Level out significant differences in wooden floors. Ways to level a wooden floor without removing the boards

A private house, How human body, comprises large quantity 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 traces 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 is it necessary 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 wooden floor for new paintwork, laminate flooring 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 of 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

Selection of materials to eliminate various irregularities and other defects 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:

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.

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 fast 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 minimum quantity 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, are acceptable small cracks, scratches, traces of glue;
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 the purpose of leveling is carried out using tongue-and-groove boards of the OSB3 brand.

Chipboard (chipboard)

A less durable and moisture-resistant analogue of OSB. Low grade wood and wood processing waste are used in production. 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 coverings for rooms with low level humidity.

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 onto the surface of the floorboard, this requires preliminary preparation. 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 flat floor– preparing a wooden floor for laying plywood.

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 of 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:

Clearing the room of furniture. If it is not possible to remove the structure, it is covered with plastic film.
Removing from the plank floor all nails and fasteners that could negatively affect the sanding apparatus, rendering it inoperable.
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.
Start of the scraping process with far corner premises. The first layer is removed carefully, moving around the room like a snake.
Clogging all cracks and holes in the floor with putty that matches the color of the coating.
Repeated sanding of the floor after the putty has dried.
Remove accumulated dust with a powerful vacuum cleaner.
Wiping surfaces with a lint-free cloth soaked in a degreaser.
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 are not talking about units, 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.

Any wooden floor, no matter how well it is laid and treated, tends to change its angle of inclination and can rot or dry out. The best way out in such a situation it will be complete replacement flooring, but very few will undertake such labor-intensive and rather expensive work. How can I level a wooden floor without replacing it? We will talk about this further.

Floor leveling methods

A wooden floor is quite difficult to level, especially in comparison with. And if concrete can be simply screeded, then wooden floors, especially in old buildings, may not withstand it. It is worth considering that for insulation and leveling with a screed you need to have a margin of about 10 cm from the ceiling. Unfortunately, not all rooms have such a margin and high strength lag But there are other methods of how to level the floor in a private house, which will be discussed further.

Cycling

This leveling method is rightly called one of the most difficult, which makes leveling a wooden floor with plywood more attractive, but still scraping is widely used, especially on large areas.

The work is carried out using a scraping and/or grinding machine. Cycling is preceded by long preparatory activities, A huge quantities dust and a rather complex surface treatment technology classify scraping as an unpopular floor leveling technology. But still, this method is economical and effective, which is why it is used.

Before starting scraping, you need to prepare the working surface, that is, the floor. If the floor is old, then probably some nails have become loose and have come out of the joists. Such nails need to be found and re-hammered, because if the head that comes out gets under the knives of the device, they will be hopelessly broken.

In the case of painted floors, all areas that may have nails should be cleaned of paint and carefully checked. Only after all the nails have been driven in can the working machine be used.

The work usually begins with the use of a coarse nozzle and ends with the finest one. You will have to sand the corners yourself, because... The car won't be able to get there.

If we talk about the pros and cons of this processing method, the main disadvantages are as follows. Firstly, the machine removes upper layer wood, and in case of large unevenness it comes out too large, which in turn can change the maximum possible load of the floor.

When leveling the floor, especially when completely wooden house, the board may experience severe temperature fluctuations, which can cause pits and bumps. This can be easily prevented by using a wood preservative. This method is used only for old wooden floors, which need minor edits.

The result of scraping: photos before and after.

Nevertheless, there are also advantages. The method requires a lot of time and effort, but is very economical in terms of resources and building materials. The result is smooth and even floors, but if the cracks in them are filled with sawdust and sprinkled with varnish, then after sanding the floor it will look no worse than parquet.

Adjusting the lag

This method is suitable for regulating the most large differences height. It consists in the fact that the floor covering is completely removed from the joists. Special screws are inserted into the logs themselves, which can be screwed in and out. In this way, the position of the logs and, accordingly, the boards are adjusted. When using this leveling method, the possibility of insulation remains; it is enough to place insulation material between the joists. then put the boards back. Now the floor is level, and if, due to climatic conditions, it changes its slope again, the regulators already inserted into the joists will help, with the help of which you can level the wooden floor at any time.

Height-adjustable logs.

The disadvantage of this method is that it will take a lot of time to screw in the screws, and their cost will not make this type of work economical. The joist adjustment method is not at all suitable for houses with low ceiling, because as a result of the work, the floor height increases by about 10 cm.

The advantages of leveling the joists are that a wooden house is highly susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity, which can cause the boards to change their angle of inclination, and with this method you can constantly adjust the floor without spending a lot of time and effort. Despite the fact that screwing in screws takes a lot of time, it is still not difficult, it is enough to know how to screw in screws, but if you still have questions about how to properly level a wooden floor, you can watch a video on the topic.

Laying plywood

Leveling with chipboard or plywood is one of the most popular methods for leveling a wooden floor, which can also be done. It is used when laying, or for insulating and painting works. Materials have affordable price, but chipboard is still cheaper than plywood. Plywood is more durable, so most often we talk about how to level a wooden floor with plywood. When leveling, plywood with a thickness of 10 mm or more is used, and the price for one sheet starts at 400 rubles.

The entire structure is made up of guide elements, which are made of plywood and can be of different thicknesses.

The floor covering is laid out in squares of 20x30 cm, and beacons are placed at their corners. Also, plywood logs with a thickness of 30-50 mm are laid out along the beacons. They are attached with self-tapping screws or wood glue. The floor is leveled by placing pieces of wood under the joists, after first spreading the pieces with glue.

Such measures will help prevent sagging of the final version of the floor. After this, a grid of logs is formed, which must dry completely before further actions. Plywood is placed on the logs, and in such a way that the edges of its sheets are located on the marked lines.

The process of leveling a floor consisting of boards can be easily controlled at the stage of laying the joists.

The plywood is attached to the joists using self-tapping screws, for which you should drill the screw-in points 3-5 cm deep with a drill with a diameter slightly larger than the screw head. A self-tapping screw is screwed into the drilled hole, and its head is countersunk. You can also lay a backing under the plywood, which will serve as additional thermal insulation.

Installing plywood on joists.

On top of the plywood is laid the covering you like: carpet, laminate, linoleum. Before laying linoleum, the plywood must be sanded, and a backing is used for laying the laminate.

The main disadvantage of leveling wooden floors with plywood is the rather high cost of materials.

There are many more advantages:

A floor leveled in this way is very durable, and the height of the ceilings changes very slightly (by about 2-3 cm);
The process of how to level a wooden floor with plywood is very simple, and you can even do it yourself;
In this way, the coating is leveled, even with a very large slope, adding more plywood in areas of large distortion.

Our ancestors also knew how to properly level the floor; for this they used special plaster. This method requires a lot of effort, but is very economical. The putty applied to the base consists of regular glue PVA and small sawdust. Before mixing, the sawdust must be moistened with water and squeezed out, after which they will draw less moisture from the glue.

The work process itself begins with the installation of beacons using a level; the most ordinary ones can serve as beacons wooden planks. The resulting compartments are filled with a mixture of glue and sawdust, and the consistency of the mixture itself should look like sour cream. This putty shrinks a lot when it dries, so places with special differences in height should be filled with several layers of this “sour cream.” After drying with the substrate, carpet, linoleum.

The disadvantage of putty is that after it you still need to level the wooden floor with plywood in order to get an even and solid foundation, therefore, all the desire to save this method and its subsequent advantages are leveled out.

Advantages of putty:

You can always re-level the wooden floor by adding more putty to the right place;
Very low cost, filling one m2 will cost about 30 rubles;
Even a sloped floor can be leveled.

Self-leveling agent

This is one of the latest ways how to level the floor in a wooden house. Using this method does not require much effort, but it is only suitable for areas with a small difference in height. Such compositions are not recommended for use in new buildings, because their shrinkage has not yet completed and it is quite possible that there will be “walking” at home.

The self-leveling mixture consists of Portland or aluminous cement, quartz sand, active additives and surfactants. Some mixtures are given a special color by special coloring compounds.

The result of this method is a completely flat floor with various degrees smoothness. Depending on whether the floor surface needs to be treated, there are two types of mixtures: basic - a self-leveling substance that needs to be sanded after hardening and - this is an independent floor covering that does not need additional finishing.

How to prepare and use self-leveling mixture?

All three stages (preparation, coating and finishing) can be carried out with my own hands. First, you need to clean the floor from stains of grease and dirt, and fill any cracks with sawdust. Walls and door openings must be sealed with polyurethane foam tape to the height that the future floor will occupy. The entire floor surface is primed with a product recommended by the manufacturer of the leveling material in several layers.

Next, we prepare the mixture itself, during the process we must carefully ensure that we do not pour too much water, otherwise the coating will not be strong enough, and if we do not add water, the floor will simply will crack. Recommended proportions can be found on the packaging of the product.

Fill the floor with the resulting mixture, while minimum thickness layer should be 5 mm, and maximum – 20 mm. The composition hardens in just 40 minutes, so all actions must be done quickly.

After the floor surface has been filled, you need to run it over it with a toothed roller or a hard brush, this will remove any possible air bubbles on the surface. After this, we leave the floor to dry, making sure that there are no drafts in the room. To ensure uniform drying, the floor can be wrapped in plastic film, then leaving it for 48 hours.

Complete drying is carried out in approximately two weeks, then you can begin to lay laminate, linoleum, parquet, carpet and other floor coverings.

It is quite expensive - 1 m2 of floor will cost from 200 rubles;
The mixture takes a long time to dry, which means urgent repairs not suitable;
For a wooden floor, this method is not very environmentally friendly and useful, unlike leveling a wooden floor with plywood;
If the house is prone to “walking,” then such a coating will not be particularly durable.

There are also advantages to this method. Firstly, the mixture is quickly applied and prepared. With proper mixing of the components, application and drying, the floors will last a very long time, and you will not need to think again about how to properly level a wooden floor. The work will not require much effort.

All of the above options for how to level a wooden floor will become in great ways leveling the floor in a private house and. Of course, you need to take into account the specific features of the house and the floor, but some methods are universal, and we tried to collect them in this article.

Despite the impressive list of advantages, wood covering over time requires repair work. Cracks may appear, and the boards begin to sag and deform. Of course, this does not happen in a year, or in two. But sooner or later you will have to decide how to level the coating.

Especially if it is planned. This finishing layer requires a level base, which can be achieved in several ways. We will look at all this below.

Why is it necessary to level the floor?

Many people are interested in the question not of how to level a wooden floor, but why it is necessary. We hasten to assure you that this is extremely important stage laying a new coating, which also extends the life of the main floor. All cracks, irregularities, and deformations negatively affect the general view and on the final coating. It doesn’t matter whether it’s carpet or ceramic tile. In any case, troubles cannot be avoided. For example, linoleum in places where the floorboards are curved will fray and crack, and the laminate will immediately begin to creak and the joints, accordingly, will not adhere securely to each other.

Methods for leveling the floor.

So, if you don’t know how to level a laminate wooden floor, then it’s worth learning the basic methods that are actively used today. It is worth noting that the choice depends on the initial state of the base.

Looping;

Self-leveling mixtures;

Floor putty;

Laying plywood sheets.

In order to understand how to level a wooden floor under tiles, and in what cases each option is used, we will consider all the methods separately.

Looping.

We can say that this is the most labor-intensive method of leveling, but it is also the most effective. It is suitable if there are no plans to lay a new coating, and the design is limited to varnishing or painting the renewed floor.

There are two methods of scraping, performed manually and mechanical method. In the first case, a manual scraper is used, and in the second, a scraping machine is used. Manual method is already outdated and does not justify the labor and time costs at all, so we will consider the mechanical method.

Tools for work:

The most important thing is to take care of your own health, so buy the following things:

a respirator that will protect your lungs from dust;

headphones that isolate you from noise (and the level is very high);

gloves or thick mittens necessary to reduce vibration from the device.

Preparing the room:

Be sure to remove all furniture, curtains, and paintings. This way you will keep things from fine dust. You can cover the shelves with film, securing the edges with tape. The doorway is covered with film, and the windows, on the contrary, are opened to allow the dust to ventilate.

Coating preparation:

If the floorboards are in good condition, then partial replacement is not required. In this case, carefully inspect the floor. If the heads of nails or screws are on the surface, then it is necessary to recess them into the floor to a sufficiently large depth. Without doing this, you will inevitably damage the equipment.

Floor scraping:

We start working from the corner, moving around the room like a snake. For this we use a coarse-grained tape. This is how we remove the first layer.

You will still need a manual scraper to process the floor in hard to reach places- near the walls. At the end of the work, you need to vacuum it, but wait a bit, allowing the dust to settle. Before varnishing or painting, the floor is wiped with a cloth soaked in white spirit.

Self-leveling mixtures:

If you are looking for a way to level a wooden floor under a laminate, then the previous option will not suit you. In this case, the work will be more labor-intensive, but you will get a proper base for the finishing coat. It is worth noting that this method is also suitable for further laying tiles.

Let's take a closer look at the process of leveling the floor.

Preparing the base.

We make all spring elements motionless, for which we use self-tapping screws or self-tapping screws.

The hats, as with scraping, are sunk into the floor.

We thoroughly sand the base, removing any remaining paint, dirt, or varnish.

All obvious cracks and voids are filled with acrylic putty or the same mixture, but in a thicker consistency.

After the composition has dried, the floor is primed in several layers with a moisture-proof primer, which ensures reliable adhesion of the mixture to the base.

A polystyrene foam seam is created near the walls, after which the floor level can be determined.

Pouring the mixture.

Before starting to pour the mixture, we staple the reinforcing mesh onto the base. All joints are connected with an overlap of about 5 cm.

Prepare the mixture according to the instructions, mixing it using a drill with an attachment. Leave the solution for 10-15 minutes and stir again. Now you can begin the actual installation.

Pour the mixture in parts, leveling it over the entire surface with a roller.

Using a spatula, rule or rubber mop, spread the mixture over the coating.

Drying of the solution is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Some tips:

Follow all the rules indicated on the packaging of the mixture. The specified thermal conditions must be maintained throughout the entire period of laying the solution and drying it.

Be careful when preparing the mixture. Excess water can cause delamination when the coating dries, while too little water can cause it to dry too quickly and be unable to distribute evenly.

If it is planned to raise the floor level, then pouring is carried out in two passes. That is, it is not advisable to immediately lay thick layer.

Floor putty.

This option is not particularly suitable if you are deciding how to level a wooden floor under tiles. But for linoleum or carpet this is the ideal way.

Putty mixtures based on sawdust and PVA are becoming increasingly popular. With their help you can level the wooden covering sufficiently large area. At the same time, the cost of materials is low, and this makes repairs also economically profitable.

Procedure:

Beacon slats are placed on the cleaned surface according to the level;

the space between them is filled with a mixture with the consistency of “thick sour cream”;

To prevent the sawdust from drawing water out of the glue, it is advisable to moisten them in advance and then squeeze them out a little;

if a thick layer of putty is required, then form the coating in layers of 1-2 cm. In this case, each subsequent layer is applied after the previous one has dried;

We check the result with a level, and if necessary, fill the uneven areas with the same mixture.

Laying plywood sheets

This is one of the most popular ways to correct uneven wood floors. But first you need to decide how to level a wooden floor under plywood.

Everything is quite simple here. Damaged floorboards are screwed with self-tapping screws to the base or joists. If the deformation is too great, then such boards are replaced with new ones.

Next, you need to install beacons - self-tapping screws that are screwed into a certain height in squares of 20-30 cm. Moreover, the thicker the plywood, the less frequently beacons are installed. After this, we lay the logs in the form of strips of plywood and secure them with self-tapping screws.

Preparation of plywood sheets:

It is advisable to pre-cut the sheets into squares with a side of 60cm. It is worth noting that before purchasing sheets, it is advisable to inspect them. If delamination is detected at the ends of the workpieces, then such material is not suitable for work. If a defect is detected at the installation site, the sheets are replaced with new ones.

Laying plywood sheets:

We install the finished squares on the formed log grid, taking into account the location of the plywood joints, since they should fall on the logs. It is highly desirable that the brickwork be carried out with offset sheets, which is necessary to avoid the intersection of four seams. Each plywood sheet is secured with self-tapping screws with a countersunk head.

If you mark the joints with chalk in advance, you will significantly save time and effort during installation.

With this leveling, you can get a smooth subfloor that is suitable for further installation of any finishing coating.

By adhering to clear rules, you will not have any questions about how to level a wooden floor or how to correct any defects. The whole process is not very complicated, but it requires some labor.

How to level a wooden floor?

This question is relevant for owners of wooden country houses and for owners of ordinary apartments.

Over time, any wood dries out, becomes covered with cracks and loses its smoothness, be it expensive parquet or a subfloor under linoleum or carpet.

There are several leveling options for wood flooring, but which methods are best?

How to level a wooden floor? How to level a wooden floor under linoleum? If the house is old, what material is better to choose?

To remove unevenness or a slight slope in the house, what is better - mastic or putty? The answers to these and other questions are in this article.

Methods for leveling wooden floors

An uneven floor can cause significant damage in the future. finishing– paint, linoleum, laminate, carpet, etc.

Leveling the floor with your own hands will help you avoid such problems - even an inexperienced builder can handle the technique if you choose the right option and study the instructions in detail.

Leveling a wooden floor in a private house is a very pressing issue.

To level wooden flooring in a home today, you can use the following methods:

scraping;
use of self-leveling mixture;
putty;
subfloor made of plywood sheets.

Looping is the most famous, but at the same time the most labor-intensive method.

It can be manual or mechanical - using a special scraping machine.

Typically, scraping is used in a wooden house, when there is no need for linoleum or carpet finishing, but only requires updating the boards and varnishing them.

Self-leveling mixture is a relatively new method, but experienced specialists do not always recommend using it.

Old wooden floor under load cement-sand mixture may sag, and the screed itself may crack over time.

However, today there are special self-leveling mixtures for wood, so with large distortions in height and finishing under linoleum, tiles, laminate and parquet, such leveling can be used.

The most popular methods of leveling wood flooring are puttying and laying sheets of plywood.

Which of these options is better?

To choose the appropriate method, you need to first assess the condition of the floor in the house.

To do this, you need to carefully examine the boards: are there any cracks on them, how dry is the wood?

If this is possible, then it is better to tear off one floorboard and inspect it from the inside out - how dry it is, are there any places of rot.

This will allow you to understand whether you will have to change the rough coating or whether leveling can be carried out without replacing the boards.

Then you need to evaluate the height deviations of the floor using a level.

To eliminate small irregularities and distortions less than 3 mm, putty or mastic will help; for more serious defects, a rough coating of plywood is necessary.

Leveling with putty

Putty for wood floors is ideal for finishing paint, linoleum, carpet and even laminate.

Leveling a wooden floor with your own hands using putty can be used if the wood is not seriously damaged and the height deformation is no more than 2-3 mm per square meter surfaces.

For leveling work, you can use several types of putty:

acrylic (very plastic and does not collapse over time);
solvent-based (universal and suitable for all types of wood);
polymer (perfectly fills cracks and smoothes out unevenness);
based on PVA glue and sawdust.

Putty based on glue and sawdust is a fairly new building material, but rapidly gaining popularity.

This composition has a low price tag, but it is very durable and provides additional insulation surfaces.

This mixture can be used for all types of finishing, but most often it is used under linoleum and laminate.

To level a wooden floor with your own hands using adhesive putty, you need to strictly follow the technology.

First, we install beacons (slats made of wood or metal) over the entire surface of the floor in steps of 35-50 cm.

Then pour the first layer of a mixture of sawdust, glue and putty, carefully filling the gaps between the slats using a spatula.

After the starting layer has dried, you can apply the finishing coat.

This putty dries in an average of 2 days.

If the defects of the wooden floor covering are insignificant, then for leveling you can use a product such as mastic - based on rubber, polymers or bitumen.

Mastic is usually used in cases where finishing of the coating (linoleum or carpet) is not required.

Mastic emphasizes color and relief natural wood, adds shine, protects against moisture and direct sun rays, mechanical damage.

In some cases, mastic is the best option for work.

Leveling with plywood

Leveling a wooden floor with plywood is necessary in cases where differences in floor height reach 3 mm or more.

This method allows you to hide noticeable defects and prepare uneven floors for any finishing finish - carpet, linoleum, laminate, parquet and tiles.

The choice of plywood depends on the width of the boards - if the floorboards are up to 20 cm wide, plywood sheets 8-10 mm thick are suitable, more than 20 cm - 10-20 mm plywood is needed.

There are two ways to install plywood sheets - directly on the subfloor and using lathing.

If the deformation of the floorboards is no more than 5 mm over the entire surface, then you can attach the plywood directly to the boards; if it is up to 8-10 mm, then you will have to install wooden joists(lathing).

How to level a wooden floor with plywood correctly?

First of all, you need to prepare special tools:

jigsaw and screwdriver;
tape measure and level;
sheets of plywood and logs for sheathing (plywood strips or timber);
screws and dowels.

The first stage of work is dividing the floor into 30x30 cm squares.

After marking, it is necessary to place beacons along the perimeter of the surface, in the corners of the squares (their role can be played by self-tapping screws).

After this, the logs are installed, the step is 35-40 cm.

You can attach the slats to the floor using self-tapping screws or special glue.

Then you need to cut the plywood into pieces of approximately 60x60 cm.

They are mounted with self-tapping screws on the joists; it is better to place the sheets in a checkerboard pattern.

If the floorboards have severe defects or additional insulation is needed, then leveling can be carried out in 2 stages: first install the sheathing, then lay the screed between the slats, and after it has dried, install the plywood.

If you are finishing under linoleum, laminate or parquet, then it is important to treat the subfloor.

To do this, you need to sand the surface a little and cover it with a protective varnish.

To protect the subfloor and future floor covering, you can use a special underlay - cork or polyethylene foam.

Plank flooring can be found in a private house and in an apartment with an old layout. Its main advantage is environmental friendliness, heat capacity and pleasant tactile sensations. That is why many owners of residential premises, wanting to extend the life of their wooden flooring, do not rush to tear off the boards, but strive to level them. It is a mistake to believe that only real carpenters or professional builders can level a wooden floor. In some cases, having theoretically prepared yourself, you can carry out work on leveling the floor without tearing down the boards.

The plank floor can be leveled in the following ways:

using a grinder;
putty;
by laying sheet material;
screed.

Using a roll or tile material(laminate, linoleum, PVC boards, carpet) unevenness of a wooden floor cannot be eliminated.

Before carrying out any work, it is imperative to consult a specialist regarding the integrity and suitability of the floor for further use. Otherwise, the repair will not be successful and the coating will soon become unusable.

To choose the right method for leveling the floor in the house, you need to determine the degree of its unevenness. If the unevenness of the floor is up to 1 mm, then scraping is sufficient. Height differences of 2-3 mm are eliminated with putty. Laying sheet material on the joists will correct height differences of up to 10 cm. Minor unevenness can be eliminated if linoleum is laid on the floor. Laminate is not suitable for such purposes.

Scraping procedure

You can use a scraping machine if the boards are positioned strictly horizontally. It is not necessary to buy special equipment for a one-time procedure. It is usually rented.

Step-by-step description of the process:

will take care of personal protection: fine dust respirator, earplugs;
remove all furniture from the room. Doors to adjacent rooms are tightly closed. They are covered with polyethylene for additional protection, because as a result of the operation of the scraping machine, fine dust is formed that penetrates into any cracks;
using a chipper, you need to lower all nail heads below the floor level by 2 mm;
turn on the car. Work is carried out from the far corner of the room. Having reached the opposite wall, they turn 180 degrees and move in the opposite direction;
Having cycled the boards once, the resulting dust is removed from their surface. Large cracks are sealed with putty to match the wood. After the latter has dried, the scraping is repeated.

The leveled floor is varnished; linoleum or laminate can be laid on it.

Puttying a wooden floor

In this case, acrylic sealant or finishing acrylic putty is used. If the height difference reaches 3 mm, it is recommended to level the floor with putty using PVA glue. This state of affairs is explained simply: although acrylic putty has sufficient flexibility (it does not crack, even if the floor beneath it sags), it can lose integrity if its layer reaches 3 mm. Use acrylic putty to level small areas of the floor.

Using finishing putty on PVA glue you can level out height differences of more than 3 mm. In this case, they mix it with sawdust. Disadvantage of this method: the leveling material is very sticky and takes a long time to dry. After the putty has dried, linoleum or carpet is laid on it. Laminate and tiles cannot be laid.

Leveling the floor with plywood

How to level a wooden floor with plywood? In this case, the plywood is simply attached to the floor with self-tapping screws. The support for the plywood is the top of the irregularities or waves of the board.

However, this process has its own characteristics:

if the width of the floor boards is 10-20 cm, the unevenness of the floor is insignificant, then plywood up to 10 mm thick is quite useful;
if the width of the boards exceeds 20 cm, the unevenness of the floor is uneven, that is, they pass through the board, then plywood is needed with a thickness of more than 10 mm. It must be remembered that ordinary plywood will be ineffective in rooms with high humidity air. For this you can use moisture-resistant material.

The sheet material is attached to the floor with self-tapping screws, the joints and seams are sealed acrylic sealant. Afterwards the surface is decorated. Carpet, laminate, and linoleum are used for these purposes. When carefully leveled, the boards are varnished.

Another way to use plywood

If the difference in height of the horizontal floor of the house exceeds 10 cm, it is recommended to use logs. This wooden blocks a certain thickness. Their thickness and installation pitch are determined based on the characteristics of the plywood. So, you can take 12-14 mm plywood, then the lag pitch is equal to 35-40 cm. If wood material thicker (16-18 mm), then the lag pitch is 50 cm.

Stages of work:

mark the floor using a laser level;
Beacons are placed according to the markings. These are the same bars, located at a distance of 230-300 mm from each other. They are screwed to the floor with self-tapping screws. The correctness of their installation is checked by level. If the beacons are positioned incorrectly, the leveling layer will not give the expected effect. You can put linoleum on such a floor, but not laminate;
according to the position of the beacons, you can install the remaining logs;
Plywood fastening is carried out only after the installation of the logs is completed. It is easier to install if you cut it into equal squares. Installation of plywood is carried out with an offset (as brickwork) using self-tapping screws.

Do not forget about compensation gaps near the walls. The final stage is decoration. For this, parquet, laminate, linoleum, and carpet are used.

Floor screed on wooden boards

Level the floor wet screed possible if it was originally laid on concrete base or underneath there are logs on brick columns. The distance between the support posts and the thickness of the floor itself is sufficient to withstand the load of cement or concrete mortar. Theoretically according to wooden floor wet is acceptable, cement strainer, the thickness of which does not exceed 5-7 cm. However, you need to remember that the load on the floor will increase to 75-100 kg/sq. m. Plasticizers and microfiber for reinforcement must be added to the leveling material. Otherwise, the floor screed will simply crack, since it is clean cement mortar inelastic.

The technology for leveling boards with a wet screed is no different from classic way organization of the rough layer. After the cement stone has matured, linoleum, laminate, parquet or any other decorative material can be laid on it.