To live in own home- great luck. At the same time, this is a considerable responsibility.

Your home must be constantly maintained in order. This especially applies to buildings made of natural materials.

The tree is excellent in every way construction material, but it definitely needs to be monitored and looked after.

And from time to time the turn of restoration work comes.

Any floor, no matter how excellent quality it was initially, tends to dry out, rot or change its angle of inclination. Complete is a rather labor-intensive and expensive undertaking. But walking on creaking, uneven floorboards is a dubious pleasure.

To extend the life of a wooden floor, high-quality materials are selected for it, in a special way processed, and properly laid. Those that have become uneven can be corrected and leveled. There are several different ways to do this.

Preliminary inspection of the base

First of all, we need to assess the scale of the upcoming work.

To do this we need to see what state it is in wooden floor. We tear off one of the boards and carefully examine it from the inside for cracks, defects, rot, traces of insects or even rodents. If all this is present, it is better to replace the flooring.

If the removed fragment turns out to be undamaged and sufficiently dry, then it is quite suitable for restoration work.

The floor is also inspected visually to see how level it is. It will help to determine the degree of its deviation from the horizontal.

If its surface is fairly smooth and has a small number of unnoticeable defects, it is easy to level it with the help of scraping.

If there are more than enough flaws, then it is better to use a self-leveling mixture or sheets of plywood.

Leveling a wooden floor

Sanding a wooden floor in a private house

The sawdust is first filled with water, then squeezed out: after this simple procedure, it will absorb less moisture from the adhesive itself. When the glue hardens, it becomes unusually strong. The advantage of this method also lies in the fact that the solution penetrates almost all the cracks, simultaneously insulating the floor.

Work order

To level the floor, do the following:

1. beacons are placed using a building level, instead special products you can use ordinary wooden planks;
2. The surface of the base is filled with the prepared mixture and carefully leveled. The layer is usually one to two centimeters thick. If there are large-scale defects, not one layer will be required, but two or more, each of which is applied only after the previous one has completely dried;
3. Using a level, we determine the degree of evenness of the resulting base. If noticeable irregularities still remain, they are repaired with the same working solution.

When the leveling of the base is completed, you can proceed to installation decorative covering:

• etc.

How to level a floor with plywood

The wooden floor is also leveled chipboard sheets or plywood.

Both materials are quite affordable, but the latter has best performance strength. Therefore, it is used for these purposes much more often.

The thickness of such material should be at least one centimeter.

How to properly level the floor with your own hands?

Work order

The order of work is as follows:

Next, the selected material is placed on the plywood. finishing coat. It can be different - , . Often a special underlay is placed under the plywood, which provides additional sound and heat insulation for the wooden floor.

Level the floor in an old house with a self-leveling mixture

The perfectly smooth one is one of the most original. It doesn’t take a lot of effort or special skills to complete such a task. But this method is mainly used in rooms with small differences in height. Experts do not recommend using it in new buildings: shrinkage of the freshly made wooden covering may occur.

When choosing a mixture, be careful, pay attention to its purpose: for a wooden base!

Work order

This coating can dry for up to two days. It is advisable to prevent the occurrence of drafts, and also to cover the applied composition with a polyethylene film. TO final finishing It is permissible to start no earlier than a couple of weeks later.

Wooden house: how to level floor joists

Adjusting the joist is good for eliminating maximum height differences. What is this method?

The wooden covering is completely removed from the base joists.

Screws of a special device are inserted directly into the logs: they can be unscrewed and screwed in less or more.

By such manipulations, the position of the logs themselves is regulated, and accordingly, the position of the boards also changes.

The use of this method leaves the possibility of high-quality insulation. Insulation material is placed between the joists, after which the removed boards are returned to their place. The result is an absolutely flat floor, which is easy to adjust in the future. If suddenly, due to some unfavorable factors, it changes its slope, the regulators located in the logs will allow you to easily and quickly get rid of such a defect.

Disadvantage this method is that the screws are quite expensive, and their installation will take time. If the house has low walls, then do not forget that when using this method the floor will rise by about 10 cm, that is, they will seem even lower. But there are also undoubted advantages.

If there are screws

Wooden buildings are often negatively affected by changes in humidity and temperature, which can affect the angle of inclination of the boards.

If screws are installed in the joists, then with their help you can quickly and easily adjust the base.

Above pre-installation The screws will, of course, have to work hard, but screwing in is not such a difficult process.

All of the methods listed are quite suitable for leveling the floor in a private home. In every special case taken into account individual characteristics a specific building and its foundation. Based on this data and the preferences of the owners, as well as on the intended finishing coating, the optimally suitable method is selected.

It is not so rare that there is a need to level a wooden floor, say, before laying laminate or carpet. Completely changing the floor is labor-intensive and costly, and is often difficult to do if the renovation is carried out in the same living space where the family stays during the renovation.

In houses with concrete or powerful wooden floors The problem, as a rule, can be solved quite simply - a concrete screed of 3-10 cm.

But what to do if the lags are old, rare and weak? The screed can lead to new problems: the floor level will rise significantly, which will require reinstalling the doors, and the already small ceiling height will decrease. Sometimes, when renovating an old boardwalk, you have to completely dismantle it and replace the joists - a labor-intensive and expensive task.
Let's consider several technologies that will allow you to get perfectly smooth floors without completely disassembling them, with the loss of just a couple of centimeters of height.

Methods for forming a flat plane

First of all, the degree of curvature should be determined. For this you can use a long building level. If there is none, markings are placed around the perimeter of the room.

The permissible difference is 1.5-2 mm per 1 lm. If it is higher than this value, but does not exceed 3 mm, you can putty the surface. Since there are several ways to level a wooden floor without tearing off the boards, putty is considered the least labor-intensive of them. To do this you need to use acrylic compositions with high ductility and durability.

Often the causes of curvature are the deformation of the floorboards. It occurs as a result of frequent changes in temperature and humidity. The problem can be resolved using the following technology.

1. Improve the pressure of the boards to the joists. Additionally, several nails are driven in.
2. Delete old layer paint and re-measure the curvature.
3. Level the surface using a special tool - a plane or grinder.
4. Check the result again.

Then apply or lay a decorative coating. It is important to correctly identify “problem” areas. If you remove a layer in the wrong place, new irregularities will form.

This is how defects in a country house or apartment are corrected. This method is relevant both for further installation of decor and for painting.

On a note

For alignment you must use special tools. Each of them has specific application and certain limitations.

Planer

This is the most time-consuming method of troubleshooting. Since leveling an old wooden floor is very problematic, it is recommended to use drastic methods. This includes removing the floorboards and leveling them using a plane.

The process will take a long time and require quite a lot of effort. You must first remove all furniture from the room. Then, using a nail puller and a hammer, the floorboards are dismantled. The paint layer can be removed. To work in a private house, you will need to complete the following steps:

1. Check the geometry of the floorboards and determine the degree of their curvature.
2. Make sure there is no mold or mildew. If necessary, treat the surface with special compounds.
3. Secure the floorboard horizontally and remove excess with a plane.
4. Check the dimensions again.

This method will take a lot of time. But thanks to a detailed analysis of the condition, it is possible to qualitatively remove coating errors.

Floor leveling scraper

Let's start with the most difficult method - scraping alignment. To do this you will need a scraping or grinding machine. Its design contains cutting elements, which remove excess decorative material. Therefore, there is no need to remove the old paint layer.

This procedure is very dusty and dirty, and it is also quite labor-intensive and requires careful preparation. For this method inherent following features:

• High cost of equipment. You can rent it or order this service from specialized companies;
• All the nails with which the floorboards are nailed to the joists must first be “secured”: it is enough for even one nail to fall under the knife of the sanding machine, you will have to remove all the knives, resharpen them again, and the sanding machine will have to be reconfigured. And missing a nail in painted boards can easily result in damage to the cutting part;
• It is very inconvenient to scrape corners and places directly adjacent to the walls.

That's not all. Since the thickness of the boards decreases during scraping, their thickness also decreases. load bearing capacity. Due to temperature changes, sooner or later, bumps and pits will appear on the treated floors. They are treated with a special putty.

On a note

An alternative alignment option is self-production composition of fine sawdust and varnish. After application and drying, it will have properties similar to the rest of the decor.

Chipboard or plywood flooring

When installing a soft decorative coating, the requirements for the base increase significantly. How to level a wooden floor under linoleum with minimal costs, but also observing the required technology? For this you can use Various types slabs

One of the best options is OSB installation. They are made from wood chips that go through several stages of processing. The fibers in each layer are directed in the opposite direction relative to each other. Additionally, the material is impregnated with moisture-resistant and antibacterial compounds.

For small differences of up to 7 mm, they prefer to install plywood. Its thickness can vary from 7 to 20 mm. Its properties are similar to the plate described above. Experts recommend selecting material intended for use in “wet” areas.

Before aligning OSB-3 to wooden floor the foundation needs to be prepared. After installing the slabs, moisture may accumulate on the rough surface, which will lead to the decomposition of the floorboards or joists. Therefore, the technology for adjusting the height with plywood or similar material is as follows:

1. Checking the condition of the subfloor, replacing floorboards damaged by fungus or mold.
2. Cleaning off a layer of paint.
3. Treatment of the base with antifungal and moisture-resistant compounds. Installation sheet material can only be done after they are completely dry.
4. Installation of slabs for leveling wooden floors under laminate. Particular attention should be paid to the joints - they must be airtight.

The leveling process begins with the installation of beacons. This role can well be played by ordinary self-tapping screws. The floor area is divided into squares, into the corners of which screws are screwed to the required height (the side of the square is 20-30 cm).

As soon as all the beacons are set using a screwdriver and a level, the logs are laid. Fastening is carried out with self-tapping screws or using glue (PVA, PVA-Moment and others intended for wood). In places where the joists sag above the boards, pieces of plywood are placed under them required thickness, lubricated with glue. The width of the lag should be approximately 30-50 mm.

After the glue has dried, it is covered with a leveling coating, sheets of plywood or chipboard.

In this case, it is necessary to take into account in advance that when laying the covering, the joints of the sheets must necessarily fall on the logs. In order not to cut the sheet material in the future, it is very convenient to first lay out the sheets of plywood and trace them with chalk, pastel or chalk pencils, and lay the logs exactly along these lines.

The plywood sheets are fastened with countersunk self-tapping screws. The fastening points must be drilled and countersunk. The result is a very durable and level floor without much loss of height, only 2-3 cm.

After this, you can install the main decor. Coverings such as linoleum or carpet require little additional processing plywood: it is lightly sanded grinder, especially for joints and fastening points, then several layers of varnish are applied. For this purpose, a backing (cork or foamed polyethylene cork) is first laid on the plywood.

The main disadvantage of this method is the inability to eliminate significant level differences. But it is ideal for forming a flat surface.

Leveling mixtures

In some cases, you can use special self-leveling compounds. But this can only be done if the rough wooden floors can withstand the additional load.

One of the disadvantages of this method is the different thermal expansion of the leveling mixtures and wood. Therefore, it can only be used for rooms with a small area. It is also important to do it correctly preparatory work. It is not recommended to use classic concrete composition, since it will have significant mass. It is best to purchase special mixtures.

Work order.

1. Cleaning the base, priming.
2. Installation of a putty layer that seals the cracks.
3. Installation of waterproofing. Used polyethylene film 200 microns. The strips are overlapped, the joints are sealed using double sided tape. It is important to secure the waterproofing to subfloor to avoid its movements.
4. Installation of reinforcing mesh.
5. Pouring self-leveling mixture.

During the last step, remove all air bubbles as much as possible. In this way, you can level curved wooden floors that have sufficient mechanical strength. However, if there are significant level differences, the use of another technology is recommended.

For air exchange it is necessary to install ventilation grilles. With their help, excess moisture will be removed. They are usually installed in the corners of the room.

Adjustable joists

Adjustable joists are quite effective, but expensive. These are ordinary logs into which special adjusting pins and support screws are screwed. insulation. Horizontal position is ensured by screwing in and out the support screws. Adjustable floors are not always possible. In addition to being expensive, they have a significant drawback - raising the floor height to at least 10 cm, even without taking into account the thickness of the final coating.

The work is performed according to the following algorithm.

• First you should make sure that the level difference depends specifically on the lag. Then the floorboards are dismantled and the condition of the beams is checked. If necessary, replacement of defective ones is made.
• To level their level, you can use mounting elements. A support is first installed under the joists. Then, using a drill, a hole is drilled into which the screw pin is mounted. After passing through the material, a support and height clamp are attached to the bottom of the screw. Using this technology, the wooden floor under the laminate is leveled over the entire plane.

Wood putty levels the floor

A kind of well-known PVA glue and small sawdust can become excellent material to level the floor. It won't cost much, but the results will be excellent.

Slats - beacons - are placed on the floor at a horizontal level. PVA wood glue is mixed with fine sawdust until creamy thick and the space between the slats is filled with this mixture. It is better to first moisten the sawdust and squeeze it a little - this way they will not draw moisture out of the glue very quickly.

Considering that this putty can shrink slightly, it is better to apply thick layers in several layers, no more than one or two centimeters each. If, after drying, the level reveals unevenness, apply some more putty to this place. The leveling material is laid after complete drying.

On a note

It should be immediately noted that this type of putty takes a very long time to dry, but this inconvenience is fully compensated by the ability to use cheap and thin plywood (5-8mm).

This the only way, which provides the smallest floor rise, up to the “highest board”.

Private house like human body, consists of a large number various systems, materials, liquids, beneficial and harmful microbes. He also has all sorts of ailments that appear and become apparent with age. Fortunately, most of them are easy to identify and treat. The wooden floor in the house is exposed to daily external influences. Time also leaves its marks on it: scratches and cracks appear, gaps between the boards grow, and the creaking of floorboards increasingly irritates the ear. These symptoms indicate an impending repair, which also involves leveling the wooden floor for a new coating.

When to level a wooden floor

Wooden floors have high performance characteristics. Having initially chosen natural wood, the home owner simplifies the task of future repairs. To prepare a wooden floor for new paint, laminate or parquet board, carpeting and linoleum, it is enough to first level the surface of the floorboards.

Sooner or later, even the best wooden floorboards begin to show signs of aging. There are many reasons for this phenomenon:

• Use of low-quality materials for flooring (poorly dried wood for making joists, damp batten). Over time, such materials contribute to swelling or sagging of the floor, disruption of the integrity of the coating, and squeaks when walking.
• Natural property wood to bending when drying. It manifests itself as warping, the formation of unevenness along the length of the board, and, as a result, cracking of the coating.
• Mistakes when laying floors and its improper use. They contribute to damage to the coating, peeling of paint, formation of cracks and cracks, and sagging of boards.

The natural desire to correct the shortcomings that have arisen forces us to choose a method for solving the problem. Can be done redecorating paint coating or completely change the floors, it all depends on the actual condition of the floors and the available amount of finance.

There are many reasons, besides aging, for replacing or repairing a wooden floor:

• cracks;
• decay;
• recycling of wood by insects to the state of rot.

Any of the reasons requires repair or complete replacement of the plank covering. To identify defects and estimate the amount of work to be done, simply lift the boards and examine the joists on which they lie. The absence of traces of insect activity, as well as the dry and durable surface of the wood, allow you to confidently begin leveling the base, which does not require partial or complete replacement. If there are defects on the inside of the floorboards or joists, first eliminate the problem areas by replacing them with new wood, and only then proceed to leveling the floor.

The next reason for leveling the floor and the stage of assessing its condition is setting the deviation from the horizontal. It is made using a level or a precise laser tool, set according to the highest corner in the house. Afterwards, notes are made on the walls. The information obtained allows us to identify irregularities and determine the leveling method, for which today we use high-tech sheet materials made from wood and its components that differ a successful combination a number of properties.

Sometimes, at first glance at the wavy surface of the floor, sagging boards, tilted floorboards, it is not clear how to level a wooden floor without tearing off the boards, and whether this can be done at all. However, in most cases there is no reason for pessimism. Depending on the nature of damage to floor structural elements, apply various technologies restoration of the coating and its leveling:

• scraping with preliminary cleaning;
• putty or leveling using self-leveling solutions;
• laying leveling elements - for example, plywood or other similar materials can be used.

Materials for leveling floors on joists

The choice of materials for eliminating various unevenness and other defects in a wooden base depends on the leveling technology used, determined by a number of factors. The permissible level of deformation of the floor surface (height differences across the entire area) is dictated building codes and rules, and its value serves as the main guideline when choosing a technology:

1. If there are small bulges and deflections within 1-2 mm over an area of ​​1 m2, there is no need to level the surface. This value is acceptable even for covering the floor with a material sensitive to unevenness such as linoleum.
   Elimination methods:

• leveling the surface with a scraping machine;
• the use of industrial putties based on acrylic or a “folk” remedy - a mixture of PVA glue with sawdust.

1. Height differences from 5 mm to 1 cm with uniform distribution over the floor surface for subsequent laying of coatings require leveling of the base.
   For this purpose, the following technologies are used:

• leveling with sheet materials that can be attached directly to the floor;
• elimination of unevenness and defects using self-leveling floor mixtures.

The most common sheet materials are plywood, OSB boards or chipboard.

The use of fiberboard is unacceptable, since over time this material follows the shape of the floor, and all irregularities appear on the surface.

Plywood

Optimally suited for quick and high-quality work:

• use for production natural veneer coniferous and deciduous species;
• the surface is flat and smooth;
• has a pleasant, barely perceptible smell of wood;
• simply sawn and treated with protective agents;
• the strength of the sheets is combined with flexibility;
• convenient format – sheets can be cut the right size with minimal waste;
• simple and affordable installation.

In areas used for permanent residence, it is recommended to use FBA and FK brands, which are intended for rooms with low humidity and are suitable for interior work(bedroom, living room). The FSF brand is more resistant to moisture and can be used both outside and indoors (corridor, kitchen).

Another way of classification is by variety. The following are quite suitable for leveling and installing a subfloor:

• 2nd grade – smooth surface, small cracks, scratches, traces of glue are acceptable;
• 3rd grade - the number of possible defects is slightly greater than in 2nd grade.

For the purposes of leveling and installing a clean floor you will need:

• E – elite variety, has no defects;
• 1st grade - no visible defects, but small chips and tiny cracks are allowed.

In premises intended for temporary residence (dachas, makeshift buildings), grade 4 can also be used, despite the existing defects, the strength of plywood of this grade is quite high.

Manufacturers also produce sanded (marked Ш1 and Ш2) and unsanded (marked НШ) plywood. To lay plywood on a wooden floor, you should choose one that has been sanded on one side (Ш1) and fasten its unsanded side to the floor. When choosing a material, you should focus on the ratio of cost and quality.

The next leveling material behind plywood in the popularity rankings is better known as OSB. The characteristics are similar to those of plywood. It differs in the manufacturing method - instead of natural wood veneer, natural wood shavings are used.

Advantages of the material:

• environmentally friendly (natural resins are used);
• no surface defects;
• not subject to delamination;
• light weight;
• variety of sizes;
• adequate cost.

Manufacturers produce boards of four grades: from OSB1 to OSB4 (as moisture resistance and strength increase). Another variety found on the market is a tongue-and-groove slab, which has a connecting groove for a tighter joint. Laying OSB on a wooden floor for leveling purposes is carried out using tongue-and-groove OSB3 boards.

Chipboard (chipboard)

A less durable and moisture-resistant analogue of OSB. Wood is used in production low grade and wood processing waste. Quality, strength and resistance to moisture are determined only by the quality of pressing of the boards and the binder.

Benefits include:

• good sound insulation performance;
• excellent thermal insulation properties;
• ease of laying the material;
• low cost.

Chipboard – best option leveling layer for parquet and synthetic coatings for rooms with low humidity levels.

Pay attention to the specifics of how to level a wooden floor in a private house or apartment if measurements show subsidence and uneven differences of more than 1 cm, but less than 8 cm. Only using joist leveling technology.

Unlike laying leveling materials directly on the surface of the floorboard, in this case preliminary preparation is required. First, a base of logs (wooden blocks) is calculated and installed, which makes it possible to compensate for differences in height and form a flat plane for the subsequent installation of a leveling layer on it from a suitable sheet material.

Selecting the thickness of the material for leveling

Another parameter of sheet materials that needs to be taken into account when selecting is their thickness. Factors that influence the choice of material thickness:

• type of base for installation;
• type of finishing coating;

The thickness of plywood for a wooden floor with slight “waviness” should be at least 8-10 mm. If parquet or laminate is to be laid as a finished floor, it is worth increasing the thickness to 10-16 mm. For carpet and linoleum, the thickness is increased to 16-18 mm. Installation of heavy furniture or equipment in an apartment or house will require a thickness of up to 21 mm.

Technology for laying plywood on a wooden floor

The first step towards a level floor is preparing the wood floor for plywood installation.

If necessary, wobbly boards should be fixed and creaking noise when walking reduced or eliminated. It is best to secure the boards with screws (self-tapping screws). Each nail that secures the old floor boards must be sunk 1-2 mm into the wood.

The next step is to perform calculations for correct installation and cutting plywood sheets.
What needs to be taken into account in the calculations:

• the type of base on which the plywood will be laid - an old floor or a sheathing of logs;
• installation of sheets according to the principle brickwork– with an offset of half a sheet;
• linear dimensions of the room;
• gaps for thermal expansion of the material are 1-1.5 cm from each wall and 3-4 mm between sheets of plywood.

If installation is carried out on top of floor boards, it is recommended to cut the plywood sheets into 4 equal parts, which will make the work easier and will allow you to detect internal defects(delamination), and replace them with undamaged sheets.

In the case of laying sheets on the sheathing, cutting the sheets should be carried out taking into account the sheathing pitch so that the joints of the sheets fall on the center of the joist. Depending on the thickness of the sheets, the lathing pitch is 30 or 40 cm.

Before cutting the sheets, based on the calculations made, a laying diagram is drawn up and the sheets are numbered. This allows you to calculate the number of standard pieces of plywood (quarter sheets), as well as the number and sizes of pieces for cutting.

Before cutting and laying plywood, it is important to keep it indoors for several days, stacking it or placing it on its edge. The curing period depends on the temperature difference between the warehouse from which the plywood was brought and the room in which it will be installed. The greater the difference, the longer you should wait.

After cutting the sheets, you can begin to attach them. It is convenient to start installing sheets from the corner of the room that is closest to the right angle (90 degrees). It is worth using a construction angle to compare the values ​​of each angle.

Self-tapping screws are used as fasteners, the length of which should be 3 times the thickness of the plywood. Before installation begins, perform the following operations:

• in places where screws are attached, holes are drilled in plywood with a diameter 2 mm smaller than the diameter of the working part of the screw;
• countersink holes to fit the diameter of the screw head;
• the fastening pitch between the screws is chosen to be 30-40 cm;
• make an indent from the edge of the sheet of at least 2 cm.

A plywood underlay can be laid on a wooden floor if additional thermal and sound insulation is required. The installation is completed by installing each sheet in its place in accordance with the diagram and securing it with screws.

Scraping – labor-intensive and efficient leveling

If there are no plans to use the flooring after leveling, it is recommended to do the latter using the mechanical scraping technique.
Step-by-step instruction Leveling a wooden floor with a scraping unit looks like this:

1. Clearing the room of furniture. If it is not possible to remove the structure, it is covered with plastic film.
2. Removing from the plank floor all nails and fasteners that could negatively affect the sanding apparatus, rendering it inoperable.
3. Equipment with thick gloves, headphones and a respirator to protect ears and hands from strong vibrations and noise of the machine, and Airways– from fine wood dust.
4. Start the scraping process from the far corner of the room. The first layer is removed carefully, moving around the room like a snake.
5. Clogging all cracks and holes in the floor with putty that matches the color of the coating.
6. Repeated sanding of the floor after the putty has dried.
7. Remove the resulting dust with a powerful vacuum cleaner.
8. Wiping surfaces with a lint-free cloth soaked in a degreaser.
9. Varnishing a plank floor.

Theoretically, scraping can be done manually. However, a special scraping machine will significantly speed up the process. In this case we're talking about not just a few times, but tens or even hundreds of times, depending on the area of ​​the room. In addition, manual scraping cannot boast high quality, which means it will not correspond to the expected result.

From the author: We welcome our readers who are interested in the question of how to level a wooden floor in a room, and what is needed for this. Those who live in houses old building, probably encounter problems on which it is impossible to properly lay a new floor covering. It is not always necessary to completely dismantle the boards, since otherwise they perform their functions well. Today we will tell you more about how to do all the work with your own hands.

Advantages of wood floors

Wood is, without a doubt, the most environmentally friendly material, has long been used in construction. Floors made from it are reliable, warm, and attractive in appearance. Of course, all this is true only if they correct installation and careful operation. For example, in some old houses, bathhouses, wooden floors were initially laid out of level, and accordingly, there was no talk of their perfectly flat surface. Knowing this, you can eliminate such a defect and prepare the basis for the future flooring.

Irregularities that appear on the surface of the boards may have different type and origin - wormholes, chips, abrasions, subsidence. Depending on this, as well as on the material of the selected finishing coating, it is determined what to level with.

Alignment methods

There are several alignment methods. To consider them and choose correctly suitable option, we divide all the irregularities into 2 groups:

1. Small - from 5 to 10 millimeters. Such defects are eliminated using the following methods:
   • scraping;
   • laying sheets of plywood, OSB or chipboard;
   • putty.
2. Significant - from 20 to 100 millimeters. In these cases, the floor can be equalized concrete screed or lay the covering sheets on the joists. The methods listed above will not be as effective.

I share a useful video:

Let’s look at each method in more detail in order to give the most comprehensive answers to possible questions. In some cases, small differences in floor height are allowed when laying soft coverings (linoleum, carpet) on them. Hard materials such as parquet and laminate can only be mounted on a completely smooth surface.

If this requirement will not be observed, their design scheme will be violated, they will not be able to withstand the applied load and will quickly become unusable. Therefore, it is better to level the floor in advance than to re-pay for the installation of an expensive finishing coating. To do this we use:

1. Looping. This is the cheapest way to eliminate unevenness, however, it is quite labor-intensive if done manually using a cycle. Using a sanding machine, the process can be accelerated; the work will consist of the following steps:
   • hammer all protruding nail heads into the boards to prevent damage to the sanding paper;
   • before sanding the floor in an apartment, you need to remove all the furniture from the room, and if this is not possible, cover it with a cloth and wrap it tightly to protect it from dust;
   • You need to start work from the corner of the room, moving along the wall. You should move evenly and smoothly so that the machine cuts off a layer of equal thickness in all places;
   • Having removed the first layer from all the boards, you need to sweep away the resulting chip dust, mix it with PVA glue and fill the detected cracks and potholes with the resulting slurry. When it dries, you need to install a sanding paper with fine grain into the sanding machine and walk around the room again;
   • cleaning - the boards are vacuumed and then treated with white spirit.
2. Self-leveling compounds. This method allows you to get flat surface even on very worn subfloors. Modern manufacturers construction materials are offered big choice Therefore, the choice of floor mixture depends only on your preferences. The sequence of actions is as follows:
   • clean the floor surface from any remaining varnish or paint;
   • “drown” all the screws and nails into the boards;
   • fasten loose floorboards with screws;
   • sand the boards and seal all the gaps in them;
   • apply a layer of primer with high water-repellent properties;
   • fasten the reinforcing frame to the floor with a stapler;
   • Prepare the self-leveling mixture according to the instructions on the package, apply to the surface and distribute evenly using a mop.
   • Leveling with a self-leveling screed means ideally preparing it for the subsequent installation of a hard topcoat.
3. Puttying. It is easy and quick to do and does not require large financial investments. You can make your own putty using sawdust and PVA glue. After hardening, such a mixture approaches the strength of a chipboard.

   Important! Any finish can be laid on a floor leveled with putty, with the exception of ceramic tiles.
   

   Work order:

   • the sawdust is soaked in water in advance and wrung out well by hand before mixing it with PVA glue;
   • the boards are cleaned of remnants of the previous coating, dust, and dirt;
   • the top layer of wood is sanded;
   • before leveling the old floor with putty, you need to pre-attach the loose floorboards to the joists with self-tapping screws;
   • thin slats are nailed to the floor, which will act as beacons;
   • The prepared mixture of sawdust and glue is applied and leveled with a spatula. You can apply putty in several layers, waiting until the previous one is completely dry. The last layer is aligned only using a rule.
4. Leveling with plywood- a proven way to create your own solid foundation for subsequent installation of the final floor covering. This method eliminates large differences in elevation. The sheet materials used bend well, do not form cracks, and have uniform strength in all directions.

Before use, it is advisable to spray the sheets with water on all sides and leave them in the room where the repair will take place for 48 hours. After this, they can be laid directly on the subfloor and secured with countersunk self-tapping screws. The cracks at the joints are sealed with putty.

To eliminate significant unevenness in a wooden floor using sheet material, it is laid on logs. You must perform the steps in the following order:

• install beacons using self-tapping screws. You need to use them to form squares of 30x30 centimeters. They are not fully screwed into the floorboards; the caps must be left at the level of the measured height difference;
• to the old one wooden surface plywood strips up to 5 cm thick are attached using glue or self-tapping screws, which will be used as new logs. The gaps between the floorboards and new joists are sealed with pieces of plywood treated with glue.
• Before laying plywood under laminate, parquet, linoleum, it must be cut in advance into pieces convenient for installation (usually 60x60 centimeters). Laying begins only after the glue on the joists has completely dried;
• all openings and protrusions are carefully cut out;
• The flooring sheets are fastened using hardware with a countersunk head.

Important! Professionals give this advice. If the finishing coating is linoleum, wooden base It is recommended to use a sander. Sheets of plywood must be treated with several layers of varnish if carpet will be laid on them. If the final coating is a laminate, you need to use a special underlay underneath.

Alignment using wet screed concrete is used least often, since its solution has significant weight and can damage the boards.

We hope today's information will help you perform floor repairs at a decent level. We are waiting for your feedback and comments, we will be glad if you share the link with your friends! See you soon!

There are situations when you need to quickly and inexpensively level an old floor under a laminate. There may be options for flooring a large number of. But they will all have a specific base that will have to be leveled. It could be wood, concrete base. The rough version of the floor must be adjusted to the maximum level and horizontal level in order to subsequently carry out the final finishing. The floor covering can also be laid over the old covering. But over time, problems may arise, such as creaking wooden floors, visible potholes and protrusions of the concrete base. This will have to be dealt with by dismantling the coating and performing leveling. In order to get rid of this process, the subfloor should be leveled first.

There is a need

Some will think that making a subfloor is not as necessary as it seems at first glance. In their opinion, the new coating will hide all defects and errors in the base. Over time, any floor covering, if it is laid on an uneven surface, will fail and lose its properties and qualities. The appearance will be spoiled and you will have to resort to repairs. It is worth noting that especially soft coatings require evenness. A height difference is allowed, but not more than 2 mm. per meter. For example, laminate flooring may swell with large differences.

Particularly popular is the subfloor using plywood sheets, preparing self-leveling mixtures, floor scraping, and putty. In the latter case, ordinary PVA glue serves as the base.

Curvature of a wooden floor

Before starting work, you should determine how crooked the subfloor is and what should be done to correct it. The coefficient of curvature of the floor will affect the lifespan and quality of the floor covering over time. If you take a material such as laminate, then it cannot be laid directly on a wooden base. Under the influence of changes in temperature and humidity levels in the room, the boards can dry out, lose strength, and crack. This all affects the condition of the laminate. You can get information on how to avoid tearing down boards. But in this case, they themselves should be in excellent condition.

For this reason, a leveling layer should be performed. All the voltage will be transferred to it. The surface is first inspected for damage and formations. These areas should be removed and replaced with new ones. When all this is done, you need to take a level and take all the measurements.

The following tools can be used for work:

1. Rotary. To determine the difference in floor height, a simple strip is used.
2. Bubble level. The curvature is determined when applied of this instrument to the base. If the bubble remains in the central position, then you can proceed to the next step, since . If it starts to roll to the right or left, then you will have to make an effort to create a flat surface. But it has low accuracy in rooms with large areas.
3. Linear laser level.

The choice of tool will depend on capabilities and needs. If the work is one-time in one room, then you should not spend a lot of money, but take a regular bubble level.

Leveling with plywood

The most comfortable material can be called . When using them, the rough surface becomes almost perfectly smooth. In any case, the topcoat can be laid without any thought. In this case, the floor can be raised by 20-30 mm. In the process of performing the work, a minimum amount of money and material is spent, and the process itself is simple and quick. In the future, you can even produce linoleum or other flooring soft materials. But you should definitely do it in the apartment with your own hands step by step. There should be no deviations from the installation technology in order to obtain the desired result.

The humidity of the plywood sheets used should correspond to the humidity in the room itself. This result can be achieved by wetting both sides of the sheets with water, and then leaving them in the room for about 2-3 days. After this time, work can begin.

In some cases, the screw heads may still protrude slightly. To avoid this, you should first drill small holes of a larger diameter in the plywood sheets.

All subsequent actions will depend on what kind of flooring will be laid. For carpet, plywood is coated not with one, but with several layers of varnish. An underlay is placed under the laminate. For linoleum flooring, plywood sheets are slightly sanded using a sander. In this case, special attention is paid to the joints of the plywood squares, as well as to the places where they are fastened with self-tapping screws.

Using homemade floor putty

Many people say that we are very expensive. But there is also very cheap option level an old wooden parquet floor with slight level differences. For this option, use putty together with sawdust. At the same time, the area for work can be significant.

The surface is first thoroughly cleaned of any debris. The sawdust used is slightly moistened during the work. This is necessary to prevent rapid absorption of moisture from the PVA. Putty technology includes the following steps:

Among the disadvantages of this version of the rough layer, one can highlight the drying time of all previous layers of putty. This is a great way instead of screeding the floor in an apartment. But the coating becomes less durable compared to other options, despite the large amount of time spent.

Self-leveling mixtures

When removing any old coating on the floor, you should do it thoroughly. The same applies to cases when it is necessary to create a flat surface after parquet. There are some features and subtleties of the work. But it is very important to study the technology and learn how to level the floor after removing the parquet. Among the new methods we can highlight the use of . This composition is diluted to liquid states by adding water, after which it is distributed over the entire surface of the subfloor, where leveling should be done. The result is a strong base, elastic, even, intended for finishing.

In any case, preparations should be made prior to installation. It will not matter here whether it is carried out on the first floor or others. The sequence of work and technology are no different. True, the first floor requires more attention if there is a basement. Here you will need to additionally install a layer of waterproofing to protect the screed from mold or fungi.

Acrylic mass is used to seal wide cracks on the surface. Leftovers old paint, varnish must be removed, as in the future they may have an impact Negative influence on the state of the alignment layer.

The cracks can be sealed with a self-leveling mixture, but it must be brought to the state of thick sour cream. Before completing the leveling cycle, you will have to wait time for drying.

With protection from moisture, it is applied to the substrate after removing debris and full preparation. This increases the level of adhesion of the mixture to the floor. The walls at the bottom are insulated using construction tape. A mark is made along it, along which it is necessary to fill the finished mixture. If pouring is carried out with adjacent rooms, then a bar is installed at the entrance to prevent the solution from leaking into it.

When setting the level at the bottom of the walls using tape, you should remember that it should not be lower minimum thickness for future screed. When distributing the solution, a reinforcing mesh should be used, which is laid on the base. It can be fastened with a construction stapler.

For mixing, it is best to use a drill with an attachment. In this case, everything must follow the instructions from the manufacturer. After kneading, allow time to settle for approximately 15 minutes. Next, the mixture is re-mixed.

Distributed over the entire surface. For work, you can use a mop with a rubber base. In the presence of air bubbles all of them are removed with a mop with spikes, which should be longer than the thickness of the fill.

During the drying process the mixture is maintained at the same temperature. There are also disadvantages to such mixtures - the floor level rises. But not a single alignment option is immune from this. So you shouldn't pay attention here special attention. Still, the advantages of the method are much greater, which is what arouses interest among performers.

Sanding for wooden floors

Everyone should know about how old hardwood floors are. After removing the floor covering, surface defects remain, and errors in the old base also appear. This should be gotten rid of. Most labor-intensive process- scraping.
But the effectiveness is noticeable immediately. The work can be done independently and with your own hands. The simplest and fastest option is mechanical scraping, which is worth focusing your attention on.

During operation, a large amount of fine dust appears. To prevent it from affecting the interior items in the apartment, it is best to close them protective film. On an old wooden floor, the nail heads are completely driven in and simply sunk into the base. scraping is a sequence of the following stages:

1. The work is carried out in a snake pattern from one corner to the opposite.
2. When the first layer is removed, the resulting cracks are sealed with putty. It is best to choose its color the same as the floor covering used.
3. When the putty has completely hardened, you can continue sanding.
4. Using a manual angle scraper, work is done in hard to reach places, including around the baseboards.
5. When the dust has completely settled, a vacuum cleaner is used to collect it and remove debris. After this, the plank floor is wiped with a damp cloth, which is pre-moistened in a solvent. In the end, all that remains is to apply varnish to the treated base.

If the board is damaged on one side, it can be turned over to the other. It is installed in the same place. You can, of course, replace it with a new one, but the color will be noticeably different from other boards.