How to lay a tongue and groove floor. A tongue and groove board is a long-term investment in the comfort of your home

Floor coverings

How to make a tongue-and-groove floor in an apartment with your own hands?

From the author: We welcome beginners and professional builders, as well as those who have long dreamed of making repairs in their home without the involvement of professionals. Today we will talk about how to make a plank floor indoors with your own hands, what sizes of tongue and groove floor boards are optimal to use, and in what sequence to carry out the work to get the desired result. After all, the energy efficiency of the entire building largely depends on properly laid flooring. Do you want to save on utility bills? Then follow our advice!

Advantages and disadvantages of plank flooring

Timber is called tongue-and-groove, on one side of which a longitudinal tongue (ridge, tenon) is cut, and on the other - a groove. Properly installed in an apartment, it does not creak, does not sag, and has a long service life. The front side of the floorboards is smoothly sanded, and on the back side there are special grooves for ventilation. This ensures air circulation and prevents wood rotting.

A wooden floor installed in a room has a number of advantages compared to other types of floor coverings:

high levels of noise and heat insulation, which ensures the creation cozy atmosphere in the room;
the floorboards are made from a single solid wood; no chemicals are used in their production, which means they are environmentally friendly and can be installed in any room;
Thanks to the tongue-and-groove connection used, the load on the floor is distributed evenly, and this, in turn, extends its service life. Plus, this type of connection guarantees ease of installation, creating a durable seamless coating, resistant to deformation;
easy to restore attractive appearance Sanding, applying drying oil or a special varnish will help.

This coating also has disadvantages:

relatively high cost compared to other lumber;
sensitive to mechanical damage and insects, therefore it requires periodic treatment with antiseptics, paint, and varnish.

How to choose suitable boards

To create a high-quality floor with your own hands, you need to know about the types of lumber:

Wood species:
- oak, ash - very strong, beautiful, durable, but also the most expensive material:
- larch - resistant to moisture, durable, does not require opening with varnish or stains;
- pine, spruce - inexpensive, but soft materials, sensitive to influence external factors, they must be treated with varnish.
Size. Choosing the correct size of floorboards is very important, because their thickness directly affects the strength and reliability of the floor, and an incorrectly selected length will complicate subsequent work on laying the floor covering:
- thickness - 18–45 mm;
- width - 70–200 mm;
- length - 1–6 m.
Humidity - the optimal level is considered to be from 12% to 16%.
Quality class. There are 4 classes, the material in which differs in appearance and uniformity of structure.

Floor installation

You can lay tongue and groove floorboards on almost any surface - old wooden floor, logs, moisture-resistant plywood. If necessary, the base is leveled, hydro- and thermal insulation is laid on it, after which installation can begin. Our step-by-step instructions will help you with this:

place the first plank with its tenon against the wall for a reliable seal;
Carefully align the tenon of the subsequent floorboard with the groove of the previous one;
professional builders recommend fastening with self-tapping screws, choosing one of the methods - inside the groove at an angle of 45% or screwing in from above, deepening the screw in order to subsequently putty it;
the last plank may be wider than required, so it can be carefully sawed lengthwise and attached to the wall using any in a convenient way, since the connection between the floor and the wall will be covered with a plinth;
After installation, if desired, you can cover it with paint or varnish.

We are glad that today's information was useful and interesting for you. Leave comments and reviews about your experience of laying tongue-and-groove floorboards in an apartment, share information with friends, subscribe to us on social networks. Bye everyone, see you soon!

Wooden floors will never go out of style. After all, such a finish looks natural and noble. In addition, wood is an environmentally friendly and natural product that does not emit harmful compounds. There are several options for decorating wood floors. You can choose parquet, or parquet board, But. Perhaps the most unusual appearance finishing is a tongue and groove board. What kind of material is this and what is it used for - read on.

The tongue and groove board is made of wood. Such an element has a centimeter-long groove on one side, and a tenon of the same length on the other. They got their name precisely because of the presence of such a locking system, because the groove is also called tongue and groove.

Sheet piling is a monolithic, seamless structure. Floors finished with this material will not begin to creak or fall apart over time.

Devices for tying boards (tenon and tongue) are made on a milling machine. Only if these two elements have the exact dimensions will the boards be firmly connected to each other.

The tongue and groove board can be made from different tree species. The material of such a product is selected depending on what it will be used for.

Types of tongue and groove boards:

The cheapest option is pine tongue and groove boards. They are not very durable and are afraid of moisture, so they need to be opened with several layers of varnish.
Larch tongue and groove is not afraid of moisture, but it costs twice as much as pine boards. This material is more durable and unattractive to insects.
Oak and ash boards are the most expensive and beautiful material. Floors made from trees of such species look noble and aristocratic. The high cost is offset by strength and long service life.

At construction markets you can purchase tongue and groove boards of all existing species. First of all, when choosing a material, pay attention to its moisture content. Wooden batten should be saturated with liquid, no more than 10%.

Exist standard sizes for tongue and groove boards. Their length can vary between 100 - 500 cm, thickness 2.5-3.5 cm, and width 8.5-10 cm.

Advantages and disadvantages of tongue and groove floor boards

Wooden tongue and groove boards have a lot of advantages. Of course, their features may vary depending on the type and type of wood from which they are made.

Advantages of tongue and groove boards:

The tongue-and-groove fastener ensures even distribution of the load across the entire floor. This monolithic connection increases the service life of the floor covering.
This type of boards is made in such a way that air can freely penetrate through the boards. This way, fungus and mold will not grow on the floor.
Tongue boards are environmentally friendly material, which meets all European quality standards.
Increased thermal insulation and noise insulation are additional advantages of such boards.
Installation of tongue and groove boards, thanks to the fastening system, is so simple that any beginner can handle it on their own.
Seamless tongue-and-groove construction looks great in many interior styles. This coating will look especially good in loft-style rooms.
In case of superficial damage to wooden floors solid boards, it is easy to restore its attractive appearance by sanding it again and opening it with a new layer of varnish.

All these advantages make tongue-and-groove boards an excellent material for installation in a private home or judge’s apartment. However, this coating has some disadvantages that may affect your choice.

Disadvantages of tongue and groove boards:

Wood is expensive natural material, so tongue-and-groove boards will cost more than most other flooring options. The price of such material will pay off over time due to its strength and long term services.
A tongue and groove board is afraid of moisture, so periodically it will need to be coated with a new layer of varnish or an oil-wax mixture.
The quality and service life of your flooring largely depends on the choice of wood species.

As you can see, there are not many disadvantages to this coating. If you are satisfied with the high price of tongue and groove boards, then you can safely purchase it.

Options for using tongue and groove floorboards

Due to their high price, tongue and groove boards are not used very often. However, apartments decorated with this noble material look very bright and original.

The first option for using tongue and groove boards is finishing a subfloor. In this case, you need to lay it on top of the boards. decorative coating. For laying on the subfloor, you can use solid pine boards; they are not damp and are cheaper than all other types of wood.

Tongue and groove boards look best in spacious rooms with ecological or laconic interior styles that prefer simple shapes. This finish will fit especially well into loft, modern and eco styles.

Another way to use tongue and groove boards is to finish the floor. This design move looks great in most interiors. To finish the front surface, boards made of larch, oak or ash are most often used. Such tree species are stronger, and they also look much more noble than pine materials.

Pine boards look harmonious in combination with wallpaper in muted colors. Also, if you want to make the flooring more original, you can treat it with stain of any color. This technique will provide the flooring with additional protection.

On what basis can a floor tongue be laid?

The tongue and groove board can be laid on almost any base. In order for such a coating to last as long as possible, the floor surface must be prepared. Make additional thermal insulation and waterproofing.

On what bases can you lay tongue-and-groove boards with your own hands:

Tongue and groove boards can be laid on concrete base. If there are pronounced irregularities on such a surface, then it must be filled with a new layer of screed.
You can also mount such a structure on logs. The logs are attached to the base with screws, dowels or glue.
If you decide to use tongue and groove boards as the front finish, you can lay down plywood. The plywood is attached to the base with glue or self-tapping screws.
An old wooden floor can also be covered with tongue and groove boards. The main thing is that all its elements are intact and firmly attached to the base.

Whatever base you use, you need to take care additional insulation floor. First, a waterproofing film is laid on the subfloor, then insulation, for example, glass wool, last layer The film is laid again. Only after all the layers are in place can the tongue and groove board itself be used.

Laying a tongue and groove floor on a concrete base

First of all, in order to lay the boards on concrete, it is necessary to carry out some preparatory work. There are two ways to level the base: using a self-leveling screed or using a metal spatula and a cement-sand composition.

It is not necessary to use insulation under a tongue and groove board. However, using this upgrade, you will get a warm floor.

Next, you need to select insulation and waterproofing film. It is difficult to say which materials are better. One thing is clear, that ideal option counts natural insulation and durable polyethylene film. You can also use waterproofing primer.

Assembling a heated floor on a concrete base with your own hands:

Plywood or chipboard is attached to the concrete base. The distance at which the plywood edge should be from the walls is 1.5 cm. I also leave a gap between the plywood sheets. It should be equal to 2 mm. To attach this layer, you will need self-tapping screws that are recessed into the wood.
Find out the dimensions of the floor. Boards are cut along them, for this purpose it is used special device, for example, a jigsaw or a hacksaw.
The tongue and groove boards themselves are attached to the plywood. The first element should be placed with the tenon towards the wall and the round groove away from it. To tighten the boards, use self-tapping screws or nails. This contraction should be performed at an angle of 45-50 degrees, in increments of 30 cm.
After all the boards have been laid, the gaps between the walls and the floor are puttied and decorated with plinths.

This is the simplest option for laying tongue and groove boards. You can easily handle this installation yourself. Attaching boards to plywood is easy and quick, but more often they use joining elements with joists.

More complex installation of tongue-and-groove boards on joists with your own hands

Joists are thick wooden blocks that are installed on a leveled concrete floor. They are laid in increments of 30-60 cm. It is necessary to lay a soundproofing substrate on them.

Moisture-resistant plywood should be placed on top of the ridged logs. The requirements for its thickness are quite strict; material thinner than 1.8 mm is not suitable.

Attaching boards to joists:

The first board is placed against the ridge to the wall at a distance of 1 cm. It is fastened using self-tapping screws or nails, and the first board must be correctly secured across its entire width.
Next, install three boards. In this case, the ridge of each subsequent board must be inserted at an angle into the groove of the previous element. For better connection The boards are tapped with a rubber hammer.
You can tighten the boards using a jack. Nail the bars to the last joist; the screw jack will rest against them. Place the second beam on the edge of the board. Place the jack so that it rests on both the block on the joist and the block on the board. This way you can firmly connect the boards.

How to make a tongue and groove board with your own hands

To decorate your home with tongue and groove boards, you don’t have to buy ready material. A folded board can easily be made with your own hands. To do this you will need a hand jointer and milling machine, as well as any cutting tool, as well as dry boards.

If you were unable to find high-quality, well-dried material, then you will have to dry it yourself. However, this stage will take quite a long time.

Do-it-yourself laying of tongue-and-groove boards (video)

Tongue and groove boards are made as follows: the material is secured using clamps, markings are applied to it, and using a machine or jointer, a tenon and ridge are cut out using the markings different sides boards.

A tongue and groove board is great alternative piece parquet. It looks just as luxurious, but is easier to install yourself.

The construction market offers a wide selection of high-quality flooring. Despite their diversity, many consumers prefer wooden floors.

Wood has many advantages, the main one of which is its naturalness. But natural origin The material is its main disadvantage - wood is sensitive to changes in humidity and temperature. Under the influence of unfavorable factors, it swells, dries out, and cracks form between the lumber. Laying a floor made of tongue and groove boards can eliminate this drawback.

The correct choice of materials will allow you to increase the service life of floorboards. And you can get a perfectly flat, seamless surface if you lay the boards with your own hands in compliance with certain rules.

What is a tongue and groove board?

This definition applies to lumber that has a groove cut along one side and a tongue (tenon, ridge) along the other.

Thanks to this feature, when the tongue fits into the groove, providing strong connection, guaranteeing the absence of cracks.

During the production process, the material is dried and polished on both sides. In order to reduce the final cost of the product, lumber can be sanded only from the front side. Special grooves are cut on the back surface to ensure air exchange and prevent the formation of fungus.

Criterias of choice

When choosing lumber, the following indicators are taken into account:

wood type;
size;
quality category;
humidity.

Choosing a wood species

pine, spruce;
larches;
oak, ash.

Features of pine and spruce

The main advantages of spruce and pine include the following indicators:

low cost;
elasticity;
high heat capacity.

Pine and spruce grow throughout Russia. The pine lumber floor is pleasant to step on with bare feet. It remains warm even in the winter cold.

The disadvantages include the following:

softness;
high moisture absorption;
susceptible to rotting and insect damage.

Such material requires a mandatory multi-layer coating with high-quality varnish that protects the board from moisture and other adverse factors.

Features of larch

Larch – conifer. Unlike previous options, it is characterized by increased hardness. Under the influence of moisture, larch does not collapse or rot, but becomes harder.

Larch flooring does not require varnishing. She's being processed oil impregnation, preserving the natural texture of wood. The main disadvantage of this material is its high cost.

Features of oak and ash

Oak and ash are deciduous tree species. The oak floor looks very good. And it can last for several decades. Floorboards made of oak and ash do not require varnish.

Oil impregnation treatment is sufficient. However, laying tongue-and-groove boards made of oak and ash is not affordable for most consumers. The material is highly expensive.

Laying a wood floor from oak will require quite a bit of capital investment.

Size selection

The size of the material is determined by the following indicators:

width (from 70 mm to 200 mm);
thickness (from 18 mm to 45 mm);
length (3-6 m).

The strength and durability of the floor depends on the thickness of the lumber. When laying on joists, it should be taken into account that the thinner the board, the smaller the distance between adjacent joists should be. The joists act as supports, preventing thin floorboards from sagging.

The choice of width depends on consumer preferences. Laying material that is too narrow will take a long time. It is also not recommended to choose floorboards that are too wide. Optimal width the indicator is 130-150 mm.

The length of the material should be slightly longer the room in which it is intended to be installed. If the room is too long, it is possible to join the floorboards on the joists.

Quality categories

extra;
class A;
class B;
class C.

Class A - first-class material. It includes lumber that does not have defects on the surface, but differs in structure and shade. Class B is established if there are small brown spots, knots, and cracks on the surface of the material. All three options can be used for finishing floor.

Class C includes third-grade material that has knots on the surface, a significant amount brown spots, cracks, through holes. Such boards are suitable for arranging a subfloor.

Humidity

Drying is one of the stages in the production of tongue and groove boards. Wood can be dried in autoclaves (chamber drying) and in natural conditions. Boards dried in autoclaves are of higher quality.

The optimal moisture content of materials should be 10-16%. This indicator guarantees that the boards will not shrink during operation.

Boards subjected to chamber drying, are packaged in polyethylene, protecting the material from the influence environment. During the selection process, you should pay attention to the following:

when tapping on dried boards it sounds ringing sound, for raw ones - deaf;
the plastic packaging must be undamaged and there must be no condensation inside;
high-quality factory boards have a light glossy shade, while raw floorboards have a dark matte shade.

Tips for laying floorboards

Installation features

The purchased material must remain in the room where it is intended to be installed for a week. During use, the boards can dry out, forming cracks.

Therefore, you need to lay the floor in two stages:

First, every 4-5 boards are fastened;
After 6-8 months, the floor is pulled together and each floorboard is secured to the joist.

During the drying process, wood can lose its attractive appearance. Initial fastening will allow you to avoid unnecessary labor costs associated with grinding back side up. After six months, the floorboards are turned over with the front side remaining clean.

You need to purchase material with a reserve, since during the process of shrinking and tightening several boards may not be enough.

Preparation for installation work

Most often, tongue and groove boards are laid on joists. The base can be a subfloor or brick columns.

Before starting work, you should prepare the following:

logs;
finished floorboards;
screws for wood (the length of the screws should be 2.5 times the width of the floorboards);
electric screwdriver;
jigsaw or hacksaw with a wide blade;
level;
hammer;
construction staples;
wooden wedges.

Installation stages

On initial stage the longest board is selected (preferably it matches the length of the room). The floorboard must be laid tongue-and-groove against the wall, leaving a gap of 1-2 cm between the wall surface and the board.

The gap is necessary to compensate for the thermal expansion of the wood. Wooden wedges are inserted into the space between the wall and the board. Upon completion of the work, the wedges will be removed and the gap will be closed with a plinth.

The outermost floorboard is secured with self-tapping screws along its entire length to each joist.

Next, take the second board and insert it with a tongue and groove into the groove of the laid floorboard. To press the boards as tightly as possible to each other, you should attach wooden block and tap through it with a hammer along the entire length of the floorboard.

3 more boards are laid in the same way. A hole is drilled in the lower edge of the groove of the fourth floorboard at an angle of 45-50 degrees. Through the hole, the board is secured to the joist with a self-tapping screw.

Next, we lay the remaining boards, securing every fourth one to the joist with a self-tapping screw. In most cases, the last floorboard has to be cut using a jigsaw. The width of the board is calculated taking into account the compensation gap. The floorboard is screwed along its entire length to the joists, and the wedges are removed.

After six months, the floor is dismantled and reassembled. During the laying process, the boards are pulled together and secured to the joists with self-tapping screws.

Methods of tightening

Floor screeding is done in several ways:

wedges and staples;
wedges and emphasis;
screw jack.

In the first case, the bracket is driven into the joist at a distance of 1 cm from the floorboard. A pair of wedges are inserted between it and the bracket, which are driven in with a hammer. After tightening, the board is secured with self-tapping screws, the bracket and wedges are removed. The second case is identical to the first. The only difference is replacing the bracket with a wooden stop.

The jack is placed between the bonded floorboard and the joist. It is pressed against the floorboard through a wooden block.

The process of pulling together floorboards can only be avoided if you purchase “Extra” class lumber.

By covering the floorboards with impregnation or stain, you can get the perfect flooring. The floor surface can be renewed by scraping and re-coating with impregnation or varnish.

A tongue and groove board is the element that will provide comfort in the house. This flooring has a number of properties that will create a comfortable microclimate in the room for decades.

Grooved board and its features

The tongue and groove floor covering has a number of distinctive features, which make it such a popular and sought-after material. First of all, it is worth noting its design. Each board has a unique lock, thanks to which they can fit tightly together. This lock consists of a longitudinal protrusion on the edge of one board, which is called a tongue and groove, and a groove on the edge of the other, corresponding in shape. A similar system can be found in laminate, parquet, etc.

A distinctive feature of the tongue and groove board is also its processing: the front side has smooth surface which does not require grinding. back side may not be sanded, but there will definitely be grooves on its surface, which should ensure the ventilation process between the boardwalk and the base of the floor. Such ventilation will prevent wood rotting, fungi and mold.

The tongue and groove coating is environmentally friendly pure material, which is undoubtedly a big plus in modern construction. But this advantage is not the only one. Among the advantages of this flooring are the following characteristics:

high sound insulation material;
high level of thermal insulation;
long service life;
fairly simple installation;
does not attract dust;
aesthetic appearance.

The disadvantage can be considered the cost, since it is quite high, and the tendency of the wood to warp. The second can be eliminated by choosing the right boards and following the installation technology. The tongue and groove board must be well dried by the manufacturer, either industrially or naturally. The percentage of moisture should be between 12–16%. To determine whether the wood is dry enough, you need to perform several actions:

knock on wood - this helps not only against the evil eye, but also in determining the degree of drying. A dull sound will tell you that this material not ready for work and needs to dry completely, but the ringing sound is an indicator of a finished dry board;
touching is the simplest thing you can do. Touch and see if the wood is dry;
evaluate the appearance. After industrial drying wooden blanks must have a shiny surface.

Dry boards have a shiny surface, and if you knock on them, they will make a ringing sound.

Visual inspection is also important when assessing the quality of the material. During this procedure, you should check the boards for the presence of green-blue spots and whitish coating, which will indicate fungal infection. It would not be superfluous to inspect the purchase from the point of view of geometry, i.e. how straight it is. To find out, you need to look at it from the end and conduct a visual analysis. If at least one item does not meet the requirements, then you should refuse the purchase or make a replacement.

How to make a tongue-and-groove board with your own hands: action diagram

IN industrial scale The production of tongue and groove boards takes place on high-precision equipment. Everything is carried out by programmed mechanisms, and humans only control the process. And the higher the class of equipment the manufacturer has, the better and more expensive the final product. Grooving boards is difficult process, and at home you will never be able to achieve high level quality, but basic tongue and groove work can be done.

In production, milling cutters with complex cross-sections are used to cut the workpiece on the sides. In a home workshop, this mechanism can replace a manual jointer with a quarter selection function or a milling machine. Next, following the instructions on how to make a tongue and groove board with your own hands, you need to perform a number of actions:

Carefully select the material for further tongue and groove. The most durable coating will be larch. It is less susceptible to rotting and insect attack than others. Larch can be used both for arranging the floor in the house and for covering open terraces. This is a denser material, so it will be more difficult to work with than, for example, pine or spruce. The cost of larch is also higher than spruce and pine boards, but much less than the price of oak, ash or beech.
Dry existing boards. It is better that the boards are already dry, since wood naturally dries for several months. And in order to dry the material to the required level, you need to place the workpieces on stands in stacks in a dry, well-ventilated room. There must be ventilated spaces between the workpieces. The humidity level can be measured with an electric moisture meter. Wood should not be dried in the sun because outer side will heat up, and the inside will remain moist, which in the future will lead to the appearance of various defects.
The board, ready for processing, must be secured with clamps on the work surface (workbench, table).
Determine the middle (axes) of the side surfaces of the workpiece and apply markings with a pencil.
Using a router/hand jointer, you need to carefully and accurately select a quarter groove in one side of the board.
On the other side of the workpiece, using a machine or jointer, quarters are selected alternately to the right and left of the intended axis, and the result should be a tongue and groove.

Do-it-yourself tongue-and-groove boarding is a very painstaking task that requires experience working with wood and certain tools, as well as free time. To carry out this procedure, a “steady hand” is also very important so as not to waver at the wrong moment. But also this interesting experience for everyone who likes to do everything with their own hands.

Tongue-and-groove floor boards: laying technology

You can purchase floorboards in several grades: Extra, A, B and C. The “Extra” grade coating has no knots or other similar defects. This is the most expensive class of material. The lower the grade, the more defects will appear on the wood. So, for example, grade “C” boards may have through holes in places where there were previously knots, they are recommended to be used to create a so-called subfloor.

The technology for laying “Extra” and “C” grade coatings will be somewhat different. These differences will be in the base on which they are laid. If grade “C” can be placed directly on the joists, then for grades high class it is necessary to prepare the frame or subfloor. But in both cases, installation of a tongue and groove board consists of the following steps.

All photos from the article

Planed tongue and groove board is common building material, since wood is an environmentally friendly, strong and at the same time durable material. In addition, the presence of a tongue and groove simplifies the installation process. Below we will take a closer look at the features of tongue and groove boards and areas of its use, and also consider what to look for when choosing and how to make it yourself.

General information

So, main feature This material is characterized by the presence of a tongue and groove. Actually, this lock connection and this makes it so popular. Thanks to the tongue and groove, the boards fit tightly and securely together, forming a continuous surface without gaps.

It must be said that a similar connection system can be found in materials such as:

parquet;
laminate;
PVC panels, etc.

There is also another distinguishing feature of this lumber, which consists of processing - its front side is most often carefully sanded. The reverse side may be unpolished.

Advantages

Among positive qualities tongue and groove boards, the following points can be distinguished:

is an environmentally friendly and vapor-permeable material, which makes it an excellent finishing coating;
good durability even for outdoor use, which is achieved modern technologies processing;
low thermal conductivity, due to which the material has good thermal insulation qualities;

As mentioned above, installation of tongue and groove boards is very simple thanks to the locking connection;
has an attractive appearance.

As a result of these advantages, tongue and groove board and has become widespread in construction.

Flaws

As for the existing shortcomings, they apply to all lumber:

high price compared to artificial analogues;
tendency to warp, which is excluded the right choice material and compliance with installation technology;
the need for periodic processing - varnishing or painting.

Application area

The lumber in question is most often used as a finishing coating. In particular, its traditional area of application is the arrangement of plank floors. Using a tongue and groove board, you can lay it as a flooring, i.e. from long boards, and typesetting - from short ones.

This lumber is also used for wall finishing. Is it true, Wall panels, as a rule, differ in the profile of the front side, imitating timber. Therefore, tongue and groove boards for walls are also called.