Leveling the floor, the difference is 5 cm. What is the best method to level the floors. Preparing for leveling

If indoors uneven wooden floor, living in it becomes uncomfortable. The boards creak, sag or, conversely, bulge, diverge, forming cracks.

The aesthetics of the room are disrupted and a traumatic environment is created. On such a floor it is easy to fall and hurt yourself. To avoid serious troubles and improve the condition of your home, uneven floors are leveled. They do this in different ways.

Dry methods

An uneven wooden floor needs to be leveled if the height difference is more than 5 cm. This uneven floor is visible to the naked eye. The surface may have a slope in any direction. In another case, the boards are located unevenly, in waves: one protrudes, the other sinks, bends. There are several options for eliminating uneven floors using a dry method.

Installation of mini-lags from bars (tape support)

Tape support is one of the most reliable ways for leveling uneven wooden floors. The method is used for height differences from 3 to 10 cm. The timber serves as a lining for the boardwalk. He must be different thicknesses to be positioned evenly in the direction of increasing slope. For ease of installation, craftsmen use pieces of plywood rather than wood.

To install minilags correctly, carry out advance paynemt and check the readings with a meter level. The distance between them correlates with the thickness of the sheets made from wood waste.

It is not recommended to lay sheets that are too thick to level an uneven wooden floor:

they are heavy and inconvenient to install with your own hands;
create additional load on the floor and foundation.

Beams of different sections and sheet products are screwed with self-tapping screws to the wooden base of the floor. The fasteners must be of different lengths, since the distance to the boards varies. Mini-lags are attached across and along the boards. It is important to mark the sheets as accurately as possible at the drilling points.

Installation of leveling point supports (blocks)

If indoors uneven wooden floor, the defect can be eliminated and leveled using point supports, which are called covens. They are installed under sheet products in the form of a mesh. This produces cells, the dimensions of which are determined by the thickness of the sheets.

Such cell sizes will not allow sagging during subsequent operation.

Since the supporting “posts” are located pointwise, careful markings are made on the sheets and screws are screwed in at the points. Additionally, the sheets are fixed to the very base of the floor, choosing longer fasteners.

Methods for leveling an uneven wooden floor without screed differ high efficiency. After leveling work, the surface acquires an ideal shape and holds well finishing coat. 8-10 cm is a height difference at which it is better to dismantle the old floor and lay a new base with replacement joists.

Wet screed method

At minor irregularities(up to 3mm) a wooden floor can be covered with acrylic putty or sealant. Before work, the boards are primed to protect the wood and ensure better adhesion with the leveling mixture. The composition is applied thin layer, distributing evenly along pre-made marks on the walls, along the beacons.

It is important to know: the thickness of the layer determines the amount of time it takes to dry. To prevent the putty from cracking over time, PVA glue is added to it. After the mixture has dried, the surface is sanded.

If uneven wooden floor has a slope of more than 3 mm, use. This is not a very suitable method for a wooden base. The screed creates a significant load on the base and floors. It is most possible when the boards are laid on concrete or brick columns, reinforced concrete supports. The need for it arises, for example, when using tiles as a finishing coating.

To level an uneven wooden floor using the “wet” method, dry mixtures with components are used that provide the screed with elasticity and special strength. These include various plasticizers and synthetic fillers.

Before applying the leveling compound, wooden floors are checked for ventilation. If it is not there, then holes are drilled in certain places on the surface, and decorative grilles are installed on top of the finishing coating.
The boards are covered plastic film, which performs the function of waterproofing. The tree is afraid of water. And when wet screed The dry mixture is diluted with this liquid.
The leveling composition is poured onto the surface in portions and distributed evenly using a special rule. You can work gradually, filling small areas.
After the screed has dried, it is sanded and primed.

Wet screed on wooden base don't do it often. The main reason is the incompatibility of wood and leveling composition. Wood is mobile and cement mixture It is static, so it may crack and crumble over time.

When choosing a method for leveling an uneven wooden floor, we focus on the specific conditions of the room. It is important that during subsequent use the surface does not deform and the finishing coating does not deteriorate.

Comfortable living in a home depends on many conditions. These include the quality of finish and general condition of surfaces, including leveling uneven wood floors.

Leveling the plank floor.

In some old houses from the times of Stalin and Khrushchev, plank, uneven wooden floors remained. Over time, the floorboards rot, become loose and begin to creak. And during repairs, in order to remove the defects of the old uneven floor, a new coating in the form of laminate or linoleum is used.

But before laying a new floor, it is recommended to level the subfloor using sheet material. You can carry out this procedure yourself without the involvement of construction specialists and with minimal costs. To level the floor, it is best to use plywood, since fiberboard sheets will eventually take the shape of an uneven floor and waves will appear again. Plywood has irreplaceable qualities for a material that is used to level an old wooden floor.

It is relatively light in weight, quite durable, resistant to stress and water, well polished, and has no unpleasant odor. The material does not change its properties with changes in temperature and humidity.

In order to carry out the procedure for leveling a wooden floor, it is necessary to prepare the tools and materials that will be needed during the work process.

plywood sheets;
roll insulation;
screwdriver and screws;
jigsaw;

Preparing to level a wooden floor in an apartment

Initially, it is necessary to check the condition of the communications that are laid under the floor, since after completion of the work there will be no free access to them.
Next, you need to get rid of various irregularities that are very typical for a wooden floor.
Secure and, if necessary, replace old, rotten, creaky boards.
As additional insulation If the floor is initially cold, you can use rolled mineral wool insulation.

The prepared plywood sheets are laid on the floor and in order to evaluate the strength and reliability of the coating, you should walk on it. During such tests, additional defects may be revealed that can be corrected immediately without dismantling the floor. If it turns out that the floor is sagging, then it is necessary to additionally place pieces of fiberboard in these places.

The most optimal and reliable fastening plywood sheets, there will be fastening with self-tapping screws, which at the initial stage of fastening do not need to be driven in completely. In places where the plywood sags, it is unacceptable to make fastenings. After securing the sheets, you need to carefully walk over the finished flooring again.

This is necessary in order to check how firmly and correctly the sheets are fitted to each other. If the result of the test is satisfactory and pleasing, then all the screws will be driven all the way, firmly burying the head in the wood.

After fixing the sheet material, the screw heads and seams are puttied using acrylic sealant. The advantage of such putty is that even if the boards and sheets sag a little, the sealant, due to its high plasticity, will not break down or spill out.

After completing the installation of the plywood sheets, you can begin laying another linoleum or laminate flooring.

Leveling an uneven wooden floor - video

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One of the main tasks at the stage of preparation for laying laminate flooring is leveling the subfloor, which is sometimes neglected in order to reduce labor costs and time.

Any unevenness in the surface on which the laminate is laid leads to internal stress. If it exceeds the permissible values, the floor covering begins to deteriorate, break and crack. So, when laying laminate flooring on an uneven floor, its service life will be significantly reduced, and appearance won't be very attractive.

If there are large depressions in selected places the base under the laminate panels will have voids here and there. In this case, the load created by the body weight of a person walking or standing on the floor will not be transferred subfloor.

Laminate boards that do not have uniform support over the entire area will begin to sag over the voids. The uneven distribution of the load will be even more pronounced if there are bumps on the surface of the subfloor, for example, sagging on concrete.

Walking on a floor that bends under your feet is not very pleasant. But most importantly, load imbalance can lead to the following consequences:

the appearance of cracks and breaks in the lamellas themselves;
breakage of locking connections, especially if the height differences are located directly below them;
increasing gaps between adjacent panels. Gaps not only degrade the appearance flooring and make it difficult to clean. Having lost its integrity, it becomes more sensitive to moisture, joints and locking connections become clogged with dirt and dust, the floors begin to creak;
if adjacent panels move completely apart, they may end up at an angle to horizontal plane, forming a mound. This is not only unsightly, but also dangerous, and there is a high risk of tripping.

Permissible curvature of the base for laminate

Unevenness of the base, height differences, and slope are detected using building level at least 2 m long, which must be applied to the subfloor in different places.

If there are gaps between the floor surface and the lower plane of the level, you need to measure their size. A skewed water bubble indicates a slope in the subfloor. For more accurate results, you can use a laser level.

The denser and stronger the laminate, the less sensitive it is to unevenness. therefore, you need to rely on the instructions in the manufacturer’s instructions, and if they are missing, on the requirements of SNiP.

According to SNiP, the difference in height of the subfloor for laying laminate should not exceed 2 mm per 2 m, but these figures were calculated for the first generations of laminate, and with a margin.
Many modern manufacturers indicate less stringent requirements - 3 mm per 1 m.
The size of local differences, bumps, depressions should not exceed 3 mm.
Spherical curvatures, holes and bumps with a smooth curvature, but covering a large area, are the most dangerous for the laminate. Cylindrical, wave-like curvatures are better compensated.
The slope, according to SNiP, should not exceed 4 mm per 2 m of the length (width) of the room.

Possibility of laying laminate flooring on a sloped floor

Even a greater slope, if it is smooth, without bumps and holes, is not critical for the laminate. But since this flooring is laid in a floating manner, and gaps are left around the perimeter to compensate for thermal expansion, after removing the spacer wedges laminate flooring may crawl towards the slope.

If sufficiently wide gaps have been left, there is a possibility that the laminate will rest against the wall on one side, and on the other its edge will not be covered by the baseboard. To prevent this, you must first place massive furniture on top, which will press the laminate to the base, and then remove the spacer wedges and install the baseboard.

So that the furniture does not interfere with the installation of the plinth, you can temporarily place it in the center of the room, and immediately after installing the plinth, move it to the desired corner.

A smooth, but too noticeable slope may not be dangerous for the laminate itself, but will lead to the collapse of furniture installed on the floor or household appliances, so it's worth eliminating.

How to level an uneven floor and eliminate slope

The method for eliminating irregularities depends on their size, the scale of the problem, as well as the base material.

Elimination of height differences

Minor, up to 5 mm, irregularities are smoothed out using a laminate backing.
Small local depressions are filled with putty corresponding to the type of base (for wooden floors You can use a mixture of PVA glue with sawdust, for concrete - a self-leveling mixture).
Lumps (swells) on concrete floors knocked down with a hammer drill, the protrusions of the wooden covering are removed with a plane. Finish leveling is carried out using a grinding or scraping machine.
Minor but numerous irregularities can be eliminated using self-leveling screed. This method is best suited for leveling concrete base, but it can also be used on wooden floors, having previously laid a plastic film.
More significant unevenness in the concrete base is leveled using a cement-sand screed.
The problem of an uneven wooden floor can be solved by placing a dry screed on top from sheet materials - fiberboard, plywood, OSB. The more unevenness, the thicker it should be sheet material. First you need to eliminate other defects, cut off large protrusions with a plane, and fill the depressions with pieces of plywood or fiberboard the right size to increase the area of support of the screed on the base. The plywood sheets laid and attached with self-tapping screws to the base are sanded on top.

Removing Slope

The slope of the concrete base is eliminated using a self-leveling, cement-sand or dry screed.

For wooden floors, there are methods that involve dismantling the floor covering or allowing you to do without it.

A slight slope can be eliminated using a self-leveling mixture, but with a large slope this is unprofitable, the material consumption will be too high.
When leveling the base cement-sand screed you need to carefully check its horizontalness with a level.
If the ceiling height and floor level in adjacent rooms allow, you can install a raised floor on adjustable joists. The logs are mounted on racks with bolts, plywood sheets are laid on top, CBPB slabs, OSB. The floor level can be adjusted by changing the height of the bolts in the racks.
A layer of plywood is rigidly attached to the base, and a second one is attached on top of it, so that the joints of the two layers do not coincide. Threaded bushings are installed between them, allowing you to adjust the height of the top layer.
Understands wood covering and the height of the lags is leveled, instead of using adjustable stands, you can cut off the excess with a plane or fill the slats on top.
On top of the base, at the point of maximum slope, a beam is attached to it, which will act as a log. If necessary, it is possible to install several more rows of logs of different thicknesses on top of the old base. The space between them is filled mineral wool, sheets of plywood or cement-bonded particle boards are attached on top.

Do-it-yourself elimination of floor unevenness video:

Bottom line

Laying laminate flooring on an uneven floor is extremely undesirable, as it leads to its premature destruction. If height differences of up to 5 mm can be partially leveled by the substrate, then for more significant deviations, laying the laminate must be preceded by serious preparatory work. To eliminate irregularities, filling of depressions, cutting or knocking down bumps, grinding the surface, different kinds screeds.

In most cases, apartments have relatively flat floors and concrete surface requires only a “cosmetic” adjustment. It is done for a slight correction of height, elimination of pits and cavities formed during the execution repair work in room. If there are cracks, chips and other problems in the concrete, they can also be eliminated using a liquid floor. This is what we will now install in step-by-step instructions.

Step 1 Surface preparation.

First you need to remove all dirt from the floor. To do this, you can use a metal scraper (for paint and varnish products and other materials), a broom and a vacuum cleaner at the final stage. Can be used washing vacuum cleaner– the effect will be much better.

Step 2 Setting the level.

There are many ways to do this, but we will use metallic profile as a level. Its width should be about 4 centimeters- it would be enough. We choose the most high place on concrete, we fix one side of the profile there, then raise it level to an angle of 0 degrees and fix it on the opposite side of the room. We do exactly this with all profiles.

Step 3 Pouring liquid floor.

Now that the profiles are level, you can pour the liquid floor. There is nothing complicated here. Prepare the mixture according to the instructions on the back of the bag and pour the solution, leveling it along the top of the profile so that it covers it.

Allow the mixture to harden. It dries from 5 to 25 days, depending on the thickness of the screed you make. After hardening, you can spread 2-3 mm glue on top and attach the parquet directly to it (you can make a backing, but this is optional).

How to level a floor using a PVA mixture

One of best methods To eliminate defects on the surface, use a mixture of sawdust and PVA. This is not insulation, but a durable base that has a low thermal conductivity coefficient and can compete with cork insulation. One of the advantages of this method is the installation speed building material, good sound insulation and low cost. This allows you to lay floors not only in a small apartment, but also in large areas. Let's take a closer look at the installation instructions.

Step 1 Clean the surface well.

Dirt and dust must not be allowed to enter, as the adhesion of the materials will be very weak. You can use a vacuum cleaner, a wet cloth, etc.

Step 2 Display of beacons.

Reiki are suitable for solving this problem suitable the best way. The thickness of the material may vary, but it is recommended to do at least 6 centimeters in order to achieve good thermal efficiency and sound insulation.

Step 3 We are preparing an explosive mixture.

We moisten the sawdust, then squeeze it out. There should be a minimum amount of water, while the humidity should remain quite high so that there is no overuse of expensive glue. Mix glue with sawdust to the consistency of thick sour cream.

Step 4 Application to floors.

If the differences are small, then one layer will be enough. If there are dips or steps, then in places where there will be a lot of sawdust, They need to be applied 2-3 times, with each layer drying for about 3 days. Keep in mind: sawdust shrinks slightly when drying!

Leveling the surface with large differences, you will have to seal the floors for a long time, so it is better to first prepare a small amount of the mixture and apply it to all the depressions. In a few days you will be able to begin full-time work.

Expert advice: level the floors sawdust PVA based is very difficult. If you cannot achieve the desired result using a level or level, you can take OSB sheet and just lay it on top of the sawdust. The strength of such a coating will be colossal, and leveling the sheet will not be difficult.

How to level a floor with large differences

Do you want to install expensive laminate or parquet in a room where the level differences reach 5 centimeters or more? This is quite possible, you just need to approach the issue creatively. We will level the floor with plywood. Let's take a closer look at how to level the surface in this way.

Step 1 Level the floor.

First you need to set up beacons. Their role will be played by self-tapping screws, which are screwed in to a certain height along the entire perimeter. We take a long level and go to set them up.

Step 2 We install logs.

For a room 5x5 meters wide you need wooden beam dimensions 80x90 mm. You cannot take less, since the hardness of the floor should be maximum. The width between the joists is no more than 60 centimeters.

Step 3 We fasten the plywood.

Here you will need to spend a little money. We buy FC plywood, 12-14 millimeters, material class - 44. Such a surface will withstand not only several people, but also significant short-term loads on the surface (falls of a person, a TV, a hammer blow, etc.). We screw the sheets (screws 6-7 cm long).

Step 4 We lay parquet.

Now all that remains is to lay the parquet on the plywood. To do this, simply lubricate the floor surface construction glue, evenly level it over the entire area. The layer thickness should be about 4 millimeters, no more - this will be an overconsumption of expensive material. After installing the parquet, you must let the glue dry for at least 15 hours, only then you can test it.

Expert advice: practical solution Insulation will be laid between the joists. Ecowool is suitable for this, mineral slabs and other types of materials with high thermal efficiency.

If everything is done correctly, then your parquet will lie “dead” and you will not hear any squeaks for many years to come!