Quite rarely, plank floors are leveled with. Experts believe that it is not very rational to burden the wooden coating with a heavy concrete slab. In addition, the wood base and the cement layer do not coexist so well, both during pouring and solidification, and during operation. Many professionals prefer to fill other alignment schemes - dry. Nevertheless, there are many who want to make an underground house in a wooden house, or lay it in the kitchen and in the hallway - in such and similar cases, and the arrangement of concrete on a wood base helps. Methods for this exist, and they have some characteristic features.
What does this give us? The wooden component of the structure can move as it pleases, but the screed that lies motionless will not crack and will not begin to crumble from changes in the configuration of the draft base.
Features of the concrete floor device in the house: the use of the film
Scheme of a concrete screed on a wooden floor A reasonable question arises: why polyethylene film? It is not so favorable for a neighborhood with a rather capricious tree, it contributes. Moreover, in wooden buildings it is successfully replaced with glassine, bituminous mastic or impregnated roll materials. It turns out that concrete does not stick to polyethylene film at all.
Thanks to this feature:
- on both sides of the border (film), both the screed and the base can move freely;
- wood and cement do not interact with each other, wood will not suck moisture from the hardening concrete, causing the formation of cavities and shells;
- the poured layer of cement alignment will not pull polyethylene, will not stretch and tear it;
- after hardening, the concrete will not begin to gradually absorb moisture from the wood, contributing to the formation of cracks in the wood.
Important necessary precautions for those who decide to take on the concrete floors in the house with their own hands. You will definitely have to process all the wooden parts of the structure, even before the start of work, and with the Aquastop water-repellent primer. So you can minimize the negative impact of polyethylene on wood, and reliably protect the base.
Floating screed: concrete floor installation in the house
We have considered the principle of technology, now let us dwell on the progress of work and their sequence:
- it is necessary to remove the flooring of the boards and conduct a thorough audit;
- all unusable lags, unreliable and not inspiring confidence, must be removed and replaced;
- if the bearing capacity of all the lags is insufficient for the planned load, then they must be reinforced with an additional beam. The step between the individual components should be no more than 0.3-0.4 meters;
- floorboards are returned to their place, damaged ones can be turned over;
- we seal the gaps between the individual boards with a sealant.
On the walls we mark the zero level, at a height convenient for you. It is determined with the help of a meter.
Concrete screed - reinforced The height is chosen arbitrarily, it can be from 0.3 to 0.7 m from the base of the dismantled coating. Equal segments are laid down from the line of the vertical level drawn on the wall, their size depends on the planned thickness of the future screed. It will be quite convenient to immediately mark the width on the wall. In this case, when the height is exceeded, it will be easier to immediately slightly reduce the thickness of the leveling layer.
What should you pay attention to? The standard capacity of a floating cement slab is five centimeters. It should be remembered that a layer already one centimeter thick will put pressure on one square of a wooden covering weighing about 120 kg. Without proper strengthening of the lag, their wooden structure is not able to withstand such a mass. Logs or must be securely reinforced, or (if possible) replaced with a metal channel.
Concrete floor pouring: insulation device
The next steps in the manufacture of the leveling screed are the construction of insulating cut-off barriers that will be between the planned leveling layer of the wooden base of the floor. The result of our actions should be a kind of pallet, the walls of which do not let water through.
Floor insulation scheme - Along the perimeter of the room, along all four walls, a foamed polystyrene fence is being constructed. A tape made of this material is attached with tape or a stapler (the first is better). Its thickness is 1-2 centimeters, and the width should be greater than the power of the future screed. In addition to the role of the barrier, this part will be able to neutralize sound vibrations. Also, with its help, the floating plate will be able to slightly lengthen and expand. When the finish coating is laid, the excess that comes to the surface is cut off, and these places are covered with a baseboard or its substitute.
- A layer of polyethylene film is laid with an overlap of 10 cm on each other, and with an approach to the walls of 15-20 cm.
What is extremely important? In waterproofing, the presence of holes, folds, slots and holes is strictly not allowed. Work should be carried out carefully, trying not to pierce or tear the layer of waterproofing material. If holes are nevertheless formed, they should be closed with patches from the same material.
It is best when the polyethylene film interlayer does not have any joints at all. If this does not work out, then all existing joints, with indispensable overlaps, must be securely taped with adhesive tape.
Carefully sealed insulation will ensure the quality and reliability of the leveling layer.
Lighthouses for leveling the concrete floor in a private house
Beacons for concrete screed - for a flat floor This task requires special care and accuracy. Do not use metal nails and screws. It is most convenient to form special beds over the entire equipped surface. They are made from the same solution, the same consistency and the same composition as the planned screed. A heavy strip of mortar will not allow the film to lift up and wrinkle when the master walks, as it will be tightly pressed to the base.
The distance from the outer bed to the wall should be approximately 20-30 cm. The distance between the individual ridges should be one meter or a little more. This is necessary in order to make it convenient to level the screed, relying on the beacons as a rule. Reinforcing mesh for the floor
The thick cement pad, which is the screed, needs reinforcement. Most often, its role is played by a metal mesh, simply laid on the floor. But above we have already noted the extreme importance of the integrity of the insulating film separating the cement mass and the wooden base. It is not easy enough to move along a rigid, lying on a polyethylene film, and not break the latter.
Let's also pay attention to the fact that the reinforcement is designed to strengthen not only the very bottom of the concrete layer.
It should be deep in the mass of concrete, and in order to ensure such an arrangement, it is advisable to pour the cement not in one step, but at least in two, or more:
- initial layer;
- mesh laying, placement of beacons, finishing pouring.
Those who are aware of the performance characteristics of concrete are probably well aware of how much each individual layer of such a screed dries. Between these two steps, you will have to wait at least 28 days, which is almost a month, and you will have to wait the same amount after pouring the last layer.
Is there a way to avoid such a long wait? Yes, there is such a method, but then it is better to use fiberglass instead of a metal mesh. In the process of preparing the concrete mixture, they are introduced into its composition, and their randomly placed parts provide good adhesion of the material in all directions. An additional plus - already heavy, the screed will be noticeably lighter, because the fiber weighs several times less than the reinforcement.
Concrete screed in a wooden house: pouring
It is performed according to the usual, traditional scheme.
The progress of work can go in different ways: it depends on the floor area of the room, and on its configuration.
- The entire area of \u200b\u200bthe room, work starts from the opposite wall to the entrance.
- Each room is separate, while it is separated from the adjacent room at the time of work by a partition from the board (formwork).
What are the rules for caring for a concrete screed in a private house? Approximately 24 hours after the end of the pour, the finished cement pad is well moistened. Then, during the week, it is moistened daily (sprayed). After four days, the coating made is closed with a plastic film so that it parted with moisture evenly. It is also recommended to ensure the uniformity and stability of air humidity and temperature in the room.
All photos from the article
The question of whether it is possible to make a screed on a wooden floor is not even subject to discussion among specialists. Such an opportunity exists almost always, so any of us will be able to level the base on the boardwalk with a mortar. Naturally, the alignment technology has its own characteristics, therefore, before starting work, it is necessary to study all available information on this technique.
Foundation Requirements
A screed on a wooden floor for tiles or other coatings is performed when we need to get the most even and stable surface, practically not subject to deformation.
Actually, it is from these considerations that the basic requirements for the flooring on which we will pour the solution are formed.
- Firstly, neither wet nor dry screed on a wooden floor should move during curing and operation.. Accordingly, the plank layer must also be completely motionless, therefore, before starting work, it must be qualitatively strengthened.
- Secondly, the thickness of the cement-sand layer in some cases (for example, when laying a warm water floor) can reach 10 - 12 cm. Accordingly, the mass of the solution will be considerable, and the load on the base will increase. It is for this reason that in some cases it is required to strengthen the structure of a wooden floor by laying additional logs or.
Note!
In residential premises, the lag laying step is sometimes 75 - 90 cm.
For pouring the screed, the optimal distance between the support beams is about 40 cm.
- Thirdly, even with the ideal fulfillment of the previous points, we will not be able to achieve complete immobility of the wooden flooring, which means that the cement screed on the wooden floor will experience deformation loads. To prevent its cracking, it is imperative to lay reinforcement in the thickness of the cement - either a mesh of reinforcing wire or steel / polymer fiber.
- Finally, it must be borne in mind that the price of work and their labor intensity in this case will be quite high.. It is for this reason that it is worth considering the use of thin-layer anhydrite-based self-levelling coatings or laying plywood boards.
Naturally, these are only the most general requirements that are put forward to the foundation. How to prepare the boardwalk for work and how to pour the solution as efficiently as possible - we will tell in the next section.
The process of arranging the screed
Necessary materials
Before making a screed on a wooden floor, we need to buy everything that is needed for successful work. The task before us is not too difficult, and therefore the shopping list will be small.
To make it easier for us to navigate, we will compile it in the form of a table:
| Operation | materials | Tools |
| Foundation preparation |
|
|
| Floor waterproofing |
|
|
| Installation of beacons |
|
|
| Screed reinforcement |
|
|
| Filling and leveling |
|
|
Note!
Here we provide a complete list of materials and tools needed for the job.
Naturally, having chosen one of the technologies (for example, having decided that the floor screed on the wooden floor will be poured using the finished composition), this list needs to be adjusted.
Preparatory work
So, to the question whether it is possible to pour a screed on a wooden floor, we gave a positive answer, we also purchased everything necessary for work; you can begin to perform basic operations.
And before pouring the screed on the wooden floor, it must be prepared:
- We carry out an audit of the coating, if necessary, replacing all rotten and deformed boards.
Note!
It is better to take parts for replacement as dried as possible so that over time they do not begin to rot.
- If necessary, we eliminate the deflection of the boards by placing additional logs.
- We deepen the heads of the nails protruding above the floor plane with the help of a finisher.
- Using a scraper or planer, we cut off large irregularities.
Wood floors are rarely leveled with concrete. According to the firmly entrenched opinion of builders, it makes no sense to place an overly heavy monolithic slab on a wooden floor. The wooden base and the concrete layer are not very “friendly” with each other, both during the solidification period and during operation, which is why the predominant number of specialists recommend preferring dry leveling schemes. However, those who want to lay tiles in the washing department or arrange underfloor heating are still looking for ways in which a concrete floor screed can be poured over a wooden base. There are methods, and they have specific features.
The nuances of working with a wooden floor
Wood is a special material, which, in addition to a mass of technological advantages, has one significant drawback. It is not static, even after construction, lumber continues to “live” according to their own laws. Fluctuations in the level of humidity, changes in the temperature background cause the scaffold to increase and decrease in volume, shrink in height, stretch and contract in a linear dimension. For this reason, after the construction of the log house, they do not carry out a fine finish for two years.
Attention. Pouring concrete mortar over a new wooden floor is strictly prohibited. Leveling with concrete is possible only after 3-4 years of operation.
Wooden structures continue to move even after the completion of two years of post-construction shrinkage, although without the same agility. Equipped with underfloor heating systems, wooden floors set in motion every switch-on with subsequent shutdown.
Unlike lumber, an artificially created stone slab slightly changes its geometric parameters in a linear direction during the hydration period. After complete solidification, the concrete layer does not show any tendency to move at all. If they were in a tight bundle, the instability of the "frisky" wood would cause crumbling cracks in the concrete. Here, in order to allow each of the structural elements to act according to their characteristic principles, without harming each other, an alignment technology was invented that was not related to the base and walls.
Technological principle of concrete leveling
The essence of the technology, according to which a concrete screed is poured onto a wooden floor, is to create a boundary between the moving components of wood and a monolithic slab. To do this, the leveling layer is cut off from the walls of the room to be equipped with a damper tape, and from the base with a plastic film. The result is a floating deck that is not connected to either the timber or log walls or the base. Thanks to this, the wooden elements of the structure can continue to move in any of the directions, and the screed lying like a tray will not crack and crumble from a continuous change in the position of the rough substrate.
Why use polyethylene film?
After all, contact with it negatively affects the wood, providing conditions for the flourishing of rot and fungus. Usually, in wooden structures, instead of this budgetary waterproofing, glassine, bituminous mastic, roofing felt, or new roll materials with bituminous impregnation are used. The fact is that concrete absolutely does not stick to polyethylene, due to which:
- both the base and the screed will be able to “ride” along the insulating boundary;
- the concrete leveling layer will not pull polyethylene behind it, tear it and stretch it;
- the indestructible limit will remain inviolable, will not allow the wood to suck moisture from the hardening concrete, which is why shells form;
- concrete will not absorb moisture from the wood base, causing it to crack.
Note! Those who decide that a concrete floor screed will be laid with their own hands must definitely take care of the foundation itself and minimize the negative from contact with polyethylene. Before laying the waterproofing layer, wooden structural elements will need to be treated with an antiseptic and an Aquastop primer with water-repellent properties.
Floating screed technology
We figured out the principle, it remains to implement it. Traditionally, you need to start with preparation:
- we remove the boardwalk and carry out a thorough audit;
- we identify lags that do not inspire confidence, we irrevocably change everything that is unreliable;
- in case of insufficient bearing capacity of the lag system, we increase their number, that is, we install an additional beam so that the step between the lags becomes approximately 30-40 cm;
- we fix the floorboards back, if they are in a suitable condition, it is better to turn over slightly damaged boards;
- We fill the gaps between the boards with sealant.
We have finished with the preparation, we keep the time indicated on the package of the sealed “putty”, and generously cover the wooden floor with waterproof primer, after which we let it hydrolyze.
On the walls we mark at an arbitrary height the zero level found by a conventional level gauge or laser device. This landmark can be located at an arbitrary height, approximately 30-70 cm from the plane of the dismantled coating. From the obtained points of the zero horizontal, we lay down equal distances, taking into account the thickness of the future concrete screed. It will be more convenient to immediately postpone the thickness of the floor covering, so that in case of exceeding the height, you can slightly reduce the thickness of the leveling layer.
Note. The standard thickness of a concrete floating slab is 5 cm. Please note that a layer of 1 cm will "fall" on 1 m² of a wooden floor with a weight of 100-120 kg. Without strengthening the lag system, a wooden structure is not able to withstand such pressure. If possible, builders recommend replacing wooden beams with a metal channel altogether.
Insulation device for concrete leveling
Further steps for the installation of a leveling concrete screed are associated with the construction of cut-off insulating barriers between the wooden parts of the floor and the future leveling layer. The result should be a kind of pallet made of water-resistant material:
- First, along the walls, we will create a fence from foamed polystyrene tape, attaching it around the perimeter of the room with a stapler, but better with tape. The width of the strip should be greater than the power of the screed being constructed, the thickness is 1-2 cm. This element, in addition to creating a barrier, will dampen sound vibrations, and also provide the floating slab with the opportunity to slightly expand and lengthen. After laying the final coating, the excess protruding above the surface is cut off, and this technological gap is closed with a plinth or its venerable substitute - a 10 cm board with a galvanized ventilation grill.
- Then we lay polyethylene with a 15-20 cm overhang on the walls and with a 10 cm overlap on the previous strips.
Note. Folds, holes, punctures, especially holes in the waterproofing should not be. All further actions on the installation of a concrete screed should also be carried out, trying not to pierce, tear, pierce the insulating layer. On accidentally appeared holes, you need to apply polyethylene patches.
It is desirable that the waterproofing layer has no joints at all, but if this could not be avoided, all joints with obligatory overlaps are firmly glued with adhesive tape. Perfect tightness of the insulation is the key to the excellent work of the leveling layer.
Construction of beacons for leveling
It is necessary to carry out these actions with special care, in no case using screws and nails. The best way is to form beds from a solution with the same composition and consistency as the future screed throughout the area to be equipped. A continuous strip of mortar will firmly press the polyethylene to the base and prevent it from warping and bulging when the master walks on the floor.
Note. Between the wall and the extreme bed, the distance should be 20-30 cm. A meter or 1.2 m should remain between the parallel ridges, so that leaning the rule on the beacons, it is convenient to level the screed.
We lay a metal profile on top of the constructed ridges and drown it in the mixture, reaching the previously marked height, that is, the level of the leveling layer. It is desirable to perform all actions for installing beacons one hour after mixing the mortar, until it begins to set.
The use of microfiber instead of reinforcement
A rather thick concrete layer needs reinforcement. Usually it was a metal mesh, tritely laid on the floor. I hope those who want to learn how to properly and reliably make a concrete screed on a wooden base have not forgotten that it is important to maintain the integrity of the separating insulation layer. Agree, it would be difficult to move on a metal mesh, and even work, without catching and not making a hole in polyethylene.
Recall that the reinforcement generally should not reinforce only the “bottom” of the alignment layer. Its place is in the body of concrete, and in order to achieve the correct location, it would be necessary to pour the screed in at least two steps:
- first layer first;
- then laying the grid with the installation of beacons and final pouring.
Those who are in the know and know perfectly well how long each layer of concrete screed will dry, this option must have puzzled. Between the first stages and the second it is necessary to withstand almost a month (28 days), and the same amount upon completion of all work.
In order not to turn floor leveling into a long-term epic, it is better to use fiberglass for strengthening. They are introduced into the concrete mixture during the preparation period. The random arrangement of polymer fibers will provide strong bonds in all possible directions. In addition, the mass of a heavy screed will be significantly reduced due to the rejection of traditional heavy fittings.
Direct pouring of concrete
It is carried out according to the traditional technological scheme. Depending on the area of the forthcoming leveling, the mixture is filled with:
- or in turn each room, separated from the adjacent room by a kind of formwork - a partition from the board;
- or the entire area with the start of work from the wall opposite the front door.
A day after leveling on the lighthouses, these rails must be removed. Treat the furrows remaining from the profiles with soil, fill with mortar and level with a trowel.
The rules for maintaining a concrete screed and cement-sand leveling are similar. A day after pouring, the screed is abundantly moistened, then sprinkled with water daily for another week. For four days, a fresh concrete floor must be covered with polyethylene so that the screed is evenly parted with moisture throughout its entire capacity. It is necessary to ensure the stability and uniformity of the temperature background and the percentage of moisture in the air.
PCI Periplan Ready Leveling Video
It is worth getting acquainted with the technological intricacies both for those who independently take on the difficult task of arranging a screed with concrete mortar, and for those who decide to turn to builders. The result of non-compliance with the rules is the inevitable costly rework.
If in a room, whether it be an apartment, a cottage, a country house or a summer kitchen, there are wooden or tile floors that are strong enough and have not rotted over time, the evenness of which does not satisfy the owners at all or does not meet the standards, then these floors are not removed. Directly along them, a concrete screed is made on a wooden floor. At the same time, all elevations are coordinated with existing doors (if repairs are being made in an old house) and various pipes: water, heating and sewer. It is likely that the lower part of the leaf of those doors that will open into the room where the screed will be made will have to be shortened by lower filing. Sometimes they simply replace the door, and redo all the piping.
For the installation of special screeds on existing floor coverings, only those mixtures are used that can be suitable for this, because performing such work on a wooden floor is a rather risky undertaking. The risk is that if the floor is old or with rotten lower beams, the entire screed may collapse at one moment or gradually.
Easy-leveling and fast-hardening cement-based mixes are just right for leveling wooden floors. It is better to strengthen such a screed with a special reinforced fiber. The strength of such a screed for compression and deformation is best checked on day 28. Only in this case, there is a guarantee that walking people and objects on the floor will not cause damage to her. Most often they make a screed with a layer of 10 mm.
Cement screed on a wooden floor takes place in several stages:
Foundation preparation
The strength of the floor is the main condition for achieving a good result. The flaking or weak top layer of the former cement-sand screed is eliminated by grinding or milling. Fat accumulated over the years of operation of the floor, sometimes glue, as well as old water-soluble leveling compounds, must be removed. All irregularities with a height of more than 10 mm are leveled with special cement-based mixtures before starting work. Full alignment is carried out only immediately after the final hardening of the mixture that has penetrated into the recesses. If the screed is being driven along the old tiled floor, then look at the rebounded tiles. It is best to remove them altogether, and level the remaining space with a mixture.
When installing screeds on old wooden or so-called "black" plank floors, absolutely all boards must be securely nailed to the logs. Those boards that bend or rotted are necessarily replaced with new ones. Swinging boards are additionally screwed with self-tapping screws to the logs. In no case should the floor creak or sag. The holes in the base of the floor and the places of all kinds of leaks of the cement mortar are sealed, and the gaps between the boards of such a floor are puttied with parquet putty based on wood dust or some kind of home-made putty. They are made with 4 parts of any sawdust and only 1 part of the available oil paint. Water-soluble putties are not allowed here.
When a screed is made on a wooden floor, all skirting boards are removed. They are replaced with thinner small boards that will cover the gaps between the wall and the floor. When such boards are installed, all the gaps between them and the floors are puttied. The gap that is between the floors and the wall temporarily becomes a closed special board. After removing the last screed from the screed, this gap will be open again and thus ensure ventilation of the entire underground space. Ventilation is needed to "prevent" rotting of the lower part of the floor.
Surface priming
The wood floor is sanded and then vacuumed and primed according to all instructions. Treatment with this primer dispersion improves the adhesion of the cement leveling compound to the substrate and prevents the formation of unnecessary air pockets. In addition, thanks to the primer, the water present in the screed will not be quickly absorbed into the base. Another important purpose of the primer is its ability to improve the spreadability of the leveling mixture.
Dry floors are primed twice. And if multi-layer leveling is performed, then the treatment with soil dispersion is carried out immediately before each leveling layer.
The floor, before being treated with a dispersion based on a primer, should not even be slightly damp, otherwise the primer will not bring the expected results.
Foundation reinforcement
On weak wooden floors, it is best to use fiberglass mesh, which is necessary to increase the strength of the leveling layer. This mesh is attached directly to the base - the floor, using pneumatic stapler staples for this purpose. Staples will prevent the mesh from floating out of the solution. It is possible to melt the mesh directly in the process of applying the cement screed. The reinforcing system should be located approximately in the middle or lower third of the thickness of the screed, but in no case below it. Therefore, when driving staples, it is necessary to take into account the force of their driving into the floor surface.
Mixture kneading
A floor screed in a wooden house cannot take place without the mixture itself. Therefore, special attention is paid to its preparation. Mixes are usually used in 25 kg bags. They are comfortable and do not take up much space. 6.5 liters of water are poured onto a mixture bag in a special container. If the desired consistency is not reached, you can add another 0.5 liters of water, but not more, otherwise the solution will turn out to be watery and it will be difficult for them to work. In addition, with an overdose of water in the solution, flaking and weakening of the strength of the entire leveled surface can occur. Mixing of water and mixture is carried out with a drill. A whisk attachment is inserted into the cartridge. Interfere for at least a minute. It is important that the mixture is homogeneous - homogeneous. Ready mixture is suitable for only 15 minutes from the moment of its mixing (mixing) with water. It is important to observe the necessary temperature indicators of the floor surface and the mixture. In particular, the solution should not be below +10 degrees in temperature. In cold conditions, when the screed is made in a new house without heating, warm water is used, its maximum temperature should be +35.
Screed application
The question of how to make a wooden floor screed has not yet been fully dismantled. And now, when the mortar and the surface of the wooden floor are ready for contact, they proceed to the most important thing - applying the screed.
Work at this stage should be without interruption until the entire surface of the screed is leveled. The mixture is applied with special steel or notched trowels. After pouring, the leveled surface will become suitable for careful walking in about 4 hours. If necessary, the resulting surface is ground. It is better to do this 6 hours after the direct application of the mixture. Before grinding, they take out the boards that stood in place of the baseboards.
Sealing expansion joints
In places where there were expansion joints, for example, in doorways, a layer of leveled screed is cut around the grinder after the surface allows you to walk on its own. After this procedure, the seams are filled with a special elastic material designed strictly for seams.
Mix flow calculation, tool cleaning
When calculating the consumption of a leveling mixture for a screed on a wooden floor, one must proceed from the following ratio: for every 1.5 kg / m² of the mixture, there should be a layer thickness of 1 mm.
And speaking about the cleaning of tools, it must be said that all unhardened material residues are washed off with plain water, and hardened ones are mechanically cleaned off. The working tool is also washed with water, and immediately after completion of work.
Screed on a wooden floor video
In this part of the article, you can watch a video showing how to properly make a screed on a wooden floor.
To date, there are many floor coverings, however, the tree that has been tested for centuries has not lost its relevance, and is still very popular. As a result, many homeowners decide to mount wood planks over concrete screed. This procedure is not too complicated, but requires certain knowledge, therefore, below we will take a closer look at how a wooden floor is installed over concrete.
General information
Often, before performing repairs, people think about which floors are better - wooden or concrete?
At first glance, concrete floors may seem more practical for the following reasons:
- They do not rot, resulting in more durable;
- Over time, they do not begin to creak, unlike a wooden floor;
- They have good durability.
- Moisture resistant, etc.
However, it is no secret that a concrete floor is colder than a wooden one and, of course, less comfortable. As for the disadvantages of the boardwalk, such as the tendency to rot or loosen and creak, with the observance of modern installation technologies, they cease to be a problem.
Therefore, when deciding which floor to lay - concrete or wood, you should take into account the conditions of its operation. For example, in the bathroom or in the kitchen it is more expedient to use a concrete screed, covered, for example, with tiles. But in the hall or bedroom, where comfort and coziness come first, it is more expedient to cover the floor with wood.
Technology of laying a wooden floor on concrete
Now let's take a closer look at how to lay a wooden floor on a concrete base.
It should be said right away that there are several installation technologies:
- Bonding boards to concrete;
- Laying on logs;
- Laying on plywood;
To choose the right technology, you should familiarize yourself with each, what would we do next.
Foundation preparation
Before laying a wooden floor on concrete, you need to prepare the base, regardless of which installation technology will be used. Preparation consists in drying the screed, if the floor was recently poured, and leveling. If the surface of the base has bumps, then they can be removed by grinding, if there are “pits”, then such a flaw is easiest to eliminate with a self-leveling mixture.
Note! You can start installation work only if the moisture content of the screed does not exceed 3 percent.
At this stage, holes should also be made in the concrete for communications, for example, sewer or water pipes, cables, etc. The most effective way is diamond drilling of holes in concrete.
If the area of the room is large, then expansion joints should be made in the freshly poured screed. For these purposes, reinforced concrete is cut with diamond wheels. The final step in preparing the base is to coat the surface with a primer.
The impregnation will serve as a waterproofing, and will also prevent the occurrence of fungus and mold under the wooden floor. As a primer, a polyurethane one-component primer mixture is usually used. After the primer dries, you can proceed with the installation of the floor with your own hands.
Adhesive laying
This technology consists in mounting boards directly on a concrete base. Recently, it is the most common way of laying wooden boards on a screed.
True, installation can only be started if the base complies with SNiP 3.04.01-87. If the concrete is friable or contains cracks, it is necessary to use special reinforcing soils or cover it with a separating substrate, for example - Multimoll Vlies.
If it is planned to lay a wide solid board, then a modified elastic one-component polyurethane adhesive is used to glue the boards. The installation of a narrow solid or engineered board is carried out using a two-component polyurethane adhesive.
The device of a wooden floor on concrete in this case is as follows:
- First of all, you need to measure the room and cut the boards of the required length.
- Then, starting from the wall opposite from the entrance, glue is applied to the surface of the base and leveled with a notched trowel. The layer thickness should be no more than 3 mm.
- Next, a board is laid on the surface covered with glue and pressed over the entire area.. In this way, 2-3 rows of boards are mounted. When laying boards, they must be tightly joined in the longitudinal and transverse directions, for this you can use tie-down straps or wedges.
- After polymerization of the glue, the rest of the boards are laid.. In this case, the boards of the last row must be cut in width.
Note! A gap of at least 15 mm must be left between the walls and the coating.
In the photo - lag installation diagram
Installation of the floor on the logs
This technology involves the installation of boards to wooden logs (rectangular bars). It can be used for boards with a thickness of 20 mm. Thinner boards should only be mounted on plywood.
The installation instructions are as follows:
- Logs are attached to the concrete floor with dowels and screws. At the same time, their hats should be recessed a few millimeters below the surface level. The axial distance between the lags should be 25-30 cm.
I must say that there is another way of attaching the lag - to adhesive and bitumen-containing mastics. This technology is justified if, when drilling concrete, there is a possibility of damaging communications.
- After installing the lag, it is necessary to align them according to the level. Places that protrude above the level must be removed with a planer. As a result, the deviation from the level should be no more than 2 mm per two meters.
- Further along the walls you need to lay soft fiber boards, which will serve as a soundproof gasket between the floor and the wall.
- It is desirable to fill the space between the lags with heat-insulating material, for example, expanded clay or mineral mats.
- After that, the installation of boards is carried out, which are attached to the logs with self-tapping screws. Of course, nails can also be used for these purposes, but over time, such a mount begins to loosen, as a result of which a characteristic creak appears when moving across the floor.
This technology is good because it allows you to conduct communications under the floor, as well as use insulation. However, the price of the structure increases, since in addition to the boards it is necessary to purchase more bars.
Laying on plywood
A wooden floor on a concrete base can be laid using moisture-resistant plywood 12-18 mm thick.
In this case, the procedure is as follows:
- Standard sheets of plywood need to be cut into squares measuring 40x40 cm or 80x80 cm.
- The resulting fragments are stacked diagonally towards the future coating. Moreover, the gap between them should be about 4 mm. Plywood is first glued, and then shot with dowels.
A distance of about 10 mm must be left between the edges of the plywood and the walls. The sheets are stacked with an offset according to the principle of brick luggage, while the screw heads must be sunk by 3-4 mm.
- Before laying, its rough grinding is performed.
- The leveled base should be free of dust.
- Then the boards are attached to the plywood using self-tapping screws.
That's all the highlights of installing a wooden floor over a screed. It must be said that in some cases it is necessary to perform the operation in reverse, i.e. pour concrete over wood floor. Most often, in this case, a concrete screed is performed on wooden logs.
To do this, metal corners are attached to the side walls of the log, on which a reinforcing mesh is laid, while the space between the logs is covered with expanded clay. After that, the concrete mixture is poured, which should be above the lag level.
This technology is used in old apartments, in which the floors between floors are wooden beams.
Conclusion
Laying a wooden floor over a screed is an affordable operation that every home master can perform. The only thing is that it is necessary to strictly observe the installation technology, and do the work very carefully and accurately. In this case, the floor will turn out to be strong, even and durable ().
See the video in this article for more information on this topic.
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