Using a self-leveling mixture for a wooden floor. Self-leveling floors and wooden base How to make self-leveling floors in a wooden house
At first glance, the situation is quite difficult when a relatively fragile leveling layer needs to be poured onto such an unstable base. However, there are many proven technologies that will allow you to do the installation even with your own hands.
Do you need to repair wooden floors in your apartment and want to use self-leveling flooring? The option is not the simplest, but there are proven technologies that are easy to do even with your own hands.
Attention! !
How difficult is installation?
If a concrete screed is used as a rough foundation, we can complete the work without problems, this foundation is very strong and stable. For a successful result, it is necessary to prime and set the beacons. More than s difficult case when there is a wooden floor in the apartment. 
The boards do not form a single plane, when poor quality installation hang out. With fluctuations in humidity and temperature, the geometric dimensions change, and individual boards with different sizes, especially relevant with heated floors. When drying, cracks appear; they will have to be sealed, then the leveling solution will not flow into them. During operation, squeaks will appear; without dismantling and repeated work, it will not get rid of it.
Wooden floors are prone to rot. When installing a self-leveling floor, you will need to provide conditions to prevent friction and destruction of wooden elements. You can’t overdry it either - the wood loses its strength and cracks.
We will do it ourselves, we will try to make do with the most accessible tools.
List of tools:
- Screwdriver;
- Drill with mixer attachment;
- Level;
- Electric planer;
- Roulette;
- Scissors.
- Spatulas wide
- Narrow spatula
- Containers for clean water
- Solution container
- Needle roller
Preparatory work
We strengthen and level the old wooden floor.
What defects do wooden floors have in an apartment?
- Boards of different thicknesses
- Boards driven by “screw”
- Dried out or laid with a large gap wooden elements designs;
- Presence of creaking
- Rotten floorboards, beams
- Old peeling paint
- Deviation from level
We examine the wooden floor. Is there at least one defect present? Let's start fixing it. Defects occur in most cases, the only exception being new wooden floors laid according to all the rules.
Checking the level wooden flooring. If the plane does not correspond to the level, you will have to completely open the floors and level or even change the logs. It would be a good idea to open a small part, even if the level is within normal limits, to check the integrity of the joist, but this applies more to old structures. 
Suppose we discovered a slope. Then it is easier to disassemble completely wooden floors and install a new one. We begin installation with the outermost joists located at opposite ends of the room. We install them exactly according to the level, and then stretch the cord between them. We install intermediate logs along the cord. We process those that are above the cord with a plane, and under those that are lower we place pieces of plywood or other suitable material. In the apartment high humidity? It is necessary to treat the material with antiseptic agents.
When the logs are laid in one plane and secured, we begin to check the thickness of the boards. It happens that the gaps between the floorboards are 5 mm or more, then it is necessary to correct the situation, despite the fact that we pour a leveling mixture on top. It’s the same here, we remove it from thick floorboards required thickness with an electric planer, and for thin ones we use pads.
A more complex defect is in the form of boards that are twisted with a “screw”. Wedges and a plane will not help. The floorboard “screws” onto the beams with only one edge; if you cut off the protruding edge, the second edge dangles in the air, and this is not reliable. There are two options here - change the entire floorboard or try to straighten it by pulling it. It is not possible to tighten with ordinary self-tapping screws; the slots are torn off or the bit is damaged, and the force is not enough.
In this case, a long screw (at least 100mm) with a hex head can help. To tighten with such a screw, we will make a hole in the board, in the place where it protrudes upward, do not drill closer than 2 centimeters from the edge. The hole needs to be slightly larger than the thickness of the screw. We tighten the screw until the edge of the floorboard is level with the plane of the adjacent boards. Then we fix the attracted place with at least four wood screws, and remove the large screw.
Another common defect is large gaps. If we were preparing the floor for laying laminate, the gaps would not be so critical; a couple of layers of plywood would save the situation. But we need to pour a liquid self-leveling solution on the wooden floor in the apartment, and it will definitely leak into the cracks. You can remove large gaps with store-bought wood putties, but if you go to the store, choose acrylic ones for seams and filling cracks, there are also finishing ones, but they won’t suit us. You can make this putty yourself by mixing PVA glue with fine sawdust.
If the wooden floor in the apartment is painted and it begins to peel off, you will have to rip it off. During operation, it, together with the self-leveling floor layer, may come off. I won’t talk about rotten floorboards and creaking. We change necessary elements and strengthen it.
Preparing for pouring
We received a relatively smooth and strong surface. We treat with an antiseptic for interior works. We cover it with primer in two or more layers, since wood is highly absorbent. Before priming, we clean everything from dust and sawdust. Deep penetration primer. 
A deformation damper will be required between the screed and the wall. O is needed to protect against temperature deformations, especially if a heated floor is planned. It won't break the walls, but it will crack the surface. As such a layer, either a special self-adhesive tape or strips cut from isolon are used. We attach them vertically along the entire perimeter of the room.
Fill
You may have already chosen, for example, gypsum, polyurethane or cement. But I would recommend using the special composition Vetonit 4310 from Weber. It is intended specifically for complex substrates, including those that are deformable, like a wooden floor, although its base is cement. It can be used as an independent base layer, thickness up to 60mm is allowed, and also as an intermediate layer between wood and another type of self-leveling mortar. 
It's time to pour the self-leveling floor onto the wooden floor; you need to do this process together. One person mixes the mixture, and the other pours it out, leveling it with a wide spatula. At large areas, you first need to make beacons from screwed-in screws or spider beacons. After leveling, you need to remove air from the layer; a needle roller is used for this purpose. You need to have time to do everything in no longer than 20 minutes, then it will start to set.
The finishing coating is laid in 1-3 weeks. To speed up drying, drafts should not be created in the apartment; this will lead to uneven drying and the appearance of shrinkage cracks. To check final drying, you need a vapor-proof film measuring one meter by meter. Place the film on the screed; the formation of condensation under the film means that the drying process has not completed.
Heated if needed
Nowadays, heated floors have become popular in private houses and apartments. Heating systems are divided into water and electric. In the case of wood, it is better to choose an electric one; you can also do a water one, but you need to be sure that the ceilings will withstand the high load. For the water version, you usually need a screed with a thickness of at least 50mm, and this is already a lot of weight. The pipe has a height of 16mm, a 30mm solution is poured above the pipe for uniform heat distribution. 
In this case, the national team is more suitable lightweight system With aluminum plates or a multilayer underfloor heating system made of GVL sheets(plasterboard), you can read more about this technology here. But this is a slightly different topic.
This means it’s still better to use the electric option. The technology is not much different from laying on concrete screed. You already know how to make a base layer on a wooden floor; then roll foil insulation, which has reflective properties, is laid on it. After that, we install the reinforcing mesh, and then roll it out on top heating elements and fill them with a self-leveling leveler, DSP is also suitable, it is cheaper.
No one has canceled the intervals for gaining strength; when installing a heated floor, we wait 3 weeks. The heating should be turned on no earlier than a week after installation. As a finishing coat tiles will do. Laminate flooring can be laid with a backing.
Video
Advantages of self-leveling coating
Self-leveling flooring is a technologically advanced way to renovate old apartments. Allows for short time get a flat surface. Eco-friendly, wear-resistant. Easy to make with your own hands. Plastic, resistant to cracks on complex wooden bases.
They are valued for their quality and high wear resistance. This is a durable coating that can really not only make the floor smooth, but also beautiful. But for such floors to last long years and looked really presentable, it is important to fill them correctly. At the same time, one of important aspects the pouring process is proper preparation grounds. It’s interesting that you can make a self-leveling floor on wooden base, and not just on durable concrete. What installation features are important to consider in this case?
Self-leveling floors are made from special polymer mixtures, which, when hardened, can become a strong, neat and even base if installed correctly. The mixtures used to create them may contain cement, gypsum, various fillers, as well as a number of modifying additives that give the floors certain properties - for example, strength, ability to resist impacts, speed of mixture hardening, etc.
They are valued for the following advantages:
- high level of wear resistance;
- large selection of colors;
- environmental friendliness;
- excellent moisture-proofing properties;
- antistatic;
- durability;
- seamless – floors of this type can be poured throughout the entire apartment without a single joint;
- resistance to a number of mechanical influences, as well as to the effects of almost all existing chemicals.
Self-leveling floors must be poured onto a properly prepared base. And many doubt whether they can be built on top. It turns out that it is possible. It is only important to properly prepare such a foundation. It is also important to choose the right type of mixture for filling.
Table. Types of mixtures for filling.
| Mixture type | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| Epoxy | This mixture makes good floors that are completely resistant to water. They are usually installed in rooms where the humidity level is high. This floor can be poured onto a wooden base. |
| Polyurethane | One of the most durable floors with respect to severe long-term impacts. Excellent for installation in high-traffic areas. |
| Methyl methacrylate | This mixture is intended for creating foundations in rooms without heating. Perfect for those where winter time no heating. |
| Epoxy-urethane | Durable floors that are highly resistant to a wide range of influences. Alternative option polyurethane floor. |
On a note! Compositions for filling floors can be either two-component or one-component. In the first case, you can create floors with a beautiful pattern, and mixtures of the second type are used to create a base for other materials such as tiles, stone, etc.
Prices for self-leveling floors "Starateli"
self-leveling floors prospectors
Choosing a mixture for filling
Usually on each package with a mixture for making self-leveling base its purpose is indicated. That is, for example, some are suitable for creating floors on a concrete base, while others can be used on a wooden base. Most often, mixtures containing gypsum and cement are excellent for these purposes.
Important! Do not confuse mixtures for filling the floor with compositions intended for leveling the surface. Such compositions are poured thin layer just a few millimeters. To fill a floor on a wooden base, the thickness of the poured layer should be greater.
To choose the right mixture for pouring a wooden floor, it is important to carefully study the instructions.
What will you need?
To make a self-leveling floor yourself, you may need certain tools. The list of things to buy or rent includes:
- the mixture itself;
- wide spatula equipped with a long handle;
- construction mixer or regular drill with a special nozzle;
- a needle roller, which is used to remove air bubbles from the poured mixture;
- construction level of any type - necessary to evaluate the final result;
- polishing agents ( Sander, sandpaper etc.);
- waterproofing materials (at least thick polyethylene film);
- construction vacuum cleaner;
- hammer, nails, nail puller;
- a sealing mixture that can be used to eliminate gaps between floor boards or sheets of plywood. Can be replaced with putty.
Self-leveling floor on a wooden floor, wooden base, as a rule, are found in wooden buildings. Often these can be old houses in villages, and modern cottages made from logs. Be that as it may, in each of these cases it is possible to install a self-leveling floor.
Types of floors in wooden houses
In wooden houses, as in any other residential premises, it is imperative to Special attention pay attention to the arrangement of the floor, since its rooms are located, usually on the first floor. Therefore, in addition to the obvious requirements for evenness and aesthetics, the coating must also be insulated.
IN wooden house There are two types of floors: concrete or wood. At the same time, it is precisely concrete base has more advantages. It takes less time and money, and in addition, professional skills for installing such a coating are not required. But at the same time, there is a significant increase in the load on the foundation, and vibrations of the walls can provoke cracking of the base and loss of the heat-insulating ability of the material.
The second option is still more resistant to wall vibrations and more environmentally friendly. In addition, they can be machined and parts can be easily replaced, even after installation. At the same time, their cost is quite considerable, work is required professional workers, and achieve it perfectly smooth surface almost unreal.
Materials and tools
Laying a self-leveling floor on a wooden base is not so difficult process For self-execution, but at the same time it requires care and accuracy.
You will need the following tools and materials:
- Construction aluminum rule with a length of at least 2 meters;
- Needle roller;
- Special dry mixture for self-leveling floors;
- Construction mixer;
- Laser construction level;
- Alabaster;
- Construction beacons - special slats with perforations with a thickness of 6 to 10 mm;
- Large bucket 20 liters;
- Putty knife;
- Construction beacons in the form of special slats with perforations from 6 to 10 mm thick;
- Stationery ruler;
- Building mixture;
- Self-tapping screws, screwdriver, dowels;
- Vacuum cleaner and cleaning powder;
- Triangular scraper;
- Wooden blocks
Preparing the base before applying the mixture
Preparation of the base is important stage, from which by and large The quality of the finished coating depends. If you do not take into account the phased the right technology installation of self-leveling floors, the coating may crack, collapse and peel off ahead of time. Quality base- This is the key to the durability of the flooring in your home.
In some cases, self-leveling flooring is done directly onto the old wooden flooring. Therefore, it is recommended to sand the wood and give it a rough structure using sandpaper. There should be no fats, oils, varnish or dirt left on the surface of the wood.
Now you have to remove all the baseboards and close all the holes that are in the floor with blocks. The floor must be thoroughly cleaned with a scraper, special attention should be paid to the inter-board joints, and all cracks must also be opened. Thoroughly clean the base of the future self-leveling floor using a vacuum cleaner and degrease it using cleaning powder.
Next, well-cleaned cracks and cracks need to be sealed using mortar, then level the surface. The next step is to draw a line along the entire length of the room at a distance slightly less than the length of the rule being used. Self-tapping screws are placed along these lines in increments of 30 centimeters. Now applying laser level you need to find the highest point on the base for the future self-leveling floor.
Remember that you need to add 6 mm - the thickness of the self-leveling floor and start screwing in the screws at the same level, while at the room ends the screws are also screwed in perpendicular to the pre-marked lines. Alabaster is laid out in small pieces near each screw.
The next step is to lay the beacons intended for self-leveling floors directly on the screws, while being careful that your beacons do not sag - they can be additionally cemented. The dry mixture is mixed with water using a mixer, in the proportion indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. The prepared solution is left for 5 minutes, then checked for fluidity and homogeneity.
The finished self-leveling floor solution is poured at one time onto an area equal to 2 square meters. The solution must be leveled using the beacon rule; also roll it with a needle roller to ensure uniformity. During the work, you need to ensure that the level of the self-leveling floor is level relative to the beacons. Leave the finished floor to dry thoroughly.
Additional Information:
- Self-leveling self-leveling floor is relatively new technology for Russia, which is becoming increasingly popular. How to properly fill a floor with a self-leveling mixture?…
- Self-leveling flooring in a garage is an excellent solution for flooring, since this coating provides a seamless floor, because in places the structure is vulnerable...
- Self-leveling floor mixtures require performing all actions in accordance with the instructions and correct calculation consumption Despite the attachment...
IN modern renovation Very often self-leveling floors are used to level the base and for the finishing coating. The main advantages of such floors are their durability, wear resistance, strength and ease of installation. In addition, one cannot fail to note their environmental friendliness and safety. Today, self-leveling floors have changed qualitatively very much compared to those that were presented on the market a few years ago. An example of this is 3D floors, which can be called real masterpieces, thanks to unique design with a three-dimensional image of any object.
Laying a self-leveling mixture on a concrete base does not cause any difficulties for anyone, but how to make a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor? After all, not everyone likes the prospect of dismantling the old plank floor. What if this a private house, where the floor was originally completely wooden? It's no problem. It is possible to lay self-leveling floors on wooden surface under certain conditions. It is important here that the old base is still sound, and the mixture for the floor is thin, so as not to reduce the height of the ceilings.
Preparing the base for pouring self-leveling floors
Since the self-leveling mixture must be poured onto a sufficiently prepared base, increased attention should be paid to this process. Any foundation requires careful preparation. This especially applies to the old wooden floor. Let’s immediately make a reservation that this old floor should not be rotten, there should not be any creaks coming from it, not to mention the presence of loose boards.
First of all, all skirting boards in the room are dismantled. After this, using a scraping machine, carefully remove the top painted layer from the boards. Further grinder rub down the base, revealing cracks that are sure to be present on any old wooden covering. These cracks, irregularities and gaps between the boards are covered with putty. For further work, wait until it dries well. Then, using coarse sandpaper, rub the entire surface. This technique will ensure better adhesion of the self-leveling mixture to the base.
The worn and smooth base is cleaned of dust and degreased using a vacuum cleaner. Then the surface must be primed. This guarantees excellent adhesion of the polyurethane mixture to the wood. This must be done in at least two layers. The composition of the primer should include sifted quartz sand. Grains of this substance create roughness on the surface of the base, which increases the adhesion area and creates its multidirectionality. In total, this gives greater adhesion of the polymer and wood.
Tools needed to perform the work
To prepare the wooden base and pour the mixture you will need:
An ordinary nail puller, wooden wedges and a chisel for dismantling skirting boards.
A scraper or a hand scraper.
Sander.
Coarse sandpaper or emery paper.
Industrial or household vacuum cleaner.
Roller or medium size brush for applying primer.
A flat brush or short-haired paint roller to evenly distribute the polymer coating.
Needle roller for removing air from a polymer coating.
Squeegee and metal spatula.
A construction mixer or drill with an attachment for mixing the polymer floor solution.
Don’t forget about such mandatory items as safety glasses, work clothing, gloves and respirators. In order to be able to move, if necessary, on a freshly applied layer of self-leveling floor without fear, you need to acquire shoes equipped with soles with spikes.
Self-leveling polymer floor technology
In itself, the technology of pouring a self-leveling mixture onto an ordinary plank floor is no fundamentally different from a similar procedure where concrete serves as the base. The differences are only in the initial preparatory stage, which we discussed above in sufficient detail.
Before pouring a polymer floor, you should very carefully read the instructions for preparing the solution, which are on the package. The solution must be prepared in strict accordance with it.
Take the dry mixture from the bag and pour it into a container convenient for mixing. A plastic bucket from water-based paint. The amount of water required according to the instructions is poured into the powder and mixed with a construction mixer or a drill with a special attachment. Stir the mixture until a homogeneous mass is formed. Then, the finished solution is laid out on a prepared wooden base. They start doing this from the very beginning far corner rooms, gradually moving towards the door.
The poured mass is leveled as it progresses using a spatula to obtain a layer no more than 5 mm thick. This optimal size in the case of a wooden base. Final leveling and removal of air bubbles is done using a rubber needle roller. At the same time, you can move around the room using spiked shoes.
Self-leveling polymer flooring mixture hardens very quickly, so batches must be prepared quickly. The intervals between their fillings should be no more than 10 minutes. It is advisable to fill such a floor together, using two containers. While one person prepares the mixture, the second person pours and levels the previous batch. The joints between pouring batches should be rolled more carefully with a roller if you are making the floor alone and cannot ensure a continuous process.
15 minutes after the room is completely filled, the entire surface must be covered with film. This is required to prevent dust from settling on the floor, ruining the quality of the glossy surface. When the self-leveling floor is completely dry and can be walked on, it becomes possible to apply the finishing coating. It can be a polymer for three-dimensional floors, varnish or traditional options floor coverings.
Expert advice
In any residential premises, it is recommended to use self-leveling mixtures only based on polymer resins. In rooms where high humidity is constantly present, it is necessary to use epoxy type self-leveling flooring, while the rest of the house has polyurethane flooring.
The technology is intended to be poured on a concrete base, but installation on a wooden surface is also allowed. At the same time, the labor intensity of the work increases, since it is imperative to carry out high-quality preparation of the base with a two-layer primer. The adhesion strength of the coating to the base wood depends on this.
Currently in repair work Increasingly, they are using factory-prepared mixtures, which allow for quick and high-quality leveling. floor coverings any type. Self-leveling flooring on a wooden base is one of the flooring methods that is especially popular.
The main advantages are durability, wear resistance, strength and ease of installation. In addition, materials are available in a wide range, there are even options with 3D images.
What to look for when choosing a material
First of all, you need to carefully examine the packaging. All manufacturers indicate exactly what this or that composition is suitable for. To make a self-leveling floor in a wooden house, you need to choose materials with the appropriate marks; universal compositions are also suitable. But if the packaging indicates that the solution is suitable for concrete or anhydrite screeds, then it cannot be used for wood.
When choosing a composition, you should pay attention to the purpose - for wooden base Only universal or special mixtures are suitable It is important to remember that self-leveling wood floors are poured in a layer of 3 to 7 centimeters, so buy expensive gypsum mixtures, which are designed for a layer of about 0.2–2.5 cm, are impractical. It is recommended to use cement or gypsum-cement mortars. To decide on the type, you need to read the composition. The first substance is the one that is contained the most.
In addition to the material, you must purchase plastic film which will serve as waterproofing. In rare cases, instead of polyethylene, you can use coating waterproofing. You will also need damper tape.
Base requirements
It should be noted that self-leveling floors cannot be applied to every surface. The base must meet the following requirements:
- Floors should not creak.
- The boards are securely fastened and do not sag while walking.
- The flooring has a slight sag.
- There are no serious defects on the surface: large cracks, holes, etc.
- Each board must be intact, without traces of fungus and mold.
It is not necessary that the base be smooth, the main thing is good quality boards, no creaking and solidity If any of the listed defects are found, part of the floor or the entire surface will have to be replaced.
Preparatory work
Self-leveling floors can be laid on a wooden floor only if the base is properly prepared. The duration of use of the coating depends on this stage, its appearance and performance indicators.
Immediately before starting work, you need to check the air temperature and humidity level. The required parameters are indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. Compliance with these requirements is the key to successful completion of work.
Preparation of bulk solution
You need to take a clean, dry container and pour water into it at a temperature of +5 to +25 °C. Then add the mixture and mix with a construction mixer or drill with an appropriate attachment for 7 minutes. After this, you need to let the solution sit for about 15 minutes and repeat the procedure. It is better not to prepare the composition in large portions, since it begins to set on average after half an hour.
Attention! It is necessary to strictly follow the proportions specified by the manufacturer. If you add too little water, the mixture will dry out too quickly, possibly even while pouring. Otherwise, the finished coating will be less durable.
Preparation liquid mixtures performed exclusively using a construction mixer or mixing attachment Pouring technology
The method of filling floors in a private house or apartment using leveling compounds is practically no different from working with cement-sand mixture, only self-leveling floors dry out faster.
You need to start from a place that is located lowest in level. The material is poured from the container into the space between the beacons and leveled with a rule, passing it along the beacons. After this, you need to roll the area with a needle roller. Process all stripes in this manner.
When the material begins to set, it is necessary to remove the beacons from it. The resulting grooves should be filled with the same solution and leveled taking into account the finished surface, which will serve as a level. It is recommended to begin further finishing no earlier than a week later.
To ensure that the repair results are not disappointing, you must follow the recommendations:
To install self-leveling floors on wooden bases, you must follow the above rules and recommendations given by manufacturers on the packaging. In addition, it is important to remember that the material dries quite quickly, so it is better to work with a partner.