Device for laying tongue and groove boards. Tongue-and-groove boards: preparing the base and laying tongue-and-groove flooring

When arranging floors in houses under construction, as well as if there is a desire or need to replace an existing and worn-out one flooring for a new one, many opt for laying flooring from tongue and groove boards.

The secret is simple - wood flooring has a set of excellent performance qualities:

durability,
environmental friendliness,
strength.

Only wood materials create a unique microclimate in your own home, which promotes health. human body.

Laying floorboards can be a bit of a hassle. But, if you do everything strictly following the instructions technological process, the job will be completed successfully, and the tongue and groove floor will last a very long time.

Bases mounted under the floor board

The tongue and groove board is laid on any surface. These could be:

Insulation and waterproofing of floorboard coverings

Insulation is usually carried out if the room is on the ground floor, and there is no heated space underneath. ground floor. Fiberglass or basalt wool is usually used as thermal insulation laid between the joists.

Important! In addition to the fact that the insulation is laid on both sides with vapor-tight waterproofing, a 5-centimeter gap must be left between it and the lower surface of the floor for ventilation and removal of excess moisture.

The choice of wood type for the future floor covering is determined both by the aesthetic needs of the owner and by his material capabilities.

One of the most valuable, both directly and figuratively, is a floor made of tongue-and-groove boards of Siberian larch or oak. The strength, and therefore durability, of these wood species is very high. Floors made of spruce, pine, alder, aspen, and fir are softer and, accordingly, have a short service life.

When choosing the grade of flooring material, you need to take into account what kind of final finishing will be carried out. If you plan to paint the floor, then there is no need to take the highest or first grade material. And if coated with varnish, it will not be superfluous. The varnish will highlight its beautiful textured pattern, unencumbered by the defects inherent in lower grades.

Floorboards made of larch are produced tongue-and-groove, i.e. on one side it has a protrusion (tenon), and in the other side surface a groove is cut out with a milling cutter - a recess (groove). During installation, the tenon of one board fits into the groove of the adjacent one. This results in a smooth, level floor.

Advice! The direction of laying the floorboards must be chosen parallel luminous flux from the windows. In corridors it is better to place them as you move.

Do not forget about the gap between the coating and the walls of 10-20 mm, which closes perfectly floor plinth.

Do-it-yourself tongue-and-groove flooring

To reliably seal the boards, we place the first of them with a tenon against the wall.
We combine the next one by connecting the groove and tenon with the previous one.
It is better to fasten with self-tapping screws (since nails rust), usually with six or seven. Let's consider two ways:

The self-tapping screw is screwed into the groove at an angle of 45⁰. Sometimes dry material may crack. In this case, the fastening point must be drilled with a drill of the same diameter as the self-tapping screw;
in the second case, we screw the self-tapping screw in from above, deepening it a little, so that we can fill it later.

If necessary, cut the end board to length in order to obtain the desired width, taking into account the gap between it and the wall. Fasten the tongue and groove board in any convenient way, because the attachment point will be covered with a plinth.
Having completed the installation, the tongue-and-groove floorboard is sanded and then varnished or painted at the request of the owners.

Tongue boards are products made from solid wood with milled tongues and grooves on opposite ends, forming a joint without gaps. This material used to create seamless floor coverings and cladding other surfaces. In the article we will talk about the advantages of tongue and groove and the rules for installing finishing.

Tongue and groove coatings - reasons for popularity

Compared to other materials, tongue and groove boards have a number of advantages due to their design features. The tongue-and-groove connection ensures distribution of the load across all elements of the coating and increases the service life of the cladding as a whole. On back side the board has narrow slots for supplying air to the back side of the cladding, thereby minimizing the likelihood of mold and mildew.

The tongue is different good characteristics heat and sound insulation, allows you to perform installation work without hiring specialists and as soon as possible. The material is environmentally friendly, as it is made from a single solid wood, without the use of chemicals, has an attractive appearance and can retain its visual characteristics for a long time with periodic sanding and updating the coating.

In addition to periodic sanding and coating paint and varnish materials the material may require re-treatment with antiseptic compounds to prevent the occurrence of fungus and mold. Because of this, the cost of operating the coating increases, which is its only drawback.

You can make a tongue and groove board with your own hands if you know how to work with wood, the main thing is to create a tongue-and-groove joint. For most owners, such work is too complicated, and they prefer to purchase the cladding in a store; it will definitely be of high quality and allow for simple installation.

Choosing a tongue and groove - what characteristics should you pay attention to?

Floor boards can differ in properties and characteristics, which determine the visual appeal and durability of the coating. First of all, when choosing a material, you need to pay attention to the type of wood. The most expensive and attractive boards are made from hardwood:

ash;
larch.

These boards have no defects, knots or cracks, are distinguished by uniform color and structure, increased resistance to humidity and other negative impacts, so they are used for finishing. The subfloor is installed from soft rocks wood, for example spruce or pine. Such lumber may have knots, cracks and small holes; they quickly lose their original evenness and attractiveness due to mechanical stress. Such material is damaged especially quickly if it is walked on in shoes with thin heels. The only advantage of softwoods is their low cost.

After choosing the material, you need to determine how long the boards you need. To do this, measure the length of the walls in the room and decide parallel to which partition you will lay the boards. When choosing a floorboard, you must consider the following nuances:

1. The length of the tongue and groove must be equal to the length of the room.
2. It is better to add an extra 10% to the estimated length.
3. Recommended board sizes for finishing the floor of a house: thickness - from 28 mm or more, width - from 70 to 145 mm.

The boards differ from each other and in the degree of humidity. It is best to choose lumber that has been dried in special autoclaves, with a moisture content of no more than 10%. Although tongue and groove products with a moisture content of 12% to 16% are also suitable for floor finishing. If the humidity is higher, the floor may become deformed when drying. To check humidity, it is best to use a special moisture meter.

On what type of substrate can the flooring be laid?

Exist different ways laying tongue-and-groove cladding, directly dependent on the floor structure. Most often, the covering is installed on special logs or load-bearing supports, which is why the floor height can increase by 70 mm or more. They are called lags wooden beams 50–70 mm thick, installed on a hard, flat surface, for example on concrete screed. If the base is not level enough, then instead of joists, install it on point supports. load-bearing beams. To create load-bearing supports, beams with a thickness of 10 cm or more are used.

When installing the log, you must remember that the distance between wooden blocks determined taking into account the chosen method of fastening the material and the thickness of the purchased board. To lay the boards perpendicular to the joists, the support spacing should be 60 cm. To install the boards at a different angle, the distance between the supports is reduced. For example, to lay boards at an angle of 45°, the distance between the supports should be 30 cm.

The empty space between the base and the joists cannot be filled; the floor covering will be ventilated through it. To ensure that movement on the floor is not accompanied by dull sounds, the beams must be additionally insulated using a laminate backing, glassine or padding polyester. IN living rooms We lay the beams so that the boards can be laid parallel to the light rays from the windows, and in the corridor the boards should be located along the direction of movement.

If the room has low ceilings and you don’t want to increase the height of the floor too much, then you can use plywood instead of joists. Plywood sheets thicker than 18 mm are suitable for this. It is not recommended to use thin plywood for laying on the floor, as it can reduce the rigidity of the base and cause deformation of the boards.

It is customary to lay plywood only on flat bases, so before installation it is necessary to check the horizontalness of the floor. If necessary, a new concrete screed is made on the base. When the base is prepared, it is necessary to cut the plywood sheets into several parts. For example, a sheet measuring 1.5x1.5 m is cut into 4 parts to reduce internal tension material.

The completed blanks are placed diagonally to the flooring boards and secured with dowels. For every 1 m² of plywood, 15 fasteners must be used. A gap of 2-3 mm must be left between individual plywood elements, and a gap of 15 mm must be left between plywood sheets and walls. The heads of the fasteners must be sunk into the plywood, after which the surfaces are sanded and the room is cleared of dust.

How to install tongue and groove covering on joists

Installation of tongue and groove on joists begins with preliminary stage, which involves bringing the boards into the laying room, where they should be left for one week. This is necessary so that the humidity in the room and the moisture content of the materials are equalized. After this, you need to select a board equal in size to the length from one wall to the other and place it on the logs with the ridge to the wall with a gap of 1–1.5 cm. The gap is necessary so that the material can expand freely when the temperature and humidity in the room changes.

The board must be securely attached to the joists with self-tapping screws. Self-tapping screws should be screwed into each joist for the entire length. If necessary, self-tapping screws can be replaced with ordinary nails. The second board is placed after the first and their tongue and groove are aligned. To ensure a tight connection, you need to hit the end of the second workpiece several times with a hammer.

To avoid damaging the board, you need to use a mallet or strike with a regular hammer through a wooden block.

After installing a total of 5 boards, at a distance of 100–150 mm from the last board, the staples necessary for tying the products should be driven into the joists. Instead of staples, you can use boards or bars nailed to the products. Now place a 5–7 cm long block on the joists and slide it into the board until it stops. Place two wedges with sharp ends facing each other between the block and the bracket and, by hitting them with a hammer, pull the boards together so that the tenons fit tightly into the groove and remove the gaps between the workpieces.

You need to screw self-tapping screws into the bottom groove of the last board at an angle of 45° to secure it to the joists. To avoid deformation of the board and the appearance of cracks, it is better to first make holes for fastenings in the board itself and the joists.

You can tighten the boards not only with wedges, but also with a screw jack. To do this, you need to nail boards or bars onto the joists so that the jack has something to rest against. Then install the device on the beam, place a wooden spacer between it and the board and slide the board until it stops, after which it can be attached or nailed to the joists.

Thus, you need to fill the entire base with tongue and groove, fixing every fourth element of the covering. It is allowed to fill the middle rows of the floor with short boards, the main thing is that their ends are located on the joists. It is best to place short boards so that their joints create a checkerboard pattern.

The last board for covering the floor must be pulled together with wedges, which are driven into the empty space between the workpiece and the wall. If the board is too wide, it can be pre-cut circular saw. The floor installed in this way is left for six months so that the boards can age and take their final shape.

After six months, it is necessary to inspect the entire surface of the coating for defects. Due to shrinkage, cracks could appear in the boards. In this case, the floor is disassembled and reinstalled in the manner described above, but each board is already permanently fixed. To fix the cuts, it is better to use self-tapping screws, which are fixed at an angle of 50° from the tenon side. Hardware is installed every 30–40 cm. Before fastening, the boards are tightened using one of the methods described above.

Hardwood tongue and groove has an attractive surface and does not require finishing cladding, and softwood boards sometimes have to be modified with your own hands. Typically, boards need to be sanded using an angle or surface grinder. The processing is carried out in three stages. First, they sand along, then across, and then diagonally the boards. At the end, all that remains is to varnish the boards to compensate for their lack of hardness.

Learning to install tongue and groove with glue

In rooms with very low ceilings A tongue and groove board can be installed directly on the floor (on plywood) using glue. To do this, you need to first buy glue with synthetic resins - epoxy-polyurethane or pure polyurethane. The resins in the glue provide it with plasticity and high strength, thanks to which the flooring can move slightly due to changes in humidity and air temperature.

Since installation with glue does not allow you to adjust the position of the flooring, you must first assemble the entire floor dry. When satisfactory results are obtained, the boards must be marked so as not to forget their location and laying sequence. To begin with, it is recommended to measure the length of the wall and prepare the first board, which should be 30 mm shorter than the distance obtained when measuring.

We lay the workpiece next to the wall with a gap of 15 mm between the three adjacent walls. The tenon of the workpiece should be directed towards the wall. You need to trace the outline of the board with a pencil so that during final installation you can apply glue to the plywood only under one piece.

After this, we apply the second one to the first board and move it so that the groove and tenon of the blanks are aligned. You can hit the second board several times with a mallet for a better connection. We also trace the second board with a pencil, after which we proceed to install the third, etc. When the entire floor is assembled, the boards need to be marked and disassembled.

Now you can begin installation. Apply glue to the plywood sheet thin layer two spatulas. Using a smooth spatula, transfer the glue to the floor, and with a serrated spatula, spread it over the plywood within the area marked with a pencil. Place the board on the glue and press it to the floor. To increase the reliability of fixation, the workpiece can be secured with small nails; they need to be driven into the tenon at an angle of 50°. All boards are glued in the same way to create a level base. After fixing the coating, you cannot walk on it until the glue has completely hardened.

Natural materials are ideal option for flooring. The tree serves reliable basis and can retain its qualities long years. Before choosing a specific option, you should find out how the floorboards are attached. For example, tongue and groove boards are considered the most popular and can be installed in several ways.

This type of flooring material is a board with ridges and a milled groove, which allows you to create a completely flat surface without gaps. Distinctive characteristics are high installation speed and structural strength.

Typically, connection locks are located on either two or four sides of the part. WITH reverse side The lock has bevels that ensure optimal air circulation in the structure being secured. The boards should be attached to the floor joists carefully, keeping to the same level. Thanks to the equal thickness of all elements, the floor covering is perfectly smooth.

Treatment with special protective compounds must be done on both sides. When choosing cheap copies, you may encounter a low-quality product that is processed only on one side. Experts advise paying attention to the presence of ventilation holes.

Advantages and disadvantages of floors made of tongue-and-groove boards on joists

The popularity of tongue and groove material is explained by a wide list of advantages:

The floor covering provides reliable thermal insulation and also has excellent sound insulation properties.
The underside of the boards has small grooves, which are designed for high-quality ventilation of products and prevent the development of fungus on the wood.
A special connection mechanism called “tenon and groove” allows you to distribute the load on the coating. This significantly extends the service life of the structure.
This installation method does not take much time due to the simple locking connection.
The sizes of the products are standard, which speeds up the installation process.
The absence of any chemical components makes the material absolutely safe for use.
Unique appearance.
If defects or significant damage to the coating occur, it is enough to sand the surface and coat it with high-quality varnish.

The need to frequently paint the surface of the boards.
The use of expensive antiseptics and varnishes.

Existing fixation methods

The floor covering is constantly under heavy loads. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the fastening method based on performance characteristics material. With an irresponsible approach to resolving the issue, there is a high probability of damage to the floor within the first year of operation. The most important thing is to provide proper level fixation rigidity.

The first sign poor quality fastening is the loosening of the boards. After some time, the elements begin to gradually shift, which is accompanied by a characteristic creaking sound. As a result, there are two scenarios for the development of events - either individual elements break, or the entire structure fails.

There are 4 main ways to attach floorboards:

Nail installation.
Fastening with clamps.
Installation using special types of screws for floor slats.

Each of the presented methods differs in severity, so each method should be considered.

Fastening boards with nails

This method allows you to properly secure floorboard either on a solid base or on a structure made of logs. The mounting principle is simple:

First you need to fix the first row of boards. To do this, nails are driven through the ridge at an angle of 45°. The task is to attach the element to the base without damaging the part.
When the next row is adjusted, the nails need to be hidden. Next, fixation is made through the surface of the board.

Adhesive installation method

When laying boards on a perfectly flat base made of concrete or other materials, special glue is used. The grooves in the products must be carefully coated with glue and placed on the tongues of already laid boards. Masters, showing how to properly fasten boards, use regular glue PVA. This composition is able to reliably hold joints for many years.

In this case, the glue should be distributed in a small layer. The tongue-and-groove edges are also treated with glue to stiffen the corners.

Fixation with clamps

Products that are sold in a set with clamps deserve special attention. Fasteners are inserted into the slot located with inside tongue and groove board. The parts are capable of rigidly fixing the material to each other.

The subfloor must be covered with a layer of high-quality waterproofing. The edges of the material should be secured to the walls with tape.
The clamps are driven into the cracks of the first row with a hammer. Be sure to follow the direction of the tongue.
The ends of the planks should be coated adhesive composition, after which the first row is installed.
Wedges are inserted between the sheets and the wall.
The second row is also equipped with clamps before fastening and is mounted by tapping the block with a hammer.
After this, you can lay all the remaining rows in the described sequence.
On last stage All wedges should be removed and the baseboards secured.

Special screws, self-tapping screws for floorboards

The most popular fastening method is using self-tapping screws for fastening floorboards. This method is characterized by high speed of execution and durability of the finished structure.

The only difference from ordinary screws is the high cost of professional fasteners for floorboards. A special milling cut allows the self-tapping screw to quickly enter the wood and hold firmly in the material.

Step-by-step instructions for laying a wooden floor on joists

The process of installing tongue and groove products on joists includes several stages. By following a certain procedure, you can install it yourself.

Necessary tool

To lay and fix the elements you will need the following tools:

hammer;
roulette;
chisel;
pencil;
Bulgarian;
milling cutter;
bar.

This is a basic set that can be supplemented with professional equipment.

Laying the first row

Because natural material Over time it will begin to dry out, laying the boards is carried out in 2 stages. The first stage includes fixing every 4-5 strips. After 6 months to 1 year, all tongue and groove floor boards will be removed. This is done to ensure that there are no gaps. However, the first row is fastened immediately.

The boards should be distributed so that they are slightly separated from the wall. To do this, wedges are used, the thickness of which is 1 cm. After fixing them to nails or glue, the elements are removed.

When installing the first row, use building level. Products must be perfectly aligned in relation to the joists and the wall.

Laying subsequent rows

The remaining rows of material are installed in strict sequence with the installation principle of the first row. You need to check for any cracks. When tapping the strip, a block is applied to its edge, which softens the blow.

How to tighten floor boards

It is best to fasten the elements together with special screws at an angle. This will prevent the structure from moving during operation. Self-tapping screws have different lengths - from 30 to 50 mm.

Additional tips for installing floorboards from the professionals

Useful tips experienced craftsmen will help you save time and money:

The pitch between the screws should be at least 25 cm. The most common scheme is with a spacing of 30 cm.
Before attaching the floorboard, it is recommended to coat the inside of the product with parquet glue.
The material should not be allowed to adhere to the walls of the room.
The screw heads should be slightly recessed into the wood.

Installation of the last row

When installing the last row of boards, it is necessary to check the entire plane and separately the location of the final row. No distortions should be observed. The products are secured to the joists, maintaining a distance from the wall.

The base can be any type of material. However, logs are best suited due to the simple and fast way fastenings If you follow the steps described high-quality coating you can assemble it yourself.

The tongue and groove board is used, as a rule, for finishing the floor. It is made from solid pine or spruce. There is a tongue and groove on one edge of the tongue-and-groove board, and a groove for it on the other. This greatly simplifies the installation of the material. The boards mounted by connecting the groove and tongue form a single solid surface. After installation, the floor surface is processed (sanded and varnished) to obtain an attractive appearance and extending service life.

Exist various sizes tongue and groove boards for ease of installation. You can find mounting units from 2 to 6 meters in length, from 9.6 to 15 cm in width and thickness in the range of 2.5-4 cm. After production, the boards are dried to 10-15% humidity and hermetically packaged. Thanks to this, you can immediately begin its installation without prior preparation.

Installation procedure

The material is laid in a certain order. You need to keep it indoors for 3 to 14 days after delivery so that the humidity in the room and the moisture in the wood are equal. The duration of the holding period depends on the season of repair work. After a few days you can remove it packaging film and, if necessary, cut the material to length.

After cutting, the board must be laid on logs covered with insulation or film. The material is left in this position for a few more days to acclimatize. Only after this can the material be laid.

It is not recommended to use glue or any other synthetic substances during installation. To secure the board, self-tapping screws are used, with which the floor covering is screwed to each joist. The distance between the logs should not exceed 59 cm.

The first installation unit is located with the tongue-and-groove side facing the wall.

A small gap of 1-2 cm is left between them. The floor will be ventilated through this gap. In addition, if the floor's humidity increases over time and the board expands, this gap will prevent the floor surface from deforming. The boards should not be concave. You should make sure of this before starting work.

To secure it to the joists, it is best to use wood screws 5.5-6 cm long. They need to be screwed into the groove at an angle. You must first drill the holes with a drill with a diameter of 2.5 or 3 mm. Thanks to the hole, the groove will not crack when screwed in. Due to their small thickness, drills for this work break quite quickly, so it is recommended to stock up on them for future use.

The second board is attached to the first. It is unlikely that you will be able to perfectly match them to each other using a mallet, so you should not be overzealous with it. For best result you can use a wooden wedge, which you need to drive through the entire board, while screwing in the screw.

The fastest and convenient way- This is the use of a car jack. But in this case, it is necessary to protect the material from damage. For this purpose, small planks are used, which need to be rested against the following mounting elements. When using a jack, the use of a mallet is not required.

Thus, the installation of a floor made of tongue and groove boards is quite simple. You can install the flooring elements yourself. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the material.