Floor coverings

How to make a floor from a grooved board in an apartment with your own hands?

From the author: We welcome beginners and professional builders, as well as those who have long dreamed of making repairs in their homes without involving professionals. Today we will talk about how to make a wooden floor in a room with your own hands, what dimensions of a grooved floor board are best to use, in what sequence to work to get the desired result. After all, the energy efficiency of the entire building largely depends on the properly laid flooring. Want to save on utility bills? Then follow our advice!

Advantages and disadvantages of plank flooring

Tongue-and-groove is called lumber, on one side of which a longitudinal tongue (comb, spike) is cut out, and on the other - a groove. Competently laid in the apartment does not creak, does not bend, it has a long service life. The front side of the floorboards is smoothly sanded, and on the wrong side there are special grooves for ventilation. This ensures air circulation, prevents wood decay.

The wooden floor mounted in the room has a number of advantages compared to other types of floor coverings:

high rates of noise and heat insulation, which ensures the creation of a cozy atmosphere in the room;
floorboards are made from a single solid wood, they are not used in their production chemical substances, which means that they are environmentally friendly, they can fit in any room;
thanks to the groove-thorn connection used, the load on the floor is distributed evenly, and this, in turn, prolongs its service life. Plus, this type of connection guarantees ease of installation, the creation of a durable seamless coating that is resistant to deformation;
easy to restore attractive appearance grinding, applying drying oil or a special varnish will help.

Such coverage also has disadvantages:

relatively high cost in comparison with other lumber;
sensitive to mechanical damage and exposure to insects, therefore, requires periodic treatment with antiseptics, paint, varnish.

How to choose the right boards

To create a quality floor with your own hands, you need to know about the types of lumber:

Type of wood:
- oak, ash - very strong, beautiful, durable, but also the most expensive material:
- larch - resistant to moisture, durable, does not require opening with varnish and stains;
- pine, spruce - inexpensive, but soft materials, sensitive to external factors, their processing with varnish is obligatory.
Size. Correctly choosing the dimensions of the floorboards is very important, because their thickness directly affects the strength and reliability of the floor, and an incorrectly selected length will complicate the subsequent work on laying the flooring:
- thickness - 18–45 mm;
- width - 70–200 mm;
- length - 1–6 m.
Humidity - an indicator from 12% to 16% is considered optimal.
Quality class. There are 4 classes, the material in which differs in appearance and uniformity of the structure.

Floor installation

You can lay grooved floorboards on almost any surface - an old wooden floor, logs, moisture-resistant plywood. If necessary, the base is leveled, hydro and thermal insulation is laid on it, after which you can proceed with installation. Our step-by-step instructions will help with this:

lay the first plank with the spike against the wall for a secure seal;
gently align the spike of the next floorboard with the groove of the previous one;
professional builders recommend fastening with self-tapping screws, choosing one of the methods - inside the groove at an angle of 45% or screwing in from above, deepening the self-tapping screw in order to subsequently putty it;
the last plank may be wider than required, so it can be carefully sawn along and attached to the wall in any convenient way, since the connection between the floor and the wall will be covered with a plinth;
after installation, if desired, you can cover it with paint or varnish.

We are glad that today's information was useful and interesting for you. Leave comments, reviews about your experience of laying grooved flooring in an apartment, share information with friends, subscribe to us on social networks. Bye everyone, see you soon!

Wooden floors will never go out of style. After all, such a finish looks natural and noble. In addition, wood is an environmentally friendly and natural product that does not emit harmful compounds. There are several options for decorating a wood floor. You can choose parquet, or parquet board, But. Perhaps the most unusual view finishing is tongue-and-groove board. What is this material, and what is it used for - read on.

The grooved board is made of wood. Such an element has a centimeter groove on one side, and a spike of the same length on the other. They got their name just because of the presence of such a locking system, because the groove is called a tongue in a different way.

Sheet piling is a monolithic seamless structure. Floors finished with such material will not begin to creak and fall apart over time.

Devices for screeding boards (thorn and tongue) are made on a milling machine. Only under the condition that these two elements will have exact dimensions, the boards will be firmly connected to each other.

The sheet pile can be made from different tree species. The material of such a product is selected depending on what it will be used for.

Types of grooved boards:

The cheapest option is pine sheet pile boards. They are not very durable and are afraid of moisture, so they need to be opened with several layers of varnish.
Larch tongue and groove is not afraid of moisture, but costs twice as much pine boards. This material is more durable and unattractive to insects.
Oak and ash board is the most expensive and beautiful material. Floors made of trees of such species look noble and aristocratic. High cost pays for strength and long service life.

In the construction markets, you can buy grooved boards of all existing species. First of all, when choosing a material, pay attention to its moisture content. Wooden batten must be saturated with liquid, no more than 10%.

Exist standard sizes for grooved boards. Their length can vary between 100 - 500 cm, thickness 2.5-3.5 cm, and width 8.5-10 cm.

Advantages and disadvantages of grooved floor boards

Wooden tongue-and-groove boards have a lot of advantages. Of course, their features may vary depending on the type and type of wood from which they are made.

Advantages of grooved boards:

The thorn-groove fastener ensures even distribution of the load over the entire floor. Such a monolithic connection increases the life of the floor covering.
This type of boards is made in such a way that air can freely penetrate through the boards. Thus, fungus and mold will not start on the floor.
Sheet piling is an environmentally friendly material that meets all European quality standards.
Increased thermal insulation and sound insulation are additional advantages of such boards.
Installation of tongue-and-groove boards, thanks to the fastening system, is so simple that any beginner can handle it on their own.
The seamless, tongue-and-groove design looks great in many interior styles. Such a coating will look especially good in loft-style rooms.
In case of superficial damage to the floor of massive wooden boards, it is easy to restore its attractive appearance by re-sanding it and opening it with a new layer of varnish.

All these advantages make the tongue-and-groove board an excellent material for installation in a private house or a judge's apartment. However, such a coating has some disadvantages that may affect your choice.

Disadvantages of grooved board:

Wood is expensive natural material, so grooved board will cost more than most other flooring. The price of such material will pay off over time due to its strength and long term services.
The grooved board is afraid of moisture, so periodically it will need to be covered with a new layer of varnish or oil-wax mixture.
The choice of wood species largely determines the quality and duration of the life of your flooring.

As you can see, there are not so many drawbacks to such a coating. If you are satisfied with the high price of the tongue and groove board, then you can safely purchase it.

Options for using a tongue and groove floor board

Grooved boards are not used very often because of their high price. However, apartments decorated with this noble material look very bright and original.

The first option for using a grooved board is to finish the subfloor. In this case, on top of the boards you need to lay decorative coating. For laying on a subfloor, you can use solid pine boards, they are not raw and are cheaper than all other types of wood.

Grooved boards look best in spacious rooms with ecological or laconic interior styles that prefer simple shapes. Especially successfully, this finish will fit into loft, modern and eco styles.

Another way to use tongue-and-groove boards is to finish the floor. This design move looks great in most interiors. For finishing the front surface, larch, oak or ash boards are most often used. Such tree species are stronger, moreover, they look much nobler than pine materials.

Pine boards look harmonious in combination with wallpaper in muted colors. Also, if you want to make the flooring more original, you can treat it with a stain of any color. This technique will provide additional protection to the flooring.

On what basis can a floor sheet be laid

The grooved board can be laid on almost any base. In order for such a coating to last as long as possible, the floor surface must be prepared. Make additional thermal insulation and waterproofing.

On what grounds can you lay tongue-and-groove boards with your own hands:

Tongue-and-groove boards can be laid on concrete base. If there are pronounced irregularities on such a surface, then it must be filled with a new layer of screed.
You can also mount such a design on logs. Logs are attached to the base with screws, dowels or glue.
If you decide to use tongue-and-groove boards as a front finish, you can lay plywood. Plywood is attached to the base with glue or self-tapping screws.
An old wooden floor can also be revetted with a grooved board. The main thing is that all its elements are intact and firmly held on the base.

Whatever base you use, you need to take care of additional insulation gender. First, a waterproofing film is laid on the subfloor, then a heater, for example, glass wool, the film is again laid with the last layer. Only after all the layers are in place can the tongue and groove board itself be used.

Laying a tongue and groove floor on a concrete base

First of all, in order to lay the boards on concrete, it is necessary to carry out some preparatory work. There are two ways to level the base: using a self-leveling screed or using a metal spatula and a cement-sand composition.

It is not necessary to use insulation under the grooved board. However, using such an upgrade, you will get a warm floor.

Next, you need to choose a heater and waterproofing film. Which materials are better, it is difficult to say. One thing is clear that ideal option considered natural insulation and durable polyethylene film. You can also use a waterproofing primer.

Assembling a warm floor on a concrete base with your own hands:

Plywood or chipboard is attached to the concrete base. The distance at which the plywood edge should be from the walls is 1.5 cm. I also leave a gap between the plywood sheets. It should be equal to 2 mm. To fix this layer, you will need self-tapping screws that are recessed into the tree.
Find out the dimensions of the floor. Boards are cut along them, for this a special device is used, for example, a jigsaw or a hacksaw.
The tongue and groove boards themselves are attached to the plywood. The first element must be placed with a spike to the wall, and with a round groove from it. To tighten the boards use self-tapping screws or nails. Such contraction should be reproduced at an angle of 45-50 degrees, in increments of 30 cm.
After all the boards are laid, the gaps between the walls and the floor are puttied and decorated with a plinth.

This is the easiest option for laying a tongue and groove board. With such an installation, it is quite possible to handle it yourself. Fastening boards to plywood is easy and fast, but more often they use rallying elements with lags.

More complex do-it-yourself tongue-and-groove board laying on logs

The lags are thick wooden blocks which are installed on a leveled concrete floor. They are laid in increments of 30-60 cm. It is necessary to lay a soundproof underlay on them.

On top of the standing comb, the lag should be put on moisture-resistant plywood. The requirements for its thickness are quite strict, material thinner than 1.8 mm is not suitable.

Attaching boards to joists:

The first board is placed with a crest to the wall at a distance of 1 cm. Its fastening is done using self-tapping screws or nails, while the first board is correctly fixed across the entire width.
Next, install three boards. In this case, the crest of each next board must be inserted at an angle into the groove of the previous element. For a better connection, the boards are tapped with a rubber mallet.
You can tighten the boards with a jack. Nail the bars to the last log, they will rest against screw jack. Install the second beam on the edge of the board. Install the jack so that it rests on both the block on the log and the block on the board. In this way, you can firmly connect the boards.

How to make a grooved board with your own hands

To finish your house with grooved boards, it is not necessary to buy finished material. The folded board may well be made by hand. For this you will need hand jointer And milling machine, as well as any edged tool, as well as dry boards.

If you could not find a quality, well-dried material, then you will have to dry it yourself. However, this step will take a long time.

Laying a tongue-and-groove board with your own hands (video)

Tongue-and-groove boards are made as follows: the material is fixed with clamps, markings are applied to it, and a spike and a ridge are cut out from different sides of the board using a machine tool or jointer.

Sheet pile is a great alternative block parquet. It also looks luxurious, but it is easier to install it yourself.

A modern tongue-and-groove board is a product made from wood that goes through the drying stage in an autoclave. It is equipped with a thorn-groove system that allows you to securely fasten two elements together, to carry out quick installation, enhance structural strength. Fasteners can be located on the sides of the boards or on all four. The back side of the material has bevels that allow air to circulate, preventing the wood from rotting from the inside. The article will focus on the choice and method of laying a tongue-and-groove board.

By joining tongue-and-groove boards, a flat surface is obtained, which has a representative appearance, with excellent performance characteristics. The elements are so tightly fastened together that there is not even the slightest gap. Even in the production process, the material acquires excellent sound and thermal insulation properties. The floor is attractive, reliable, resistant to wear. It is for these characteristics that the tongue-and-groove board has become widespread. It is used to create both a rough and a finishing coating.

Floor grooved boards are reliable, durable, aesthetic. They will become even more attractive if covered with by special means. Environmental friendliness is the main advantage of natural materials. It is impossible to remain indifferent to the spectacle of a wooden floor, the quality of which is amazing. After all, ordinary boards dry out quickly enough after laying, forming cracks.

The process of making a grooved board

Boards are sheet piled on special high-precision equipment. The machine itself is represented by a mechanism that feeds the board and a special cutter that cuts the material on the sides. The whole process is mechanized, and the engineer only controls its work. To achieve this at home high level punching is not possible.

But home craftsmen can try to create grooved boards on their own. This will require manual frezer or jointer.

Stages of work

The material is carefully selected. It is easier to work with coniferous trees, but their performance is lower, so it is recommended to give preference to larch. The scope of its use is incredibly wide. Larch is used both to create indoor floors and to cover open terraces.
The material must be well dried. If there is a need to dry the boards, then they are laid in a room that is well ventilated. Humidity should be low. Between the canvases leave gaps for ventilation. It is impossible to dry wood in the sun, because it will heat up on one side, and remain wet on the other. In the future, this will lead to the occurrence of various defects.
The board is laid on the work surface and fixed with clamps.

On the side surfaces, the axes along which the work will be carried out are determined. They are marked with a pencil.
Then, using a milling machine, a quarter groove is selected on the side strictly in the middle.
On the other side, a spike is drawn up, taking quarters on both sides of the axis.

Such manual rabbeting is inferior in quality to industrial and cannot be used for hard rock trees.

Groove board photo

A variety of types of tongue-and-groove boards

Depending on the wood used to create the board, the following types of floorboards are distinguished, each of which has its own characteristics:

Pine or spruce. Soft wood, not moisture resistant enough. It has a low cost, but requires mandatory varnishing. They are used when creating a rough coating.
Larch. Boards made of this material have a solid structure, excellent moisture resistance. They are not afraid of insect attacks. They have a pleasant structure, rich color. Varnishing is optional, but coated boards will last much longer. The cost of grooved larch floorboards is several times higher than that of pine. Used to create a clean finish.

Ash, oak. The floorboard is solid. It is characterized by an average moisture resistance, susceptibility to insect attacks. The cost of the material is quite high.

How to choose a grooved board

At the time of purchase of grooved boards, it is worth checking them for an acceptable level of humidity. It should not exceed 12-16%. It is measured using a special device. If it is not there, then you can check the boards yourself:
- material is tapped. The sound should turn out sonorous;
- to the touch. Moisture should not be felt on the skin;
- by hue. The wood acquires a brilliant hue.
In addition to moisture, it is useful to check the geometry of the material. From the end of the board, they look along the canvas and evaluate the plane. If it is not smooth enough or there are any doubts, then it is better not to purchase this sample.
Boards of the "Extra" grade are used to create a finishing coating. They do not contain knots, the surface is smooth, polished. Boards of the lowest grade are used for laying the rough surface. Such material allows the presence of knots in in large numbers and through openings in the place where the knots were located.
The draft floor involves the location of a floor covering on top of it. Spread carpet with a soft pile or hide the floor under plastic tiles. surface of conifers trees will be an excellent basis for fiberboard, laminate, linoleum. As an independent flooring can be used only in rooms of rare use. Be sure to treat the coating with antiseptic compounds and apply varnish.

Sphere of use. The options for using tongue and groove board are not limited to creating floors in houses and on balconies. Since larch material is not afraid of moisture, tongue-and-groove boards are often used even in saunas, near pools. They are laid both on logs and on concrete, while using a special substrate that will enhance the soundproofing characteristics of the material.

Material cost

If there is a question, choose grooved boards or edged boards, then it is better to give preference to the first. The cost of a pine board starts from 5000 rubles. per m3. quality edged board will cost the same amount. The most expensive material will cost class "Extra", cheaper - class "A". Until the moment of purchase, it is worth considering and calculating all the options in order to choose the one that suits you in terms of cost and quality.

A board of grade AB made of pine costs about 6000 rubles / m3 .;
grade B can be purchased for 5000 rubles / m3 .;
the highest grade costs 8000 rubles/m3;
since larch is valued more, its cost, depending on the variety, will fluctuate between 654-2000 rubles per 1 board.

The size of the grooved board also affects the price. So, if the length and width remain standard 6000mm / 135mm, then the width can vary from 28mm to 50mm.

Calculation of the required amount of grooved board

Before starting the installation of the floorboard, you need to purchase it in advance. But in order not to spend extra money, and also did not have to once again visit the store, you should immediately correctly calculate the required amount of material. It is desirable that the boards are from the same batch, from the same manufacturer, so they purchase necessary material for 1 time in the right amount.

Calculate the area of the room by multiplying the length and width indicators. If the room is represented by a complex shape, then it is conditionally divided into rectangles, calculating their area separately, and then summing it up.
It must be remembered that the start and finish board should be the length of the entire room, and the rest can be purchased in a smaller size.
Next, calculate the indicator per linear meter of the material by multiplying the width and length of the board. Based on this, calculate the required amount running meters for laying flooring throughout the room.

Laying a grooved floor

There are 2 ways of fastening tongue-and-groove boards:

on a concrete base or screed;
on the lags.

Regardless of the laying method, the base must be sufficiently even and strong. If a lag is laid, then the tree must be treated with an antiseptic.

Grooved board mounting tools:

nails, screws;
hammer, mallet;
yardstick;
hacksaw, circular saw;
staples.

Installation of grooved boards on concrete

Waterproofing is necessarily carried out between the base and the floorboard. As it is used moisture resistant plywood, the thickness of which is over 10 mm. Plywood sheets are laid perpendicular to the future layer of the floorboard. A small gap of 2 mm should be left between the canvases. Between the walls and plywood they form an indent of 1.5 cm.
The sheets are fastened with dowel-nails, the caps of which are sunk into the surface of the plywood. If necessary, polish the coating to obtain a smooth surface.
Then tongue-and-groove boards are attached to plywood with self-tapping screws.

Installation of tongue-and-groove boards on logs

Logs are a structure of boards with a thickness of at least 50 mm, located at a distance of 50-60 cm. A layer of insulation can be placed between them. Lay the logs in a certain way, keeping a gap of 2 cm at the joints. This is done so that the board does not deform due to the natural expansion of the material in the off-season.

Further fastening of the tongue-and-groove boards to the logs will be implemented using self-tapping screws.
Under the wooden floor, voids must be left, as the tree needs ventilation. It is impossible to mount a warm floor system under it, since natural material subject to fire and high temperatures.
An exception may be an infrared film floor, which is laid on a foil isolon over the boards.
Start laying the first row, placing the board with a comb against the wall, observing the necessary clearance. The starting board should be the length of the entire wall. The same requirements apply to the finish board. Fix the starting board with self-tapping screws screwed in at a right angle. The length of the fasteners is 40 mm, and they are screwed in every 30 cm.
The next few rows of material are not fixed with screws. The spikes are tightly inserted into the groove, ensuring a snug fit of the canvases. The rows in the center can be laid from short boards, the joints of which will be necessarily located on the logs. Alternate joints in a checkerboard pattern. The finishing board is laid indented from the wall, its length should be the entire wall.

During laying, adjacent boards are tightly connected to each other. If necessary, they are attracted to each other with wedges. A gap of 2 cm is left around the perimeter of the room, which is then hidden floor plinth.
The finishing board is adjusted to the required size, taking into account the gap. Then it is laid in place, inserted into the groove of the previous row and fixed with wedges. After the last row is screwed with screws, the wedges can be removed.
So that the boards do not change shape after laying, it is recommended to leave them in the room where they will be laid 1-2 weeks before installation. The moisture content of the wood will be optimal and the material will not deform.

Grooved board video

Helpful Hints:

for a tight connection of the boards, each is tapped with a mallet along the entire length. To save the ridges, a piece of material with a groove is used between the hammer and the board;

for high-quality joining of the boards, a bracket is temporarily driven in front of them, compressing the boards. This design holds the boards and allows them to be properly fixed.

The grooved board, probably the best option to create a wooden floor. It is reliable, durable and does not dry out, as regular board. According to the laying technology, it is similar to the designer, which will not cause the master the slightest difficulty. If you cover the floorboards with varnish, you can leave it as a finished floor. It will look beautiful, elegant and original. If renovation is necessary, the floor board is cycled and covered with a new layer of varnish.

When arranging floors in houses under construction, as well as if you want or need to replace an existing and used floor covering with a new one, many opt for laying a tongue and groove floor.

The secret is simple - a wood floorboard has a set of excellent performance:

durability,
environmental friendliness,
strength.

Only wood materials form a unique microclimate in one's own home, which contributes to the improvement of the human body.

Laying a floorboard can cause some difficulties. But, if everything is done strictly following the instructions technological process, the job will be done successfully, and the tongue and groove floor will last a very long time.

Bases mounted under the floor board

The tongue-and-groove board keeps within on any covering. These can serve as:

Insulation and waterproofing of floorboards

Warming is usually done if the room is located on the ground floor, and there is no heated room under it. ground floor. As a thermal insulation laid between the lags, fiberglass or basalt wool is usually used.

Important! In addition to the fact that the insulation is laid on both sides with vapor-tight waterproofing, it is necessary to leave a 5-centimeter gap between it and the bottom surface of the floor for ventilation and removal of excess moisture.

The choice of wood species for future flooring is determined both by the aesthetic needs of the owner and his material capabilities.

One of the most valuable, both literally and figuratively, is the floor made of grooved boards of Siberian larch or oak. The strength and, accordingly, the durability of these wood species are very high. The floor made of spruce, pine, alder, aspen, fir wood is softer, and, accordingly, its service life is short.

When choosing the grade of the flooring material, it is necessary to take into account what final finishing will be carried out. If the floor is supposed to be painted, then there is no need to take the material of the highest or first grade. And in the case of varnishing, it will be useful. The lacquer will emphasize its beautiful textural pattern, unencumbered by the vices inherent in lower grades.

Larch floorboards are produced tongue-and-groove, i.e. on one side it has a protrusion (thorn), and in the other side surface a groove is cut out by a cutter - a recess (groove). During installation, the spike of one board enters the groove of the adjacent one. This results in a smooth, level floor.

Advice! The direction of laying the floorboards must be chosen parallel to the light flux from the windows. In the corridors, it is better to lay them in the direction of movement.

Do not forget about the gap between the coating and the walls of 10-20 mm, which is perfectly closed with a floor plinth.

Do-it-yourself tongue-and-groove flooring

For reliable sealing of the boards, we place the first of them with a spike against the wall.
We combine the next by connecting the groove and the spike with the previous one.
Fastening is best done with self-tapping screws (because the nails rust), usually with a six or seven. Let's consider two ways:

the screw is screwed inside the groove at an angle of 45⁰. Sometimes dry material may crack. In this case, the attachment point must be drilled with a drill of the same diameter as the self-tapping screw;
in the second case, we screw the self-tapping screw from above, deepening it a little, in order to putty later.

If necessary, we saw the edge board along the length in order to obtain the desired width, taking into account the gap between it and the wall. The tongue-and-groove board is fastened in any convenient way, because. the attachment point will be covered with a plinth.
Having completed the laying, the tongue-and-groove floorboard is sanded and then varnished or painted at the request of the owners.

A grooved board is the element that will provide comfort in the house. Given flooring has a number of properties that will allow you to create a comfortable microclimate in the room for decades.

Grooved board and its features

Grooved flooring has a number of distinctive features which make it such a popular and sought-after material. First of all, it is worth noting its design. Each board has a kind of lock, thanks to which they can fit snugly together. This lock consists of a longitudinal protrusion on the edge of one board, which is called a tongue, and a groove on the edge of the other, corresponding to it in shape. A similar system can be found in laminate, parquet, etc.

A distinctive feature of the tongue and groove board is also its processing: front side It has smooth surface which does not require polishing. back side may not be polished, but on its surface there will definitely be grooves that should provide a ventilation process between the boardwalk and the floor base. Such ventilation will prevent rotting wood, the appearance of fungi and mold.

Groove coating is an environmentally friendly material, which is undoubtedly a big plus in modern construction. But this plus is not the only one. Among the advantages of this floor, the following characteristics can be distinguished:

high sound insulation of the material;
high level of thermal insulation;
long service life;
fairly simple installation;
does not attract dust;
aesthetic look.

The disadvantage can be considered the cost, since it is quite high, and the tendency of the tree to warp. The second can be excluded by right choice boards and adherence to laying technology. The grooved board must be well dried by the manufacturer in an industrial or natural way. The percentage of moisture should be in the range of 12–16%. To determine if a tree is dry enough, you need to perform several actions:

knock on wood - this helps not only from the evil eye, but also in determining the degree of drying. A dull sound will tell you that given material not ready for work and he needs to dry out, and sonorous - an indicator of a finished dry board;
touch is the easiest thing to do. Touch and understand if the wood is dry;
evaluate the appearance. After industrial drying, wooden blanks should have a shiny surface.

Dry boards have a shiny surface, and if you knock on them, they will make a ringing sound.

Visual inspection is also important in assessing the quality of the material. During this procedure, the boards should be checked for the presence of green-blue spots and a whitish coating, which will indicate a fungal infection. It will not be superfluous to inspect the purchase in terms of geometry, i.e. how straight it is. To find out, you need to look at it from the end and conduct a visual analysis. If at least one item does not meet the requirements, then the purchase should be abandoned or replaced.

How to make a grooved board with your own hands: a diagram of actions

On an industrial scale, the production of grooved boards takes place on high-precision equipment. Everything is carried out by programmed mechanisms, and a person only controls the process. And the higher the class of equipment from the manufacturer, the better and more expensive the final product. Grooving boards is a complex process, and at home it will never be possible to achieve a high level of quality, but elementary grooves can be done.

In production, cutters of complex section are used, which cut the workpiece on the sides. In a home workshop, this mechanism can replace a manual jointer with a quarter selection function or a milling machine. Next, following the instructions on how to make a grooved board with your own hands, you need to perform a series of actions:

Carefully select the material for further grooves. The most durable will be the coating of larch. It is less susceptible to rotting and attack by insects than others. Larch can be used both for arranging the floor in the house and for covering open terraces. This is a denser material, so it will be more difficult to work with it than, for example, with pine or spruce. The cost of larch is also higher than spruce and pine boards, but much less than the price of oak, ash or beech.
Dry existing boards. It is better that the boards are already dry, since the wood dries naturally for several months. And in order to dry the material to the required level, you need to lay the blanks on stands in stacks in a dry, well-ventilated area. There should be ventilated gaps between the blanks. The humidity level can be measured with an electric moisture meter. You can not dry the wood in the sun, as the outer side will heat up, and the inner side will remain wet, which in the future will lead to the appearance of various defects.
The board ready for processing must be fixed with clamps on working surface(workbench, table).
Determine the middle (axes) of the side surfaces of the workpiece and mark with a pencil.
Using a milling machine / hand jointer, you need to carefully and accurately select a quarter groove in one of the sides of the board.
On the other side of the workpiece, using a machine tool or jointer, quarters are alternately selected to the right and left of the intended axis, as a result, a tongue should be obtained.

Grooving boards with your own hands is a very painstaking task that requires experience with wood and certain tools, as well as the availability of free time. For the implementation of this procedure, a “firm hand” is also very important so that it does not falter at the wrong moment. But also this interesting experience for everyone who likes to do everything with their own hands.

Grooved floor board: laying technology

You can buy a board for the floor of several grades: Extra, A, B and C. There are no knots and other similar defects on the coating of the Extra grade. This is the most expensive class of material. The lower the grade, the more defects will appear on the wood. So, for example, boards of grade "C" may have through holes in places where previously there were knots, they are recommended to be used to create the so-called subfloor.

The laying technology of the “Extra” and “C” varieties will be somewhat different. These differences will be in the basis on which they are laid. If grade "C" can be placed directly on the logs, then for grades high class it is necessary to prepare a frame or a draft floor. But in both cases, the installation of a grooved board consists of the following steps.