How to level the floor in a wooden house - choose the appropriate method. How to level a wood floor without tearing off the planks How to make a plank floor smooth

Any wood floor, no matter how well laid and processed, tends to change the angle of inclination, can rot or dry out. The best way out in such a situation would be to completely replace the flooring, but very few will undertake such a laborious and rather expensive job. How can you level a wooden floor without replacing it? We will talk about this further.

Floor Leveling Methods

The wooden floor is quite difficult to level, especially in comparison with. And if concrete can be just a screed, then wooden floors, especially in old buildings, may not withstand. It should be borne in mind that for insulation and leveling with a screed, you need to have a margin of distance to the ceiling of about 10 cm. Unfortunately, not all rooms have such a margin and high lag strength. But there are other methods of how to level the floor in a private house, which will be discussed further.

Cycling

This method of leveling is rightfully called one of the most difficult, which makes leveling a wooden floor with plywood more attractive, but still scraping is widely used, especially on large areas.

The work is done using a scraper and / or grinding machine. Scraping is preceded by long preparatory measures, and a huge amount of dust and a rather complex surface treatment technology classify scraping as an unpopular floor leveling technology. But still this method is economical and efficient, which is why it is used.

Before you start cycling, you need to prepare work surface, that is, gender. If the floor is old, then surely some of the nails loosened and crawled out of the lag. Such nails need to be found and hammered again, because if the hat that comes out falls under the knives of the device, they will be hopelessly broken.

In the case of painted floors, all places that may have nails must be cleaned of paint and carefully checked. Only after all the nails have been hammered in can the working machine be used.

Work usually begins with the use of a coarse nozzle and ends with the smallest one. In the corners, you will have to grind with your own hands, because. The machine can't get in.

If we talk about the pros and cons of this processing method, then the main disadvantages are as follows. Firstly, the machine removes the top layer of wood, and in case of large irregularities, it comes out too large, which in turn can change the maximum possible load of the floor.

When doing floor leveling, especially in completely wooden house, the board can experience severe temperature fluctuations, which can cause pits and bumps. This is easily prevented by using a wood preservative. This method is used only for old wooden floors that need minor edits.

The result of cycling: photos before and after it.

Nevertheless, there are also advantages. The method requires a lot of time and effort, but it is very economical in terms of resources and building materials. The result is smooth and even floors, but if the cracks in them are filled with sawdust and sprayed with varnish, then after grinding the floor it will look no worse than parquet.

Log adjustment

This method is suitable for regulating the largest height differences. It lies in the fact that the floor covering is completely removed from the lag. Special screws are inserted into the logs themselves, which can be screwed in and out. Thus, the position of the lag is regulated, and accordingly the boards. When using this leveling method, it remains possible to insulate, it is enough to put material for insulation between the lags. then put the boards back. Now the floor is flat, and if, due to climatic conditions, it changes its slope again, the regulators already inserted into the logs will help, with which you can level the wooden floor at any time.

Legs adjustable in height.

The disadvantage of this method is that it will take a lot of time to screw in the screws, and their cost will not make this type of work economical. The lag adjustment method is not at all suitable for houses with a low ceiling, because as a result of the work, the floor height rises by about 10 cm.

The advantages of leveling the lag - since a wooden house is highly susceptible to temperature and humidity changes, from which the boards can change the angle of inclination, and using this method you can constantly adjust the floor without spending a lot of time and effort. Despite the fact that screwing in screws takes a lot of time, it is still not difficult, it is enough to be able to screw in screws, but if you still have questions about how to properly level a wooden floor, you can watch a video on the topic.

plywood laying

Leveling with chipboard or plywood is one of the most popular methods for leveling a wooden floor, which can also be done. It is used for laying, or for insulation and painting work. The materials are affordable, but chipboard is still cheaper than plywood. Plywood is more durable, so most often we are talking about how to level a wooden floor with plywood. When leveling, plywood with a thickness of 10 mm or more is used, and the price for one sheet starts at 400 rubles.

The whole structure is made up of guide elements, which are made of plywood and can be of various thicknesses.

The floor covering is drawn with squares of 20x30 cm, and beacons are placed at their corners. Also, plywood logs with a thickness of 30-50 mm are laid out along the beacons. They are fastened with self-tapping screws, or with wood glue. The floor is leveled by placing pieces of wood under the logs, after pre-spreading the pieces with glue.

Such measures will help prevent sagging of the final version of the floor. After that, a grid of logs is formed, which must dry completely before further actions. Plywood is placed on the logs, and in such a way that the edges of its sheets are located on the marked lines.

The process of how to level the floor, consisting of boards, is easily controlled even at the stage of laying the log.

Plywood is attached to the logs with self-tapping screws, for which it is necessary to drill the places of screwing in depth by 3-5 cm, with a drill, with a diameter slightly larger than the screw head. A self-tapping screw is screwed into the drilled hole, and its head is countersinked. Under plywood, you can also lay a substrate, which will become additional thermal insulation.

Installing plywood on logs.

From above, plywood is laid with the coating you like: carpet, laminate, linoleum. Before laying linoleum, plywood must be sanded, and a substrate is used for laminate flooring.

The main disadvantage of leveling wooden floors with plywood is the rather high cost of materials.

There are many more pluses:

• The floor leveled in this way is very durable, and the height of the ceilings changes very slightly (by about 2-3 cm);
• The process of how to level a wooden floor with plywood is very simple, and you can even do it yourself;
• In this way, the coating is leveled, even with a very large slope, adding more plywood in areas of large distortion.

Even our ancestors knew how to properly level the floor, for this they used special plaster. This method requires a lot of effort, but is very economical. The putty applied to the base consists of ordinary PVA glue and small sawdust. Before mixing, the sawdust must be moistened with water and squeezed out, after which they will draw less moisture out of the glue.

The very process of work begins with the installation of lighthouses using a level, the most ordinary wooden planks can serve as lighthouses. The resulting compartments are filled with a mixture of glue and sawdust, and the consistency of the mixture itself should look like sour cream. Such a putty shrinks strongly when it dries, so the places of special height differences should be filled with several layers of such “sour cream”. After drying with a substrate, carpet, linoleum.

The downside of putty is that after it you still need to level the wooden floor with plywood in order to get an even and reliable base, so all the desire to save this method and its subsequent advantages are leveled.

The advantages of putty:

• You can always re-level the wooden floor by adding more putty to the right place;
• Very low cost, filling up one m2 will cost about 30 rubles;
• You can even level the floor, which is at an angle.

Self leveling agent

This is one of the newest ways to level the floor in a wooden house. When using this method, you do not need to make a lot of effort, but it is only suitable for areas with a small height difference. Such compositions are not recommended for use in new buildings, because. their shrinkage has not yet ended and it is quite possible to “walk” at home.

The self-levelling compound consists of Portland or aluminous cement, silica sand, active additives and surface active components. Some mixtures are given special coloring compositions.

The result of this method is an absolutely flat floor with varying degrees of smoothness. Depending on whether it will be necessary to process the floor surface, there are two types of mixtures, these are the basic ones - a self-leveling substance, which must be sanded after hardening, and - this is an independent floor covering that does not need to be additionally finished.

How to prepare and use self-levelling compound?

All three stages (preparation, coating and finishing) can be carried out with my own hands. First you need to clean the floor from stains of grease and dirt, and the gaps found should be filled with sawdust. Walls and door openings must be sealed with polyurethane foam tape to the height that the future floor will occupy. The entire surface of the floor is primed with a leveling material recommended by the manufacturer of the leveling material in several layers.

Next, we prepare the mixture itself, in the process one must carefully monitor so as not to pour a lot of water, otherwise the coating will not be strong enough, and if water is not added, the floor will simply crack. The recommended proportions can be found on the product packaging.

Pour the floor with the resulting mixture, while minimum thickness layer should be 5 mm, and the maximum - 20 mm. The composition hardens in just 40 minutes, so all actions must be done quickly.

After the floor surface is filled, it is necessary to run a toothed roller or a hard brush over it, this will remove possible air bubbles on the surface. After that, leave the floor to dry, while making sure that there are no drafts in the room. For uniform drying, the floor can be wrapped in plastic wrap, and then left for 48 hours.

Complete drying is carried out approximately in two weeks, then you can start laying laminate, linoleum, parquet, carpet and other floor coverings.

• It is quite expensive - 1 m2 of floor will cost from 200 rubles;
• The mixture dries for a long time, which means it is not suitable for urgent repairs;
• For a wooden floor, this method is not very environmentally friendly and useful, in contrast to leveling a wooden floor with plywood;
• If the house is prone to “walking”, then such a coating will not be particularly durable.

There are also advantages to this method. Firstly, the mixture is quickly applied and prepared. With the right mixing of the components, application and drying, the floors will last a very long time, and you won’t need to think again how you can properly level the wooden floor. The work will not require much effort.

All of the above options on how to level a wooden floor will be great ways to level the floor in a private house and. Of course, in this case, it is necessary to take into account the specific features of the house and the floor, but some methods are universal, and we tried to collect them in this article.

The wooden floor is popular with many owners of houses and apartments. The tree symbolizes warmth and reliability. A wood floor is really warm and reliable, of course, if it is built correctly. But, unfortunately, wood is not the most durable material and defects may appear on individual parts. The question “how to level a wooden floor” should not lead you into a stupor at all. With minimal technical skills, you can easily handle this procedure.

The finish coating of a wooden floor can be anything: laminate, parquet, linoleum and even tile. But the concept of "wooden floor" includes an intermediate building structure from wood, which is located on the interfloor ceiling and is covered from above with a finishing floor covering. At the same time, the material for manufacturing the interfloor ceiling can be any: floors from wooden beams, concrete slabs or any other options.

Accordingly, the process of leveling a wooden floor depends on what exactly the composition of this structure is. So, consider the options for leveling the floor with wooden elements.

Why level the floor?

Let's make a small digression. The construction or repair process, called "leveling", can be divided into two large blocks.

1. Works whose purpose is to bring the wooden floor to a horizontal state. They are designed to ensure that the furniture in your premises does not fall, and the doors do not open spontaneously.
2. Works whose purpose is to bring the floor surface to an even state. Pits and bumps not only reduce the aesthetic appeal of your interior, but can cause damage to the finished flooring. So, if you lay a laminate on an area with a hole and a tubercle, then with a heavy load on this area, the laminate board may burst or the seams between the flooring elements will be broken.

Floor leveling methods

Consider how you can level the surface of the floor.

Leveling the floor with a planer

The traditional, but the most labor-intensive method is the dismantling of the floor boards and processing their surface with a planer. To do this kind of work, you have to sweat a lot.

First, floorboards are usually nailed down and are difficult to remove.

Secondly, it is also not so easy to process the surface with a planer. This is a rather tedious job that requires good carpentry skills.

Leveling the surface of a wooden floor with a grinder

It is easier and more expedient to process the surface of a wooden floor with a grinder. This is quite expensive equipment and it is more profitable to rent this device or simply order the provision of such a service.

Step 1

Carefully clean the floor, sweep and vacuum its surface.

Step 2

Examine the floor surface. Any screw or nail heads found must be countersunk to prevent damage to the sander roller.

Step 3

Treat the floor surface with a grinder. This process will bring a huge amount of wood dust into the room, so you will have to protect other rooms from its penetration and think about how to remove it. good decision will be the use of a grinder, to which a hose for dust extraction is connected. In this way, you can minimize the pollution of the premises.

Step 4

After processing the surface of the wooden floor, it is necessary to inspect it for cracks and pits. Such surface imperfections can be corrected with acrylic wood putty. Apply a small amount of putty to the hole or crevices and go over the top with a spatula.

Also, cracks between wooden boards on the floor can be repaired with a composition prepared from a mixture of wood varnish, acrylic putty and sawdust. The advantage of this method is to obtain a color and texture that matches the appearance of natural wood flooring.

Leveling a wooden floor with slabs

In addition to "cleaning the wood floor", its surface can be leveled by creating an additional layer of coating. For such a coating, sheets of thick plywood, chipboard or other similar products of the woodworking industry are used.

Unfortunately, it will not be possible to level the horizontal level of the floor with its significant difference in this way. However, laying wood-based panels on a subfloor that is free from major “disturbances” may well provide a good basis for mounting the final floor coverings.

The installation of a layer of wood-based panels on a finished base does not cause any particular problems. The slabs are cut to size and fixed to the wooden base with self-tapping screws with countersunk heads. The gaps between the plates can be sealed with wood putty.

Leveling wood floors with self-levelling compound

Post on hardwood floor a classic screed would be impractical. It has a significant weight, its overlap may simply not withstand it. But you can use a self-leveling mixture, which is designed for finishing alignment. The maximum layer thickness of such a mixture does not exceed two centimeters, so if your wooden floor has a greater height difference, then using such a mixture is pointless.

Self-levelling wood flooring technology

1. Clean and sand wood flooring your gender.
2. Apply a primer coat to the surface. It is desirable to use compositions with deep penetration and protection from moisture.
3. over wooden flooring lay a layer of waterproofing film. It is recommended to use dense strips and fasten strips overlapped with double-sided tape.
4. Especially carefully check the places of possible leaks. AT doorway fasten a wooden plank that will prevent the mixture from spreading.
5. Lay a reinforcing mesh on the polyethylene surface, fix its position with brackets or plastic clamps.
6. Mix the self-levelling compound in a container. Pour the dry mixture into the water in a thin stream, constantly stirring the composition with the nozzle for an electric drill.
7. Apply the prepared mixture to the surface and level it with a spiked roller, expelling air bubbles that have got there from its thickness. You need to work with a roller in specialized shoes, which are also equipped with spiked soles.

1. The drying time of the mixture depends on its composition. It is possible that during maturation, its surface will have to be shed with water in order to prevent cracking. The room during this period is not ventilated.

Leveling the floor with the installation of a log

And now let's figure out how to level the floor, which can no longer be brought to a normal appearance by cosmetic methods.

Step 1

We carry out the dismantling of the existing structure of the wooden floor. We get to the cover. This method of installing floors can also be used when building a new house or when renovating a new building.

Step 2

We clean the ceiling from debris and dust.

Step 3

We make a calculation necessary materials for the construction of a flat wooden floor. Please note that raising the level of the floor after installing the wooden floor on the joists may cause the old doors to not be able to open and close.

Step 4

Repairing a wooden floor involves not only leveling it, but also warming it. These processes can and should be combined. Check the condition of the ceiling, the joints between it and the walls. If cracks are found, they must be sealed using a cement-sand mortar or mounting foam.

Step5

A vapor barrier layer can also be placed on the floor surface. The easiest way is to use ordinary polyethylene with a density of 150 microns. Its sheets are laid with an overlap of 10 centimeters and with entry to the walls to the upper level of the future finishing floor.

Step 6

We lay logs on the overlap, for example, unplaned boards with a thickness of more than 4 centimeters. We fix the boards to the ceiling using anchor bolts (the distance between the bolts is 30 cm).

Step 7

During installation, carefully check the installation level of the lag. You can use the usual building level, but it is better to use a laser. This device is placed on the ceiling and projects laser ray red on the walls. After adjustment, the projected beam is located on the wall strictly horizontally.

Wooden floor insulation

Step 9

Finished floor on the basis of wooden lag can be laid using various building materials: wooden planks, sheets of plywood or chipboard and other products of the woodworking industry.

When laying boards, it is better to use grooved structures that have a special lock for fixing the boards to each other. To fit such boards, a wooden mallet is used, which must be tapped on the long end of the board to be placed. When using tongue-and-groove boards with locks, they may not be attached to the joists.

The upper finishing floor made of sheets of plywood or other wooden boards must be fixed to the joists using self-tapping screws with countersunk heads. When placing such plates, be sure to take into account the degree of their thermal expansion.

Various Construction Materials behave differently when the temperature rises, therefore, when installing plates with a large degree of expansion, it is necessary to leave blockages between them and the walls.

You can see detailed instructions for leveling a wooden floor in the video tutorial below.

In order to determine how uneven the floor is, you need to determine the floor marks in all corners, in the middle of the walls and in the middle of the room (if the room is very large or the floor is very uneven, then more marks are needed). The easiest way to do this is with a two-meter building level. with different measuring instruments used for this purpose are set out separately.

If the floor marks are at the same height

(plus or minus 5 mm is not considered, however, it all depends on how demanding you are, you can not count the difference of 1-1.5 cm), then the floor is even. And if the height differences do not exceed 2-3 mm, then such a floor can generally not be leveled with sheet materials.

• You can putty such a floor 1-2 times with acrylic putty or acrylic sealant. The main advantage of acrylic putties is high plasticity, even if the boards bend a little when walking on the floor, the putty will not collapse. If the amount of work is not large, then it will do acrylic sealant sold in syringes for a construction pistol. Floors must be treated with a suitable primer before applying putty in order to improve adhesion to the boards. It will look something like this:

Download more full version this video is possible, video size is 60 MB, wmv format.

In this case, it was necessary to level about 1.5 m 2 of the floor. For large volumes, it is better to buy acrylic putty for wooden floors in buckets, however, the principle of applying putty will not change. By the way, in this way you can level the floors for painting and even for varnish, for example, parquet floors (of course, if they are in good enough condition), but then you need a tinted sealant. However, buying a tinted sealant to match the color of the tree is now a small problem, although the choice of colors is not very large and they cost much more than white acrylic sealant, but still.

Before laying linoleum or carpet, it is desirable to grind the putty surface.

• The main disadvantage of acrylic putty is its low strength. Therefore, instead of acrylic putties or sealants, you can use putty mixed with PVA glue. If the thickness of the applied layer does not exceed 1-2 mm, then you can use a finishing gypsum putty mixed with PVA glue. With a greater thickness of the applied layer, you can use a gypsum starting putty mixed with PVA glue or sawdust mixed with PVA glue. The main disadvantages of this method: it is very difficult to immediately apply the putty in an even layer due to the extreme stickiness of the putty (PVA is very good glue), so the putty surface will have to be sanded for a long time to obtain a smooth surface.

The thicker the layer of sealant or putty, the longer it will dry. therefore, if the unevenness of the floor is more than 3 mm and there are a lot of them, then one cannot do without a screed or laying sheet materials. How linoleum was laid on the floor, pre-leveled with putty, can be viewed separately.

2.1. On an old wooden floor, plywood 8-20 mm thick, or chipboard, OSB, MDF boards can be laid.

Gypsum sheets can also be used. In this case, the top of the wave will serve as a support (like a lag) for the new flooring. With a board width of 10-20 cm and a uniform distribution of waves, a plywood thickness of 8-10 mm is enough. If the waves on the boards through one board or the width of the boards is more than 20 cm, then it is better to use thicker plywood (in the figure below).

Picture 1. Simple leveling of a wooden floor.

It does not make sense to use fiberboard for leveling the floor, since over time the fiberboard will take the shape of the floor and waves will appear again. In principle, the thickness of sheet materials can be greater, but the thicker the sheet materials, the more expensive and, most importantly, heavier they are. I prefer moisture-resistant plywood, it is indispensable for kitchens and hallways in stalinkas and Khrushchevs, but it costs more than other sheet materials. Sheet materials are attached to wooden floor using screws or self-tapping screws. To drown the head of a screw or self-tapping screw, a sweat is made. Sheet materials are attached to the boards at the top of the wave (see figure). After screwing the sheets, the joints of the sheets and the caps of the screws are puttied with acrylic sealant. If you have high-quality plywood with a good texture pattern, plywood joints are neat and well-fitting, and the sweat is evenly distributed, then you can choose an acrylic sealant of the appropriate color and simply open the plywood with varnish.

Sometimes, if the old wood floor is relatively level, but there are small "pits", then you can try to level the floor with plywood using polyurethane foam. I myself didn’t level the floors like that, so I put the description of this method in a separate article.

If the height differences on the floor marks do not satisfy you, then here you have to tinker. It is necessary to make a support for the new foundation at one mark. You can do this in 2 ways:

2.2. Tape support - mini-lags from a bar.

This method is good if you need to equalize the height difference from 3 to 10 cm. True, in order for the timber to be at the same height, wooden linings are used different thickness- covens. Usually shabashki are made from plywood of different thicknesses, but they can also be made from short bars using an ax or a chisel. Where we are talking about millimeters, roofing felt or any other thin waterproof material is used. The distance between the mini-lags depends on the thickness of the sheet material and in principle requires engineering calculation , but as practice shows for plywood 12-14 mm thick and for chipboard, OSB 16-18 mm thick, the maximum distance between mini-lags is 35-40 cm. For plywood 16-18 mm thick and for OSB 20-24 mm thick, the maximum distance between mini-lags 50 cm. This logical series can be continued further, but it is difficult to lay thicker sheet materials even together, and the load on the floor will again increase, it’s good if the floor is reinforced concrete or on metal beams, but to increase the load on wooden beams need to be careful. With large height differences, it is convenient to use a bar of different sections, where the height difference is small, a bar of a smaller section is used, but it is also necessary to fasten it to the floor boards more often, then a bar of a larger section is used.

Figure 2. Alignment of a wooden floor on minilags.

Minilags can be attached both across the boards (in the figure above) and along (in the figure below). It is important here to accurately mark the sheets (determine the places for the holes) so as not to drill extra holes.

For clarity, photos 1 and 2 show the transition from the old wood floor to the new flooring in the doorway. The floor was leveled with waterproof plywood, in some places the covens were supported, mainly on mini-lags made of bars of different sections, the total height difference of the old floor was more than 6 cm.

Photo 1. View from the corridor. (increase)

Photo 2. View from the room

2.3. Point support - shabashki.

This method is suitable if the elevation changes are not very large. A point support is less reliable than a tape support, therefore, the shavings for sheet materials should be placed more often, so that a mesh with a cell size of 30-35 cm is obtained for plywood 12-14 mm thick and for chipboard, OSB 16-18 mm thick. For plywood 16-18 mm thick and for OSB 20-24 mm thick, the mesh size is 40-45 cm.

Of course, both with a tape support and with a point support, you can make more distance between the supports, but in this case the new floor will be too susceptible to dynamic deformations, in other words, it can bend when jumping and dancing, and even when walking.

After the base of the floor is leveled, laying the top coat on it, whether it be parquet, linoleum, carpet, PVC tiles, is quickly easy and pleasant. Just do not forget about the ventilation of the underground. To do this, in one of the corners (where the old ventilation was), after laying the finish coat, a hole is drilled and a small ventilation grill is placed.

If the height difference of the old wooden floor is more than 8-10 cm (and this happens), then it is better to remove some of the boards and replace them with sheet material.

The floor can be leveled with a "wet" screed.

But only if you are absolutely sure of the strength of the wooden floor, for example, if the floors were immediately made under the screed, or these are wooden floors on a reinforced concrete floor, with logs on brick columns, while the logs and the distance between the logs and the thickness of the floorboards are selected in such a way as to ensure the minimum deflection of the floors under the design loads. The fact is that cement screeds work well in compression and much worse in tension, this can lead to the fact that the cement screed on a wooden floor will collapse or ceramic tile glued to such a screed will peel off. To level wooden floors, special dry mixes with plasticizers and fillers are used to provide the screed with maximum strength and elasticity, for example, Vetonit 3300. Such a screed is applied with a layer of no more than 1 cm, before applying the screed, a reinforcing fiberglass mesh is stuffed on the wooden floors and the floors are primed. If the unevenness of the floor exceeds 1 cm, then such a screed will not help. Theoretically, a conventional cement screed 5-7 cm thick with a metal reinforcing mesh can be made on a wooden floor, in this case the load on the floor will immediately increase by 75-100 kg / m 2, therefore, before making such a screed, you must first check the bearing capacity overlap. To protect the wood from the effects of water from the screed, a plastic film is laid on the wooden floor.

But in any case, regardless of the leveling method, one should not forget about the ventilation device for wooden floors so that the floors do not rot. Underground space must be ventilated. Previously, for this, a hole in a board with a diameter of about 50 mm was drilled in one of the corners of the room and a decorative lattice was stuffed on top, or made ventilation duct in the wall and nailed a decorative lattice to the wall. The grids look like this:

Figure 3 Ventilation grilles for wooden floors.

If you had similar gratings on the floor or on the wall, then do not rush to cover them up or wallpaper them.

In general, old wooden floors, with cracks, paint stains, knots, chips, dents and other defects - this is an incredible steepness and super style, now more and more people are tired of straight lines modern design, they want to lay on a perfectly smooth and even screed parquet board, stylized as old warped wooden floors. Such a pleasure is not cheap, so before sewing up wooden floors, think about whether you need it?

I took out questions on leveling a wooden floor for laying a laminate, as well as a recipe for preparing a putty mixture from Ruslan.

The floor is a basic element in the interior of the house. Along with windows and doors, furniture and lighting, the condition of the floor plays a key role in creating comfort and well-being in a living space. Therefore, work on this important element in a house, apartment or in any other space should be done with high quality and with all responsibility. And especially careful approach requires wooden floors.

Features: pros and cons

The most popular at all times were wooden products. First of all, because the tree is a symbol of warmth and reliability, besides, it is incredibly pleasant to the touch and as if “alive”. Wood itself is a durable material, however, and over time it can lose its attractiveness, deform, bend, bend, dry out and crack. But this is not at all a reason for stupor and bewilderment.

Many owners, in order to hide the flaws that have appeared over time, prefer laying any modern coatings on wooden base. It can be laminate, tile or linoleum. To do this, of course, it is necessary to improve the characteristics of the floor as much as possible, and more specifically, to level its surface so that the new coating lies on it without any difficulties and defects.

Even with minimal technical skills, you can do the job of leveling the floor covering with your own hands, choosing the most appropriate one from a variety of methods.

Floor assessment

It is much easier and cheaper to resuscitate and restore an old wooden base than to completely replace the coating. The duration of its service depends on the coefficient of curvature. Often, connection locks lose their strength over time, cracks begin to form, where dirt and moisture collect. Therefore, before leveling and laying a new coating, it is necessary to conduct a complete analysis of the rough wooden floor.

To determine the degree of damage, it is necessary to walk along its surface and examine in detail almost every centimeter. Perhaps remove a few boards and check the condition of the lag. It happens that during the inspection, insect-eaten, rotten boards are found, in this case, most likely, a complete or partial replacement of the floor will be required.

If, after checking, it turns out that the problem lies only in peeling paint, in pits and tubercles, if the boards and logs are in a tolerable condition, without rotten and cracked areas, if the floor does not sag underfoot under load, then the restoration work will be carried out at minimal cost strength and time.

It is very important to determine how much the floor deviates horizontally. Usually the operation is carried out using a laser level, which is installed at the highest corner in the room and indicates the difference between the horizon line and uneven areas of the surface.

If the boards bend and stagger under your feet, you need to scroll the wooden floor.

If, during the inspection, gaps between the boards are found wider than 8-10 mm, or the degree of slope of the surface from a flat horizontal line is very obvious, the surface of the sagging floor must be laid with sheet material, for example, chipboard.

Materials and tools

First of all, in order to level the floors, it is necessary that all the necessary tools are always at hand. If the work is done in a large room, experts often recommend dividing it into several squares and aligning each of them individually. It is good when more than one pair of hands is involved in the work. This will help save your nerves and time.

Choice necessary tools depends on the type of alignment work.

The standard set, as a rule, are:

• tape measure (for taking measurements);
• levels (hydraulic levels and laser);
• steel brush (for cleaning the surface from peeling in hard-to-reach places Oh);
• brush-maklovitsa (for cleaning debris at the base of the floor);
• spatula (a tool for leveling the solution on a plane);
• trowel (for leveling the cement-sand mass);
• perforator (for drilling on wood);

• electric drill (for the preparation of a leveler);
• needle roller (for rolling out self-leveling material);
• hacksaw (for cutting wood);
• planer (removes small wood shavings, leveling an uneven surface);
• screwdriver (for screwing in and unscrewing screws).

Using PVA and sawdust

Leveling the surface using PVA glue and sawdust is a modern and convenient method that does not require large expenditures and uses good performance and feedback from builders. Before starting the process itself, it is necessary to clean the floor and nail the beacons on the laser level. Next, the sawdust needs to be slightly moistened and mixed with glue. The mixture should be of medium density (should resemble sour cream).

After that, the resulting mass must be poured between the beacons and leveled. If the first time the surface does not come to an even state, then it may be necessary to apply several layers of the mixture. The layer should be at least 1-2 cm. There can be any number of such layers, the goal is to make the height differences minimal. Before applying each new layer, it is important to wait for the previous layer to dry completely. As you can see, the method is simple and practical.

putty

With the help of a properly selected putty, you can hide all the cracks, wipe the seams and irregularities, and also provide long service wooden floor. This leveling method is used not only if you want to lay a new floor covering, but also in order to cosmetic repairs. To date, there is an extensive selection of putty mixtures that have a color that matches the color of a real wood flooring.

Putty may differ in its composition, but there are a number of general requirements, which include:

1. Elasticity. This will allow the mixture to evenly fill all the cracks and holes in the surface.
2. High percentage of adhesion(adhesion) putty material to wood. This will eliminate the option of delamination of the coating and guarantee it a long service life.
3. Uniformity. The composition must be completely homogeneous mass, without the presence of impurities.
4. Fire resistance. This property of the putty mixture guarantees the safety of the wooden floor in case of fire.
5. Antiseptic properties. They protect the surface from the growth of fungus and mold, which harm wood and human health.

Mastic

Mastic is a material that is applied over a wooden floor. Performs both leveling and protective functions. One of the advantages of this material is its antibacterial property. Mastic is applied to the surface in several layers and gives it a glossy tint. If the task of the owners is to restore the wooden flooring and restore, improve it appearance, then one of the best means achieving this goal is to rub the floor with mastic.

Now in the construction market you can observe a huge variety this product. Mastic can be sold in ready-made, or it may be in the state of a blank, which must be stirred with other ingredients and, for example, with warm water. Also, the material comes in different colors, and is transparent. The composition distinguishes between wax, water-based, turpentine and water-soluble mastics.

To apply the material to the floor surface, you will need a paint roller, which will help the solution to be evenly distributed over the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room. The composition can be applied in several layers, so its protective properties will be higher.

Of course, a product based on a natural composition has best qualities. It will take only 2-3 days for such a mastic to dry completely, and it is much easier to renew it.

Mounting foam

Mounting foam is a great way to deal with the problem of creaky floors. The tree, as mentioned above, is exposed to environment. Changes in temperature, humidity - all this, over time, contributes to the fact that wood boards begin to creak underfoot. The use of mounting foam will help not only get rid of the defect, but also insulate the wooden floor in the house.

To do this, after a general cleaning of the surface and fixing the boards to the logs, it is necessary to drill holes in those places where there is the most creaking. Further, through this hole, with the help of mounting foam, the empty space of the floor is filled, which contributes to the reliable fixing of the boards from below. It is worth noting that the drilled holes should correspond, or better, be slightly wider than the diameter of the foam nozzle.

Important point- do not overdo it with foam injection, so that the surface does not rise with the so-called hump.

Expanded clay

Expanded clay is a material based on a natural composition. It is able not only to level even the most hopeless variants of an uneven surface, but also to soundproof and insulate the floor. Expanded clay is an environmentally friendly material that has fire resistance, durability, strength, resistance to temperature changes, antibacterial and affordability.

For proper placement of the material, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work:

• The first is cleaning the room of debris, sealing gaps and strengthening the boards.
• Further, it is necessary to carry out waterproofing of the base in order to prevent leakage and damage to the screed.
• Along the walls, a damper tape is attached directly to the waterproofing, which is necessary to compensate for the possible expansion of materials during work.
• Beacons are installed to maintain an even level of the screed.
• Now it's up to laying expanded clay.

Expanded clay is laid on a base prepared in advance so that the layer does not reach the top of the lighthouse. The layer is leveled and well compacted. The evenness of the resulting layer can be checked with a level. If the result satisfies you, a solution can be applied over the insulation.

Sometimes, in order to avoid shifts and deformations, the master repair work expanded clay is poured with special cement milk and left to dry for a day until it hardens, after which the claydite "pillow" is covered with a solution

Another way - dry leveling floors with expanded clay. This method is perhaps the easiest and does not require much time. Dry expanded clay is laid at the level of the lighthouses and evenly distributed. A layer of 3-4 cm is enough to get a stable coating. Sheets of your chosen material (OSB, chipboard, plywood sheets, etc.) are laid on the formed expanded clay "pillow".

Plates

In this case, the leveling of the floor occurs due to the laying of special plates on a wooden surface.

OSB boards are sheets formed from pressed wood shavings using an adhesive mixture. There are 3 types of particle boards: OSB-2, OSB-3 and OSB-4, each of which is designed for use in certain conditions, has a different thickness and properties. It is important to determine which of the materials is suitable in your case. It is worth noting that in comparison with chipboard, OSB boards have a high percentage of strength and are distinguished by their maximum thickness. The material also guarantees heat and sound insulation.

The material is fastened by nailing it with nails of the required length to supports located at a distance of about 30 cm from each other. OSB can be laid on the logs themselves or using a point support. In the second case, the more often the supports are located, the more resistant the surface will be to operation. It is mandatory to eliminate gaps at the junction of the canvases themselves and the canvases with the walls.

GVL coating is often used to obtain a durable and even surface. GVL coating is a floor leveling technology by covering plank surfaces with gypsum-fiber sheets. The composition of the product contains reinforced gypsum and cellulose. This composition guarantees high density and strength of the finished product, the ability to withstand severe mechanical stress. The material is moisture resistant and perfectly retains heat.

The method of laying gypsum fiber depends on the quality of the base. Most often, additional material is used for alignment. Sheets are placed in 2 layers, where the first is attached to the rails, and the second is glued on top of the first.

For reliable fastening of the board to the base, special self-tapping screws are used. Working with self-tapping screws ensures a long life for a wooden floor.

Moreover, when buying such a tool, you should be extremely careful. Savings in this case is a guarantee that soon there will be a need to re-repair the wooden floor.

The size of the screws can vary considerably. Choosing the right size depends on the thickness of the flooring.

Self-leveling compounds

Self-leveling compounds are mortars that are designed to fill the floor, and are also one of the best and fastest levelers.

There are several types of leveling mixtures:

1. Fast hardening. It is applied in case of need of fast solidification of solution. Can be applied in both thin and thick layers.
2. Finishing. Used at the end of work, immediately before finishing the floor. The thickness of the applied layer should be no more than 5 mm. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the time for complete drying of the solution is much less than the time for drying the screed.
3. Thick-layer. Here the name speaks for itself. If you apply a thin layer of a solution of this type, then the effect of the application will hardly be noticeable.
4. Special. This solution has the greatest strength and is used in small quantities to putty cracks and crevices. The composition of the mixture includes special elements that increase the percentage of adhesion of the tree to the base.

Over time, the surface of any wood floor will inevitably crack, buckle, and become uneven.

You can hide such defects with the help of various floor coverings, such as laminate or linoleum.

You can hide such defects with the help of various floor coverings, for example or . Before installing any finishing materials It is necessary to competently and efficiently process the surface and make it as even as possible.

There are several ways to make the floor surface even. For selection right way should assess the state wooden surface.

Choice of method

Basic alignment methods

• Cyclovka
• PVA glue and putty
• Self-levelling compound or "self-leveling floor"
• Plywood

Mechanical sanding of wooden floors

For mechanical scraping, a scraping machine is required, with which you can quickly and accurately make the floor surface as smooth as possible.

Cyclovka is one of the most simple and common ways to level a wooden floor. The complexity of the process pays off with the high quality of the result. Most often, scraping is performed for painting (read about wall putty for painting in this one) or varnishing. manual method scraping is impractical due to the high labor intensity and significant time costs. For mechanical scraping, a scraping machine is required, with which you can quickly and accurately make the floor surface as even as possible. With minimal skills, for scraping a room of 20 sq. meters takes 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 dusting.
• Floor surface preparation. Remove all nails and tacks that could damage the scraper. Thoroughly clean the floor of debris.
• Checking the operability of the scraping machine and preparing overalls, a respirator, headphones, thick gloves.
• Direct scraping of the floor. Work should begin from the corner of the room. The first layer is removed when moving the snake.
• Eliminate all cracks, chips and holes with putty. The color of the putty must be selected as close as possible to the color of the wooden surface.
• Processing of all hard-to-reach places of the floor with the help of manual sanding. After the putty dries, it is necessary to carry out a secondary sanding.

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 fairly durable surface, vaguely resembling a particle board.

So innovative and unusual way wood floor leveling is very budgetary and has been growing in popularity in recent years. It is based on the use of a mixture of wetted sawdust and PVA glue, which, after hardening, forms a fairly durable surface, vaguely resembling a particle board. The process is quite lengthy. For leveling the surface, an area of ​​20 sq. meters may take about 8 hours.

Stages of leveling with an adhesive mixture:

1. Remove furniture and clean floors.
2. Execution according to the marking level and the imposition of rails.
3. Filling the space between the slats and the floor with a prepared adhesive mixture. A thick leveling layer is performed in several steps. Each subsequent layer is poured after the previous one has completely dried.
4. Checking the resulting coverage using a level. All defects and errors must be eliminated with putty.
5. Complete drying depends on the thickness and takes at least a day. Additional strength can be given with a chipboard sheet or plywood.

Wait for complete drying (usually it takes a couple of days) and lay the flooring.

Leveling with self leveling compound

Walls should be covered insulating material.

This method is quite simple, and the produced self-leveling compounds, designed 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 fixing all movable boards and removing protruding parts of fasteners. Then it is necessary polish surface to remove paint or varnish residue. Noticeable gaps and gaps are leveled with a thick self-leveling mixture. The walls should be covered with insulating material, and in doorway set a wooden plank 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 leveling

A very popular and common method of alignment. Demanded for styling various kinds floor covering. Plywood sheets of class 4 and above are used. The thickness of the sheet should not be less than 1.2 cm. The optimum lag thickness is 70 mm. good option is a 2nd grade from an array of conifers: spruce, fir or pine. Humidity level - no more than 18-20%. With a competent approach and some skills, a floor area of ​​​​20 square meters. meters can be adjusted for one day.

Leveling steps:

Cost of material and labor in 2015

Most often, construction and repair companies offer floor leveling services. "pouring method". The cost of leveling with a "self-leveling floor" up to 20 mm is 270 rubles. per sq. m. Alignment with a "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 self-leveling floor option is selected, then the consumption of high-quality German mixture Uzin NC 175 with a layer thickness of 3 mm. equal to 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 on your own.

Of course, the most budgetary is the leveling method using PVA glue and putty.

The final 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 "penny", and even free material. With an average filling thickness of 1-1.5 cm with such a mixture, 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.

As a rule, a strong connection gives a ratio of sawdust to glue of 2:1.

The range of prices for scraping floors is very large and depends on the equipment chosen. The price of scraping a wooden floor starts from 119 rubles. per sq. m. For example, sanding work using German technology will cost the customer 500 rubles. per sq. m. Warranty for work - at least 2 years. The price of independent scraping works depends entirely on the cost of the tool used. Renting a scraping machine costs 1000 rubles per day. Buy such a tool for one-time use impractical.

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