Floors on wooden floors in a private house. What should be the floors in a private house? Various types of bulk materials are used

Today, natural materials are at the peak of popularity. A special place is occupied by wood, which is an environmentally friendly building element and is perfect for arranging floors. Very often you can find a wooden floor in the country. Despite the fact that laying the floor is the most important moment in construction and repair, you can refuse the services of specialists and do the floor in a private house with your own hands. But this requires maximum effort and attention. The floor should turn out to be reliable, strong and durable, so you should take the study of flooring technology seriously.


Wooden floor cake on logs. Highlights: vapor and waterproofing, insulation and ventilation gap

Usually it is to the floor that special requirements are put forward, since this part of the room in a private house is subjected to the greatest tests. Mechanical stress, chemical attack and a high degree of abrasion are the reasons that make it necessary to comply with a number of rules:

  1. certain level of humidity. It should be about 12%. The durability of the wooden floor will depend on this indicator. Due to the observance of humidity standards, deformation of the wood can be avoided.
  2. No external defects. Before buying material for a wooden floor, you should carefully inspect it. There should be no cracks, chips or other defects. Otherwise, sooner or later you will have to repair or completely change defective boards.
  3. Mandatory treatment of wood with antiseptics and fire retardants. This will extend the life of wooden materials and increase their fire resistance.
  4. High quality wood. You should not save on wooden floors in a private house and it is best to choose hard conifers such as pine, fir, cedar, larch, etc., although ash and oak are considered the most durable.

If we talk about the most suitable time for installing a wooden floor, then this is the end of the heating season. During this period, you can observe the optimal humidity of the air, and the likelihood of the tree absorbing a large amount of moisture is minimal. But if the wooden floor still has to be installed in the summer, then it is worth guessing the moment when the weather will be dry and sunny outside for at least two weeks.


Arrangement of a wooden floor

For the arrangement of floors in the house, you can use the following materials:

  • Unedged board;
  • Sheet device (plywood, chipboard, etc.);
  • Glue board;
  • Folded board.

The first two options are ideal for a rough wood floor. In this case, further finishing of the floor with a finishing coating is provided. But the glue beam and the folded board can be used as a finishing structure. The finished floor is usually varnished or painted in the future. Ideally, if the board is solid across the entire width of the room.

Preparatory work before laying

Before carrying out installation and choosing a laying method, it is recommended to assess the condition of the soil. For example, in some areas, logs can be laid directly on the ground, but first lay waterproofing under them. It is this device that allows the wooden floor to last for more than a dozen years. In some cases, it is better to additionally use crushed stone and sand, but sometimes even this is not enough. So, video on the topic:

Since there are no specific instructions for matching room features and installation methods, it is best to use the best option that is suitable for any conditions, even for places with high humidity.

To this day, the most win-win option is a wooden floor in a private house on or. Such a floor can act as a hard base or waterproofing. But the main point will still be ground planning. To be able to regulate the consumption of building materials, the soil is well tamped. And already on the compacted soil, you can fill up the sand with a thickness of 20 mm or more. On top of the sand, waterproofing is laid, which can be cellophane or roofing material.


Scheme of the device of a wooden floor on the ground on logs (with heaving soil)

Methods for laying a wooden floor

The installation of a wooden floor can only be started after the frame device of the posts and beams is finally ready. A layer of roofing material is laid on the posts, which serves as a good waterproofing. Beams are installed on the waterproofing layer, and logs are fixed on the beams for additional strength. It’s good when the width of the room corresponds to the length of the lag, but if you have to connect the lags, then it’s better that the joints are right on the support pillars, and they are fastened with self-tapping screws.

The very device of the wooden floor is both single and double. Single floors are not very durable, and they are usually placed in summer country houses. Such a floor does not tolerate weather fluctuations and is not intended for year-round use. In order to feel comfortable in winter, it is recommended to build double. It will take a lot of time and the right material. But the extra effort is worth it, as it increases the degree of strength and reliability. To do this, a list of works is performed in a certain sequence:

  1. Install lags;
  2. Lay moisture-resistant plywood between them, and lay insulation on top;
  3. Lay the rough base of the floor on the logs.

Double plank floor pie

To create a subfloor, boards of low grades are suitable, the thickness of which is 15-50 mm. Such boards, carefully processed, are adjusted to each other. Then the finished boards are attached to the logs with self-tapping screws.

Boards are laid 15-20 mm from the wall. This promotes ventilation and prevents the floor from swelling during the seasonal deformation of the tree. Waterproofing is carried out using a 200 micron polyethylene film, and additional thermal insulation is made of polyethylene foam. The film is overlapped, the edges are glued together with adhesive tape. On the walls you need to make an overlap of 20 cm and stick it on adhesive tape. After that, the finishing floor and topcoat are laid.

For flooring of the final floor, either an array is used. Plywood is placed on top of the heat-insulating layer and fixed with self-tapping screws.

It has an attractive appearance, it is convenient to lay, and besides, it is easy to operate. The advantage of solid wood flooring is that you can apply varnish or paint to the floor and thus do without additional costs for finishing materials. The massive board is produced in two versions: regular and tongue-and-groove. The difference between them is in the installation method. The tongue-and-groove board is much easier to install. However, before installation, it must lie down in the room for three days.

How to lay an array with your own hands?


The massive board keeps within on plywood sheets. The base can be either a concrete floor or a wooden one on the logs.
  • It is necessary to measure 15 mm from the walls to create a ventilation gap and in case of seasonal deformations.
  • The boards of the finishing floor must be laid so that they are located across the boards of the subfloor. The first row is placed with a spike against the wall and screwed with self-tapping screws. It is necessary to tighten the screws so that they are covered with a plinth near the wall. From the second side, the screws are screwed into the groove at an angle of 45 °.
  • A wooden spacer is placed in the gap between the board and the wall. If the dimensions of the room are greater than the length of the floorboards, then the boards are spread "in a row". This will make the floor more durable.
  • The second and subsequent rows of boards are placed with a spike in the groove of the previous row, sealed with a mallet and fastened to the groove on the other side with self-tapping screws. If you want the wooden floor to last as long as possible, you need to lay the boards in such a way that the growth rings are opposite to each other.

It is laid "out of the blue". A solid parquet board can also be used as a finishing floor. In fact, this is the same grooved massive board, only shorter. Its installation is somewhat different:

  1. It can be fixed on self-tapping screws only from the side of the spike.
  2. Installation is carried out only "out of the box".
  3. If the base is made of plywood, then it is better to glue the parquet board first, and then additionally fix it with self-tapping screws.
  4. If you lay the board diagonally, the room will visually look larger.

Wood is a natural, environmentally friendly material that requires constant care. In order for the wooden floors in the house to serve as long as possible, take care of protecting the material in advance. Laying wood floors is a painstaking, difficult job, however, following the instructions and advice of professionals, any beginner with his own hands can make a private house or cottage beautiful, warm and cozy. Leave your opinion about the article or share your experience in the comments!

A very important step in home improvement is the selection of a suitable floor covering and its correct installation. One of the most preferred options is wood flooring. Wood is an environmentally friendly, breathable material with excellent performance and properties. With the proper knowledge, you can cope with the installation of such a coating with your own hands.

Choose the right wood for your decking. At this stage, you need to take into account the climatic conditions of the region, the level of planned surface loads, the features of the operation of the premises and, of course, your financial capabilities.

In small residential areas, softwood flooring is best. Such material is sold at a relatively affordable cost, differing, at the same time, in a sufficiently high strength and durability.

Of the representatives of the middle and higher price range, give preference to oak. Aspen wood is also used for arranging the floor. This material is especially well suited for flooring in children's rooms, as well as in bedrooms.

For independent flooring in residential premises, only dry wood can be used. The problem with wet boards is that they shrink in size as they dry, causing ugly and completely unnecessary cracks to appear in the coating.

When buying a material, make sure that it does not have any noticeable defects such as splits, third-party stains, cracks, etc. Do not buy such wood even with a good discount.

Pre-calculate to determine the required amount of material. To do this, you just need to know the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe premises. Buy the material itself with a 10-15 percent margin.

For flooring, it is recommended to use a board with a length of 200 cm or more. It is highly desirable that all the boards offered to you be included in one batch. So you can be sure that all the purchased material was manufactured and processed under equal conditions. Consequently, the texture, color and other external characteristics of the boards will be approximately the same.

Flooring is best done using edged and tongue-and-groove boards. Such material does not require additional grinding, which will allow you to significantly save time on installation work.

Wood flooring can be made using several different materials, namely:

  • solid boards;
  • solid parquet board;
  • glued parquet board. It has the same appearance and is practically not inferior in terms of performance to a parquet board made of solid wood, but it costs less;
  • parquet.

Preparing for flooring

The flooring is done in two layers. First, the foundation is laid, then the wood itself.

There are two main ways to install the flooring: laying on the ground on logs and on floor beams. When choosing the appropriate method, consider the characteristics of a particular room and your personal preferences.

Before installation, carefully treat all wooden elements with antifungal and fire-retardant impregnations.

The base of the erected floor must be waterproofed. For moisture insulation it is convenient to use penofol or polyethylene. Penofol simultaneously provides high-quality hydro and noise insulation properties, therefore it is more preferable.

Base mounting

The functions of the base for independent flooring can be performed by logs, plywood and concrete. Familiarize yourself with the features of the methods and choose the most suitable for your case.

Foundation on logs

Fastening the flooring to the logs is the most popular option for arranging the floor. This design allows you to easily and effectively hide floor irregularities and lay various communications under the base without any problems.

The base is assembled from a 10x5 cm timber. In low rooms, it is better to refuse this method - the finished structure will take about 8-10 cm in height.

Before starting to mount the base, you should bring the logs into the room and let them lie down for a couple of days so that the wood material adapts to its surrounding conditions.

Select the step for fixing the lag in accordance with the dimensions of the boards used. It is important that in the future the boards do not sag.

First step. Lay one log at the same level at opposite walls.

Second step. Pull dense parallel threads between the laid lags. The distance between the threads depends on the thickness of the floorboards. If your boards are more than 3 cm thick, stretch the threads at a distance of about 80 cm, but if the flooring elements are thinner than 3 cm, then the threads should be pulled at a distance of no more than 60 cm. If you use boards with a thickness of more than 4 cm, you can increase the distance between the threads up to 100 cm.

Third step. Set the lags, focusing on the stretched threads. Adjust the mounting height with wooden wedges. It is important that all lags are set strictly at the same level.

Logs must be fastened to the base. If the base in your house is made of wood, fix it with self-tapping screws or nails, if it is made of concrete, use dowels or anchors.

Fourth step. Fill the space between adjacent joists with thermal insulation material. You can lay foam, mineral wool, expanded clay, etc.

In the process of laying the boards will need to be attached to each installed log. Preliminary in the material you need to prepare holes for self-tapping screws. An electric drill with a drill of the appropriate diameter will help you with this.

An excellent base for future quality flooring can be made from plywood. High-quality plywood is almost not subject to deformation during the use of the floor. The material is characterized by high strength and reliability.

If necessary, the floor on the plywood sheets in question can be quickly and easily removed. When laying the base, you do not have to carry out any additional work - the flooring is mounted directly on the plywood sheets.

First step. Place the plywood sheets on the base and, using ordinary chalk, draw a diagram of the future laying of the elements. Focusing on this markup, you will install the logs, and already lay sheets of plywood on them.

Second step. Install lags. The optimal pitch is 400 mm. Align the logs with linings from the same plywood. All elements must be installed strictly at the same level. Attach the aligned logs to the base. Choose fasteners according to the base material.

Third step. Glue the finished structure with glue so that the floor does not crack in the future.

Fourth step. Cover the system with rolled glassine or other material with similar properties.

Fifth step. Lay the plywood. The edges of each sheet should lie on the logs. Place the plywood sheets themselves with a small gap, no more than 1-2 mm. To fasten sheets, use self-tapping screws - about 8-9 fasteners per sheet. Sand the joints carefully.

If desired, you can level the concrete base with a screed and lay the flooring directly on the floor, without installing an additional base.

In such a situation, it is important that the boards cannot come into direct contact with the concrete. Soil mastic or ordinary polyethylene foam will perfectly cope with the functions of the intermediate layer. When using polyethylene, place insulation sheets with an overlap of 10-15 cm.

First step. Start fastening boards from any wall. Leave a 15mm gap between the wall of the room and the boards of the starting row. After completing the installation of the flooring, you will close it with a plinth. Drive in screws or nails at a slight angle, trying to deepen the heads of the fasteners into the wood by about 2 mm.

1 - lag; 2 - bracket; 3 - wedges; 4 - doboynik

Second step. After installing the first floorboard, step back about 50 mm from the edge and drive brackets into the bars with an insignificant gap, and then insert a thin rail into the gap that appears after that.

Third step. Drive a wooden wedge slightly larger than the gap left between the installed rail and the fixed brackets. Thanks to the wedge, the edges of the boards to be laid will be pressed as tightly as possible, which will prevent the appearance of cracks. Staples can be removed after fixing the boards with screws or nails.

a - building bracket; b - wedge clamp with a movable bracket; in - rack compression
1 - bracket; 2 - wedges; 3 - lag; 4 - spur; 5 - emphasis; 6 - movable bracket; 7 - clamping screw; 8 - stops; 9 - gear wheel with a ratchet - dog; 10 - handle; 11 - screw with stop

That is, you need to work according to this scheme: they laid a couple of boards, pressed them with a rail and a wedge, and fixed them with self-tapping screws. Lay the entire flooring according to this scheme. Before attaching each next board, it must be additionally compacted with a mallet.

Fourth step. Sand the joints of the boards.

Fifth step. Hide the gaps between the walls and boards with a floor plinth.

Sixth step. Lay the top coat, such as parquet board or any other material of your choice. You can do without finishing flooring, but simply paint the boards, cover them with varnish or other composition.

Wood is a high-quality and durable material with excellent performance and properties. However, in order for the flooring to fully show its properties, you, as a performer, are required to follow the instructions exactly and follow the recommendations received at each stage of work. Follow this simple guide and you'll be fine.

Successful work!

Video - Do-it-yourself wooden flooring

During the construction of a summer house and a private house, an important part of the work is the issue of laying the floor. There are many nuances in this case and several types of technologies to choose from. The result should please the whole family with its appearance, warmth and quality of construction. The most suitable flooring for these types of buildings is wooden boards, parquet or parquet boards.

Why exactly these materials?

  • Compared to tiles, wood is financially beneficial.
  • Installation and laying of such a floor is possible with your own hands.
  • Wooden boards or parquet are environmentally friendly and have many design solutions.
  • The floor with natural wood coating withstands low temperatures and, if properly installed in a private house, serves the owner for a very long time.

Wooden floor - types

The type depends on what kind of material is used in the work and on what technology it fits. Solid wood with tongues and grooves on both sides of the board is the most popular. One such board can be from 2 to 6 meters in length, its thickness can reach 60 mm. The presence of fixing elements makes the demand for this type of flooring one of the highest.

A solid board made of glued laminated timber is reliable, there are many options for the thickness of such boards. The folded board has passed all the necessary processing, so it does not need to spend additional effort on sanding.

Parquet is familiar to everyone, these are small boards with grooves and tongues on all four sides. This type is characterized by a special symmetrical installation, today this option for use in a private house is inferior to the following type.

A parquet board is a simple parquet enlarged and thickened in several layers. The length is from 50 cm to 2 meters, and the thickness is from 18 to 25 mm.

In budgetary cases, sheet materials are laid on the floor - this is plywood, OSB or chipboard. The appearance of this type suffers somewhat, but if you plan to put a carpet or carpet on top, then this is a justified and most suitable case. And also it is suitable for the subfloor, like an uncut board.

Choice of quality material

The wood from which the boards are made should not be damp or overdried. If you make the wrong choice, it will affect the appearance of the flooring. With poor board performance, the floor will deform and creak. The material for the floor cannot have traces of rot, chips, splinters and cracks. When the boards are already purchased, you need to take care of their proper storage: they must be kept indoors, not exposed to moisture or direct sunlight.

In order not to worry about the development of the fungus, before laying, each board from the back must be carefully treated with an antiseptic. A solution that reduces the combustibility of wood will not be superfluous; safety should always be at the forefront when working in a private house. Before installation, the front side of the board is treated with sandpaper and a planer.

Ordinary planed boards are suitable for simple ideas, polished materials look good for a designer floor. When it comes to wood for the floor, it is better to look at solid types of wood - these are larch, pine, cedar, less often deciduous - oak or birch.

Required Tools

The modern owner of the house already has a lot of tools in his arsenal, but laying the floor with his own hands involves the use of many consumables and specific tools:

  • water or laser level for leveling the log;
  • sandpaper for polishing the floor;
  • planer for problem areas on the boards;
  • hacksaw for adjusting the length of the boards;
  • drill for fastening screws;
  • hammer for fitting boards;
  • tape measure for measuring boards;
  • mount to correct unsuccessful mounting;
  • mounting stapler for fixing sheet materials;
  • self-tapping screws, anchors, dowels, nails - are purchased depending on the type of material used and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room.

Preparation of the base and installation of the lag

The wooden floor is mounted with your own hands quickly enough, most of the time and finances are taken up by the preparation of the base. First of all, you need to take care of the waterproofing in the house. This function is performed by sand with crushed stone or gravel of medium fraction. The thickness depends on soil moisture and low temperatures during the cold season. Often, instead, a fairly thick layer of expanded clay is poured. It should be used only in a dry form, it quickly absorbs moisture, but gives it away for a long time.

The first layer is carefully compacted, after which rigid waterproofing is laid on top, usually these are sheets of roofing material. Some prefer to increase the strength of the structure and additionally lay the reinforcing mesh.

After the completion of waterproofing work, concrete blocks or bricks are used. They should be at a distance of 60 cm, as this is the standard width of the insulation that will be placed between them.

The next step in doing the work with your own hands includes installing a log on the bases of 2-3 cm. Laying the log begins from opposite ends of the room, using the level, the evenness is checked and, if everything is in order, then the installation is gradually carried out to the middle of the room. It is most reliable to fix the logs with the help of anchors. To adjust the single height of the log, you can put additional supports on the base, but do not get carried away with this if the floor has a strong curvature, the problem is in the lower layer of waterproofing, which had to be well leveled. In order not to have to redo the first stages of work, specialists use a laser level or pull the threads, you can also follow their example.

A wooden floor as insulation allows the use of many materials, their main property is high vapor permeability. Sometimes they are combined for the best effect, because the floor is the coldest zone in a private house. For example, foam plastic is placed as the first layer, and mineral wool as the second, fiberboards are often used in 2-3 layers. But before that, experts advise putting additional building boards on the roofing material between the supports, this will improve the properties of the insulation. They are fixed on the underside of the lag with the help of small bars. This type of installation is called a subfloor.

You need to lay the insulation tightly to each other, avoid gaps and crevices, it would be best to walk through them with sealant or mounting foam. A layer of hydro-vapor barrier material is placed on top of the logs; it is not used in all cases, but when mineral and ecological wool was used as the first layer of insulation. Insulation sheets are mounted by overlapping. In addition to specialized materials, you can also use a simple polyethylene film. Joints are held with adhesive tape.

Methods for preparing the base for laying the log also include concreting, this is much simpler than the previous multilayer version. Concrete is a solid base and you can choose lighter logs; construction studs 8-10 mm are used to fix them. The stud is limited by nuts on both sides. After installing the lag, sheet material is immediately applied for sheathing or insulation is placed.

Wooden floor - do-it-yourself laying

Installation begins in the house from the window opposite the entrance. It is important to remember that between the walls and the boards there should be a 10 mm ventilation hole.

Ordinary boards are fastened with self-tapping screws. Nails are used much less frequently nowadays, since they are not protected from rust and, when fasteners wear out, they allow creaking in the floorboards. If the length of the board is not enough to cover the entire floor, then it is cut so that the joint is on top of one of the logs. With the help of this, subsidence of the board and extraneous sounds are avoided.

The laying of boards with tongues and grooves will go much faster; for a snug fit of the grooves, one auxiliary board with a blunt edge is used, along which hammer blows are applied. If the boards are short, then you can lay them in two jokes at once.

Not the last place should be given to the drawing of annual rings on the boards, they should be laid so that the rings are turned in different directions. Where the pipes pass, you need to leave slots 5-10 mm larger than the diameter of the pipe itself.

The last element of laying the floor in the house is the plinth. Since when installing the boards it was necessary to leave 10-15 mm, the skirting boards will just close this space and the wooden floor will “breathe”.

The final stage in the installation of a wooden floor with your own hands is grinding, if necessary, and varnishing the entire surface. Subject to all these conditions, the floor will last a long time and will delight with its warmth and quality.

The construction of a private house is a long process, requiring a large investment of time, labor and finances. Many, in an effort to save money, decide to carry out part of the work on their own. How to make floors in private houses without resorting to the services of builders? Making the floor yourself is quite realistic if you have the necessary materials, tools and knowledge.

Which floor design to choose?

Before starting work on the construction of floors in a private house, it is necessary to determine the type of construction of the future coating. Experts distinguish three types of structures:

  • Single;
  • Double;
  • Concrete floor.

The choice of one or another type of construction depends on the characteristics of the building in which the floor is laid. The determining factor can be recognized as the operating conditions of a private house. A single floor is the simplest construction; it does not take much time and materials to build such a floor, since the floorboards are nailed directly to the logs. The main disadvantage of a single plank floor is its limited use: such a coating would be appropriate only in small summer houses and summer cottages. For a house where year-round living is planned, a single design is not suitable.


Scheme of the possible implementation of the "double" floor and concrete.

If you want to make a private house suitable for living at any time of the year, then you will have to deal with the arrangement of a double floor. This type of construction is warmer, reduces heat loss and ensures comfortable living in the house during the cold season. The double floor consists of several layers, the main of which are the rough and finish coatings. Between these two layers, hydro- and heat-insulating materials are additionally laid, protecting both the floor itself and the entire house from destruction.

Most often, the rough coating in a private house is assembled from unedged boards, and the final floor is made from grooved floorboards. All work, including the laying of thermal insulation from sawdust or expanded clay, can be easily done with your own hands.


Subfloor boards.

The third possible type of floor construction in a private house is a poured concrete screed. Compliance with all the rules for preparatory work, laying waterproofing, pouring cement mortar and the timing of its drying will allow you to get a solid high-quality floor, ready for finishing with any decorative coating.

Installation of wooden floors

When building a private house, many people prefer to make the floor out of wood. Such a desire to have high-quality wooden flooring underfoot is explained by the desire to use environmentally friendly materials, which include wood. In addition to high environmental friendliness, such a floor has a number of other advantages.

Wooden floors are easy to install and easy to repair during operation. Due to the low thermal conductivity of the material, such a floor will keep heat inside the house without releasing it outside. Plank flooring made of quality wood is characterized by a long service life and an attractive "natural" appearance.

To make a floor in a private house, you need to choose the right wood. The choice of starting materials should be based on the design features of the structure itself. The device of the floor in a country house must necessarily provide for the presence of a subfloor that acts as an air gap. If such a layer is absent, then the wooden floor will quickly become unusable due to moisture. In addition, for a good floor, it is important to have all the layers of the structure, including logs, rough flooring, hydro and thermal insulation, and a finishing coating.

The floor in a private house is subjected to significant mechanical stress, so for its construction it is required to choose wood with good technological characteristics. The boards must be well dried, the recommended moisture content is no more than 12%. Any chips and cracks on the surface of the material are not allowed. Experts recommend giving preference to coniferous wood, suitable for pine, larch, fir, cedar. To increase the life of the future floor, all boards must be treated with an antiseptic and fire retardant.

The installation of a wooden floor begins with the determination of places for the supporting pillars and their installation. The fertile layer of soil around the entire perimeter of the house is removed and removed, gravel is poured in its place, and sand is placed on top of it. Layers of gravel and sand must be well compacted. Waterproofing material is laid on the ends of the supporting pillars, most often ordinary roofing material is used for these purposes.


Filling with gravel.

Next, we make beams that need to be fixed on poles with metal corners. Floors in a private house are best done with double insulation. Experts suggest first laying plywood sheets on the sides of the beams, and then placing mineral wool or other insulating material on them.

When the insulation layer is ready, you can start laying the rough coating. The boards of this layer should fit well to each other; ordinary self-tapping screws can be used as their fastening to the beams. It is better to leave some distance between the flooring and the walls of the house: a gap of 1.5 cm can be considered the norm for this part of the floor. These gaps provide ventilation for the entire floor structure and protect the walls from expansion of the floorboards when they dry out.

A layer of vapor barrier made of polyethylene film with a thickness of 200 microns is laid over the subfloor. The joints of individual pieces of film must be glued with adhesive tape, and the edges should be wrapped on the walls to a height of about 20 cm - to the height of the finish coating. When the film is laid and fixed, you can proceed to the assembly of the finished floor.

The finished floor is assembled from solid boards or plywood sheets. Plywood sheets are easier to attach, but in the end they do not look very attractive. Therefore, if you want to leave wooden floors in your house, then it is best to immediately collect the finishing coating from a grooved board, and if you plan to cover it with decorative material, it is enough to fix the plywood sheets. Plank floors after assembling the finished floor must be varnished, which will not only protect the material from external influences of a mechanical and chemical nature, but also emphasize the decorative qualities of natural wood.

Pouring concrete floor

Arrangement of a concrete floor in a private house begins with preparatory work. First, markings and gravel filling are done at the site of the future floor. The soil is preliminarily cleared of plants and the top layer, and then compacted. Next, a layer of gravel is poured, which also needs to be well compacted. In the construction of a concrete floor in a private house, gravel will play the role of thermal insulation. Sand is poured over the gravel. After it is compacted, a thick polyethylene film is spread on the surface, which acts as a waterproofing material.

How to make a concrete floor in a private house? After installing the waterproofing layer, you can start pouring the screed. A cement screed in a country house is poured in the same way as a screed in an apartment: levels are set and a mortar is poured, which is leveled from the wall to the door by the rule.

When pouring a concrete screed, several features should be taken into account. The solution for pouring must be fresh, for its preparation it is recommended to use cement grade not lower than M-300, screening of sand and water. To increase the strength of the concrete layer, special compounds can be added to the solution - plasticizers, which will give additional strength to the future coating.

When pouring a screed with a height of 5 cm, you can use reinforcing elements or a reinforcing mesh, which is laid on the waterproofing layer before pouring. In the case of arranging warm water floors in a private house, the use of a reinforcing mesh and the addition of plasticizers to the cement mortar are mandatory procedures.

When the concrete hardens a little after pouring, you can remove the beacons. The voids left after their removal are filled with the same solution. After filling and leveling all the cracks, the floor is covered with polyethylene and left to dry. Drying a concrete floor is a long and responsible undertaking. Concrete must dry itself within a month; if there is a floor heating system, it is forbidden to turn on heating until the screed is completely dry. By turning on the heating elements, you will help the concrete to crack even before the room is used. When drying, it is recommended to periodically moisten the concrete screed with water and cover it again with polyethylene: if this requirement is met, the coating will gain maximum strength and will not crack.

In order to correctly make the cement pour, remove the beacons and dry the concrete, it is recommended to consider photos with the work of builders specializing in arranging floors in private homes.

fine finish

It is quite simple to make only a finishing floor in a private house from scratch, but sometimes additional decorative coating is required. You can also deal with this problem yourself. How can you cover the floor in a private house?

The best option for a private house can be considered a double floor of planks. The finish coating of this design can not be coated with anything additionally. This option is practical and beautiful, and also has a long service life with proper care. Before the start of operation, the boards should be treated with protective compounds and varnished, which will protect them from the effects of sand, dirt, water and chemicals. For coating, you can choose both a transparent varnish, leaving the natural color of the wood, and colored, giving the floor a different shade.

The concrete floor in a private house assumes the presence of a top layer of decorative coating. Parquet or parquet board will look chic as a floor finish. Such a coating is quite expensive, but it is highly environmentally friendly, has good antistatic and thermal insulation characteristics. It does not make sense to make parquet, but in a house where you plan to live permanently, such a coating will look appropriate.

More affordable laminate, linoleum, carpet and ceramic tiles can be considered as analogues of parquet. Laminate is suitable for the living room and bedrooms, ceramic tiles will look appropriate in the kitchen, bathroom and hallway. Linoleum is also best placed only in the kitchen or in the hallway. The use of carpet is more limited: the material is suitable for finishing the floor in bedrooms.

The range of modern colors and textures of the listed materials allows you to choose a coating for every taste. In a private house, floors with natural patterns that repeat the texture of wood or natural stone will look appropriate.

The simplicity of the construction of the boardwalk is apparent. And it's not just that the ultimate load must be taken into account; for example, for the floors of the basement floor of a private house and the attic, it is different. Wood is a material, although malleable in processing, but “capricious” in its own way, as it easily undergoes deformation when humidity and temperature change. In addition, there is a specificity of its laying, depending on the type of base (floor). It is realistic to mount a high-quality wooden floor with your own hands, only having dealt with all the nuances of this work.

A wooden floor is a somewhat vague concept. Basically, when it comes to such a design of the lower part of the room, it means laying boards on the supporting structure. But if further, “finishing” finishing with other material (laminate, parquet board or something else) is expected, then mainly products (slabs, sheets) based on wood are used - multilayer plywood, chipboard, OSV, MDF.

The main purpose of such flooring is maximum leveling and ensuring sufficient surface strength. But there is no need to talk about a wooden field in a private house as such in such cases; this is his intermediate version, "finishing".

How to choose the right boards? When arranging a wooden floor in a private house, it is definitely not worth saving on them. Otherwise, such problems will arise (cracks, grooves in the flooring, deformation of individual floorboards) that subsequent repairs (taking into account the complexity of the work associated, among other things, with the need to free the room from everything) will be much more expensive.

Board type. Only grooved. Do-it-yourself processing at home is a very complex process, requiring practical skills, appropriate tools (which are not available in every home), time and a separate room.

There is another option - from the glue beam. But this lumber is used, as a rule, in rooms of a private house with an increased load on the floor, since it is not cheap.

  • Linear parameters (mm). Here it must be taken into account that the tree must provide not only high strength of the flooring, but also good thermal insulation of the lower part of the room. The optimal dimensions are: total thickness - 45 ± 5 (depending on the specifics of the room), width - around 150.
  • moisture content of wood. 12% is the acceptable upper limit of its value. Therefore, you should purchase an industrial drying board. Naturally, it will be expensive. But all recommendations on how to remove excess moisture from a tree on your own are nothing more than profanity. It is necessary to choose an appropriate place on the site, to make a competent stacking of lumber, to organize its protection from moisture, good ventilation, acceptable temperature conditions. And most importantly, wait. And this is time. Moreover, a high result is not yet guaranteed.

  • The grade of the tree. And in this regard, it is irrational to buy cheap boards. Not only that, even paint, especially varnish, will not hide large flaws in the form of knots, chips, and so on. Defects in the floorboards during the operation of the wooden floor will become more and more pronounced. The cracks will only get bigger; knots fly out of the boards, and “pits” or through holes will appear in their place.
  • Type of wood. Here it is desirable to maintain the optimal ratio between such properties of lumber as strength, beautiful texture and resistance to geometry changes under the influence of external factors. Experienced craftsmen recommend paying attention to oak and ash. Such boards are expensive, but for a wooden floor they are considered the best, as they are able to carry an increased load.

If this factor is not decisive, larch, fir, cedar or pine are perfect for floors.

  • The degree of protection of the tree. In production, more expensive products are impregnated with special / preparations from decay, ignition. This can be implemented (even recommended) with your own hands, but only in terms of secondary (additional) processing. It will not be possible to recreate industrial technology at home, therefore, the quality of work will be low.

What lags 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 how much the coefficients of deformation of its elements coincide. For the installation of a wooden floor, metal profiles (although it is more convenient to work with them) are not suitable, only lumber. The recommended timber parameters 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 do wood flooring? Experts consider the best period to be the end of March - the beginning of April, that is, before the end of the heating season. There are several justifications.

  • At this time, it is easy to achieve the most comfortable conditions for such work. If necessary, effective ventilation can be arranged so that wood dust does not overcrowd the room. Then technical devices will not be needed.
  • The air humidity in the room is optimized. This ensures that the lumber does not absorb water, except perhaps 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 the external conditions, the longer.

As an option - in the summer. But the arrangement of the wooden floor should be started if weather forecasters guarantee stable dry weather for at least the next 10 days.

Preparatory work

Further - all stages, regardless of the specifics of the premises in a private building. What needs to be done in relation to the features of a particular room (location in the house, size, degree of arrangement, etc.) is easy to understand.

The foundation

This can be both a floor and a ground, if the floors are arranged on the basement floor. In any case, there are a number of activities.

Surface condition assessment and elimination of deficiencies

In relation to the ground, it is carefully leveled, compacted (the simplest rammer is easy to make with your own hands), and a sand cushion is arranged (the recommended layer thickness is about 20 cm). It performs two main functions - more accurate planning (levelling) and mitigation of the possible deformation of the upper levels when the load changes.

  • If we are talking about a concrete floor (interfloor), then the slabs are thoroughly washed, after which, during the inspection, existing defects are revealed. Any cracks, loose joints are sealed. Otherwise, in the future, possible leaks into the lower room and heat loss cannot be avoided.

Foundation waterproofing

If the base is soil, then it is advisable to immediately cover it with a film. Depending on the size of the room, you can either buy a membrane that will completely cover the floor (it will be more expensive), or make its original analogue by fastening several canvases by welding (you will need a special tool) or with adhesive tape, laying them with an overlap. The nuance is that the edges of the film should be bent up, approximately to the level of the intended installation of skirting boards. They will also close the excess waterproofing.

Arrangement of the screed

This is a separate and rather large topic (composition of the mixture, ratio of components, kneading 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, with leveling compounds. For a soil base, it is advisable to pour expanded clay on the waterproofing.

The advantages of this solution:

  • round (comparatively) granules will not damage the polyethylene film under any circumstances. If you use crushed stone, then its breakthroughs in several places will appear unambiguously;
  • expanded clay is a good heat insulator. Therefore, it is possible to save some money on the material of the insulation (if it is to be mounted).

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 more layer is required, since gaps are formed between them, increasing heat loss. Small granules are stacked quite tightly, therefore the layer can be made smaller.

Advice. Costs can be optimized if you purchase expanded clay of different fractions. Then its thickness will be no more than 50 - 70. But only well-dried granules should be laid; they will begin to draw excess moisture "on themselves" (that is, absorb), additionally protecting the tree from dampness.

It is advisable to install the beacons and level them 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, under favorable conditions in the house). This largely explains why experts recommend certain periods for organizing wooden floors in a private house.

It is impossible to accelerate this process artificially (with the help of technical devices in the form of heaters, heat guns, and so on). Such rationalization will result in the fact that the screed will dry out unevenly over the entire depth. The top layer will set quickly and literally clog the surface. This will drastically reduce the rate of evaporation of moisture from the lower levels. As a result, a decrease in the strength of such a base and the appearance of cracks.

Installation lag

In a private house, they can be laid directly on the base, without arranging a screed (for example, in the basement). In this case, it is advisable to prepare small brick racks. Here the main attention is on the upper sections of such supports. They must be in the same (horizontal) plane. To prevent the beam from moving, a metal pin or wooden insert is placed in the center of each post. It is not difficult to guess how to fix the lag in this or that case.

If the logs are laid directly on the ground or screed, then it is desirable to treat the lower planes of the timber with tar. The work is easy, and it does not require money. The advantage of this solution is the additional protection of wood from absorbing moisture from a damp surface.

Sometimes, a supporting frame (crate) is preliminarily 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 pillow may not provide perfect alignment.

The recommended interval between lags is about half a meter. If more, the strength of the flooring decreases; less - increases the consumption of materials and the load on the floor. In addition, there will be problems with the installation of a heat-insulating layer.

Wooden floor insulation

Do it or not worth it - it's up to the owner. This largely depends on the specifics of the room. But if it is unheated, or residential, located on the lower floor, then additional thermal insulation in the form of expanded clay and the boards themselves are clearly not enough. The best choice for warming a wooden floor is 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, therefore, even if the lag axial lines do not coincide (the "cells" are curved), it is quite easy to lay the mats; they compress slightly and are easy to fit into place. And after straightening, they are securely held between the lags, while there are no gaps along the beam-insulation line. Therefore, gap sealing is not required.

When choosing mineral wool in thickness, you need to focus on the fact that after installing the mats (plates) between the lags, they are slightly lower than their upper cut. This is necessary to form a small space under the wooden floor, through which air can circulate freely. Natural ventilation helps to remove excess moisture from under the flooring, thereby protecting the boards and insulation from moisture.

Finished floor installation

It is carried out in 1 or 2 rows. A single-row floor is arranged, as a rule, in utility rooms, country houses, sheds and the like. For most of the rooms in a residential building - only if a thick board is chosen or a "finish" lining with parquet or laminate is supposed.

With a double plank field, the boards are taken thinner (the main thing here is the total thickness of the flooring). The advantage is that cheap lumber is suitable for the first level; and this gives some savings. Sometimes the owners of private houses lay a film between the rows, which also partially reduces heat loss and increases the degree of waterproofing.

Features of laying a wooden floor

  1. A small gap is left between the walls and the floorboards (about 1.5 - 2 cm) so that the flooring does not begin to warp when the wood expands or gets wet. In addition, this installation scheme guarantees effective natural ventilation of the space under the floor. Therefore, the risk of mold and mildew on the boards is minimized.
  2. 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 creak of the boards will constantly be heard in the house.
  3. Their adjustment is done with a hammer and a piece of board, carefully so that the tenon fits snugly into the groove along the entire length of the sample. But this is the case with the profile board. If an ordinary edged one is bought, the technology changes.

First, the extreme boards are fixed on the logs. All the rest, in turn, fit between them simultaneously from both directions. Naturally, in the center of the room there will be difficulties; the last floorboards will not lie exactly in place. They are put in a “house”, and then they are pressed down, standing on his “horse”.

The last stage is screwing all the boards to the joists at pre-designated points. Beforehand, a chamfer is made in each of them so that the head of the fastener is completely “drowned” in the tree.

  • 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 with a coating against corrosion. 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 lines of the joints of the floorboards with a grinder. If wooden floors are equipped in a private house, then it is worth buying it; it will be needed again, and more than once. Processing the seams will smooth out the existing irregularities between the boards. This is especially true for decks that are supposed to be varnished, which is most often done to preserve the grain of the wood.

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 above recommendations, all stages of work are easy to do with your own hands.

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