What putty should I use to seal plywood joints on the floor? How to seal the seams between plywood sheets on the ceiling? Plywood floor putty

Plywood is very often used as a base for other types of flooring and as a finishing touch. Since this is a natural material that requires installation technological gaps, then the question inevitably arises: how to seal the seams between the plywood on the floor?

The answer depends on several factors:

thickness of the gap between the sheets;
specific finishing;
the room itself (humidity, heating, etc.).

Preliminary preparation

Before proceeding directly to sealing the seams, they must be prepared. You should start by sanding the joints, because this is the most important. If the plywood is finishing or there will be something thin and soft on top, such as linoleum, all surface defects will be clearly visible.

How to make a plywood floor in an apartment

It is most convenient to minimize the difference at the joints with the help of a sander; it can also be used to go over other flaws in the material (knots, irregularities). This work can be done manually, but it will take much more time.

Another important factor is the fastening of the edges. It must be very rigid, the joints must not “walk”, otherwise not a single putty will hold in them.

Read important material on the topic: what putty to choose for plywood and why?

If plywood is laid on concrete base, then attach it with glue (the main thing here is not to skimp on it), when installing it on wooden surface The sheets are screwed with self-tapping screws. They are screwed in every 15-20 cm. The outer rows should be positioned as close as possible to the future seams, but so that the sheet does not crack.

Sealing process

Immediately before caulking, the seams must be cleaned of dust and dirt; this is most conveniently done using a vacuum cleaner. Then the joints are degreased and coated with a primer. The soil must be moisture-resistant, and if the room is damp, then it is advisable to add antifungal additives. The putty itself is applied only after the primer layer has completely dried.

Basic Rules

One of the main selection criteria when sealing joints between plywood on the floor is the elasticity of the putty. No matter how tightly the edges of the plywood sheets are attached, they will still “play” a little, so the dense and hard putty will quickly crack and fly out of the seams.

You should choose not just putty for woodwork, but putty for wooden floors. An ordinary one may simply not withstand the load.

Of the entire range on the market, one of best results showed acrylic putty. It is applied to the widest and deepest cracks in several stages, each time waiting until the previous layer has completely dried.

Some people recommend using for these purposes silicone, but it is not very suitable, as it is too soft and will press through at the seams.

Elastic sealant is also not a panacea– it usually shrinks greatly, causing clearly visible depressions to form on the seams. This can be avoided by applying it in several layers, waiting for the previous layer to completely dry and shrink, but this is a rather lengthy process. Of all the variety of sealants, acrylic is best suited for these purposes.

A more expensive option is hot melt adhesive.. Apply it a little with a reserve (so that the seam sticks out). After hardening, the excess is cut off with a wallpaper knife. The connection turns out to be quite elastic, but not soft; it also hardens very quickly and practically does not shrink.

The disadvantage of this material is the price and the need to buy a fairly powerful (at least 500 Watt) hot melt glue gun.

Hot glue gun for sealing seams

If interested traditional methods As for how to cover the seams between the plywood on the floor, there is no consensus here either. Some recommend rubbing the seams, PVA solution mixed with sawdust. Others suggest using for these purposes a mixture of heated to 40 degrees epoxy resin and wood dust. Third - a mixture of drying oil and construction chalk.

Whatever you decide to use to seal the gaps between the plywood on the floor , the main thing is to observe technological process. In this case, the result will be reliable and durable.

More information in this video.

Home → Articles

Repairing damage to linoleum

The most common defect in linoleum coating is considered to be a violation of its integrity. To correct this deficiency, patches made from the same material must be installed on the linoleum.

The work is carried out in the following sequence. First, you need to lay a piece of new linoleum on the defective area of the floor and try to match the patterns. Having achieved complete alignment, you need to use a sharply sharpened knife for cutting linoleum, using a metal ruler, to cut through both sheets at once - new and old. If the linoleum is too thick, it may not be possible to make cuts simultaneously on two panels superimposed on each other. But in any case, a mark from the knife will remain on the lower panel, along which the linoleum can subsequently be cut.

When cutting out a patch, you need to take into account that it is recommended to cut out the patch bigger size than the damaged piece. The shape of the patch can be any: rectangular, triangular, round, square, diamond-shaped. If the linoleum covering has a geometric pattern, it would be wiser to cut out a patch according to a fragment of the pattern so that the junction of the old and new panels is invisible.

The next step in the work will be to remove the defective area of the linoleum covering. The base underneath must be thoroughly cleaned of old adhesive, dust and dirt, and then primed with mastic. The primer must dry. A thin layer of mastic is then applied to the base and back of the patch, and a new piece of linoleum is set in place and rolled with a rubber roller.

The lino-leum patch laid in this way must be loaded through a sheet of plywood or fiberboard with a bag of sand or bricks. The load can be removed only after 2-3 days, when the mastic has completely dried.

Sometimes you have to patch a linoleum flooring that only has the edges glued on. In this case, after removing the defective piece of old linoleum, you need to apply mastic under the edges of the remaining linoleum at the patch location and press the edges until the glue dries completely.

The back side of the patch is also covered with mastic, but the adhesive is not applied in a continuous layer, as in the previous case, but only along the perimeter. The patch is covered with mastic entirely only if it small size. The patch is installed in place and rolled with a roller. If the patch is only sticking around the edges, be sure to ensure that all the air is removed from underneath it, otherwise that small piece of linoleum will soon come off.

When cutting out a patch, you need to be extremely careful and careful, then the repaired coating will look beautiful.

How to make a plywood floor. Installation on concrete screed, joists. Sealing seams

As a result of inaccurate cutting after installing the patch, gaps may form between its edges and the edges of the undamaged area. They need to be sealed in exactly the same way as in the original linoleum flooring.

When laying patches, use mastic of the same composition as when laying the entire linoleum covering, otherwise incompatible components of adhesives may react with each other, and all work will go down the drain.

There is no need to apply patches to minor damage to linoleum. These defects can be eliminated using putty prepared at home. The putty recipe may vary.

Putty can be prepared from 20 parts rosin, 5 parts alcohol, 4 parts castor oil and small quantity dry dye corresponding to the color of the linoleum covering. Rosin must be crushed and dissolved in alcohol. It is necessary to add to the resulting composition Castor oil and dye and mix thoroughly to obtain a homogeneous mass. Using the prepared compound using a spatula, carefully repair small damage in the linoleum. Let the putty dry and sand it down.

Putty can also be prepared from 4 parts thick turpentine, 1 part crushed rosin and dry dye. The components of the putty must be thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous composition is obtained. Use mastic to repair small damage in the linoleum and smooth it thoroughly. After the composition has completely dried, the repaired areas must be cleaned with sandpaper.

The area of linoleum covering repaired in this way is rubbed with a protective mastic intended for the care of linoleum, or with a shiny emulsion.

General concepts
Practical comparison
Varieties
Negative sides plywood
Preparation for installation
Substrate moisture
Laying plywood on a concrete base
Laying on screed
Laying plywood on joists

Plywood is universal material, it is perfect for making a plywood floor in an apartment with your own hands. The main condition is compliance with the basic rules and nuances, attentiveness and a scrupulous approach.

Due to the various uses of this material, you can find many varieties on the market.

Plywood has a number of advantages:

high strength;
low cost;
environmental friendliness;
ease of installation.

All these factors make the material great solution for use in various fields.

General concepts

It’s worth figuring out how leveling the floor with plywood differs from the closest material in terms of price – chipboard.

Practical comparison

Chipboard is cheaper, but has harmful inclusions in the form of volatile carcinogens.

It is worth conducting several tests to assess the practicality of materials:

The first test will be for flexibility and maintaining the same shape. Let's put a centimeter sheet of plywood on two beams and stand on it. The material will bend for a while, and after we get off it, it will take its previous shape. In such a situation, the chipboard will simply crack.

The next test will be for moisture resistance. Let's place the two materials in water and wait for the changes. The chipboard will very quickly begin to thicken and become limp, losing its shape and becoming completely unusable.

The last test will be for fragility.

Using a hammer, apply several blows to the materials. The chipboard will crumble, and the plywood will absorb the impact, causing minor dents.

All these positive distinctive features Plywood is acquired as a material thanks to a special manufacturing technology. Plywood is wood board, the layers of which are glued together. Chipboard is pressed from chips.

All tests performed show that plywood is in any case better than particle board.

Varieties

In order to lay a plywood floor in an apartment, you can use one of the following types of material marked as follows:

FC– plywood with an adhesive in the form of urea resin. It is distinguished by high moisture-repellent characteristics, high strength, environmental friendliness, and can be used to create a finished floor covering.
NS– an unsanded type of plywood in which the layers are glued together using casein glue. This plywood is the cheapest, but may require additional sanding after installation.
Ш1– plywood with one-sided sanding. It also contains casein glue. It is best to use such plywood for a subfloor, since only one side is sanded.
Ш2– double-sided sanded plywood. The layers are glued together with the same casein glue. Provided that such plywood is used in rooms with a normal climate, it can replace FK plywood.

Negative sides of plywood

Plywood, like all wood products, is susceptible to moisture.

long-term humidity up to 68%;
periodic humidity, up to 12 hours – no more than 78%;
during installation – no more than 60%.

Before leveling the floor with plywood in your kitchen, bathroom or bathroom, make sure that the temperature and humidity in them do not exceed the recommended values.

How can I seal the seams between the plywood on the floor?

If the indicators are too high, try to use only FK grade plywood.

Preparation for installation

Before attaching plywood to the floor, the material needs to acclimatize.

The acclimatization period is affected by the temperature difference between the old and new environments where the material is located.

The acclimatization periods will be as follows:

almost the same temperature – day;
a difference of 8 degrees – 3 days;
more than 8 degrees – 7 days.

Substrate moisture

After the material has acclimatized, you need to check the level of dampness in the area where the floor will be laid. If the humidity is high, you will need to lay an additional layer in the form of waterproofing.

To measure the humidity level, you will need to take one square meter polyethylene and lay it on the floor, securing it in the corners with something heavy. Leave with the raised central part for a while.

Based on how long it took for the drops to appear, you can judge the humidity in the room:

24 hours – a room with such humidity cannot currently be used for laying plywood;
3 days – a layer of waterproofing should be laid;

If the floor is concrete, then we lay the film, and on top - a reinforcing mesh and fill the screed. If the floor is made of wood, then all rotten boards must be removed from it. Plywood is laid using FC grade.

5 days – installation of plywood can be carried out without restrictions.

Laying plywood on a concrete base

Plywood flooring can be laid on concrete screed or on lags. In the first case, it is important that the base is very even and the finishing layer is flexible. Read also: “How to attach plywood to concrete floor- styling options.

Laying on screed

Let us describe the sequence of installing plywood in an apartment directly onto a concrete screed:

First you need to do a thorough cleaning, there should be no debris left.
The surface should be opened with bitumen varnish with the addition of kerosene. If there is no such mixture, you can take parquet mastic and add a solvent there.

A very important precaution would be to turn off the electricity in the panel while the room is fully ventilated. This will prevent an accidental spark that could ignite flammable vapors.

Sheets of plywood should be cut into strips or squares of 1250x1250 mm.
Laying is carried out with a 50 percent shift according to the principle of brickwork.
We lay out the sheets on the floor, adjust their size, number them, and don’t forget about the gap between the plywood on the floor.
If linoleum is used as a finishing coating, then before sealing the seams between the plywood on the floor, it can be glued directly to the concrete floor using bustilate. You will get a floating floor without mounting slots. If you have a question about how to seal the seams in plywood on the floor, you can use acrylic non-shrink putty for wooden floors.
If it will be laid oak covering, then you need to lay plywood with the addition of mounting slots:

First you need to attach the sheet to the concrete and drill four holes in the corners and one in the center, lightly touching the concrete. It is better to take a drill made of hard steel alloy, since a regular one will quickly become dull due to contact with concrete.

Next, we remove the sheets and make full-size holes for the dowels. We open the bottom part of the sheet with glue and put it in place, pressing it with self-tapping screws. If you don’t know how to seal the joints of plywood on the floor in in this case, then the answer is simple - they can be left as is.

Laying plywood on joists

If the final flooring will be parquet, laminate or other similar coverings, you will first need to assemble a frame from logs.

You will need to follow these steps:

It is necessary to prepare boards 100 mm thick or square timber of the same section.
We leave them for one week in the room where they will be laid. Those that have become deformed during this time are removed.
You will need plywood 12-22 mm thick.
The base must be prepared in the same way as in the case of laying plywood without a frame of joists.
Installation of beams is carried out at intervals of 300-600 mm.
The space between the joists must be filled with insulation.
When laying sheets, small gaps should be left between them, and the gap between the wall and plywood should be 25 mm. If you are thinking about how to cover the seams between the plywood on the floor, then in this case they also need to be left as is.
The plywood on the beams can be placed on liquid nails, and additionally secured on top with regular nails.

If a frame made of logs is used as a base, then adjusting bolts can be purchased to simplify installation.

conclusions

Plywood is an excellent material with ideal ratio price quality. At a low price, it can be used to make either a finished floor or a base for a floor covering. In any case, the end result will be an excellent floor that will have the same practicality and beauty. Its great advantage is that all work can be carried out without involving specialists.

What is the correct way to seal plywood joints on the floor (linoleum flooring)?

Puttying a plywood floor

Before choosing what to putty the floor with, determine the surface of the existing coating. Putty can be: basic - used as the first layer to level out the main unevenness; finishing - which is placed finally thin even layer; universal - which is suitable both instead of the basic one and instead of the finishing one.

How to putty floors

Putty plywood floor

Plywood, like most building materials, is designed to decorate rooms for various purposes. Its strength exceeds the type of wood from which it was made. Typically, plywood is mounted on level guides. After fixing the plywood, you can putty it. It must be treated with a primer on the outside and inside.

When the plywood is primed, you need to wait about an hour until it dries. Each manufacturer of a primer or antiseptic indicates the area of use of the antiseptic or primer, indicates the drying time and other characteristics of use. These are such as humidity and air temperature and other materials for which this product is made. Once the primer is applied and dry, apply putty.

You can use ordinary putty, which is sold dry, and then mixed, adding water, until it becomes sour cream. But the application layer of such putty is from 2 mm. Therefore, when choosing what to putty the floor with, choose latex or oil putty. If you choose oil, then you will hardly need to go through the drying process after drying. sandpaper, rubbing out irregularities.

Since when puttingtying plywood, or any other surface, oil putty stretches well, you can choose it. It absorbs less paint compared to dry paint.

When puttying plywood, latex putty forms a layer of 1 mm. This putty can stretch well and cover all unevenness. It is usually puttyed once. If necessary, you can apply a second layer. It's difficult to sand with sandpaper. Because the grout mesh or sandpaper quickly exhausts its resource.

Therefore, when thinking about how to putty the cracks in the floor, we answer, do it carefully so that you practically don’t have to use sandpaper. And when the putty already applied to the plywood has dried, start painting.

For flooring, polyester putty is most often used. Its features are strength, good adhesion, and elasticity. This putty does not shrink, but when working with it you do not need to take a large layer. Number thin layers there should be no more than two.

Polyurethane putty is also popular. It's easy to use. It is resistant to gasoline and acids.

How can I seal the seams on a plywood floor under linoleum?

And so I'll give you one interesting way when the seams will not show on the linoleum and the plywood itself will not deteriorate for a long time. When the entire floor has been treated with a primer, let it dry thoroughly; to do this, you can put a fan in the room so that the air circulates throughout the day quite sufficiently. Then mix the epoxy resin with wood dust in a metal container, then the resin must be heated to 40 degrees so that it becomes liquid and flowable, and only then we begin to fill the cracks and other flaws on the plywood. Then we let it harden for a day and you can start sanding. All linoleum will fit perfectly and in the future there is a full guarantee that the seams will not come apart or crack.

Before you begin laying linoleum on plywood, you must carefully prepare the surface of the plywood. To do this, it is necessary to seal it with putty for wooden products all existing seams at the joints, small cracks, and dents in the plywood, if, of course, there are any, can be filled silicone sealant.

In addition, the plywood must be treated with a special antiseptic, which is included in the primer.

And only after the plywood has dried after all processing procedures can you begin the direct installation of linoleum.

But before doing this, do not forget to make sure that the entire surface of the plywood is smooth and clean.

Before choosing what to putty the floor with, determine the surface of the existing coating. Putty can be: basic - used as the first layer to level out the main unevenness; finishing - which is finally laid in a thin, even layer; universal - which is suitable both instead of the basic one and instead of the finishing one.

How to putty floors

Putty plywood floor

Plywood, like most building materials, is designed to finish rooms for various purposes. Its strength exceeds the type of wood from which it was made. Typically, plywood is mounted on level guides. After fixing the plywood, you can putty it. It must be treated with a primer on the outside and inside.

You can use ordinary putty, which is sold dry, and then mixed, adding water, until it becomes sour cream.

But the application layer of such putty is from 2 mm. Therefore, when choosing what to putty the floor with, choose latex or oil putty. If you choose an oil-based one, then after drying there will be almost no need to go through sandpaper, rubbing out any irregularities.

Since when puttingtying plywood, or any other surface, oil putty stretches well, you can choose it. It absorbs less paint compared to dry paint.

When puttying plywood, latex putty forms a layer of 1 mm.

This putty can stretch well and cover all unevenness. It is usually puttyed once. If necessary, you can apply a second layer. It's difficult to sand with sandpaper. Because the grout mesh or sandpaper quickly exhausts its resource.

For flooring, polyester putty is most often used. Its features are strength, good adhesion, and elasticity. This putty does not shrink, but when working with it you do not need to take a large layer. The number of thin layers should be no more than two.

Polyurethane putty is also popular. It's easy to use. It is resistant to gasoline and acids.

Preliminary preparation

Before proceeding directly to sealing the seams, they must be prepared. You should start by sanding the joints, because this is the most important. If plywood is the finishing material or something thin and soft, such as linoleum, will be placed on top, all surface defects will be clearly visible. It is most convenient to minimize the difference at the joints with the help of a sander; it can also be used to go over other flaws in the material (knots, irregularities). This work can be done manually, but it will take much more time.

Another important factor is the fastening of the edges. It must be very rigid, the joints must not “walk”, otherwise not a single putty will hold in them.

Read important material on the topic: what putty to choose for plywood and why?

If plywood is laid on a concrete base, then it is fastened with glue (the main thing here is not to skimp on it); when installing it on a wooden surface, the sheets are screwed with self-tapping screws. They are screwed in every 15-20 cm. The outer rows should be positioned as close as possible to the future seams, but so that the sheet does not crack.

Sealing process

Basic Rules

You should choose not just putty for woodwork, but putty for wooden floors.

How to make a plywood floor in an apartment

An ordinary one may simply not withstand the load.

Of the entire range on the market, acrylic putty showed one of the best results. It is applied to the widest and deepest cracks in several stages, each time waiting until the previous layer has completely dried.

Some people recommend using for these purposes silicone, but it is not very suitable, as it is too soft and will press through at the seams.

The disadvantage of this material is the price and the need to buy a fairly powerful (at least 500 Watt) hot melt glue gun.

Hot glue gun for sealing seams

If you are interested in folk methods of how to seal the seams between plywood on the floor, then there is no consensus here either. Some recommend rubbing the seams, PVA solution mixed with sawdust. Others suggest using for these purposes a mixture of epoxy resin and wood dust heated to 40 degrees. Third - a mixture of drying oil and construction chalk.

Whatever you decide to use to seal the gaps between the plywood on the floor , The main thing is to follow the technological process. In this case, the result will be reliable and durable.

More information in this video.

General concepts
Practical comparison
Varieties
Negative sides of plywood
Preparation for installation
Substrate moisture
Laying plywood on a concrete base
Laying on screed
Laying plywood on joists

Plywood is a universal material; it is perfect for making a plywood floor in an apartment with your own hands. The main condition is compliance with the basic rules and nuances, attentiveness and a scrupulous approach.

Due to the various uses of this material, you can find many varieties on the market.

Plywood has a number of advantages:

high strength;
low cost;
environmental friendliness;
ease of installation.

All these factors make the material an excellent solution for use in various fields.

General concepts

It’s worth figuring out how leveling the floor with plywood differs from the closest material in terms of price – chipboard.

Practical comparison

Chipboard is cheaper, but has harmful inclusions in the form of volatile carcinogens.

It is worth conducting several tests to assess the practicality of materials:

The first test will be for flexibility and maintaining the same shape. Let's put a centimeter sheet of plywood on two beams and stand on it. The material will bend for a while, and after we get off it, it will take its previous shape. In such a situation, the chipboard will simply crack.

The next test will be for moisture resistance. Let's place the two materials in water and wait for the changes. The chipboard will very quickly begin to thicken and become limp, losing its shape and becoming completely unusable.

The last test will be for fragility.

Using a hammer, apply several blows to the materials. The chipboard will crumble, and the plywood will absorb the impact, causing minor dents.

All these positive distinctive features of plywood are acquired by the material thanks to a special manufacturing technology. Plywood is a wood board whose layers are glued together. Chipboard is pressed from chips.

All tests performed show that plywood is in any case better than particle board.

Varieties

In order to lay a plywood floor in an apartment, you can use one of the following types of material marked as follows:

FC– plywood with an adhesive in the form of urea resin. It is distinguished by high moisture-repellent characteristics, high strength, environmental friendliness, and can be used to create a finished floor covering.
NS– an unsanded type of plywood in which the layers are glued together using casein glue. This plywood is the cheapest, but may require additional sanding after installation.
Ш1– plywood with one-sided sanding.
It also contains casein glue. It is best to use such plywood for a subfloor, since only one side is sanded.
Ш2– double-sided sanded plywood. The layers are glued together with the same casein glue. Provided that such plywood is used in rooms with a normal climate, it can replace FK plywood.

Negative sides of plywood

Plywood, like all wood products, is susceptible to moisture.

long-term humidity up to 68%;
periodic humidity, up to 12 hours – no more than 78%;
during installation – no more than 60%.

Before leveling the floor with plywood in your kitchen, bathroom or bathroom, make sure that the temperature and humidity in them do not exceed the recommended values. If the indicators are too high, try to use only FK grade plywood.

Preparation for installation

Before attaching plywood to the floor, the material needs to acclimatize.

The acclimatization period is affected by the temperature difference between the old and new environments where the material is located.

The acclimatization periods will be as follows:

almost the same temperature – day;
a difference of 8 degrees – 3 days;
more than 8 degrees – 7 days.

Substrate moisture

In order to measure the humidity level, you will need to take one square meter of polyethylene and lay it on the floor, securing it in the corners with something heavy. Leave with the raised central part for a while.

Based on how long it took for the drops to appear, you can judge the humidity in the room:

24 hours – a room with such humidity cannot currently be used for laying plywood;
3 days – a layer of waterproofing should be laid;

If the floor is concrete, then we lay the film, and on top - a reinforcing mesh and fill the screed. If the floor is made of wood, then all rotten boards must be removed from it.

How can I seal the seams between the plywood on the floor?

Plywood is laid using FC grade.

5 days – installation of plywood can be carried out without restrictions.

Laying plywood on a concrete base

Plywood floors can be laid on a concrete screed or on joists. In the first case, it is important that the base is very even and the finishing layer is flexible. Read also: “How to attach plywood to a concrete floor - installation options.”

Laying on screed

Let us describe the sequence of installing plywood in an apartment directly onto a concrete screed:

First you need to do a thorough cleaning, there should be no debris left.
The surface should be opened with bitumen varnish with the addition of kerosene. If there is no such mixture, you can take parquet mastic and add a solvent there.

A very important precaution would be to turn off the electricity in the panel while the room is fully ventilated. This will prevent an accidental spark that could ignite flammable vapors.

Sheets of plywood should be cut into strips or squares of 1250x1250 mm.
Laying is carried out with a 50 percent shift according to the principle of brickwork.
We lay out the sheets on the floor, adjust their size, number them, and don’t forget about the gap between the plywood on the floor.
If linoleum is used as a finishing coating, then before sealing the seams between the plywood on the floor, it can be glued directly to the concrete floor using bustilate. You will get a floating floor without mounting gaps. If you have a question about how to seal the seams in plywood on the floor, you can use acrylic non-shrink putty for wooden floors.
If oak flooring is to be laid, then plywood must be laid with the addition of mounting slots:

Next, we remove the sheets and make full-size holes for the dowels. We open the bottom part of the sheet with glue and put it in place, pressing it with self-tapping screws. If you don’t know how to seal the plywood joints on the floor in this case, then the answer is simple - you can leave them as is.

Laying plywood on joists

If the final flooring will be parquet, laminate or other similar coverings, you will first need to assemble a frame from logs.

You will need to follow these steps:

It is necessary to prepare boards 100 mm thick or square timber of the same section.
We leave them for one week in the room where they will be laid. Those that have become deformed during this time are removed.
You will need plywood 12-22 mm thick.
The base must be prepared in the same way as in the case of laying plywood without a frame of joists.
Installation of beams is carried out at intervals of 300-600 mm.
The space between the joists must be filled with insulation.
When laying sheets, small gaps should be left between them, and the gap between the wall and plywood should be 25 mm. If you are thinking about how to cover the seams between the plywood on the floor, then in this case they also need to be left as is.
The plywood on the beams can be placed on liquid nails, and additionally secured on top with regular nails.

If a frame made of logs is used as a base, then adjusting bolts can be purchased to simplify installation.

conclusions

Plywood is an excellent material with an ideal price/quality ratio. At a low price, it can be used to make either a finished floor or a base for a floor covering. In any case, the end result will be an excellent floor that will have the same practicality and beauty. Its great advantage is that all work can be carried out without involving specialists.

Before choosing what to putty the floor with, determine the surface of the existing coating. Putty can be: basic - used as the first layer to level out the main unevenness; finishing - which is finally laid in a thin, even layer; universal - which is suitable both instead of the basic one and instead of the finishing one.

How to putty floors

Putty plywood floor

You can use ordinary putty, which is sold dry, and then mixed, adding water, until it becomes sour cream. But the application layer of such putty is from 2 mm. Therefore, when choosing what to putty the floor with, choose latex or oil putty. If you choose an oil-based one, then after drying there will be almost no need to go through sandpaper, rubbing out any irregularities.

Since when puttingtying plywood, or any other surface, oil putty stretches well, you can choose it. It absorbs less paint compared to dry paint.

For flooring, polyester putty is most often used. Its features are strength, good adhesion, and elasticity. This putty does not shrink, but when working with it you do not need to take a large layer. The number of thin layers should be no more than two.

Polyurethane putty is also popular. It's easy to use. It is resistant to gasoline and acids.

A wooden house is the most environmentally friendly and modern building for housing. It is pleasant and cozy to be in, however, there are a number of problems that the owners of this building face, for example, cracks in the wooden flooring.

Gaps may occur due to drying out of the wood. The tree dries within 10 years. Wood deformations are possible in the off-season. In winter, wood swells, and in summer it dries and decreases in size. This cannot be detected visually, however, in the microcosm, under a microscope, you can see how the fibers in the wood change over time.

Other possible reasons:

Incorrect calculations by builders or incorrect installation of floorboards.
Improperly prepared wood for use – low-quality paints and varnishes.
Poor ventilation.
Insufficient floor contact.
The appearance of mice and termites.

All cracks, depending on the size and location, are eliminated; you just need to select correct solution. There are many methods for eliminating cracks in wooden floor. Filling gaps up to 15 cm is done with sealant. In this case, two types of sealant can be used: silicone or acrylic wood sealant. Special wood sealants vary in color, which allows you to eliminate joints and cracks as discreetly as possible.

Sealants have a number of advantages: resistance to dampness, favorable consumption during the process of sealing cracks and long service life after eliminating defects in the floor.

You can fill the gap with wood putty. The choice may be acrylic-based, solvent-based, oil-based or water-based polymer putty. You can putty not only cracks and holes, but also uneven surfaces on plywood or wood, as well as cracks. You can seal the gap with foam. However, it is necessary to eliminate the cracks extremely carefully, without splashing the foam. Excess foam can be removed only after it has hardened.

Seal the cracks with polyester paste. There may be either one or two-component options. Suitable for sealing cracks and seams up to 5 cm. Sealing cracks with improvised materials, such as slats, tow with paint, glass wool, grout made from paste and paper, sawdust and making your own putty is also relevant.

High-quality sealing of cracks in wooden floors

Regardless of the size of the gap between the boards in the floor or parquet, before eliminating it, it is necessary to make a dry and wet cleaning, remove dust and clean the crack area, let it dry.

Sealing options:

If the gap in a wooden floor is up to 1 cm in size, then it can be sealed with a rope, grout or filled with sealant.
If from 1 cm to 3 cm, then a special putty is suitable.
If the gaps are very large, then it will work well polyurethane foam, wedges or slats.

After the operations have been completed, it is better to cover the floor with sheets of plywood, the joints of which are also processed and leveled with putty. Small cracks or joints can be covered with self-prepared putty made from glue and sawdust.

The sawdust is selected in small fractions, poured with boiling water and mixed until smooth.

After the solution with sawdust has cooled, add PVA glue and apply it with a spatula to the location of the crack that has been cleared of dirt and dust. After the surface of the sealed crack has been leveled to the floor level, it must be left for a couple of days for the mixture to set and dry. After everything has dried, the uneven areas must be treated with abrasive and fire protection applied, and only then the selected paints and varnishes.

Need to know: how to seal a mouse hole

How in rural areas, and in urban areas there are mice. If there are any cracks in the houses, then mice can easily enter the living space; they will not only harm human health, as they are carriers of leptosperosis, toxocariasis, streptobacillosis and many others, which can lead to death, but also harm the room, its decoration, can penetrate into food products.

The most proven options for sealing holes in the wall from mice are:

Glass wool sealing;
Repairing the defect with cement;
Polyurethane foam also helps a lot, mice don’t chew it, and it seals the hole tightly.

Expert advice boils down to broken glass being placed in mouse holes.

How and with what to seal the seams between plywood on the floor

On plywood flooring you can often find seams and joints that need to be eliminated. You need to know that the most important thing in choosing a putty is elasticity, since plywood consists of wood veneer, and the wood is subject to seasonal deformation. Over time, the plywood dries and the joints become more visible. It is also worth choosing putty according to the color of the wood, as well as a special one, that is, for wooden material.

To seal seams, use:

Acrylic putty;
Elastic sealant;
Hot melt adhesive;
Sawdust with PVA and gypsum;
Epoxy adhesive.

It is worth considering that chipboard and plywood must be well secured so that they do not move or vibrate, then the chosen putty (putty for wooden floors) will not crack and will hold tightly, closing the gap.

This work is also done for plywood, on which linoleum will subsequently be laid.

You should also cover dents in the plywood and all joints and cracks with putty or better yet, silicone sealant. Plywood needs to be coated with an antiseptic. Before laying linoleum, you need to pay attention to the evenness of the plywood and its cleanliness.

Types of putties for floorboards

Today there are enough wide choose wood putty. Before choosing putty, you need to decide on the price, scope, type and brand.

Putties are divided into types:

Polymer putty, which is made on water based, therefore, does not release chemicals into the atmosphere. It dries quickly enough, holds well and does not crack.
Oil putty based on water, chalk and oils. It is one of the most reliable, however, after treating the crack, it takes a lot of time for it to dry completely.
Acrylic putty is environmentally friendly and non-flammable, which is very important for wood.
Solvent-based putty is ideal for hardwood flooring, but is not the most environmentally friendly option.
The putty is elastic, which is ideal for “floating” cracks and joints. It holds its shape perfectly and has good adhesion to the surface.
Wood putty is pigmented, that is various colors(white-birch, teak-mahogany colors, wenge-dark oak colors, beech-oak colors). It is necessary to take into account that often the color does not match what is stated on the packaging; you should request a demonstration of the product or a stand with these putties.
Putty for wooden floors, which is used to smooth out unevenness, various defects and crevices.

The main brands of putty manufacturers are Dulux, Parade, Semin, Varathane, Axton, Neomid, Forwood, Rainbow, Tytan, Master's Choice. We must not forget that putties differ in the main types: finishing, leveling, filling, universal, sealing. The putty is applied with a spatula of the selected size by pressing it deep into the crack. After the putty has dried, it is necessary to level the surface using abrasive products for wood.

How to seal cracks in a wooden floor (video)

When cracks appear, it’s not a problem, any crack can be sealed with your own hands, and a wooden floor is easy to install and repair.