How to level the wooden floors under the laminate? Floor renovation in apartment

The floor in the apartment is the pride of the owners, as its appearance speaks of the cleanliness of the premises. When the floors are out of date, they ceased to please you, they began to creak and sag, you noticed scratches, stains or dents on them, you can easily change them to new, better looking and better ones. To date, there is a huge number of types of floors, one of them - laminate.

Floor renovation in apartment

Usually, sex is replaced in three stages, but the first one can be missed. So, the first stage - the dismantling of the current coating, the second - the preparation of the foundation, and then the leveling of the floor surface, the last stage - the flooring of the new coating.

Preparing for floor repair

Previously, you need to take out all the furniture. It is better not to take furniture out into the corridor, because it will take out the garbage after the removal of the old floor, the introduction of new materials inconvenient. Things in the corridor can also suffer if they accidentally get overwrapped plinths or boards.

Repairing the floor in the apartment is a very clean operation, it does not create a lot of dust or dirt, like, for example, wall leveling and redevelopment. But it is recommended to cover things that are close to the place of work.

Choosing a base and a floor covering

There are two main options for flooring: wooden and adjustable lags. Although wooden logs are a cheaper option for materials, but more labor-intensive and, most importantly, less accurate in alignment.

To improve the accuracy of the floor leveling and speed up the process of work, self-regulating lags are used. Although this option is somewhat more expensive.

Important criteria in choosing a new coating are price, quality, appearance, durability. Parquet is considered a classic option. Laminate on the wooden floor is easy to install, it is inexpensive, has different wear resistance and a variety of colors. Linoleum is easy to install and maintain. The carpet is suitable for floors in bedrooms, but it is uncomfortable to clean, and tiles are used in rooms where moisture resistance is important, it has a huge selection of shapes and colors.

Repair of wooden floors

Repair of wooden floors is not as complex as it seems at first. The standard flaws are slots, creak and "game" boards. Such defects are easily eliminated, and the coating can last for a long time.

Let's consider other existing repair options. In fact, there are only three alternatives: adjustable floors, cement and dry screed. These types of repairs can also be carried out on their own, but this can already be attributed to major repairs. After all, it will be necessary to dismantle the current wooden floor, rework the basis for a new one.

Is it worth it to resort to overhaul, only you decide. Remember, when the boards are not broken and not rotten, and among the main defects can be called creaking, cracks and "game" boards, you can make a simplified repair. You can still strengthen and align the old wooden floor, and then without any problems to put a new coating.

The main defects of wooden floors, their repair

Consider the defects of the wooden floor carefully.

Broken or broken boards should be changed. To do this, remove the problem board, replace it with a new one of the same thickness.

The creaking of the floor is usually caused by the fact that the boards are gradually drying out, therefore, the connection of the boards with the lags is weakened. As a result, the board will rub against other boards and nails, which, on the contrary, should be fixed, so the floor begins to squeak unpleasantly. To get rid of this defect it is possible as follows: it is necessary to find out the exact place of the problem, fix problem boards with the help of self-tapping screws. If the old nail is swinging, it will eventually come out of the board, which means that it should be removed, otherwise it can be left.

Another defect is the "game" of sex. On a similar basis to put a new coating can not, because it will soon fail. That is why this defect must be immediately eliminated. There are two reasons for this behavior of the sexes: they are loose lags or rotten boards. In the first case, you can make simple repairs, namely, replace the damaged boards. In another case it is necessary to strengthen the old lags. Under the lags there is usually an overlapping plate, to which we will mount the lags themselves. To determine their location, we are looking for the places where the boards are attached, lags pass beneath them. Then through the floor boards we drill a hole and fix the lag with a frame anchor. To ensure that the fastener does not protrude above the surface, it is necessary to drill a hole with a slightly larger drill bit.

If you do not plan to finish the finish on the wooden floor, the presence of a nail head on the surface is not desirable, so you must first remove the board, then strengthen the lag, and then put the board in place.

How to level the wooden floors under the laminate?

Gradually, the wooden floors acquire such an unpresentable appearance that they are even terrible to walk on. Then the idea comes to change the cover. This is a wonderful thought, but it is not always possible to remove all the old boards, rework the screed, then put a new floor on the converted surface. In this situation, you are faced with the question: how to level the wooden floors under the laminate? The answer is much simpler than you think. You can level the wooden floor with plywood, which will hide unevenness, eliminate the creaking of boards.

One of the most difficult ways to level the floor is cycleing with a grinding machine or a sewing machine. First you need to score all the nails with which the floorboards are nailed to the lags. After all, if you miss at least one nail, the knives of the grinding machine will press against it, you will have to remove the knives and re-sharpen them, and then reconfigure the grinding machine. In addition, a certain difficulty is the processing of the floor in the corners, in places that are adjacent to the wall.

In summer and winter, the humidity in the house is fundamentally different, so the floorboards, although processed, still show some properties of the tree. Over time, the new floor will be covered with bumps and dents. How to level wooden floors under the laminate and not encounter a similar problem? To do this, often use flat materials, such as plywood.

Aligning the floor with plywood

The unique characteristics of the material make it a suitable option for leveling the floor. Plywood bends well, does not form cracks, its sheets are large, and this is convenient for work. Also it has the same strength in all directions, does not break and does not break, it is convenient in transportation. Plywood has a layered structure, which makes it strong. When leveling floors, you need to consider both the thickness of the material, and its grade, brand, degree of processing.

Plywood has such advantages:

• Simple processing and installation technology;
• High-quality grinding;
• Low weight;
• Good strength and hardness;
• Waterproof and water resistant;
• Has no smell.

Preparing for floor leveling

When you lay the plywood and close it with a new coating, access to communications that are under the floor will be completely absent. Therefore, when starting repair, you should check the serviceability of cables and pipes.

Plywood sheets, prepared for repair, should be held for several days indoors and then proceed to the flooring. The thickness of the plywood is directly dependent on the finish coat. Aligning the floor under the laminate, it is worth taking a material whose thickness is 10 mm.

During alignment, two rules must be adhered to:

• Between the material and the wall it is necessary to leave approximately 10 mm;
• Between sheets, leave a distance of 2 mm.

Floor leveling scheme

We begin the plywood laying.

First you need to install beacons, distributing them on the surface to form squares of 30x30 cm. Then lay the lags. Take the strips of plywood 3-centimeter-wide and attach to the floor, using self-tapping screws or glues. At the next stage, cut the plywood into pieces of 60x60 cm. Poor material should be discarded. Lay these squares so that docking falls on the logs. Cut off excess edges. Then fix the squares with screws. The stacking is finished.

The subsequent treatment depends on the finish coat. Under the laminate on the wooden floor will have to lay the substrate. After the plywood is leveled, an even, very strong surface is obtained, ready for further use. Plywood does not require any special skills, so it can be used by beginners.

You learned how to level the wooden floors under the laminate. But this is only the beginning of the work.

Laying the laminate on the floor

Laminate - a durable coating, because it does not spoil the water and dirt, but its weak point - the lock. Because of it, there are restrictions on laying the base. The main requirement to the bottom is rigidity. While walking on a laminate, which was laid not on a hard base, he begins to "play." Then the main load takes over the castle itself. It is made of sawdust, so it gradually loses its strength, accordingly, the connection also loses its strength. The subsequent problems can be predicted easily: the boards diverge, cracks form, moisture and dirt get into them. It is necessary to change the laminate.

The laminate board has ridges on the lateral faces, and on the opposite sides - grooves. There are several types of designs of these elements, from simple to complex ("lock"). For the first case, an adhesive is required, which will be smeared onto the groove. For the second case, all the installation can be done by hand.

Layout of the laminate

Flooring sheets start from the wall that is opposite the door. Installation should be made perpendicular to the window, then joints will not be visible. The subsequent laying of the laminate - the connection of the panels together. Be sure to insert spacer wedges between the laminate and the wall so that the coating does not deform during use. At the end of the first row, you may need to trim the panels by turning the panel face down, making measurements and cutting off the excess part. The piece that remained after the first row, immediately put in the next row, thereby getting a "chess" pattern. Note that the second row should be added separately from the first, and then connect it with the previous one. The analogous principle is based on the remaining series. The last row is the most difficult, because the whole panel can not fit. Then you have to cut an unnecessary part. Upon completion of the laminate laying, it is time to install the plinth. According to this scheme, you can lay laminate flooring on the wooden floor yourself.