Wooden floor. Which flooring to choose

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The wooden house is cozy and warm. In such buildings, in most cases, a particularly favorable microclimate is established. However, it should be remembered that a building made of natural material needs special construction methods. So, the main requirements for its floors are their flat surface, as well as reliable protection against moisture and temperature extremes.

General provisions

First of all: no matter what the floor material is, it must meet the following established standards and requirements:

• sanitary and hygienic;
• operational;
• constructive;
• decorative.

Then: when thinking about what you can cover the floor in a wooden house, keep in mind that its coatings are divided according to the level of heat retention into subspecies presented in the table below.

Insulation and related design features of floors

Thinking about the better to cover the floor in a wooden house, keep in mind that the competent choice of the method of thermal insulation is extremely important. Here you should take into account the design of the base floors: multi-layer (screed, logs, subfloor, finish coating), single-layer (screed or boards on logs).

It is necessary to take into account the presence of a basement or basement.

If there is no plinth, a multilayer cake should be mounted.

1. First, rolled waterproofing (roofing material and its taxes) is placed on a concrete screed or on dense soil.
2. Next, logs are made of wooden beams.
3. A slab insulation is mounted between them or loose insulation is laid.
4. Further, the thermal insulation is covered with a vapor barrier film. To improve the tightness of the coating, the film sheets should be laid with an overlap of 10-15 cm. The edges of the insulation are wound onto the walls to a height of about 10 cm. Subsequently, they are fixed with a plinth.

Note! The instruction notes that an excellent solution would be to choose penoplex as a heater. It can be laid without applying a vapor barrier.

In fact, it is a rolled foamed polystyrene. The material has low thermal conductivity, moisture resistance and soundproofing properties.

Basement, basement

In the photo - the arrangement of the coating in the house with a basement.

If the house has a basement, the floor should be insulated from below. Foam insulation is best suited for this, it will clog all joints and cracks.

Double plank floors are essential to achieve the maximum effect of stability.

1. The base (base, draft floors) is made of raw (slab, unedged, unplaned) boards 5-5 cm thick. It retains the finishing floors if the whole structure shifts slightly. The base is laid on the floor beams and is not fixed with nails, but is inserted into the grooves in them, as an option - it fits on the cranial bars stuffed on the sides of the beams. Usually, coniferous wood is used for the base, the price of which is low.

Each of the compositions for covering a wooden floor has its own advantages and disadvantages. Be sure to familiarize yourself with them so that you can consciously make the right choice.

How to prepare the floor for further painting

Whatever material you choose for finishing the floor, it is very important that this product also has a protective function. This is essential for long-term operation of the structure. It is also important to remember that the protection for new and old floors is slightly different. So, if the floor was laid in a newly built private house, you will first need to evaluate the quality of the work. For example, self-tapping screws or nails should not be raised above the surface of the boards. It is best if the fasteners are recessed 2 mm below the level of the boards.

Seal the nail heads with putty to level the surface to perfect condition. The shade of the putty mixture should be the same as the color of the floor.

After leveling, the structure should be covered with a starting varnish. The protective film will dry for at least a week. After that, process the floorboards again. Preparing the floor in an old wooden house is a little more difficult, as you have to remove the old paint. This can be done in different ways. Often, experts cover the boards with paper, put a hot iron on top and carefully smooth the surface. As a result, the old ink will begin to melt and stick to the paper. If paint remains on the boards, it can be easily removed with a spatula.

Coatings that have eaten into the boards can be removed by wetting them with a solvent. After that, the floor is being prepared in the form of deepening the nail heads and leveling the irregularities with a grinder. Next, you need to eliminate the defects of the boards. To do this, wood dust and PVA glue are mixed in a wide container. After that, the mixture is applied to the cracks. As soon as the coating dries, it must be treated with a starting varnish.

Features of floor varnish - assortment and processing

Many experts advise applying varnish to the floor. The range of this material is quite large, and each type has its own characteristics. For example, water-based varnish is practically odorless, dries quickly and has excellent adhesion to the coating. However, this composition also has disadvantages. The one-component material covering the floorboards can last no more than 3 years. Two-component materials last from 5 to 8 years, but their cost is quite high.

You can also find alkyd varnishes in stores. The main advantage of these materials is the ability to emphasize the structure of the tree. Among the minuses is the need to wait a long time until the paint dries. Another common type is polyurethane varnish, which does not contain water. It does not wear out for a long time, however, this product cannot be used for application to wood with a moisture content of more than 10%. Otherwise, bubbles will appear on the surface.

To varnish the wooden floor in the house, you should make quick forward S-shaped movements with a spatula. If you prefer a brush, then make neat strokes. In addition, each subsequent stroke should overlap the previous one a little. Regardless of what material and tool you choose, start covering the surface from the far corner of the room.

What paint is suitable for work - oil, acrylic or alkyd?

Paint is one of the most sought-after materials for finishing a wooden floor. The range of coloring compositions is quite large, but the following tools are suitable for working with wood flooring:

• oil paints - create a strong protective film, but they have an unpleasant odor. On sale there is a small selection of shades;
• acrylic paints are among the most practical. They dry quickly, have no smell and are not afraid of wet cleaning;
• alkyd materials are able to give the surface a shine and protect it from decay.

Covering the prepared floor with paint is quite simple. The material is applied to a perfectly cleaned surface in a thin, even layer so that bubbles do not form on it. After that, the paint should dry - it will take no more than 2 days. Then the last layer is applied to the surface. With each painting, cover the bottom of the walls and baseboards with masking tape.

Wax and oil - what are the advantages, and are there any disadvantages?

One of the main advantages of the oil is its ability to penetrate deep into the structure of the boards, thereby protecting them from decay. This will significantly increase the life of the covered floor. Due to this feature, the oil is often used to treat floorboards in corridors or living rooms, where the load is especially high. However, the oil has another important feature - it strongly emphasizes all the defects of the base.

When applying oil, do not allow streaks to form. To do this, there must be no excess material on the tool. You can renew the coating twice a year. In the first few years, stains will often appear on the floor, so experts recommend carpeting the surface immediately after the oil has dried. After 1-2 years, the oil will completely penetrate the structure of the wood, and it will be quite difficult to stain the boards. Surfaces coated with this material are very easy to restore. To do this, the damaged board is sanded and again treated with oil.

Wax is an environmentally friendly material. It can be used for finishing floors in children's rooms. The application algorithm is quite simple:

1. 1. 3-4 layers of wax are applied to the cleaned boards;
2. 2. then you need to wait until the surface is dry;
3. 3. then the coating will need to be sanded with a clean cotton towel;
4. 4. at the end, you need to wait for the boards to dry completely.

It is important to remember that the floor must be perfectly clean before work. Any hair will be clearly visible under the wax. After work, the tool will need to be thoroughly washed, otherwise the wax will dry later and it will be almost impossible to get rid of it.

Scandinavian way of finishing the floor

In addition to the above methods, there is another option for effectively protecting a wood floor. It does not involve the use of oils, varnishes or waxes. This method is called "Scandinavian". The most important thing with this finish is the correct preparation before covering the wooden floor with a protective agent. You will need to sand the surface of the boards, get rid of dust and chips. After that, the boards should be washed with soap and water.

In the future, the surface is not treated with anything. To care for the home floor, the same soapy solution is used, which will help neutralize bacteria and fungi. Foam from the solution will effectively protect the surface from violations of the integrity of its structure. This method is well suited for any type of room where the floor will be covered with carpet. Also, this method can be used in a bath, where surface finishing with paint or varnish is not possible due to humidity fluctuations.

Bars of different quality are used in rooms of different target orientation: in the pantry - a low-grade board, which is enough to paint; in living rooms - a selected log that requires scrupulous care, but at the same time, pleasing to the eye with a natural pattern. The best option for preserving the material is varnishing the wooden floor.

The modern flooring market is replete with material variations. However, it is difficult to compete with the eternal classics, natural wood. Composite materials cannot boast of a natural pattern and color, the unique warmth of wood. Citizens of the post-Soviet states definitely remember how at the end of the last millennium the floors from the bars were actively changed to trendy linoleum, chasing fashion and forgetting about practicality.

Today, many people prefer wooden floors. They are aesthetic, appropriate in any interior, but whimsical in care, require a protective coating. The lacquering of such a demanding material is due to its physical properties:

• The main enemy of the board is water. Moisture penetrates deep into the bar, or evaporates from it after a while, changing the geometric proportions of individual elements, causing damage to the structure as a whole. Common damage - drying out, swelling. The protective layer prevents moisture fluctuations inside the component.
• Natural wood attracts gnawing fauna and microflora. Lacquering reduces the risk to a minimum.
• The lacquer adds resistance to mechanical damage to the board, in particular to abrasive loads.
• Cleaning the floor will require less effort, as the board will absorb dirt less.
• The varnish exposes the natural pattern in the best light, favorably shading and emphasizing it. The top layer will help fix the aesthetics in its original form, without abrasion.

Used types of varnishes

Beginner builders are mistaken about the variable variety of material. They may think that there is only one type of varnish on the market for the entire range of surfaces. In reality, there are at least a dozen different types of material, the total number is in the hundreds due to the abundance of manufacturers. The main systematization is by groups: the basis is water or organic solvents are present in the composition.

The first group is more environmentally friendly, emits very little specific odor, however, in comparison with organic ones, it does not add such impact resistance.

The second classification is according to the binding component. The following types of compositions can be distinguished:

• Acrylic - water-soluble, practical for construction work, as they spread well. Of the advantages also - decent elasticity and budgetary cost, of the disadvantages - a low level of strength created.

• Alkyd - have a high drying rate, but at the same time they are not plastic enough, therefore they are not particularly impact resistant. The coefficient of resistance to abrasion is high.

• Oily - the basis of the varnish are organic oils and resins. The varnish is not intended for use as a top layer, it is used as a preliminary varnishing of the treated floor.

• Polyurethane - are produced both water-soluble and with an organic solvent. They have earned a reputation as the golden mean among "varnish colleagues". The material has good plasticity, protective properties. The key deterrent when buying a water-based polyurethane varnish is the high cost, organic - a long period of evaporation of an unpleasant odor after applying the suspension.

• Epoxy - almost ideal (if you do not take into account the rather weak elasticity). There is a difficulty when working with the mixture: the two-component composition must be prepared clearly according to the instructions, the finished mixture does not retain its properties at the beginning of use after a long time after the preparation of the solution.

• Acrylic-polyurethane– mixes of wide application. The strength of the material is lower than that of analogues, however, the properties of polyurethane and the low cost of acrylic are combined in the solution.

• Urethane - a combination of decent elasticity, resistance to mechanical damage, budget cost. Varnishes are acceptable for use inside residential premises with low mechanical loads. They do not link adjacent boards forever, on the contrary, they dampen the vibrations of the floorboards.

• Urethane-alkyd- physical properties are similar to the previous type, but the impact strength is higher.

• Urea-formaldehyde- a rare type. In interior decoration, they are used occasionally due to low environmental friendliness.

• Alcohol - differ in quick solidification (alcohol disappears quickly). Excellent adhesion to any surface. The coating is durable, it gives off a specific shine. The peculiarity of the subspecies is that it can be periodically applied to the varnished floor again, after abrasion, while maintaining aesthetics. Of the minuses - low resistance to moisture.

Preferred paint material

A professional always knows exactly what kind of varnish is better to cover a wooden floor. It will take into account the frequency of movement on the coating, temperature and humidity indicators (daily and permissible critical figures), the type of wood, the aesthetic component (gloss or dullness) and other factors. It is impossible to comprehend the intricacies of the matter after familiarization with the theoretical material, knowledge is acquired with experience, in this regard, it is advisable to cite only the key points:

• When choosing a varnish for floors in the kitchen, bathroom (rooms with increased accumulation of moisture), you should pay attention to water-resistant mixtures - polyurethane, alkyd-urethane or pure urethane.
• When varnishing floors in living rooms, including children's rooms, the main factor of choice is environmental friendliness. When choosing a varnish in a store, look for the EN3 marking on the packaging. Often the best choice is a polyurethane solution with a short curing time (less toxins will evaporate in a short period of time).
• Not only polyurethane, but also epoxy mixtures are suitable for floors with high mechanical stress and abrasive effects (in corridors, on wooden steps).
• Urethane varnishes are endowed with anti-slip properties, so there is no need to think about how to varnish flights of stairs - the mixtures are ideal for the porch in front of the house, which is often a traumatic place in icy conditions.
• It is advisable to choose urethane varnishes (pure and with an admixture of alkyd) to cover the country floor with varnish, where the house is not heated in winter. The composition is resistant to moisture, increased plasticity will prevent deformation due to thermal expansion of the tree.

The nuances of correct varnishing

Before directly varnishing the floors, it will be necessary to carry out a set of preparatory work, the neglect of which destroys the very essence of the actions aimed at varnishing the wooden floor.

Initial preparation of the treated area

Before painting a wooden floor with varnish, a number of preparatory measures should be performed:

1. Loose fibers and large burrs should be removed.
2. It is necessary to level the screws and nails with the floor - they stick out and ruin the sandpaper, which will be needed next.
3. The recesses from the hats of nails - mask with wood putty of the appropriate tone. Putty can be mixed with your own hands: combine wood glue (or purchased varnish) with fine-grained sawdust. It makes no sense to be zealous over putty - it is enough to achieve the desired density. The floor is best left to dry completely.
4. If before that the wood was covered with a protective layer of wax, before covering the floor with a primer, it will need to be washed with a special solution.
5. Resin from wood also needs to be removed (conifers abound in it). A rag soaked in gasoline will help to cope with this.

After following all the instructions, the tree is ready for sanding.

In the video: varnishing the floor.

Surface priming and varnishing

After sanding, the stage of priming and varnishing the floor is provided, which includes the following:

1. When working with paints and varnishes, it is necessary to use protective equipment, prepare a respirator, a protective suit and gloves. A clean rag will come in handy for dusting.

• The optimum temperature regime is 10-25 ° C. Air fluctuations should be maintained in the room (do not close all windows), but do not organize a draft;
• Provide escape routes (for example, flights of stairs are covered through a step);
• It is recommended to test the new solution in a hidden area: see how the board reacts to the mixture.

1. How to properly varnish the floor - it is applied evenly only on the primed surface.

• You can use nitro varnish. Finishing varnish can also be used for this purpose, after diluting it by 1/3 with the main solvent;

It is impossible to prime all types of trees with one type of primer: oak darkens from polyurethane mixtures (it needs a primer with interfering qualities), beech sticks together from water-based mixtures.

• Some breeds resist the process of hardening the paint mixture. Essential oils and resins are neutralized with a cut-off primer (this is their key function);
• The direction vector is along the fibers of the board. A suitable brush is 100 mm, 10-50 mm thick.

1. After the primer has dried, it's time to carry out manipulations with the layer-by-layer application of varnish.

• Before starting work, mix the varnish, leave it for a while until the air bubbles disappear;
• The working tool is a similar priming brush or roller. With a brush, do arcuate movements, crossing each next strip with the previous one. Roller work crosswise: pour the material across the floorboards, spread it along the roller. The strips of the roll should also intersect - by 1/3-1/4 of its length;
• Do not cover the floor with excess mortar - the excess looks unaesthetic;

• After applying the base layer - there is no need to follow the tree, it is left to dry. The situation is similar with each new layer;
• All layers separately (with the exception of the finish) - grind, then the pattern will be rich and uniform (with your own hands with sandpaper 220-400). An alternative is to carefully work out the grinding technique, but such actions will require more concentration;
• Absolute drying will occur after 7 days. The surface is ready for use.

How to varnish wooden floors (2 videos)

It has long been no secret that the best wood flooring is natural wood. Possessing a number of advantages such as: environmental friendliness, long service life, amazing appearance, wooden floors remain the most popular in the flooring market. Today there are many varieties of wooden floors, which have their own advantages and disadvantages. In our article, we will take a closer look at the most popular types of wood flooring, and how to choose a floor covering depending on the type of room, operating conditions and other factors.

Types of wooden floors

• Solid wood - solid wood is used, of different thicknesses and different types of wood (beech, oak, larch, etc.);

• Parquet board (engineering) - consists of several layers of wood. The top layer is made of solid valuable wood, the lower layers can vary: plywood substrate, pine and other wood species. Parquet floors can be made from different types of wood, but oak parquet remains the most durable and prestigious wood flooring. Oak parquet floors are not subject to severe mechanical damage, easily withstand moisture on the surface without deformation, and allow them to retain their original appearance for a long time.

Which flooring to choose

For office premises, or in places where there is a lot of traffic, it is best to give preference to parquet made of oak, larch, which perfectly resist mechanical damage, such as marks from heels, chair legs, armchairs, etc.

For rooms with high humidity, it is best to choose teak parquet, which is not exposed to moisture for many years. You can also use other exotic species that contain oils in the fibers of the tree.

Attention! Before purchasing flooring,

Mounting Features

One of the main stages in the installation of parquet or solid wood floors is the creation of certain conditions in the room. The room should have sufficient humidity, but not damp or dry. It is important to maintain the temperature range recommended by the manufacturer, depending on the type of flooring chosen.

Parquet or solid wood flooring can be installed directly on the screed using an elastic adhesive or on any other level surface.

The main characteristics of wood flooring

• Moisture content of wood - depends on the quality of drying (atmospheric drying or drying in chambers) and the type of production of wood flooring;
• Production technology and age of the tree.

Features of parquet floors

Before answering the question - how to choose a floor covering, you need to familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages of wood flooring.

Parquet floors are multi-layered, which allows them to be more stable to various external influences (moisture, mechanical damage, temperature changes, etc.). Before choosing a parquet, you should find out the thickness of the top coating, the warranty period from the manufacturer, and check the quality of the bonding of the layers.

Types of parquet flooring

• parquet board

• Artistic parquet, can be made from special inserts of natural stone, metal, cork.

Publication date: 22-10-2015

Wooden floors can give any room a touch of elegance and luxury. But such a floor needs not only proper installation. It is very important to properly care for it, and most importantly - to choose the coating that will ensure the durability of the floor. In our article, we will tell you how to cover a wooden floor and what features of a particular protection method can influence the choice.

What is wood flooring for?

Wooden floor

Before choosing a flooring method, you must first understand why wood needs protection at all.

Wooden floors have many advantages:

• they are strong and reliable, they are durable;
• the thermal insulation characteristics of wood are quite high;
• wood is a natural material, it is easily accessible, if necessary, you can choose any type of flooring, from a simple massive board to a type-setting parquet;
• the tree is antistatic and anti-allergic, during operation it does not emit absolutely no harmful substances;
• if individual floor elements are damaged, they can be easily replaced with your own hands.

But, like any natural material, wood also has disadvantages that must be eliminated when installing a wooden floor:

• low sound insulation;
• hygroscopicity;
• susceptibility to abrasion, mechanical damage, scratches. The tree easily deteriorates in the presence of traces of rot, insects, rodents;
• the possibility of deformation during temperature changes, humidity levels.

It is in order to eliminate these shortcomings that it is recommended to supplement natural wooden floors with protective coatings, such as varnishes, waxes, oils.

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Wood floor oils

Oils for coating wood have been used for many centuries. They give the floor a luxurious and rich look. Such a coating perfectly protects the wooden floor from adverse effects.

Modern floor oil compositions contain natural soy, linseed, sunflower oils, hard wax, polyurethane synthetic polymers and other substances that can significantly increase the strength of wood. The treated surface becomes very resistant to moisture, does not swell or dry out. However, it is no longer possible to varnish such a floor.

The oil imparts a rich, natural color to the floor, ranging from whitish to bright yellowish red, brown, cognac and black. Such compounds deeply impregnate the wood, filling the pores and forming a thin protective film on top. As a result, the floor becomes durable, moisture resistant and very beautiful.

The depth of penetration of the oil depends on the concentration of the composition and the oil fraction. There are restrictions on the use of oil formulations. They can not be used when installing underfloor heating systems and with frequent temperature changes in the room.

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Lacquer compositions

Coating a wooden floor with varnish has many advantages:

• The varnish is a reliable protection against fungus, mold, insects.
• The floor can acquire a glossy and elegant shine or a noble matte shade.
• Varnishes enhance the natural appeal of wood by highlighting its structure.

Such compositions are applied very simply: first you need to prepare the floor surface, and then apply the selected varnish in several layers. In addition, each subsequent layer must dry completely before application.

Varnishes cannot be used when treating wood with oil-containing and drying compounds, as well as in rooms with high humidity and in areas not protected from precipitation: on terraces, balconies, verandas.

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Waxing wooden floors

Wood preservatives

Waxing, that is, waxing a wooden floor, is one of the best ways to protect the surface from moisture, various contaminants, scratches (but not from strong mechanical stress), cracking. Floor wax is a mixture of natural linseed oil, beeswax, a small number of different additives, it all depends on the specific composition.

Waxed floors acquire a pleasant shade, golden in the light, and a noble, silky matte shimmer, inherent only to wood. This method is the best protection against moisture, but the surface cannot be protected from strong abrasive effects and mechanical stress in this way.

There is nothing difficult in applying wax to the floor. After laying, the surface is cleaned and dried, after which, using a special machine or a wide and soft roller, the wax composition is applied to the floor and polished. This protective coating should be renewed twice a year.

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Scandinavian way

Some people prefer to leave the wood flooring in its original state, that is, not varnish or other compounds.

This method is called Scandinavian, it provides for additional processing of the floor surface.

• The wooden floor after laying is carefully treated with a grinder and cleaned of small chips and dust.
• Then it is thoroughly washed with plain water and laundry soap.

This completes the flooring. During operation, the floor boards are regularly washed with soapy water, the wood is quickly impregnated, and dirt from its surface is easily removed.

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Preparatory work before varnishing

Let us consider in more detail the process of covering a wooden floor with various varnish compositions. First you need to carefully prepare the base, this can be done in several ways, depending on the condition of the floor.