The laying of a massive board is carried out at the final stage of the repair of the premises. This will minimize the risk of damage and deformation. Therefore, work on the installation of floors from a massive board should begin only after the windows, doors and walls have been installed, the subfloor has been prepared and all wet work has been completed.
It is very important that the wallpaper, plaster, paint, concrete dry thoroughly, and the humidity in the room does not exceed 40-60%. At the same time, the humidity of a massive board should not be more than 12%.
However, the last remark about the moisture content of a solid board of 12% is purely theoretical, because you still cannot lower it and this indicator reflects the quality of production. According to our research of the presented products on the market, the moisture content of solid boards made of oak or ash (and other European species) is 12-15%, and exotic species, the wood of which is processed in tropical countries, is about 18%. This is partly why European breeds are inherently more stable in our climate.
Without fail, before laying the massive board in the room, all available air conditioning and heating systems must be put into operation. The air temperature must be kept between 18-22°C for at least seven days prior to laying the solid board.
If the laying of a massive board is planned on the ground floor directly above the basement, then it should be thoroughly ventilated.
Requirements for the quality of the subfloor under the massive board
The subfloor on which the parquet board will be laid should be as even as possible, which can be achieved with leveling sanding. The maximum allowable deviation when leveling walls and screed should not be more than 2 mm for every 2 m.
Leveling the subfloor is the most important condition when laying solid boards and any parquet. If you do not achieve a perfectly flat surface, a massive board will begin to creak in a couple of years due to the movement of the floorboards relative to each other. The creak of a massive board is always a consequence of an unleveled floor, and not of poor quality material.
It is very important to clean the subfloor from small debris and dirt. Remove shavings, small nails, remnants of building materials from it, if possible, dust, grease and glue stains.
The difference in humidity between the subfloor and the solid board laid on top of it should not be more than 4%. At the same time, the humidity of the subfloor itself should not exceed 12%. It is possible to achieve the installation of the necessary humidity indicators by thoroughly ventilating the room and eliminating possible undesirable sources of moisture. Sometimes a dehumidifier can help solve this problem.
In addition, you need to make sure that there are no movements in the subfloor. If necessary, to eliminate them, the subfloor is additionally strengthened.
How to properly unpack and prepare for laying a massive board
In order to save yourself from unnecessary problems in the future, you should properly unpack and prepare for laying a massive board. Remember that a massive board already laid by the master is considered to be accepted in terms of quality and, even if there are defects, cannot be returned.
After the solid board has been unpacked, it should be carefully inspected and sorted by pattern and color, planning in advance how it will be laid on the subfloor. To create the most harmonious interior, set aside the boards that will best match the skirting boards and thresholds to lay next to them. Decide which boards you will use for trimming, and in what specific places.
The unpacked and sorted massive board must necessarily undergo acclimatization in the room where it is planned to be laid for at least three days. The same applies to all materials that will be used during the installation of solid wood floors. Their humidity should not exceed 12% (theoretically), and it is desirable to be in the range of 6-10%. True, it should be noted here that today it is impossible to find a massive board with a moisture content of 6-10% on the market, even the most expensive and exclusive. Alas, manufacturers are not ready to slow down production in order to create the perfect material.
Ways of laying a massive board on various types of subfloor
1. Laying a massive board on concrete floors
First of all, a moisture-vapor barrier should be formed, which will serve as a buffer between concrete and wood. To do this, a special substrate made of foamed polyethylene, 3 mm thick, or a layer of soil mastic can be laid. The finished barrier will ensure the stability of the massive board and protect it from deformation.
After that, the base for the solid board flooring is arranged, which can be done in two ways.
The first way is “lags on the screed”. According to this technology, as a base for a massive board, wooden blocks of rectangular section are logs. Such bars are attached to the concrete base with dowels and screws, which are inserted perpendicular to the future floor. Alternatively, if there is a risk of damage to the communications under the concrete screed, you can glue the logs on an adhesive or bitumen-containing mastic. The distance between the attachment points should be no more than 50 cm. After laying, the bars are leveled using a level. To adjust the height of the lag, wood chips are placed or an excess tree is removed with a planer. Optionally, you can fill the space between the lags with thermal insulation materials. This is justified if the floor is laid on the first floor of a building that does not have a basement. Then a moisture-proof film is spread over the lag, which is fixed with staples. And already on top of it is laying a massive board.
The photo shows the correct laying of plywood diagonally in relation to the massive board.
The size of the gaps should be from 3 to 5 mm.
The second way is laying on a plywood base along the screed. Today it is the most popular way of laying a massive board. According to this technology, moisture resistant plywood is used as the base, the thickness of which should be 15-18 mm. Before laying, plywood sheets are cut into strips with a width of 40 to 60 cm. Moreover, a single plywood sheet is cut along its smaller side. Ready-made strips are laid on concrete, diagonally to the future floor from a massive board. At the same time, gaps are left: between sheets - 3-5 mm, between sheets and walls - 10 mm. It is important to understand that you need to spread plywood tiles with a shift relative to each other in order to minimize the possibility of corners touching. With the help of dowels and screws, the heads of which are recessed into the material, the plywood is attached to the concrete. At the same time, at least 9 attachment points should fall on each strip. An alternative option for attaching plywood to concrete is landing on glue. One value of the bands in this case should be at least half as much. Before laying a solid board, the plywood must be sanded with a belt sander equipped with a belt with a grit of 40 or 60 and cleaned of dust.
2. Laying solid boards on load-bearing wooden structures
If the laying of solid boards is carried out in a building with load-bearing wooden structures, they can be used to attach the base to them for the future floor.
Before fixing the base under the floor, the existing logs must be aligned so that their maximum deviation from the plane does not exceed 2 mm by 2 m, otherwise the massive board will begin to creak over time. Using a level, remove excess wood with a planer or place wood chips in the right places.
12 mm plywood, 18 mm OSB boards or 20 mm boarding can be used as a base for a solid board. Plywood and OSB boards are laid on top of a moisture-proof film in the direction of the future solid board floor so that the edges of the boards are joined on the logs, and not between them. Between the sheets, the gap should be at least 2 mm, between the sheets and the wall - at least 10 mm, but not more than 15 mm, so that you can close the opening with a plinth. Plywood and OSB boards are fastened with screws, which must be at least 9 pieces per sheet. In this case, the screw heads must be sunk 3-4 mm into the material for possible subsidence of plywood.
When using plank flooring as a subfloor, the subfloor pieces are laid diagonally to the future solid wood floor.
3. Installation on finished wood floor
The strong and high-quality wooden floor in the room must be sanded using a belt sander equipped with an abrasive belt having a grit of 40 or 60. After that, the surface of the wooden floor should be cleaned of dust and small debris. Laying a solid board over a wooden floor is recommended to be carried out in a diagonal or transverse direction.
Application of two-component polyurethane adhesives
The best adhesives for solid boards are two-component polyurethane adhesives, which are used by all installers. There are many similar adhesives on the market, there are several fundamental differences:
- Working time until the glue thickens. The optimal time now, which is indicated by manufacturers of modern adhesives, is 2.5, sometimes 3 hours. It is important to remember that this time is based on ideal conditions of temperature, humidity, as well as the ideal composition inside the jar. From can to can, the parameters of the glue itself can also vary slightly. In reality, you need to count on an hour and a half of glue work.
- Glue base. Adhesives of the benzene group have a strong smell, but quickly disappear. Adhesives of the alkyd group are most often odorless, but all harmful fumes end a little longer. Remember that glue that has a smell is by no means less environmentally friendly than one that does not smell - this is a common misconception. If the moment of smell is important for the paver, we recommend Tover Tovcol PU2C hypoallergenic adhesive.
- strength and elasticity of the adhesive. These parameters are important for installation, but the buyer will never know from the available product cards which adhesive is stronger. Trust the opinion of professional craftsmen or no less professional sellers.
Adhesives also have additional properties. For example, adhesives based on water or solvents shrink the parquet and also transfer excess moisture to the solid board. Most adhesives leave stains when they get on the varnished surface of the parquet, some compounds can be removed before hardening with a cloth without leaving a trace (for example, ADESIV Pelpren PL6).
For all two-component adhesives, you need to use a wide-toothed spatula - be sure to buy one. Only such spatulas create the correct glue line.
So, before laying, you need to thoroughly mix the two components of the glue with an electric mixer (the electric mixer allows you to do this efficiently and quickly, without reducing the glue's working time). Then you can pour some of the glue out of the can and smear it with a spatula. Sometimes you can see how the glue is spread not on the base, but on each plank before gluing. Spreading the composition on the planks creates an insufficient layer of glue, especially in the gaps between the planks, so this method is wrong from the point of view of adhesive manufacturers.
Proper adhesive line and proper use of a spatula.
Pay attention to how the spatula bends when pressed against the base.
The spatula must be held strictly vertically and pressed a little into the floor - this is how the correct adhesive seam is created - glue grooves, only a thin film from below or a completely dry base.
Fastening solid wood boards to the base and to each other
To fasten the massive board to the base, self-tapping screws are used, the distance between which should be at least 20-30 cm. Before that, the solid board should be drilled from the ridge side at an angle of 45 degrees. There is no fundamental difference between which side of the planks to drill from, but theoretically it is more correct to drill into a spike. Specialized SPAX solid wood screws are the most popular for this purpose and without any of the closest competitors. It is especially important to use specialized wood screws for high density exotic boards (however, pre-drilling is required for exotic dense woods).
Pulling the planks of a massive board to each other when screwing with self-tapping screws.
It is very important to pull the planks tightly together when twisting and leave the necessary gap between the boards and walls (for most medium-sized rooms - exactly 1 cm). To pull the planks to each other, carefully use a chisel or wedges if you have to press the spike. Or, most often, the planks are knocked out with a hammer through a bar.
Instead of self-tapping screws, professional parquet teams often use an air gun with staples, which allows you to lay parquet much faster. This method is correct, however, it requires an initial investment in the purchase of a gun, a compressor and a supply of special staples.
Too small a gap between the walls and the parquet during the expansion of the wood does not allow the internal stress of the material to escape, which is fraught with cracking or swelling of the boards. Too large a gap will be difficult to close with skirting boards of ordinary sizes.
The first row of a massive board is always laid with a groove to the wall. Fastening of the first and last rows with self-tapping screws is carried out through the front surface of the massive board. Subsequently, the attachment points are hidden under the plinth.
Rules for grinding a massive board and applying a protective coating on it
It is recommended to use disc and belt parquet sanders to process the laid solid board without factory coating. For work along walls and in corners, it is recommended to use special angle grinders and small hand grinders.
It is important to understand that light sanding is ideal for a massive board, removing only the varnish coating. Scraping will chamfer, therefore, with seasonal narrowing of wood, cracks will be noticeable on the floor surface.
At the end of sanding (if the solid board is uncoated), the surface of the solid board should be thoroughly cleaned of dust with a vacuum cleaner or brush. Applying varnish or oil should begin on the same day. After drying, each layer is recommended to be sanded using a disk machine. It is recommended to apply from 3 to 7 layers of varnish, which can take about 7 days. If you use a semi-gloss or glossy varnish, then in addition to strength, this affects the “specularity” of the board. Oil after grinding should be applied in 2-4 layers. Hard wax oil does not require maintenance unless there is visible deterioration in appearance. Traditional oil needs to be renewed every 1-2 years.
The final touch is the installation of the skirting board, which is carried out according to the recommendations of a particular skirting board manufacturer. After that, the laying of solid wood floors can be considered complete.
Solid wood is considered the most expensive, durable, environmentally friendly and durable flooring option. But in order for the floor to last as long as possible while maintaining all the technical and operational characteristics, the laying of a massive board must be carried out in compliance with the technology. There are several mounting options depending on the type of base on which the array is laid. We will tell you how to lay a massive board. In addition, you need to know which screws to use as fasteners. We will also describe several layout schemes that will help create a beautiful pattern of wooden flooring in the apartment.
Laying a massive board on a screed
Laying a massive board on a screed without plywood is made on an equal concrete base. To fix the dies on the base, a special glue is used. It is better to glue the boards with an adhesive that is resistant to temperature changes. This adhesive is suitable for underfloor heating.
Laying is done after preparing the base:
- permissible humidity of the base - no more than 6 percent (to check, use a moisture meter or use a piece of plastic film, glue it with tape and check for condensation through knocks, it should not be);
- all irregularities are eliminated (knocked down or puttied), the allowable height difference is no more than 2 mm for every two meters;
- the screed is primed in several layers;
- the laying of the board is carried out after the primer layer has dried.
Important! Immediately after purchase, the array is allowed to mature in the room where the laying will be done for about a week. During this time, the product adapts to the humidity and temperature of the room.
When laying a massive board on a screed, they begin to glue the elements in rows only after the dies in one row are laid out dry and adjusted to size. If the laying is done independently, then a wide, even spatula is used to apply the glue, and products with teeth are used to level it. The laying principle is similar to the installation of engineering and parquet flooring.
Laying solid board on plywood
In our climate, the technology of laying massive boards on a plywood base is more often used. This method involves the arrangement of additional waterproofing. Laying on plywood is done in the same way as described above, that is, with gluing the boards with glue. However, it is equally important to properly prepare the base:
- Plywood 50 by 50 cm or 50 by 70 cm is suitable for the base (so the surface stress of the material will not accumulate in the sheet). The optimal thickness is at least 12 mm.
- Sheets are laid with a joint offset in each subsequent row. A gap of 3 mm is left between the elements, and 15 mm are retreated from the walls to prevent floor deformation when the temperature and humidity in the room change.
- For gluing plywood, polyurethane glue or mastic is used, which is applied in a thin layer over the length of the entire row.
- After fixing to the glue, the sheets are additionally screwed with self-tapping screws to the base. Often, craftsmen have a question about which screws to fasten plywood to a wooden floor. It is not advisable to use expensive Spax self-tapping screws for these needs. Nails or ordinary self-tapping screws with dowels will do. For each square take 9 fasteners.
- The moisture content of the plywood base should be no more than 10%.
- After that, the floor is polished to get rid of small irregularities, and the installation sites of the fasteners are puttied.
- Then proceed to laying the array. The massive board is being laid on the glue. The dies are fixed on a two-component adhesive composition, and every 30 cm they are additionally fixed with nails or self-tapping screws to the floor. Spax solid wood screws are ideal for this purpose.
- The surface is then cleaned and sanded.
Mounting the board on the lags
Laying massive parquet on logs is carried out during the reconstruction of the premises or, if it is necessary to level an uneven base without dismantling the old base. Laying on logs is also carried out when arranging podiums, stages and height differences in residential and commercial premises.
Installation takes place in the following sequence:
- Before arranging the log, the old floor is additionally insulated with polyethylene or penofol.
- Two logs are laid out along opposite walls of the room and cords are pulled between them in increments of one and a half meters.
- All subsequent elements are mounted along the stretched threads.
- For better sound and heat insulation, the space between the bars is filled with insulation.
- After that, the base of the lag is sewn up with fiberboard sheets.
- Next, the array is laid in the same way as in the case of mounting on a plywood base.
Types of solid board fasteners
To fix the array to a wooden base, a construction stapler is often used. The brackets are driven into the lower protruding part of the groove. Usually fasteners are used for 12-16 mm. Staples are driven in along the entire length of the board in increments of 100 mm. At the same time, the brackets are first attached to the edges of the board, its evenness is checked and the rest of the fasteners are installed.
Important! Staples should not rise above the groove surface by more than 1 mm. Otherwise, they are finished off with a screwdriver with a narrow sting. Hammer blows on the screwdriver should be gentle so as not to split the groove.
It is best to use Spax solid wood screws. After installing the plate, it is pressed down with a load to protect it from displacement. At an angle to the floor (30-40 degrees), drill a hole in the groove of the board and the base. Install the self-tapping screw in the seat. To fix each board, three self-tapping screws are used: one in the central part and two indented from the edge by 20 cm.
Attention! Use a drill with a diameter of 2 mm. Drill the hole to a depth of 3 cm. In order not to drill too much, make a mark on the drill from an insulating tape.
Floating board laying
The floating laying method implies that the array will not be rigidly connected to the base, that is, the finish coating will, as it were, "float" on the base. This mounting method is suitable for underfloor heating as the surface will be able to withstand sudden temperature changes without warping.
Usually laying is done on a special substrate. The boards are fastened together with a lock connection, but are not fixed in addition to the draft base. For a strong connection of the elements to each other, special brackets are used. The advantages of this installation include the following:
- quick and easy installation;
- fixing the elements together with the help of special brackets increases the resistance of the floor to mechanical stress;
- the method is environmentally friendly, since glue, primers, etc. are not used;
- the possibility of local repair;
- deformations are excluded.
Layout options
There are several options for array layout:
- Traditional laying apart. In this case, the seam offset in each subsequent row is at least 25 cm. This method allows you to emphasize the natural beauty and naturalness of the coating.
- Laying option - brickwork. The end joint of the elements in each subsequent row falls in the middle of the element in the previous row.
- Diagonal styling allows you to emphasize the geometry of the room, hide its flaws and visually expand the boundaries of space. The displacement of the seam can be chaotic (randomly) or according to the principle of brickwork.
- Triple brickwork. With this layout option, the end seams of the elements in three adjacent rows coincide, and in the next three they are shifted by half the element.
- herringbone made of elements of small length. In this case, the solid wood floor is very similar to parquet or parquet board.
- Since decorative elements for solid wood products can be found on sale, let's say herringbone with inserts. Usually use contrasting inserts of a square configuration.
- Option weaving with inserts also resembles a parquet floor. Usually they adhere to a diagonal layout, having made an element of a square configuration from several parallel-laid floorboards. Around it place the same elements of floorboards laid in the opposite direction. A small discrepancy in size is compensated by inserts.
- Brickwork with inserts looks more impressive than traditional brickwork. Contrasting color elements create an interesting pattern on the floor. Diagonal variant available.
- Square laying implies the formation of elements of a square configuration from several parallel stacked dies. In the next square, the direction of the plates is changed. The pattern resembles a braid without inserts.
- deck laying suitable for small spaces. In this case, one long and short board is laid in one row. In the next row, they change places.
- Cross stacking implies laying the dies parallel to each other in one row. The next row is several boards laid in the traditional way in one row in the direction opposite to the previous one.
Massive board Ecopol is laid on any flat base that meets the general requirements, including logs.
Choose the method of laying solid board Ecopol
The flooring of a traditional massive board is troublesome and costly. For its installation, you need to buy plywood, a primer, 2K glue for it and for an array. Pay for the work of the laying master. Responsibility is high, laying speed is low. Therefore, such work cannot be cheap. Yes, and it is impossible to lay such a board on a warm floor - it will crack, warp and peel off along with the leveler.
Ecopol board is a unique massive board. It can be installed in two main ways:
1. Modern floating method (on a substrate and staples). This is how parquet and laminate are laid.
2. In the traditional way (for plywood and glue). As well as piece parquet, modular parquet and engineered board.
To choose the Ecopol installation method, you need to decide on the main advantages and features of each.
1. Laying a massive board on a substrate and brackets.
The floating method of laying Ecopol solid board allows you to get a floor that is 100% environmentally friendly, because. 100% natural solid wood. This means that you get a perfect natural material for its entire thickness.
The surface of the board is covered with OSMO oil, which is so safe for health that children's toys, furniture and countertops in the kitchen are covered with it.
Elastic staples do not just connect the boards to each other, like locks for parquet boards and laminates. But they also work in compression and tension with fluctuations in humidity.
Staples are made of resilient hardened steel, not pine or MDF, so they are many times more reliable and durable. Such steel is called spring, crossbow or aviation, it does not know aging or fatigue.
Such a floor is like a durable wooden carpet that can be taken apart and put back together with little to no loss. Floating laying allows the boards to move with seasonal fluctuations in humidity (winter-summer). It is in motion, as if floating above the base. The base material is not particularly important. The looseness of the boards to the base, the gaps along the perimeter allow the floor to become a single whole, reacting to changes and loads due to a change in the gap.
Thanks to the unique staples and floating installation, board splitting is virtually non-existent, even on underfloor heating. Floating laying is the most economical, because plywood, glue, primer are not needed, and the laying work itself is cheaper than traditional laying.
In case of redevelopment, you do not have to buy the floor again, because Ecopol can produce the required number of boards of your design. Newly made boards will slightly differ in color from the old floor. But if you mix new ones with old ones, i.e. shift the parquet in the room, it will not be noticeable. Over time, the boards will become even in color and will not be noticeable at all.
Ecopol can even be transported with you to a new place of residence, because an oak massif over time only becomes stronger, harder and more stable.
This technique cannot be used in the case of gluing the array to plywood. In this case, the damaged boards can be carefully dismantled and new ones glued in. True, a new piece of the floor will stand out as a stain against the background of the main coating. It will also not work to shift or take away the glued floor with you.
Ecopol chose OSMO oil as the main finishing coat. On the one hand, such a floor must be monitored, periodically impregnated, saturating the wood with wax. But on the other hand, with regular care, such parquet will not need regrinding, which is accompanied by the removal of furniture, dust and the inability to use the premises for 3-4 days.
If the care of the floors is difficult, then order a PU-lacquer coating.
At the same time, there are a number of restrictions when laying solid Ekopol boards in a floating way. Since the flooring made of boards moves depending on the humidity of the air, becoming either larger or smaller, install Ecopol in rooms wider than 7.5 m. recommended with additional thermal seam. It is recommended to separate rooms with unstable and uncontrolled humidity from each other with thresholds, which is inevitable with any floor covering with floating laying. It is recommended to install skirting boards with a floor overlap of 35 mm.
These requirements are precisely related to the fact that wood naturally expands with increasing air humidity and dries out when it decreases. If the humidity regime is not observed, then with significant shrinkage, filiform selective slits may appear. And with excessive moisture, the floor covering can rest against neighboring surfaces (walls, doors, pipes) and stand up as a "house". Fortunately, the processes of shrinkage and moisture in natural wood are reversible.
When the air humidity normalizes, the boards and the flooring as a whole take on their original appearance thanks to the floating flooring and compression staples.
Staples pull the boards together with a force of about 30-35 kg for each bracket. Therefore, such a floor gives many times more uniform shrinkage or expansion with changes in humidity compared to traditional laying on plywood and glue.
Ecopol offers beautiful, reliable and simple solutions for skirting boards and thresholds.
Massive board on a warm floor can be laid
Massive board Ecopol can be safely laid in a floating way on heated floors of any kind - water and electric. Such an array is friendly with warm floors. We have been doing this since 2010. But only on brackets on the substrate - without fastening to the base! Can't be used on underfloor heating.
Moreover, when laying Ecopol on a warm floor, several additional advantages arise at once:
- a solid oak board conducts heat much better than pine or plywood due to its high density
- there is no risk of detachment and deformation of the upper decorative veneer
- no hazardous substances are released into the air and there is no danger of aging of the adhesive line
- in case of problems with the heating system, Ekopol can be disassembled, the defect or breakdown repaired and reassembled without loss
- saving on additional materials and work for the benefit of one's own health
A water heated floor in a wooden house is best suited for oak parquet with floating laying, because. the wood of the house will also react to changes in air humidity. For this reason, wooden parquet is less affected by moisture.
It is better to choose a coating for a massive board - Osmo oil. Due to its plasticity, it does not crack when the board dries out during the heating season.
An example of laying a massive board Ecopol on heat-distributing plates of a water-heated floor
2. Laying a massive board on plywood and glue.
If the installation of docking profiles and wide skirting boards is categorically unacceptable, then it is better to glue the massive board to the base. It is not recommended to glue a solid board directly onto the screed. Laying plywood under the parquet is required.
In this case, a massive board can be laid in rooms with a width of more than 7 m. without transitional thresholds. However, cork compensators still cannot be avoided. They should be at the junctions with adjacent coatings to compensate for wood movements. When laying a massive board on plywood and glue, narrower skirting boards can be installed that overlap a 10-15 mm thermal seam. Thus, it is possible to obtain a single solid wood floor covering without thresholds, decorated with narrow skirting boards.
Such a floor will not move as a whole, but by boards separately, because each board has a strictly defined place. With shrinkage, the boards will become smaller and, remaining in place, can form cracks. When waterlogged, on the contrary, they will become a "house". With the normalization of air humidity, the boards tend to return to their original appearance.
Thus, the "behavior" of the wood itself is the same - when the humidity decreases, the board dries out, when moistened, the board expands. When laying floating (on brackets), the entire floor moves, and when gluing, each board (floor element) separately.
The adhesive method is not recommended for underfloor heating. There are two main reasons. Firstly, such a floor will inevitably give visible large cracks due to the drying of the floor. Secondly, the glue line will age quickly, and with a sharp difference in humidity during winter-summer periods, it will break. As a result, the board will begin to peel off the screed and lead to the complete dismantling of the coating.
The method of laying a massive board is easy to choose by prioritizing.
If the main thing is environmental friendliness, profitability and full maintainability from updating the coating without regrinding to a new laying in a new place - choose floating laying on staples. If the main thing is narrow baseboards and the absence of sills - choose laying on plywood and glue.
Whatever method of laying a massive board, and any other floor covering you choose, it is necessary to observe the humidity regime. The requirements for solid boards, parquet and engineered boards, piece and modular parquet and laminate are the same - air humidity should be from 45 to 60%.
| ON STAPLES ON SUBSTRATE | ON PLYWOOD AND GLUE | |
| Environmental friendliness | 100% free of harmful substances and fumes | there are phenols, formaldehydes in plywood and adhesives |
| base | any even | increased requirements for the quality of the base |
| underfloor heating installation | YES | NO |
| disassemble and reassemble | YES | NO |
| replace a separate board, floor section | YES | YES |
| restoration, resurfacing | YES | YES |
| move to another place | YES | NO |
| adhesive seam aging | NO | YES |
| seasonal gap | NO | YES |
| works after a small leak | YES | YES |
| serves after flooding | YES | NO |
| thermal seams at the walls | 10-15 mm | 10-15 mm |
| thermal seams between rooms | recommended | recommended |
| non-threshold styling (maximum) | up to 7.5 m wide | up to 100 m2 area |
| plinth (floor width) | not less than 35 mm | not less than 18 mm |
| threshold | invoice 2-3 mm above the floor | cork, mastic in the level with the floor |
| laying speed (20 m2) | 1 day | 3 days |
| lay with your own hands | YES | NO |
| additional materials | 540 r/m2 | from 1350 r/m2 |
| laying price in St. Petersburg | 400 r/m2 | from 900 r/m2 |
Photo instructions for laying on staples
Laying on a solid, even base in a floating way is carried out in accordance with the Technical Conditions for Ecopol.
The base must be dry (no more than 2% humidity) and even, the differences are not more than 2 mm on a two-meter rule. A screed or concrete base is best.
It is advisable to choose the direction of laying boards along the room, since significant wood shrinkage occurs only across the fibers. Leave gaps between the walls and the floor: when laying from March to August (conditionally summer without heating) 7-10 mm and gaps 10-15 mm from September to February (conditionally winter with heating).
To ensure that the board with which you finish laying is not already 3-4 cm, carry out a verification calculation.
When laying on logs, the distance between their axes should be no more than 40 cm. The end connections of the boards should lie on the logs or jumpers.
Use an underlay made of cross-linked polyethylene foam 2-3 mm thick, for example, Penolon Premium PPE 7002, 9002. It is absolutely impossible to use a cork underlay due to its high surface friction and low elasticity. Screw the self-tapping screw into the hole closest to the horizontal antennae of the clover. (Fig. 1)
a) the spring tongues of the “cleavers” are transferred to the mounting position (Fig. 1), after which they are screwed to the boards in increments of 30-35 cm. The extreme “cleavers” are installed no further than 20 cm from the ends of the boards;
b) the first row of boards is laid out along the wall on the substrate;
c) the row is leveled and wedges are installed in the gap between the board and the wall in increments of 30-35 cm;
d) lubricate the edge and end spikes with anti-creak sealant (Fig. 2);
e) the boards are tightly rallied along the edge and ends and leveled in a horizontal plane using a finisher, a hammer and flat pads, for example, strips of hardboard or plywood 3-10 mm thick;
f) now press the board above the clover until the tongues are released, which is indicated by characteristic clicks. (Fig. 2);
g) carefully control the snapping of the "cleavers" with your hands.
h) fasten the plinth fillet to the wall (Fig. 4)
The limitation on the width of the flooring is 7 m.p. for oak boards. Premises with a width of more than 7 r.m. should be separated by an additional technical clearance. The rooms are separated from each other by an expansion joint (technological gap), which is subsequently covered by a plinth and a threshold.
Remember: a floating solid wood floor will certainly shrink and swell by about 1 cm per 1 meter of floor width, so observe the optimal mode of operation of the room: temperature 18-26 ° C and humidity 45-60%, put furniture legs on felt linings, restore in a timely manner coating, do not overload the floor.
Click on the photo - under each there is a description of the stages of laying Ecopol.
French run-up
If you experience difficulties in assembly, please seek advice.
Photo instructions for laying on logs.
- Laying on logs Laying on logs
Laying on plywood
Ecopol massive board is specially designed for laying in a floating way on any even base, including heated bases. But it can also be laid in the traditional way on plywood with full gluing to the base. Keep in mind that it is not recommended to glue a massive board on warm floors!!!
For flooring boards with full adhesion to the base, choose plywood with a thickness of 2/3 of the thickness of the flooring. If there are no communications at the base, then the plywood is glued to the base and additionally attached to a pair of self-tapping screws and dowels.
If communications lie at the base, then plywood is necessarily sawn into 6-8 parts and only glued. In this case, during the stabilization of the glue, it is necessary to additionally load the plywood. At the same time, priming of the base before plywood flooring is mandatory.
Before laying a massive board, plywood must be sanded and vacuumed.
If for the selected adhesive it is necessary to prime the surface, this must be done.
Only 2-component or 1-component polyurethane-based hybrid adhesives are used for gluing natural wood solids. No other types of glue can be used!!!
Those. the gap (thermal seams) between the wall and the boards should be from 10 to 15 mm (it is fixed with special wedges). A seam is also required where the board joins doors, heating pipes, etc. In rooms with a large area, the width of the expansion joint must be increased at the rate of - for 1 m of the width of the room, approximately 2 mm of the width of the structural joint. In this case, it is recommended to make the flooring separately in each room, leaving an expansion joint on the threshold lines, which is then covered with special thresholds. Flooring is best done along the line of natural light so that small differences in the height of the boards are invisible. Then the entire parquet flooring will look uniform and monolithic.
The glue is applied so that the seams between the plywood squares are completely glued; the board is glued to at least 80% of its area.
It is necessary to try to make the flooring in such a way that the glue does not get into the tenon-groove of the boards, because. due to its density, excessive gaps may form.
The flooring of the boards starts from the wall, with the ridge to the wall, towards itself - with a groove, so that fasteners (self-tapping screws, screws) can be driven into the groove. On a 1-bar, on average, 1-2 pieces of fasteners are consumed at the end, depending on the width, and 2 pieces along the length for each meter of length. If the fasteners are installed in the comb, then they are respectively laid with the comb towards themselves.
After applying the glue to the plywood, it is necessary to attach the board, press it firmly and fix it with fasteners.
The floor can be walked on 24-48 hours after the end of the flooring, depending on the humidity of the air and the curing time of the adhesive.
Floors can be used three days after completion of work.
When installing the boards, the master, no matter how hard he tries, inevitably touches the adhesive layer and stains the surface of the board. Excess glue or traces of glue that appear on the surface during laying must be immediately removed clean, first with a cleaner suitable for this glue and, above all, for coating, and then with a damp cloth. If the glue is not removed in time and it is completely dry, it cannot be mechanically cleaned off, because. the board surface will be damaged! In this case, try using an adhesive softener first (if the manufacturer has one) or replace the board.
After laying, possible small gaps caused by regulatory tolerances for the manufacture of products and deviation from the plane of the base can be treated with a special wood sealant based on acrylate to match the tone of the rock (silicone or other sealants cannot be used). Remove excess sealant immediately with a damp cloth. If the color of the wood is specific, then the already dried sealant is tinted with a felt-tip pen, which, having been absorbed, is not washed off during cleaning.
Then the doors are installed, the thresholds and skirting boards are installed.
see also
Specifications (substrate requirements, laying instructions, recommendations)
Laying video (how to assemble and disassemble floors, how to cock a bracket, what to do in case of a leak)
Why solid oak Ecopol can be laid on a warm floor
Thermal seams - what is it and why are you needed
Prices in the catalog
The installation of a massive board is quite specific and time-consuming, so even if you are a “jack of all trades”, it would be more correct to entrust this work to experienced specialists. Nevertheless, it is useful to know the basic nuances of laying: this will allow you to control the quality of work and protect you from possible problems with the floor in the future, because most flooring defects occur precisely due to improper installation.
The massive board is laid only with the help of a rigid fastening to the base with self-tapping screws and glue. This is a reliable and time-tested method that allows you to get a stable "monolithic" floor and then repeatedly carry out repair grinding (one of the advantages of a massive board). However, rigid fastening imposes increased requirements on the base and the quality of laying. And preparation for the installation of a massive board begins long before its purchase.
Room preparation
Installation of flooring is one of the final stages of repair. The less work left to do after laying the floor, the less likely it is to accidentally damage it. All indoor wet work must be completed at least two months prior to installation. The relative humidity of the air in the room should be in the range from 40% to 60%, and the temperature - from +18 to +24 degrees Celsius. The massive board is susceptible to environmental parameters, so it is necessary to strictly maintain them within the specified limits.
Foundation preparation
The arrangement of the floor base is a responsible and scrupulous process, and all subsequent operation of the massive board depends on its quality. Many problems with a wooden floor (for example, creaking floorboards) arise precisely because of a poor-quality base.
The concrete base for the floor covering must be dry, level, hard and clean (dust-free). The moisture content of the concrete screed should be within 2-3%. Already at 3-4% humidity, it is necessary to use a primer for glue. Permissible curvature of the base: no more than 2 mm per 2 m2 of area. Curvature is checked with a two-meter rule or spirit level ("level"). Any differences greater than 2 mm must be eliminated.
There are different ways of laying a massive board (for example, on logs - a method popular in the days of piece parquet), but for the Russian climate, Amber Wood recommends mounting on plywood sheets. Plywood with a thickness of at least 12 mm is laid on the prepared concrete base. Plywood is sawn into small sheets (not larger than 0.5 mx 0.5 m), on which glue is applied, after which they are fastened with dowel-nails to a concrete base. Between the sheets it is necessary to leave technological gaps of 3-5 mm.
After two days, the plywood is sanded, during which the differences between the sheets are also eliminated (the curvature requirements here are the same as for concrete). After sanding, it is advisable to prime the plywood to remove fine dust.
The presence of any type of heating in the base is unacceptable: a “warm floor” will lead to rapid damage to the massive board.
Humidity control
A floor made of natural wood makes high demands on humidity, not only during operation, but also during installation.
The moisture content of the concrete screed is checked with a special device - moisture meter for concrete, and the relative humidity in the room is hygrometer. There are advanced moisture meters that can also measure the humidity of the environment. But the moisture meter for wood is not suitable for measuring the moisture content of concrete, even if you set the maximum density of the material in the settings. A high-quality moisture meter is an expensive device, but it must be available to specialists involved in laying parquet products. If the installers did not measure the humidity before starting work, then this is a serious “bell” that casts doubt on their qualifications. As for the hygrometer, this is a fairly simple household appliance that is useful to purchase for home use. It will allow you to constantly monitor the relative humidity of the air in the room, which is important for the health and durability of the wooden floor. There are beautiful wall-mounted hygrometers on sale that will fit perfectly into any interior.
Solid wood preparation
The purchased massive board (delivered in packs packed in polyethylene) must be allowed to mature for a week in the room where the laying will be done so that the wood “gets used” to the conditions of temperature and humidity. At the same time, it is important to resist the desire to immediately open and inspect the brought boards: it is better to unpack packs immediately before laying. Then it will be possible to make a troubleshooting. Never install boards that are defective or damaged during transportation: they can be replaced or returned, but only before installation begins.
Mounting
Usually, a massive board is laid along the incident light (perpendicular to the window), so the floor looks the most harmonious. However, if the base is made of wood flooring, then the floor must be laid across the base boards. "Designer" laying at an angle of 45o is also possible, but it entails a waste of material and a very large number of undercuts.
The massive board is attached to the plywood base by continuous gluing on a two-component adhesive, which is applied with a special notched trowel.
Additionally, the board is fixed with the help of parquet screws, which are screwed into the base of the ridge at an angle of 45° in increments of 20-30 cm (their heads will hide the boards of the adjacent row). It is impossible to fasten a solid board only with glue, self-tapping screws are necessary in any case!
The installation of the first row of boards is carried out with a groove to the wall, and fastening with self-tapping screws through the front surface (so that when installing the skirting boards, the caps are hidden). When laying adjacent boards, they are tightly joined in the transverse and longitudinal directions, if necessary, they are knocked out with a rubber hammer and pulled together with wedges.
During the laying process, you will probably have to go around various obstacles: for example, heating pipes. In this case, using an electric jigsaw with a small saw blade, the sections necessary for bending around are cut out in the board, taking into account the compensation gap.
Compensation gap
Due to seasonal fluctuations in temperature and humidity, the wooden floor expands and narrows, so it is necessary to leave a technological gap (compensation gap) of at least 10 mm between the wall and the massive board adjacent to it. In the process of laying, the gaps are fixed with wedges, and at the end of the work they are hidden with skirting boards.
An expansion gap is needed not only next to the walls, but also next to any other static structures that the flooring may abut when expanding. These are door frames, heating pipes, ventilation ducts, poles and columns, as well as furniture with rigid attachment to the floor (wardrobes, safes, etc.).
run-up
Run-up, i.e. shifting the junction between the boards relative to the adjacent row is a necessary technique both from an aesthetic point of view and from a technological point of view. The same principle can be observed, for example, in brickwork. For a reliable connection, it is recommended to maintain a gap of at least 40 cm.
For convenience, a shift of 1/2 or 1/3 of the length of the board is usually used. For example, laying the first row and all subsequent odd rows begins with a whole board, and the second and all subsequent even rows - sawn into half or a third. Thanks to this, the floor pattern will be neat and symmetrical, and the connection will be strong.
But sometimes you want to deliberately get away from symmetry, especially when laying country type parquet with a pronounced woody pattern and intricate texture. A geometrically balanced symmetrical run in this case may look boring and out of place. For a motley floor, you can use a run without repetitions, when the joints of the boards in different rows are not on the same line. The main thing is to withstand a displacement of at least 40 cm relative to the previous row.
Laying the last row and finishing work
Before laying the last row, it is necessary to measure the distance remaining to the wall: most likely, it will differ in different places due to the curvature of the walls. Therefore, each board of the row must be sawn lengthwise to the width required at the place of its installation (not forgetting the compensation gap). When installing the last row, there is very little space for work. For laying boards near the wall, it is convenient to use a special mounting paw.
The last row of a massive board, like the first one, is fastened with self-tapping screws through the front surface. After the installation is completed, it is necessary to hide the expansion gaps and the caps of the self-tapping screws with a plinth or fillet of a suitable width.
Usually a massive board is supplied with a decorative and protective coating already applied at the factory. However, if it has yet to be applied, then this can be done no earlier than 2-3 days after the end of laying: first, the boards must rest, and the glue must fully harden.
Compliance with laying technology is the key to long and reliable operation of the floor covering. A responsible approach to the installation of a massive board in the future will allow you to fully enjoy the benefits of a natural wooden floor and not have problems with it.
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