How to lay tiles on a floorboard. How to tile on a wood floor

Ceramic tiles are the best flooring for rooms where wet cleaning is often carried out or there is high dampness.

The material is difficult to install and even when laid on stable monolithic concrete, it places high demands on the qualifications of the master.

If the base is made of wood, the process becomes much more complicated. Next, we will tell you how to lay tiles on a wooden floor so that the coating is strong and durable.

Bases for tiles are usually divided into two categories:

1. simple;
2. complex.

The tree is classified as the second type due to the following features:

• Low load-bearing capacity: Tiles and - heavy materials and not every wooden structure can withstand such a load.
• The need for aeration: tiles on - airtight coating, and without access to air, the wood collapses.
• Short lifespan: A wooden base will require repair much sooner than a ceramic tile cladding. This means that the user will one day be forced to knock down expensive finishing material, despite its good condition.

Distinguishes wood from other materials and mobility, implying the ability to:

• shrink;
• bend under the action of loads;
• transmit vibrations;
• shrink and swell with changes in humidity.

The greatest mobility is observed in the first year or two after construction, when the tree shrinks.

Tiling is allowed only after this period has passed. This does not apply to dried lumber with a moisture content of 8-12%.

Thus, laying tiles on a wooden floor is possible under the following conditions:

• the structure is reinforced, and the load is minimized so that deformations are excluded;
• the tree has already shrunk;
• the condition of all elements of the floor is perfect and repairs will not be required soon;
• for the same purpose, the wood is carefully treated with antiseptics;
• between the base and the tile there is a layer that allows the tree to change dimensions, but at the same time retaining a stable shape;
• there is air access to lumber.

Let's see how all these requirements are implemented in practice.

Preparatory work

Foundation preparation consists of several operations.

Dismantling the floor boards and checking the condition of all elements located under them - from the log to the vapor barrier

All damages are eliminated, and if they are significant, new materials are laid. Special attention is required:

1. A vapor barrier film laid on top of the ground: if there are gaps in it, steam enters the floor structure, which contributes to the development of mold colonies and rotting fungi.
2. wooden elements.

Laying plywood on a wooden floor (on glue) to level the base for tiles

It is important to remove rotten areas, cleaning them to a completely healthy tissue, and treat all lumber with one of the antiseptics:

• hot drying oil;
• sodium fluoride solution (50 - 100 g per 10 l of water);
• copper sulfate;
• any prefabricated antiseptic for interior work.

Rotten areas are recognized by their soft structure - a knife or awl easily enters them.

It is necessary to bring the drying oil to the desired temperature carefully: when overheated, its vapors ignite. In the absence of experience, it is better to apply impregnation without heating.

Reinforcement and alignment

With a lag step of more than 50 cm, intermediate ones are laid between them - to prevent deflection of the floor boards. New beams are also treated with impregnations.

The upper faces of the lag should lie in the same plane - then the base will be perfectly flat. During construction, they are laid like that, but due to uneven shrinkage, distortions occur, so alignment is necessary. The protruding beams are cut off with a planer, the sagging beams are put on linings or thin boards are stuffed on them, then adjusting the thickness with a planer.

Installation of boards

The dismantled floorboard, if it is in good condition, is returned to its place. Before that, varnish or paint is removed from it using one of the following methods:

1. Heating with a hair dryer: fast and inexpensive option. When air is supplied with a temperature of 200C - 250C, the paint and varnish coating lags behind the wood, swelling with bubbles, so that it can be easily cleaned off with a spatula. This effect is due to a significant difference in the thermal conductivity coefficients of paint and wood. It is impossible to remove paint from metal and concrete bases in this way.
2. Wash treatment: so-called chemical products designed to remove paint and varnish coatings. They are produced in the form of a ready-made solution (they are liquid and gel-like) and a dry mixture. After processing, the paint is easily removed, but with significant volumes of surfaces, this method is expensive.
3. Processing with abrasive tools: in a manual version, the method is laborious, in a mechanized one (a grinder or a drill with a special nozzle is used) it is dusty and requires jewelry ownership of the tool.

Finished floor - tiles on wood

If damage is found (cracks, woodworm passages, rotten areas), the boards are rejected.

Boards are laid on logs with gaps of 3-4 mm, and between boards and walls - 1 cm.

The gaps eliminate the appearance of stresses when the wood expands due to changes in temperature or humidity.

Before installing the flooring, you must make sure that between it and the insulation there will be a ventilation gap of at least 5-7 mm.

The boards are fastened to the lags with corrosion-resistant nails or self-tapping screws:

• galvanized;
• oxidized (black);
• phosphated.

The board is attached to the extreme lags with two hardware, to the rest - with one.

Irregularities are puttied, then the boards are polished with a grinder.

Finally, all gaps are filled with polyurethane sealant (mounting foam). This resilient compound will transform the flooring from slotted to solid and at the same time allow the boards to expand freely. The gaps are foamed little by little: the sealant significantly increases in volume during hardening. The exposed material is cut flush with the floor.

Waterproofing

In order to impart hydrophobic properties, the flooring is generously treated in several steps with latex impregnation or hot drying oil.

• polyethylene;
• glassine or other bituminous material;
• material with paraffin impregnation;
• paint grid.

The overlap of the panels of the paint mesh is 5-10 cm, of all the others - 10-15 cm. The places of overlap are glued with adhesive tape.

How to lay tiles on a wooden floor

The next step is to form a rigid base under the tile. Apply one of three varieties of screeds: wet, dry and semi-dry.

"Wet" screed on a wooden floor under the tile

This is an option for rooms with high humidity. Set up like this:

• a grid of steel wire with a diameter of 3-5 mm with a mesh of 20x20 mm is laid on the separator substrate;
• install beacons, checking their horizontalness with a building level;
• pour cement-sand mortar with a layer of 3 cm thick;
• align it with the beacons by the rule (for this, the distance between the beacons is made slightly less than the length of the rule);
• remove the beacons and fill the remaining openings from them with a solution.

A thickness of 3 cm is optimal. With a smaller value, the screed will crack, with a larger one, it will be too heavy for a wooden deck.

Wet screed

If a ladder (shower) is installed in the floor, the screed is made with a slope towards it, for which special beacons are used. They often come with ladders.

In washing departments, instead of the usual cement-sand mortar, a waterproof polymer is used. The purchased one is expensive, therefore they often use a home-made version prepared according to the following recipe:

• polyurethane glue or liquid glass (KS glue can be used): 2 parts;
• coarse sand (must be sifted and washed): 2 parts;
• water: 1 part.

"Wet" screed dries completely and gains strength after 28 days.

"Semi-dry" screed

This option also uses a cement-sand mixture, but with a limited amount of water. "Semi-dry" screed has the following advantages:

• the time of complete drying and curing is only 4 days, the tiles can be laid after 3 days;
• in comparison with the “wet” analogue, it has less weight, therefore, the load on the wooden base is reduced;
• quickly keeps within, use of the mechanized means of laying is possible;
• there is no risk of moisture penetration into the underlying layers;
• can be applied on any basis, including crushed stone, sand or wood;
• does not shrink (little water evaporates).

Semi-dry screed

A “semi-dry” screed is inferior to a “wet” screed only in penetrating power: it fills bottlenecks worse - seams and cavities. The situation is improved by adding plasticizers to the solution. They reinforce the "semi-dry" screed, as well as the "wet" one - with wire mesh and fiberglass.

For every 10 m 2 of area, the components are taken in such quantities:

• Portland cement grade 400 and above: 25 kg;
• fine-grained river sand (clay impurities - no more than 3%): 60 l;
• fiberglass: 75 g

After thorough mixing for 3 minutes. water is added little by little until the solution reaches the consistency of sticky clay sand (molded into a lump).

It is useful to add fiber filaments to the solution - additional reinforcement reduces the likelihood of cracking to zero.

"Dry" screed

In rooms with normal humidity (corridor, hallway), instead of cement mortar, one of the following materials can be laid on top of the waterproofing:

• cement particle boards;
• gypsum sheets;
• moisture resistant plywood;
• moisture resistant drywall: due to its fragility, the material is used only for lack of anything better.

The plates are laid with a rotation of 30-45 0 relative to the boards so that the seams do not match. They are screwed along the perimeter with self-tapping screws in increments of 25-30 cm and one more in the center. The seams are filled with a compound for sealing gaps between sheets of moisture-resistant drywall, for example, with Polyrem SSHP-421 cement putty, and after it has hardened, they are polished.

After installing the screed, tiles are glued to it in the usual way.

For facing a wooden floor with ceramic tiles, a large amount of work has to be done. But if everything is done correctly, in accordance with the recommendations outlined above, the floor will not yield to concrete in terms of quality and durability.

Ceramic tiles are an excellent material for flooring, especially in rooms with high humidity or with a high probability of liquids or other substances on the floor. Typical examples are bathroom, toilet, hallway, kitchen. They do not refuse to lay tiles in residential premises, if the floor is equipped with a heating system.

But what about the owners of private housing, in which all floors originally wooden? A similar question may arise for owners of apartments of old buildings, where the plank flooring is mounted on logs. Is it possible to lay tiles on a wooden floor?

You can immediately reassure those who are worried - this is a completely feasible operation that does not require complete dismantling of the coating to the ground or concrete base, followed by pouring a thick concrete screed. True, you will have to work hard, since the success of such a reworking of the coating will mainly depend on the quality and strength of the wooden base.

Taking on the laying of tiles, if there is at least any, even the smallest, suspicion of the instability of the wooden base is the height of recklessness. This is explained simply:

• Wood is a fairly flexible material, tending to assume its original configuration after deformation. But what is “forgivable” for a wooden floor (slight deflection, springing, etc.), absolutely unacceptable for ceramics. Each individual tile is very rigid, not bendable. In the case of a “game” of the floor, it can simply crack.
• Another case, if, for example, ceramic tiles are small. cement-containing tile adhesive also does not like dynamic bending loads. It will definitely go into small cracks, begin to delaminate, and the tile, even retaining its integrity, will simply move away from the base.

At the same time, one should not forget that the load on the coating will increase significantly - in addition to everything else, ceramic tiles themselves, mortars, and other possible structural elements of the created multi-layer “pie” of the floor have considerable weight. Thus, the wooden base must have guaranteed static. This is what needs to be achieved at the first stage of work.

It is clear that the first step is always a thorough visual inspection, making efforts on the most problematic areas of the wooden floor in order to identify its possible vibrations and sources of squeaks. If there are any, then questions should not arise at all - the coating is subject to a thorough sorting and repair, and not only in places of instability, since strengthening the floor in one place does not guarantee that it will not appear in another. It is necessary to understand the cause, and eliminate it at the root.

Sometimes after dismantling the floor, a "terrible" picture appears

Moreover, experienced craftsmen always advise, in all cases of laying tiles on a wooden base, to carry out its complete enumeration. If a ceramic coating is planned, then one must think that this is for the long term, and not for a year or two. Where is the guarantee that a defect or the process of wood decomposition that has begun today, which does not manifest itself in any way today, will not be detected in just a month or even a year, when the tiled flooring is already fully laid? To carry out repairs, you will have to remove all the tiles, dismantle the wooden base - and all due to the fact that proper integrity was not shown during the preparation. Isn't it better to be completely, 100% sure of the reliability and stability of a wooden floor before you start laying tiles?

Let such a prospect not be particularly frightening - compared to the complete dismantling of a wooden floor and pouring a new concrete screed to replace it, this procedure is much simpler, requires much less labor and financial investments.

So, the usual scheme of a wooden floor is a plank flooring mounted on logs. The logs themselves can be installed on a concrete base. Another option is that they are a double wood cladding system, with a rough and finished floor and a space in between that can be filled with thermal insulation material. With any kind of floor revision, the boardwalk will have to be completely removed in order to open the logs for their inspection, repair and alignment.

• If the condition of any of the logs causes even the slightest concern - there are cracks or areas with signs of wood decomposition, it is subject to unconditional replacement.
• In the case when the distance between adjacent lags exceeds 500 mm, it will be necessary to install additional bars, otherwise even the thickest floorboard may bend in this place.
• Be sure to align the lag horizontally. If they are securely embedded, and there is no way to change the height of the supports, this can be achieved. urging using a planer, or, conversely, building it up with a wooden plank.
• Of course, if there is a subfloor, it should also be given a certain repair - replace dilapidated or cracked boards, eliminate possible distortions, squeaks, etc. When it is ready, both it and the logs are covered with a layer of dense waterproofing film.
• If it has already become possible to get to the log and the subfloor, you should take the opportunity and treat all the details with antiseptic and water-repellent compounds. You should not attribute your unwillingness to carry out this procedure to the fact that such processing was carried out earlier, during the initial laying of the floor - the compositions are inexpensive, the process itself will not take much time, but the durability of the structure will increase for sure.

• Literally every board of the removed flooring is checked for integrity, the presence of weak areas, cracks, clogged and bent unnecessary nails, etc. All boards with significant defects should be disposed of and replaced with fresh ones.
• An important action that should not be forgotten is cleaning the boards of the finishing floor from old paint layers in case the subsequent laying of tiles is planned directly on them. Creating a reliable base for tiles involves working with a cleaned wood structure.

Such cleaning can be done in several ways:

So, paint or varnish can be removed in advance by scraping or using abrasive materials - grinding and polishing machines, sandpaper or special attachments for a “grinder” or an electric drill.

Sometimes a chemical cleaning method is used - washing off the paint with the help of solvents. However, this is not the best option, because organic solvents are actively absorbed into the wood, violating its natural qualities and reminding of themselves with an unpleasant pungent odor for a long time.

The thermal method is widely used - using a building hair dryer or even a blowtorch. Under the influence of high temperatures, the paintwork either burns out or melts to such a state that it is easy to remove it with an ordinary scraper (trowel).

• Before proceeding with the reverse installation of the floorboards, it is possible to think over additional floor insulation. Expanded clay can be poured between the lags, mineral wool mats or expanded polystyrene plates can be laid. Additional thermal insulation will never hurt anyone.
• The reverse flooring of the boards on the logs is not “solid”, but leaving a gap of 3-5 mm between them, it is necessary so that the wooden floor under the tiles has the opportunity to “breathe” and to compensate for possible linear fluctuations of the material. Another option is to drill through holes in the boards in random order. Be sure to leave a gap near the walls around the entire perimeter of the room, about 10 mm. All gaps left can be slightly closed with adhesive tape or mounting foam.
• After the final installation of the floorboards on the logs with the help of self-tapping screws, a thorough quality control of the coating is once again carried out. If no shortcomings are identified, you can proceed to preparing the base for laying ceramic tiles.

Several ways to prepare the base for laying tiles

So, a repaired solid plank base has been obtained. How to proceed further in order to fully adapt it to laying ceramic tiles?

1. The tile is supposed to be laid directly on top of boards

• First, you need to create a thin, but stable and reliable waterproofing layer. To do this, the wooden floor is thickly treated with hot drying oil, but this method is rather outdated, and besides, it is very unsafe, so it is better to use a latex impregnating composition. It is applied thickly with a wide brush on the floorboards, which immediately after that, without waiting for the composition to dry, are covered with a fine-mesh fiberglass painting mesh.

• When the latex composition is completely dry, for reliability, the mesh should be fixed on the floor surface with galvanized self-tapping screws with wide caps.
• The result is a durable waterproofing coating, which, in addition, has certain reinforcing properties.
• Now it is tedious to achieve good adhesion of the tile adhesive to the resulting base. You can do it this way. Preparing a solution consisting of 2 parts large-fraction sand, 2 parts of silicate glue (often referred to as "liquid glass"), and one part of water. After thorough mixing, the resulting composition is evenly applied in a thin layer over the entire surface of the floor.

After complete drying, a rough monolithic surface will be obtained, completely ready for laying ceramic tiles.

Video: an example of laying tiles directly on the boardwalk

2. It is planned to fill a thin screed

• If you read the opinion of many experienced craftsmen, then some of them are categorically against laying tiles directly on a plank base. Their suggestion is to pour a small light screed over it.
• The initial process - impregnation of the floorboards with a waterproofing composition, does not change.
• Further, along the perimeter, a damper tape should be glued to prevent deformation and destruction of the screed near the walls.
• A system of beacons is installed, based on the thickness of the screed of about 30 mm. Between the beacons, you can additionally lay a thin metal or fiberglass mesh.
• For screed, you can use a standard base cement-sand mortar with fine seeded sand (1: 3), but it is better to use special dry building mixes that have in their composition fiber optic microreinforcement and plasticizers. Such a screed matures faster and is more durable for such conditions. In addition, nothing prevents the use of the technology of pouring a self-leveling compound.

• After hardening and full maturation of the screed, it is treated with a primer, after which it can be considered ready for laying ceramic tiles.

3. The floorboards will be covered with plywood (chipboard, OSB)

If there is no desire to dilute the dirt with pouring the screed, the room does not belong to the category of high humidity, but it has a fairly intense dynamic load, then the plank base can be covered with plywood sheets 10 mm thick. The thickness may be more, but we should not forget that this is an extra load on the logs and floorboards. By the way, here you can save on the floorboard - it is enough to lay it with an interval of even up to 150 -200 mm.

The work is carried out in next sequence:

• The plank base, after antiseptic impregnation, is covered with a waterproofing material. In the case described, this role can be played by waxed, waxed or bitumen-impregnated construction paper, or even ordinary polyethylene film with a thickness of at least 200 microns.
• Plywood sheets are laid out staggered, so that between them there must be a compensation gap of 5 to 10 mm. A similar gap is left around the perimeter of the room along the walls.

• The next step is to create a waterproofing reinforcing layer and prepare the surface for laying tiles. Here, in se in exactly the same way as described above for a wooden floor: latex impregnation → paint mesh → treatment with a silicate-sand composition.

After that, you can proceed directly to laying the tiles.

4. Wood floor close up gypsum fiber sheets (GVL)

This method is somewhat similar to the one described above (with plywood), but it also has its own characteristic features:

• As a rule, GVL are equipped with a locking part for pairing adjacent sheets. In these places they are connected with a special adhesive and self-tapping screws. The use of self-tapping screws around the entire perimeter of the GVL and in its center is not required.

• If the strength of the wooden base of the floor allows, and the operational features of the room require special reliability of the coating, GVL can be laid in two layers. In this case, the second should be oriented perpendicular to the first. Coincidence of joints is not allowed.

Approximate scheme of the resulting "pie" with two layers of GVL

• The GVL surface after treatment with a primer does not need any additional manipulations - it is ready for laying ceramic tiles.

The very process of laying tiles on a prepared wooden floor surface in principle, it is no different from conventional technology, which is discussed in detail. The only thing you should pay attention to is the brand of tile adhesive. It is best to choose a composition “for complex surfaces”, and for some adhesive mixtures, the instructions for use directly indicate the possibility of their use for laying tiles on a wooden base. Such installation of tiles will be more reliable.

The quality and service life of the floor covering largely depends on the proper preparation of the base. According to the standard, only a perfectly flat surface can serve as the basis for ceramic tiles, which can hold not only its stable position, but also the weight of ceramics.

For a long time it was perceived as a meaningless procedure. The fact is that wood is not inherent in constancy - under the influence of temperature and moisture changes, it can narrow or expand, change its size. And floor ceramics, in turn, are extremely sensitive to linear changes, so they will quickly become unusable. Chips and cracks will appear on its surface, the seams will begin to crumble, and the tile itself will gradually lag behind the base. But there are special schemes in construction, with which you can "reconcile" these materials.

Laying ceramics on a wooden base is considered impractical for a number of reasons.

1. The wooden floor, as noted above, is not static, while static is one of the main conditions for laying tiles.
2. With linear expansion, durable ceramic elements will chip easily.
3. The service life of tiles significantly exceeds that of boards and timber.
4. If you lay moisture-repellent floor ceramics (namely, this is used in the bath), then the wood under it will not “breathe”, which will subsequently begin the process of decay.
5. Finally, tile is a “cold” material, and wood is “warm”, and there is not much point in combining them.

In addition, in terms of aesthetic indicators, wood may be inferior to tiles, although this moment is not so important, since ceramics are used mainly not because of the beauty of the patterns, but for sanitary and hygienic purposes. Laying tiles is advisable only in rooms with a high level of humidity to protect floors from the harmful effects of moisture (for example, in a shower, a wooden bath).

But whatever the reasons, there is a need for laying tiles on a wooden floor. In this case, it remains to find out how this can be done, as well as to choose the most appropriate technology.

Important information! It is highly undesirable to lay ceramics on a new wooden floor, because you need to wait until the intensive shrinkage is completed. As a rule, this takes at least two to three years.

Stage one. Preparation of materials and equipment

First you need to purchase tiles. This issue has already been discussed in detail in the article about that, so today only the basic requirements will be briefly considered. You should focus on the geometry and marking of the material.

1. The moisture absorption of the tiles used for arranging the floors in the bath should be minimal, since the material will be in permanent contact with water. The higher the porosity of the material, the more moisture it will absorb.

   

2. Wear resistance can be determined by marking, the seller can help with this.

   

   

3. It is not difficult to determine the quality of a tile - this can be done even by its external characteristics. This includes plane, feature geometry, and angle exposure. Laying uneven ceramics is a difficult and time-consuming procedure, which is why it is so important to determine the quality of the material in advance. To do this, it is enough to take two products and attach them to each other “face to face”: if they fit snugly, and all the corners coincide, then this is a really good tile and it can be used for arranging flooring in the bath.

   

4. The design of ceramics is also important. The concept of design includes color, pattern, texture and form.
5. Finally, do not forget about the purpose of the tile. Floor tiles are very different from wall tiles. The floor material is more durable and resistant to mechanical stress, has a rough surface, in addition, it has a low moisture absorption rate.

An important role is also played by the selection of tile adhesive.

The range of adhesive compositions is huge, but all of them are conditionally divided into two categories - dry and ready-made mixtures. Ready-made formulations are more expensive, but during the dilution of the dry mixture there is a risk of making a mistake with the proportions. When buying glue of a particular brand, you should pay attention to the presence of the following properties:

• resistance to aggressive substances and temperature changes;
• moisture resistance;
• frost resistance (if the bath is used irregularly and the temperature there may drop below 0 ° C).

All of these requirements are met by two-component adhesive compositions made on the basis of epoxy resin or polyurethane.

Important information! Such compositions are elastic only for 1 hour after dilution, and therefore it is recommended to dilute them in small portions.

The waterproof composition "Diola D-307", intended for laying massive ceramic tiles, is excellent for a bath.

Glue “Diola D-307”

It is important that the selected adhesive is highly elastic. The fact is that the operating conditions in the bath are not simple: heating and, as a result, expansion of materials alternates with cooling. And the higher the elasticity of the adhesive, the greater the differences will be able to withstand the floor covering.

If it is planned to lay porcelain stoneware tiles, then the selected adhesive composition must have high adhesion - at least 28 kg / cm². This is explained by the significant weight of porcelain stoneware and almost zero hygroscopicity. If we talk about specific brands, then for laying tiles - both porcelain stoneware and ceramic - the Ceresit SM 17 composition is often used.

"Ceresit SM 11" is somewhat less popular, but if the SS-83 elasticizer is not added to this glue, then the adhesion will be significantly less than that of "Ceresit CM 17".

Table. Consumption of tile adhesive

Important information! Some builders refuse to use tile adhesive, preferring to use a home-made composition in their work: sand + cement (proportions - 3: 1) + PVA glue.

In addition, the work will require the following equipment:

• tile cutter;
• mounting level;
• plastic crosses (to create the required gap of 2-4 mm between the tiles);
• electric drill with mixer nozzle;
• notched trowel (tooth height should be approximately 8 mm).

Now you can proceed directly to the workflow.

Stage two. Foundation preparation

The wooden floor is a multi-layer structure, which is completely or partially made of wood. These are not only boards, but also a system of beams and logs laid under a plank floor, so before starting work, all elements must be carefully inspected and checked. Often the preparation of the base for laying is carried out:

• on the logs that remained after the removal of damaged or worn boards;
• on flooring made of moisture-resistant plywood and installed on logs;
• on the plank floor, if it is still usable.

The condition of the floor can only affect the number of repair operations, but not the choice of one or another arrangement scheme.

Schemes of wooden bases with tiles

The fact is that ceramic tiles are attached to any surface according to the standard scheme, while the differences may lie solely in the preparatory measures. However, the result should be a flat and smooth surface that can support the weight of the floor tiles. There are several leveling methods suitable for a plank floor in a bath.

Method number 1. Dry leveling

The most popular way of leveling wooden floors, which is to create a static rough layer, consisting of plywood or any other moisture-resistant material produced in sheets. There are several ways to dry leveling, let's get acquainted with them.

The final stage of dry leveling should be the installation of plywood sheets or particle boards.

Of course, waste wood pressed products or dowels are also subject to linear movement, but not as much as natural wood.

Ceramic tiles will be fixed over the leveling sheets not with ordinary tile adhesive, but with a special composition based on polyurethane.

Important information! Before laying ceramics, the plywood coating should be sanded along the seams. After that, the joints between the plates must be filled with sealant (as an option, you can use the glue that was purchased to fix the tiles) and treat the surface with a primer that is compatible with the selected sealing material.

Among the advantages of this method of alignment, it is worth highlighting:

• the possibility of improving thermal insulation qualities by laying insulating material between the lags - mineral wool, expanded polystyrene, expanded clay, etc .;
• high installation speed;
• minimization of the load on the floor, which does not have the strength that reinforced concrete counterparts have.

As for the shortcomings, here it is only one: a certain proportion of the height of the room will go to leveling. And between the finished area and the rest of the floor there will be a drop, from which you will later have to make a step or threshold.

It is worth noting that, according to building codes, the flooring in hygienic rooms, which are washing rooms and steam rooms, must be underestimated by at least 2-3 cm, otherwise, in case of leaks, water will flood adjacent rooms. With dry leveling technology (plus the thickness of ceramic tiles), the surface will rise noticeably above the rest of the floor, so it is undesirable to use it (technology) in a bath.

Prices per sheet of plywood

plywood sheet

Video - Adjustable floor

Method #2. Wet screed

This is a kind of simplified way of traditional floor leveling. The screed is poured in a “light” form due to the fact that the bearing capacity of the plank floor is clearly not enough for a full-fledged leveling layer.

Important information! There is another feature of this method - when pouring the solution, it is cut off from the walls and the underlying base. In other words, it should be a kind of floating floor variation with a mandatory expansion gap around the entire perimeter.

With such a scheme, the wooden structural elements will move under the influence of temperature changes, while the screed itself with ceramics laid on top of it will remain motionless.

The thickness of the leveling layer should be 30 mm. It is undesirable to increase this thickness, since the weight will increase along with it. Only slight deviations in one direction or another (a few millimeters) are allowed.

edging tape prices

edging tape

Video - How to level a wooden floor

The algorithm for pouring a cement screed is given below.

Step 1. The floor is dismantled to the beam in order to inspect all the elements. If there is any doubt about the reliability of any element, it must be dismantled and replaced with a new one. If the distance between the lags exceeds 50 cm, then the system is reinforced by installing another beam. There should still be a slight gap (about 10 mm) between the ends of the log and the walls. At the end of the inspection and repair work, all wooden elements are treated with an antiseptic, then the floor is assembled back.

Step 2 A flooring is being constructed under the future screed. To do this, you can use old boards (provided that they are still suitable for use) with a thickness of 40 mm. When fastening between the boards, a ventilation gap of 10 mm remains. A similar gap also remains when using unedged boards to replace defective floorboards. After all, if the boards are laid back to back, you will have to drill holes in them for ventilation.

Step 3 On top of the boards - perpendicular to their direction - quartered moisture-resistant plywood from 1.2 cm in thickness is attached (other boards made from pressed waste from the woodworking industry are also suitable). The material is fastened by analogy with brickwork with glue and galvanized self-tapping screws (the latter are twisted in increments of 20 cm). A slight gap remains between the plates (about 3 mm), there should not be any cruciform joints. Do not forget about the drain hole (if it is planned), which is often arranged in the center of the room.

Step 4 Plywood flooring is covered with waterproofing material. For this, it is desirable to use glassine, paraffin or bituminous paper, although a thick plastic film is also suitable. Roll insulation is overlapped (5-10 cm) and fastened with adhesive tape to create a monolithic "carpet".

Along the entire perimeter, the material should go onto the walls by at least 10 cm; for convenience, it is also attached with tape there.

SNiP 3.04.01-87. Insulating and finishing coatings. Download file

Step 5 A damper tape 100 mm wide and approximately 8-10 mm thick is laid along the walls.

Step 6 A screed is poured over the reinforcing mesh from a ready-made leveling compound or a home-made leveling mixture. To prepare the latter, sifted coarse sand is mixed with liquid glass in a ratio of 1: 1. Water (1:4) is added to the dry mixture without any impurities and additives.

Before pouring, the drain hole is protected by a small formwork. If the work is carried out in a washing or steam room, then special guide rails can be installed to obtain the required slope in the direction of the drain. When the solution has completely hardened, you can proceed directly to laying the tiles.

Method number 3. Express Leveling

This method involves attaching sheets of moisture-resistant drywall (GKVL) to the boardwalk with a two-component adhesive composition based on polyurethane. Due to its elasticity, the structure of the composition will not be disturbed even with wood deformations. Traditionally, before starting work, an inspection and repair of the structure is carried out.

Important information! It is desirable to lay drywall in two layers, and the seams of the first layer should not coincide with the seams of the second. This simple procedure will increase the rigidity of the flooring.

The plasterboard base is equipped in the same way as in the previous methods (using floating floor technology), so a technological gap should be left around the entire perimeter. The joints between the sheets are filled with sealant, after which the entire surface is primed with a universal primer. After laying ceramic tiles, the gap is filled with the same sealant and covered with skirting boards - so moisture will not seep in and spoil the building material.

Video - Laying tiles on a wooden floor

Each of the above methods of preparing the base may need to be adjusted to suit the specifics of the room. In fact, there are many more methods, but the principle is the same for all: the substrate should not interfere with the wooden base to "breathe", and it, in turn, should not destroy the rigid base with the tiles laid on top of it.

Stage three. Bathroom tiling

The procedure is not much different from creating a tiled floor in other rooms, the difference lies only in the grout and adhesive mixture used. In addition, a slope towards the drain hole is necessary, but these are rather features of the floor itself; however, this should be kept in mind when finishing work. If the surface is not prepared, then in order to obtain a slope, it will be necessary to significantly increase the consumption of the adhesive composition. In the case of the dressing room, everything is much simpler: no slope is needed, the main thing is to maintain the horizontal and align the tiles relative to each other.

First you need to perform a "fitting" to determine how best to lay the tiles. Cutting will have to be done in any case, although it is desirable to place the cut elements along the periphery of the room. The number of tiles to be cut is determined in advance. If it is insignificant, then it is quite possible to use a tile cutter for cutting; it is more convenient to perform multiple cutting with a grinder.

The algorithm for further actions is the same as in the case of traditional laying technology.

Step 1. In a room of the correct form, laying should begin from the most visible angle. In case of irregular geometry, you need to determine the middle by crossing the diagonals and start from there. To do this, the room is divided into 4 identical segments. And if we are talking about a steam room or a sink, then it is better to start laying from the drain hole - it will be more convenient to observe the slope.

Important information! Often, a building level is used to check the horizontalness of the tile, but for the steam room and sink, as noted above, the slope is important. Two options are possible here: either pull the rope, which will serve as a guide, or intentionally melt the required edge. Sometimes a special bar is made for this, having the desired slope. The bar lies on the tile, and on top of it - the building level.

Video - Laying tiles with a slope under the drain

Step 2 After that, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, glue is prepared. The composition quickly hardens, so you need to dilute in small portions - about 1 m² each.

Important information! For a bath, it is better to use not mastic, but a special cement glue. It is advisable to replace the usual grout with an elastic silicone compound that has a suitable color.

Step 3 Using a spatula, the diluted solution is applied to the surface.

Step 4 Tiles are laid on the floor treated with glue, special plastic crosses are inserted into the connecting seams (the latter, in extreme cases, can be replaced with ordinary matches). Horizontalness is periodically checked.

Important information! If a plinth is made from a tile, then it goes beyond the line of the lining (the latter, as it were, is superimposed on it). So moisture from the walls will not flow behind the baseboard.

Step 5 Correction and alignment can be carried out before the glue hardens. Longitudinal/transverse directions are corrected by slight shifts. "Sunken" elements are removed, the required amount of the mixture is added, after which they are laid back. A damp cloth is used to remove adhesive from the tile surface. After hardening, you can start grouting.

Video - Laying tiles

Stage four. Grouting

After one or two days, you can start grouting. This will require a special anti-fungal grout and the appropriate tool, i.e. a rubber spatula.

In recent years, the availability of such finishing material as ceramic tiles has increased several times. A huge range of collections of facing ceramics allows almost anyone to buy tiles for arranging flooring. And it is not surprising that many owners of the so-called secondary housing, when repairing, prefer to use ceramic tiles. But, as a rule, most of them face a problem. laying tiles on wood floor. If the technology of laying porcelain stoneware on a concrete base has long been developed and does not present any difficulties, then in the case of wooden floors it is not so simple. In this article we will talk about the preparation of a wooden floor for laying ceramic tiles, we will try to reveal all the nuances of the process.

Literally from the first lines, I want to focus your attention on the fact that laying tiles on a wooden floor and on wooden surfaces is not the same thing! Unlike tiling walls made of wood, the situation with floors is much more complicated. So, you have an old wooden floor and a great desire to ennoble the flooring. You should start by inspecting the surface. Depending on the audit carried out, the methods of preparing a wooden floor for tiles can go in two directions.

There are several ways to prepare the base of a wooden floor for laying tiles:

• First- a traditional screed, only thinner and lighter. A metal mesh is spread over the waterproofing, which is fastened with self-tapping screws to the subfloor through small uniform sections. The laser level beats off a horizontal line along the entire perimeter of the room with a water level. The level of the future floor is set along it, then beacons are set at a distance of about 90-100 cm from each other and about 10 cm from the walls, and a cement screed no more than 3 cm thick is poured. Self-leveling mixture can be used as a screed. After the screed has dried, you can lay the tiles on the wooden floor.
• Second- the so-called dry screed, which is becoming more and more popular. This method is in no way inferior to concrete, but unlike it, a dry screed weighs much less and does not give a noticeable load on wooden structures. Before laying the tiles on a wooden floor, first sheets of moisture-resistant drywall (GKLV), gypsum-fiber sheets (GVL) or cement-bonded particle boards (DSP) are laid on the waterproofing. Plates are stacked in several layers. It is preferable to choose gypsum-fiber sheets, which are made by semi-dry pressing of gypsum powder and secondary cellulose fibers, have improved heat and sound insulating characteristics, and thanks to a special hydrophobic impregnation. GVL can be used in rooms with high humidity. They are more plastic and stronger than drywall, and in comparison with cement-bonded particle boards, they are much lighter and cheaper.

  Sheets are screwed to the rough base using self-tapping screws. Make sure that the GVL joints are located above the boards, and not above the gaps between them, otherwise the base will not be strong enough. The seams between the sheets are glued with special glue for GVL or GKL. In some cases, one layer of gypsum fiber sheets is enough, but if you doubt the rigidity of the floor, it is better not to be greedy and lay a second layer.

  In the bathroom, it is necessary to make high-quality waterproofing at the junction of the floor with the walls. Most craftsmen use mounting foam for this. And although this method of insulation is done quickly and quite reliably, we still recommend resorting to polymer membrane waterproofing. Strips about 30 cm wide are cut, which are inserted between the GVL and the base of the floor with one side, and attached to the wall with the other side, the joints are glued with sealant.
  After all the GVL sheets are laid and fixed, they are covered with a universal deep penetration primer (several times, after the previous layer has dried). When all our coatings are well dried, you can start laying floor tiles on the wooden floor. When choosing a tile adhesive, pay attention to the fact that it is suitable for work on GVL or GKL.

In addition to the methods described above, it is possible to strengthen the base without a screed - using KC glue based on liquid glass or two-component polyurethane glue. When the glue dries, an elastic waterproofing film forms on the surface of the subfloor. According to manufacturers, such compounds are able to protect tiles from cracking during natural shrinkage of a wooden base. It is difficult to judge how reliable such a method is. However, we recommend that you choose a rigid and durable base. Polyurethane compounds should be used only when it is not possible to prepare the subfloor in another way or it is required to tile the wooden floor in a small area.

And finally, we invite you to watch a video of the installation of a dry screed from the GSP floor elements from the Stroyformat company and the subsequent laying of porcelain stoneware on a wooden floor.

Tiled flooring for the kitchen and bathroom is practical and durable, but is it possible to put tiles on existing wooden floors without resorting to large-scale construction work? The answer will be positive. In this article, we will study in detail all the nuances of the "cooperation" of such different materials.

According to their characteristics, wooden coatings at first glance are completely incompatible with tiles. Wood during operation is not static. Even floors made from well-dried and treated boards still shrink for another 2-3 years.

Daily temperature and atmospheric fluctuations lead to the fact that the surface "plays" - either expanding or shrinking. These processes go unnoticed by a person, which cannot be said about the tile: it can peel off, crumble, literally burst at the seams.

In order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to study the causes that affect the deformation of the ceramic coating and, if possible, eliminate them.

The main factor in the stability of the tile coating

Much attention when laying tiles is paid to the preparatory work. The aesthetic appearance of the finished coating and its further performance characteristics depend on how well the surface is prepared and leveled.

We have already found out that wood is not a static material, so our main task is to make a universal surface that will be the basis for laying. This basis should “reconcile” two different coatings, then the main factor in the stability of the tiled coating will be observed - static and strength.

Advice! You can not lay tiles on "fresh" floors - the shrinkage period is at least 2-3 years from the time of installation.

Preparatory work: checking and

Before creating a stable base for tiles, you need to revise your wood flooring. Then create a multi-layer cake from existing and additional materials, which will preserve the solidity of the floor covering, provide ventilation to the wooden parts of the structure and minimize the load on the wood.

Important! We can not do without parsing the wooden structure. Regardless of the external condition of the upper boards, they must be removed and the damaged elements replaced. If necessary, shorten the laying step of the lag and align them horizontally with a level. Antiseptic treatment of all wooden structures is required.

Stages of work

Step #1 We remove the wooden coating, having previously cleaned it of paintwork.

Important! If the condition of the boards is deplorable, skip this step, they are still unusable.

There are three ways to speed up the process: chemical, thermal and mechanical. They are all quite time consuming, so choose the one that is acceptable to you.

1. The chemical method consists in treating the floors with a special reagent that dissolves varnish or paint.
2. Thermal method - heating the surface with a building hair dryer. After that, the paintwork is removed with a spatula.
3. The mechanical method of removing varnish or paint is done using a power tool: a grinder with a special nozzle, and then with a grinder or just sandpaper, the surface is sanded.

Step #2 We check the condition of the beams and the log.

Replacement of damaged items is required. After that, horizontal alignment is carried out.

Step #3 Antiseptic treatment.

Do not spare money for this procedure - good antifungal products are not cheap. It is necessary to process strictly according to the instructions, observing the time interval and the number of coatings. Perform the next step only after complete drying.

Step #4 Expanded clay insulation.

Expanded clay should be taken small fraction. The entire space between the lags is filled. For natural ventilation, a gap of 5 cm is left (the distance from the bottom of the log to the insulation).

Indicators	10-20 mm	5-10 mm	0-5 mm
Bulk density, kg/m3	280-370	300-400	500-700
Crushing strength, N/mm2 (MPa)	1-1,8	1,2-2	3-4
Grading, %	4	8	0
Frost resistance 20 cycles, weight loss of gravel, %	0,4-2	0,2-1,2	not regulated
Percentage of crushed particles, %	3-10	3-10	No
Thermal conductivity, W/m*K	0,0912	0,0912	0,1099
Water absorption, mm	250	250	290
Specific effective activity of natural radionuclides, Bq/kg	270	270	290

Step #5 Rough coating laying.

If the floorboard is in good condition, then it can be used as a rough finish. We fix it with galvanized screws and putty. A gap of 1 cm must be left around the perimeter, which is filled with mounting foam.

When the board is unsuitable for further use, then moisture-resistant plywood or chipboard treated with special impregnation will play the role of a rough base. Sheets are stacked in a checkerboard pattern, technological gaps are processed with foam.

Now you need to create another layer of the "sandwich" - a strong and stable surface on which the tiles will be directly glued. There are three ways to create a base:

• Express method;
• "Dry" leveling method;
• Cement-concrete screed or "wet" method.

Each of the methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's consider them in detail.

Express method of surface preparation

This method is best used on wood floors in good condition or with minor imperfections.

You will need sheets of moisture-resistant drywall, which will be fastened with screws to draft boards in two rows. GKVL can be glued to wood using polyurethane glue. Its two-component composition is strong enough, so the glued sheets will practically not be affected by wood.

Main advantages:

• fast and cheap installation of the structure;
• good resistance to temperature fluctuations of wood.

Important! At the stage of preparatory work described in the relevant section, when leveling the surface using the express method, you can not fill up the insulation. This will significantly reduce the time to complete the work and reduce the cost of their cost.

Main stages.

"Dry" method of leveling the surface

The key task of the method is to create the most stable draft layer from moisture-resistant plywood, chipboard, OSB. These wood waste materials are more static than wood due to the binders used during manufacture.

Advantages:

• increase insulating properties due to the laying of an additional layer of insulation;
• execution time is significantly reduced due to the absence of work requiring technological waiting.

Disadvantages:

• this method of leveling the surface involves raising the height of the floor, which is undesirable in rooms with initially low ceilings.

If the ceiling height allows you to use this method, then keep in mind that the difference between the leveled and unfinished surface will be visible. You can visually hide this nuance by equipping a small step or threshold.

Step-by-step instruction

First step. Laying the insulating layer.

After the floorboards have been treated with latex impregnations, a masking net is laid and attached to them. Along the perimeter of the room, it is overlapped to a height slightly higher than the level of the future screed, and is fixed on top with a wide edge tape.

Second phase. Pouring dry mix.

The dry leveling mixture consists of fine fraction expanded clay, expanded clay sand and other additives. The mixture must be carefully and evenly distributed over the surface.

Third stage. Laying sheets of chipboard or plywood.

The material is laid in two rows using the “brickwork” method: the seams between the sheets should not match.

Fourth stage. Sanding and priming.

Sheets of plywood or other wood-based panels must be sanded along the seams. The joints are filled with sealant and covered with a primer layer.

"Wet" leveling method

The method of leveling the surface with a "wet" method is similar to the usual preparation of the screed before laying the tiles. The difference is that the layer of leveling compound is much smaller than usual, since the load force on wood flooring is limited by their characteristics.

For pouring, self-leveling polymer or cement-sand mixtures are used. Choose products from trusted manufacturers so that the performance of your floor does not deteriorate in the end.

Advantage: with this leveling method, you will get a “floating” screed that will be resistant to the “whims” of wooden structures.

Main limitations- this is increased labor costs and an increase in floor height. The financial component of the issue is higher than in the previous methods.

Stages of work.

Step #1. Strengthening the wooden structure.

If the distance between the lags is more than 500 mm, then the preparatory work will include, in addition to revision and replacement of damaged parts, strengthening the structure with additional wooden beams.

Step number 2. Install the intermediate flooring from the floorboard.

For this, you can use boards that were in use, if their strength leaves no doubt, and the thickness is at least 40 mm. The boards are attached to the logs with a gap for ventilation (10 mm).

Step number 3. Installation of the main flooring.

Chipboards or plywood are attached perpendicular to the draft boards. The thickness of the material must be at least 12 mm. Laying method - "brickwork" with gaps between the plates of 2 - 3 mm.

Step number 4. Waterproofing.

We create a good insulating layer of paper, oiled or impregnated with paraffin, a thick polyethylene film. It is necessary to carefully line the entire floor surface, as well as the perimeter of the room to a height along the wall of 10 cm and above. The material is overlapped and carefully fastened with double-sided tape. An insulating wide tape is glued around the perimeter.

Film floor waterproofing

Step number 4. Fill in the self-leveling compound. The layer thickness should not exceed 10 mm.

Prepare the mixture according to the instructions on the package. Distribute by gender. After the composition has hardened, you can start gluing the tiles.

Some builders, in order to save money, have gotten used to making floor levelers on their own. For its preparation, purified sand and liquid glass are used in a ratio of 2: 2. The mixture is brought to the desired consistency with purified water.

Name. Short description	Packing kg	Consumption kg/mm/m2	Price	Strength MPa	Layer thickness in mm
ALFAPOL VP - self-levelling self-leveling floor M200 F200 Pk5 W12 on a cement basis	25	1,75	375-471	20	2-40
REAL Floor leveler, High-quality cement-based dry mortar	25	1,7	360	20	2-80
Bergauf BODEN ZEMENT MEDIUM, self-leveling floor for the final leveling of horizontal surfaces, ideal for further installation of any floor coverings (ceramic tiles, parquet, carpet, linoleum)	25	2	289-324	20	6-60
Forbo Eurobond 915, fast curing screed, low shrinkage, self leveling, fast drying. Suitable for underfloor heating. For indoor use incl. in damp rooms. Withstands load from furniture on casters.	25	1,7	405	20	3-50
Petromix PS, for leveling floors on concrete and other hard substrates in dry, wet and damp areas. Serves as a base for floor coverings (parquet, ceramic tiles, textile carpets, plastic coatings, linoleum, etc.)	25	1,5	441-471	25	2-30
Founds T-42 Niplain, Self-levelling, high-strength, moisture-resistant, non-shrinking cement-sand-based leveler with the use of special chemical additives.	25	1,7	342-433	25	3-30
Ceresit CN 178, for the manufacture of screeds operating under conditions of low and moderate mechanical loads, incl. with constant exposure to moisture (in residential and public buildings, on roofs in operation, balconies, terraces, open areas, etc.), during external and internal work, in civil and industrial construction.	25	2	370	35	5-80
Vetonit 4100 cement-based mixture for leveling concrete floors indoors	25	1,6	520-537	20	2-30
vetonit 4150 is suitable for quick leveling of concrete floors and creating screeds in homes, offices and public buildings. It is applied to repair and new construction under various types of floor coverings. Used in underfloor heating	25	1,6	520-550	20	2-30
Bergauf BODEN ZEMENT FINAL, cement-based self-levelling floor for perfectly smooth surfaces. For rooms with normal and high humidity (bathroom).	25	1,8	435-490	20 If you are on a tight budget, then the last styling method is the most economical and advantageous in terms of trimming. Important! Before gluing, you need to make a trial laying on a dry one - this will help you choose the best way of laying. Installation process step by step Now you know that laying a tiled floor on a wooden floor is a doable task, but whether the game is worth the candle is up to you. Video - How to lay tiles on a wooden floor Video - Laying tiles on a wooden base