, therefore, we will consider the mechanical method.
Tools for the job:
The most important thing is taking care of your own health, so get the following things:
- a respirator that will protect your lungs from dust;
- headphones that isolate you from noise (and the level is very high);
- gloves or heavy gloves as needed to reduce vibration from the device.
Premises preparation:
Be sure to take out all the furniture, curtains, paintings. Thus, you will keep things from fine dust. You can cover the shelves with foil, securing the edges with tape. The doorway is covered with a film, and the windows, on the contrary, are opened so that the dust is weathered.
Coating preparation:
If the floorboards are in good condition, no partial replacement is required. In this case, carefully inspect the floor. If the heads of nails or screws are on the surface, then it is necessary to drown them into the floor to a sufficiently large depth. Failure to do so will inevitably damage your equipment.
Floor scrapping:
We start work from the corner, moving around the room with a "snake". We will use a coarse grain tape for this. This is how we remove the first layer.
You will still need a hand-held scraper to clean the floor in hard-to-reach places - near the walls. At the end of the work, it is necessary to vacuum, but wait a little with this, allowing the dust to settle. Before varnishing or painting, the floor is wiped with a cloth soaked in white spirit.
Self-leveling mixtures:
If you are looking for a way to level a wooden floor under a laminate, then the previous option will not work for you. In this case, the work will be more time consuming, but you will get a proper base for the topcoat. It should be noted that this method is also suitable for further tiling.
Let's take a closer look at the process of leveling the floor.
Preparation of the base.
We make all spring elements fixed, for which we use self-tapping screws or screws.
We deepen the hats, as in the case of scraping, into the floor.
We carefully grind the base, cleaning it from paint residues, dirt, varnish.
All obvious gaps and voids are filled with acrylic putty or the same mixture, but in a thicker consistency.
After the composition has dried, the floor is primed in several layers with a moisture-proof primer, which ensures reliable adhesion of the mixture to the base.
A polystyrene joint is created at the walls, after which the floor level can be determined.
Pouring the mixture.
Before starting to pour the mixture, we attach a reinforcing mesh to the base with a stapler. All joints are connected with an overlap of about 5 cm.
We prepare the mixture according to the instructions, mixing it with a drill with a nozzle. Leave the solution for 10-15 minutes and stir again. Now you can start laying directly.
Pour the mixture in portions, spreading with a roller over the entire surface.
Using a spatula, usually or a rubber squeegee, spread the mixture over the surface.
Drying of the solution is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.
A few tips:
Follow all the rules indicated on the packaging of the mixture. The specified thermal regime must be maintained throughout the entire period of laying the solution and its drying.
Be careful when preparing the mixture. Excess water can provoke delamination when the coating dries, and the disadvantage is too fast drying and the impossibility of uniform distribution.
If it is planned to raise the floor level, then pouring is carried out in two passes. That is, it is undesirable to immediately lay a thick layer.
Floor putty.
This option is not particularly suitable if you are deciding how to level the wood floor under the tiles. But for linoleum or carpet, this is the ideal way.
Filler mixtures based on sawdust and PVA are very popular. With their help, you can level a wooden covering of a sufficiently large area. At the same time, the cost of materials is low, and this makes repairs also economically profitable.
Procedure:
- lighthouse strips are stuffed on the cleaned coating according to the level;
- the space between them is filled with a mixture of the consistency of "thick sour cream";
- so that the sawdust does not pull the water out of the glue, it is advisable to moisten them in advance, and then squeeze them out a little;
- if a thick layer of putty is required, then form the coating in layers of 1-2 cm. In this case, each subsequent layer is applied after the previous one has dried;
- We check the result with a level, and if necessary, fill the irregularities with the same mixture.
Laying plywood sheets
This is one of the most popular ways to fix uneven wood floors. But first, it is necessary to decide how to level the wooden floor under the plywood.
Everything is quite simple here. Damaged floorboards are screwed to the base or joists with self-tapping screws. If the deformation is too great, then such boards are replaced with new ones.
Next, you need to install beacons - self-tapping screws, which are screwed to a certain height in squares of 20-30 cm. Moreover, the thicker the plywood, the less often beacons are installed. After that, we lay the logs in the form of plywood strips and fix them with self-tapping screws.
Preparation of plywood sheets:
It is advisable to pre-cut the sheets into squares with a side of 60 cm. It is worth noting that before purchasing sheets, it is advisable to inspect them. If delamination is detected at the ends of the workpieces, then such a material is not suitable for work. If a defect is detected at the installation site, the sheets are replaced with new ones.
Laying plywood sheets:
We install the finished squares on the formed log grid, taking into account the location of the plywood joints, since they should fall on the logs. It is highly desirable that masonry be carried out with an offset of the sheets, which is necessary to exclude the intersection of four seams. Fix each plywood sheet with countersunk self-tapping screws.
If you mark the joints in advance with chalk, then during installation you will significantly save time and effort.
With the help of such leveling, you can get an even subfloor, which is suitable for the further installation of any topcoat.
By adhering to clear rules, you will not have a question about how to level a wooden floor or how to correct defects. The whole process is not very complicated, but it requires a certain amount of labor.
Various technologies are currently used to level wood floors.
What are the ways you can fix the surface of the plank floor?
| Alignment method | Brief description of technology |
|---|---|
| It is used as a base for finishing floor coverings. With slight irregularities, work can be done within one working day. If the difference in height is significant, then the repair time increases, additional special structures are required for leveling. |
| It is used in case of natural warping of boards due to violation of flooring technology. Allows you to completely restore the original appearance of the boards, does not require a topcoat. |
| It can be performed without removing the boards, it makes it possible to level the floor both for subsequent laying with plates, and for grinding and restoring the surface of the boards. |
| The most difficult process is used in case of significant damage to boards and logs. |
smallpox stove
Leveling wooden floors with slabs in the future involves the use of various topcoats. And this is not only additional financial costs, but also a waste of time. In addition, after leveling, instead of floors made of natural boards, coverings made of artificial materials appear in apartments.
Why does the floor get uneven?
During operation, all mistakes made during the laying of the floor appear.
- Incorrectly set lags. During flooring, the extreme logs are first installed, a rope is pulled between them, along which all the others are laid. If the extreme logs do not lie in the same plane, then the floor will have a slope.
- The distance between the lags and their dimensions do not correspond to the actual loads. During operation, the most loaded places bend, the deformation becomes irreversible, and large deflections appear on the floor plane.
- Very wet or very dry boards were used during the flooring. As the humidity rises, the floor swells in places, during drying, the boards warp, and large gaps appear between them.
- Insufficient natural ventilation or improper waterproofing. In such conditions, lumber is affected by rot, loses its original bearing capacity, the floor surface bends. The most unpleasant situation is that in order to eliminate the problems, it is necessary to completely change the floor covering.
In all the cases described, it is necessary to level the floor, but before starting work, it is imperative to determine the cause of the appearance of irregularities and their nature, this knowledge will help in choosing the right methods.
Determination of the size and nature of floor irregularities
The choice of leveling technology is greatly influenced by the actual condition of the wooden floor. We have already mentioned that rotten boards or logs must be replaced, in this case we are not talking about leveling, but about replacing the floor. The curvature of the floors must be determined by three parameters.
- Horizontal. To check it is better to use a laser level, if it is not there, then a water level will do, in extreme cases, deviations can be checked with an ordinary bubble. Place the laser level beam horizontally at a distance of about 10-15 cm from the floor. Using an ordinary wooden ruler or tape measure, measure the distance from the floor plane to the laser beam. Do this around the perimeter of the room and in several places in the center. If the slope of the floor is more than a centimeter, then it can be leveled only with the help of additional lags or special stops. It is long and difficult.
- By deflections. Attach a long rule to the floor in several places, deflections are detected in the light. They can only be in a few meta of the room, below we will talk about a possible option for eliminating such problems without tearing the boards off and without using sheets.
- By the curvature of the surfaces of the boards. If during the covering of the floor, too wet boards were used, then after drying, they will necessarily bend. Attach a rule or level to them and approximately find out the amount of deflection in the light, the method of alignment will depend on its value.
Practical advice. When choosing a technology, always choose the one that will preserve natural boards. Such floors are considered to be of the highest quality, constantly fashionable and environmentally friendly. Experienced builders recommend covering the natural floor with various modern materials only if the restoration of the original characteristics of the wooden floor is impossible for some reason.
We will consider several options for leveling wooden floors while preserving natural boards and restoring their original appearance. Technology for experienced builders is not difficult, but requires a certain skill and a set of special tools. The options for completely dismantling the boards for leveling or replacing them will not be considered, this is an extreme case, it must be used in exceptional situations.
Lag alignment
The method can be used when irregularities have appeared due to subsidence of fragile or installed at a long distance logs. At the same time, they are made of slats no more than 5 cm thick, laid on a solid concrete base. For work, you will need a screwdriver and a drill, large self-tapping screws with a diameter of 8 mm or more, a pen for drilling holes in a tree (the drill diameter must correspond to the dimensions of the screw heads) and a level. Logs and boards should be in good condition with no signs of putrefactive damage.
Step 1. Find a place with a deflection of the boards, determine the location of the lag. They are found by the heads of carnations or screws.
Step 2. Using a drill with a diameter of about 5 mm, drill a through hole in the boards and log until it stops in the concrete base. Measure the distance from the top of the floorboards to the concrete base. Find out the thickness of the boards and the log separately. This can be done after a careful examination of the hole.
Step 3. Prepare self-tapping screws of large diameter, decide on their length. The length of the self-tapping screws should exceed the sum of the deflection, the thickness of the log and its distance from the concrete base by 10–15 mm. Using a grinder with an abrasive disc, cut the tip of the self-tapping screw to the desired length. The flat, rather than sharp, end increases the area where the self-tapping screw rests on the concrete, which increases the stability of the floor after leveling. The fact that it has become blunt will not interfere with twisting, the hardware is installed in a prepared hole in the logs.
Step 4. Use the pen to drill a hole in the floorboard. It should be located strictly in the middle of the log.
Important. During drilling, make sure that the log remains intact. The fixing strength of the self-tapping screw depends on this.
Step 5. Insert a large self-tapping screw into the hole and screw it in until it stops against the concrete base of the floor. As soon as the end rested against the concrete, unscrew the self-tapping screw a little and screw it back in. After each re-screwing, the log will rise slightly, and the floor will be leveled.
Constantly monitor the position of the boards with a level. The distance between the self-tapping screws on the log, depending on the expected loads on the floor, is within 50-60 cm. After alignment, the holes are sealed and sanded. This leveling method is also suitable for preparing subfloors for laminate or flexible topcoats.
Leveling a floor made of natural boards with grinders
For example, consider the most difficult option - the floor is old, the surface is painted with oil paints, the unevenness of the boards is up to 3 mm. Checking the condition of the surface is determined by the above method, the integrity of the lumber is beyond doubt. The floor is simultaneously renewed with leveling and becomes usable without new coatings.
Step 1. Remove old paint from the floor surface, this is one of the most difficult and unpleasant operations. Old paint can be removed in several ways:
- chemical. There are various specialty chemicals in the implementation. They cover old paint, to prevent too rapid evaporation, the floor should be covered with plastic wrap. After 10-15 minutes, the paint becomes soft and can be removed with a metal spatula. Disadvantages of this method: you need to work only in personal protective equipment for the respiratory organs and in non-residential premises, the paint is not all removed due to the difference in thickness. In addition, the floor should be treated in small areas, their size should be such that after one soak, you can have time to remove the soft coating. Otherwise, the paint becomes hard again, you have to start all over again;
- thermal. A layer of old paint is heated with a special powerful construction hair dryer and, while it is hot, is removed with a spatula. Quite difficult, long and smoky job. The method has more disadvantages than advantages;
- mechanical. To remove paint, special metal cutters with a particularly durable rough abrasive coating are used. The discs are fixed on electric circular grinders (grinders). To reduce the amount of dust, a cover is put on the grinder, the device is connected to a powerful industrial vacuum cleaner. The most optimal, according to professionals, method of removing old paint.
Step 2. After removing the paint, thoroughly vacuum the floor, do not leave even the slightest residue, they will clog the grinding wheels.
The floor is vacuumed after removing the paint
Step 3. Drown the nail heads in the boards. To do this, use a metal puncher and a hammer. If there is no special doboynik, then you can make it yourself from a piece of reinforcement or wire rod. The length of the doboin is about 10 cm, it is inconvenient to work too long. The punching depth depends on the level of unevenness in the floor and is determined by eye. If the nails are not pierced, their heads will damage the sandpaper and the impeller of the sander. As a result, the quality of surface treatment significantly deteriorates, in some cases it is necessary to change the drive shaft. In addition, a large number of metal caps cause rapid wear of the abrasive, which requires frequent replacement, which increases the estimated cost of the work.
Another problem with protruding hats is that they cannot be putty, in any case, they will have to be sunk, and after sanding, the surface of the boards can be damaged.
Step 4. Start sanding the floor. This can be done with a grinder or grinder. In the first case, it is difficult to work, it will take a lot of time, the premises will become dusty. In addition, the small dimensions of the grinder disc cannot provide a flat surface. Inexperienced builders may have traces after each pass, which will take additional time to remove. We strongly recommend the use of grinders. There is no need to buy units for one room, you can borrow or rent them.
You need to process the floor with three types of sandpaper: large, medium and fine. The first is used for leveling the boards, the second is used for the final leveling and rough grinding, with the third one is used for the final finishing.
Step 5. Place coarse sandpaper on the machine. It is necessary to align the floor boards in a diagonal direction, while the machine must not be stopped in one place, it must constantly move.
Practical advice. Do not try to remove large irregularities from one pass, it is very dangerous, there may be visible grooves. If the floor is very uneven, then you need to go several times over its entire surface until the final leveling. Without diagonal sanding, waves will remain on the floor surface, remember this rule. As practice shows, alignment will require at least four machine passes over the entire area of the room.
Step 6. Remove dust from the surface with a powerful vacuum cleaner, pay special attention to the corners around the perimeter of the room and the gaps between the boards. Inspect all gaps, if you find solid dirt in them, remove it with a metal spatula or other flat object.
Step 7. Prepare a filler for filling genital gaps. You can buy it ready-made in a specialty store or make it yourself. The color of the putty can be matched to the tone of the wood or contrasting. The second solution is currently considered a fashionable style, this is the method used to make expensive deck floors. Decide which option to choose for yourself, the alignment technology does not change from this.
Step 8. Carefully putty all the gaps in the floor. Pack the material tightly with a small flat spatula. Do not smear the putty on the surface of the boards, but rather fill in the cracks. Remove excess and reuse.
Practical advice. There are several types of putty in the implementation: polymer, acrylic and oil. Polymer is the most expensive and high quality, acrylic is suitable in all respects, but less wear-resistant. Oil dries for a long time and gives great shrinkage. You will have to repeat the putty after the first drying.
In the absence of a factory putty, you can do it yourself. There are special liquids in stores for preparing a putty mass. Add to them sawdust collected after leveling the floor with the machine. Never use PVA for putty. The fact is that the glue heated during grinding becomes soft and stretches, hard-to-remove stripes appear on the floor. You can use varnishes for wood, only narrow gaps are sealed with such a putty. It is not recommended to make a putty based on drying oil or ordinary vegetable oil.
Step 9. When the putty is completely dry, start sanding the floor. Movements should be longitudinal, while alternately changing the sanding cloth to a finer-grained one. Due to this technology, the surface will be as smooth and even as possible.
Due to its large dimensions, the drum-type sander cannot get to places with limited access; areas along the walls will have to be sanded by hand. To facilitate the work, you can use a small surface grinder. Pay attention that the quality of leveling the floor is the same over the entire surface. Use the same sanding pad numbers as for the drum machine.
Important. Remember that without electric machines it is impossible to get a level floor of the required quality. Sanding the floor with a block of wood is not only very tedious but also ineffective.
Step 10. Use a vacuum cleaner to carefully remove the dust. If the room is large, it is recommended to repeat the cleaning the next day. During this time, dust will settle out of the air on the floor, repeated cleaning will exclude it from getting on paint and varnish materials.
Finishing
Then you can proceed to the finishing of the even and sanded floor. To improve the adhesion to lumber and to protect them from the negative effects of moisture, it is recommended to prime the surface. For these purposes, special formulations are used, the specific name of the materials does not matter, all have normal performance characteristics.
The primer has another very important function - it lifts the smallest pile on the wood. If not applied, the floor surface will become rough after varnishing. Apply the primer with a roller; use a paint brush in hard-to-reach places. After drying, you can continue working.
Step 1. Remove lint that has risen on the boards. To do this, you need to use sanding paper P120, larger grains will leave traces. It is recommended to grind the pile by hand, this will ensure the highest quality work performance. For control, you should periodically sweep the surface with your palm, the boards should be perfectly smooth. Start to work from the far site and move towards the exit from the room.
Step 2. Vacuum the dust, vacuum the room twice.
Step 3. Start varnishing the floor. To achieve high quality, you need at least two layers of varnish. The second is applied only after the first is completely dry.
Important. Close doors and windows while varnishing, do not allow drafts. They bring dust, it can be removed from the floor surface only by sanding. This means that all the work will have to be repeated, which is expensive and time-consuming.
If you do everything right, the old floor will not only become flat, but also look stylish, taking into account modern requirements for the interior of the premises. We will consider how to level a wooden floor with plywood or OSB in a separate article. We must say right away that such a repair does not allow, in the end, to have a finishing flooring made of natural boards, and this is a big drawback of technology.
Answers on questions
How to remove rotten boards?
If there are a lot of them, then everything is solved simply - use a crowbar and a nailer, try not to damage only the lags. And if there are only a few such boards, then you should be very careful to dismantle the leaky ones. In order not to damage nearby, rotten ones should be cut in several places and taken out in parts. Never place the tool against normal boards, do not leave marks on them. In extreme cases, you can use wooden spacers, but sometimes dents remain from them.
Can I use a scraper to level wood floors?
It is possible, but not necessary for several reasons. Firstly, it removes a very large thickness of the boards. Secondly, the machine leaves a wide and high untreated strip around the perimeter; it is very difficult to remove it manually. Thirdly, modern grinding machines using skins with different numbers perfectly perform two jobs at the same time. Fourthly, scraping machines are dangerous units, a metal knife flying off causes complex injuries. Fifth, knives are often damaged by metal objects.
The old floor can have nails driven in, not only over the logs, it is very difficult to notice them. Damaged knives must be sharpened or replaced with new ones. For turning, you will need a special machine, such work is not done manually. Looking for a sharpener or buying new knives is a waste of time and money.
Prices for popular looping machines
looping machine
Video - How to grind a wooden floor yourself
Over time, the surface of any wood floor will inevitably crack, buckle and become uneven.
You can hide such defects using various floor coverings, such as laminate or linoleum.
You can hide such defects using various floor coverings, for example or. Before laying any finishing materials, you should competently and efficiently process the surface and make it as flat as possible.
There are several ways to make the floor surface even. To choose the correct method, you should assess the state wooden surface.
Choice of method
Basic alignment methods
- Looping
- PVA glue and putty
- Self-leveling mixture or "self-leveling floor"
- Plywood
Mechanical scraping of a wooden floor
For mechanical scraping, a scraper is required, with which you can quickly and efficiently make the floor surface as flat as possible.
Loop is one of the most simple and common methods for leveling a wooden floor. The laboriousness of the process pays off with the high quality of the result. Most often, scraping is performed for painting (read about puttingty walls for painting in this one) or varnishing. The manual method of scraping is impractical due to the high labor intensity and time consuming. For mechanical scraping, a scraper is required, with which you can quickly and efficiently make the floor surface as flat as possible. With minimal skills, for looping a room of 20 sq. meters leaves no more than one day.
Stages of mechanical scraping:
- Cleaning the room from furniture and interior items. Stationary items should be covered to avoid excessive dust.
- Floor surface preparation. Remove all nails and buttons that could damage the scraper. Thoroughly clean the floor from debris.
- Checking the operability of the scraper and preparing overalls, respirator, headphones, heavy gloves.
- Direct scraping of the floor. Work should start from the corner of the room. The first layer is removed when moving with a snake.
- Elimination of all cracks, chips and holes with a putty. The color of the putty must be chosen as close as possible to the color of the wooden surface.
- Processing of all hard-to-reach areas of the floor using manual scraping. After the putty has dried, it is necessary to carry out a secondary scraping.
Leveling the floor with PVA glue and putty
It is based on the use of a mixture of wetted sawdust and PVA glue, which, after hardening, forms a rather durable surface that vaguely resembles a chipboard plate.
Such an innovative and unusual way of leveling a wooden floor is very budgetary, and has recently been gaining momentum in popularity. It is based on the use of a mixture of wetted sawdust and PVA glue, which, after hardening, forms a rather durable surface that vaguely resembles a chipboard plate. The process is quite lengthy. For leveling a surface with an area of 20 sq. meters may take about 8 hours.
Stages of leveling with an adhesive mixture:
- Removing furniture and cleaning the floor.
- Execution according to the level of marking and the imposition of slats.
- Filling the space between the slats and the floor with a prepared adhesive mixture. A thick leveling layer is carried out in several stages. Each subsequent layer is poured after the previous one has completely dried.
- Checking the resulting coverage using a level. All defects and errors must be eliminated with a putty.
- Complete drying depends on the thickness and takes at least a day. Additional strength can be given with chipboard or plywood.
Wait until it is completely dry (it usually takes a couple of days) and install the floor covering.
Leveling with self-leveling compound
The walls should be covered with insulating material.
This method is quite simple, and the self-leveling mixtures produced specifically for wooden floors make the whole process as easy as possible. The thickness of a perfectly flat surface will be from 0.5 to 2 cm.
Surface preparation consists in securing all movable boards and removing protruding parts of the fasteners. Then it is necessary polish surface for removing paint or varnish residues. Visible gaps and gaps are leveled with a thick self-leveling compound. The walls should be covered with insulating material, and a wooden plank should be installed in the doorway according to the height of the upcoming pour. The duration of work in the room is 20 sq. meters with a layer of 3 mm. does not exceed 8 hours, and after 6 hours it is already possible to move on the flooded surface.
Leveling steps:
Plywood alignment
A very popular and widespread alignment method. It is in demand for laying various types of flooring. Plywood sheets of class 4 and higher are used. The sheet thickness should not be less than 1.2 cm. The optimal lag thickness is 70 mm. A good option is 2 varieties from solid conifers: spruce, fir or pine. The humidity level is no more than 18-20%. With a competent approach and some skills, a floor area of 20 sq. meters can be leveled for one day.
Leveling steps:
Cost of material and work in 2015
Most often, construction and repair companies offer floor leveling services. "Bulk method"... The cost of leveling with a "self-leveling floor" up to 20 mm is 270 rubles. per sq. m. Leveling "self-leveling floor" from 20 mm to 50 mm will cost 310 rubles. per sq. m., leveling with a "self-leveling floor" using a leveling compound costs 350 rubles. sq. m. If a floor primer is required with a universal composition, then such work is estimated at 75 rubles. per sq. m.
If the option of a self-leveling floor is chosen, then the consumption of a high-quality German mixture Uzin NC 175 with a layer thickness of 3 mm. equals 4 kg per 1 sq. meter; 6 mm - 8 kg; 9 mm - 12 kg. Accordingly, a standard package of 25 kg is enough for 6, 3 or 2 square meters. meters of the base of the wooden floor. A paper bag of this mixture weighing 25 kg. costs around 3 thousand rubles.
The cost of professional work on leveling a wooden floor using plywood is in the range of 140 - 160 rubles. per sq. m. A sheet of waterproof plywood FSF 12 mm format 2500 x 1250 costs 1300 rubles. The required amount is easy to calculate yourself.
Of course, the most budgetary method is leveling using PVA glue and putty.
The total cost of the material depends on the footage of the room and the thickness of the applied layer. For example: PVA glue Polymax Extra M, 5 kg. costs 230.96 rubles. Sawdust, which is a waste of woodworking production, is completely "cheap", and even free material. With an average thickness of filling with such a mixture of 1-1.5 cm, the consumption of glue per 1 sq. m. will be about 0.8 kg. The proportions of glue and sawdust depend on the type of wood waste.
Typically, a strong bond gives a sawdust to adhesive ratio of 2: 1.
The price range for floor shredding is very large and depends on the selected equipment. The price of scraping a wooden floor starts at 119 rubles. per sq. For example, cycling work using German technology will cost the customer 500 rubles. per sq. m. Warranty for work - at least 2 years. The price of independent cycle work depends entirely on the cost of the tool used. Renting a cycling machine costs 1000 rubles per day. Buy such a tool for one-time use impractical.
Video instruction
Over time, wooden floors begin to crack and lose their flat surface. Therefore, sooner or later, the owners of houses with such floors face the question of covering them with new material. And for this, as you know, you first need to make the base perfectly flat.
Of course, it is not so easy to level a wooden floor, but if you follow all the tips and recommendations, then every home craftsman can cope with this task.
General information
Wood floors are among the types of flooring that require constant maintenance, as wood is susceptible to drying, warping and cracking. Leveling the wood flooring allows you to eliminate various irregularities that could damage the new flooring in the future.
This applies to both hard flooring materials, such as parquet or laminate, and soft ones, such as carpet or linoleum.
Do-it-yourself floor leveling can be done in one of several ways:
- Cycling;
- With the help of putty and PVA glue;
- Plywood;
- Self-leveling mixture.
Determination of the condition of the coating
To select the correct leveling method, it is necessary to determine the condition of the wooden floor.
This is done as follows:
- First you need to check the boards for rot and insect damage... To do this, tear off one board and inspect its reverse side and lag. If the board is dry and sturdy with no signs of insect damage, then the floor does not need to be changed. If foci of decay or cracks are found, then low-quality boards will have to be replaced.
- Then you need to determine how much the floor has deviated from the horizontal... This procedure can be performed using a laser level.
If the floor has many irregularities and deviations from the horizontal, then leveling or self-leveling mixture. If the floor is horizontal, but has surface defects, then they can be repaired with putty or scraped.
Leveling the floor
Leveling with scraping
Looping is one of the simplest and, at the same time, the most time consuming. Most often it is used in cases when they do not want to cover the tree with another material. Therefore, sanding is especially popular when leveling floors in wooden houses.
This method is of two types:
- Manual;
- Mechanical.
Manual scraper for the floor is too time consuming and almost always unjustified. The mechanical one is carried out by a special scraper machine, therefore it is of higher quality. Therefore, if you have a question - how to level the floors in a wooden house, then the best solution would be mechanical scraping, provided that this procedure allows you to perform the condition of the coating.
This operation is carried out as follows:
- Before leveling the floor in a wooden house, you need to prepare the surface. To do this, remove all nails and buttons that could damage the scraper.
- Then all security measures should be taken, i.e. wear a respirator that protects against dust and wood dispersion, as well as heavy gloves.
- After that, you can proceed to the scraper itself. The operation should start from the corner and move with a snake from one wall to another, removing the first layer.
- Hard-to-reach places must be hand-scraped.
- It is possible that after this the floor surface will not be ideal, in which case cracks and holes should be repaired with a putty, which has a color similar to wood.
- When the putty dries well, the floor should be looped again.
Advice!
If a board is too badly damaged, then it can be turned over to the other side.
After the cycling work is completed, you should start collecting debris and dust. The surface must be thoroughly vacuumed, and before varnishing, wipe with a cloth soaked in a degreasing agent.
Note!
Leveling can only be considered successful if the entire surface is smooth and free of any unevenness.
Leveling with PVA and putty
Recently, home owners are increasingly using the method of leveling floors using PVA glue and putty. This method is the most unusual and innovative. With the help of sawdust, putty and PVA, a mixture is made that covers the floor. After hardening, it becomes strong and difficult to machine.
Since the price of all the components of such a coating is not at all high, it can be called a budget solution. In this case, the result resembles chipboard boards, with the only difference that the liquid putty can penetrate into the cracks. This type of leveling also combines floor insulation.
The work is carried out in several stages:
- First of all, laths-beacons are set on the floor according to the level, like beacons for screeds;
- Then the floor is poured with a prepared mixture of PVA and sawdust.
- If it is necessary to apply a thick layer of sawdust, then the procedure should be carried out in several stages. First, the first layer is applied, then, after complete drying, the second layer can be applied. All subsequent layers are applied after the previous one has dried.
- Then all errors must be checked using a level. If such are found, irregularities should be eliminated by applying additional filler material.
Advice!
To prevent sawdust from absorbing all the moisture from PVA, they can be pre-wetted.
Leveling with self-leveling mixture
If you want to cover the floor with new material, and not just paint or varnish, then scraping will not work in this case. We'll have to use another way of leveling the floor - a self-leveling mixture.
Today, there are mixtures on the market that are intended exclusively for leveling wooden floors. They will allow even the most warped floor to find a perfectly flat and smooth surface. In this case, the thickness of the coating will be 0.5-2 cm.
The instructions for leveling the surface in this way are as follows:
- First you need to prepare the surface, i.e. fix all the boards so that they do not wobble. To do this, you can use screws or self-tapping screws. All nail heads must be driven below floor level.
- The next stage of preparation consists in grinding the surface, removing all residues of varnish or paint from it. If there are large gaps in the floor, then they must be repaired with a self-leveling mixture of a thicker consistency than for pouring floors.
- Then the surface should be primed with a waterproof primer.
- After that, the level, layer thickness is determined and a plank is installed in the doorway, in height equal to the thickness of the future coating.
- Then a reinforced mesh with an overlap of several centimeters must be laid on the primed floor. You can fix it with a construction stapler.
- When the surface is ready, you can prepare the mixture according to the directions on the package and pour it onto the reinforced floor. Any bubbles formed should be removed with a spiked roller. After that, the mixture must be leveled on the floor using a rubber smooth roller.
In the photo - removing bubbles with a roller
Note!
An excess volume of water can simplify the process, but it will lead to delamination of the coating.
Leveling the wood flooring with plywood
This method is extremely common and popular. If you follow the instructions, it will allow you to get a flat surface suitable for covering with any flooring material.
To level with plywood, follow these steps:
- Self-tapping screws or screws should be placed around the entire perimeter as beacons at a certain level. Then the floor should be divided into squares with sides of 200-300 mm and beacons should be placed in the corners.
- After the level is set, it is necessary to lay logs - plywood strips 3 cm wide, attaching them to the floor with self-tapping screws or glue.
- Then you need to saw the sheets into squares of approximately 60x60 cm.
- The sheets must be attached to the logs with self-tapping screws, placing them in a checkerboard pattern.
Advice!
Before mounting plywood sheets, you need to pay attention to their ends.
If they delaminate, then the material is not suitable for installation.
Output
For more information on this topic, see the video in this article. "Width =" 640 "height =" 480 "frameborder =" 0 "allowfullscreen =" allowfullscreen ">
Output
As we can see, modern technologies allow every homeowner to quickly and efficiently level a wooden floor. The main thing is to have at least minor skills in working with the tool and adhere to the instructions outlined above.
You can get more information on this topic from the video in this article.
Plank floors can be found in a private house and in an old-style apartment. Its main advantage is environmental friendliness, heat capacity and pleasant tactile sensations. That is why many owners of residential premises, wanting to extend the life of a wooden floor covering, slowly tear off the boards, but seek to level them. It is a mistake to believe that only real carpenters or professional builders can level a wooden floor. In some cases, having theoretically prepared, you can carry out work on leveling the floor without tearing off the boards yourself.
The plank floor can be leveled in the following ways:
- using a grinder;
- putty;
- by laying sheet material;
- coupler.
Using roll or tile material (laminate, linoleum, PVC plates, carpet), unevenness of the wooden floor cannot be eliminated.
Before carrying out any work, it is imperative that you consult a specialist for the integrity and suitability of the floor for further use. Otherwise, the repair will not be successful and the coating will soon become unusable.
To choose the right way to level the floor in the house, you need to determine the degree of its unevenness. If the unevenness of the floor is up to 1 mm, then scraping is sufficient. A height difference of 2-3 mm is eliminated with putty. Laying sheet material on logs will correct the height difference up to 10 cm. Minor irregularities are eliminated if linoleum is laid on the floor. Laminate is not suitable for such purposes.
Looping procedure
You can use the machine for scraping if the boards are placed strictly horizontally. It is not necessary to buy special equipment for a one-time procedure. It is usually rented.
Step-by-step description of the process:
- will take care of individual protection: a respirator against fine dust, earplugs;
- take out all the furniture from the room. The doors to the adjacent rooms are tightly closed. They are hung with polyethylene for additional protection, because as a result of the operation of the scraper machine, fine dust is formed, which penetrates into any crevices;
- with the help of a bump stop, you need to lower all the heads of the nails below the floor level by 2 mm;
- turn on the car. Work is carried out from the far corner of the room. Having reached the opposite wall, turn 180 degrees and move in the opposite direction;
- having cycled the boards once, the resulting dust is removed from their surface. Large gaps are sealed with putty to match the wood. After drying, the last cycle is repeated.
The leveled floor is varnished; linoleum or laminate can be laid on it.
Putty wood floor
In this case, an acrylic sealant or acrylic finishing putty is used. If the height difference reaches 3 mm, it is recommended to level the floor with a putty on PVA glue. This state of affairs can be easily explained: although acrylic putty has sufficient flexibility (it does not crack, even if the floor sags under it), it can lose its integrity if its layer reaches 3 mm. Small areas of the floor are leveled with acrylic filler.
With a finishing putty on PVA glue, you can even out a height difference of more than 3 mm. In this case, sawdust is mixed into it. Disadvantage of this technique: the leveling material is very sticky and dries up for a long time. After the putty dries, linoleum or carpet is laid on it. Laminate flooring, tiles cannot be laid.
Leveling the floor with plywood
How to level a wooden floor with plywood? In this case, the plywood is simply attached to the floor with self-tapping screws. The plywood is supported by the top of the irregularities or waves of the board.
However, this process has its own characteristics:
- if the width of the floor boards is 10-20 cm, the unevenness of the floor is insignificant, then plywood up to 10 mm thick is quite useful;
- if the width of the boards exceeds 20 cm, the unevenness of the floor is uneven, that is, they pass through the board, then plywood is needed with a thickness of more than 10 mm. It must be remembered that ordinary plywood will be ineffective in rooms with high air humidity. For this, you can use a moisture resistant material.
The sheet material is attached to the floor with self-tapping screws, the joints and seams are sealed with acrylic sealant. After that, the surface is decorated. For these purposes, carpet, laminate, linoleum are used. Boards are varnished when neatly leveled.
Another way to use plywood
If the difference in the height of the horizontal overlap of the house exceeds 10 cm, the use of a log is recommended. These are wooden blocks of a certain thickness. Their thickness and installation pitch are determined based on the characteristics of the plywood. So, you can take plywood of 12-14 mm, then the lag step is equal to 35-40 cm.If the wood material is thicker (16-18 mm), then the lag step is 50 cm.
Stages of work:
- perform floor markings using a laser level;
- beacons are set up according to the markings. These are the same bars located at a distance of 230-300 mm from each other. They are screwed to the floor with self-tapping screws. The correctness of their installation is checked by the level. If the beacons are set incorrectly, the leveling layer will not give the expected effect. You can put linoleum on such a floor, laminate - no;
- according to the position of the lighthouses, you can install the remaining lags;
- plywood fastening is carried out only at the end of the installation of the lag. It is easier to install if cut into equal squares. Installation of plywood is performed with an offset (like brickwork) using self-tapping screws.
Do not forget about the expansion gaps near the walls. The final stage is decoration. To do this, use parquet, laminate, linoleum, carpet.
Floor screed on wooden planks
It is possible to level the floor with a wet screed if it was originally laid on a concrete base or there are logs on brick posts under it. The distance between the support posts and the thickness of the floor itself are sufficient to withstand the load of cement or concrete mortar. Theoretically, a wet, cement screed, the thickness of which does not exceed 5-7 cm, is permissible on a wooden floor. However, one must remember that the load on the floor will increase to 75-100 kg / m2. Plasticizers and microfiber for reinforcement must be added to the leveling material. Otherwise, the floor screed will simply crack, since pure cement mortar is inelastic.
The technology for leveling boards with a wet screed does not differ from the classical method of organizing the rough layer. After the cement stone has matured, you can put linoleum, laminate, parquet or any other decorative material on it.