When is installation necessary? flooring, in front of the home handyman stands Difficult choice. There are many types of flooring available today, but many require... complex installation, and making OSB floors with your own hands is quick and easy.
What is OSB board
This is a multilayer board based on wood chips. It is classified according to the degree of strength, and the index is indicated in numbers.
Among the advantages of these plates are their low weight, as well as increased strength compared to any other products in a similar segment. Also noted is high moisture resistance, low cost and ease of use and installation. Among the most popular types of applications for these products are OSB floors.
Types and characteristics of plates
For construction work apply:
- OSB-2 – boards with low moisture resistance for interior work in dry conditions;
- OSB-3 – universal materials with enhanced performance for indoor or outdoor use;
- OSB-4 is the most durable and moisture-resistant product for load-bearing structures in high humidity conditions.
How to choose a floor slab
Modern industry offers consumers the most different variants similar slabs. Products vary in technical characteristics, as well as in availability harmful substances which may harm human health.
When purchasing, you should pay attention to the manufacturer. Now one of the most quality products slabs from European or American manufacturers are considered. Good quality Canadian products stand out. These slabs fully comply with all environmental and other standards.
If it is necessary to make floors, then products of the OSB-3 standard are recommended for these purposes. The plate material makes it possible to provide reliable design for the future sex, since it has high density and has good moisture resistance properties.
Technologies
It is recommended to lay OSB floors on special wooden joists or on a concrete screed. For the first case, you should use a plate whose thickness is 15 - 25 mm. The exact selection of thickness depends on the installation distance of the logs. When laying on a screed, it is recommended to use a product up to 10 mm thick. If the screed has multiple defects and potholes, as well as bumps, it is necessary to use a thicker product.
Slabs are produced in standard sizes 2440×1220 mm. When calculating required quantity It is imperative to think through the location of future slabs so that there is a minimum amount of waste. A circular saw works well as a cutting tool. It gives perfectly smooth edges, which are very difficult to achieve using electric jigsaw.
Laying on a concrete screed
Installing OSB floors in rooms with concrete screed will provide a reliable foundation for further installation of decorative floor coverings. It can be tiles, laminate, linoleum, parquet.
The stove can perform important functions:
- Leveling the floor surface;
- Sound insulation;
- Insulation and waterproofing.
Typically, concrete floors are characterized by the presence of various defects. Significant altitude changes can also often be observed. Installation of slabs on a concrete base allows you to provide the most flat surface, suitable for further finishing works.
Thanks to the special design of several layers, the plates perfectly absorb various sounds and vibrations.
OSB is based on natural materials. They provide high heat-saving characteristics. In addition, these products prevent the penetration of moisture.
Installation work
On concrete base logs and their subsequent covering with OSB sheets allows you to get the most even floor possible without the need to use wet screeds.
Before installing OSB floors, you should prepare wooden blocks in advance. They will then be used as lags. Their use will help to significantly smooth out defects and errors. concrete covering. The greater the distance between them, the thicker the slab should be.
The number of products should be calculated in such a way as to lay the products in 2 layers. This will ensure much higher rigidity of the material and greater resistance to various deformations. It is recommended to lay with some offset.
The first and second layers are fastened together using a special glue, and spiral or ring nails are additionally used.
If the concrete screed is level, then the OSB floor can be installed directly on the screed. One layer will be sufficient for this. The slabs can be secured with dowels or self-tapping screws.
detailed instructions
The first step is to remove debris and dust from the base. Concrete surface must be completely clean, otherwise the mounting adhesive will have weak adhesion. For even better adhesion and adhesion, the concrete screed is treated with a primer. The primer also allows you to create a film on the concrete that will prevent the screed from forming dust during the installation of the slabs.
Using a spatula, the slab is coated with parquet glue. Then you should place the product on a concrete screed. Be sure to allow for a 3mm gap. Moisture will inevitably come from below, since the slabs can change their size over time. Next, using a hammer drill, holes are drilled in the corners for dowels. The slab is then secured to the screed.
When installing a floating floor, leave a gap of 15 mm between the slab and the wall.
Work on wooden bases
If the building is based on a columnar or poured foundation, then often the floors in such buildings are laid on logs made of timber. OSB board is often used as a leveling product for the installation of other finishing coatings.
Laying technology on joists
The first layer of the slab is installed under the joists. The surface of the plate is additionally processed bitumen waterproofing or any other waterproofing material. A layer of insulation should be laid in the free space between the joist beams and the first, rough layer, and the insulation should be covered with glassine on top.
Next, a finishing layer of OSB for the floor is installed on the joists. The thickness of the slab in this case ranges from 15 to 25 mm. You can also install two layers, but perpendicular to each other. Self-tapping screws should be used to attach the slab to the joists. Fastening is carried out every 25 mm. If several layers are used, parquet adhesive is used to provide greater rigidity and higher contact. It is recommended to lay the floor, taking into account technological gaps of 3 mm.
How to process OSB for various coatings
The durable, hard, and even surface created by OSB boards allows it to become a completely universal basis for all types of finishing floor coverings.
For paint and varnish coatings, OSB products can be used as a finished floor, which only requires decorative treatment paint and varnish materials. There is no need for additional processing slabs It will be enough to clean them from dust and apply several layers of paint and varnish.
When laying rolls finishing materials You should make sure that the places where the OBS slabs are joined to each other are located flush with other surfaces. It is recommended to remove any unevenness immediately. This can be done using sanding tools or sanding paper. If there are expansion gaps on the surface, they are filled with sealants.
If it is necessary to lay tiles, for better fastening The product must remain stationary on the stove. To do this, the logs are placed a little more often than required by the thickness of the OSB. The step between floor fastenings is also made smaller. The tiles are glued using a special glue that is suitable for wooden surfaces.
The slab is not prepared in any way for laying laminate flooring. If there are any minor irregularities, they are removed using a substrate.
OSB boards make it possible to make very quickly and inexpensively existing coverage the floor is perfectly level. If necessary, the floor is also quickly assembled on joists. It won't take much time and won't require much effort. The surface of the product will not require expensive finishing work, treatment with leveling compounds, or means to protect it from moisture.
Oriented strand board or OSB is an indispensable attribute of any modern construction site. The material is used for both external and interior decoration, can play the role of a load-bearing or connecting element, for example, in a roofing pie, or maybe independent decision, say, in the role of interior partitions or ceilings.
The type of screws used to fasten OSB depends on the design features of the structure and the location of direct installation of the particle boards.
The versatility of OSB is truly unmatched. It is used with equal success at any stages and cycles of construction.
In order to consider everything possible options fastenings OSB boards, it will be convenient to divide their installation into several main groups:
- roofing;
- wall;
- floor.
Methods of fastening OSB for roofing work
Installing OSB boards as one of the layers roofing pie, requires increased attention to the strength characteristics of both the material itself and the fasteners used in the work.
Considering the significant wind and snow loads on the roof plane, as well as the fact that roofing structures are not a static, rigid structure, experts recommend paying attention to the following points:
- when laying OSB on the roof, priority should be given to special “ruff” or ring nails;
- phosphated self-tapping screws used in OSB installation are more fragile and have less strength when the structure moves;
- the final choice of which screws to attach the OSB to the frame is up to the craftsmen and depends on the climatic conditions in the construction area;
- length of nails or self-tapping screws used in roofing works, is calculated using a simple formula: OSB sheet thickness + minimum 40-45 mm for the fastener entry into the frame;
- that is, if they are considered standard OSB sizes 9 mm, 12 mm, 15 mm, then, therefore, the length of the screw will be in the range of 50-75 mm;
- The fastening map looks like this: along the rafters, the pitch of the screws is 300 mm, at the joints of the slabs - 150 mm, along the eaves or ridge cut - 100 mm and the distance from the edge of the sheet is at least 10 mm.
Conclusion! When installing OSB on the roof, preference should be given to special nails, due to their greater shear strength!
Vertical or wall method of OSB installation
What kind of self-tapping screws to fasten OSB in case of wall mounting? The question has an unambiguous and very specific answer. If the recommended standard thickness used for vertical installation OSB sheets is equal to 12 mm, then accordingly, adding to this value the minimum 45-50 mm self-tapping screw bodies in a rack or frame required by the rules, we get the answer -50-70 mm.
The fastening map is the same as the roofing one: in the middle of the sheet, the fasteners go in increments of 300 mm, at the joints of the plates the increment is reduced to 150 mm, the sides adjacent to the ceiling or floor are fastened at 100 mm intervals. The standard distance from the edge is 10 mm.
Choosing the shape of self-tapping screws for vertical installation due to the need to hide the head flush with the plane of the wall. That is why self-tapping screws with a disc-shaped head are used on the facades and external planes of buildings, which, when tightened, not only sits in the pocket, but also does not split the wood, preserving appearance walls.
Self-tapping screws wall installation can be replaced with spiral or ring-cut nails. Their length is determined by multiplying the OSB thickness by a factor of 2.5. In our case, this is: 2.5 * 12 mm = 30 mm. This is the minimum allowed length.
Installation of OSB sheets in a horizontal plane: floor/ceiling
There is no need to dwell in detail on the choice of self-tapping screws for installing OSB on the ceiling. The pattern, number and size of self-tapping screws used for these purposes repeats the above examples exactly.
Selection of self-tapping screws and fastener pattern for floor installation OSB is determined by the base on which the material is laid.
If it is a beam or slatted frame, then phosphated self-tapping screws with a body length of at least 50 mm and a countersunk head are the ideal choice.
When laying OSB on a rough, solid floor, galvanized self-tapping screws with double threads are suitable. Determination procedure optimal length indicated above.
If you read the article carefully, you have already noticed that regardless of where the OSB is installed, the fastener map remains the same. Accordingly, the number of screws required for the job will generally be the same.
Average consumption of self-tapping screws at installation of OSB is about 30 pcs. per m². Accordingly, to install a standard sheet you will need about 75-100 pieces. self-tapping screws
Now you know which screws to use to fasten OSB for high-quality and durable use of the boards in combination with other construction and finishing materials.
Advice! When buying, do not chase low prices and check the quality of the screws. There are enough cases of marriage. And there are no trifles at a construction site!
You can entrust the installation of floors to the masters, professional builders. They will make floors quickly and efficiently. True, it's far from cheap. You can save money by laying the floors yourself. Moreover, the installation of floors is not particularly complicated. You just need to carefully study the technology of their installation and apply the acquired knowledge in practice correctly, in a certain sequence. Below we will talk about how to make OSB floors yourself, choose the material, what tools you will need, and the work that needs to be done.
Pox is, let's say, a sandwich that can consist of 3 or more layers. Two (top and bottom) layers are pressed boards made from wood chips. The chips are laid lengthwise in the outer layers of the slabs and across in the inner ones. Therefore, the board as a whole is called oriented strand board. The shavings can be impregnated boric acid, wax, formaldehyde resins. Between the layers there is insulation, which can be used as polystyrene foam, as well as polyurethane foam.
Price for OSB board
pox plate
| Manufacturer | Length | Width | Thickness | price, rub. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbec LP Norbord | 2440 | 1220 | 6.3 | 390 |
| Arbec LP Norbord | 2440 | 1220 | 8.0 | 435 |
| Arbec LP Norbord | 2440 | 1220 | 9.0 | 450 |
| Arbec LP Norbord | 2440 | 1220 | 9.5 | 450 |
| Arbec LP Norbord | 2440 | 1220 | 12 | 620 |
| Arbec LP Norbord | 2440 | 1220 | 15 | 860 |
| Arbec LP Norbord | 2440 | 1220 | 18 | 990 |
| Kronospan | 2440 | 1220 | 9 | 420 |
| Kronospan | 2440 | 1220 | 12 | 540 |
| Kronospan | 2440 | 1220 | 15 | 695 |
| Kronospan | 2440 | 1220 | 18 | 820 |
| Kronospan | 2440 | 1220 | 22 | 995 |
| Kronospan | 2500 | 1250 | 9 | 440 |
| Glunz | 2500 | 1250 | 9 | 680 |
| Glunz | 2500 | 1250 | 12 | 890 |
| Glunz | 2500 | 1250 | 15 | 1120 |
| Glunz | 2500 | 1250 | 18 | 1330 |
| Glunz | 2500 | 1250 | 22 | 1620 |
| Kalevala | 2500 | 1250 | 9 | 460 |
| Kalevala | 2500 | 1250 | 12 | 600 |
| Kalevala | 2500 | 1250 | 18 | 910 |
| Kalevala | 2800 | 1250 | 12 | 730 |
OSB is mainly used in construction and furniture production. Marked and used as follows:
- OSB-1 – for the production of furniture, packaging or surface covering;
- OSB-2 – in dry rooms for the installation of load-bearing structures and surfaces;
- OSB–3 – in rooms with high humidity;
- OSB-4 - for structures that are subject to heavy loads, as well as those located in places where humidity is high.
OSB can be varnished on one side, covered with laminate, tongue and groove, or on two or four sides.
The plate is a rectangle with the following dimensions:
- thickness from 8 mm to 38;
- length – 2440 mm;
- width – 1220 mm;
Above we have given the dimensions standard plate. Sometimes you can find OSB on sale with dimensions of 1.25 meters by 2.5.
The advantages of OSB are as follows:
- low cost;
- light weight;
- easy and well processed;
- durable;
- moisture resistance;
- does not dry out, does not delaminate, does not rot;
- mold and insects are not infested.
Unfortunately, there are restrictions on the use of OSB. During pressing, the chips are impregnated with resins that contain toxic substances. They constantly release volatile compounds of these substances into the environment. Therefore, when choosing a stove, you need to pay attention to how much of these substances is released by a particular brand of stove, and in what area it is allowed to be used.
Installation of OSB floors
There are two types of OSB flooring. The first one consists of concrete screed, waterproofing, intermediate subfloor, OSB itself. The second type is waterproofing, joists, preferably a subfloor, OSB.
Materials and tools
It is better to buy a tongue-and-groove slab. There should be tongues on two opposite sides, and grooves on the other two. This type of plate is easier to install.
The log is a timber. In construction, timber with dimensions of 5 by 5 centimeters or 5 by 7 is used to make lags. The number of lags depends on how the structure itself will be constructed. flooring. If there is no subfloor, then the number of joists increases.
Price for timber
If you plan to lay the floor on a screed, you will need a lath, because the slab cannot be laid directly on the screed, even if waterproofing is placed on it. Any wooden product it must breathe, that is, absorb air and release accumulated moisture. This is why they create a gap between the floors and the screed. Otherwise, from the moisture accumulated in the product, and the tree already stores moisture in itself, and even absorbs it from the screed, it will begin to rot and, in the end, will become unusable, no matter how well it is made.
Can be used for subfloors edged board or plywood, OSB itself.
To make the screed you will need cement of at least M-300 grade and sand. You can prepare the solution yourself, but it is easier to purchase a ready-made dry sand-cement mixture in the store. Consumption per sq. m. is indicated on the packaging. A concrete mixture containing filler, gravel, crushed stone and the like should not be made at home. Handmade forever high quality concrete mortar don't cook.
For a better and more even floor filling, you will need beacons.
In Russia, skirting boards are usually installed on the floors. It also serves as a decorative detail and closes the gap between the wall and the floors. The gap is made specifically to allow the board to expand as the temperature rises. If it is not planned, then you can do without a plinth.
The slab is usually fastened to the timber with nails and glued with glue. This means we will need both glue and nails. When installing floors, screw nails or self-tapping screws are used.
To fill the cracks you will need wood putty. This means you will also need a spatula. Will be needed wooden hammer, mallet for joining slabs, metal hammer.
Floor installation stages
The entire installation of any floor is divided into three main stages:
- Preparation;
- main works;
- cleaning.
The last stage is known to everyone. Therefore, we will not consider it.
Preparatory stage
In the future, we will conduct all discussions keeping in mind that the installation of floors is carried out in a residential area. IN utility rooms or buildings, the floors are laid in the same way and in the same sequence as in the apartment. Only there are fewer restrictions and lower requirements. We will divide all stages into stages. Let's call them steps and present our reasoning in the form step by step instructions for the execution of work.
So, preparatory work.
Step one. Selecting the type of floor. That is, we decide whether we will lay it on a screed or on. If we choose logs, it is better to first draw a drawing of their location. It will help you correctly calculate the number of lags.
| Floor board thickness, mm | Gap between lags, mm |
|---|---|
| 20 | 300 |
| 24 | 400 |
| 30 | 500 |
| 35 | 600 |
| 40 | 700 |
| 45 | 800 |
| 50 | 1000 |
2nd step. We calculate the volume of work and draw up cost estimates.
3rd step. We are purchasing materials. When purchasing a stove, be sure to ensure that it matches sanitary standards. It is advisable to buy lumber, boards for subflooring, beams, slats already dried and treated with fire-fighting and antiseptic agents. If you were unable to purchase such lumber, you will have to purchase an additional antiseptic and treat the wood yourself.
4th step. We process the slab, remove burrs and irregularities from the edges. We treat the lumber with an antiseptic and lay it out to dry. It is laid in layers. A spacer is made between the layers. It is needed to ensure that the material breathes and dries evenly and quickly. The wood is dried for at least 24 hours. The drying temperature should be +10 degrees or higher.
5th step. If the floor is being laid for the first time, then the debris remaining after construction work is removed.
If OSB is laid to replace the old floor, then the old one, of course, cannot be used as a rough floor. The floor must be dismantled carefully so as not to damage the plaster on the walls. To do this, take out the nails and remove the board, then remove the joists. Floor slats(each) is released from the grooves, moved to the side and removed.
6th step. We install beacons to level the floor level. At least three marks on each wall. We draw a line between them. Between the wall and the line, measurements at any point should show an angle of 90 degrees.
Price for beacons for leveling the floor
floor beacons
OSB floor installation
If we install the floor on a screed, then we will have to perform several actions.
1. Install beacons for pouring the screed. The distance between them should be no more than 50-60 cm. This will make the screed more even. We check the installation of beacons with a level. If there is a slope, we level it.
2. Prepare the solution. It should not be too liquid or too thick. Fill the area prepared for the screed, level the solution as a rule, level with the installed beacons.
| Brand | Packaging, kg | Price, rub | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weber. Vetonit 5000 (Vetonit 5000) | 25 | 550 | Vetonit 5000 self-leveling floors are a mixture that sets quickly, dries quickly and is applied by hand. On cement based for leveling all concrete bases. The mixture does not contain casein. |
| Self-leveling floor Osnovit T45 | 20 | 296 | Quick-hardening self-leveling floor for leveling the surface of the base with a layer of 2 to 100 mm. Allows you to create a finishing coating on which you can lay after 3 days ceramic tiles, or after 7 days linoleum, carpet, laminate, parquet, cork covering or wooden floors. |
| Rapid-hardening self-leveling floor Prospector | 25 | 280 | Purpose - for high-quality leveling of floor surfaces inside all types of buildings and structures for subsequent coatings (linoleum, tiles, parquet, etc.). Recommended for dry and moderately damp rooms. Layer thickness 5-80 mm. |
| Weber finishing self-leveling floor. Vetonit 3000 (Weber Vetonit) | 25 | 660 | Vetonit 3000 is excellent for the final leveling of floors inside the premises, not only in residential buildings, but also in different offices, public buildings. The surface, which is leveled, can be covered with stone tiles, different coatings made of PVC, vinyl tiles, as well as textile carpets. |
| Self-leveling floor Yunis Horizon universal | 20 | 250 | Composition: cement, mineral filler fine fraction, chemical additives. Thickness of the applied layer: from 2 to 100 mm. |
The screed will set in a day and you can work on it. But it will gain full strength no earlier than in two weeks, depending on the temperature in the room. The higher the temperature, the faster the screed gains strength. Hence the conclusion: heavy objects can be placed on the newly laid floor no earlier than after 14 days.
| Name | Application area | Rough base | Layer thickness | Consumption kg/m2 | Drying time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor screed, 25 kg | Preliminary surface leveling | Concrete, cement-sand base | 10-50 mm | 20 | 24 hours | 128 RUR/pack. |
| Self-leveling universal mixture Ceresit CN 175/20 | Making screeds, repairing floor defects, leveling the base for floor coverings | Concrete, gypsum, cement-sand bases | 60 mm | 16 | 72 hours | 340 rub./pack. |
| Floor screed BOLARS Base, 25 kg | Leveling the base for the finishing coat | Concrete, cement screed | 10-100 mm | 18 | 24 hours | 217 rub./pack. |
| Self-leveling floor finishing Vetonit 3000.25 kg | Finishing the floor | Concrete, cement-sand screed | Up to 5 mm | 1,5 | 4 hours | 622 rub./pack. |
| Self-leveling self-leveling floor GLIMS-S-Level, 20 kg | Finishing the floor | Concrete, plaster screeds, basic levelers | 2-30 mm | 3 kg (layer thickness 2 mm) | 24 hours | 478 rub./pack. |
| Self-leveling floor Perfekta Multilayer, 20 kg | Basic surface leveling | Concrete, cement, gypsum bases | 2-200 mm | 14 (layer thickness 10 mm) | 2-3 hours | 312 rub./pack. |
3. After the screed has set, check it with a level. If there are unevenness or slopes, pour an additional layer of mortar to level it.
If the screed turns out to be smooth, then we lay waterproofing on top of it. You can use simple roofing felt or any other material intended for these purposes. We lay the lath on top of the insulation. We would advise laying it both lengthwise and crosswise, in the form of rectangles, the sides of which are aligned. Their dimensions should correspond to the dimensions of the slab or be slightly smaller. Coat the rail with glue.
It is also possible to install slabs without using slats. In this case, the concrete screed is coated with rubber glue.
4. Place the slab on the rail. We take a mallet and knock down the slabs as tightly as possible. The tongue should fit completely into the groove. Ideally, there should be no gap between the plates.
5. We fasten the slabs to the lath using nails or self-tapping screws.
6. If there are cracks, we seal them with glue or wood putty. It must be selected according to the color and texture of the slab. The putty dries in 24 hours. After the putty has dried, it needs to be sanded twice. Coarse sandpaper the first time and fine sandpaper the second time.
Price for wood putty
wood putty
Video - Laying OSB on concrete
If OSB is laid directly on the joists, then it is better to install them lengthwise and crosswise. The fact is that OSB is a complex structure and it is unknown how it will behave after drying, shaking, and shrinkage. And laying the logs in the form of rectangles will reduce the load on the slab itself and reduce the likelihood of defects. All other actions that need to be performed are exactly the same as when installing the floor on a screed.
Let me give you one piece of advice. The best, in our opinion, installation of OSB floors is a design that involves the installation of an intermediate subfloor. It will give the entire floor additional strength, stability and significantly reduce the load on the coating itself, i.e. on the slab. As an intermediate floor, you can use the slab itself, plywood, or an old floor. But the latter can only be used if it is well preserved and there are no serious defects. You need to remove everything from him old paint, level, seal cracks. Scratches, sand, treat with an antiseptic and only after these preparatory work you can lay a slab. Actually, both on plywood and on OSB, which will be the subfloor, you also need to repair all defects and cracks. We have already described the remaining steps for laying the finished floor above.
Video - Do-it-yourself OSB flooring (on joists with insulation)
If you decide to replace an old wooden floor and use modern Construction Materials(laminate, parquet, linoleum and others), first of all, it is necessary to get rid of irregularities and cracks in the worn-out coating. One of effective ways The solution to this problem is to lay OSB on a wooden floor. The ease of use of this material, its quality and relatively low cost have made the slabs a sought-after product in construction.
What is OSB?
OSB (or OSB) is an oriented strand board made by combining wood chips and polymer resins, has several layers (from 3 to 4). The orientation of wood chips is alternately longitudinal and transverse. This made it possible to improve the physical and mechanical properties of the product compared to competitors. You can see the main stages of OSB production in this video:
Reasons for using OSB. Main advantages
- High moisture resistance. The characteristics of this product make it possible not to depend on the influence of the atmosphere. Even during testing, under conditions of immersing the material in water for 24 hours, the swelling was 18–26%, while no destruction was detected, and the strength of the slab was preserved;
- Ease of use. Since the product is light in weight, installation does not require additional use of lifting mechanisms. Absolutely anyone can do the installation work;
- Strength and durability. OSB boards have special properties that can withstand even extreme conditions. In addition, thanks to the multi-layer nature of the product, the material holds any type of fastening elements(nail, self-tapping screw, dowel, etc.);
- Low cost. The product has an optimal price-quality ratio;
- Wide range of applications. The slabs are used for cladding external and interior walls, roof base installations, floor leveling, etc.;
- Environmental friendliness. A high-quality slab from a reliable manufacturer consists of 96% natural materials.
How to lay OSB on a wooden floor?
To understand this technology, first of all, you need to inspect the old floor. The procedure depends on whether you want to leave the existing coating or dismantle it.
Installing OSB on existing wood flooring
If your old floor does not creak, does not contain deep and wide holes, and there is no fungus or mold, you can safely lay wood boards on the existing floor covering. However, it is necessary to prepare the floor for further work. It is necessary to putty cracks and flaws, trim off protruding parts, check the work done using building level. Only after this can you begin to lay the slabs.
Attention! If there are the listed defects in the existing floor, it is not recommended to lay OSB boards until the defects are eliminated, since the creaking from installing a new structure will not disappear. Fungus and mold will continue the process of rotting and decay of the wood. In such cases, it is necessary to dismantle the old covering, leaving the logs, and lay a thicker slab.
Having prepared the floor, we begin laying OSB. We begin the process from the most even corner of the room. To ensure a clear fit of the material, you can trim wood board from one or more sides. The cutting of structures should be carried out sequentially, carefully measuring the area of the room and the distance at which it is necessary to cut grooves and holes for communications, corners, etc.
It must be taken into account that during operation, volumetric changes may occur in the material. To prevent the formation of waviness, when installing the structure, it is recommended to leave expansion gaps in the following size:
- gaps between plates 2–3 mm;
- distance from walls 15 mm.
OSB should be secured using self-tapping screws and nails at a distance of 35–60 cm from each other. The coating will be of higher quality if the material is fixed not only around the perimeter, but also diagonally of the product.
Why OSB?
Due to their unique physical and mechanical properties and relatively low cost, OSB boards are becoming increasingly widespread in construction industry from year to year. Numerous positive reviews from satisfied builders and clients also help promote this product.
Wooden floors in a private home lose their presentable appearance over time. Numerous layers of paint are cracking and peeling at the edges. And because of this, often even a newly painted surface looks sloppy. To tidy up such a floor, you have to completely clean the boards, treat the wood, and then periodically paint it again.
Therefore, when carrying out the next renovation, many homeowners make a different decision. Specifically: lay one of the modern decorative coverings on top of the wooden floor - laminate, parquet board, linoleum or carpet.
To implement such an idea, it is necessary that the base of the floor is suitable for laying a decorative covering. That is, it had a perfectly flat surface, verified in horizontal plane, without protrusions, “ladders”, sagging areas. This can be achieved OSB installation on a wooden floor.
Characteristics of OSB boards
General information about OSB boards
Unique physical and mechanical characteristics, with relatively affordable price, make OSB boards increasingly popular in various fields of construction. With the help of this material, floors can be perfectly leveled and laid, and with minimal effort, low costs and saving time. In addition, even a home owner inexperienced in the art of construction can handle the installation of slabs on the surface on his own.
Before studying the technology of installing OSB boards, it is necessary to briefly consider their characteristics and compare them with other similar materials.
It must be said that oriented strand boards, in some of their technical and operational characteristics, are superior to other materials of a similar purpose. But, due to their design features, they most often cannot be used as floor finishing coating.
Oriented strand boards are made from wood chips laid in several layers in a longitudinal-transverse manner. On the outer layers, chips are usually placed along the length of the slabs, and on the inner layers - across. The layers are bonded together under pressure with polymer resins.
Thanks to this technology for manufacturing OSB boards, they have improved physical and mechanical properties compared to some other similar building materials.
The main characteristics of oriented strand boards are shown in the table:
The characteristic features of OSB boards during their installation and operation can be outlined as follows:
- High moisture resistance. When testing in laboratory conditions, the material was completely immersed in water for 24 hours. As a result, the swelling was only 18÷25%. And at the same time, the slab was not destroyed, and its strength was preserved.
- Durability and long service life. Oriented strand boards can withstand high loads and extreme conditions. Thanks to the multilayer structure of the material, the plates hold fasteners well.
- Easy installation of large-format sheet material.
- The low cost makes such slabs affordable, even if the amount allocated for repairs is limited.
- OSB boards, manufactured in accordance with technological requirements, consist of 96% natural materials. Therefore, they can be called conditionally environmentally friendly. If slabs are purchased for use in residential premises, you should choose material marked E1.
Due to their technical characteristics, oriented strand boards are excellent for subfloors under decorative flooring.
- The slabs have a perfectly flat surface. Therefore, they can easily level wooden floors made from ordinary wooden board and deformed during long-term use.
- Each slab covers quite large area floor. The most common sizes are 2240x1220 mm and 2500x1250 mm. And this corresponds to 2.98 and 3.125 square meters. When laying them, the surface will have a minimum number of joints. Therefore, they are ideal for arranging a base for flooring consisting of small-format elements - parquet boards, parquet, vinyl tiles, etc.
- OSB boards have self-supporting ability and stable geometry. Therefore, they can be used as a rough floor covering, fastening them to installed logs or sparsely left floorboards. Thanks to these same qualities, slabs can strengthen the old one, raising it bearing capacity and rigidity.
- Since the slabs consist of several layers of wood, which itself has sound and thermal insulation qualities, a coating of them can to some extent protect the room from extraneous noise. In addition, an additional layer attached to the wooden floor will help reduce heat leakage from the rooms.
- OSB boards are not afraid of moisture, so they can be used to create a subfloor structure on joists. Moreover, by sheathing the logs with them both above and below, it is possible to fill the resulting space with one of the insulating materials.
In the table below, for greater clarity of information, comparative evaluation characteristics various board materials made from wood raw materials and having approximately the same purpose.
| Name of the estimated parameters | Rating on a five-point scale | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final average score | 2,86 | 3,00 | 3,28 | 3,57 |
| MDF | Chipboard | Glued plywood | Plates OSB |
|
| Strength | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Resistance to external weather influences | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Stability of dimensional parameters | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Weight | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Manufacturability of machining | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Manufacturability of surface painting | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Probability of material defects (delamination, presence of sinuses, knots) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Types of OSB boards
Today on construction stores There are several varieties of oriented strand boards available. They differ in characteristics, and therefore in purpose. Therefore, when choosing a material for a specific area of construction or repair, it is necessary to pay attention to this factor.
- OSB-1 - this material has very low moisture resistance and strength, and is not of particular quality. Therefore, such slabs are most often used only for auxiliary work.
- OSB-2 boards are already of much higher quality, but their moisture resistance indicators are still not outstanding. They are, as a rule, intended for use in dry rooms in those structures where contact with moisture is completely excluded.
- OSB-3 is a universal product that can be used for covering surfaces both in dry rooms and in rooms with high humidity. They are used to cover walls, lay them on wooden floors when leveling them, and arrange floors along joists.
- OSB-4 have a thickness of 15÷25 mm and are most often used for the construction of load-bearing structures in rooms with any level of humidity or even in outdoor conditions. They can also be used for flooring as a subfloor.
Plates may have different linear dimensions, but the sizes already mentioned above are more common. However, you need to pay attention to this parameter when purchasing material. This way it will be possible to reduce waste when cutting them.
Preparing the surface for OSB boards
In order for OSB boards to fit perfectly on top of plank floors, and to avoid problems in the form of creaks and sagging during operation, a number of preparatory work must be performed before their installation:
- An inspection of the plank base is carried out to identify rotten boards and joists. Creaking and warped areas of the old flooring are identified.
- In addition, it is necessary to check the condition of the insulation, if it is present in the overall “pie” of the floor structure. Thermal insulation should not be damp, settled, damaged by rodents, etc. Sometimes you have to change it too.
You can check the evenness of a wooden floor using a building level or a rule. The tool is installed on the surface across the boards. If a gap has formed between the boards and the tool, then the floor is deformed and requires repair.
Unevenness in an old wooden floor is by no means uncommon. Over many years of operation, it is not only subjected to high loads, but is also “tested” by changes in humidity. A wet board becomes deformed when it dries - it can bend, wrap itself like a “propeller,” etc.
If the floors are not put in order, then the laid OSB boards will not rest on the entire plank surface, but only on the raised sections of the boards. And what will happen in the end?
At installation work ah, the slabs, which have a small thickness, will take the shape of the irregularities of the plank base. It will not be possible to properly lay laminate or parquet boards on such a surface due to the peculiarities of the interlocking joints.
Oriented Strand Boards large thickness do not have pronounced flexibility, so it will not be possible to press them tightly to an uneven base using fasteners. This means that the coating will begin to creak either immediately after installation, or after some time.
There are two ways to level a plank floor:
- Dismantling deformed boards and replacing them with new, smooth ones. The option can hardly be considered cost-effective, so it is used infrequently.
- Surface scraping using special equipment.
The second option is possible if the boards have risen above the main surface to a not too great height.
If the boardwalk sags, it means that the board used is too thin. Or the logs under it are spaced too far big step. If you use thin OSB boards to level such a floor, they will begin to sag along with the plank base. Well, he’ll start “dancing” with them and decorative coating. In such situations, if the condition of the logs themselves does not cause any complaints, it is necessary to use OSB with a thickness of 18÷22 mm for covering the surface.
However, we repeat, this is only possible if the plank covering is mounted on strong, reliable joists. That is, they also need to be inspected by temporarily removing two or three floorboards.
If the floors were leveled using scraping, then upon completion of the work the boards must be thoroughly cleaned and then covered with a special impregnation with an antiseptic effect.
Installation work for laying OSB on a wooden floor
OSB boards are laid on wooden floors in different ways. This often depends on what kind of flooring will be laid on top.
- For example, if you plan to lay laminate, parquet boards, vinyl tiles, etc., then the installation should be planned so that the joints of the flooring parts do not coincide with the joints of the OSB boards.
- If you do not want to calculate the location of the floor covering elements, then you can choose the option of transverse laying. That is, lay the OSB slabs so that the joints of the finishing flooring elements are perpendicular to the joints of the base slabs.
- Or, if you like, you can choose diagonal laying finishing coating, at an angle of 45 degrees. By the way, such an installation scheme, for example, of a laminated board, can be relevant in rooms with uneven walls. This option will visually hide flaws in the geometry of the room.
- Before starting installation, be sure to check the evenness of the corners. And it is advisable to start installation work with the smoothest of them.
- Another frequently occurring problem is the divergence of opposite walls in the form of a trapezoid. In this case, it is necessary to make preliminary markings and adjust the slabs laid along the walls according to it. Leaving narrow wedge-shaped strips along the walls in the hope of later filling them with scraps is absolutely the wrong approach.
Installation tools
To perform installation work, of course, you will need some tools and auxiliary materials:
- To cut OSB boards, you must have a wood saw, an electric jigsaw and/or a hand-held circular saw on hand. A cut made with a regular hacksaw will not be very neat, and it will take much more time and effort. That's why best option- this is a jigsaw. Even a novice master can handle this tool. WITH circular saw the work is somewhat more difficult, but faster, and the cut is the most even.
If you don’t have such tools at your disposal, you can look for rental options. Many stores offer similar services.
- To secure the slabs to a plank surface you will need
- You will need a tape measure, a long metal ruler, a construction square, painter's cord for marking straight lines and a black marker.
- Fasteners - black self-tapping screws 35 mm long.
There is a lot of controversy about black self-tapping screws, saying that they do not provide reliable fixation. It is difficult to agree with this - with a prepared, leveled, stable foundation, exorbitant loads are not expected. And such a self-tapping screw can break off only under very catastrophic destructive influences. But in such a situation, no other fasteners will help.
Installation of OSB boards
So, the installation process consists of several stages and is carried out in the following order:
- The first step along the longitudinal wall of the room is to mark a line, which will immediately show how smooth it is.
- The edge of the slab that will join the wall must be marked and trimmed so that it takes the direction of the wall and the shape of the corner in which it will be laid. The outer lines of the slab must remain perfectly smooth, with a factory edge. Therefore, it is not recommended to touch at least two sides of the sheet.
- When laying the slab against the wall, it is necessary to maintain a deformation gap, which should be 10÷12 mm. To ensure that the gap is the same, you can use spacer wedges. Another option is to glue an elastic damper tape around the perimeter of the walls below before starting work.
- All sheets of the first row may have to be adjusted along the wall line so that outside their edge formed one straight line. To make it easier to maintain this border, focusing on the outer edge of the first sheet, using a paint cord, on plank floor a straight line is struck from wall to wall.
- All the slabs of the first row are laid along this line and then secured. It is necessary to leave a gap of 3–5 mm between the plates to avoid squeaks or even deformations during thermal expansion of the material.
- The second row of sheets, whatever their size, is laid so that their joints do not coincide with the joints of the sheets of the first row. That is, a shift is made like “ brickwork" It often happens that the remains of the last sheet of the previous row become the beginning of the next one.
- The last row will also have to be adjusted, but to the opposite wall. Well, the most last page- and to the corner.
- The slabs are fixed to the base using self-tapping screws. They are screwed in strictly vertically in increments of 350÷400 mm. And their caps should be recessed into the thickness of the slab by 2–3 mm. In order for the slabs to be fixed as firmly and reliably as possible, it is best to fasten them not only around the perimeter. As an option, draw two diagonal lines, and also screw in self-tapping screws along them with the same pitch. This is especially important if the base is covered with large, entire OSB sheets.
Some craftsmen use nails for fastening. But this is not recommended, since squeaks may occur during further use of the coating.
In fact, this is all the secrets of installing OSB boards on wooden base. As you can see, the task is not so difficult, and any owner should cope with it.
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A few final words. Although oriented strand boards are considered suitable only for arranging a subfloor, some craftsmen can easily turn them into a decorative coating. For this process, special technology and varnish are used. At the same time, the floor surface is no less aesthetic and durable than when expensive materials are laid on it.
One more thing. You should never forget about your own health and that of your loved ones. Completely environmentally friendly OSB can be considered products of emission class E1 or E0.5 with the designations “Green” or “ECO”.
Such materials are made without components harmful to human health. As a rule, these products European manufacturers, which fully comply with technology that meets strict EU environmental standards. However, the cost of such products is somewhat higher.
Some Russian manufacturers, unfortunately, do not care enough about consumer health. And most often, adhesives containing formaldehyde resins are used as a binder. The cost of such materials is low.
When purchasing OSB, each owner must decide for himself what is more important to him: the price of the material or the health of his family. And to make sure that the selected slabs are clean, you should ask the seller for a certificate of material quality.
The information content of the article will be complemented by a video that shows the nuances of installing OSB boards on a wooden base.
Video: Leveling a plank floor with OSB boards
