During the operation of an apartment, room or other premises, especially in panel house, gaps almost always form between the floor and the wall.

They not only spoil appearance, but also violate temperature regime, and in addition they contribute to the penetration and breeding of dampness and all kinds of insects. In any case, these cracks must be carefully processed and sealed.

Work order

The material for sealing the hole is selected relative to the size of the gap

Carrying out work to seal the gap between the wall and the floor does not require any special knowledge or experience.

The simplest operations that need to be performed do not require much effort.

For the correct and high-quality production of these repair work it is only necessary to observe the correctness and sequence of the following operations:

• first you need to determine the size of the hole to be sealed, its length and depth;
• depending on the size, the material for embedding is selected;
• preparatory work is being carried out.

How to seal the gap between the floor and the wall under the baseboard can be easily determined after dismantling the baseboard and determining the size of the gap and its depth. The material used to seal the gap between the floor and the wall can be selected depending on its size according to the table:

After determining the size of the cracks and gaps between the floor and the wall, methods of sealing them, and the materials used, we begin to carry out preparatory work ensuring the quality of subsequent operations.

Preparatory work

Seal all cracks and defects

Preparing the room for work on sealing gaps between the floor and walls depends on the type of finishing where the repairs are being made. If there is a baseboard, it must be dismantled and the space under the floorboards inspected for the presence of gaps under them and their sizes.

The whitewash needs to be washed away and the old layers of paint removed. If necessary, the structures should be given time to dry. You can speed up this process by using optional equipment for heating the room.

All places where dust and dirt can get during work are covered with plastic film.

Sealing large, medium and small cracks

To fill large cracks, you must first fill them with suitable sized pieces of brick, aerated concrete, or expanded polystyrene. Then you need to fill the crack or gap with foam.

Foam tends to expand, so to save material it must be sprayed evenly without filling the gap completely.

Polyurethane foam very convenient for sealing cracks

If the foam does come out, then the excess must be cut off with a knife.

Medium and small cracks are sealed with tow or felt, pre-treated with agents that do not allow various kinds of insects to enter them.

Then they are also filled with polyurethane foam.

Subsequent finishing

It is possible to seal the gaps between the floor and the wall quickly and easily, but you need to take into account the need next works for the installation of a new finishing coating or for the restoration of the old one. To learn how to foam gaps, watch this video:

After removing excess foam, the sealing areas are treated with putty, and then, depending on the accepted form finishings are painted, whitewashed, covered with wallpaper or covered with plinths.

Many of them are individual, depending on the type of apartment or house where the work is carried out, as well as on the materials and tools used. But there are also problems that sooner or later almost every average person who gets involved in the difficult task of restoring and renovating their home inevitably faces. One of the most common problems is the formation of gaps between the floor and the wall. Not only is their presence unacceptable from an aesthetic point of view, but they can also provoke drafts, dampness, cold and insects, especially if the premises being renovated are located on the first floors.

There are quite a few options for eliminating gaps, and they depend on the size of the “disaster”: A gap of up to 1 cm can be easily and simply repaired cement mortar, plaster or putty. Optimal choice, will probably become a putty solution, which should be applied to the damaged surfaces using a special tool (spatula), and then carefully smoothed, achieving a tight seal. After this, excess solution will need to be carefully removed. If the gap is small, within 1-3 cm, then it is best to use polyurethane foam. When working with polyurethane foam sealant, you must not forget about one important point: all actions must be carried out at a temperature not lower than +5 degrees. Before applying polyurethane foam, the surfaces to be treated are moistened with water - this improves their adhesion and interaction. The container should be shaken thoroughly before use. Since foam is difficult to wash off your hands, it is advisable to purchase gloves and carry out all actions only in them.

If the hole that appears exceeds 3 cm, then you will have to make certain efforts, knowledge and skills to eliminate it. If there is already a finishing material on the wall (paint, wallpaper, etc.), and you want to preserve it rather than reapply it after filling the cracks, you can try to carefully cover the lower part of the wall with film and secure it with pins or needles. Sometimes old newspapers are used for this, but this option is considered less successful, since the process will use water, which will most likely end up on the work surface. To perform all actions simply and calmly, without being distracted by various little things, you need to stock up in advance necessary tools. Depending on the work being carried out, you may need: - polyurethane foam and a gun; - spray bottle with water; - pieces of wood, brick, foam, plastic; - caulk (a spatula made of wood or metal); - moss, tow or jute felt; - hammer; - knife; - putty; - skirting boards or decorative tires; - fasteners or glue. Once you've stocked up on your arsenal necessary funds, you can begin to take immediate action. Pieces of wood, brick, foam or plastic will be needed if the size of the resulting hole is very large. This will help save polyurethane foam. All of the above materials are used to fill the resulting hole. Moreover, the pieces used should not be too large, so as not to increase its diameter, but not too small - otherwise the work will be ineffective. After this, you can begin to fill the compacted hole with polyurethane foam. Before use, the container should be heated to 20 degrees by placing it in a container of water. desired temperature. In the process of applying foam, you need to take into account that it increases in size and fills the entire space, so you need to fill the gap by about one third. After half an hour, you should make sure that after the work carried out there are no gaps left. Otherwise, you will have to walk over the surface with the balloon again. The foam will dry completely after 8-10 hours, after which all excess must be carefully removed with a sharp knife. If foam gets on surfaces that can be easily damaged, it is best to remove it immediately using a special compound or, in extreme cases, acetone.

If the gap is not huge, but simply large (from 3 to 5-8 cm), then to eliminate it you will have to use moss, tow or jute felt. When working with each of these materials there are nuances. For example, felt definitely needs additional impregnation with formaldehyde - otherwise moths will be able to immediately “choose” it, and moss should under no circumstances crumble. At the same time, the scheme of action when working with them is universal: before placing the selected material into the resulting gap, it should be rolled up (rolled into a “sausage”), and only then placed at its destination. The resulting roll is “hammered” into the crevice using caulk and a hammer, and its size must exceed the diameter of the hole being sealed in order to ensure its tightest fit. You should not work with small pieces of material, as they will not guarantee adequate density and will significantly increase your time costs. After the gap is sealed and thoroughly dried, it is not forbidden to begin finishing work. A practical solution will be the use of a plinth that will visually harmonize with common interior premises. You can use both wooden and plastic skirting boards. Plastic ones will look more aesthetically pleasing, since, unlike wooden ones, they are attached not with nails, but with special glue.

During the operation of residential premises in apartments or houses, situations arise when spaces are formed between the wall and the floor different sizes and depth. There is a need to seal them, but not only because they spoil the appearance of the living space, but also because this is a direct source of drafts, the penetration of dampness into the rooms, which brings with it hordes of insects, mold and mold.

Therefore, it is extremely important to immediately begin to eliminate it after identifying such a problem. Carrying out the work will not take much effort and time; it involves following several stages:

• Determining the size of the gap - length and depth;
• Based on the scale of future work, the material with which the hole will be sealed is selected.

To seal very small cracks (about 1 cm), you can use mortars of putty, mounting plaster or cement. Larger gaps (2-5 cm) must be filled with polyurethane foam. If the damage is much larger (5 cm or more), then you need to resort to more serious work and use other materials. Below is a consistent technology for eliminating gaps between a wall and a floor of any complexity.

Preparation for work

Sealing such cracks falls into the category cosmetic repairs. Preparation depends on what decorative elements your walls or floor are decorated with. If there is a baseboard, it must be removed, the wallpaper removed, the paint layer cleaned and removed, and the whitewash washed off. In the latter case, you need to let the wall dry completely. Remove all dust and dirt that may interfere with the quality fixation of the sealing materials.

If the installation takes place in a room where you do not plan to carry out complete renovation, then the wallpaper needs to be removed only partially, or try to carefully tear off the strip from the wall so that after finishing the work you can glue it back, returning the wall to its original appearance. All surfaces that may get dirt during the repair process must be protected with film, paper and securely fastened - this will avoid additional costs when putting things in order. Such measures will protect the floor and walls from polyurethane foam, plaster and paint. Paper or newspaper should not be used if there will be a lot of water in the workplace - it is useless as a protective material in this case.

The goal is a large gap

To fill the hole, the ideal option would be suitable sized pieces of brick, polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam or plastic. If the parts are large, then they need to be broken or broken - small filling components guarantee that they will fit inside the hole as tightly as possible and thoroughly fill the cavity. Be careful that when filling the gap, you do not deform the existing hole or expand it.

These materials will help you save expensive mounting foam, which should be poured into the gap after the previous materials. Practice shows that using bricks or other fillers, only one container of polyurethane foam is required to restore even very large damage.

You should not fill it to capacity, because it tends to expand several times. Fill the remaining space by about a third, very severe cases- half. If the layer turns out to be very large, then apply it not at once, but in parts, allowing the previous layer to completely expand and harden. This will reduce the risk of overfilling and subsequent falling out of rags of foam, and as a result, will save its volume.

The target is a medium or small slit

The ideal option for filling such holes would be soft, plastic materials with high density - tow or construction felt. To prevent such materials from becoming a haven for insect pests, before filling they must be thoroughly impregnated with insecticidal substances, most often formaldehyde.

The material is rolled into small rolls, the diameter of which should be slightly larger size crack, and is applied to the crack. Next, using a small rubber or wooden hammer, the roll is carefully but confidently driven into the hollow space of the damage. It is advisable to fill the void with a single piece of material, without small parts, so that unnecessary cavities do not form between them.

If the gap is so small that you physically cannot drive tow in there, then a soft spatula and a plastic gypsum mortar will come to the rescue. The technology is simple - apply a strip of plaster to the tip of the spatula and apply it to the damage, then gently press. This will allow the mortar to fill the entire cavity and immediately finish the wall surface to minimize finishing preparation.

To protect the surrounding area from dirt, you can use self-adhesive construction fabric (which will not work if you already have wallpaper) or the above methods. After the gap is completely clogged, the formaldehyde dries - you can decorate the seam.

The gap between the baseboard and the wall or floor

It usually forms when old walls become warped or dry out. wooden skirting boards. Such an error can be corrected very simply - using acrylic sealant, modern stores provide a choice of any colors and shades. The cylinder is installed in special device for supplying sealant and is applied over the distance between the elements.

Rules for working with polyurethane foam

Two thirds of cases still require active use polyurethane foam even in small quantities. Therefore, it is important to figure out how to use it correctly. The recommendations are:

• Before filling the cavity, its surface must be slightly moistened with ordinary water. To do this, it is advisable to use a mechanical spray bottle or a bottle with holes in the lid. This is done to better fix the foam inside the damage.
• When filling, be aware of the foam's ability to expand. In addition, moisturizing the surface will only enhance this effect. The foam must be applied carefully, carefully, little by little.
• Ideal conditions working with it - from five to twenty-five degrees Celsius. The cylinder must be heated in water at the appropriate temperature.
• Before use, the container with foam should be shaken thoroughly.
• Carry out work only with protective glasses and gloves - the foam is very caustic and firmly sticks to all things and objects. In case of accidental contact with finishing surfaces, it is recommended to remove foam only after completely dry, which has not yet hardened, is wiped with a special solvent.
• Hardened foam is removed with a sharp knife.

Finishing the wall after repairing the damage

Excess foam should be removed so that a small depression remains at the seam site. It will be filled with a small layer of putty or plaster using a spatula and brought to the same level as the wall. After the layer has dried mortar There won't be a trace left of the crack. The top of the wall can be finished in all sorts of ways - attaching a plinth, painting, adding wallpaper, finishing with tiles, plastic, wood, and so on.

Conclusion

It is advisable to detect such damage between the floor and walls and repair it before starting finishing works so as not to damage existing finishing surfaces during work. Thus, the work will be completed faster and at lower cost. If the sealing takes place in the finishing room, then precautions should not be neglected, especially when working with polyurethane foam.

Video

From the video you will learn in more detail how and with what to seal cracks.

Wood remains one of the most popular, although there are more modern options on the market.

Wood is chosen not only by owners of bathhouses and private houses.

And in private apartment you can use logs to wood covering located on top of the concrete screed.

But plank floors also have some disadvantages.

The main disadvantage is the ability to dry out over time.

Therefore, the process of exploitation is inevitably connected with education.

Even the most competent carpenter will not be able to get rid of this problem in advance.

But owners can easily cope with this problem if they do not put it off.

And they can easily figure out how to seal the gaps between the floor and the wall.

The formation of cracks in floors is caused by several reasons.

• The boards are under excessive stress. Therefore, the floor should be additionally strengthened if it is planned to place a heavy one in the same room.
• The appearance of rodents. They sometimes even chew through concrete obstacles. And the tree does not become an obstacle for them at all. If cracks arise precisely because of this, then before sealing, it is recommended to use concrete for additional processing, to which glass or metal chips have been added. You shouldn’t add the poison right away, otherwise unpleasant odors will be pursued for a very long time.
• The boards are used when they are still too fresh. Natural wood literally filled with moisture. It dries out too quickly when placed on the floor. The consequence of this is a reduction in the volume of the structure. If boards are used in finishing, they must first be dried. The main thing is to use the natural method, only in this case they will not appear. Before use, no more than ten percent moisture should remain in the wood.
• Wrong choice of breed. Ash, maple and cherry have a more attractive appearance. But they have too much flexibility. With them, the finish on the floor coverings will not be reliable. Especially if the latter are subjected to excessive loads. It is recommended to choose breeds with maximum hardness. These include spruce, pine or oak. Or the breeds come from the tropics.
• Incorrect actions when laying the floor. The boards should not come apart if they are properly laid on the joists. Damage to wood from moisture occurs only if the use of the technology is impossible due to the height in the room. And the installation goes straight to concrete screed, without other devices. The screed requires careful drying, only in this case it will not cause additional trouble. It is mandatory to use waterproofing protection for wooden materials.
• Temperature fluctuations.

As already mentioned, fresh wood contains a lot of moisture. The air inside the material dries out in winter time when the heating systems are turned on. Therefore, the tree begins to release the moisture accumulated throughout its life cycle.

Because of this, the wood dries out, reducing its volume. Then the action comes to an end heating season. But moisture still doesn’t get back to the boards.

The reduction in volume remains unnoticeable as long as the material remains relatively fresh. But throughout the entire service life, the cracks become more noticeable.

To avoid this particular problem, you need to ensure that the humidity level does not exceed 40-60 percent, but is not less than these indicators. Special humidifiers will help cope with the problem. And they will bring many benefits to our health.

Gaps not only spoil the appearance, they can be dangerous. Therefore, sealing should be carried out as soon as possible. Defects help reduce the performance characteristics of the floor.

The room becomes colder, odors from other apartments penetrate inside. The likelihood of biological contamination increases. But getting rid of cracks is quite simple, even without special skills and knowledge.

We repair gaps between floors and walls

Preparatory work will be required before proceeding directly to the embedding itself.

The lower part of the wall must be completely cleared of finishing materials previously used.

The baseboard can simply be torn off, but the space underneath needs to be thoroughly cleaned.

Otherwise, you won’t even be able to figure out how to seal the gaps between the floor and the wall.

The sealing method is chosen depending on the size of the gap:

• With a thickness of less than three centimeters. This is the simplest situation. Filling is carried out with polyurethane foam, gypsum, putty, and a cement mixture.
• The average size. If the gap is more than three centimeters, then the polyurethane foam will no longer be enough to fill. In this case, the material simply does not have enough strength. Better to give preference natural materials, like jute or tow. They are easy to hammer in using a regular hammer. If jute is taken, then it is required additional processing from insects. Then the appearance of moths will definitely not threaten the apartment.
• With large width. For filling, various debris is used, held together with polyurethane foam. It is acceptable to use materials such as broken bricks, scraps, pieces of foam plastic, and so on. The materials must cover large area, but the dimensions should not exceed the gap itself. Otherwise, the gap will only increase.

It should be taken into account that the volume of foam increases several times when it hardens. A regular utility knife will help get rid of the excess if necessary.

How to seal cracks in the floor

The treatment of ordinary cracks that appear in the floor between the boards will be much more varied. The technology maintains a single procedure, even with different conditions.

The floor must be thoroughly washed and then dried before starting work. Wire brush will help work with wide cracks where dirt has accumulated inside.

Otherwise, sealing loses its meaning; over time, the boards begin to diverge again. Further actions depend on what material the owner of the structure is working with.

We work with wooden slats

When working with this material, you cannot do without a relatively complex one. Without perseverance, the desired result will not be achieved. But in terms of efficiency, this solution is the most successful.

The point is that boards of small thickness are placed inside the cracks. Creating thin holes with this solution is impossible. But this perfect option, if the boards begin to diverge too much.

• It all starts with processing the side edges using a cutter. Thus, existing cracks widen. The old thick layer of wood is removed from the surface.
• To level the cracks, so-called dowels are driven inside. Sandpaper is used to process the ends of elements in floor covering. Then the surface is again covered with adhesive.
• The slats should be thinner than the holes. It is recommended to give preference coniferous species trees. The slats are lubricated with glue, all that remains is to nail them between the boards.
• As a result, the surface can be treated with glue and sanded. After this, the repaired areas will remain invisible. This answer can also be given to the question of how to seal the gaps between the floor and the wall in a bathhouse.

Putty: basic rules

If the thickness of the cracks is small, the usual one is suitable. Why do they use formulations with different bases?

• A mixture of sawdust, wood varnish and paint with suitable color. To mix the components, it is recommended to use the following proportion: 4:1:1. The advantage of putty is that there is no need to apply additional finishing. She immediately correct color, which matches the rest of the floor.
• Paste, along with finely chopped newspaper paper.
• Plaster is an excellent substitute for glue. It is mixed with sawdust, and then the whole thing is filled with water. Acceptable addition citric acid, in the amount of three tablespoons per liter of mixture.
• PVA glue mixed with sawdust. The material is poured with boiling water so that it swells sufficiently. This must be done until the mixture becomes viscous. The glue is added gradually until the mixture becomes thick.

The cracks are sealed using the following technology. They must be filled with the mixture using a spatula. The main thing is that the putty is as deep as possible.

The material must dry, which takes about two days. After this, it is enough to sand the places where repairs were carried out.

We use special sealants

The best performance characteristics Sealants based on silicone or acrylic differ.

Such material will definitely not allow drafts with excess heat inside.

They will protect the tree from the appearance of microorganisms and additional moisture.

And they are endowed with excellent sound insulation properties.

The material is also known for its dynamism. This means that the boards will be able to move and deform within a small range when they are affected by changes in temperature. In this case, the seams themselves between them will not collapse.

The sealant is immersed in the cracks using a mounting gun.

Are there any alternative solutions

It is acceptable to use methods that are considered outdated, but partially retain their relevance.

• Filling cracks with epoxy resin. It holds the elements together well. But under heavy load it begins to break off.
• Laying on top of regular plywood, fiberboard and chipboard is acceptable.
• Sometimes tow dipped in a small amount of water is hammered into the cracks.

Removing the entire coating will be more effective solution, if the floor is new, but the appearance of cracks has already become noticeable.

Then the boards are simply laid again, but closer to each other. The method will also be relevant in the case where the cause of the defects was a violation in the technology during installation.

You can watch the video about sealing cracks and cracks:

During the operation of an apartment, room or other premises, especially in a panel house, gaps almost always form between the floor and the wall.

They not only spoil the appearance, but also disrupt the temperature regime, and in addition contribute to the penetration and breeding of dampness and all kinds of insects. In any case, these cracks must be carefully processed and sealed.

Work order

The material for sealing the hole is selected relative to the size of the gap

Carrying out work to seal the gap between the wall and the floor does not require any special knowledge or experience.

The simplest operations that need to be performed do not require much effort.

To carry out these repairs correctly and with high quality, you only need to observe the correctness and sequence of the following operations:

• first you need to determine the size of the hole to be sealed, its length and depth;
• depending on the size, the material for embedding is selected;
• preparatory work is being carried out.

How to seal the gap between the floor and the wall under the baseboard can be easily determined after dismantling the baseboard and determining the size of the gap and its depth. The material used to seal the gap between the floor and the wall can be selected depending on its size according to the table:

After determining the size of cracks and gaps between the floor and the wall, methods of sealing them, and the materials used, preparatory work begins to ensure the quality of subsequent operations.

Preparatory work

Seal all cracks and defects

Preparing the room for work on sealing gaps between the floor and walls depends on the type of finishing where the repairs are being made. If there is a baseboard, it must be dismantled and the space under the floorboards inspected for the presence of gaps under them and their sizes.

The whitewash needs to be washed away and the old layers of paint removed. If necessary, the structures should be given time to dry. You can speed up this process by using additional equipment to heat the room.

All places where dust and dirt can get during work are covered with plastic film.

Sealing large, medium and small cracks

To fill large cracks, you must first fill them with suitable sized pieces of brick, aerated concrete, or expanded polystyrene. Then you need to fill the crack or gap with foam.

Foam tends to expand, so to save material it must be sprayed evenly without filling the gap completely.

Polyurethane foam is very convenient for sealing cracks

If the foam does come out, then the excess must be cut off with a knife.

Medium and small cracks are sealed with tow or felt, pre-treated with agents that do not allow various kinds of insects to enter them.

Then they are also filled with polyurethane foam.

Subsequent finishing

You can seal the gaps between the floor and the wall quickly and easily, but you need to take into account the need for the following work to install a new finishing coating or restore the old one. To learn how to foam gaps, watch this video:

After removing excess foam, the sealing areas are treated with putty, and then, depending on the type of finishing adopted, they are painted, whitewashed, covered with wallpaper or covered with plinth.