Leveling a concrete floor with plywood without joists. Leveling the floor with plywood without joists: instructions and video. Leveling concrete screed with plywood

Major renovation living space is impossible without the installation of flooring. In most apartments the base is under flooring concrete serves. Finishing materials for the floor, such as laminate or linoleum, are recommended to be laid on a leveled, flat surface.

Leveling the floor with plywood without joists is one of the most practical, quick and inexpensive ways organization of the substrate for subsequent surface coating.

Need to know

In order for the laid floor to be pleasing to the eye and to be smooth without differences or cracks, plywood must be laid on a well-leveled area.

Important! The unevenness of the concrete floor for laying plywood without joists should be no more than 1.5 cm.

Leveling a concrete floor with plywood without joists should be done on a clean, smooth surface no cracks, chips, potholes or changes. Otherwise, preliminary surface leveling is required:

Leveling mass, the fastest option, takes from 7 to 14 days.
Performance concrete screed. Work is carried out after the coating has completely dried for at least 3 weeks.

The advantage of covering the floor with plywood is that it provides vapor permeability and the unhindered movement of air masses under the floor covering, which prevents the formation of mold.

The thickness of the material used can vary from 1.2÷1.6 cm. The choice depends on the load on the surface and the thickness of the facial floor covering. The greater the weight load, the thicker the sheets should be. The use of low-quality and too thin material very often leads to subsidence of the floor, followed by its disassembly and replacement of the substrate.

Important! The strength of plywood depends not only on the thickness, but also on the type of wood from which it was made.

Since another coating will be laid on the plywood, appearance sheets is not of great importance; the use of plywood of grades 2, 3, 4 is allowed.

Techniques

The choice of technique depends on the quality concrete covering. Fastening plywood to a concrete base can be done in several ways:

Using adhesive and anchors.

No glue. Installing adjustable plywood using only anchors.

Preparatory work

I.Preparing the floor for plywood installation.

Clean the surface from dirt and debris.
Prime the concrete base with a primer, for the manufacture of which you will need: glue, bitumen mastic, solvent or gasoline.

Apply primer to the desired surface using a roller or brush and allow to dry.

Important! Laying plywood should only be done on a dry surface.

II.Perform preliminary fitting of plywood sheets. The thickness of the sheets used to cover the floor in one room should be the same.

For better fit and laying of the substrate, purchased plywood blanks should be cut into several equal-sized squares using a special knife.
Preliminarily lay out the cut sheets on the floor.
Mark on sheets of plywood the places that will need to be cut for arches, corners or other elements located permanently on the floor surface.

Important! The sheets must not contain cracks or any other surface defects.

When carrying out preliminary laying between the sheets, leave a compensation distance for expansion/contraction equal to 5÷10 cm. Also, there should be no joining of 4 corners in one place.

Number the sequential sheets and record their current position on paper or using a photo. This scheme will be necessary for facial styling.

Performance

Installation using glue:

Lubricate the primed surface with a 2mm layer of glue/mastic. Use a roller.
Place sheets of plywood on a greased surface, smooth side up and rough side down.

Using a hammer drill, additionally secure the glued sheets to the floor with anchors or self-tapping screws. The length of the fastening element must exceed the thickness of the material by three times.

Sand the surface.

Installation on anchors only:

Using a laying diagram and a marking pencil, mark the locations for installing anchors in the plywood.
Use a drill to drill holes in the plywood and concrete.
After removing the plywood, refine the holes with a hammer drill and install anchors with nuts in them.
Using a laser level and a pencil, mark the level of lowering the anchors into the floor on a special attachment for the drill.
Align the anchors to the same level and install round washers on top according to the mark.
Install the plywood and install a second washer in each hole.
Tighten the sheet to the anchors using a nut.
Check the horizontal installation using a level, if there is a need to adjust problem areas.
Carry out gradual laying of all slabs according to the attached diagram. The resulting gaps can be filled with pieces specially cut to size.
After installation, cut off the parts of the anchors protruding from above.

Having completed the installation of the first layer of plywood, proceed to install the second face layer. Lay the plywood sheets end-to-end, covering the cracks of the first layer towards each other and secure with nails or self-tapping screws.
Perform grinding.

More details about the second method of leveling the floor with plywood without joists in the video:

Installing plywood as a backing will ensure high-quality, reliable and durable flooring installation. Carrying out work on your own using the first or second method does not require special skills in working with wood; all that is required is attentiveness, accuracy and lack of haste.

If you need a flat and durable base for laying flooring, one of the fastest and simple ways- leveling the floor with plywood. Compared to screed, this method has many advantages: it does not require special skills and tools, repairs can be continued immediately after installation, and the price of plywood is cheaper. Depending on the thickness and impregnation used, the price per sheet of plywood varies from 300 to 1200 rubles.

Not every sheet material can be used on the floor.

To level the floor, you can buy grade 3-4 plywood; the presence of knots will not affect the final quality; they will be covered by the floor covering.
Laying tiles on plywood is not recommended as wood has a high coefficient of expansion and may fall off as the season changes.

DSP - ideal for leveling wooden floors under tiles.
OSB - completely environmentally friendly material, theoretically, it can be used for leveling, but it is undesirable, because it bends more easily with the same thickness as plywood. In addition, OSB is usually slightly more expensive than plywood.
Chipboard – has poor environmental friendliness and low strength.
Fiberboard is not suitable for leveling, because it is too flexible a material and it will bend around all the irregularities.

Ways to level a floor with plywood

Depending on the requirements and initial data, plywood floors are laid in several ways.

Before starting work with any wooden materials, they must be left in the room where the renovation is taking place for at least two days.

Covering a wooden floor with plywood

This method has already been discussed in our article:.

- Remove the baseboard.
- If the floor wobbles and creaks, determine the cause of the creaking. Most likely, it is associated with poor fixation of the floorboards; the floor often creaks due to nails that have become loose over time.
- To fix this, you first need to duplicate all the nails - screw the boards to each joist using self-tapping screws. To do this, use self-tapping screws 5-10 cm long (choose a length so that they fit completely into the board and joist, but do not reach the concrete base). To screw it in, you will need a powerful screwdriver, or in extreme cases, a hammer drill in drill mode with an attachment.

We scroll the floor in rows along the joists

- If there are large irregularities, they are trimmed off with a plane in advance so that there are no bumps later.
- Then you need to lay the plywood on the wooden floor in a hurry (with offset joints).
- If the base is fairly level, it is recommended to use plywood with a thickness of at least 6 mm. If there are differences between the boards, take a thickness of 12 mm or more so that it does not sag.
- It is recommended to leave a gap of 2-5 mm between the sheets so that they do not swell when expanding due to changes in humidity. 5-10 mm are removed from the walls to provide a temperature gap and maintain ventilation.
- If in the future it is planned to use plywood or - the cracks are sealed. Additionally, it is recommended to sand the joints and seal them with reinforced tape. It is even better to use a mixture of sawdust and PVA to seal joints, as it will not crack over time, unlike plaster.
- The sheets are screwed to the boards with small self-tapping screws 35-45 mm long every 15-20 cm to avoid bubbles.

Usually the sheets are laid in one layer, but if there are large unevennesses, you can put an additional layer on top with the joints offset.

One thick layer or two thin ones?

Plywood is composite material, that is, the layers in it are initially laid with fibers crosswise, due to which the sheet turns out to be quite rigid. Therefore, two layers of 10 mm each, instead of one 20 mm thick, will not provide additional rigidity to the sheets.

In terms of price, the result is also almost the same.

However, if you lay one layer of plywood on a curved floor, it will smooth out the unevenness, but height differences will remain at the joints. If you put an additional layer, the height differences will be smoothed out, and the edges of the second layer will already lie in the center of the sheets of the even first layer.

Therefore, it is better to use two thinner layers for leveling.

What to do if there are large depressions in the floor?

If found on the floor big holes(which could have formed due to heavy load in this place), then it will not be possible to simply lay plywood here - it will follow the contour of the recess.

- To do this, use a long level to determine the places where there are large depressions.
- In places of recesses, approximately every 200 mm, self-tapping screws are screwed into the floor, which will act as beacons. Their caps must be set according to the applied level.

- Sheets of plywood are laid on these screws. Since a void will form underneath them, you need to fill it to prevent sagging.
- The easiest way is to take small sawdust, mix it with PVA glue and apply it to the recess before laying the sheet. For uniform distribution, you also need to spread PVA glue on the underside of the plywood. After laying and rolling the sheet, wait 5-7 days for the glue inside to dry completely.

Gluing plywood to the floor

Laying plywood on a concrete floor allows you to hide minor irregularities in the screed and make it warmer.

To attach the sheets you will need glue and dowel screws. Tools: notched trowel, hammer drill, screwdriver or screwdriver.

The best glue is with the addition of pine resin (often it is not indicated in the composition, but its presence can be determined by the smell); this is, for example, Thomsit 200 or 400.

For better adhesion of glue to plywood and concrete, the floor is first primed.

The length of the dowels is selected so that they go 4-5 cm deep into the screed.

Before starting work, carefully clean the screed from dust and debris and coat it with a deep penetration primer.
Apply glue with a notched trowel to the plywood or floor and lay it with offset joints. We also leave technological gaps 2-5 mm between sheets and near the wall.
For additional fixation, we drill holes with a hammer drill, insert dowels and tighten them so that the screw heads do not stick out.
We fill the gaps between the sheets with gypsum plaster. If you plan to lay the laminate on plywood later, you can leave them as is, or seal them with sealant.
When the plaster hardens, it is treated with a grout mesh and the seams are taped with reinforced tape.

Adjustable plywood studs

Next technology– installation of an adjustable floor.

- Approximately half the thickness of the sheet is made in the plywood with a drill, in those places where the pins will be attached (every 40-50 cm). The diameter of the recesses is equal to the size of the head of the hairpin.
- Inside each recess, they drill in the center through hole smaller diameter (diameter equal to the stem of the hairpin).
- Washers are inserted into the recesses and markings are made through them - in which places on the floor holes will need to be drilled.
- The sheet is then temporarily removed to make holes in the concrete with a hammer drill.
- Anchor studs are driven into the floor, with a washer and nut screwed to them.
- By laser level All washers are aligned in the same plane. To secure them tightly in one place, you can use a thread locker.

We put nuts on studs

- Next, the sheet of plywood is laid on the studs. As a result, the lower part of the sheets will lie on the stud with a washer, and the upper part will need to be tightened with nuts. The excess length of the studs is cut off with a grinder.

Laying plywood on the floor along the joists

In addition to leveling, laying plywood on joists allows you to additional insulation or soundproofing the floor. Compared to the standard option, when the logs are sheathed with tongue-and-groove boards, plywood allows you to speed up the process. With a standard lag pitch of 50-60 cm, plywood with a thickness of 15-22 mm will be sufficient.

- Uneven screeds can be corrected by filling them with fine sand. It is advisable to seal the cracks in the corners polyurethane foam(this is especially true in panel houses).
- When installing on a concrete floor, it is almost always important to use waterproofing, as concrete can release moisture even several years after pouring, and the wood will rot on the underside over time.

It’s easy to check this yourself: put plastic wrap on it for a day. If perspiration forms under it, then waterproofing is required. The easiest way to make waterproofing for such a floor is from ordinary polyethylene film, gluing it together with tape and overlapping the walls.

- If you want to make good sound insulation, then you cannot rigidly attach the joists to the ceilings or walls. It is advisable to install them on felt or rubber pads so that small vibration noises are damped. The joists should not touch the walls; step back 2-3 cm from them.
- Before installing the first log, you need to find the zero level, relative to which all other logs will be aligned.

- The beams for the logs are leveled; for additional leveling, you can use wooden pads. The main thing is that the beam stands stable: in the future it will be bound by the sheathing and it will not budge.

- Additionally, for plywood, it is recommended to make intermediate logs so that the cell size is small and the sheets can be pulled well to the frame. To do this, tie the logs together with crossbars made from scraps, screwing them with steel corners. It is advisable to select the size of the cells in such a way that they are a multiple of the dimensions of the plywood, and the edge of the sheet always falls on the joist.
- If insulation and sound insulation are necessary, insulation is placed in the cells between the joists on the waterproofing - mineral wool. It must be cut exactly to the size of the cells so that the edges are not bent. It is covered with a vapor barrier membrane on top, which will remove moisture but will not allow it to get inside. It is stapled to the joists.
- In any case, you need to leave a gap of at least 2 cm under the plywood so as not to interfere with floor ventilation. If after insulation and fastening of the vapor barrier there is no gap left, a 100*25 mm board is screwed onto the logs, which will serve as a counter-lattice.
- Important point - right choice self-tapping screws Regular black hardened screws will not do the job. Bad screwdrivers simply won’t screw them all the way, but good ones will break them. Therefore, you need to use special yellow wood screws with a powerful mounting hole.
- To prevent the floor from creaking in the future and to ensure that the plywood is better pressed against the joists, you need to pre-drill the scrolling area with a wood drill (with a sharp end).

As in previous cases, the sheets are laid staggered to avoid cross-shaped joints (must be T-shaped).

This approach allows you to prepare a reliable base for laying linoleum, vinyl tiles, carpet, parquet, and if the differences are less than 2 mm per meter, you can even lay laminate.

Plywood is a relatively inexpensive, fairly durable and easy-to-process material, perfect for leveling a wooden floor. Plywood is mainly used to level out small differences in the height of the base before the upcoming laying of the finishing coating. If desired, you can even lay tiles on top of the plywood.

It is not surprising that this sheet material has gained such wide popularity both among professional builders and among private developers. After reading the information below, you will get a complete understanding of choosing the right plywood and the process of leveling a wooden floor using different methods.

Among the key strengths of plywood, the following points should be noted:

relatively big sizes sheets, which allows you to level the floor as quickly as possible with a minimum amount of waste;
ease of installation;
high levels of strength, reliability and durability;
Possibility of use even in rooms with increased level humidity (this means either special moisture-resistant plywood or material that has undergone pre-treatment, more on this later);
absence of strong unpleasant odors;
ease of processing.

Also to the number important advantages plywood can be attributed to the fact that when used, there is an additional increase in the thermal insulation performance of the floor structure.

Most often, leveling a wooden floor with plywood is used in the following cases:

if necessary, eliminate minor unevenness of the base;
when preparing the surface for subsequent laying of the finishing coating;
when installing a thermal insulation layer.

Choosing plywood for leveling a wooden floor

Plywood can be used both for arranging a subfloor and for installing a finishing structure - it all depends on the quality of the material and the characteristics of a particular situation.

Plywood is classified into 5 grades. The best is grade E - such material has absolutely no defects. It is not advisable to use expensive grade E plywood to level the floor. It is used mainly in Food Industry, furniture making, arts and crafts, etc.

Information on other existing varieties of the sheet material in question is given in the table.

Table. Plywood varieties

Variety	Description
	As a rule, first-grade plywood has no external defects, although GOST allows for the presence of microcracks and minor chips.
	In accordance with approved regulatory requirements, the number of traces of glue should be no more than 2% of the area of such plywood, small dents and scratches - up to 5%. Second grade plywood is optimal for leveling a wooden floor in terms of price and quality ratio.
	Third grade material will contain relatively a small amount of wormholes and knots.
	Worst option. The quality of veneer sizing is usually quite high, as is the number of external defects. Such plywood belongs to the category of technical materials and is used extremely rarely for leveling floors, except in various temporary buildings and non-residential country houses.

To level a wooden floor, it is most advisable to use plywood of 2-3 grades, made without the addition of phenols (labeled as FC). Such sheet material will have a certain number of external defects, but in terms of quality and cost it is the best.

It is advisable that one side of the plywood be sanded. This can be understood either by visual inspection material, or according to the marking Ш1. If the finishing material will be laid on top of the plywood finishing material, to ensure better adhesion to it, the sheet leveling layer is laid with the unsanded side up.

The optimal thickness of plywood intended for leveling the floor is 12-16 mm. If the floor of the room will be exposed high loads, it is advisable to increase the thickness of the sheet covering.

It is best to buy certified material from a trusted manufacturer/seller. In this case, the chances that the plywood has passed all the necessary technological stages of production increase significantly.

Additionally, veneered plywood can be included in a separate group. This plywood is characterized by increased moisture resistance and is well suited for use in rooms with increased humidity levels.

Prices for plywood sheets

plywood sheet

Video - Types of plywood

About the preliminary preparation of plywood

Plywood of the FK, FSF brands and special tongue and groove material are suitable for use in residential premises. The first is characterized by less strength and moisture resistance, but is cheaper, the last two are more durable and resistant to moisture, but expensive.

If you plan to level a wooden floor in a room with a high level of humidity and you do not want to overpay, buy FK plywood and prepare it accordingly for the upcoming operating conditions.

On average, the moisture content of plywood is kept at 12-15%. To increase the moisture resistance of the material, polyvinyl acetate putty is used, which in its external qualities resembles PVA glue (polyvinyl acetate is its main component).

Buy the putty mentioned, prepare it for use according to the manufacturer's instructions and do the following:

Take a sheet of plywood and start covering it evenly with putty;
apply 2 layers of putty with reverse side leaf;
leave the plywood for 3-4 days in a room with room temperature and normal humidity levels;
treat the dried sheet material with an antiseptic.

If you are not particularly limited in budget, you can initially purchase moisture-resistant plywood.

To further increase the strength of plywood, it can be coated with a double layer acrylic varnish from each side. Wait until the old one is completely dry before applying a new coat of acrylic varnish.

Important! Apply paint coatings in rooms with elevated temperature it is forbidden.

Most often, plywood for floor leveling is sold in sheet format with dimensions of 1220x2440 and 1250x2500 cm. Experienced craftsmen It is recommended to cut such sheets (with a jigsaw or other suitable tool) into 4 squares with sides of about 600 mm. There are several advantages of such a solution:

Important! After sawing a sheet of plywood, make sure there are no delaminations at the ends of the elements. Sand any identified defects. If you leave everything as is, the finished design will be of extremely low quality.

Before laying, allow the plywood sheets to sit in the room being furnished for several days. To avoid deformations, stack the elements on top of each other. Such actions will allow the sheets to get used to the room conditions. If you lay out the floor right away, the sheets will become deformed. Along with them, the finishing coating will also deteriorate.

Helpful advice! If possible, check with the seller about the conditions in which the plywood was stored in warehouses. If there is no difference between the temperature in the storage location and the room being equipped, the acclimatization time will be 1-2 days; if the difference is up to 8 degrees, the sheets should be allowed to lie down for 3 days; if the temperature changes are more significant, the acclimatization period will last for a week.

In the future, methods of fastening plywood using self-tapping screws will be mentioned. You cannot use ordinary black fasteners for such work - low-power screwdrivers will not be able to screw them in, and high-power ones will simply break them. To avoid such inconveniences, fix them with special yellow wood screws.

Important! With any fastening option, the plywood is laid in a spaced pattern, forming T-shaped seams between the sheets in adjacent rows.

Prices for putty for plywood

putty for plywood

Plywood fastening methods

There are several methods for attaching plywood to a wooden floor:

with height differences of up to 5-10 mm, plywood is attached directly to the base;
with differences of 10-80 mm - on logs or adjustable studs.

Attaching plywood to the base

The simplest option. The procedure is as follows.

Note! The illustrations contain third-party fasteners. We don't pay attention to them.

First step. The plywood sheets are allowed to acclimatize, after which they are marked into squares of approximately 60x60 cm (you can change the sizes at your discretion to make it convenient), cut with a jigsaw or other suitable tool along the marking lines and the resulting elements are laid out on the floor of the room, thereby determining the most optimal, correct and rational stacking scheme in relation to the amount of waste.

Let the plywood acclimate

Second step. A visual assessment of the coating and seams is carried out. The plywood is laid with bandaging, so that the seams between elements placed in adjacent rows do not intersect. Correct option Laying of sheets is shown in the image. Detected inaccuracies are immediately corrected. The gap between sheets of plywood is up to 2-3 mm (most often a 0.5-1 mm gap is maintained), between plywood and adjacent walls - from 5-10 mm.

Third step. The sheets are numbered for greater convenience in their future placement. At the same stage, if necessary, the surface is polished with a special tool or manually. sandpaper(long and laborious).

Fourth step. The covering is disassembled, the sheets are temporarily removed to the side. The base is cleaned of debris, dust and other contaminants.

The sheets are laid out on the surface in accordance with the previously selected pattern and compliance with the mentioned gaps. Flooring elements are attached to wooden base using self-tapping screws.

The optimal length of fasteners is 3.2 cm. Recess the screw caps into the plywood by a couple of millimeters.

The optimal arrangement of fasteners is as follows: one for each corner of the sheet, one in the center of each side, one in the center of the sheet.

Helpful advice! If plywood is laid on top of a solid plank flooring, you can use PVA wood glue to attach it in combination with self-tapping screws. In this case, firstly, better bonding of the plywood to the base will be ensured, and secondly, the risk of squeaks when walking on the floor will be further reduced.

It is convenient to use a notched trowel to apply the glue. Either the base or a sheet of plywood is covered with a binder composition - whichever is more convenient in a particular situation. For recommendations regarding the optimal thickness of the adhesive layer, please refer to the instructions for the composition used. The order is as follows: first the sheets are glued, then additionally fixed with self-tapping screws.

Also check the instructions for the selected adhesive for the drying time of the glue.

Prices for PVA glue for wood

PVA glue for wood

Video - How to level a floor with plywood yourself

Video - How to level the floor with your own hands under laminate, linoleum, floor coverings

For arranging logs, high-quality coniferous or deciduous (except poplar and linden, as they are not strong enough) boards of 2-3 grades, 4 cm thick, 8-10 cm wide, are well suited.

Under the logs there are pads 10-15 cm wide, 2.5 cm thick and about 20-25 cm long. The thickness of the pads can vary depending on the existing differences in the base. The linings are set strictly according to the level so that the logs, and with them the plywood laid above, do not deviate from the horizontal.

More modern method leveling the base involves installing joists on adjustable studs. Information regarding determining the working level and installing joists on adjustable supports was provided in the publication dedicated to.

Adjustable jog design

The logs under the plywood are installed in 40-50 cm increments. The supports are mounted across the room. A 2-3 cm gap is maintained between the ends of the joists and the walls.

The procedure for installing joists followed by laying plywood flooring is given in the table.

Table. Leveling the floor with plywood along the joists

Work stage	Description
	The leveled base is cleared of all existing dirt and debris.
	Recommendations for determining the working level according to which the surface will be leveled are available at the previously provided link.
	To level out height differences, in this example, bosses are used - pads made from pieces of timber, plywood, etc. In order to increase the accuracy of level control and the stability of the structure, place the bosses not only at the edges, but also in the center of each joist. If the log length exceeds 2 m, install additional pads in 50 cm increments. By changing the height of the bosses, ensure that they are located in a single plane. You can make sure that there are no differences using a level or, even simpler, a rule - a straight strip with a length (specifically for this case) of at least 200 cm. The principle is as follows: lay the rule on the bosses and make sure that the tool lies flat and without gaps on all the pads . Helpful advice! Place a piece of linoleum or roofing felt on top of the bosses. The material will take on the functions of a shock absorber and allow you to more accurately adjust the level of fastening of the logs. Do not fix the bosses at this stage. The wooden floor is leveled, so later, after laying the logs, you can tighten them to the base using self-tapping screws or other suitable fasteners directly through the pads.
	Proceed with laying the joists on the bosses. Maintain the pitch between the lags in accordance with the dimensions of the plywood sheet (in the example under consideration - 600 mm). Make sure the lags are evenly positioned using a building level or a rule according to an already familiar pattern. Eliminate any deviations found by adding or removing material from the corresponding bosses. To attach the logs to a wooden floor, as noted, it is convenient to use self-tapping screws. Screw 2 fasteners into each point.
	Without cross slats, plywood flooring will very quickly deform and fail. The slats are made from the same material as the joists. In the center of each future cross member, place bosses on the base. Attach the rail to the base through the bosses using self-tapping screws - 2 for each lining. To fasten the crossbars to the joists, use metal corners. The pitch between slats is up to 50 cm.
	Having finished arranging the sheathing, proceed to laying the sheet material. Each sheet must be supported by at least 2 joists. To prevent squeaks when subsequently walking on the floor, lay sheets with gaps of up to 0.5 mm. The plywood is attached to the joists and intermediate slats using self-tapping screws. Maintain a 50-70 cm spacing between fasteners. Recess the heads of the screws slightly into the wood.

Video - Leveling the floor with plywood along the joists

Fastening plywood with adjustable studs

This option for leveling the floor with plywood is the simplest and fastest in its implementation: anchors are screwed into the base and plywood is put on them through pre-prepared holes. By screwing in/unscrewing the anchors, the required floor level is set.

The system looks like this:

It was discussed in detail in the corresponding publication on our website, be sure to read it.

Video - Laying plywood on adjustable studs

As noted, the technology allows the use of plywood to level bases whose height differences do not exceed 80 mm. But what if the irregularities are more significant? Stop using plywood? Not necessary.

Recommendations regarding the mandatory preliminary elimination of differences in height are given for the simple reason that the sheet material, under the influence of the loads placed on it, will follow the contours of the unevenness, become deformed and fail.

To prevent this from happening, do the following.

To begin, take a long level and find places with the most pronounced differences in height. In the identified areas, screw screws into the floor in increments of about 20 cm. By tightening/unscrewing the screws, ensure that their heads are located at the same horizontal level.

The plywood will be laid on screwed screws. To prevent the sheets from sagging, the void between them and the uneven base needs to be filled with something. A mixture prepared from a share of small sawdust and the same amount of PVA glue is perfect. Before laying plywood, coat the recesses with the specified composition. Additionally, cover the side of the sheet with which it is laid on the base with a double layer of PVA glue. The mixture dries within a week.

To ensure the highest quality and even fit of the plywood to the base, secure the sheets with self-tapping screws. Maintain a 50cm step. Correct scheme placement of fasteners is shown in the image.

Video - How to level a wooden floor with plywood

The quality of the floor is influenced by several factors. Firstly, the correct installation, and secondly, the choice of flooring. But in order to ensure reliability, the floor must be properly prepared, which means that it must not be defective. For this purpose it is leveled. There are many ways to eliminate this problem, but leveling the floor with plywood without joists is especially popular.

How to choose plywood for leveling

This material has big amount positive qualities. But in order for plywood to fulfill its purpose, it must be chosen correctly.

First of all, you should determine the direction of the fibers: longitudinal or transverse. In the first case, the fibers are located along the length of the entire material, and in the second - along the width. This moment is taken into account when leveling the floor so that they lie against the main movement.

Plywood is also selected according to its intended purpose:

for construction, this is exactly how the floor is leveled;
industrial, may be suitable for such purposes, but in quality it is inferior to the first;
packaging;
for furniture;
structural.

Depending on the room in which the floor will be leveled, attention should be paid to the moisture resistance of the material:

FBA is an environmentally friendly type of plywood suitable for decoration living rooms, but the level of moisture resistance is low;
FC – average level of moisture resistance, but direct contact with water is undesirable;
FSB – high tolerance to moisture;
FB - due to impregnation with bakelite varnish, it has a very high resistance to aggressive environments, but this is also a disadvantage, since harmful substances begin to be released on the underfloor heating system, which is not entirely safe for the health of residents;
BS - special treatment allows this type to be used in yachts, but it is not suitable for leveling the floor with plywood;
BV is the same plywood as BS, only the moisture tolerance is slightly worse.

Before leveling the floor with or without joists, you should carefully study the technology. This will help you decide on the type of material that will be easier to work with.

One of the leveling stages is surface grinding. But modern manufacturers produce products that can reduce this moment. And all because plywood can be unsanded (NS), sanded on one (Sh1) or both (Sh2) sides.

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Preparing the base for leveling the floor

Before laying the flooring, the subfloor should be leveled. For this purpose it is used wet screed or plywood. But the second method is much simpler and more convenient.

The plywood screed can be made tied or floating. In the first case it will be monolithic design with the foundation itself, but not in the second.

With a tied screed, the material is fixed to the base using screws or nails, while a floating screed is adjusted to the joists.

There is a marking of the material that indicates the grade: 1, 2, 3 and 4. If work is carried out with an external coating, then the first grade will be used, since it does not have any defects on the surface, and during work it only requires sanding and varnishing . For rough work, the second and third grades are used.

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To level the floor with plywood without joists, special labor or there is no need to perform specific work.

To secure sheets, you can use the following methods:

glue;
regulation.

For the first method of leveling the floor with plywood, a special adhesive solution is used. But it is intended for those cases when there is a screed on the floor, and the differences are small. But there is a peculiarity here: the screed must be dry so that the humidity is minimal. To determine this nuance, the surface is covered with film and pressed along the edges. Accordingly, if condensation forms inside, then the moisture has not all evaporated, and if not, then you can begin work.

The regulated method has more complex technology, so it is not popular.

It is best to use leveling posts to level the floor. In this case, wooden blocks are mounted underneath, and then plywood is laid in two layers. The thickness of the first will be 0.2 cm, and the second - slightly less. This design is not afraid of heavy loads. In addition, there is always the opportunity to dismantle the boring coating and replace it with a new one.

The floor is also leveled with plywood in cases where it is planned to lay laminate flooring. This provides good ventilation and vapor permeability, which allows you to extend the life of the coating.

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Carrying out work and necessary tools

Tools that will come in handy when leveling the floor:

jigsaw;
building level;
pencil;
ruler;
adhesive solution;
plywood.

The base can be plank or concrete.

The boards are attached with a gap of 2-3 mm, and 2-3 cm should be left to the wall. In the first case, they should be additionally secured not only with glue, but also fixed with self-tapping screws. And in the second, waterproofing should be a must.

If the work is to be done with the first type, then the following technologies can be used:

when logs are not used;
with installation of strip supports;
with lags.

In the first technology, plywood is attached to the floor surface using an adhesive solution.

As for the second method, it’s worth some effort, since the plywood will be attached to self-adjusting tape supports. In order to create them, you need studs that will be screwed into the floor. Next, several nuts and washers are screwed on top, which are designed to rest under the plywood. When the studs are installed along the entire perimeter, the sheets are mounted on top of them, and using a wrench they are fixed at the required level.

The third option with lags is intended for working with floors that have significant differences in their surface. The first moment is . Next, plywood is mounted on top of them. This installation is convenient because it is possible to lay utility lines in the underground space.

If work is to be done on a concrete surface, then special attention requires its preparation. Irregularities provoke the appearance of squeaking, as the sheets will constantly rub against each other. In addition, this defect significantly reduces the service life of the external coating. For such cases use:

glue;
lags.

In order to choose one of these methods, you need to decide what loads will be placed on the floor. But it is best if plywood sheets are used with a thickness of 1.6-2 cm. In the case of thinner material, it will have to be laid in a double layer, and it is important that the bottom one is thicker than the top one.

When it comes to apartment renovations, all people try to find any way to save not only time, but also money. Walls and ceilings are elements of premises that are not as demanding in decoration as the floor, because flooring sets the style.

Even if you decorate the walls with gold, the ceiling with silk, and leave the floor bare, the “feature” of the room will be lost. That is why we will talk about how to hide the shortcomings of a concrete floor.

Plywood is also attractive because it does not crumble, even after direct contact with water

Plywood is an excellent material

You may ask, why plywood and not some other material, because you can fill the floor with a cement screed, or, in extreme cases, put fiberboard?

The answer consists of several points:

Price of the material. It is one of the most affordable among those offered on the construction market (a harmonious combination of cost and quality).
It can be called practical and convenient for DIY work when there is no special equipment. Even pouring a cement screed takes longer than laying plywood on an uneven concrete floor.
Wood material is considered environmentally friendly, although adhesive mixtures are used in production, but they are harmless and non-toxic. At least until they are exposed to fire.

The debate about which is the best base for laminate flooring - concrete or plywood - has so far led nowhere.

Some argue that cement is forever, others argue that the wood material is available.

But before you buy this material, you need to know that plywood is distinguished by its quality and reliability, there are 4 different grades:

Grade I is considered to be of the highest quality; it can even be used for cladding various surfaces, since there are practically no flaws on it. Only small brownish veins are acceptable.
Grade II is more affordable, but its appearance is not as clean; there are veneer inserts and small knots. The optimal plywood for a concrete floor without joists is durable and not so “biting” in price.

The photo shows a version of a concrete floor with installed plywood joists

Grade III is used for interior work, when the surface will be finished with something, but not for the floor, which is constantly under stress. Suitable for leveling walls, for garages and utility rooms.
Grade IV plywood is rough, it is used only in cases where the budget for repairs is too cut.

A visual indication of how different types of plywood can differ from each other

Do not forget that the thickness of the plywood must be strictly within the framework of all rules and standards - from 18 mm to 28 mm.

Thinner sheets are more suitable for horizontal surfaces.

Laying plywood to level the floor

This section contains detailed instructions for all handmade that need to be done in order to lay plywood on concrete base was correct and effective. Remember, the result will be positive only if you strictly follow all the requirements and sequence of work.

Preparation of material

Before laying sheets of plywood material, they must be sawed and cleaned.
Sawing is done either with a hacksaw (no power tools required) or with a jigsaw. In the first case, there are two disadvantages: the end will be too torn and slightly uneven, and it will also take more time and effort. Using a jigsaw, you can cut plywood in 5-10 minutes.
To eliminate cutting defects, it is necessary to sand the ends to remove burrs and roughness. This at least provides increased safety, even if you are wearing gloves.

Surface cleaning

Before you start attaching the plywood to concrete floor, the surface should be treated:

First of all, the floor is cleaned of all kinds of unevenness, old materials and dust.
All cracks and deep chips are repaired using cement mortar.
When working surface It’s clean, you can prime it with one layer, it doesn’t matter what you use, a roller or a brush - the main thing is that the tool is of high quality.

Plywood fasteners

Now the laying of plywood on the concrete floor under the laminate can begin, for this you need to:

Prepare glue for plywood and concrete so that it interacts with both surfaces.

Trying to save money on the fixing base, you may not end up with high-quality coating(base), which in a few years will be in free movement.

This will lead to numerous squeaks and expensive repairs, depending on the materials that were chosen as finishing.

Therefore, it is better to buy glue for laying plywood on a concrete floor from abroad and with an average price tag.

Degrease the surface of the plywood on the side that will be laid on the floor.
If necessary, lay on the floor waterproofing material, which is fixed at the joints using special tape (although regular masking tape will do).
Installation of plywood begins with the placement of horizontal level beacons. You can use small cemented pins, or draw a line on the walls.
Afterwards, glue for concrete and plywood is applied to a small area (slightly larger than the sheet of material being laid) and rubbed with a notched trowel.

If you purchased ready-made glue, you can pour it directly from the container in which it is stored

The plywood itself is laid after 1-2 minutes so that the glue sets a little. Before laying it on the glue, inspect the surface of the material; the side that is worse is placed on the floor.
Tap the material thoroughly with a mallet.
Drill 6-8 holes around the perimeter with a drill.

If you feel that the middle of the plywood is loose, then fix it with a self-tapping screw

Using a screwdriver, secure the plywood to the self-tapping dowels.

Before attaching it tightly, align the sheet relative to the walls and other surfaces.

Leave the plywood floor alone for 1-2 days, then sand the surface.

High-quality grinding is only possible when using a special tool; manually rubbing with sandpaper is exhausting and takes a long time

Now you can lay any floor covering, following the installation rules.

Features of plywood laying

Before gluing plywood to concrete, make sure that the room is sufficiently insulated (relevant for country houses). For example, if you choose laminate flooring, you should use additional insulation, which will make the flooring warmer. Plus, this way you will protect the material from moisture.

This is what the laminate underlay looks like, it can be used both under and on plywood

Another feature is that the thickness of the plywood should not be less than natural wood (parquet), it is better if it is even greater.
Do not forget that between the sheets of material there should be temperature gaps of 2 to 5 mm, which will allow the material to expand and contract without any consequences.
We have already talked about how to glue plywood to concrete - the glue must be of high quality, but we have not mentioned what types there are. One-component - without hardener, two-component - with hardener (hardens within a few hours).
It is better to use a notched trowel to apply the adhesive solution. Regarding those cases when finishing of plywood will be carried out ceramic tiles, then we recommend using rubber spatula, it will not damage the edges of the material.
Using plywood of various thicknesses, to eliminate unevenness, you can also use various linings, for example, fiberboard sheets, although they are not moisture resistant.

Leveling elements made of cut plywood

Do not forget about safety precautions, especially when working with glue and plywood ends. It is enough to use gloves and protective plastic glasses to avoid adverse consequences.

Well, now you know how to attach plywood to a concrete floor without outside help and expensive construction crews. Although, on the other hand, the demand for the quality of work will be on you, and not on strangers who must guarantee a positive result or free rework.

We tried to tell you in as much detail as possible in our article about how to lay plywood on a concrete floor, and if everything worked out for you, it means that our efforts were not in vain. However, you should not be upset if suddenly something does not work out, for example, problems with leveling the surface (the most common problem).

There are three ways to solve this:

Use a concrete screed poured along the installed beacons.

Still, this is a very effective method.

Leave everything as is, with minor differences.

In any case, no one is stopping you from trying to do it yourself.

How to lay plywood on a concrete floor: video instructions for DIY installation, glue features, which base for laminate is better, price, photo

Instructions - how to lay plywood on a concrete floor

Step-by-step instructions will tell you how to cover a floor with plywood yourself and with minimal financial costs. Plywood is cheap building materials, which are used when performing various repair work. When laying new floors on a concrete base, plywood sheets are used as a base, for the manufacture of which natural wood. They are produced by pressing thin layers wood glued with glue.

Depending on the number of layers, the thickness and strength of the material changes. Sheets with a thickness of more than 15 mm are suitable for leveling the floor. Let's take a closer look at how to lay plywood on a concrete floor.

Preparatory work

Plywood is used to level floors that have uneven surfaces of up to five millimeters. If the height difference exceeds the given figure, then it is necessary to use a cement screed or self-leveling mortar. Plywood is used not only for leveling, but also for insulating the floor.

There are two main options for laying plywood floors:

placement on concrete;
installation on wooden logs.

Wooden logs are installed on uneven surfaces as an alternative to new cement screed. The bases for laying plywood must be carefully prepared. The floor must be clean and dry; thoroughly clean the base from dust using a vacuum cleaner.

Tools you will need are a drill, a jigsaw, a screwdriver, a tape measure and a hammer. The first step is a waterproofing layer, for which thick polyethylene film is usually used. It is laid in strips over the entire surface so that there are no gaps, overlapping. Scotch tape is used to fasten the strips.

Laying waterproofing film

Rules for installation on a concrete floor

Now you can start laying the plywood sheets. Let's consider the first method - installing plywood on a concrete floor without using wooden logs.

If a waterproofing layer is laid on top of the concrete, then proceed to laying out the sheets on the floor surface. They must be positioned so that entire sheets cover the surface, spreading from the threshold in the center of the room to the walls. That is, areas of maximum traffic should be covered with solid sheets. The pieces complement the voids along the walls where furniture is planned to be placed.
Laying plywood staggered

The main rule for laying plywood on the floor is to lay the sheets apart, leaving two to three millimeters between them. A gap of about ten millimeters is left between the wall and the plywood sheet. Using a hammer drill, a sheet of plywood is drilled, going deeper into the concrete. A dowel is driven into the hole and a screw is screwed in. Sheets are attached at the corners, center and middle of the sides.

After installation, you must check that all the caps are deepened, otherwise the floor covering will be damaged. The final stage of floor preparation will be to process the seams between the sheets using putty or gypsum, and apply mounting tape on top.

If installation is carried out without a waterproofing layer, then a primer is applied to the clean concrete floor. Then glue is applied to the concrete and plywood sheets. Plywood adhesive for concrete floors should contain pine resin. The adhesive is applied onto the concrete base with a brush, and onto the sheets with a notched trowel. The sheet is pressed to the floor and secured with screws.

We hope it is now clear how to lay plywood on the floor without lags with your own hands.

Rules for installation on wooden joists

The use of wooden logs allows not only to level the floor, but also to reduce heat loss. The floor on joists is much warmer than on concrete.

The main stages of installing a log:

Getting ready wooden blocks with a section of 50x50 mm. First, two bars are leveled at opposite ends of the room at an equal distance from each other.
A fishing line is stretched between them.
The remaining longitudinal bars are laid at intervals of no more than a meter. The choice of distance is determined by the thermal insulation material used.
Short transverse bars are laid between the longitudinal logs, forming a square honeycomb.

Installation of wooden logs

After installing the structure, the floor is covered with a film that prevents steam condensation, and the voids between the bars are filled with insulation. Mineral wool is best suited for this purpose.

When choosing an option for laying a plywood sheet, you must adhere to the rule that the fasteners must fit into the joint of the timber. Therefore, preliminary markings are made on plywood, and not on the floor. To fasten plywood sheets, self-tapping screws are used, which are conveniently and quickly attached with a screwdriver.

Finished plywood base

At the final stage, the seams between the plywood are puttied and can be varnished. The base for laying the flooring is ready.

Options for laying plywood on a concrete floor: how to install plywood sheet, DIY installation

Step-by-step instructions will tell you how to cover a floor with plywood yourself and with minimal financial costs.

How to lay plywood on a concrete floor

Plywood is widely used in construction due to its strength, environmental safety and low cost.

Laying plywood on a concrete floor makes it possible to create a flat surface without significant material costs. This kind of work is easy to do on your own, even without construction skills. Let's look at the characteristics of different types of plywood and the sequence of doing the installation yourself.

Types of plywood

Plywood is made from sheets of wood glued together with resin compounds. Sheet thickness is available from 6 to 30 mm.

Types of plywood

Types of plywood depending on the glue used are discussed in the table:

Types depending on application:

construction;
used for the production of furniture;
structural;
industrial;
used as packaging material.

Unlike OSB boards and chipboards, plywood is a natural material, so it is much more environmentally friendly. Depending on the grade and surface grinding, the material can be used for finishing or subflooring.

Choosing material

When choosing plywood for laying on the floor, you need to pay attention to the following indicators:

For residential premises, especially for children's rooms, it is recommended to use FK grade plywood; it does not contain formaldehyde and meets the requirements for moisture resistance of the material.
For floor installation, only sheet grade E-1 is used.
For rough coating, grade 3-4 material is suitable; for finishing coating, you need to purchase sheets of grade 1-2.
The more layers in a material, the stronger it is. The thickness of the wood layer in the sheet is 1.7-1.9 mm, the thickness of the sheet depends on the number of layers.

Sheet sizes are great importance during transportation and storage. During installation, the sheets are cut to fit right size and numbered so as not to confuse the location of each sheet.

Installation of subfloor

Before laying plywood on a concrete floor, you need to check its moisture level.

Wood materials cannot be laid on a base that is not completely dry.

How to determine floor moisture:

We cover a small area of the concrete base with plastic film, press its edges tightly to the surface and press it down with any objects or secure it with tape.
After a few days we look under the film, it should be dry there.

If condensation has formed, you need to wait until the screed is completely dry, only then can you begin installing the floor.

Choosing glue

The most environmentally friendly are adhesive compositions on water based, but they require additional fixation of the material with dowels. The disadvantage is the long drying time.

Solvent-based glue dries fairly quickly, but has bad smell. In order for it to erode, you need to ventilate the room well for some time. The material does not require additional fixation.

The two-component adhesive composition dries within 24 hours and does not require additional fixation of the sheets.

Sheet cutting

Laying plywood on a concrete base is done with plywood squares 600x600 mm or 750x750 mm. You need to purchase material with a 10% reserve. To learn how to cut plywood smoothly, watch this video:

Standard plywood sheet can be divided into 4 squares

If we purchase sheets of 1250x1250, then we cut the sheet into 4 squares, resulting in the size of one element being 625x625 mm. These parameters allow you to provide required quantity expansion joints that will protect the floor surface from deformation during thermal contraction/expansion of the material.

The easiest way to cut the material is with an electric jigsaw.

We divide the floor into four squares, find the point of intersection of the lines in the center. Without using glue, we lay out the material from the middle on the floor with the seams staggered. We make adjustments. We leave a compensation gap of 0.8-1 cm along the perimeter of the walls.

We number the squares so as not to get confused during installation and draw a diagram of their location.

Preparing the base

It is necessary to remove the old floor covering, inspect the concrete base for cracks, chips, and unevenness. The base of the floor can be leveled with a self-leveling mixture or simply repaired cracks and chips cement mortar. If there is a large difference in height, it is better to make a new concrete screed. For more information on preparing the foundation, watch this video:

Before laying plywood, you need to prime the surface. You can use primers or regular deep penetration formulations.

Plywood can only be laid on a completely dry floor.

Installation of plywood

Plywood is laid on the concrete floor according to the diagram and numbering of the sheets.

The fasteners must be 3 times or more longer than the thickness of the plywood.

Sequence of work:

We apply glue 2 mm thick to such an area of the floor on which we can lay out squares of plywood before the adhesive composition sets.
According to the diagram and numbering, we lay out the squares, additionally fix them with self-tapping screws, retreating from the edge no more than 2 cm. To evenly distribute the glue, we pass over the surface of the square with a roller. We fasten with self-tapping screws along the perimeter and diagonally in increments of 15-20 mm.
After the glue has hardened after several days, we sand the surface of the wood material with sandpaper or a grinding machine.

You need to pre-drill holes in the concrete base and insert dowels into them in the places where the fasteners will be located.

To ensure the same distance between the squares, you can lay plastic crosses for tiles between them.

Installation on joists

Let's look at how to lay plywood on wooden joists. By installing joists, you can level the floor without installing a screed.

Such a base will be warmer than a concrete one. You can lay insulation under the plywood: polystyrene foam, mineral wool, polystyrene foam, etc.

Lag installation sequence:

At the opposite walls of the room we install it strictly at a horizontal level wooden beam section 50x50 mm. You can use trimmings of beams as linings to fix a certain height.
We stretch the fishing line between the beams.
Depending on size thermal insulation material We mark the installation step for the remaining lags. We install bars in the gap with an equal distance between them (steps no more than 1 m).
We lay beams across the longitudinal joists to form squares.
We lay thermal insulation.
We fasten the plywood squares. For more information about mounting on logs, watch this video:

When attaching squares, self-tapping screws must fit into the joints between the timber and the plywood. In this case, markings for fasteners are made not on the floor, but on the material itself.

We putty the seams between the sheets. To lay plywood on the floor, you do not need to have experience construction work, just follow the recommendations described in this article.

Laying plywood on a concrete floor: how to lay without joists

Laying plywood on a concrete floor makes it possible to create a flat surface without significant labor and material costs.

Plywood on a concrete floor: choosing the optimal materials and laying them yourself

In this article we will talk about how to choose a high-quality coating for installing a subfloor without joists with direct installation on a concrete surface. The topic of this article is not accidental, since a concrete floor base is used for a number of reasons both in the arrangement of apartments in multi-storey buildings, and during the construction of low-rise individual residential buildings.

But, the concrete surface in pure form not suitable for everyday use. Therefore, it is necessary to lay a floor covering that will serve as a subfloor. In this case optimal solution will be laying plywood on a concrete floor. Let us take a closer look at the main points associated with these finishing works.

Installation of plywood in a residential area

Features of choosing flooring

The photo shows samples of multilayer plywood

Before laying plywood on a concrete floor, let's decide characteristic features material.

Plywood is made by gluing together thin pressed sheets of wood material. The slabs, regardless of the manufacturer’s brand and modification, have an odd number of layers. The number of layers depends on the purpose of the material and on the mechanical load that will be exerted on the surface of the plywood.

For example, if the question is: how to lay plywood on a concrete floor, you can use 16 mm thick slabs consisting of 11 layers or nine-layer 12 mm thick slabs.

However, when choosing materials for laminate, it is necessary to be guided not only by thickness, but also by moisture resistance. In this case, moisture resistance is a parameter that is determined by the type of glue used and the surface coating of the slab. According to the degree of water resistance, the slabs are divided into the following types: FK, FOF and FSF.

Despite the fact that before laying plywood on a concrete floor, steam or waterproofing is laid, it is better to choose slabs with a high or at least medium degree of moisture resistance. In this case, the coating will not only be strong enough, but also durable.

Moisture resistance combined with environmental safety

FSF brand boards belong to the category of materials with increased moisture resistance. But their use is not recommended in rooms with excess humidity. In the manufacture of these boards, adhesive compositions containing potentially dangerous phenol-formaldehyde compounds are used.

FK brand boards are plywood with average moisture resistance, but in this case the sheets are glued together with glue based on non-toxic urea resins. For this reason, this material is suitable for use in any premises.

Another important point that should be taken into account before laying plywood on a concrete floor is the raw material from which the slabs are made. Plywood is usually made coniferous species and birch veneer. For concrete flooring, it is preferable to use coniferous materials, since they are resistant to fungal infections and therefore practically do not grow mold.

FK grade slabs are divided into 4 groups based on the degree of external defects. But if you consider that the plywood will subsequently be covered with carpet, linoleum or laminate, this classification is not so important. Moreover, by refusing to purchase slabs with a minimum number of defects in favor of purchasing less expensive materials, you can save a decent amount of money.

Features of installing plywood on concrete

The photo shows the use of budget vapor barrier

Before attaching plywood to a concrete floor, you must make sure that the surface is completely dry. If you neglect this recommendation, evaporation will form under the floor covering layer due to the fact that excess moisture will have no way out. As a result, the underside of the plywood will become damp, moldy and destroyed.

On average, it takes 1-1.5 months for a concrete screed to dry completely. It is during this time that concrete gains optimal strength qualities and becomes ready for further use. The completely dried screed is covered with a layer of waterproofing, on top of which plywood slabs are attached.

Important: Various utilities can be hidden under the floor covering.

To do this, special grooves are made to the required depth.

Cutting reinforced concrete with diamond wheels will help you cope with this task.

Installation technology

Slabs prepared for final installation

The instructions for installing plywood on concrete screeds are a series of steps performed in stages.

Let's list the main stages and tell you more about them:

On initial stage we carry out preparatory work . Before attaching plywood to a concrete floor, you need to make sure that the surface is perfectly flat. This is not difficult to do; just run a plaster rule over the dry screed.
No matter how noticeable the relief is, it must be leveled. To level the depressions of a concrete floor, you can use ready-made quick-drying putty mixtures, or you can use cement-sand mortar, prepared with your own hands.

In order to remove protruding irregularities, diamond drilling of holes in concrete is not required, since the deposits of dried mortar can be knocked down with an ax.

Important: If the screed is new, it is advisable to treat it with a strengthening and dust-removing primer for concrete products.

We lay a special vapor barrier or a less expensive waterproof one on the prepared screed PVC film. We lay the waterproofing in strips overlapping the adjacent strip. We secure the film with wide tape.
Next, we cut the plywood so that there is a gap of at least 1 cm between the slabs and the walls.. The compensation gap is necessary to ensure that the floor does not swell during operation. Once installation is complete, the gap can be covered with a plinth.

In the photo - fastening dowel

We lay plywood on the concrete floor so that the slabs of one row are located with some offset relative to the slabs of the other row.
We fasten plywood to a concrete floor using dowels. We drill holes for the dowels and immediately drill out the holes for the caps. We place the dowels at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other.

At the end installation work the floor can be sanded

After the plywood has been finally installed, it is advisable to fill the recesses with caps with wood putty.

As you can see, finishing a concrete floor with plywood is not that difficult. Meanwhile, the price self-execution This work is an order of magnitude lower than the cost of professional installers.

Plywood on a concrete floor: features of installation under laminate

Plywood on a concrete floor: video instructions for do-it-yourself installation, features of installation under laminate, without logs, price, photo