Do-it-yourself wooden flooring: wooden flooring designs, do-it-yourself installation. How to install a wooden floor in a private house, instructions and choice of material Making the floor in the house with your own hands
The simplicity of constructing a boardwalk is apparent. And it's not just that the load limit needs to be taken into account; for example, it is different for the floors of the basement of a private house and the attic. Wood is a material that, although pliable in processing, is “capricious” in its own way, as it is easily subject to deformation when humidity and temperature change. In addition, there are specifics of its installation depending on the type of base (overlap). It is possible to install a high-quality wooden floor with your own hands only after understanding all the nuances of this work.
Wooden flooring is a somewhat vague concept. Basically, when it comes to this design of the lower part of the room, it means laying on load-bearing structure boards But if further, “finishing” finishing with another material (laminate, parquet board or something else) is expected, then mainly wood-based products (slabs, sheets) are used - multi-layer plywood, chipboard, OSB, MDF.
The main purpose of such flooring is maximum leveling and ensuring sufficient surface strength. But in such cases there is no need to talk about a wooden floor in a private house; This is its intermediate, “finish” version.
How to choose the right boards? When installing a wooden floor in a private house, you definitely shouldn’t skimp on them. Otherwise, such problems will arise (cracks, grooves in the flooring, deformations of individual floorboards) that subsequent repairs (taking into account the complexity of the work, including the need to empty the room of everything) will be much more expensive.
Board view. Only tongue and groove. Processing it yourself at home is a very complex process, requiring practical skills, appropriate tools (which not every home has), time and a separate room.
There is another option - from glue beams. But this lumber is used, as a rule, in rooms of a private house with increased load on the floor, since it is not cheap.
- Linear parameters (mm). Here you need to take into account that the wood should provide not only high strength of the flooring, but also good thermal insulation bottom of the room. Optimal sizes are considered: total thickness – 45±5 (depending on the specifics of the room), width – around 150.
- Wood moisture content. 12% is the acceptable upper limit of its value. Therefore, you should purchase an industrial drying board. Naturally, it will be quite expensive. But all the recommendations on how to remove excess moisture from wood yourself are nothing more than profanity. It is necessary to select an appropriate place on the site, carry out proper stacking of lumber, organize its protection from moisture, good ventilation, acceptable temperature conditions. And what is important is to wait. And this is time. Moreover, a high result is not yet guaranteed.
- Wood grade. And in this regard, purchasing cheap boards is irrational. Not only that, even paint, much less varnish, cannot hide large flaws in the form of knots, chips, and so on. Defects in floorboards will become more and more obvious during the operation of a wooden floor. The cracks will only get bigger; knots will fly out of the boards, and “pits” or through holes will appear in their place.
- Wood species. Here it is desirable to maintain an optimal balance between such properties of lumber as strength, beautiful texture and resistance to geometry changes under the influence external factors. Experienced craftsmen It is recommended to pay attention to oak and ash. Such boards are expensive, but they are considered the best for wooden floors, as they are able to bear increased load.
If this factor is not a determining factor, larch, fir, cedar or pine are perfect for flooring.
- Degree of wood protection. In production, more expensive products are impregnated with special preparations to prevent rotting and fire. This can be done (even recommended) with your own hands, but only in terms of secondary (additional) processing. Industrial technology It will not be possible to recreate it at home, and therefore the quality of work will be low.
What kind of logs are used? Here you need to understand that during operation, any materials (even if visually imperceptible) change their geometry. Consequently, the integrity of the structure also depends on the extent to which the deformation coefficients of its elements coincide. Metal profiles (although they are more convenient to work with) are not suitable for constructing a wooden floor, only lumber. The recommended dimensions of the timber are 100 x 100. This is a universal choice for floors in any room. Smaller samples (for example, 50 x 50) will have to be tightly “fastened” to the screed (otherwise the flooring will “play”), and this is not always possible or rational.
When should you treat your wood floor? The best period experts believe the end of March - the beginning of April, that is, before the end heating season. There are several reasons.
- At this time, it is not difficult to achieve the most comfortable conditions for such work. If necessary, effective ventilation can be arranged to prevent wood dust from overcrowding the room. Then technical devices will not be needed.
- The air humidity in the room is optimized. This ensures that the lumber will not absorb water, except in a minimal amount.
- The nuances of arranging the screed are such that you will have to wait for it to completely harden. And the worse external conditions, the longer.
As an option - in the summer. But you should start installing a wooden floor if weather forecasters guarantee stable dry weather for at least the next 10 days.
Preparatory work
Next are all the stages, regardless of the specifics of the premises in a private building. It is not difficult to understand what needs to be done in relation to the characteristics of a particular room (location in the house, size, degree of arrangement, etc.).
The basis
This can be both the ceiling and the ground, if the floors are installed on ground floor. In any case, a number of events are held.
Assessment of surface condition and elimination of deficiencies
In relation to the ground, it is carefully leveled, compacted (the simplest tamper is easy to make with your own hands), and arranged sand cushion(recommended layer thickness is about 20 cm). It performs two main functions - more accurate planning (leveling) and mitigation of possible deformation of the upper levels when the load changes.
- If we're talking about about a concrete floor (interfloor), then the slabs are thoroughly washed, after which, during the inspection, existing defects are identified. Any cracks or loose joints are sealed. Otherwise, possible leaks into the lower room and heat loss cannot be avoided in the future.
Waterproofing the base
If the base is soil, then it is advisable to immediately cover it with film. Depending on the size of the room, you can either buy a membrane that will cover the floor completely (it will be more expensive), or make a unique analogue of it by welding several sheets together (you will need special device) or tape, laying them overlapping. The nuance is that the edges of the film should be folded upward, approximately to the level of the intended installation of the baseboards. They will cover the excess waterproofing.
Screed arrangement
It's separate and quite big topic(composition of the mixture, ratio of components, mixing rules - there are enough nuances). Therefore, only the main points.
Materials are selected based on the financial capabilities of the owner of a private house and the type of surface. If we are talking about overlapping, then the screed is made thin, using leveling compounds. For a soil base, it is advisable to pour expanded clay onto the waterproofing.
The advantages of this solution:
- Round (relatively) granules will not damage the P/E film under any circumstances. If you use crushed stone, then its breakthroughs will definitely appear in several places;
- Expanded clay is a good heat insulator. Therefore, you can save a little on the insulation material (if it is installed).
The recommended layer thickness (in mm) is from 40 to 100. You should focus on the size of the “pebbles”; the larger they are, the larger the layer required, since gaps form between them, increasing heat loss. Small granules are packed quite tightly, so the layer can be made smaller.
Advice. Costs can be optimized if you purchase expanded clay of different fractions. Then a thickness of no more than 50 - 70 will be sufficient. But only well-dried granules should be laid; they will begin to draw excess moisture “towards themselves” (that is, absorb), additionally protecting the wood from dampness.
It is advisable to install and level the beacons immediately, before pouring the solution. After leveling it, you will have to wait for the screed to dry completely (at least 4 weeks, and then only favorable conditions in the house). This largely explains why experts recommend certain periods for installing wooden floors in a private home.
Accelerate this process artificially (using technical devices in the form of air heaters, heat guns, and so on) is not allowed. Such rationalization will result in the screed drying unevenly throughout its entire depth. The top layer will set quickly and literally clog the surface. This will sharply reduce the rate of moisture evaporation from lower levels. As a result, the strength of such a base decreases and cracks appear.
Installation of logs
In a private house, they can be laid directly on the base, without installing a screed (for example, in a basement). In this case, it is advisable to prepare small racks made of brick. The main attention here is to the upper sections of such supports. They must be located in the same (horizontal) plane. To prevent the timber from moving, a metal pin or wooden insert. How to fix a lag in one case or another is not difficult to guess.
If the logs are laid directly on the ground or screed, then it is advisable to treat the lower planes of the beam with tar. The work is not difficult, and you don’t need money for it. The advantage of this solution is additional protection of the wood from absorbing moisture from a damp surface.
Sometimes a supporting frame (sheathing) is pre-mounted on the supports, to which the logs are “fastened” with self-tapping screws. As a rule, this is done when laying them directly on the ground or slab, since the cushion may still not provide ideal alignment.
The recommended interval between logs is about half a meter. If more, the strength of the flooring decreases; less - the consumption of materials and the load on the floor increases. In addition, problems will arise with the installation of the thermal insulation layer.
Insulation of a wooden floor
Whether to do this or not is up to the owner to decide. This largely depends on the specifics of the room. But if it is unheated, or residential, located on the ground floor, then additional thermal insulation in the form of expanded clay and the boards themselves are clearly not enough. Optimal choice for insulation of wooden floors - mineral wool. It is sold in various modifications, but products with the prefix “eco” are considered the best for a private home.
The material is elastic, so even if the axial lines of the logs do not coincide (the “cells” are curved), the mats are quite easy to lay; They compress slightly and are easy to fit into place. And after straightening, they are securely held between the lags, and there are no gaps along the beam - insulation line. Therefore, sealing the gaps is not required.
When choosing mineral wool based on thickness, you need to ensure that after installing the mats (slabs) between the joists they are just below their upper cut. This is necessary to create a small space under the wooden floor through which air can circulate freely. Natural ventilation helps remove excess moisture from under the flooring, thereby protecting the boards and insulation from dampness.
Installation of finished floor
It is carried out in 1 or 2 rows. Single-row flooring is installed, as a rule, in utility rooms, country houses, barns, and the like. For most rooms of a residential building - only if a thick board is chosen or a “finish” lining with parquet or laminate is intended.
With a double plank floor, the boards are taken thinner (the main thing here is the total thickness of the flooring). The advantage is that for the first level cheap will do lumber; and this gives some savings. Sometimes owners of private houses lay film between the rows, which also partially reduces heat loss and increases the degree of waterproofing.
Features of laying a wooden floor
- A small gap (about 1.5 - 2 cm) is left between the walls and floorboards so that the flooring does not begin to warp when the wood expands due to temperature or gets wet. In addition, this installation scheme guarantees effective natural ventilation of the space under the floor. Consequently, the risk of mold and mildew appearing on the boards is minimized.
- The first board (from any edge) is rigidly attached to the joists; and self-tapping screws. If you use nails, then problems will arise in the future - individual floorboards will begin to “play”, and the creaking of the boards will constantly be heard in the house.
- Their adjustment is done using a hammer and a piece of board, carefully, so that the tenon fits tightly into the groove along the entire length of the sample. But this is the case with profile boards. If you buy a regular edged one, the technology changes.
First, the outer boards are fixed to the joists. All the others, in turn, are placed between them simultaneously from both directions. Naturally, difficulties will arise in the center of the room; The last floorboards won't fit exactly in place. They are placed in a “house”, and then pressed down, standing on its “ridge”.
The last stage is screwing all the boards to the joists at pre-designated points. A chamfer is first made in each of them so that the head of the fastener is completely “sunk” in the wood.
- It has already been noted that self-tapping screws should be used as fasteners. The nuance is that you need to choose not ordinary products, but ones with anti-corrosion coating. Otherwise, rust spots will appear quite quickly in the places where the boards are fixed to the joists.
- It is advisable to “walk” along the joint lines of the floorboards with a sanding machine. If wooden floors are installed in a private house, then it is worth purchasing; it will be needed again, and more than once. Processing the seams will smooth out any existing unevenness between the boards. This is especially true for decking that is supposed to be varnished, which is most often done to preserve the wood texture.
It turns out that when installing a wooden floor in a private house, it is quite possible to do without the services of professionals. Following the recommendations given, all stages of the work can be easily completed with your own hands.
Today, green construction is in the spotlight, and wood is construction material, takes first place in it. This is facilitated by the fact that the tree is environmentally friendly and available material, which has been processed by humans for many thousands of years. You can see more and more often country houses and wooden cottages that combine nature and technology. As in any other home construction, one of the important stages is creating the floor. The floor structure itself wooden house a very important and responsible moment that requires increased attention to the work being performed. Therefore, in order for the floors in a wooden house to be strong and durable, it is necessary to follow the technology of their installation and adhere to certain recommendations and rules.
Floor design and wood selection
The floor in a wooden house on the ground floor is laid on the ground and consists of the following elements: joists, subfloor, hydro- and thermal insulation, finished floor and floor covering. The entire structure is installed on beams or support posts made of brick or concrete. Between the floor and the ground there is an underground space, which is thoroughly ventilated to maintain the wood in optimal condition and create a microclimate on the first floor.
Scheme of a wooden floor
Important! Installing wooden floors on the ground is a fairly cheap option, but for their installation it is necessary to take into account the level groundwater. If it is high enough and the soils are wet, then you should worry about waterproofing the entire floor structure and high-quality ventilation of the underground.
Since the floor is subject to frequent mechanical stress, the wood for its creation must be selected carefully and adhere to the following rules:
- the humidity of the tree should be 12%, this will directly determine how long the tree will keep its shape;
- the wood must be free of chips and cracks, so that part of the floor structure does not have to be replaced or repaired later;
- boards should be treated with fire retardants and antiseptics, this will help increase fire resistance and avoid damage by pathogenic flora;
- to create a durable and strong structure, you should choose solid wood coniferous species- spruce, pine, larch, cedar, fir. Although the most durable will be deciduous oak or ash.
Underground space
Arrangement of underground ventilation
The microclimate in the house and how long the wooden floor will last will depend on how dry and well-ventilated the underground is. Therefore, to ensure ventilation, holes are installed around the perimeter of the base, which, regardless of the time of year and the direction of the winds, will provide natural ventilation. In case of snowy winters, ventilation pipes with a canopy are removed from the underground openings, and several window fans can be installed to increase air circulation. It is also necessary to take care of protection from various rodents. To do this, grilles with cells up to 8 mm should be installed on all openings.
Wooden floor base
In order for the floor to be strong and durable, it is necessary to prepare a high-quality base. Wooden floors in a private home are laid on support beams embedded in the foundation. If in the project wooden house support beams are not provided, then you will have to install support columns made of brick or concrete. The only difference is in the supports on which the logs are laid; further work on laying the wooden floor is identical.
If the beams are laid together with the foundation, then the support pillars have to be made separately.
We determine places for arranging support columns. To do this, we make marks on the embedded beams and stretch the cord along the entire length of the underground. We do the same in the perpendicular direction. The corners of the posts will be where the cords intersect. It is also necessary to calculate the number of columns so that the step between them is 70-100 cm. The length of the step between the support pillars directly depends on the thickness of the beams or logs that will be laid on the pillars. The thicker the beam or joist, the smaller the step you can take between the pillars. For beams with a cross section of 150x150 mm, the pitch of the supporting pillars should be no more than 80 cm. The dimensions of the recesses for the pillars should correspond to the sides of the pillar. When laying support columns, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the higher the pillars are from the ground, the more stable they should be. Accordingly, the larger their cross-section should be.
Arrangement of concrete support columns for logs
In the places where the pillars are installed, we select soil to a depth of 40-60 cm and lay the pillars themselves. They can be made from brick or concrete. Brick columns with a height of up to 250 mm are laid in “one and a half” or “two” bricks, higher columns are laid in “two” bricks.
Important! To make the construction of brick columns more reliable, it is advisable to pour a foundation under them that will protrude at least 5 cm above the ground level. Fix the bricks with cement mortar and waterproof them.
Concrete pillars are more durable due to the reinforcing mesh inside. The dimensions of the sides of such columns range from 400 mm to 500 mm based on the height of the column itself.
Important! In order for the floor to be level, it is necessary to maintain the horizon even at the stage of laying support columns and beams. To do this, you should constantly check them with a level so that they are all in the same plane.
Then, over the entire area of the future underground, we select a fertile layer of soil, level it and fill it with a layer of gravel, and then sand. Water each layer with water and compact it thoroughly. To do this, you can use a special vibrating plate or an ordinary log with a nailed board.
Wooden floor installation
Once the base in the form of supporting posts or beams is ready, you can begin installing the wooden floor itself. We lay several layers of waterproofing on top of the posts; roofing felt is perfect for this. On top of the waterproofing layer we install logs or beams, which we firmly fix in place. You can lay logs directly on the support posts, but to increase the strength of the floor, you should first lay the beams and then the logs on top of them. If the length of the beam or joist is less than the length of the room, then place their joints on support posts, connect them together into a lock and secure them with self-tapping screws. To fix the beams and joists on the support posts, we use metal corners, which we firmly screw to the posts with dowels, and to the wood using self-tapping screws.
Important! We treat joists and beams with antiseptics and fire retardants. If you missed something somewhere, or if you couldn’t maintain the horizon for the columns, then it’s okay. This can be corrected by placing wedges or wooden spacers under the beam or joist where it settles. The wedges and spacers themselves are firmly fixed.
Single wooden floor
The installation of a wooden floor in a private house can be single or double, but the design of the floor itself will remain unchanged. Single wooden floors are usually made for summer wooden houses. Houses with such floors are unsuitable for year-round residence. To keep the floors warm throughout the year, double insulated floors are created.
To install a single wooden floor, you need to lay joists on the support posts and secure them. For lag it is enough to use wooden blocks 50x50 mm or 60x60 mm. A tongue-and-groove board 40-50 mm thick is laid on top of the joists and secured to the joists using self-tapping screws or nails. As flooring you can use linoleum or simply paint the boards. Sometimes, to give the entire floor structure strength, beams are first laid on the supporting pillars and then logs are placed on them. For support beams in this case use wooden beam thickness 100x100 mm or 120x120 mm.
Double floor subfloor
Laying a floor in a wooden house that will be habitable throughout the year involves creating a double floor with insulation. Such a floor requires a lot of effort and quantity of materials, but its level of reliability and strength will be an order of magnitude higher compared to a single-layer one. To make such a floor, you will need to complete the following stages of work:
Important! The boards must be laid at a distance of 15-20 mm from the wall to ensure ventilation and avoid swelling of the floor during seasonal swelling of the wood.
You can waterproof a wooden floor with 200 micron polyethylene film
- To waterproof the finished floor and floor covering, we lay a 200 micron thick polyethylene film and additional thermal insulation made of foamed polyethylene on top of the subfloor. We lay the film overlapping, and glue its edges with tape together. We make an overlap of 20 cm on the walls and glue it with tape;
- Now that everything is ready, you can begin laying the finished floor and flooring.
To create a finished floor, you can use sheets of plywood or solid boards. Sheets of plywood are laid on top of the heat-insulating layer and secured with self-tapping screws around the perimeter and diagonally. After which you can lay the wooden flooring.
Grooved solid board
A tongue and groove board made of solid wood is not only beautiful, but also convenient to install and use.
In the case of a solid board, everything is somewhat more complicated, although a significant advantage is that such a floor can be covered with varnish or paint without additional floor covering. There are two types of solid boards: tongue-and-groove and regular. The difference lies in the installation method. A tongue and groove board is simpler and more practical to install. To install it you need to do the following:
- before laying the board, it must be left indoors for three days and “get used” to the microclimate of the room;
- measure 10-15 mm from the walls to create a ventilation gap and in case of seasonal swelling of the boards;
- The finished floor boards are laid across the subfloor boards. We lay the first row of boards strictly along the line with the tenon to the wall and fix them with self-tapping screws. We screw in the screws so that near the wall they overlap with the baseboard. On the other side, we screw the screws into the groove at an angle of 45°;
- We place a wooden spacer in the gap between the wall and the board;
Important! If the length of the floorboards is smaller than the room, we lay them “staggered”. This will provide additional strength to the floor. The length of the screws should be several times greater than the thickness of the board. It is necessary to pre-drill a hole for the self-tapping screw, this is necessary so that the board does not split or crack.
- We lay the second and further rows of boards with a tenon in the groove of the previous row. We compact it with a rubber hammer and secure it with self-tapping screws on the other side into the groove;
Important! In order for a wooden floor to last a long time, the boards must be laid in growth rings opposite each other.
Solid parquet board
We lay parquet boards “unstuck”
Another option for a finished floor is solid parquet flooring. In essence, this is the same tongue-and-groove solid board, only shorter. Its installation has its own characteristics:
- massive parquet boards can be secured with self-tapping screws only on the tenon side;
- performed only “staggered”;
- if a plywood base is used, then it makes sense to first glue the parquet board and then additionally secure it with self-tapping screws;
- massive parquet boards can be laid diagonally, thereby visually enlarging the room.
You can open the wooden floor with varnish or paint at the end of all installation work
Regardless of which element wooden structure When laying the floor, it must be treated with antiseptics and fire retardants, this will extend the life of the entire structure as a whole. The installation of the wooden floor will be completed with the application of the final floor covering. This can be varnish or paint, the main thing is that the floor in a wooden house looks natural and fits into the overall concept. Laying a wooden floor is quite a responsible and complex task, requiring increased attention and care when performing the work. You can do all the work yourself, but still, it’s worth finding a partner.
A smooth and reliable floor in a private house or cottage is the key to warmth and comfort in the building all year round. Often at the stage of building a private house, owners are faced with the problem of choosing a flooring device. Therefore, in our material we will tell you how to properly make this or that type of floor with your own hands. At the same time, we will look at the pros and cons of each device option. For clarity, we also offer a video.
Floors: types
Mainly during the construction of a private house or country cottage The most commonly used types of flooring are:
- Wooden floor on joists on the ground;
- Wooden floor on supporting pedestals;
- Wooden floor on cement screed;
- Concrete floor;
- Dry screed.
The advantages of a wooden floor are that this coating is completely environmentally friendly and retains heat well. But at the same time the tree requires high-quality waterproofing. Otherwise, over time, even larch or teak logs will require replacement.
Concrete flooring is considered one of the strongest and most durable. And the monolithic nature of the coating does not allow all kinds of living microorganisms to penetrate into the house. However, concrete is a fairly cold material. Therefore, when installing such a floor, you will need additional insulation. Yes, and you need to level it carefully.
Dry screed floors are a new solution in the world of construction technologies. This material perfectly insulates the room and allows you to lay any covering on top.
Important: when installing any type of floor, it is necessary to carefully align all layers of the “pie”, otherwise the floor will turn out skewed.
Wooden floor on joists on the ground
This type of flooring in a private house or cottage is made with your own hands if wood is preferred. Moreover, making such a floor is not at all difficult.
- So, if we build a house floor on joists on the ground, we will first have to carefully prepare the foundation. To do this you will have to remove upper layer turf to a depth of 5-7 cm around the entire perimeter and replace it with a layer of sand. The sand is well leveled and compacted.
- A layer of fine crushed stone 10 cm thick is poured on top of the sand. It also needs to be well leveled and compacted.
- A layer of vapor barrier is laid on top of such layers of the cake. It can be just oilcloth, roofing felt, or a membrane.
Important: the joints of the material of our pie must be well secured with tape, and the edges of the waterproofing must be thrown over the foundation walls.
- Now you can lay the logs in increments of 60-80 cm. In this case, you need to make a gap of 2 - 3 cm between the foundation walls so that the wood can expand freely. We fix the logs to the foundation walls using special guide plates. If you need to raise the logs a little, they can be placed on special racks that can be adjusted in height. You will need to make special holes in the wood for them.
- If you plan to make a permanent warm wooden floor from boards, then you need to lay thermal insulation material between the joists. It could be slabs mineral wool, simple expanded clay or polystyrene foam. Such thermal insulation must be laid in the free space between the joists. We get a kind of construction pie.
- We fasten the subfloor boards on top of the support beams. You can also simply make an additional sheathing, on which you can later lay the finishing floor covering.
Important: when installing any wooden covering It is necessary to make small gaps between the walls and the edged board. This allows the tree to expand freely under the influence of temperature changes.
Wooden floor on supporting pedestals
With your own hands, at the dacha or in a private cottage, you can also make a wooden floor on joists that will rest against the supporting pedestals. This is done if it is necessary to raise the floor, level it, or simply the area of the room is large enough. In this case, even the guide plates will not be able to withstand the load that will be exerted on the wooden floor from the boards
- In order to make a floor on supporting pedestals, it is necessary to prepare the base. To do this, you need to dig holes in the ground for support pillars. They are made at a distance of 100-120 cm from each other. In this case, the cabinets closest to the wall should be placed at a distance of 40 cm from the foundation walls.
- The depth of the holes should be 40 - 50 cm. Pour a 10 cm layer of sand into the recesses and level it well. After this we compact the sand.
- Pour a layer of crushed stone on top of the sand and level it too. Then we ram it. We place a piece of roofing felt on top of the crushed stone. Such a pie is required when laying a foundation.
- We insert metal rods into the hole and fill it with concrete mortar to a height of 30-40 cm. To prevent the mortar from spreading, we first form the formwork.
- After the foundation has set well, you can lay out the brickwork to the desired height.
Important: at all stages of column construction it is necessary to level them. Otherwise, the floor will turn out skewed. In addition, it is worth considering that the pillars must have a cross-section of at least 50x50 cm.
- We install special fasteners into the columns, onto which we will attach logs from edged timber.
- Roofing felt is laid on the pedestals to ensure reliable waterproofing of the wood. Otherwise, without this layer of cake, in a few years you will have to replace the joists.
- The beams are attached to the posts using special pins and holes made in the wood for them. Or using special plates.
Important: if the length of the log is not enough for one span, then the beams are made from edged wood. In this case, you need to ensure that the joints of the two logs meet on the central pedestal and extend beyond each other by 15-20 cm. And do not forget about the space around the support pillars. It is better to cover it with expanded clay in a layer of up to 15 cm. In this case, the layer of such a cake must be carefully leveled with your own hands.
If the topcoat ( edged board or lining) will be in one layer, then the subfloor must be covered with expanded clay completely flush with the joists. If you are planning a subfloor, then you can leave the insulation in this condition and lay second or third grade boards on top.
Wooden floor on screed
- First of all, you need to level the base well if there are differences in height. This can be done using a self-leveling mixture.
- Next, you need to make a layer of waterproofing by laying roofing felt or oilcloth on the floor. In this case, it is advisable to push the edges of the material onto the walls.
- We mark the floor with stripes for laying joists. The distance must be at least 60 cm. Sometimes 80 cm is possible if the room is small.
- In the planned strips, three pieces per strip, we install studs that will hold the wooden joists.
- You need to drill holes in the wood for the studs.
- We install the logs on the studs and level them in height. The locking latches must be pulled to the required level and removed into the hole in the tree. We cut off the edges of the studs with a grinder.
Important: do not forget to leave gaps between the edges of the beams and the wall. This will allow the wood to expand freely and not become deformed. Otherwise, over time, the curved beams and floor will need to be replaced.
- The space between the support beams is covered with insulation (expanded clay, mineral wool, expanded polystyrene).
- A finishing covering of sanded boards is installed on top of the joists or a subfloor is made from sheets of plywood. Subsequently, any floor covering can be laid on it.
Concrete floor
- In a private house along the entire perimeter (living rooms, kitchen and utility rooms) remove the soil 5 cm thick. The base is well leveled and compacted, slightly moistened with water.
- A layer of sand is poured on top, which is also slightly moistened and compacted. Allow the cake layers to dry.
- Now you can fill in the rough screed mixed with gravel or expanded clay instead of sand. It is poured onto the sand and leveled well. Allow to dry completely.
- A waterproofing layer is laid on the rough screed. It is better if it is roofing felt, but you can also use 250 micron oilcloth. All joints are connected with tape, and the edges of the covering are thrown onto the foundation walls.
- To insulate the floor in all rooms, including the kitchen, you should lay insulation (expanded clay or extruded polystyrene foam).
- After this layer of cake, reinforcement is laid on the floor and a finishing screed is made. It is leveled according to the installed beacons and dried for at least a month.
Important: on a screed arranged in this way in a cottage you can make any floors from wooden planks to laminated panels.
Dry screed floors
This technology is good for installing a floor with your own hands in any part of the house (including the kitchen). The dry screed is based on the following materials:
- Expanded clay of fine fraction;
- Slag;
- Quartz, perlite or silica sand.
Such bulk materials are perfectly distributed over the floor after leveling and practically do not shrink. Serves the floor long years and perfectly retains heat in the house (in the kitchen and living rooms).
Make a dry screed like this:
- Waterproofing is laid on the prepared and compacted base, pushing its edges onto the walls.
- Wooden bulkheads are installed on the waterproofing in increments of 60-80 cm. In this case, it is important to mount beacons along which you need to align the screed with your own hands.
- The dry mixture is poured onto the floor and leveled using the rule.
- They complete the installation of a dry screed with their own hands on the floor of the house (in the kitchen and rooms) by installing plywood slabs. In this case, they should be laid level, moving from the door and wall deep into the room.
Important: in order for the plywood to lie flat, it is necessary to lay the first slab correctly. The rest will already be adjusted to the same level as the first.
A wooden floor on joists makes it possible to avoid without the use of reinforced concrete floors or other concrete base , the cost of construction of which is quite high.
Effective ventilation of wood on joists in a private house - a necessary and mandatory condition for the reliability and durability of the structure.
Wooden floor on posts along joists
The figure shows a design option for a wooden floor on joists in a private house with an underground space.
The space under the floor is formed by the fact that the logs are laid on fairly high columns of brick or concrete blocks. This design allows you to raise the floor level of the first floor with a minimum volume of backfilling the basement space with soil.
Here the basement and basement space under the floor are outside, outside the thermal envelope of the house, and will be cold.
To ventilate the underground space, vents are made in opposite external walls, above ground level - through holes covered with a metal mesh to protect against rodents. The same openings should be in the internal load-bearing walls.
Air movement under the floor occurs mainly due to wind pressure.
In winter, there is a danger of soil freezing in the underground space, which can lead to heaving soils causing the floor to move relative to the walls.
To prevent freezing, it is recommended to close the vents for the winter and insulate the base.
However, deterioration of ventilation as a result of closing the vents leads to the accumulation of moisture in the insulation and wooden parts - reducing the thermal resistance and durability of these elements.
It must be said that such a device for underground space has been used in private construction for a long time. The design was not originally designed for the use of effective floor insulation.
In houses with weak floor insulation in winter, part of the heat from the room penetrated into the underground space and warmed it, preventing freezing, but increasing heat loss.
Modern floor insulation practically blocks the flow of heat into the subfloor from the premises.Freezing of the subfloor can only be prevented by saving ground heat.
Given modern requirements for energy saving, a cold underground ventilated through vents is not the best option. It is still used rather by inertia.
Scheme of effective underground ventilation in the basement of a private house through exhaust ductTo ventilate the subfloor of a private house or cottage, it is beneficial to use effective ventilation through an exhaust duct. This ventilation scheme is the only the right option for a house with an insulated base or basement.
How to make a wooden floor on posts
In old books and regulatory documents In construction, you can find floor designs on posts using NOT effective heat-waterproofing materials.
Modern floors on joists in a private house do this
Support columns are laid out from ceramic bricks or concrete blocks. The distance between adjacent columns along the log (span) is recommended to be no more than 2 m. The base of the column can be a layer of compacted crushed stone with a thickness of 50-100 mm, spilled bitumen mastic. Or, instead of mastic, a waterproofing film is used.
The top of the columns is leveled to one level with a solution. If the solution thickness is more than 3 cm. The masonry mesh is embedded in the solution. The top of the posts is covered with a sheet of waterproofing material.
Wooden beams are laid on the waterproofing layer. The distance between adjacent joist beams (lag pitch) is determined by their cross-section, as well as the load-bearing capacity and rigidity of the overlying floor layers - sheathing, subfloor, finishing coating. Typically, a step convenient for laying standard mineral wool insulation slabs between joists is taken, about 600 mm.
For the above-mentioned lag pitch and span between the columns, taking into account the thickness of the insulation and sheathing, with normal floor loads, the lag cross-section is sufficiently 100-150x50 mm. A galvanized steel mesh is attached to the bottom of the logs lying on the posts. Instead of a mesh, you can nail boards or slats with a thickness of at least 20 mm.
A windproof, highly vapor-permeable film is laid on top of the mesh (boards) and logs.
This film prevents makes it difficult to carry away insulation particles by air flow (dust formation), but does not prevent the evaporation of moisture from the insulation and wooden parts.
A sheet of windproof, vapor-permeable film is laid on top, across the joists, and lowered on both sides of each joist until it touches the steel mesh so that a tray is formed between the joists. The film is stapled to each side of all joists.
Mineral wool insulation is laid in the formed channel between the joists on the windproof film. You can do without a windproof film if you use special insulation boards with a compacted windproof layer for the bottom layer.
How to determine the thickness of floor insulation
The thickness of the floor insulation is selected according to calculation, providing standard heat transfer resistance R = 4-5 m 2 o K/W. If the base is not insulated, then the thickness of the floor insulation is determined from the condition that the temperature of the space under the floor is equal to the temperature of the outside air. The recommended thickness of mineral wool insulation in this case is no less than 150-200 mm.
For a house with an insulated foundation and plinth, the thickness of the floor insulation can be reduced so that the sum of the heat transfer resistance of the plinth + floor is no less than the standard (see above).
How to calculate the thickness of floor (floor) thermal insulation
A sheathing of bars with a thickness of at least 50 mm is laid across the joists. Another layer of insulation is placed between the sheathing bars. This two-layer insulation design ensures that the insulation covers the cold bridges through the joists. The distance between the sheathing bars is chosen in the range of 300-600 mm., a multiple of the width of the subfloor covering slabs.
This two-layer construction of the floor base (joists + sheathing bars) allows you to conveniently place both insulation boards and floor covering slabs (CBF, plywood, etc.).
The insulation with the lathing on top is covered with a vapor barrier film. The joints of the film panels are sealed. The junctions of the film to the walls are connected to the waterproofing of the walls and the same is sealed.
It is recommended to choose the thickness of the sheathing bars at 25-30 mm. greater than the thickness of the top layer of insulation. This will allow, by lowering the film on both sides of each sheathing bar, to create a ventilated gap between the vapor barrier film and the floor covering.
Vapor and thermal insulation with penofol
Instead of the top layer of insulation and vapor barrier film, it is more profitable to lay penofol - a foamed polymer covered with aluminum foil, 10 mm thick. mm. (also available under other trade names).
Penofol must be laid with the aluminized side up, towards the ventilated gap, across the sheathing bars and lowered on both sides of each bar. After this, penofol is nailed to each side of all the bars with a stapler so that a gap of 3-4 is formed between the aluminized surface and the floor slabs cm.. The joints of the penofol panels are sealed with aluminized adhesive tape. A layer of penofol will provide heat transfer resistance equivalent to a layer of mineral wool with a thickness of 40 mm., and the necessary vapor impermeability.
Subfloor boards are attached to the sheathing bars on top of a vapor-proof film or penofol. Instead of boards, slabs are more often used: cement-bonded particleboard (thickness > 22 mm.), plywood (> 18 mm.), etc. Sheets and slabs are placed with the long side on the sheathing bars. Spacers are secured under the short side between the sheathing bars. All edges of the laid sheet must be supported - a block or spacer.
Using foam plastic as insulation, polystyrene foam boards Not recommended. Such slabs serve as a barrier to moisture, which is always contained in the wood of the floor. By preventing moisture from escaping from the wood, foam insulation shortens the service life of the wooden floor parts. In addition, mineral wool insulation, due to its better elasticity, adheres more tightly to the joists than polystyrene foam.
To protect the underground space from ground moisture it is advisable to cover the entire surface of the soil with a waterproofing film (and not just under the posts, as in the figure). The joints of the covering panels are sealed. The junction of the film to the walls must be connected to the waterproofing of the walls and also sealed. The floor posts lie directly on the film.
As a result, we obtain a ventilated underground space, limited by sealed shells - on top (vapor barrier) and below (waterproofing).
Such an underground space protects the house not only from moisture and cold, but also from penetration into living spaces.
Floor with joists on intermediate walls
IN modern designs On the floors, joists are located at a short distance from each other, which makes it possible to use lumber of a smaller cross-section, and therefore cost, and also conveniently place insulation boards.
Instead of brick columns, it can be advantageous to rest the logs on intermediate walls laid across the logs at intervals of about 2 m. Bricks or blocks in the wall are laid using the honeycomb masonry method, half a brick thick, leaving increased gaps of 1/4 brick in the vertical joints for ventilation of the underground space. If the wall has a height of more than 0.4 m., then no less than every 2 m. length of the wall, lay out pilasters - brick-thick columns to increase the stability of the wall.
If the lag step is no more than 600 mm. and span less than 2 m., then the cross-section of the wooden log is enough to be 100x50 mm.
Wooden floor on the ground on joists
Another option for a wooden floor along joists in a private house is shown in the following figure:
Here, unlike the first option, the floor level is raised to the required height by filling the base with compacted soil.
Ventilation of the floor is carried out due to the movement of air under the influence of the draft of the ventilation duct.
Warm air is taken from the room and through ventilation holes in the baseboards and the gap between the subfloor covering and the wall enters the space between the joists. Next, the air enters the ventilation duct.
To ensure ventilation of the underground space, baseboards with holes are used or baseboards are installed with a gap between them and the walls.
In order for the air to move more or less evenly under the entire surface of the floor, the gap for air passage is made of different widths - the farther from the ventilation duct, the wider the gap (2 cm.). Near the ventilation duct, no holes are made in the baseboards or gaps between the wall and the floor covering (or the gap is sealed with tape).
It is important to understand that in this ventilation option, unlike the first, the underground space is located inside the heat-protective shell of the house and must be warm. The outer shell of the subfloor must have a heat transfer resistance no less than the wall of the house. Otherwise, admission warm air from the room can lead to condensation on the subfloor parts.
Make the layer of bulk soil thicker than 600 mm. Not recommended. Pour the soil and carefully compact it in layers no more than 200 thick. mm. It is still not possible to compact the fill soil to the state of natural soil. Therefore, the soil will settle over time. A thick layer of fill soil can cause the floor to settle too much and unevenly.
The waterproofing film is laid on a leveling layer of sand with a thickness of at least 30 mm. The joints of the film panels are sealed. The junctions of the film to the walls must be connected to the waterproofing of the wall and also sealed.
Thermal insulation is laid on top of the waterproofing.
In this option, it is better to use polymer insulation boards - polystyrene foam (expanded polystyrene). The thickness of the insulation is 50-100 mm., since the ground temperature under the house is always positive.
If the walls and basement of the house are not insulated, then along the external walls a width of at least 800 mm. a thicker layer of insulation should be laid, 150 - 200 mm.
In a house with multi-layer external walls with insulation on the outside, to eliminate the cold bridge bypassing the insulation of the walls and floor, the outside must be insulated(see picture in the first part of the article).
The floor joists rest on low pads made of brick or concrete blocks.
If extruded polystyrene foam boards (XPS, penoplex, etc.) are used as thermal insulation, then the logs can be laid on pads cut from these boards.
A gap of 3-5 should be provided between the thermal insulation and the wooden floor joists. cm. for free air movement.
According to building regulations, there is one restriction on flooring. Since the space under the floor is ventilated through an exhaust duct natural ventilation, then it is prohibited to make the final floor covering from combustible materials: from boards, parquet boards and shields, etc. Or a non-combustible base should be provided under them, for example a prefabricated screed made of plasterboard, gypsum fiber sheets or a subfloor made of cement bonded particle boards.
In this option, the joists and other floor elements are in better humidity conditions than in the first case.
In this design, the ventilation duct serves to ventilate not only the subfloor, but also the rooms of the house. About what needs to be done to save heat emitted by the ventilation system,
Floors, soils and foundations
Ground floors are not connected to the foundation and rest directly on the ground under the house. If it is heaving, then the floor can “go on a spree” under the influence of forces in winter and spring. To prevent this from happening, the heaving soil under the house must be made not to heave. The easiest way to do this is the underground part
Design of pile foundations on bored (including TISE) and screw piles involves the installation of a cold base. Insulating the soil under a house with such foundations is a rather problematic and expensive task. Floors on the ground in the house pile foundation can be recommended only for non-heaving or slightly heaving soils on the site.
When building a house on heaving soils, it is necessary to have an underground part of the foundation to a depth of 0.5 - 1 m.
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| In a house with external multilayer walls with insulation on the outside, a cold bridge is formed through the base and load-bearing part of the wall, bypassing the insulation of the wall and floor. |
