Laying solid wood begins with assessing the base and choosing a method for preparing it. Installation can be carried out different ways depending on specific circumstances. Although the work requires a significant amount of time and effort, it can be done entirely with your own hands without the involvement of specialists.
Before laying a solid board, you need to prepare the selected material:
Attention! Together with the solid floor board, all materials involved in the installation procedure are maintained under similar conditions.
Requirements for rough surface
It is necessary to lay a solid board on a carefully prepared base that meets the following requirements:
If the necessary conditions are met, you can proceed to the next stage.
Methods for laying solid boards
There are two main installation methods: with reliable fixation to various types of base, where the fasteners are glue, screws and staples, or the floating method - when only a locking system is used for connection.
Most solid board models are connected by two types of locks On a note! It is necessary to carefully approach the choice of glue for solid boards. So, for a concrete base you will need a special two-component composition with high adhesion, and for a wooden flooring a one-component composition is suitable, but not water based(subject to additional fixation with staples or screws).
Laying the mass on a concrete or cement-sand screed
Work with cement or concrete screed begins after the base has dried, for this purpose the percentage of residual moisture is initially determined. This is easier to do using a special device, but purchasing it for one-time use is impractical, so you can use another method.
Only special equipment can give the exact moisture level of concrete.
At a short distance, 4 holes are drilled in the shape of a square, they are immediately covered with thick polyethylene and pressed on all sides. After 24-48 hours, the presence of condensation is checked: even a small amount of it indicates a residual humidity of more than 6%, which suggests the use of waterproofing. The floor should not be equipped with additional heating.
The process of laying solid wood on a screed without plywood is as follows:
Trimming is done with an electric drill or saw, the edge is processed with a file.
Mounting on plywood
This option is used in situations where the base has significant unevenness. The method is also suitable for laying material made of valuable species trees that do not have the required thickness.
Plywood on screed
The process of preparing a screed with serious unevenness for laying an array is as follows:
It is necessary to pre-treat the screed with antiseptics, and if necessary, apply waterproofing.
After installation, the plywood flooring must be sanded well. On a wooden floor
If the coating is in good condition, then preparation proceeds according to the following scheme:
- All excess is removed, the old decorative layer is removed, and the surface is sanded.
- The condition of the boards and joists is assessed. If there is damage, the worn elements should be replaced.
- The old wooden flooring is fixed to the joists with new screws.
- The plywood must be laid according to the same principle as in the previous version. But only self-tapping screws are used for fastening.
Old wooden floors should be leveled using plywood flooring Upon completion of preparation, solid parquet can be glued and screwed.
By lags
This technology is used if there is a need to lay additional insulation or communications. This is also a good option for apartments with very uneven rough screed.
You can independently prepare the base for the array as follows:
- The logs are set according to level. It is necessary to achieve perfect evenness; for this, a system of securely fixed compensation pads is used.
- Sheets of plywood are laid on top and screwed on with self-tapping screws, the caps are recessed.
- The coating is sanded and cleaned of dirt.
- Decorative material is laid on top across the joists.
Installing flooring on joists allows you to insulate the floor and conduct communications under it In exceptional cases and with significant thickness of the boards, installation can be carried out directly on the joists. But it will take longer and complex preparation, and the process itself requires appropriate experience, so it is not suitable for doing it yourself.
Installation diagram of solid boards along joists Regardless of the preparation method, laying solid boards on plywood has a common technology:
When joining, the planks are tightly tucked into rows To perform the installation beautifully, the scheme is thought out in advance, but it will be extremely difficult to perfectly match the wood pattern.
"Floating" solid wood floor
Floating flooring is carried out if there is installed system warm floors or if the room's humidity may change by more than 5–10%. The technology of the method is that the fragments are placed on a special substrate and fixed only to each other. Also, gaps of 5–10 mm are left from the wall.
Algorithm of actions:
- Marking is carried out, the order and layout of the first row are determined.
- The underlay is laid.
- The initial parts are fixed using a locking method. To prevent their shift, the size of the gap from the walls is set; for this, solid wedges are used.
- The second and subsequent rows are additionally fixed with staples (screws) or glue, which is used to coat the lock. But in the second option, it will be impossible to disassemble the floor to replace damaged parts.
The floating installation method requires the presence of a soft substrate This technology ensures extreme flexibility, but you will need a perfectly flat base.
Sanding and protective coating
If the material used has not been processed previously, then after a week the following actions are additionally performed:
- The surface is subjected to scraping with hand or electric tools. If the coverage is perfect condition, then only grinding is performed.
- The floor is thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt.
- To protect and enhance the decorative effect, various compositions are used: stains, oils, varnishes. Required option is selected based on specific situation and the desired effect. Greater reliability is created by varnish, which is applied with a spray gun in 2–5 layers. If it is necessary to change the shade of the wood, then a suitable stain is used. Oils improve and highlight the natural color of the material.
If necessary, the solid board is varnished You should know! Only products installed with glue and screws are processed; the process is not suitable for the “floating” method.
A combination of oils and varnish is not allowed; it is applied only as an independent protective and decorative layer or after staining.
Solid wood flooring resembles parquet in appearance, but at the same time differs from it in its structure. The floorboards consist entirely of natural wood. This coating is strong, practical, durable, resistant to external influence, withstands large quantity loads, grinding. The laying of solid boards is carried out at the end of the finishing, taking into account the characteristics of the material and the room in which the floor is installed.
The first thing you need to do before you start installing the floor is to unpack the material and inspect the floorboards for visible defects. The discovery of defects is not a reason to return the product, because it was already accepted upon purchase. This is followed by sorting the floorboards by color and pattern. Laying the array involves cutting the boards. Set aside the material that will be used for this.
The unpacked, selected massive tiles should lie for three days in the room where the flooring will be laid. The same applies to all building materials that will be used in the installation of the coating. Before you start decorating the room, turn on the heating and air conditioning. For 7-10 days before installation, you need to maintain a stable temperature in the room - 20-22 degrees.
What tools will you need?
Laying solid parquet is carried out using conventional carpentry tools used for installing wooden floors. To work you will need:
- Hammer;
- Z-shaped undercut bracket;
- Hacksaw with fine teeth;
- Chisel;
- Screwdriver;
- Comb spatula for glue;
- Container for mixing the binder composition;
- Corner;
- Roulette;
- Lace;
- Carpenter's pencil.
Requirements for rough surface
The array is laid on the most flat surface possible. The permissible difference in the height of the base is no more than two millimeters at a distance of two meters. Uneven rough surfaces can have consequences for quality massive covering. Often, after a few years, the board begins to creak due to displacement. In this case, the cause of the deformation is the uneven rough surface, and not the poor quality of the floorboards. The base for the array can be a subfloor made of wooden boards. Other options are to create a deck from plywood or concrete screed, log construction.
What you should pay attention to when preparing the base
The rough base needs to be prepared, dust, dirt, and small debris must be removed. Remove sawdust, glue, shavings, grease stains, remnants of fasteners and building materials from the coating. Make sure the base is strong and there are no wobbly elements. If the floor is not strong enough, additional reinforcement is required.
Preparing the subfloor The moisture content of the rough surface should be measured. The indicator should not exceed 12%. The permissible difference in humidity between a solid board and the floor is 4%. If this condition is not met, installation must be postponed and the source of moisture must be identified and isolated.
Installation technology
Laying the array begins at the far wall, along a pre-drawn straight line. A gap is left between the walls and the covering, which is necessary to preserve the flooring during temperature fluctuations. The technology of laying solid boards involves alternating dies of different packages, because floorboards often vary in color. The second row is done in a run, starting from a third of the length of the board. The evenness of installation of floorboards is controlled by the building level.
Start of installation Work in problem areas (niche, corner, any hard to reach place) it is better to do it first without using glue. It will be difficult to correct mistakes after installation is complete. The floorboards are attached using a special two-component water-based adhesive. The composition is distributed with a regular spatula, then leveled with a serrated spatula.
Upon completion of laying the row, you need to carefully tap the dies with a hammer or wooden blank. The flooring is fixed with screws or nails at an angle of 40-60 degrees.
Laying methods
The laid one is secured using different techniques. The floating method involves fixing the floorboards to each other. The same thing happens when attaching dies to brackets. Installation of the coating on a structure made of logs does not require the use of cement mixture. The adhesive backing creates additional sound and heat insulation.
Wooden dies are fixed separately and are not attached to the base. Floating installation technology is simple. The nature of the base, whether it is a concrete surface, tile or plywood, does not matter. Laying floorboards from different manufacturers may have their own locking system nuances. However, installation is carried out according to the general scheme.
Floating installation A coating installed in this way can withstand significant changes in humidity levels and great physical stress due to the lack of contact with the rough surface. To reduce the likelihood of deformation, it is recommended to use self-tapping screws with anti-corrosion protection as the main fasteners. With the floating method, it is possible to install underfloor heating.
The use of staples saves time required for work and significantly reduces the cost of laying solid boards. This installation method is characterized by simplicity, high speed execution. The method does not require the use of glue, impregnation, or primer. The laid floor is environmentally friendly and does not pose a health hazard.
Fastening with staples The coating is resistant to external influences due to the absence of fastening between the massive floorboards and the base. Professional installation using aluminum brackets and silicone expansion joints ensures a strong connection between the ends. Metal spring-loaded fasteners securely tighten the floorboards. A tight connection reduces the likelihood of creaking and the formation of cracks.
Long bars with a cross section are called lags. The crossbars are fixed to the concrete floor with screws. The fastening pitch is 50 cm. Another way to fix the lags is to use bitumen or adhesive mastic. The latter option is preferable if there is a possibility of damage to hidden communications.
Installation on joists The fixed beams are leveled using a measuring tool. Excess wood is removed from the surface of the logs with a plane, and wood chips are placed to lift it. When installing a solid floor on the lower floor, it is recommended to use thermal insulation. The material is placed in the voids between the joists. A plywood sheet is laid on top of the beams (see how to do it) or OSB board 1.8-2 cm thick. If the thickness of the canvas is less than 1.5 cm, the distance between the logs should not exceed 40 cm.
This method became much more accessible with the invention of elastinol, a homogeneous adhesive sheet. The substrate not only securely fixes the floorboards, but also provides good sound and heat insulation. The joints between massive boards remain invisible. Laying with a backing reduces the likelihood of wood swelling.
Adhesive backing Installation of wooden coverings is done without glue or staples. The construction of a foundation is also not required. To lay the floor, it is enough to spread the underlay on the concrete surface so that the sticky side is on the tiles. This is followed by the installation of massive boards.
Laying on concrete or cement-sand screed
The array is mounted on a pre-prepared screed. The concrete, cement-sand base must have a perfectly flat surface. The technology of laying solid boards on a screed involves the use of a special adhesive solution that is resistant to temperature changes. This property of the binder composition allows it to be used for the construction of heated flooring.
White screed as a base Before you begin laying solid boards on a screed without plywood, you need to check the strength of the rough surface and inspect it for obvious defects. The humidity level should not exceed 6%. To establish the indicator, you should drill several holes in different areas with a hammer drill. If the humidity level exceeds the norm, it is necessary to create additional waterproofing using a film.
Installation of wooden floorboards on a plywood sheet with additional waterproofing is a common solution in the domestic climate. First, the canvas is sawn into rectangles measuring 50 by 70 cm or into squares with sides of 50 cm. Next, the plywood is laid on mastic or adhesive composition, secured with dowels. Each cut requires 5-6 fasteners. The moisture content of the plywood sheet should not exceed 10%.
Plywood base Wooden dies are attached to the laid canvas using two-component glue. Every 25 cm, fixation is made from the side with pneumatic pins. Laying solid boards on plywood occurs with strict adherence to technology - on a cleaned screed, taking into account the level of humidity, without displacing the plywood sheets. Errors when laying solid boards entail not only a violation of the shape of the floor, but also a change in the shade of the coating.
Installation on wood flooring
Floorboards are laid on an old wooden floor provided that the surface is strong and even. The coating is processed by tape grinder, on which the abrasive belt is installed. Maximum leveling of the floor, removal of excess paint and remaining varnish are required. Then wooden surface cleaned thoroughly.
When laying solid floorboards, the direction of the old base is repeated. Between the dies and the old floor is laid waterproofing material. If the new covering will be laid in a different direction, the rough surface should be covered with a waterproof plywood sheet 1.2-1.5 cm thick. This is followed by sanding the surface of the flooring and removing dust from the surface.
Sanding and protective coating
If the array used for installation has a factory finishing coat, the floor can be used immediately upon completion of installation. Boards without special coating should “rest” for a week. Then the floor is sanded and varnished in several layers. This measure prevents drying out and excessive moisture of the tree. Sanding a parquet floor is required if the difference in height between two adjacent floorboards is more than 0.5 mm. Processing is carried out along the fibers using an abrasive belt with a grain size of 0.15 mm.
If defects, dents, or burrs appear, putty and grinding are required. This is followed by application of varnish or impregnation with a composition made on the basis of wax and oils. The latter agents penetrate the entire thickness of the solid floorboard, creating a thin protective film on top. This treatment effectively emphasizes the natural texture of the wood and makes the parquet floor resistant to pests, mold and mildew.
Finishing Cost of work per m2
Laying solid wood is a complex process that includes preparing the existing floor surface. In addition to installing the floorboards themselves, it may be necessary to level the screed, create additional waterproofing, and install a supporting structure for laying solid boards. The price per m2 depends on the condition of the existing flooring. The cost of installation is also affected by the complexity of the technology used and the cost of the material.
The laying of solid boards is carried out at the final stage of the renovation of the room. This will minimize the risk of damage and deformation. Therefore, work on installing solid wood floors should begin only after 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 solid boards should not be more than 12%.
However, the last remark about the humidity of a solid board at 12% is purely theoretical, because you still cannot reduce it and this indicator reflects the quality of production. According to our studies of products on the market, the moisture content of solid oak or ash boards (and other European species) is 12-15%, and for exotic species, the wood of which is processed in tropical countries, about 18%. This is partly why European breeds are initially more stable in our climate.
It is mandatory that all existing air conditioning and heating systems in the room be activated before laying solid wood planks. The air temperature must be maintained within 18-22 °C for at least seven days before laying the solid boards.
If laying solid boards is planned on the first floor directly above the basement, then it should be thoroughly ventilated.
Requirements for the quality of a subfloor under a solid board
Subfloor on which installation will be carried out parquet board, should be as even as possible, which can be achieved using leveling grinding. The maximum permissible deviation when aligning walls and screeds 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, the solid board will begin to creak in a couple of years due to the movement of the floorboards relative to each other. The creaking of a solid board is always a consequence of an unleveled floor, and not of poor quality material.
It is very important to clean the subfloor of small debris and dirt. Remove any shavings, small nails, or debris from it. building materials, 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%. In this case, the humidity of the subfloor itself should not exceed 12%. You can achieve the required humidity levels by thoroughly ventilating the room and eliminating possible unwanted sources of moisture. Sometimes dehumidifiers can help solve this problem.
In addition, it is necessary to ensure that there are no movements in rough floor. If necessary, the subfloor is further strengthened to eliminate them.
How to properly unpack and prepare solid wood for installation
In order to save yourself from unnecessary problems in the future, you should properly unpack and prepare solid boards for installation. Remember that a solid board already laid by a master is considered accepted for 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 be the best way match with skirting boards and thresholds, for installation next to them. Determine which boards you will use for cutting and in which specific locations.
The unpacked and sorted solid board must undergo acclimatization in the room in which 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 preferably be in the range of 6-10%. However, it is worth noting that today you cannot find a solid board with a moisture content of 6-10% on the market, even the most expensive and exclusive one. Alas, manufacturers are not ready to slow down production in order to create the ideal material.
Methods for laying solid boards on various types of subfloors
1. Laying solid boards on concrete floors
First of all, you should form a moisture-vapor barrier that will serve as a buffer between concrete and wood. To do this, a special substrate made of foamed polyethylene, 3 mm thick, can be laid out 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 this, a base is laid for the solid board flooring, which can be done in two ways.
The first method is “joists on the screed”. According to this technology, as a base for a solid board wooden blocks rectangular section - logs. Such bars are attached to the concrete base using dowels and screws, which are inserted perpendicular to the future floor. Alternatively, if there is a danger of damaging the communications located under the concrete screed, you can glue the logs to adhesive or mastic containing bitumen. The distance between the fastening points should be no more than 50 cm. After laying, the bars are leveled using a level. To adjust the height of the log, wood chips are placed or excess wood is removed with a plane. If desired, you can fill the space between the joists thermal insulation materials. This is justified if the flooring is laid on the ground floor of a building that does not have basement. Then a moisture-proof film is spread over the lag, which is secured with staples. And a massive board is laid on top of it.
In the Foto correct styling plywood diagonal to the solid board.
The gap size should be from 3 to 5 mm.
The second method is laying on a plywood base along a screed. Today this is the most popular way of laying solid boards. According to this technology, moisture-resistant plywood is used as a 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, the cutting of a single sheet of plywood is carried out along the smaller of its sides. The finished strips are laid on concrete, diagonally to the future solid wood floor. In this case, gaps are left: between the sheets - 3-5 mm, between the sheets and walls - 10 mm. It is important to understand what to spread plywood tiles need to be offset relative to each other to minimize the possibility of corners touching. Using dowels and screws, the heads of which are recessed into the material, the plywood is attached to the concrete. Each strip must have at least 9 attachment points. Alternative option fastening plywood to concrete - glue mounting. One stripe size in this case should be at least half as large. Before laying solid boards, the plywood must be sanded using a sanding belt. grinding machine, equipped with a 40 or 60 grit belt, and remove dust.
2. Laying solid boards on load-bearing wooden structures
If laying solid boards is carried out in a building that has load-bearing wooden structures, they can be used to attach the base to them under the future floor.
Before attaching the base under the floor, the existing joists must be leveled so that their maximum deviation from the plane does not exceed 2 mm per 2 m, otherwise the solid board will begin to creak over time. Using a level, remove excess wood with a plane or place wood chips in the desired areas.
As a base for a solid board, 12 mm plywood, 18 mm OSB boards or 20 mm plank flooring can be used. Plywood and OSB boards are laid on top of the moisture-proof film in the direction of the future solid wood floor so that the edges of the boards meet on the joists, and not between them. The gap between the sheets should be at least 2 mm, between the sheets and the wall - at least 10 mm, but not more than 15 mm, so that the opening can be closed with a plinth. Plywood and OSB boards are fastened with screws, of which there must be at least 9 pieces per sheet. In this case, the screw heads must be recessed 3-4 mm into the material for possible subsidence of the plywood.
When using plank flooring as a base, the subfloor parts are laid diagonally to the future solid plank floor.
3. Installation on a finished wooden floor
The existing strong and high-quality wooden floor in the room must be sanded using a belt sander equipped with an abrasive belt with a grit of 40 or 60. After this, the surface of the wooden floor should be cleaned of dust and small debris. It is recommended to lay solid boards over a wooden floor in a diagonal or transverse direction.
Application of two-component polyurethane adhesives
The best adhesives for solid wood are two-component polyurethane adhesives, which are used by all installers. There are many similar adhesives on the market, but 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's important to remember that given time calculated for ideal conditions of temperature, humidity, as well as for the ideal composition inside the can. From jar to jar, the parameters of the glue itself may also vary slightly. In reality, you need to calculate an hour and a half of glue work.
- Glue base. Benzene group adhesives have a strong odor, but disappear faster. Alkyd adhesives are most often odorless, but all harmful fumes take a little longer to disappear. Remember that glue that has a smell is no less environmentally friendly than one that does not smell - this is a common misconception. If odor is a major concern for the installer, we recommend the hypoallergenic adhesive Tover Tovcol PU2C.
- Strength and elasticity of the glue. These options have important for installation, however, from the available product cards, the buyer will never know which adhesive is stronger. Trust the opinion of professional craftsmen or equally professional sellers.
Glues also have additional properties. For example, water-based or solvent-based adhesives shrink parquet and also transfer excess moisture into a massive board. Most adhesives leave stains when they come into contact with the varnished surface of parquet; some compounds can be removed before hardening with a cloth without leaving a mark (for example, ADESIV Pelpren PL6).
For all two-part adhesives, you need to use a wide-toothed spatula - don't forget to buy one. Only such spatulas create the correct adhesive seam.
So, before installation, you need to thoroughly mix the two components of the glue with an electric mixer (an electric mixer allows you to do this efficiently and quickly, without reducing the working time of the glue). Then you can pour some of the glue from the jar and spread it with a spatula. Sometimes you can see how 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 incorrect from the point of view of adhesive manufacturers.
Correct glue line and correct use of the spatula.
Pay attention to how the spatula bends when pressed against the base.
The spatula must be held strictly vertically and pressed slightly into the floor - this creates the correct glue seam - grooves of glue, with only a thin film or a completely dry base underneath.
Fastening solid wood boards to the base and to each other
To attach a solid board to the base, self-tapping screws are used, the distance between which should be at least 20-30 cm. Before this, the solid board should be drilled at an angle of 45 degrees from the ridge side. There is no fundamental difference between which side of the planks to drill from, but theoretically it is more correct to drill into a tenon. Specialized SPAX solid wood screws are the most popular for this purpose and with no immediate competitors. It is especially important to use specialized screws for boards made of exotic species. high density(however, pre-drilling is required for exotic dense rocks).
Attracting the planks of a solid board to each other when screwed with self-tapping screws.
It is very important to pull the planks tightly together when screwing and leave the required gap between the boards and the walls (for most medium-sized rooms - exactly 1 cm). To attract the planks to each other, carefully use a chisel or wedges if you have to press a tenon. Or, most often, the planks are knocked down with a hammer through a block.
Professional parquet crews often use a pneumatic gun with staples instead of self-tapping screws, which allows them to lay parquet much faster. This method is correct, but 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 when the wood expands does not allow the internal tension of the material to escape, which can lead to cracking or swelling of the boards. Too much big gap It will be difficult to cover with regular-sized skirting boards.
The first row of solid boards is always laid with the groove facing the wall. The first and last rows are fastened with self-tapping screws through the front surface of the solid board. Subsequently, the fastening points are hidden under the baseboard.
Rules for sanding solid boards and applying a protective coating to it
To process laid solid boards without a factory coating, it is recommended to use disk and belt parquet sanding machines. 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 solid boards, removing only the varnish coating. Sanding will remove the chamfer, so when seasonal narrowing of the wood occurs, gaps will be noticeable on the floor surface.
Upon completion of sanding (if the solid board is uncoated), the surface of the solid board should be thoroughly cleaned of dust using a vacuum cleaner or brush. Applying varnish or oil should begin the same day. After drying, it is recommended to sand each layer using a disc machine. It is recommended to apply 3 to 7 layers of varnish, which may take about 7 days. If you use a semi-gloss or glossy varnish, then in addition to strength, this affects the “mirror” appearance of the board. After sanding, oil should be applied in 2-4 layers. Oil with hard wax 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 plinth, which is carried out according to the recommendations of the specific plinth manufacturer. After this, the installation of solid wood flooring can be considered complete.
Installing a solid board is quite specific and labor-intensive, so even if you are a “jack of all trades,” it would be better to entrust this work to experienced specialists. However, it is useful to know the basic nuances of installation: this will allow you to control the quality of work and protect you from possible problems with the floor in the future, since most defects flooring occurs precisely due to improper installation.
Solid boards can only be laid using rigid fastening to the base using self-tapping screws and glue. This is a reliable and time-tested method that allows you to obtain a stable “monolithic” floor and then repeatedly carry out repair sanding (one of the advantages of solid boards). However, rigid fastening places increased demands on the base and installation quality. And preparation for the installation of a massive board begins long before its purchase.
Preparing the premises
Flooring installation is one of the final stages repair. The less work remains to be done after laying the floor, the less chance there is of accidentally damaging it. All wet work indoors must be completed at least two months before installation begins. The relative air humidity in the room should be between 40% and 60%, and the temperature should be from +18 to +24 degrees Celsius. Solid board is sensitive to parameters environment, therefore it is necessary to strictly maintain them within the given limits.
Preparing the base
Arranging the base of the floor is a responsible and scrupulous process, and all subsequent operation of the solid board depends on its quality. Many problems with wooden floors (for example, creaking floorboards) arise precisely because of a poorly executed base.
The concrete base for the flooring must be dry, level, hard and clean (free from dust). The humidity of the concrete screed should be within 2-3%. Already at 3-4% humidity it is necessary to use a primer under the adhesive. Permissible curvature of the base: no more than 2 mm per 2 m2 area. Curvature is checked using the two-meter rule or spirit level (“level”). Any differences greater than 2 mm must be eliminated.
Exist different ways laying solid boards (for example, on logs - a method popular in the times piece parquet), but for the Russian climate Amber Wood recommends installation 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 (no more than 0.5 m x 0.5 m in size), onto which glue is applied, after which they are attached with dowel nails to the concrete base. It is necessary to leave technological gaps of 3-5 mm between the sheets.
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 solid board.
Humidity control
Natural wood floors place increased 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 air humidity in the room is hygrometer. There are advanced moisture meters that can also measure environmental humidity. But a wood moisture meter 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 specialists involved in laying parquet products must have it. If the installers did not measure humidity before starting work, then this is a serious “red flag” that calls into question their qualifications. As for the hygrometer, it is a fairly simple household appliance that is useful to purchase for home use. It will allow you to constantly monitor the relative humidity in the room, which is important for both the health and durability of the wooden floor. There are beautiful wall-mounted hygrometers on sale that will fit perfectly into any interior.
Preparing solid boards
The purchased solid board (delivered in packs, packed in polyethylene) must be allowed to sit for a week in the room where the installation will be carried out 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 delivered boards: it is better to unpack the packs immediately before laying. Then it will be possible to carry out troubleshooting. Never lay boards that are defective or damaged during transportation: they can be replaced or returned, but only before installation begins.
Installation
Typically, a solid board is laid along the incident light (perpendicular to the window), so the floor looks most harmonious. However, if the base is made of wooden flooring, then the floor must be laid across the base boards. “Designer” laying at an angle of 45o is also possible, but it entails excessive consumption of material and a very large number of trimmings.
The solid board is attached to the plywood base by continuous gluing with a two-component adhesive, which is applied with a special notched trowel.
Additionally, the board is fixed using parquet screws, which are screwed into the base of the ridge at an angle of 45° in increments of 20-30 cm (their caps will hide the boards of the adjacent row). You cannot attach a solid board with glue alone; 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 is carried out through the front surface (so that when installing the baseboards, the caps are hidden). During laying, adjacent boards are tightly joined in the transverse and longitudinal directions, if necessary, they are tapped with a rubber hammer and pulled together with wedges.
During the installation process, you will probably have to go around various obstacles: for example, heating pipes. In this case, using a jigsaw with a fine file, the sections necessary for bending are cut out in the board, taking into account the compensation gap.
Compensation gap
Due to seasonal fluctuations in temperature and humidity, a wooden floor expands and contracts, so it is necessary to leave a technological gap (compensation gap) of at least 10 mm between the wall and the adjacent solid board. During the installation process, the gaps are fixed with wedges, and upon completion of the work they are hidden with plinths.
An expansion gap is required not only next to the walls, but also next to any other static structures into which the flooring may rest against when expanding. This door frames, heating pipes, ventilation ducts, pillars and columns, as well as furniture with rigid attachment to the floor (wardrobes, safes, etc.).
Takeoff
Take-off run, i.e. shifting the joint between the boards relative to the adjacent row is a necessary technique both from an aesthetic point of view and from a technological one. The same principle can be observed, for example, in brickwork. For reliable connection It is recommended to maintain a separation distance 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 begin with a half or third sawn. 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 wood pattern and intricate texture. A geometrically adjusted symmetrical run in this case may look boring and inappropriate. For a variegated floor, you can use a run-up without repetition, when the joints of the boards in different rows are not on the same line. The main thing is to maintain a displacement of at least 40 cm relative to the previous row.
Laying the last row and finishing the 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 required width at the place where it is installed (not forgetting the compensation gap). When installing the last row, there is very little space left to work with. To lay boards near the wall, it is convenient to use a special mounting paw.
The last row of solid boards, like the first, is fastened with self-tapping screws through the front surface. After installation is completed, it is necessary to hide the expansion gaps and screw heads with a plinth or fillet of suitable width.
Typically, solid boards are supplied with a decorative and protective coating already applied at the factory. However, if it still needs to be applied, then this can be done no earlier than 2-3 days after the installation is completed: first, the boards must rest and the glue must fully harden.
Compliance with installation technology is the key to long and reliable operation of the floor covering. A responsible approach to the installation of solid boards in the future will allow you to fully enjoy the benefits of a natural wooden floor and not have problems with it.
The content of the article:
Laying solid boards is the final stage of installing a wooden floor structure. Forming a finishing coating, this material is ideal for most rooms. The environmental friendliness of the board is due to the absence of adhesive joints, since piece products are produced from solid massif wood Its pattern, created by nature itself, gives a delightful appearance floor covering. Wooden decor It retains heat excellently, it is durable, strong and can be easily renewed many times. You will learn how to lay a solid board on a stone or wooden base from this article.
Features of choosing a solid floor board
The choice of boards for flooring must be approached with the utmost responsibility, because the appearance and durability of the future cladding depends on its quality. Modern solid boards have tongue-and-groove joints and are made from dozens of wood species, including exotic ones in our understanding of the word. Depending on financial capabilities, the purpose of the room and the requirements for the future floor, you can choose almost any wooden flooring based on this criterion.
The most common and budget option is a solid board made of pine. Products made from cedar and larch are also quite popular, but are more expensive. Ash and oak flooring is exceptionally durable, but its price is much higher.
Aspen and alder floors have therapeutic effect, but the strength of their wood limits the use of the material in rooms with heavy traffic. If the flooring will be varnished after installation, it is recommended to use light-colored boards.
When choosing floor tiles, you should take into account their physical characteristics:
- First of all, you need to pay attention to the moisture content of the material. For solid boards, its recommended value is 7-10%, the maximum is 12%. Industrial drying of wood using modern equipment makes it possible to achieve such indicators. A board that is too wet after installation on the floor dries out during use, forms cracks and weak connections in the locks.
- Boards that have grooves, cracks, chips or holes from knots should be immediately put aside. Material with traces of mold and mildew is also not suitable for use - it can ruin the entire floor.
- Floor wooden plank must be impregnated with an antiseptic, which will protect the future coating from insect invasion and the proliferation of microorganisms harmful to wood. Data on such impregnation must be provided by the manufacturer in the technical documentation for the products. If solid plank flooring is to be installed over an existing wood floor, all of its structures, including joists, should also be treated with an antifungal agent before finishing.
- Impregnation of boards with fire retardants, which increase the fire resistance of products, must also be carried out in the factory. You should pay attention to this when purchasing this material.
- The geometric dimensions of solid floor boards must comply with accepted standards. Its length can be from 0.5 to 6 or even 9 m. This allows you to select the entire material along the length of the room or make it beautifully joined at the ends.
- The width of the board can also be different. Its maximum value is 450 mm, minimum - 60 mm. The wider the board laid on the floor, the less durable the coating can be obtained, this is due to the number of its fastening elements. The most optimal width of products is 100-120 mm. Such boards are used more often than others.
- The thickness range of solid wood flooring elements is 18-50 mm. Laying boards of maximum thickness ensures greatest strength floor, but the same parameter for the base under the covering should be much higher. The most popular boards are 20-25 mm thick. The strength of such a coating for home use is quite sufficient, moreover, it does not require a powerful substrate.
Preparing the base for laying solid boards
Solid wood flooring can be laid in apartments and private houses, in public and administrative institutions on stone and wooden bases. In all cases, the principle of installing external floor elements is the same, but preparing the base for them has its own characteristics. Let's look at them.
Concrete base
Before laying solid boards on concrete base It is recommended to make an intermediate layer of moisture-resistant plywood. It allows you to easily and effortlessly attach the finishing floor covering to your surface, which will be perfectly smooth and protected from concrete moisture.
To lay the plywood on the floor tightly and horizontally, you must first perform a leveling screed. To do this, the concrete floor should first be cleaned of dirt and debris, and then checked for slopes and unevenness using a two-meter lath and a building level.
If there are gaps between measuring instrument and the surface under study is more than 5 mm, it will be necessary to perform a cement screed along beacons that can be raised to any reasonable height from the base surface. If the gaps are less than 5 mm, the base can be filled with a self-leveling mixture.
The finished screed must be completely dry. It is not difficult to check its required humidity. To do this, after 2-3 weeks you need to lay a piece of plastic film on the floor surface and press it tightly around the perimeter with tape to the screed. If after a couple of days no condensation is detected under the film, you can continue working on the floor.
Its essence is as follows:
- The dried screed must be covered with a layer of waterproofing. The material for it can be polyethylene film or sealing mastic on a bitumen or other basis. Polyethylene film sheets should be laid on the floor surface with an overlap of 10-15 cm, tightly gluing their joints with metallized tape. Coating waterproofing can be applied with a brush and roller.
- Then the plywood sheets should be cut along the short sides into fragments 500-600 mm wide and laid ready-made samples for waterproofing in a checkerboard pattern, maintaining a gap of 2-3 mm between them. Between the wall and the outer panels of plywood you need to leave expansion joint, which will serve to compensate for the linear expansion of the material during temperature and humidity changes in the environment.
- It is recommended to fix the laid plywood on the concrete floor using dowels and screws. There should be 15 fastenings per 1 m2 of surface. The heads of all screws should be recessed into the thickness of the material by 2-3 mm. If coating waterproofing was used instead of film, the plywood can simply be glued to the floor using a composition compatible with the sealing mastic.
The timber should be laid in a direction perpendicular to the future location of the solid board. The top surface of all joists must be a single plane and the same level with or without a slope. The necessary adjustments to the position of the floor support system can be made using a building level, a cord and adjusting pads under the beam.
Attaching the joists to the floor should be done using dowels, screws and metal corners. The fastener pitch is 50 cm. Insulation in the form of slabs or roll material.
Further work provides two options for its development:
- You can lay a waterproofing film on the joists, secure it to the beams with staplers, and then mount and fix with screws a one- or two-layer subfloor under a solid 25 mm board made of moisture-resistant plywood.
- If the board is more than 30 mm thick, it can be laid on the joists immediately after waterproofing as a finishing coating.
Important! You can lay a board on plywood whose thickness does not exceed 25 mm, that is, the intermediate layer should not be thinner than the floor covering itself.
Wooden base
Even an old wooden floor can serve as a basis for installing a solid board, if it is reliable and durable. In any case, it should be inspected before use before laying expensive material on such a base. During an external inspection, you should pay attention to the presence or absence of cracks, rot, chips and severe wear of its surface.
It would be a good idea to check the creaking and unsteadiness of its floorboards. If they occur, part of the flooring in problem areas you need to disassemble and carefully inspect the logs. If they are rotten, it is better to dismantle such a floor and create a modern new foundation in its place.
If the inspection result is positive, the existing floor should be processed using a belt sander, its abrasive grit should be 40 or 63. After this, the surface must be cleaned of dust and covered with waterproofing polyethylene film.
The solid board must be laid in the direction of the floorboards of the base. If you choose a different direction, you should lay sheets of moisture-resistant plywood 12-15 mm thick on top of the existing floor, sand them and remove dust. After this, a solid board can be laid on the resulting base.
Methods for installing solid boards on the floor
Solid boards can be laid on the floor in two ways. Let's take a closer look at each of them.
Locking method for installing solid boards
It is used when laying products equipped with a tongue-and-groove fastening system, and is not particularly complex. Solid boards are usually laid perpendicular to the plane window openings, although another option is also possible, for example, along any diagonal of the floor.
3-5 days before the start of work, the board must be brought into the room where the flooring is to be laid and removed from the packaging. Over the next period of time, the material adapts to the humidity of the environment and will not deform during installation and further use of the floor. The relative air humidity in the room should be no higher than 60%, and its temperature should be 10-30°C.
The operating procedure is as follows:
- Installation of the first row of boards should begin parallel to the longitudinal axis of the room, placing the products with a tenon directed towards its long wall. All boards must be leveled and secured with screws with the expectation that the fasteners can then be covered with a plinth.
- The side of the board opposite the wall should be fixed to the joists or plywood base with screws, screwing them into the groove at an angle of 45°. The length of the screws should be 2-2.5 times greater than the thickness of the product.
- Each board of the next row must be inserted with a tenon into the groove of the element of the previous row. The maximum density of the connection between the floorboards can be ensured by adjusting them using special blocks.
- The last row of massive boards, just like the first, must be fixed with screws, suggesting the possibility of hiding the fasteners under the baseboard. A deformation gap of 8-10 mm wide should be left between the walls and the outer rows of boards.
Important! If solid plank flooring is laid directly on joists, all its elements must be attached to each beam in turn.
Glue method for installing solid boards
The adhesive method of installing solid boards is used in cases where the material is made of valuable wood or there is a need to tile a large area of flooring, an irregular complex contour, or to cover the area of entrance openings. Boards of valuable wood species, as a rule, are always thinner, and their length often does not exceed two meters - the considerable cost of the material affects it.
The essence of laying solid boards using the adhesive method is that wooden floorboards are tightly connected at the joints and glued to the base special composition and additionally attached to it using self-tapping screws. They are screwed into the side joints of the boards at an angle of 45°, and the fastener heads are recessed into the wood by 3-5 mm.
The finished glued floor made of natural wood is very durable and resistant to deformation; it absolutely does not require expansion joints. However, such a coating is completely unsuitable for underfloor heating systems. In addition, in order to replace the damaged area on it, all floor boards laid with glue will have to be dismantled.
How to lay a solid board on the floor - watch the video:
To summarize, I would like to note that the practicality of flooring made from solid parquet boards has been proven by centuries of impeccable service; it is respectable, impressive and, finally, simply beautiful. A board made from solid wood is always fashionable and can be easily processed in any way, including artificial aging. Therefore, use this wonderful material, which can become the main decoration of your home!
