Wooden floors allow you to retain heat in your home using minimal technical and material means. It is thanks to this feature that such floors have remained and remain the most widespread throughout their centuries-old history and do not yield their leadership even to the most modern high-tech flooring and coverings.

Floors made from high-quality wood, with proper care, retain their performance characteristics centuries, relatively inexpensive, universal (they can be installed on any type of foundation), harmless to human body and look very impressive. If necessary, they themselves can serve as the basis for installing floors of a different type. In addition, wooden floors are quite easy to install and can be installed in a private house or apartment with just one person.

General principles of wood flooring

Directly genital boards are always laid on joists, but the logs themselves can be laid either on a concrete or even earthen base, or on supports - usually brick, wooden or metal pillars. Rarely, but still used is a technology in which the ends of the joists are embedded in opposite walls or laid on specially provided ledges near the walls and operated without intermediate supports. However, in this case, it is very difficult to cover wide spans - logs of a very large cross-section and weight are required, and it is almost impossible to install them correctly alone...

Installation of wooden floors concrete base practically no different from installing floors in an apartment with floors made of reinforced concrete slabs. The situation is much more complicated with installation of flooring on the first floor of a private house, since in this case it is highly desirable to arrange a ventilated and DRY underground. Its presence largely determines the strength and durability of the finished floor, especially in cases of high groundwater.

A few words about the instrument

The chosen method of installing the floor determines what tools you will need for the job. But in any case, you can’t do without:

• laser level; as a last resort, you can use a hydraulic level, but you will need an assistant to work with it;
• a regular or cross construction bubble level with a length of at least 1 meter; a cross level is preferable, as it allows you to align the plane simultaneously in two directions;
• a hammer weighing no more than 500 g;
• chain saw or circular saw, or a good hacksaw.
• jointer and/or grinder.

The usual carpenter's tools - a square, a small axe, a plane, a chisel, a nail puller - will also not be superfluous.

Floor installation on support pillars

Traditionally, a wooden floor is assembled from the following “layers” (from bottom to top):

• the basis of the entire flooring is logs;
• rough (“bottom”) floor;
• waterproofing layer;
• thermal insulation layer;
• directly wooden floor (finish flooring);
• finishing floor covering.

This entire multi-layer “sandwich” is usually supported by supporting pillars - concrete, brick, wood or metal.

Installation of brick pillars

The best choice today is brick pillars, which have acceptable strength characteristics, are quite affordable from a financial point of view and do not require special labor costs during construction. The only limitation is the height of such support pillars should not exceed 1.5 m; if it is larger, in order to maintain the strength of the supports, their cross-section will have to be increased, which will lead to a sharp increase in the required amount of brick and, accordingly, an increase in material costs for construction. For columns with a height of up to 50-60 cm, a section of 1x1 brick is sufficient; for a height of 0.6-1.2 m, the section is made of at least 1.5x1.5 bricks; for columns up to 1.5 m high, at least 2x2 bricks are laid out.

Anyway under brick supports it is necessary to pour concrete “nickels”, the area of ​​which exceeds the area cross section columns at least 10 cm in each direction. The distance between the centers of the sites is selected within 0.7-1 m ALONG the logs and 0.8-1.2 m BETWEEN logs with a section of 100...150x150 mm. After marking, holes about half a meter deep are dug in the places where the pillars are erected; the main thing is that the bottom should be below the fertile layer of the earth. At the bottom of these mini-pits, a sand and gravel “pillow” is made, onto which the concrete mixture is poured. It is desirable that the surface of the resulting “penny” be several centimeters above ground level.

It is at the stage of laying out the support pillars the horizontality of the future floor is laid, and it is at this stage that it is best to use a laser level. With its help, the level of the LOWER EDGE OF THE JOINT plus 1 cm is marked on the walls, a construction cord is stretched between the opposite walls along this level, and the height of the pillars is adjusted according to its level. It is not at all necessary to extend it strictly to the millimeter - a gap of a couple of centimeters is quite acceptable. When calculating the total thickness of the floor, it should be taken into account that at least its upper plane must be higher than the level of the building’s basement - otherwise it will be extremely difficult to avoid “cold bridges”.

Some features of support pillars

It is worth providing in them availability of fastenings for joist beams. Typically, vertical “studs” with threads embedded in 10-20 cm depth are used as such fasteners or anchor bolts– subsequently, through holes are drilled in the logs in appropriate places, with which the beams are “put on” the resulting pins, and tightened with nuts and washers. The protruding excess threads are cut off with a grinder.

The side surfaces of the columns and, especially, their upper plane, on which the logs will be laid, preferably cover with a layer of durable plaster– it will further strengthen the structure and play the role of additional waterproofing. Lay on the surface of the finished columns 2-3 layers of small pieces of roofing felt.

After the masonry mortar has completely dried and hardened (this takes about a week), logs can already be laid on the finished support pillars.

Laying logs on brick columns

The length of the joists is selected depending on the floor design. When laying on support pillars, there are only two options for such structures - “floating” and rigid.

Floating or hard floors?

In the first case, the entire “sandwich” of the floor lies and is supported solely by posts, without being rigidly tied to the walls or. In the second, the ends of the joists are rigidly attached to the walls in one way or another; This design practically eliminates the “walking” of the flooring, but when the building settles, it may well lead to deformation of the finished floors.

With a “floating” floor option, the length of the joists is 3-5 cm less than the distance from wall to wall. In the second case, the gap should be no more than 2 cm - otherwise it will be difficult to firmly attach the logs to the walls. If necessary, logs can be made from two or more pieces, connecting them into “half-legs” - but the joint must be on the support post and be nailed or (for lag cross-sections up to 10x100 mm) screwed with self-tapping screws.

If the final length of the logs is less than three meters, then they can be laid directly on the supports (not forgetting about the waterproofing gaskets made of roofing felt!); however, it is much better to place flat pieces of board 25-50 mm thick between the roofing felt and the lower plane of the joist beam. In the case of joint joists, this must be done!

Alignment of logs

After laying the logs on the prepared support pillars, they must be “aligned” according to the level. This is done as follows: using thin wooden spacers the two outer beams are laid strictly horizontally, according to a pre-calculated and marked height level. Spacers are currently used only on the outer support pillars; for now, you can ignore the intermediate ones. The ends of the exposed logs are nailed to the walls; In the case of “floating” floors, this fastening will be temporary.

On both sides, at a distance of 0.3-0.5 m from the walls, along the upper planes of tightly laid joists The construction cord is stretched. All other intermediate beams are derived from it; then, if necessary, spacers are installed between the remaining posts and joists. ALL gaskets must be RIGIDLY tied (nailed) to the joists, and, if possible, to the support posts. The beams must lie tightly on the pillars; in extreme cases, gaps of no more than 2 mm are allowed - but not on adjacent pillars.

Subfloor

After laying the joists, a subfloor is made. To do this, a narrow beam (“skull” beam) is nailed along the entire length of the lower cut of the log on each side. Untreated boards with a length equal to the distance between the logs are laid on it between the lags. After laying, these boards are completely covered with a vapor barrier film, onto which insulation is applied or poured. From above, everything is completely covered with a windproof fabric.

Underfloor ventilation

When installing a floor on brick pillars in an underground space ventilation must be provided– forced (with a large cubic capacity of the underground) or natural. Required element such ventilation - the so-called "produkhi": through holes in or walls located below floor level. Such openings must be located around the entire perimeter of the building and under internal partitions, the distance between them should not exceed 3 m.

The dimensions of the vents are usually chosen 10x10 cm, the center of the hole should be at a height of 0.3-0.4 m from the ground level (above the thickness of the winter snow cover). It must be possible to block the vents in winter time. In addition, in order to protect against rodents, the ventilation openings are covered with a fine-mesh mesh.

When if the underground is not too deep(no more than 0.5 m) and the installation of vents is difficult, ventilation holes are made in the floor itself - usually in the corners. These openings are covered with decorative grilles and must always be open.

How to lay floors correctly

Before laying the floorboards, the insulation is covered with a windproof cloth. The choice of board depends on what exactly the surface of the finished floor will be. If it is intended to be natural, it will require tongue and groove batten(with a lock); if you are laying linoleum or laminate, you can get by with a regular edged board. BUT IN ANY CASE, THE WOOD MUST BE WELL DRYED!

Attach the tongue and groove board to the joists

The first board is placed with a gap of 1-1.5 cm from the wall, and not close to it, with the tenon to the wall. The next boards are pressed against the previous ones using some kind of stop (clamps, for example) and a pair of wooden wedges. Boards, especially if they are thicker than 25 mm, are nailed - self-tapping screws in this case do not fit, they do not attract the board well to the upper surface of the joist. The specified gap of 1-1.5 cm must be maintained along the entire perimeter of the room. The existing joints of the ends of the floorboards must be placed in a checkerboard pattern.

Final finishing of the laid floor

After laying the floorboard, the floor is ready for finishing treatment, which consists of grinding (scraping) and coating with paint or varnish. It is almost impossible to do this manually - you should use an electric jointer or grinder. After this very dusty procedure, it is recommended that all “opened” Treat cracks and crevices between boards with wood putty, made on the basis of drying oil. The last operation before painting is to attach the baseboard around the perimeter of the room.

The sanded surface is painted or coated with varnish, for example, yacht varnish; modern paints and varnishes allow you to imitate almost any type of wood or surface of the material. Usually at least two layers of coating are applied; a paint roller and a good respirator are used for the job. If you want to get not glossy, but matte surface You can use wax or oil on the floor.

Modern market building materials, including flooring, provides a huge selection of materials for flooring both in a private house and in an apartment. Recently, most residents give preference to materials of natural origin. Not least on this list is the traditional wooden floor, which has proven its environmental safety over many centuries.

According to experienced builders, the most practical solution- arrangement of a wooden floor on joists, that is, on top of a base of beams or boards of sufficient thickness. There is no need to hire a team of builders; all this can be done with your own hands.

Constructions

Due to some elasticity of the board as a floor covering, the design of the flooring requires the construction of a kind of supporting skeleton, reminiscent of a pie. In addition, the location of its installation - be it the floor of the first or second floor, an attic or terrace in a private urban housing construction, or a balcony (loggia), a bathroom in an apartment - dictates a number of requirements for the structure of the supporting structure before laying the finishing coating.

Regardless of the type of room in which the renovation is being carried out, the design includes some required elements:

• Vapor barrier. Concrete or wooden floor, and in a village house, perhaps, the open ground also needs to be isolated from the supporting skeleton of the log. Wood of any species is a fairly hygroscopic material, and even thorough antiseptic and antifungal treatment does not always eliminate the possibility of rotting or mold. Eliminating the source of dampness means extending the life of the floor many times over. A polyethylene film with a thickness of at least 150 microns (micrometers, “microns”) is suitable for these purposes. The strips are laid with a slight overlap of 5–10 cm, the joints are secured with wide adhesive tape along the entire length of the joint. The tolerance around the perimeter of the wall is about 20 cm.

• Heat and sound insulation. To ensure that the floor always remains warm and sounds do not penetrate either to or from neighbors, the space between the joists should be filled with foam plastic (penoplex). As a safer non-combustible material, it is more advisable to use mineral wool(Isover, Ursa or similar). It is very important to lay the insulator not over the entire height of the log, but leaving 1–2 cm to the top edge, thereby ensuring natural microcirculation of air in the space under the floorboard.

• To ensure that the sound insulation insulation always remains dry and does not lose its insulating properties, another layer of plastic film should be laid on top of it. As with the bottom layer, the edges are overlapped and secured with tape.

Depending on the purpose of the room, one of two options for making a wooden floor is used - cold or insulated.

Cold

This design is suitable for balconies, terraces, attics, hallways and other rooms where residents are rarely and for a short time. In this case, a passive heat-insulating layer - polystyrene foam or mineral wool, discussed above - is sufficient. If the room is dry and the floor is not exposed to moisture from the underside of the base, you can do without thermal insulation.

Insulated

If a heated floor is planned (whether water or electric heating), then the heating elements are laid on top of the film covering the heat-insulating layer. This method is completely safe, since the melting point of polyethylene is significantly higher than the maximum temperature of the heating source.

In addition, the heat from the heating elements, thanks to the heat insulator, is not spent on the concrete or wooden sub-base, but goes to warm up the top finishing coating and is transferred to the room.

Is an underground needed?

The answer to this question depends on where the floor repair is being done. So, if this is the first floor of a private house, then the subfloor is necessary in order to increase the distance of the supporting structure from the open ground. This is especially important when the groundwater level is too close to the surface of the earth and the soil near the house is constantly moist. In these cases, waterproofing the foundation is necessary, but this issue is subject to closer consideration in a separate article.

In other cases, there is no need for an underground floor, and in some cases - a balcony, upper floors - its implementation is simply impossible.

Preparing the base

One of the most important stages preliminary work, which determines the durability of the structure. Proper preparation of the base for flooring will ensure its reliability for several decades, and possibly for several generations of residents.

This stage should be approached with special care and attention.

If work is carried out on the ground floor of a private house, and the foundation (basement) has not been sufficiently waterproofed, it is necessary to pour a sand cushion at least 25 cm thick over the ground. This will ensure a more stable, without sudden changes, humidity environment under the floor.

Of course, it is necessary to ensure natural passive ventilation of the underground space by organizing air exchange with the external environment through small openings in the base. Thus, this will avoid damage to the lower support units by mold and the musty smell of dampness.

If the height of the plinth is sufficient for organizing a subfloor, and according to one of the measurements the distance between load-bearing walls exceeds 4 meters, in this case it is necessary to strengthen the floor covering with additional support posts.

The best solution is 2x2 brick supports: two bricks are placed parallel to each other on a cement-sand mortar, the next row is also parallel to each other, but perpendicular to the previous row. Before this, a hole of at least 50 cm deep with a side of at least 40 cm is dug under the column and filled with concrete to the brim. Reinforcement for these volumes of work is not mandatory, but remains desirable.

If the supports are prepared in compliance with all building codes, then a hole is dug for the column to a depth ¼ greater than the freezing depth of the soil, a cushion of sand or gravel 20–25 cm high is poured onto its bottom and then filled with concrete. In this case, reinforcement is required.

There is a solution with concrete pillars. To do this, formwork is prepared from old, but even boards - a kind of box in the shape of the future column, into which reinforcement is necessarily placed and filled with concrete. This process is a little more labor-intensive and time-consuming, especially when one set of formwork is used, while concrete pillars are much stronger and more economical than brick ones.

The location of the support posts must be calculated so that the distance between them does not exceed one and a half meters. Of course, it is necessary to maintain strict verticality of the columns.

Next, a beam with a cross-section of at least 150x150 mm is laid out along the supporting walls and columns, in the best case – 150x200 mm per edge (the wider side should be located vertically). It is permissible to use a paired board 50x200 mm with short, 30-40 cm inserts from the same board every meter. In general, the step between the beams should not exceed 1 meter; parallelism in laying the beams is mandatory. Fastening to posts - with anchors or dowels.

Concrete and brick areas must then be covered with bitumen mastic, wooden elements must be impregnated with fire and bioprotective solutions, and after drying, they must be coated with a primer for wood. This is how the supporting frame is made.

If the builder is faced with the task of laying a wooden floor on a concrete base, it must be prepared for an engineered board. Fragments of reinforcement protruding from the concrete need to be cut off with an angle grinder (angle grinder, popularly known as an angle grinder), the sagging concrete should be knocked down with a pick or a hammer drill in jackhammer mode, and the recesses should be leveled with cement-sand mortar. If time and budget allow, screed over the entire floor area, this can achieve the required degree of horizontality and evenness of the surface.

If the distance does not allow and you have to lay the floor directly on the ground, then in this case it is better to remove a layer of soil of 20-25 cm, instead pour a cushion of gravel, crushed stone or sand of appropriate thickness, compact it tightly and soak it generously with an antiseptic.

In the best case, instead of a gravel-sand cushion, lay a construction mesh over the entire area and fill it with concrete 10 cm thick. Then lay a waterproofing layer of polyethylene film (at least 350 microns thick), at best roofing material, and carefully glue the joints.

If as engineering board If you are using an old wooden floor, you need to inspect its condition. If some areas are rotten or crumbling, they need to be replaced; creaking or loose boards must be fixed. The wooden base must be primed, an antiseptic must also be applied, then dried and then covered with film.

But even in this case, before the flooring finishing board It is optimal to use logs, since the old coating may dry out, lose strength, and in these places the finished floor may sag.

Whatever option for preparing the subfloor is chosen, it is very important to maintain its horizontalness. This affects both the quality and ease of installation of a wooden floor, and its functionality in the future.

How to choose lags?

For these purposes, it is preferable to use coniferous wood. Due to its natural origin, this variety is already “impregnated” with resins, which prevents it from drying out and protects it from a number of fungal infections, and when proper preparation will ensure long-term durability.

It is convenient to use dried timber with a cross-section of at least 50x50 mm as lag.

It is often used simple board 50 mm thick. There is no need to choose a tongue-and-groove board for the logs, but you need to abandon the usual unedged board with bark residues (wane) on it. Even with thorough impregnation with antiseptics, larvae of wood-boring insects can remain in the cut of a tree, a prominent representative of which is the bark beetle. An ordinary edged board or timber is a sufficient solution for this issue.

It is very important to choose the material for the joists wisely, since they are the first to take the load from the finished floor. When purchasing, you need to take a closer look at the general condition of the material; there should be no mold or traces of it, “wormholes” from woodworm larvae, as well as cracks, chips and other mechanical damage. The presence of knots or “dormant buds” is not critical, but if you have a choice, it is better to choose a board with fewer of them.

In general, the board should be straight, without bends, solid, massive, free of foreign odors, natural, even color, with an even cut.

Location methods

Regardless of which frame the installation is performed on, it is enough to place the logs with a step between them of 50–60 cm. With a larger distance, the upper finishing board may sag (“spring”) and lose strength.

You should start from a higher area, if the subfloor has differences, level it horizontally using a building level, and install logs with the maximum possible parallelism. To do this, it is enough to draw a horizontal line along the opposite walls or pull a construction cord along the mark of the upper surface of the joists.

However, if laying on the ground, a single layer may not be enough. In this case, the bottom layer is laid out in increments of up to 100 cm, the top layer is also laid out in increments of 50–60 cm.

Installation

The technology for fastening the logs is dictated by the subfloor - the base to which they are attached.

In the case of a concrete floor, it is permissible to use construction adhesive (PVA, Bustilat and the like), since rigid fastening is not required - in domestic premises the floor covering experiences almost no lateral loads.

In case of installation on wooden beams, the logs are laid across them and fixed with self-tapping screws at each intersection with the support.

If installation is carried out on top of an old wooden floor, it is enough to fasten the logs to the base with self-tapping screws every 70–100 cm.

In the general case, as when laying on the ground, it will be enough to lay out the logs, then fasten one board at the opposite edges, observing the spacing between the logs.

When further laying the boards, the total weight of the structure will be enough to avoid lateral movement.

Required Tools

To perform the work described, the master will need the following tool:

• building level (metal bubble, usually two meters, and when large area rooms or long corridors may require water or even laser);

• a screwdriver with a bit corresponding to the screws;
• for erecting pillars and working on a concrete base - a pick and trowel;
• a circular saw (as a last resort, a hacksaw);

• grinding machine (belt or disk);
• wooden hammer (mallet);
• tape measure, pencil.

Tools alone are usually not enough.

Additional materials you will need:

• self-tapping screws of sufficient length, but not more than the total thickness of the fastened element and the base;
• polyethylene film, roofing felt;
• construction adhesive or “liquid nails”;

• scotch;
• acrylic paint, varnish;
• putty;
• goggles, gloves, other personal protective equipment.

Determining the step size

Based on the total area and type of subfloor base, it is easy to calculate the required amount of material. For example, with a room geometry of 5x4 meters and laying the logs parallel to the short side, the required number of 4-meter bars with a cross-section of 50x50 mm with a step between them of 50 cm is 11 pieces. It remains to calculate their total length (44 m) and multiply by the length of the sides 0.05x0.05 - in this case the required amount is 0.11 cubic meters.

Important note: since boards and beams are measured by volume - “cubes”, that is cubic meters, when making calculations, all measurements must be reduced to meters, in other words, 50 mm is 0.05 m, and 20 cm is 0.2 m.

Laying lags

One or two days before installing the logs to the base, and after all preparatory work, they need to be brought into the room where the floor repairs will be carried out. Thus, the material will “get used” to the microclimate of the room.

The peculiarity of wood is that when there are changes in humidity or temperature, the material does not change size along the fibers, in other words, the board or timber does not require compensation gaps along the length. And since lumber of a relatively small cross-section is used as logs, the distance from the wall is sufficient to maintain within 5–10 mm.

Starting from the highest point, if there is a difference in height, the logs are laid one by one with preliminary fixation at two points along the edges. Having completed this stage and making sure that all the elements are parallel and at an equal distance from one another, you can finally attach them to the base - with self-tapping screws in increments of no more than one meter.

In the space between the joists, as mentioned above, you can lay heat-insulating material, cover it with moisture-proofing film, securing the edges with tape.

A height difference of a few millimeters is not critical; to compensate for it, it is enough to lay fiberboard sheets end-to-end - for these purposes this is a fairly soft material. You need to lay fiberboard over the entire area of ​​the room; if necessary, you can cut it with a construction knife. Fasten the particle board with fairly short (10–15 mm) nails to the joists, 4–5 per square meter.

Wooden floors are installed not only in wooden houses, but also in brick buildings. This floor looks great and helps create a good microclimate in the room. easy to do with your own hands even if you have minimal carpentry skills. But at the same time, it would be useful to prepare theoretically and consider the most important points of the upcoming work.

There are many options for installing a wooden floor. They are chosen depending on the specific construction conditions where the flooring is to be made. Most often they stop at the following options:

1. A floor with the installation of a rough and insulating layer, which is placed on the ground or floor beams.
2. The floor is made of wood on a concrete base with an insulating layer.

Option number one is usually used by the owners of their own homes. Using this method, you can build a floor both on a ground base in the basement or on the first floor, and on other floors in the form of a ceiling on beams.

Option two involves making a concrete screed as the base for the floor. It can also be used as reinforced concrete floor slabs. In this case, the design of the floor can be significantly changed and improved, which will not only make installation easier, but also make it cheaper.

General rules for arranging a wooden floor

It is better to carry out floor construction work when the heating season ends. During this period it is less likely that wooden materials absorb moisture from the air, which can subsequently have a detrimental effect on their quality. If it is decided to carry out the work in summer time, we must try to wait for the moment when the weather has been good, dry and sunny for the last ten to twenty days.

Like other wood intended for use in construction, lumber should be treated with antiseptics and fire retardants.

Materials for installing wooden floors:

• board made of laminated veneer lumber;
• sheet material - for example, plywood, chipboard;
• uncut board;
• folded board.

Uncut boards and sheet materials are used to make flooring for the subfloor. The flooring will be laid in the future. A folded board and laminated veneer lumber material are used to form a finishing layer that will need to be painted or varnished.

Preparing the base

If a wooden floor is planned to be laid on the ground, reliable reinforcement of the joists must be ensured.

It is planned to waterproof the space under the floor; care must also be taken about insulation.

The base is prepared - for this, soil is removed along the entire perimeter of the room to such a thickness that it is possible to go 20 cm below ground level. A layer of crushed stone and a layer of river sand are poured onto the prepared base, moistened with water and compacted.

On this basis, several brick columns are installed, which will serve as support for the logs. The width of such a column should be two bricks, the height should be 20-40 cm. The bricks are fastened using ordinary cement mortar, on top they are lined up at one level. It must be taken into account that each of the lags should have at least two pillars, which will be located along the edges.

For long joists, posts are added in the middle. The distance between them is calculated depending on the size of the boards for the joists and the planned design load. To make calculations, it is better to contact professional designers.

When laying building materials on beams located between floors, no preparation will be required. On this basis, you can immediately begin distributing lags.

Rolled material is laid on top of the beams or pillars. waterproofing material. After this, the prepared logs are placed on special wooden plates and secured to the posts with anchors. The upper edge of the lags is brought out into a single plane using flats. The outermost logs are lined up using a level, a fishing line is pulled between them, after which the rest are laid along it.

Parts for constructing the subfloor are attached to the bottom of the joists. With a base in the form of soil and logs on pillars, the bars are fastened across the entire length of the room. When laying on beams, the bars must be nailed to the sidewalls of the joists on both sides. For insulation, vapor-permeable materials are used - for example, mineral wool, basalt slabs. They are inserted into the spaces between the joists so that there are no gaps left.

Before laying the wooden floor, a vapor-waterproofing membrane is laid out. It must be laid with an overlap of 20 cm, the joints of the material are well taped. The attachment will depend on the finish chosen. For example, under boards made specifically for flooring with a ventilation gutter, it is not necessary to install slats for fastening.

Concrete floor base

It is much easier to install wooden floors on a concrete base. The joists can be installed with greater frequency, which will reduce the bending load. It is much more convenient to align such logs. The acceptable pitch for logs with a thickness of 20 mm when installed on a concrete base is considered to be 30 cm. For boards with a thickness of 25 mm, the pitch must be maintained at 40 cm. To fix them, you will need construction pins with a diameter of 8-10 cm. Holes for them are drilled in the bars.

After the logs are aligned and secured, they begin laying the boards. It is better to use self-tapping screws for fixation.

At the end of the work, when all the boards are laid out on the floor, finishing is carried out. This can be grinding, scraping, coating with paints and varnishes.

Z knowledge about how to make a wooden floor using joists is quite helpful information, which sooner or later will definitely be useful to you, or is already necessary. Laying a wooden floor with your own hands will provide significant savings, whether you are planning a new construction or major renovation. If you don’t have the desire or time to do the work yourself, you will be able to effectively supervise the work.

The main elements of a wooden floor by joists

Let's look at the main elements of wooden floors laid on joists. This system is used both for the construction of bases with subsequent finishing coating, and for finishing floors.

The main elements of wooden floors by joists:

1. Brick columns (arranged when the floor is laid on the ground using joists)
2. Lags. Representing smooth wooden beams rectangular section;
3. Coating. Boards or artificial sheet materials (OSB, chipboard, plywood).
4. Plinth or fillet are elements of the junction of the floor covering and the wall of the room.

For rough floors, unplaned (often unedged) boards and pressed slabs from waste wood are used. Finish floors are made from high-quality, well-dried, often milled boards that have a curved edge for tongue-and-groove joints and a longitudinal groove for ventilation. Often, such boards are pre-treated with protective and decorative compounds.

Basic requirements for the correct installation of a wooden floor using joists

Laying a wooden floor along joists with your own hands requires strict adherence to the following basic requirements:

1. The logs are installed strictly horizontally (except in rare cases when the slope is provided for by the project)
2. The logs must be stable.
3. The moisture content of the wood used should not exceed 12%.
4. Ventilation of the underground space must be ensured.

If you install a wooden floor with your own hands on the first floors of rooms where the base is soil, the logs are usually laid on brick columns measuring 250x250 in plan, made of ceramic (required!) bricks with cement mortar.

Wood moisture determination

The moisture content of wood is the most important factor when installing a floor using joists. If the wood is damp and not sufficiently dried, the joists and the boards themselves will soon dry out and may change shape, which will ruin the entire floor.

Before starting masonry, you need to build a small foundation under the columns.

We dig square holes, 30*30 cm wide, 30-40 cm deep, level the walls of the holes and compact the base with crushed stone. To do this, on the “patch” where they will stand, we scatter crushed stone in a layer approximately 1.5-2 times the size of the largest pieces. Using a tamper, we “drive” crushed stone into the ground.

We make formwork from boards so that our foundation protrudes above the ground level by about 10 cm. Fill it → not lower than grade 200 (the link tells about preparing concrete with your own hands). Let it dry for at least a week, then lay roofing felt waterproofing on top of the foundation. We begin laying bricks.

The foundation formwork for our columns must be aligned in one plane, for this we use a laser plane builder, or → (the link explains what a hydraulic level is and how to use it), so that all the columns are on the same level. If for the first time you have deviations of about 1 cm, it’s not a big deal, the main thing is to align the pillars. You can adjust the level using masonry mortar, making its layer smaller or larger when laying brick columns.

Installing logs yourself

For logs laid on columns (pedestals), we use 50x100 mm timber. At the same time, we leave the distances between the centers of the columns (bollards) per meter or so. As the distance between the columns increases, the section of the log also increases.

When making a wooden floor using joists with your own hands on concrete floor slabs, we lay the joists directly on the concrete. For logs laid on a solid base, you can use timber of a much smaller cross-section, because they will not experience bending load. In fact, in this case, logs are needed for precise alignment and for nailing the boards. The size of the bars 40x50 or 50x50 will be quite enough.

One of the most ancient and frequently used materials in construction is wood. Due to its operational and aesthetic qualities, the popularity of wood is always at its best. One of the constant uses of wood has been wooden floors. Private houses, dachas and even modern apartments, in which there is a plank floor, will always have an attractive and cozy appearance. Creating such floors is a task that requires increased attention, certain skills and full dedication. To lay a plank floor, in addition to the skills of a carpenter, you will also need knowledge of the features of its structure and installation methods.

A plank floor in an apartment on joists is a common option and very convenient.

Wood selection

Laying plank flooring requires knowledge and ability to choose the right wood. The quality of the materials used directly affects the result of the work. To create a beautiful and warm plank floor, coniferous wood is suitable - pine, spruce, larch, cedar. You can also use oak or ash. These breeds will delight you with their durability and strength, as well as their exquisite appearance. When choosing a particular type of wood, you should adhere to certain rules:

• Wood moisture content should be about 12%. The tree’s ability to maintain its shape directly depends on this indicator;
• boards must be free of cracks, chips or other damage. Such boards must be immediately rejected, otherwise the floor section will have to be replaced or frequently repaired;
• selected boards should be treated with fire retardants and antiseptics. These measures are necessary to protect them from pathogenic flora and bark beetles, as well as to reduce the fire hazard of the tree;
• To create a durable and strong plank floor, you should choose hardwood or at least hardwood such as oak or ash.

Installation of plank floors

The complexity and cost of the work will depend on what kind of foundation will be created for the plank floor. The wooden plank floor in private houses is laid on the ground, and on the upper floors of a private house and in apartments the plank floor is laid on the interfloor floors.

Floor on the ground on joists

Diagram of a plank floor using beams

The arrangement of a plank floor on the ground imposes certain requirements on the structure as a whole. Firstly, such floors are created only on columnar or strip foundations. Secondly, the underground space must have good ventilation, and the foundation must have high-quality waterproofing in order to protect wooden structure from rotting, fungus and bark beetles. In addition, the underground space affects the microclimate of the premises. The better the ventilation and waterproofing of the underground is created, the more comfortable the rooms will be. The ground floor structure itself consists of the following elements: support beams or pillars, logs, base for insulating materials, hydro- and thermal insulation, subfloor, plank flooring.

Important! It should be noted that there is a double and single wooden floor. The difference between them is that when creating a single floor, the plank flooring is laid directly on the joists; thermal and waterproofing is often not laid. Single floors are the cheapest and easiest to install, so they are created in country houses with seasonal accommodation.

To install a plank floor on the ground, the following work must be done:

• If the structure of the house includes support beams, then the logs are laid on them. Otherwise, you will have to create concrete or brick support pillars. The distance between beams and posts should be from 70 cm to 100 cm, this depends on the thickness of the beams and joists.
• We lay several layers of waterproofing on the support beams or pillars. Roofing material is perfect for these purposes.
• We lay the logs on top and secure them to the supports using metal corners and dowels.

Important! The floor must be level and in the same plane. To achieve this, you need to control the horizontal level of the log using a level.

• Next, between the logs we arrange a base for hydro- and thermal insulation. We take moisture-resistant plywood and lay it on supports between the joists.
• Now we lay waterproofing over the entire area. A polyethylene film 200 microns thick, laid in two or three layers, is perfect for this.
• We fill the space between the logs with insulation, which has a low density, flexible structure, low thermal conductivity and does not leave gaps when laid. Most often, mineral wool or glass wool is used.
• We lay a subfloor on top of the joists. To install it you can use wooden boards low grade and with minimal processing, thickness from 15 mm to 50 mm. The main thing is that when laying them, they fit tightly to each other and are firmly secured to the joists with self-tapping screws.
• The next step will be the boardwalk. For its installation, high-quality solid boards with processed edges are used.

Floor on a concrete base on joists or plywood

Plank floor on a concrete base - diagram

The arrangement of plank floors for apartments and upper floors of private houses is carried out along the interfloor floors. IN modern construction A concrete slab is used as flooring. The design of the plank floor in this case will be somewhat simpler and easier to make. The structural elements of a plank floor on concrete are: vapor barrier, joists, thermal insulation, subfloor, plank flooring. The main condition is to create a level and solid foundation. Therefore, first of all, a full inspection will have to be carried out, and if cracks, depressions or other irregularities are identified, a number of preparatory work will have to be carried out:

• clean the concrete base from dirt and dust and impregnate it with a deep-action primer;
• make the screed with a self-leveling mixture, let it dry and begin laying the vapor barrier.

You can use logs or plywood as a supporting base for a plank floor. The choice depends on the type of concrete base. If there is a need to save on thermal insulation, then you will have to make a high-quality concrete screed and level it. After which you can lay sheets of plywood that will perform the functions thermal insulation material, as well as a supporting base for plank flooring. Sheets are attached to concrete floor using dowels and screws. After which you can lay the plank floor and secure it to the base.

Important! Despite the economy and simplicity of arranging a plywood base, labor costs will be an order of magnitude higher compared to logs. It's all about the amount of fasteners. So, to attach plywood, you need 15 attachment points per 1 m2.

The design of a plank floor on a concrete base with supports made of logs is no different in design from a wooden floor on the ground. The main difference is the thickness of the logs themselves. If for floors on the ground you have to choose a thicker beam of 100 * 100 mm, then for a plank floor on concrete you can take a thinner one - 50 * 50 mm. In addition to this, for a plank floor on concrete it is necessary to create a vapor barrier layer, which is laid under the joists or plywood. The structure of the plank floor on the ground and on the concrete base should be at a distance of 2-3 cm from the walls. This will create a ventilated space and keep the floor from damp. To hide this gap, we nail a baseboard over the boardwalk.

Plank flooring

a) - “butt”, b) - “in a quarter”, c) - “in a tongue and groove”. The most common types and methods of laying plank flooring

Plank flooring is the final step in creating a wooden plank floor. The work to create it requires the most attention and is the most labor-intensive. For the flooring itself you can use massive board thickness from 25 to 50 mm. The board itself must have edges processed in a certain way. In total, there are three ways to lay boards and three ways to process the ends. The first method is “butt” - the edge is cut at a right angle and planed for a perfect fit. The second method is “quarter” - the edge of the board on different sides is processed in such a way that an overlap is created when laying. The third method is “tongue and groove” - the edge of the boards is a tongue-and-groove system. When choosing one type of board or another, remember that the edges must be free of any damage and absolutely smooth, otherwise cracks will appear during operation and the floor will begin to creak.

Laying plank flooring

To lay a plank floor, you must do the following:

• the first thing to do is to bring the boards into the room and let them sit and get used to the microclimate for two to three days;
• we mark the floor. To do this, draw the center line of the room. We set an equal distance from it to the wall and, not reaching 15-20 mm, mark another one. It is from this that we will begin laying the boards;
• to maintain a gap between the wall and the board, insert a wooden spacer between them;
• lay and secure the first board. If we use tongue and groove boards, then we lay it with a tenon against the wall. We use self-tapping screws as fasteners; the length of the screw should be 2.5 times the thickness of the board. At the fastening points we drill holes for the self-tapping screw and countersunk, this is necessary so that the board does not crack when screwing in the self-tapping screw. As a place for fastening, we select a groove on the side of the board opposite to the tenon, where we make holes at an angle of 45°. We use the same fastening method when laying “in a quarter”. When laying end-to-end, the boards can be secured from above;

Important! The plank flooring is laid perpendicularly subfloor. If the length of the boards is less than the length of the room, then we lay them “staggered” and make sure that their joints fall in the middle of the joists. Each subsequent row must be laid with growth rings in the opposite direction.

Methods for fixing floor boards

• We lay the second row of boards, fitting them tightly to the first. For these purposes, you can use a rubber hammer to avoid damaging the edge. When laying tongue and groove boards, make sure that the tenon fits tightly into the groove. When laying “quarter” and “butt”, it is enough to make sure that the boards fit tightly to each other;
• Now you should lay and fix the second row. To do this, you can use staples and wedges that are driven into the boards to fix and press them down before they are secured. But there is a possibility of accidentally splitting the board. Therefore, to obtain tightly fitted boards, you can use clamps that press against the stop to wedge the boards;
• further laying of the plank flooring is carried out by repeating the previous steps.

The surface of the created plank floor is scraped and covered with some kind of floor covering. But in order to enjoy the natural beauty and warmth of wood, the surface should be varnished or waxed. Despite the simplicity of its design, plank flooring requires certain skills and abilities. But the desire to do everything with your own hands will help you master them in the shortest possible time.