Mixer      05/27/2019

A mixture of pva and sawdust proportions. Sealing cracks in a wooden floor with glue with sawdust, cement mixture, putty, paste and paper, cord and silicone sealant. How to insulate different types of bases

Wood floors tend to deform over time. To eliminate irregularities, cracks and deflections, flooring is performed. Before laying laminate, linoleum or other types of finishing need to be leveled. This is quite a difficult task. But if you follow all the rules, then you can perform the installation correctly and reliably.

There are several ways to level a wooden floor: sanding, putty, liquid screed or plywood.

Wood is a material for which careful care is required, as it is subject to deflection, cracking and other deformations.

Leveling a wooden floor allows you to eliminate deformations that may adversely affect the future coating.

This work can be done in the following ways:

  • scraping;
  • leveling with PVA glue and putty;
  • self-leveling compound;
  • plywood.

First of all, you need to assess the condition of the wooden floor. To do this, you need to check if there are mold, microorganisms or insects on the boards.

For this purpose, it is necessary to disconnect one board and carefully examine it on the sides and from the back. If the surface is durable, there is no presence of fungus or insects, then the floor has good quality and it doesn't need to be changed. If there are traces of microorganisms and deformation, it is necessary to replace the boards that have become unusable, or lay a new floor.

Using the level determine the deviation of the surface from the horizontal position. Then proceed to leveling the surface.

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Wet floor screed

Alignment with a wet screed is carried out with a special mixture on a clean floor, according to the exposed beacons.

Wet screed is created for the initial leveling of the floor or to cover the floor for finishing. It consists of cement, sand and gravel.

The main tasks of a wet screed:

  • floor leveling;
  • strengthening the base of the floor;
  • warming;
  • soundproofing;
  • pipeline protection.

The screed solution can be made independently. To do this, you need to prepare cement-sand mortar with the addition of special preparations. It is necessary to knead the solution and wait until it gains strength. The solution must be dense and not cracked. Ready-made screed can be bought in specialized stores.

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Wet screed floor leveling technology

Materials and tools:

  • cement;
  • sand;
  • gravel;
  • water;
  • building level;
  • sawdust.

By using building level determine if the surface is flat.

First you need to prepare the surface. It is necessary to clean the floor of dirt and cover the nervousness with cement.

Install beacons and fix them.

After that, pour the prepared screed mixture into the cells between the beacons. The mixture needs to be leveled.

Wet sawdust is poured over the screed. Further installation can be carried out after the screed has completely dried - after about 4 days.

Mechanical sanding is performed by a special machine.

Advantages of a wet screed:

  • high strength;
  • the layer has a small thickness;
  • water resistance;
  • low price.

Flaws:

  • dries for a very long time;
  • poor thermal and sound insulation characteristics;
  • great labor costs.

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Leveling a wooden floor with sanding

Looping is an effective, but rather laborious method. They do scraping if they do not cover the floor, but only paint the boards or varnish them.

Scraping is manual and mechanical. Manual scraping is a very labor intensive process. Therefore, it is better to perform mechanical scraping using a scraper. Mechanical scraping is of higher quality and is performed much faster.

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Mechanical sanding technologies

Materials and tools:

  • scraper machine;
  • respirator;
  • protective gloves;
  • headphones;
  • vacuum cleaner;
  • putty knife;
  • degreaser;
  • building level.

Scheme "leveling the floor with a self-leveling mixture."

First of all, you need to prepare the room. All items, furniture, rugs, curtains must be taken out of it. If large furniture hard to bear, it is covered with cellophane.

The floor needs to be cleaned. Remove all nails and buttons located in the floor, as they are dangerous during the operation of the scraper.

You need to prepare a cycle machine. Before starting work, put on a respirator, headphones and gloves to protect against wood dust, noise and vibration of the device.

Start cycling. Scraping is performed from the corner and advanced with a snake. The first layer is removed from the entire surface.

Then putty, suitable in color, you need to putty all the bumps.

If any board has too much damage, it can be changed to another or turned over.

It is necessary to process baseboards and places that cannot be accessed by the device using manual scraping. After the putty has dried, the floor is re-sanded.

At the end of the work, you need to clean the room from dust and waste using a vacuum cleaner.

Before applying varnish, wipe the boards with a cloth with a degreasing agent.

Leveling a wooden floor is considered successful if the entire surface has become perfectly smooth and there are no deformations on it.

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Leveling the floor using PVA glue and putty

Materials and tools:

alignment liquid mixture produced by needle roller.

  • PVA glue;
  • sawdust;
  • putty knife;
  • wooden slats;
  • building level.

IN Lately this method is used very often. It is very efficient and high quality.

It is required to prepare a mixture of sawdust and PVA glue. After hardening, such a mixture becomes very durable. low cost constituent parts mixtures and their availability makes putty cost-effective.

The surface that is obtained after applying such a putty is similar to a chipboard. However, putty, unlike chipboard, can be softened and fill all the bumps.

PVA putty allows further thermal insulation of the floor.

Stages of work:

  1. You need to clean the room and clean the floor.
  2. Reiki is applied to the clean floor at the marked level.
  3. Fill the gaps between the slats and the floor with PVA putty and sawdust. Sawdust can be slightly wetted so that they do not absorb all the moisture from the glue.
  4. If it is necessary to perform a sufficiently thick layer of putty, then the work is performed in several stages. First you need to apply the first layer of putty. After it dries, a second layer of putty is performed. All subsequent layers are performed after the previous ones have completely dried.
  5. After completing the work, you need to use the level to check whether the surface is sufficiently flat.
  6. If defects are found, an additional layer of putty should be applied in the necessary places.
  7. After that, you should wait until the putty dries completely, about 2 days.

Only after the putty has completely dried, lay the floor covering.

For some types of finishes, PVA-based putty is not strong enough. Therefore, you need to additionally lay plywood, drywall or chipboard sheets.

Sealing gaps in wooden floor required in cases where the boards have dried out during their long operation, and some floorboards have begun to creak. Since the wooden floor has been used for centuries, a lot of ways to repair it have been invented during this time, and with the advent of new materials, the possibilities for eliminating flaws have expanded even more.

Therefore, if it becomes necessary to seal the cracks, you can always choose exactly the method that is most accessible in terms of execution. To be aware of ways to solve these problems, you need to consider some of them.

Repair wood flooring can be divided into three types:

  • Complete dismantling of the floor and bulkhead floorboards. To carry out this procedure, you will need a hammer with a nail puller and a small crowbar. Such large-scale events are carried out if there is a suspicion of damage to the lag lathing, on which the floor boards are laid.

The boards are carefully sorted out, healthy and strong specimens are selected from them. If required, they are slightly chipped to even out unevenly shrunken edges.

It is possible that some of the floorboards will have to be completely replaced, so this must be foreseen in advance by purchasing replacement material. If necessary, some elements of the crate are also changed.

After all repair and preparatory actions, the floors are laid again. In this case, the boards should fit tightly and be fixed to the lags.

This type of repair is necessary if sealing gaps, due to their size, is simply inefficient.

  • Partial dismantling of the boardwalk is carried out in cases where flaws on the boards have formed in certain areas, where wide gaps appeared and the boards began to creak. The flooring in these places is carefully removed, and a new one is laid in its place. Most likely, the second type of repair will have to be carried out in conjunction with the third, most widespread.
  • In most cases, it is only necessary to carry out repair work to seal gaps. This can be done different ways. The choice of a particular technique Firstly, depends on the size of the cracks and the scale of their spread over the floor surface.

Ways to seal gaps

Slots in the floor boards can appear in various parts of it, so you need to consider not only the technology of work, but also options for sealing materials, as well as places where flaws can occur.

Cracks between wall and planks gender

Between these elements of the structure, small distances are always left for ventilation and in case of expansion of the material during temperature and humidity changes. But if over time they have increased excessively, then they will need to be repaired. This can be done with construction foam, sometimes even adding small pieces of foam to it. The work is carried out in stages:

First you need to carefully dismantle the plinth;

Then clean the cracks from dust and accumulated dirt;

After the foam dries, the excess is cut off exactly along the floorboards;

From above, it would be best to seal the seams with puttyso that dust does not collect in the pores of the hardened foam;

Sealing cracks with glue + sawdust

Floor repair, in any of its areas, can be carried out adhesive composition, which can be made in one of two ways:

First option

  • First, small sawdust is prepared. They are placed in a convenient container and poured with boiling water. The mass is mixed until homogeneity is achieved.
  • The sawdust is left to swell and cool for one to two hours, then the mass is mixed again.
  • Further, glue (carpentry or PVA) is added to the prepared sawdust, and the mass is well kneaded until a viscous consistency with high adhesion appears.
  • Then you can proceed to the preparation of the floor - all the cracks are cleaned of dust and dirty deposits. Sometimes, if necessary, their upper part expands a little.
  • The prepared adhesive mixture is applied to the cracks with a narrow spatula and gently tamped inwards, as far as possible, but without much effort.
  • From above, the mixture is leveled, its excess is removed.
  • After complete drying, after two to three days, the cracks are sanded with sandpaper or cycle through using a special machine

Video: homemade sawdust and PVA putty

Second option

You can repair floor coverings in a different way, using a repair compound made of sawdust and glue, but with the addition of cement.

  • For this, two parts of PVA or wood glue are taken, 15 parts of very warm water are added to this, everything is mixed well until completely homogeneous. Further, 5 parts of cement and the same amount of sawdust are added to the resulting adhesive solution. The mass is mixed and left for 7 ÷ 10 minutes. If the mixture needs to be given a certain color of wood, then you can add a special coloring pigment or thick oil-based paint.
  • Next, the gaps in the floor are cleaned and lubricated with the glue that was used to make the repair composition described above.
  • The mass itself needs to be warmed up a little, and then quickly seal the cracks with a narrow spatula, trying to level the surface.
  • It will take about two weeks for this composition to dry completely. Then the cracks must be treated with abrasive materials to perfect evenness.

This method is often used not only to seal widened cracks, but also to level the floor surface to a smooth state.

Repair with putty

If you do not want to mess with the manufacture complex formulations of the numerous ingredients, you can, of course, do it easier: purchase a special wood putty at a hardware store and close up the cracks with it. This option is suitable if the gaps not big at all. But you need to know that such autumn putty is often quite short-lived - it can crack and crumble over time. Therefore, it is better to use it when it is planned to then cover the old boards with plywood flooring.

The finished putty is also applied narrow or rubber spatula pushing it into the cracks. After it dries, it is necessary to level the embedded surfaces using the available means of abrasive wood processing.

Sealing gaps with paste and paper

This method is easy to do and not at all expensive. To perform such a process, you will need a paste, paper and a little blue vitriol, or, as it is also called, “blue stone”. This ingredient of the composition is necessary so that nests of various small insects do not appear in the adhesive mass over time.

  • The paper is torn into small pieces or cut, then it is filled with water. The paper needs to be allowed time to soak.
  • While the paper pulp is being prepared, you need to prepare a paste. It is brewed from flour or starch and water. The water is brought to a boil and one of the selected ingredients is gradually poured into it, stirring constantly, so that there are as few lumps as possible. The composition must cool to a warm state.
  • Then add to the paste blue vitriol 1:10.
  • Next, the paper mass must be squeezed out, crushed with your fingers, added to the paste and mixed thoroughly. You should get a fairly thick and homogeneous consistency, like a putty.
  • The preparation of cracks for sealing occurs in the same way as in other cases. The main thing is to achieve their absolute purity.
  • Further, the mass is superimposed on the cracks and rammed into them. From above it needs to be well leveled, and after drying - level with sandpaper.
  • After that, the floor can be safely painted.

Seal gaps with cord

It has long been known how to seal cracks, and not only between floorboards, but also in walls, using a cord selected according to the width of the holes. The use of this folk technology will help not only get rid of cracks in the floor, but also save residents from the unpleasant creaking of the boards.

For the repair process in a similar way you must have twine, rope or cord made of any material, sawdust, carpentry glue or PVA and putty.

  • The cord must be passed through the glue so that it is completely lubricated with it.
  • Next is a mixture of putty, sawdust and glue.
  • The rope is laid on one of the slots and deepened inward to such a state that it is 2 ÷ 4 mm from it to the floor surface - this is a necessary condition.
  • The distance from the cord carefully compacted into the slot to the floor surface must be filled with the prepared mixture with a small margin on top, since, upon drying, the adhesive putty will necessarily shrink.

Sealing gaps with strips or wedges

Since ancient times, a more complex method of sealing cracks has also been used - with the help of thin laths hewn at an angle in the form of wedges. These parts must be carefully fitted and should not burst the floorboards much, but at the same time completely close the gaps. The work is carried out in several stages.

  • As with others repair work to seal the flaws of the floor, the cracks must be cleaned and slightly expanded their upper part.
  • Further, according to the size of the gap, a rail is made, narrowed to its lower part, so that it, like a wedge, enters the prepared and cleaned groove.
  • The slot and rail are densely processed with PVA or wood glue.
  • Further, the rail is glued into the slot, it can be knocked out a little with a rubber mallet or mallet, or you can place a plank on top and hammer the rail through it with an ordinary hammer.
  • If the rail has not completely entered the slot, and a small part of it protrudes above the floor surface, then it is removed with a planer after the glue has completely dried.
  • When using this method of sealing gaps in the floors, the color of the driven wedge rail will differ significantly from the main coating, so they can be leveled with a stain or well-chosen paint.
  • If there is a thick layer of paint on the floors, and it is cracked and peeled off around the cracks, it can be removed with a building hair dryer or cleaned with special nozzles on a drill with a soft iron brush. You can also resort to sandpaper installed on the grinder.

Other repair methods

In addition to the methods mentioned above, there are many other well-known methods. Besides, construction stores can offer for these purposes numerous modern materials.

  • Tow - familiar to everyone construction material from flax fibers, which has long established itself as its positive qualities. Therefore, even with the advent of numerous new compositions for sealing cracks and cracks, they are in no hurry to abandon it.

This material is treated with carpentry glue and tamped into the slots with the help of an improvised tool. After the glue dries, the cracks are tinted to match the common floor.

  • A mixture of epoxy and cement, which is prepared from equal proportions of the material, is excellent for repairing floors with small gaps. This tool is carefully poured into the openings with the top, in the expectation that the mass will sag. Since the cement-mixed epoxy sets quickly enough, it won't have time to seep into the subfloor.

Then, after the glue dries, the cracks are sanded and covered with paint.

  • A composition made from thick oil paint, sawdust or small shavings and wood varnish in proportions of 1:4:1, mixed into a single mass of a uniform consistency, is also excellent for filling gaps different sizes. The process can be carried out in one step, When cracks are filled immediately, or maybe in several stages, when it is called in those cases when such a number of different sizes of gaps have formed between the floorboards that it is unproductive to close them. Therefore, it will be easier, observing all the technologies for working with plywood, to fix it on the floor surface with self-tapping screws and at once close all the flaws that have appeared.
    • Well suited for sealing joints and well-known sealant, which has a convenient package and a nozzle in the form of a syringe. Thanks to this special device, you can accurately fill both a wide gap and a very narrow one by cutting the tip to the desired thickness.

    The sealant perfectly closes the cracks and frees from the resulting squeak. Spreading under the pressure created in the syringe, it closes the entire inner surface without tamping or other effort. This is a durable and fairly reliable material that will eliminate problems for many years.

    Sealants made on acrylic and silicone base, which are designed to work with wood, are well suited for filling cracks. They are very easy to apply and dry quickly. Therefore, if there is no experience in the manufacture of special compounds or there is no desire to mess with them, but there is an opportunity to purchase a ready-made tool for such repairs, you can opt for a sealant.

Despite the appearance of various modern materials, sawdust insulation has not lost its relevance, because it is not only much cheaper, but in many conditions it is more effective. Next we will talk about:

  • various ways of insulation with sawdust;
  • choosing the optimal binder;
  • features of the use of lime;
  • choosing the most effective ways for floor, wall and ceiling insulation;
  • comparison of insulation with sawdust and other materials.

Ways of insulation with sawdust

Wood sawing waste, which is sawdust, can be used for insulation in three main ways:

  • backfill with compaction;
  • production and installation of heat-insulating plates;
  • plastering.

Backfilling is the easiest way, the only advantage of which is low labor costs. Its main disadvantage is the subsidence of the sealing material due to caking and the appearance of voids. The voids themselves are not dangerous, because the air is an excellent heat insulator, however, any damage to the outer or inner lining will lead to the appearance of air circulation and a sharp drop in thermal insulation properties. Therefore, this method is used only to reduce heat loss in utility rooms where the appearance of cold bridges will not lead to serious problems and where it is possible to open in a year outer skin and add sawdust.

Insulation boards do not need annual additions, but working with them is much more difficult. After all, first you need to make molds (matrices) for pouring the plates, then select the optimal composition of the solution and pour the plates in the matrices. After complete hardening, the plates are attached to the walls, ceiling or floor lining. different ways and the gaps between them are sealed with fresh mortar. The main advantage of the method is that the plates can be cooked all year round if there suitable premises. The main disadvantage is the low mechanical strength and large mass, which makes them quite difficult to work with.

Plastering with various sawdust-based solutions is another popular method of insulation. It can also be attributed to the pouring of the finished solution into the voids between the outer and interior walls Houses. The main advantage of these methods is the ability to insulate surfaces of any shape. The first minus is that after applying the solution, the insulated surface is filled with water, and the second is that it is difficult to insulate ceilings in this way, because due to the insufficient ratio of plasticity and specific gravity, the solution continually breaks down and falls.

Choosing the optimal binder

Warming with sawdust alone is ineffective, so they are mixed with substances that turn sawdust into a solid and motionless mass. The most popular binders are:

  • cement;
  • gypsum;
  • clay;

Cement provides maximum strength to the hardened insulation, in addition, it tolerates water more easily than gypsum or clay. The optimal ratio of sawdust and binder is 5:1, this composition provides high strength of the hardened material and good thermal insulation properties. The life time of the solution is 2 hours, after which the reaction of cement with water begins and mixing of the solution leads to a loss of strength after solidification. An increase in the proportion of binder slightly increases strength, but an increase in the proportion of sawdust proportionally raises the thermal insulation qualities. Nevertheless, cement-sawdust insulation must be protected from precipitation using siding or any other method.

Gypsum provides less than cement, the strength of the hardened insulation and tolerates moisture much worse. Specific gravity gypsum-sawdust mass is slightly higher than the same composition based on cement due to the lower optimal ratio of insulating and binder materials of 4:1. The solution life is 10 minutes, after which the gypsum reacts with water and mixing leads to a loss of strength after solidification. Special additives ( lemon acid, casein glue or slaked lime) allow you to increase the pot life up to 30 minutes without seriously reducing the strength of the cured composition.

The main advantage of clay is its accessibility, because it is enough to remove a meter of fertile soil and you have clay ready for use. After drying, the mixture of clay and sawdust turns out to be noticeably less durable than the previous compositions, therefore, insulation boards are not made from it. When insulated in other ways, it provides the same result as cement or gypsum. The obvious advantage of this binder is that after contact with moisture, the clay first softens, and then dries again and regains its former strength. In addition, clay provides the maximum steam transfer coefficient, so the buildings insulated with it easily discharge excess moisture into the atmosphere, thus regulating indoor humidity.

The mixture of sawdust and PVA after hardening is not inferior in strength to the cement-sawdust composition of the same proportions, in addition, it is not afraid of water. So if you don't mind appearance heater, you can do without exterior finish. This approach is appropriate for chicken coops and other utility rooms, for which appearance is much less important than functionality. The life time of the finished mixture is 3 hours, after which stirring slightly reduces the strength. This mixture has a minimum level of vapor permeability, so it should not be used for insulation. wooden houses, because it will deprive them of their main advantage - a comfortable microclimate in the rooms.

Features of the use of lime

Regardless of the choice of binder, as well as in the case of insulation with sawdust alone, it is necessary to mix them with lime. This will not only protect the wood from rot and disease, but also prevent the appearance of bugs and rodents. But rodents are the main problem. modern insulation, they are happy to make holes in foam, mineral wool and other materials. Thanks to lime, which is a strong alkali and burns animals, rodents avoid settling in a warming layer of sawdust. The average percentage of sawdust and lime is 10:1, but it can vary up or down depending on many conditions.

How to choose the best heating method

When choosing a method of insulation, it is necessary to proceed from the convenience of its implementation, because in terms of thermal efficiency they are all approximately the same. If it is necessary to insulate the ceiling, then first of all you need to find out whether all the work can be carried out from the side of the upper floor by dismantling the floor, or whether everything will have to be done from below. If you manage to work from the floor of the upper floor, then any method will do, including insulation with sawdust alone, while the problem of shrinkage can be solved by more thorough compaction of the material. You can also add a small amount of binder (in a ratio of 15:1 or 20:1), this will not create a strong insulating layer, but it will prevent shrinkage. If it is impossible to work from above, then you will have to make plates and fix them to the ceiling, because it is impossible to apply such a layer of insulating plaster.

When insulating walls, you also have to decide which method is easier to perform, and also better suited to specific conditions. If there is a lot of free time in winter and there is a heated garage or barn, then you can prepare insulating boards, so that in spring or summer their installation will take much less time than plastering or pouring. If the wall is with voids, then it is necessary to determine how to get close to them with minimal damage to the walls and which method is more effective in such conditions. In addition, when plastering or pouring outside, it is necessary to sheathe the surface of the wall with a chain-link mesh, which will provide maximum adhesion to the insulation solution.

Comparison of insulation with sawdust and other materials

We have already talked about the two main advantages of sawdust insulation - such work is inexpensive and mice do not start in this material. However, they have other advantages - they pass water vapor better than any insulation, so their effect on the microclimate of breathing houses is minimal. In addition, even a mixture of sawdust with gypsum is less sensitive to high humidity and falling dew than mineral wool. A mixture with PVA is many times more sensitive to high humidity and dew than mineral wool and is comparable to polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam.

Sawdust has another significant plus, which manifests itself only in Russia, where the building materials market is filled with fake and counterfeit goods. Taking for free or buying wood sawing waste at a woodworking enterprise or sawmill, you can be sure that you will not be slipped a fake or counterfeit, and that the material will not turn out to be toxic or poisonous. But this is especially important for bedrooms and children's rooms, so you can put up with not so many shortcomings of this material.

In all other respects, wood sawing waste is slightly inferior to modern materials. Such insulation requires, albeit not much, but still more effort, because modern materials are supplied in the form of ready-to-use products, and the insulation solution or mixture still needs to be prepared. In addition, in terms of thermal efficiency, a sawdust insulating layer 10 cm thick corresponds to a layer of mineral wool 8 cm thick or a foam layer 6–7 cm thick. In cases where sawdust cannot provide the desired efficiency at certain thickness layer and make the layer thicker is not possible, other materials are preferable. If you can increase the layer, then they will not yield to any other material.

In terms of sensitivity to fire and danger during a fire, sawdust with a binder (with the exception of PVA) is comparable to mineral wool and is many times superior to polystyrene, expanded polystyrene or polyurethane. After all, it is very difficult to set them on fire, but if the house flared up so much that the heater ignited from the heat, then such a fire will destroy the house with any insulation. But during a strong fire, sawdust does not emit toxic substances, which cannot be said about any other heaters, except for mineral wool.

Another important parameter, which depends on the correct choice of binder and adherence to technology, is the service life of such a heater. Foam insulation have to be changed after a maximum of 50 years, mineral wool after 100, but still in Russia and other countries there are houses insulated with sawdust, whose age has exceeded 150 years. And the insulation layer does not require replacement, because it is in excellent condition. According to this parameter, a heater based on sawdust left far behind all competitors. Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally whether sawdust is worse or better than modern insulation, they are designed for certain conditions and there they are significantly superior to any analogues.

Floors were insulated long before there were special target materials that provide high-quality and reliable thermal insulation. Traditionally, for these purposes, all kinds of improvised materials were used, for example, floor insulation with sawdust. True, this method may seem outdated, but due to its environmental friendliness and exceptional low cost, it is successfully used today.

A thick layer of sawdust is not inferior in efficiency to many heat insulators!

There is wood waste in almost any sawmill, but in order to properly insulate the floor with sawdust, the material must first be properly processed.

Preparation

Ordinary sawdust left after sawing logs is pre-treated with antiseptic agents and dried thoroughly. It should also be taken into account that a layer of such a heater is an excellent habitat for pest rodents. To protect the backfill, sawdust must be mixed in a certain ratio with slaked lime, fluff. Hydrated lime should be at least a tenth of the total mass. To make it easier to achieve Homogeneity of the mass can be achieved more easily if the components of the mixture are poured onto a metal or wooden shield. The mixture is stirred by turning with a spatula.

It is also important to eliminate the flowability of the material, otherwise, over time, you may face the problem of settling of the insulation layer, due to which the backfill will begin to transmit heat. What are they doing for this? To change the loose structure of the backfill to a solid one, lime and gypsum are added, in a specific proportional ratio: for 85% sawdust - 10% lime and 5% gypsum.

When preparing sawdust for work using this technology, it is not worth drying them.

The insulation is prepared in small portions to prevent it from hardening ahead of time. The fact is that gypsum seizes very quickly. As part of additional components can be replaced with others:

  • lime - for lime dough, but you need to take it twice as much;
  • gypsum - on cement.

Sawdust floor insulation technology

The way the floors were insulated in the old days is still good today. The process is carried out in the following sequence:

  • if necessary, the floors are dismantled;
  • floor beams are treated with flame retardant compounds;
  • cranial bars made from the remnants of recycled wood are nailed to the floor beams;
  • boards are laid on the cranial bars, and since this is a subfloor, low-grade wood can be used; all materials must be treated with flame retardants and antiseptics;
  • covering material is spread on the boards, which, unlike a polyethylene film, is vapor-permeable, and sawdust is poured with a layer about 8–10 cm high;
  • to increase the antiseptic properties of the heat insulator and increase the waterproofing, they are poured with a weak aqueous solution of lime, lime milk;
  • the material is allowed to dry for a day, during which time the insulation layer will sag by 2-3 cm;
  • the finished floor is laid.

Work must be carried out carefully and efficiently, given the fragility of the insulation.

This method is suitable for . If it is intended to insulate interfloor ceilings, the thickness of the thermal insulation is approximately tripled, up to 20-30 cm.

Option with a mixture of gypsum and lime

The first step is to prepare a mixture of sawdust, gypsum or cement, lime.

It is not worth calculating the percentages scrupulously, you can use the proportions in buckets that have been tested in practice: for 10 parts of sawdust - a part of gypsum / cement and a part of lime.

The future insulation is sprayed with an antiseptic with a watering can, boric acid. The mixture is kneaded with about five to ten liters of water. Humidity is checked independently - if the mixture compressed into a lump does not crumble, then it is ready.

Two weeks later, the heat insulator is inspected for voids. If necessary, the process is repeated.

In addition to the home-made mixture, there are also sawdust building materials: chipboard, sawdust granules, concrete, wood concrete.

Chipboard floor insulation

Chipboards are wood chips that are mixed with resin during the production process and hot pressed. The thickness of the floor slabs is calculated in the range of 18-20 mm.

This technology is usually used for concrete floors. concrete surface must be completely dry. Warming is carried out as follows:

  • First equip waterproofing. For this surface concrete base covered with a thick layer of polyethylene film, which protects the insulation material from moisture.
  • It is laid on it pre-prepared and processed chipboard sheet, holes are drilled through it in the floor and fixed to the floor with self-tapping screws. The drill must have a victorious tip. The sheets are fixed along the perimeter and along its surface, dividing it visually into squares.
  • Chipboard sheets are laid in rows, and, given the possibility of their deformation from humidity or temperature changes, it is recommended to leave gaps between the wall and the rows.
  • For the processing of joints, a building mesh is used, on which putty is applied, mixing it with oil paint, wood mastic or putty prepared by mixing sawdust with PVA glue.

Finally, all irregularities are eliminated by processing the seams with fine sandpaper.

The wooden floor in any room inevitably begins to crack, sag and lose its flat surface. To hide these defects, homeowners use floor coverings such as linoleum, laminate or tiles. But before you start laying the flooring, you need to drop the surface. Keep in mind that leveling a wooden floor is not an easy task, but if you fully follow all the recommendations and tips, it will not be difficult to cope with this task.

Wood is one of the materials that needs permanent care, because it is subject to drying, warping, cracking and sagging. Leveling a wooden floor allows you to remove a variety of irregularities that may adversely affect the new flooring in the future, which equally applies to soft materials, such as linoleum or carpet, and to hard ones, such as tile, parquet or laminate (see How to level the floor for laminate), as well as to make a log house of high quality and reliability. Leveling a wooden floor with your own hands can be done by any of the following methods:

  • cycles;
  • Using PVA glue and putty;
  • Using a self-levelling compound;
  • Plywood.

Determining the condition of a wooden floor

The first thing to do in order to choose the right method when leveling the floor with your own hands is to assess its condition.

First, you need to check the boards for resistance to rot and insects. To do this, open one board and examine its log and reverse side. A dry, durable surface and no traces of insects indicate that the floor does not need to be changed. If rotting, chipped cracks are found, the floor should be laid on a new one or poor-quality boards should be replaced.

Secondly, determine to what extent the floor is deviated from the horizontal. This can be easily done using laser level. To do this, place the device at the highest angle and make marks on the walls. If you do not have the opportunity to use this device, you will have to tinker a little: find the highest point of the floor, draw a straight line through this point using the mounting level and continue it to the entire perimeter of the room.

Wet floor screed for leveling

A wet floor screed is a technology for arranging a floor for the initial leveling or covering of a building for the purpose of finishing the imposition of a forging material. It consists mainly of sand, cement and small gravel.

Here is a list of the main functions of a wet screed:

  • Strengthening the base of the floor;
  • Surface smoothing;
  • Heat and noise insulation;
  • Protection of pipes and (or) cables.

How to make a screed?

To make a screed yourself, mix a solution of water, sand, cement and special additives. Apply the screed, then wait until it dries and gains strength. Then check the quality of the resulting solution: you should get a dense, homogeneous, even and crack-free mixture. If you want to get a quality screed, buy it from a trusted manufacturer.

DIY floor screed video

Below are the steps for leveling the floor with a wet screed:

  1. Determine the level. Set the level to the skyline of the room and determine the maximum and minimum floor heights.
  2. Prepare the surface. Clean the floor of dirt and dust, cover all cracks with cement.
  3. Set up beacons. Observing the level of the floor, place the beacons and fix them securely.
  4. Pour in the solution. Pour the prepared screed mixture into the cells between the beacons and drop it.
  5. Let the screed dry completely. This will take 8-16 hours, but it will be possible to carry out capital work only after 4 days. From above you can fall asleep wet sawdust.

Advantages and disadvantages of wet screed

Pros:

  • low cost of materials;
  • small height of the screed;
  • reliable waterproofing;
  • durable coating.

Minuses:

  • Very long time drying;
  • high labor costs;
  • poor sound and thermal insulation.

Leveling with a mechanical floor scraper

Leveling a wooden floor with a mechanical scraper

The process of mechanical scraping of the floor is as follows and is divided into the following stages.

  1. Preparing the room for scraping. Remove all furniture, carpets, curtains, and paintings from the room. In case of sitting down, some furniture cannot be taken out, it must be covered polyethylene film, which is slightly dusted with wood dispersion.
  2. Cleaning the floor surface. Get rid of all nails and buttons: they are especially dangerous for the scraper.
  3. Preparing the scraping machine. You will need a respirator that will protect you from wood dispersion and dust during work, earmuffs - from machine noise and thick gloves - from machine vibrations.
  4. Cyclovka. Now you can start looping itself. Start cycling from the corner and move like a snake, removing the first layer. After sealing all the cracks and holes, which can be done with putty, the color of which is most similar to the color of the wooden floor. If a board is very badly damaged, turn it over to the other side or replace it with a new one. Manually process hard-to-reach places floors and baseboards using manual scraping. Recycle the floor, but only when the putty dries well.
  5. When the scraping work is over, start cleaning up debris and dust. Vacuum the surface and before varnishing wipe with a lint-free cloth using a degreaser.

It should be noted that the leveling of a wooden floor is considered to be successfully completed only if the entire surface is perfectly smooth and there are no irregularities on it.

Leveling the floor using PVA glue and putty

The method of leveling the floor with your own hands using PVA glue and putty has been increasingly used recently.

This method of leveling a wooden floor is the most innovative and unusual. With the help of sawdust and PVA glue, a mixture is prepared, which, after solidification, becomes quite strong and difficult to process. The availability and low cost of the initial components makes putty relatively cost-effective. It essentially resembles the popular chipboard, but unlike it, the putty can be softened and all the cracks can be filled with it. Such a putty made of PVA makes it possible to further insulate the floor. Here are the main phases of leveling the floor with your own hands using PVA-based putty:

Please note that putty based on PVA and sawdust may not be strong enough for some floor coverings, therefore, we recommend additionally laying a sheet of chipboard, drywall or plywood.

Leveling with self-levelling compound

If you are going to cover the floor with more than just varnish or paint, then the sanding method will not work for you. You will have to turn to another way to level the wooden floor, for example, leveling the floor with your own hands using a self-leveling compound.

Today they produce self-leveling compounds that are designed exclusively for wooden floors. Even the most warped floor will get a perfectly flat surface with this mixture. The coating resulting from self-leveling will have a thickness of 0.5-2 centimeters.

  • The first thing to do before you start leveling directly is to prepare the surface. To do this, use a self-tapping screw or screw. Secure all movable boards and make them immovable. Hammer all protruding nail heads below floor level.
  • The next step is to sand the surface from the remnants of paint or varnish. If there are large gaps between the boards, you need to close them with a self-leveling compound. It must be diluted thicker than usual. Wait until the putty dries completely.

Now you can start priming the surface. Prime with a waterproof primer, which will prevent the penetration of liquids and promote better bonding of the material. Then prepare the walls to be covered insulating material, and in some places to connect the walls and floors with a seam of polystyrene foam. Determine the level and take into account the thickness of the layer.

Video self-levelling compound

IN doorway it is necessary to put a wooden plank according to the size of the upcoming floor. With the help of pouring, you can significantly raise the height of the floor. If you want to increase the level of the floor, then the filling must be done in two steps. Lay a special reinforced mesh on the primed floor with an overlap of five centimeters. Fix the mesh with a special construction stapler. Now it's time to knead the mixture. Prepare it according to the manufacturer's instructions. It must be remembered that excess water can lead to stratification. Stir the mixture with a drill with a special nozzle. After the mixture is well mixed, let it stand for 15 minutes, and then move it well once more. A thick homogeneous mass should form without various clots and lumps.

Stir well the mixture made according to the instructions, pour it on the reinforced floor and remove the formed bubbles with the help of a studded rubber roller. Then level the floor using a smooth rubber roller. The surface must be dried, observing and taking into account all the wishes and conditions of the manufacturer of the self-leveling mixture.

Preferring this method when laying the floor, it is necessary to take into account the detail that the height of the floor will increase significantly. Nevertheless, given all the advantages and conveniences of this leveling method, such a minus is more than compensated.

Leveling a wooden floor with plywood

The latter method is extremely popular and widespread, because with its help, of course, subject to all the instructions and recommendations, you can get a smooth and even surface, which will be suitable for any floor covering in the future.

Listed below are all the features of do-it-yourself plywood floor leveling.

  1. Arrange along the entire perimeter of the floor cutters like beacons or screws at a certain level. Put beacons in the corners of the square, with countries 200-300 millimeters long (the distance depends on the thickness of the plywood: the larger it is, the shorter the distance).
  2. After the level is laid out, lay logs of plywood sheets of 300-350 millimeters on the floor. Attach the legs with PVA glue. If there is space between them, eliminate it with the help of profiled plywood bars, which are also glued to the PVA.
  3. Then, of course, you need to lay the lag. First, prepare the logs and cut them into squares with a side 600 millimeters long. This can easily come out if you cut an ordinary sheet of plywood into four equal parts. Examine the ends of the sheets very carefully, because they can delaminate, which is not acceptable. If you find such a sheet, it must be replaced.
  4. Then lay the plywood sheets on the logs by brickwork, so that the 4 corners of the sheet do not fall into one place.
  5. Fasten the plywood sheets to the joists with a self-tapping screw.

Using this way do-it-yourself floor leveling, You can get a perfectly flat floor, suitable for laying any type of flooring.

Videos plywood installation

Leveling with expanded clay

Expanded clay is a porous material that is obtained by firing clay rocks. The most popular way to use expanded clay is to level and insulate floors.

Stages of leveling the floor with expanded clay:

  1. Determine the level of the floor with beacons. install one beacon at a distance from the wall, the rest - parallel to each other. Then align them with the mounting level.
  2. Proceed to backfilling expanded clay. Expanded clay should be covered with a layer with a thickness of at least 100 millimeters.
  3. Check the layer for evenness using a level.
  4. Fill with screed.
  5. Wait for the screed to harden. It can take up to 9 days.
  6. Determine its strength. To do this, take the bottle and put it upside down. Bank fogged up? So the floor is still wet.

Summing up

So, as you can see, modern building technology give everyone the opportunity to quickly and accurately level the wooden floor with their own hands. It is enough to be able to handle tools and understand a little about construction. The main thing is to strictly follow the instructions and conscientiously perform all work. After all, you don't work for strangers!