Modern flooring (laminate, cork, linoleum) requires installation flat surface grounds. In older buildings, the foundation often requires leveling. There are many methods for this, one of which is leveling the floor with plywood.

For high-quality styling flooring material requires a flat base. This will save you from the need to place felt or bars under equipment and furniture.

Leveling a wooden floor with plywood is necessary to remove bumps, depressions, and also to eliminate curvature in the surface area.

Almost everything flooring materials react poorly to defects in rough flooring. Laminate flooring without a prepared floor will, after some time, creak, become loose and the board will become unusable. On linoleum, after a while, without first leveling the floor with plywood, all the bumps and flaws that are under the finishing material will be visible.

Installing furniture and appliances will also have problems when placed on an uneven floor. Easy installation a sofa can turn into a multi-hour problem with placing felt and pieces of wood under the legs for leveling.

Plywood - flooring material

Plywood is a durable, multi-layered wood material. Due to its affordable price and excellent technical characteristics, it is often used in construction.

This material is chosen as a subfloor due to many factors. Plywood has affordable price per m2, fits well without additional costs time and money to level the floor. Due to the arrangement of fibers in different directions, it is a fairly durable material. It can be used not only to obtain a flat floor, but also to make minor repairs to eliminate flaws and defects.

How to buy plywood correctly?

Plywood of different thicknesses

When purchasing plywood used for leveling, you should take into account the following parameters:

• Brand;
• Class;
• Variety;
• Thickness;
• Manufacturer of the material.

Depending on the type of premises, preference should be given to different brands. For residential premises, preference should be given to the FC or FSF brands. This plywood is safe because it contains no phenolic compounds. For wet rooms, it is preferable to choose FSF brands. This plywood is moisture-resistant and resistant to mechanical stress.

Differences in plywood grades

The grade of plywood indicates the level of release of free formaldehyde particles into the air. There are two classes:

• E1 contains in 100 g wood material 10 mg formaldehyde;
• E2 contains 30 mg of formaldehyde per 100 g of wood material.

For living rooms it is preferable to buy E1.

Plywood is produced in 4 grades. Grade 1 material is high-quality plywood. The fourth grade is a material with the presence large quantity flaws, chips and knots. Professional craftsmen It is recommended to use plywood grades 3 and 4 for rough flooring. For the main floor, grades 1 and 2 are preferable.

Varieties and classification

The thickness of the material is selected depending on the leveling method, the curvature of the floor and the coating laid on top. Creating a subfloor for laying linoleum and carpet allows you to choose a material up to 10 mm thick. Under laminate or parquet, a plywood thickness of at least 12 mm is required to level the floor.

When choosing, focus on these indicators. If you choose the wrong thickness, the sound insulation will decrease and the floor will quickly become unusable.

The manufacturer determines the quality of the plywood. European manufacturers guarantee excellent quality of the produced material. And here are the sheets made in China does not always meet consumer requirements.

Floor leveling scheme

Also, plywood can have a sanded or unsanded side. If it is used as a subfloor, then it is laid so that there is a surface at the top without sanding. This will ensure good contact with finishing material.

When using plywood as a finished floor upper layer must be sanded for subsequent opening with varnish.

What tools are needed for the job?

Without appropriate tool It is impossible to properly level a wooden floor with plywood. To do this you will need the following devices:

• Hammer;
• Screwdriver;
• Floor level;
• Roulette;
• Hammer;
• Jigsaw;
• Screws
• Marker for marking.

It’s good if you have even minor skills in handling construction tool and material.

Before laying plywood, assess the condition of the base and check the floor level.

Concrete base defects and ways to eliminate them

An inspection of a wooden base consists of removing creaks, replacing fasteners, updating boards in the damaged part of the floor, assessing the condition and replacing underground communications if necessary.

The concrete base is checked for defects on the surface. The level determines the curvature. Before laying plywood on a concrete base, check the surface for moisture by covering it with film for several days.

Laying on old joists

Experts report that depending on the difference in floor height, they choose the method of laying plywood sheets.

If the difference in height is up to 2 mm, there is no need to level it. Changing the floor level to 5 mm per m2 allows you to level it with plywood, laying it directly on a wooden base.

A large difference in the height of the concrete floor up to 8 cm requires the installation of strip or point lathing for leveling with plywood.

A high floor difference requires dismantling the old covering and replacing it with a new floor.

Plywood finished floor

Knowing the simple rules for leveling plywood various types floors, you can easily do the job yourself. When laying plywood as a finished floor, the sheets begin to be installed from the middle of the room. The plywood must be secured with self-tapping screws at a distance of at least 2 cm from the edge of the sheet. After the process is completed, the coating is sanded and varnished.

Creating a subfloor using plywood does not impose any special requirements on the fastening and arrangement of sheets. If two layers of material are expected, then it is laid with the sheets offset to prevent the seams of the top and bottom rows from matching. There are a number of methods for laying plywood sheets over concrete or wood floors.

Laying sheets without logs

It happens that a concrete floor requires not only leveling, but also insulation. For this suitable option without the use of logs, which is considered one of the simplest ways to level a floor with plywood. Work with plywood material begins only after it has been kept in the room for several days to get used to the room conditions.

The base for laying and the plywood sheet are treated with an antiseptic before it is laid. To create the gap required by the technology, bars are placed around the perimeter of the room.

Sealing seams and irregularities

The plywood sheets are placed on the floor so that they are offset relative to each other (as when laying bricks). The material is secured with screws evenly along the protruding points of the plywood.

All fasteners and seams are covered with sealant, after which the surface is puttied.

For a wooden floor that is not loose and in in good condition, you can also use plywood leveling without using joists.

Fastening with self-tapping screws

Wood plank floors are treated with sealant or putty material. It is leveled using sand or sawdust mixed with resin. A vapor barrier film is laid on top, on which plywood is already laid.

To ensure that after fixing the plywood with screws, they do not protrude above the coating, the holes are made in several approaches. First, a hole is drilled to the size of the screw, and then it is processed so that the head of the screw is level with the surface of the plywood sheet.

Laying on joists

Leveling the floor with plywood over strip sheathing can be used for laying under laminate, tile or linoleum. This support is created using square bars and plywood sheets. The logs are laid in increments of 30-50 cm, and at a distance of 20-30 mm from the walls. The cross bars are secured to the joists in a checkerboard pattern using screws. To add rigidity, you can secure them with metal corners.

To create sound and heat insulation, wood shavings mixed with glue are poured between the sheathing. This mixture dries within 2-3 days. You can also use expanded clay or mineral wool.

Laying insulation between joists

The plywood is secured to the support with self-tapping screws. After this you can install any flooring.

The method of leveling the floor with plywood over mini joists is chosen when there is a slope or the surface difference is up to 8 cm.

Adjustable joists

The floor surface is marked for the installation of bars and pads that create perfect design for laying plywood sheets. This work requires careful calculations of the height of each support element with markings on the floor and preliminary fitting.

With this type of flooring, all structural elements will be of different heights. Working using this method is not difficult, but it requires a painstaking approach.

Layout diagram for point supports

This leveling method requires supports, self-tapping screws, two layers of plywood covering and glue.

First, sheets for marking and numbering are laid out on the base. The sheets are removed and the height of the finished floor is marked on the wall.

Any modern floor coverings are very picky about the quality of the surface. No matter how expensive laminate or parquet is, such coatings will not be able to fully meet their characteristics if they are laid on an unprepared or poorly prepared base. A crooked floor means creaks, deformations, and destruction of the integrity of the finishing coating. Therefore, any repair begins with leveling the floor. Today it is popular to level the floor with plywood. This is the easiest way to get a flat floor, which can then be used to lay the most expensive coverings.

Why is this method popular? In its simplicity and accessibility. Concrete screed is a more popular method, but to obtain a high-quality surface in this way requires a large investment of time and money. Plywood, on the other hand, has an affordable price and is very easy to install - leveling the floor with plywood yourself can be done in one day (depending on the area of ​​the room).

Plywood is the best material

Maybe plywood is fragile appearance, and its sheets seem thin. However, this is not at all true. Plywood is considered one of the most popular of all existing building materials.

Leveling the floor with plywood is very quick way fix the existing foundation. Any type of covering can be laid on such a subfloor. Plywood finishing has many advantages:

• Large sheet size;
• Easy installation;
• Reliability and strength of the floor;
• Possibility of use even in damp rooms;
• No odors;
• Easy handling, protective coating, minimum debris;
• High rigidity of sheets and excellent deformation without kinks.

In addition to all this, plywood is an excellent insulation material, which can significantly reduce heat loss. Also, plywood can be used not only as a material for arranging subfloors, but also as a finishing coating.

Often, plywood coverings are created when it is necessary:

• Level the floor;
• Improve body insulation;
• Additionally waterproof the base.

Thermal insulation is especially important for those rooms located above basements. However, in rooms where there are frequent and sudden temperature changes, leveling floors with plywood is not recommended.

The floor leveling process consists of several stages. Each of them is important for a quality result.

Base condition assessment

If after inspection there are errors of up to 5 mm, then the plywood can be fixed directly to the floor. If there are differences of 1 cm, but no more than 8 cm, then only level the floor with plywood along the joists.

Material selection

The requirements for plywood as a building material that will become an intermediate floor are the same as those for a rough concrete screed. Today production offers several grades of plywood. So, there are elite, first, second, third and fourth grades.

Elite is just that: elite. Absolutely no surface defects are allowed on such sheets. The first layer may have small chips and cracks. Both of these layers are quite expensive and are not used for flooring.

The second grade is much more affordable. There are defects in this material, but only 5%. If you need to level the floor with plywood, buy the second grade. It is ideal in price and quality.

The third grade may already have various knots on its surface different sizes and wormholes, but not too many of them. And finally - the fourth grade. It has a huge number of different flaws, but the veneer layer is often glued on very well. This is nothing more than technical plywood. It is of little use for floors, but as a subfloor, as a budget solution, it may be suitable.

When choosing, it is important how many layers are in the sheet. For floors, plywood with a thickness of 12-16 mm is ideal. These sheets have from 9 to 11 layers. In addition, quality, grade and surface treatment are important. Another important point– brand. Formaldehyde is used in the production of plywood - this substance can be found in the third and fourth grades. It should not be said that formaldehyde vapor is definitely not needed in a living room.

In addition, plywood is selected according to the type of subsequent coating. Professionals recommend for roll materials lay the most thin sheets. If you plan to use laminate or parquet as a covering, then you should select sheets with a thickness of 12 mm or more.

Plywood grades

In industrial construction, where a high level of traffic is planned, and therefore high loads on the floor, materials of the FB or FOF grades are laid. In individual construction, lightweight options are more applicable. These are FSV and FC. For the FK brand, no phenols are used, but in the FSF and FB brands there are definitely phenols and formaldehydes - you can’t do without it. FC is perfect for leveling plywood floors in bedrooms and children's rooms.

Materials of FSF grades have a sufficient level of strength and are able to withstand increased loads. This plywood has excellent wear resistance and excellent moisture resistance. These sheets are not afraid of changes in temperature and humidity - this is all due to the presence of formaldehyde resins in the composition.

FC are materials that cannot boast of high moisture resistance, but hazardous and toxic substances are not used in its production. This plywood is glued with compounds based on carbamide resin.

FSB is suitable for wet areas such as toilets, kitchens, corridors. This plywood contains toxic substances.

How to improve the quality of plywood

So, the material has been chosen. But you can improve the performance a little. So, plywood contains 12-15% moisture. To increase the level of moisture resistance, the sheets are impregnated with polyvinyl acetate putty.

First of all, the sheet is impregnated with the composition on one side until characteristic stains appear on the other side. Next, the other side is impregnated. In the next step, the plywood is dried for three days. It is better to dry it in a dry place at room temperature. After thorough drying, the materials must be treated with an antiseptic.

Do-it-yourself leveling of plywood floors in wet rooms can be done using Greenboard brand materials. The sheet thickness is 12 mm, this plywood has the most high performance in terms of moisture resistance.

Strength can be easily increased by using acrylic varnishes. The coating is applied in two layers. First, apply the first one, then, when it dries well, apply the second one.

Preparing the base

You can see how to level a floor with plywood in this video. This video shows the entire process from start to finish.

Plywood is laid directly on the base if it is sufficiently level, and if something needs to be adjusted, then only slightly. In all other cases, the floor is adjusted using joists, and then plywood is laid on them.

It is recommended to prime the base, for example a concrete screed, with a primer. This composition contains a larger amount of solvent and has higher penetrating power.

You can buy this composition, but you can also make it yourself. To do this, you need to purchase bitumen mastic for plywood, and then dilute it with gasoline to the desired consistency.

It is better to treat the joists with an antifungal agent and various insects. Imported compounds are suitable for this. They are much safer.

Sheet cutting

A standard plywood sheet has a size of 125 cm by 125 cm. But experts cut these sheets into four parts - the result is small square pieces with a side of 60 cm. It is more convenient to work with them. The advantage of this method is the greater quantity expansion joints, which is very good for wet rooms.

Marking

It is important to correctly decide which corner in the room you need to start from. To do this, take a corner and apply it to each of all corners. Whichever angle turns out to be the most direct should become the starting one. It will also be better if this angle is the highest.

Align to base

It is important to properly secure the material to concrete or wooden bases. To do this, use the “envelope” method. So, holes are drilled in the corners, in the middle of the side and in the center. Carbide drills are recommended for concrete floors.

Then the sheets are removed, and holes are drilled in the floor where the dowels will be driven. These same dowels will be driven into these holes in the future. Next, the plywood is laid in place, and then, using a screwdriver, the screws are driven into the floor.

If the floor has height differences of less than 10 mm, then leveling the floor with plywood without joists is allowed. Plywood is attached directly to concrete. If the differences are serious enough, then there are only lags.

You can attach sheets of plywood with glue. So, the base is cleaned of dust, then a layer of insulating material is laid. Next, the plywood sheets are arranged in the same way as they will then be secured. Elements are selected according to size and, if necessary, trimmed. Then all sheets are marked and removed.

The sheets are carefully coated with drying oil in two layers. Particular attention is paid to the ends. The composition will not allow the material to deform. When the sheets are thoroughly dry, you can begin the installation process. It is important to place them so that no more than 3 corners meet at one point.

Alignment by lags

The option of leveling the floor with plywood along the joists is good because it makes it very convenient to hide any communications. You can also very conveniently arrange heat and sound insulation. The process itself is quite simple.

The first step is to set the logs. It is better to do this by level. Then the logs are fixed to the floor slabs. Anchor bolts are recommended for fastening. Then it is necessary to treat the bars with waterproofing compounds.

The plywood sheets should already have holes for attaching them to the joists. To recess the caps, the holes are slightly drilled out. Plywood is laid across the joists. The screws are screwed in in a checkerboard pattern. It is very important to leave a gap of 3 mm or more between the sheets. The edges of the sheets should be on the joists. Then you can move on to finishing coatings.

You can also level floors using old joists. This is allowed.

Grinding

Plywood floors are sanded to remove burrs and small differences in height. This process can be done not only with a tool, but also manually, using sandpaper. After sanding, the floor must be cleaned.

Now you know how to level a floor with plywood. With the right choice suitable material and high-quality execution of all stages, this subfloor will be very durable and smooth, and finishing coatings will last a very long time.

Among the building materials used for leveling the floor surface, plywood sheets are in stable and confident demand. Characteristics This material distinguishes it from cement screed or floorboards. Compliance with technology when laying plywood sheets on the floor will allow you to obtain a durable, reliable and even base.

The positive aspects of using plywood to level the base are:

• Saving money. The material is not expensive because it is produced from non-commercial wood at domestic enterprises. In addition, cheap samples of the 3rd or 4th grade are suitable for leveling.
• Availability of 9 different sheet formats: from relatively small 1525x1525mm to 3050x1525mm. Choosing the appropriate size will make it possible to correctly distribute the sheets, making the necessary interruptions in the seams and minimizing the number of technological joints.
• Not complicated installation work(except for flooring with stiletto heels). The process of laying, trimming and fastening does not take much time and does not require the use of special tools or equipment. After leveling with plywood, you can almost immediately begin next stage floor devices.
• Possibility of choice suitable option according to environmental characteristics. IN living rooms Typically a low emission material is used. harmful substances), glued with natural albumin-casein glue. However, this option has low moisture resistance, so in public spaces it can be replaced with wear-resistant and moisture-resistant plywood glued with formaldehyde resins.
• Installation of an additional soundproofing and heat-insulating layer.
• Several installation methods. The choice of a specific method depends on the characteristics of the surface to be leveled.

How to choose the right plywood for leveling the floor?

Before choosing the right type of plywood sheets, you should determine their size and clarify the loads that the coating must withstand. The main selection criteria are environmental friendliness, strength and moisture resistance.

In rooms with high humidity and high traffic, for example, in corridors, halls, buildings industrial use where there is no permanent presence of people, you can use material with the FSF brand. This plywood is resistant to moisture, however, its environmental characteristics (in particular, the release of formaldehyde) allow its use only in well-ventilated non-residential premises.

Material marked FKM has an average level of moisture resistance and a low level of release of harmful substances. It is allowed to be used in areas where there are no strict requirements for toxicity and humidity.

Plywood sheets marked with the FC and FBA indices have low level moisture resistance, but environmentally safe. These types of material are approved for use in residential areas where there is no high humidity.

Since plywood in most cases is not a finishing material finishing material, but is used to level the surface, then not the highest quality varieties are used, which is explained by the increase in price depending on the quality. The 3rd or 4th is quite suitable for the screed. To install sheets on leveling pins, you can take grades 2 and 3.

Among other things, plywood differs in the type of wood from which it is made. In the process of leveling the floor, more expensive birch is not often used. Coniferous sheets are widely used. IN Lately poplar samples appeared on the construction market. These products from Chinese manufacturers do not differ in quality compared to the domestic product, but are lower in price.

Leveling the floor with a screed does not require the material to have high deformation resistance. The same cannot be said about installing sheets on joists or studs. In these cases, you should use multi-layer plywood or lay it in two layers with a mandatory shift of the upper and lower joints (at least 40 cm).

Another indicator taken into account when choosing a suitable material is the grinding of its surface. You can choose from three available options:

• not polished;
• polished on one side;
• polished on both sides.

It is logical to use the type in which the invisible side is not processed, and the outer (visible) side is sanded. However, leveling with plywood is not a finishing touch, so you can take the material from the first option. In addition, sometimes for perfect alignment and elimination of differences at the joints, plywood is sanded after installation and final fixation.

An important parameter to choose is the thickness of the sheet. As this value increases, the price indicator rises sharply, so you should accurately calculate the weight load (especially when installing on joists or studs) in order to save cash did not result in deformation of the prepared surface.

Ways to level a floor using plywood

You can make a flat floor surface using sheets of plywood in one of several available ways:

• installation with self-tapping screws if the base is a floorboard;
• fixation adhesive solutions, if the base is screed or concrete;
• installation on joists;
• using adjustable anchor pins.

Each of the listed installation methods has its own characteristics and degree of complexity. The simplest ones are laying on the surface of a floorboard or gluing to hard surface. Leveling with the help of logs, and even more so, adjustable studs, requires the performer to accurately calculate the necessary support points and professional actions during the work process.

Preparing plywood sheets for installation

You cannot use plywood without first curing it in the room where it will be installed. After transportation, it should be laid out on a flat surface and allowed to acclimatize to environment for at least three days.

If additional sanding of the joints is not planned after installation, then you should check the ends for the same thickness. To do this, several sheets are laid out on a flat surface (for example, in the middle of a plywood sheet), then a metal ruler is placed edgewise at the joint. If a backlash appears when you lightly press one side of the ruler, it means the thickness is different. Consequently, it will not be possible to do without finishing sanding the joints.

Sometimes floor leveling occurs on the ground floor of a building, under which there is basement. In this case, there is a possibility of increased humidity and the appearance of fungus and mold. IN similar situation plywood with inside it is necessary to treat with an antiseptic that stops the spread of such phenomena.

Preparing the base before leveling

The set of measures associated with preparing the surface before laying plywood depends on the base material. If it is concrete or cement screed, and the sheets are laid without lags or leveling pins (using the gluing method), then the following steps must be performed:

• Using a 200cm long strip, you need to measure the entire floor plane. Detected recesses with an area of ​​more than 30 cm and a depth of 0.3 cm should be leveled with an adhesive solution.
• The same rod will help you find bumps and sagging. They should be leveled using a hammer drill or grinder.
• After completely dry Once the solution is poured, the surface is dust-free and primed.

Small cracks can be ignored if their location does not coincide with the seam between the plywood sheets. Otherwise, the cracks should be expanded, primed and sealed with putty or mortar.

The sequence of leveling the floor, the device of which is made of floorboards:

• Eliminating squeaks. This phenomenon occurs for two reasons: first, a nail driven tightly into a joist rubs against the board when it bends under load; the second is that the edges of adjacent boards that are unreliably fixed or have lost their tongue and groove rub. To eliminate these phenomena, the boards are screwed to the joists with self-tapping screws, and the protruding nails are removed. The edges of the boards are milled and glued with wood glue.
• Warped floorboards have protrusions at the joints. They must be removed using a plane.
• The sheets should be laid out so that the seams between them do not overlap the seams between the boards.

For installing plywood sheets on joists or anchor adjustable studs Special attention you need to pay attention to the strength of the base. Its evenness does not matter for these methods of constructing plywood.

Laying plywood directly onto the base

The first stage of working with plywood sheets– this is a preliminary layout on paper taking into account all the requirements:

• Along the edges, near the walls, there should be no fragments less than 15 cm in width and length.
• The joints of the sheets should not coincide with the joints of the boards, seams in the screed or fall on the seams between concrete slabs.
• The layout of whole sheets begins from the center of the room, trimming occurs in the wall areas.
• Transverse joints should be staggered.

To the prepared floor from wooden board The plywood is screwed with wood screws, the length of which is three times the thickness of the plywood sheet. Before tightening the self-tapping screw, a countersunk hole is milled under its head with a drill. As a result, the cap should be slightly below the plane of the sheet. If necessary, it can be puttied and the surface made completely flat.

On a board floor, plywood sheets are rolled diagonally: starting from the center, then along the perimeter. The distance between the attachment points is at least 40cm. Self-tapping screws located at the same joint should be installed opposite each other, two centimeters from the edge of the sheet.

It is desirable that the length of the plywood sheets be fastened perpendicular to the direction of laying the boards. For square sheets, the continuous seam should also be perpendicular to the length of the boards.

Fixing plywood on cement screed and concrete is mainly carried out by gluing with special adhesives. The procedure for working with a specific composition, subtleties of application, drying time, etc. are indicated in the attached instructions. Depending on the selected option, the thickness of the applied layer changes. It is also necessary to take into account which of the surfaces to be glued (plywood or floor) it is applied to. In all cases, it is important that the surface is dust-free and primed.

All methods of leveling the floor with plywood are characterized by laying the first sheet in the center of the room, fixing it, and only after that, continuing further work. Also in all cases required condition– no contact of sheets with the walls of the room. There should be a distance of at least 1.5-2 cm between the edge of the sheets and the wall.

At large size rooms approximately every 6 m (the distance depends on the size of the plywood), a technological gap should be left between the sheets to compensate for the expansion of the material due to temperature and humidity.

Leveling the floor laid on joists

When installing a floor using joists, it means raising the surface by several centimeters (by the thickness of the joists and the plywood sheet). Unlike continuous gluing, this method allows you to obtain a more even plane. However, since the support points are only on the joists, the thickness of the sheet used must be calculated taking into account possible weight loads.

Initially, the timber is installed around the perimeter of the room, along the walls. Then, according to the layout, the logs are installed in those places where the sheet joints will be located. After this, the remaining distance is evenly distributed depending on the thickness of the plywood and added additional beam. It is attached to the main one using metal corners. As a result, the entire room should be divided into squares with sides of 40x40cm or 40x60cm. All logs, both longitudinal and transverse, are aligned in one plane, without differences, protrusions and depressions.

The supporting shoulder of the plywood sheet must be at least 3cm. This distance is necessary to ensure that the screws do not fall on the edge of the beam or sheet. The spacing between transverse seams should be maximized.

To reduce the transmission of sound from the plywood to the base, a soundproofing pad is placed under the timber. In addition to the main function, it also compensates minor irregularities. Installed and aligned logs are fixed to the base using metal corners or anchor bolts.

The last stage - attaching plywood sheets to the timber - occurs after quality control of the installed sheathing. For full confidence In the exact layout, you can lay out the plywood, securing it with a pair of self-tapping screws. This option will help to identify and leave sheets with broken geometry for trimming.

Leveling the floor with plywood on adjustable anchor studs

The most labor-intensive but, at the same time, the most effective method leveling the base with plywood sheets - installing supports in the form of adjustable anchor pins. This method makes it possible to lift plywood to the distance required for laying insulation, installing pipes or technological lines.

Technology for installing plywood on studs:

• Each sheet is marked in the form of squares 40x40cm.
• At the intersection points of the lines and along the edges, holes are drilled with a depth of half a sheet and a diameter equal to the diameter of the nut.
• In the resulting holes, a through hole is drilled exactly in the center, equal to the diameter of the pin.
• Marked and drilled sheets are laid out on the floor, taking into account the interruption of the seams. Each hole is marked on the base with a marker.
• The sheets are numbered and removed. In place of the marks left, holes are drilled for installing studs.
• The studs are securely fixed. on their top part The adjusting nuts and bearing washers are screwed on.
• All washers are aligned to the same level using a laser or plank level. The protruding part of the pin is cut off with a grinder.
• Numbered sheets in in the right order put on studs, resting on washers.
• The fixing nuts are screwed into the recesses of the sheets.

All methods of leveling the base using plywood sheets will give the desired result if the mandatory requirements are met:

• No process disruptions.
• Compliance with acceptable temperature conditions (about 20-30 0 C) and humidity of about 70% during work.
• Use of material with geometry within the stated tolerance.

Leveling the floor with plywood - video

In this article we will look at how to level an old floor with plywood under a laminate, using two basic bases as an example: wood and concrete.

Using plywood as a leveling layer under the finishing floor covering is considered to be an economical and proven method.

The technology for arranging a dry screed using plywood does not require significant labor costs and large financial investments.

Since the floor can be leveled in a short period of time, and there is no need to wait for the screed to mature, the repair will end up floor surface carried out without delay.

Leveling a wooden base can be done using two methods: with or without lathing. Which technology is most suitable for leveling your floor under laminate is up to you to decide.

Leveling a wooden floor with plywood over the joists under the laminate involves dismantling the old covering, including the floors and boards lying on the joists.

After the boards are removed, it is necessary to inspect the joists; some of them may have to be replaced with your own hands or simply strengthened with anchor bolts.

If you need to raise the floor height in the house to a certain level, then you can completely get rid of worn-out joists and install new ones, having previously decided on the required step size.

It is best to use beams made of coniferous trees for installing logs. First of all, they make the piping around the perimeter of the room, leaving a temperature gap of 50-100 mm at the walls.

Then the working area is equipped with longitudinal beams with a distance of no more than 60 cm. The correct horizontalness of the logs is controlled using a building level.

The plywood is fixed to the beams in such a way that the butt joint of the sheets rests on the support.

The seams of the leveling layer should not be allowed to hang in the air. If the sheathing beams were laid with big step, then it is necessary to supplement the supporting base with transverse beams.

At the same time, the smaller the cell of the supporting floor, the better it will be possible to level the base under the laminate with your own hands.

First, an insulating layer is laid; polystyrene foam boards or mineral wool can be used as it. A vapor barrier is installed on top of it with an overlap on the walls.

Installation of plywood sheets on beams:

• Taking into account the unevenness of the walls, they control the corners and adjust the outer sheets of plywood to the required parameters;
• Installation of plywood is carried out in a running start, so as to avoid the formation of a cross-shaped seam of four sheets. In this case, there should be a temperature gap of about 2 mm between the products;
• The distance between the plywood covering and the wall must be at least 20 mm. Free space subsequently it will be disguised with a plinth;
• The plywood is fixed to the beams using self-tapping screws. The length of the fastening element rods is calculated by multiplying the width of the sheet by the number 3;
• The holes for the self-tapping screws are pre-countersinked, which will allow their heads to be completely recessed into the plane of the plywood;
• Laying plywood on the sheathing is done in strips. The sheets are fastened with a step between fasteners of 20 cm;
• If necessary, the extreme elements of the floor are cut with a jigsaw to accommodate the laying of communications, or adjusted in accordance with the protruding parts of the wall;
• After the installation of plywood over the sheathing is completed, the uneven areas are puttied.

In addition to the above material, we suggest watching a video on how to level a wooden floor with plywood.

Leveling a wooden base under laminate without lags

Align wooden surface flooring is quite possible without the use of logs. It could be considered this technology, of all existing ones, the most in a simple way leveling the floor under the laminate.

In this case, there is no need to waste time on dismantling old surface and mounting the logs.

In addition to plywood, wood floors can be leveled using cement-bonded or gypsum fiber floor boards.

It will sag under the weight and become deformed over time.

To level a plank floor, it is necessary to select the correct thickness of plywood.

If the floorboards are about 20 cm wide, then the thickness of the product can be 10 mm; if the floorboards are more than 20 cm wide, the plywood thickness should be about 20 mm.

Installation of plywood sheets without joists:

• It is necessary to retreat 20 mm from the wall; in order to correctly form the indentation, it is necessary to place mounting bosses along the perimeter of the floor;
• When installing sheets between them, it is necessary to leave a temperature gap of 3-8 mm, with the help of which depreciation of the rolling stock will be achieved when the humidity level changes;
• When installing plywood under laminate, it is recommended to imitate brickwork. That is, each sheet must be laid offset relative to the sheets of the previous row. The minimum offset value is ¼ sheet of plywood, the maximum value is half the width of the product. Cross-shaped joints of the seams of four products should be avoided;
• When fixing the sheets to the board covering with your own hands, you need to correctly distribute the attachment points. In this case, it is necessary to focus on the step between the height differences identified in the process of preliminary measurements. More details in the video below;
• Holes for fasteners are made in advance in several stages. First, the hole is drilled using a drill whose diameter corresponds to the size of the self-tapping screw. Then the finished hole is countersunk so that the head of the fastener, after screwing in, is level with the plane of the plywood sheet.
  All holes that should be located along the perimeter of the sheet are made by hand with a distance from the edge of at least 20 mm.

Leveling concrete screed with plywood

Align concrete flooring under laminate it is possible using different leveling technologies, but the technique using plywood is the simplest and cleanest. Indeed, in other cases it is impossible to do without concrete work.

Depending on the evenness of the concrete base, the option of final leveling the surface with plywood under the laminate is chosen.

The technology may involve a lag method or floor leveling without the use of a lag structure.

Leveling a concrete base without joists - best option for a relatively flat screed, the difference in its horizontality can be no more than 1-1.5 cm.

Plywood sheets are glued to the concrete floor with a special adhesive, then additionally secured with dowel nails.

Using the same principle, you can level a concrete floor with your own hands using chipboard slabs.

The main thing is that the base on which the leveling layer will be mounted is strong and level.

Aligning the screed with the sheathing is required when it is necessary to raise the concrete floor or when the difference in height of the horizontal surface exceeds 1.5 cm.

Leveling the concrete screed using beams involves next row actions:

• First of all, it is necessary to prepare the base, as a result of which the screed should become completely dry and clean;
• Along the perimeter of the room, using the building level, determine the boundaries of the future flooring;
• Customized to the right sizes bars, as a future supporting structure use products from coniferous wood. Logs can be purchased at a hardware store, but, as a rule, they are not always well dried. To construct a rough base, completely dried wood is suitable, otherwise the structure may twist. Suitable parameters materials have indicators of 40x100 mm;
• For the workflow they also prepare wooden spacers the following sizes: width – 100-150 mm; length – 200 mm; thickness – 250 mm;
• The installation of the beams should be carried out transversely to the door opening, in increments of 40-50 cm. The distance from the wall should be 20-30 mm, it is made in order to prevent deformation of the floor due to temperature fluctuations;
• To control the evenness of the mounted structure and its compliance with the intended height of the future floor, wooden wedges are placed in uneven places;
• In this case, between each element (wooden wedges, gaskets, joists) it is necessary to lay a soft sound-proofing layer, a piece of linoleum or polyethylene foam;
• The logs are installed around the perimeter of the room, then the cross beams are attached to them. The voids of the finished sheathing are filled with a thermal insulation layer, which is used as mineral wool or basalt. As a result, the floors will not only be insulated, but also silent;
• Then they proceed to laying plywood sheets, they must be well dried, and for ease of installation they are spread out into squares of 75x75 cm. The products are mounted on bars with self-tapping screws with a temperature gap of 2-3 mm.

A thematic video story will complete and complement the above information with details.

Using plywood to level the floor surface is a relatively inexpensive and simple way to obtain a level base for laying flooring (linoleum, tiles, carpet, laminate). It is equally important that the installation process does not require technological interruptions and can be performed independently. Leveling a wooden floor with plywood must be carried out with knowledge of all the nuances and subtleties of this work. There are several ways to lay plywood. To make it easier for you to understand the technology, we have prepared video instructions.

Selecting an alignment method

There are several methods for leveling the floor with this material. The choice of one or another method should be made taking into account the condition of the floors and the degree of their unevenness:

1. If the differences in the base are no more than 2 mm per 1 m² of floor, then leveling the surface is not required. Even when laying linoleum, which is especially sensitive to any unevenness, such surface errors are negligible and cannot lead to problems with the floor covering.
2. If on wooden floor If the unevenness reaches 5 mm, the material can be laid directly on the plank subfloor. The main condition is uniform deformation of correctly laid floorboards.
3. To level the floor with unevenness from 1 to 8 cm, you will need to lay the sheets on strip or point supports. To do this, you can make a sheathing from timber or use separate supports.

Plywood selection

As a rule, leveling a wooden floor with plywood should be done using grade 1-3 material. In this case, it is better to buy construction plywood. The quality of industrial sheets is lower, so the floor will not be very durable.

If you are going to level the floor in a room with high humidity, then give preference to moisture-resistant material marked FSF. Moisture-resistant gypsum fiber boards, chipboard, MDF or OSB are also suitable for these purposes. Do not use fiberboard boards. Although their price is low, they are not suitable for laying on a wooden floor, since over time they will bend according to the shape of all the irregularities.

In addition, plywood can be unsanded, sanded on one or both sides. For installation, unsanded sheets can be used as a base for the topcoat. They will provide better grip on the flooring. The sanded material is used as a leveling and face layer at the same time. It can be painted or varnished.

Determination of height difference

To choose the right method for correcting the surface, you need to know how uneven it is. Even if you are leveling a concrete floor with plywood, it is worth determining the height difference. You can do this using laser level or two meter water level.

Video: determining the floor level in a new building

To level the floor, we determine the degree of its unevenness in this way:

1. First you need to find the middle of the walls of the room and make marks on the floor, as well as mark the center of the room.
2. Now we break the floor into separate squares with chalk and examine the room building level at least 2 meters long. We record the results.

• If you are going to not only level the floor with plywood, but also use it as a facing layer, then lay the sheets from the center of the room.
• The fasteners are screwed into the sheet, retreating at least 2 cm from each edge.
• When using flooring, such as linoleum, installation can be carried out from the corner of the room farthest from the doors.
• When laying sheets in two layers, the joints of the sheets should be made with a shift relative to the bottom layer by 20-25 cm.
• It is worth retreating 2-3 cm between the sheets and from the walls of the room. This technological gap is needed in case the material expands due to changes in temperature and humidity. If you lay the sheets without a gap, the front layer (linoleum, laminate, carpet) may swell. For the same purpose, large sheets are cut into 4 parts.
• Floor technology requires that fasteners did not protrude above the surface. Therefore, before fastening the sheets, a recess is drilled into them for the head of the fastening element.

Leveling without lag

Before laying in any room, the material must rest for a couple of days. Leveling the floor with plywood without joists is the easiest way that you can do it yourself. The cost of this leveling method is minimal.

Tools and materials for fastening plywood without joists

To lay plywood you will need the following tools and materials:

• Wood hacksaw or circular saw for cutting material,
• Wood screws,
• Drill and wood drill bits for making holes for screws,
• Screwdriver,
• Tape measure and pencil.

The work is carried out in the following order:

1. The sheets and wooden base are treated with an antiseptic. Then bars are installed along the perimeter of the room along the walls to obtain a two-centimeter technological gap.
2. We lay the sheets in rows. In this case, the seams of the row must be aligned so that they are offset by at least a quarter of the slab relative to the seam of the other row.
3. We fasten the material using self-tapping screws so that they are evenly distributed along the most accessible points of the base.
4. If a floor covering, for example, linoleum, will be laid on plywood, then the pits from fastening elements and the seams need to be closed acrylic sealant, and putty the surface.

Video - leveling a wooden floor with plywood without logs

Laying on strip supports

To level a floor with significant unevenness, you can lay the material on logs - transverse and longitudinal beams of the sheathing. The elements must be laid at a distance of 3 cm from the walls of the room. Leveling the floor with plywood along the joists is carried out along wooden and concrete foundations. This floor can be used as a base for linoleum, tiles or laminate.

Tools and materials for laying on strip supports

To install plywood on strip supports you will need:

• Plywood cutting tool,
• Strips of plywood or 60x40 timber as supports (depending on the height of the floor),
• Level,
• Drill and wood bits,
• Screwdriver,
• Tape measure and pencil.

Sequencing:

1. First, the sheets are laid on the floor with the seams moving in adjacent rows. Laying sheets is marked on the floor with chalk. All sheets are numbered.
2. Next, we remove the material from the floor, and attach the logs according to the markings. First, we install the bars against the walls. It is better to use 40x60 cm timber. In order not to raise the floor too much, you can use strips of cut plywood or boards.
3. After laying the longitudinal beams, we install the transverse elements. We attach them to the joists using metal corners and self-tapping screws. The pitch of laying the beams depends on the dimensions of the sheet. A distance of 35-50 cm is considered optimal.
4. All elements of the sheathing are leveled in one plane. To do this, place pieces of plywood, roofing felt, roofing felt or boards under the joists.
5. When all the logs are at the same level, they are attached to the base using galvanized steel angles, dowels and self-tapping screws.
6. Now sheets are laid on the sheathing for leveling.
7. Any material (linoleum, tile, carpet or laminate) is used as the front layer.

Tip: if you put heat- or sound-insulating material in the gaps between the joists, you can increase performance characteristics floor.

Video - leveling the floor along the joists

Laying on point supports

If the price continuous sheathing, from the method described above, you think it is too high, you can use separate supports to level the sheets. This leveling of the floor with plywood is easy to do with your own hands, the main thing is to accurately determine the height of each support. This method is suitable for laying as the front layer of linoleum or carpet.

We carry out floor leveling work in the following order:

1. First you need to lay out the material on the floor of the room, mark it and number it.
2. Then we remove the sheets and mark the finished floor on the walls of the room.
3. After laying out the level of flooring on the walls of the room, you need to stretch the cords across the entire room. They should not sag so that you can accurately determine the finished floor mark at each point. The cords can be fixed to the walls of the room using screws and dowels.
4. Next, following the chalk markings on the floor, we install point supports so that after laying the plywood and floor covering on them, we reach the desired level of the finished floor. Supports can be made from timber, plywood, OSB, boards, depending on their size. As a result, you should have a whole grid of supports. The support spacing is 30-45 cm, depending on the thickness and strength of the plywood.
5. After leveling the supports, we attach them to the base.
6. Now you can fix sheets on them and lay flooring (linoleum, tiles, carpet, etc.).

Video - laying material on point supports

Attention: when laying sheets on supports or joists, it is necessary to ensure ventilation of the underground. To do this, after installing the skirting boards, they are made ventilation holes, which are then closed with special grilles.

Finishing plywood floor

The finishing treatment of plywood and its necessity is dictated by the material that will be used as a finishing coating and the quality of laying the plywood itself.

If the surface is lined with ceramic floor tiles, then for finishing it is enough to coat the plywood with a primer, which will reduce the absorption of moisture from the tile adhesive and enhance the quality of the adhesion. The remaining minor irregularities will be hidden by a layer of glue.

If laminate, parquet, carpet or linoleum will be laid on plywood, then additional sanding of the surface is necessary. For semi-commercial carpet or other material that requires a backing, a height difference between plywood boards of up to 2 mm is allowed. Differences of more than 2 mm must be eliminated by scraping the plywood with a special machine or sandpaper.

After grinding or sanding plywood base It is necessary to thoroughly vacuum the floor and remove all dust. Then coat the surface with the necessary primer and begin laying the facing material.

Checking the quality of plywood laying

If you used plywood to level the floor wage-earners, then at the end you need to check the quality of the coating. You can do this as follows:

• Sheets of plywood should not be laid entirely. They need to be cut into smaller modules. This is done to prevent the floor from deforming in the event of exposure to moisture or thermal expansion.
• Check the horizontal position using the bubble level rule. Apply the rule to the surface in different directions throughout the room, the error in differences should not exceed 0.2 mm.
• There should be expansion gaps between plywood sheets to prevent squeaking. Also, the sheets should not be tightly adjacent to the walls.

If the above three rules are met, then leveling the floor with plywood can be considered high-quality.

How to improve the performance of plywood sheets