From the author: hello dear reader! We associate any wooden house with an incredibly cozy place. In the old days, people believed that such houses have a soul. Indeed, as soon as you enter such a place, you immediately feel that you are in a warm spiritual place under the protection of these walls, which emit a special aroma of the forest. In winter, an evening crackling fireplace fills the room and soul with natural light from the fire, reverent calmness and peace, while a blizzard is outraged outside the window.
All these associations inspire in us the dream of building a wooden house. And for those whose dream will soon come true, or those who are just planning construction, we wrote an article on how to make a floor in a wooden house. For how you want to do this depends not only on the floor, but also on the design of the whole house as a whole.
What are the floors in wooden houses?
A wooden house is not at all like an ordinary apartment. In his device, completely different laws and rules work. Whatever the wooden house - let it be built of round logs, square cut or planed boards - the floors in it can be of only two types. It is, oddly enough, concrete and, of course, wood.
Even at the initial stage of construction, you need to decide what it will be, the house of your dreams. You must draw a clear plan of the building with all aspects worked out. Because if you want a concrete floor, then its weight directly depends on the foundation device, the region in which you are building a house, and the supporting structures of the building. Let's take a closer look at these two types.
Concrete
A very durable, heavy and strong base that can last and be untouched for decades. It has a very large weight, so it can be made in houses with a good foundation, which is buried at least 20 cm below the clay layer, well reinforced, made wide enough and made of a good brand of cement.
It is recommended to make such a floor on the zero or minus floors of buildings. Placement and in a role of a surface of a floor of the second floor is possible. Installation is not recommended in regions with relatively “floating” soil, for example, in swampy areas or permafrost, which is relevant only for the northern regions of Russia - in our area, this should not be afraid.
Mounting method
As we said earlier, it is used for the device of the first floor. It is done as follows. The top layer of earth is removed over the entire area of the room, about 20 cm. Waterproofing is laid with a large allowance for the foundation, about 30–35 cm. A layer of sand, about 5 cm, is laid out on it, a layer of rubble - 15 cm. thermal insulation material.
Waterproofing is again laid on the crushed stone, on which, in turn, reinforcement elements are installed - either store-bought cellular wire rod or welded from reinforcement. We install beacons and a thermal expansion tape, damper. After grasping the beacons, we can. We recommend adding plasticizers to the solution - they will improve its physical qualities.
The concrete floor can also be installed on logs. This method is used mainly on the second floors of wooden houses. A subfloor made of plywood or a second-rate board is laid out on the already mounted logs. Then a waterproofing layer, reinforcement, damper tape, beacons and the screed itself are laid. This method is rarely used in practice, due to the lack of its practical need.
Wooden
It is the undoubted leader in the question of how to lay the floor surface. This is a universal coating that is equally beneficial to use in any house, on any soil, with or without a foundation, on the first and second floors.
You can use a variety of types of insulation and materials of manufacture. It is very easy to install, does not require special tools and concrete mixers, and surpasses concrete in terms of thermal properties. In terms of durability, with proper installation and operation, it is not inferior to its “heavy” brother.
There is an option to make a base with a subfloor. Such a floor does not adversely affect the foundation and does not contribute to its subsidence. In addition, it is environmentally friendly, and, if necessary, you can replace some, for whatever reason, damaged parts - or even disassemble it and move it.
Mounting method
If we are talking about the device of a wooden floor, then we need to understand that it mainly consists of a rough and finish coating. Now we'll talk about the rough, but later we'll get to the finish.
The wooden floor is mounted on logs - rectangular wooden boards. The most common size is 4 or 6 meters long, 30–50 mm wide and 10–20 cm high. It all depends on the loads that the coating will carry. Less commonly used square timber or logs.
Source: https://mainavi.ru
Logs can be laid on:
- foundation;
- poles;
- pillars and foundation;
- floor beams;
- mauerlat if it is an attic floor.
Before we look at some of these options, I recommend watching a video on laying a subfloor:
When laying on the foundation , first of all, it needs to be laid with waterproofing (roofing or film is suitable), because it is constantly damp and will saturate the wood. With such laying, the length of the lag cannot exceed 6 meters, and it is not allowed to twist them. Logs are screwed to the foundation by means of metal corners. The distance between the lag ribs on the foundation is covered with exactly the same board and insulated.
When laying on poles, a kind of cage is made up of columns in the room, each of which is located at a distance of 0.7 meters from each other. These "stumps" must have their own foundation and be made of stone that is not subject to destruction from moisture, for example, brick. On these "islands" we and.
When laying on floor beams - logs are installed in the interfloor space, only in this case, floor beams serve as a support. We fasten in the same way - with a metal corner and bolts.
We figured out the laying of the log, now let's talk about the subfloor itself. After the logs are laid, shard bars are screwed to their base on each side. A certain letter "T" comes out » on the contrary, and we get two points of support for laying the subfloor itself. Both plywood and chipboard are suitable, as is a board (even the second and third grades are possible), moreover, it cannot be twisted or screwed to the “shards”. This will have a bad effect on thermal expansion.
Remember: choose a layer of insulation 2 cm less than the height of the log - there must be air circulation!
In a nutshell, about the heater. There are the following types:
- mineral wool;
- Styrofoam;
- ecowool;
- polyurethane foam (if from the basement side).
The most common are mineral wool and. Mineral wool is cheaper than polystyrene, but it also has weaker characteristics compared to other heaters. It is very afraid of moisture - as soon as it gets wet, its thermal insulation properties decrease by 80%! Polyfoam, in turn, is not afraid of moisture, has high rates in terms of insulation and a safer structure.
The most important thing when choosing: remember about fire safety! Mineral wool does not support combustion and does not burn; it is a barrier to fire. Styrofoam spreads fire and releases corrosive, asphyxiating gas.
After insulation, the base layer, plywood, chipboard, boards can be laid on the logs.
I would like to draw your attention to the floor between the first and second floors. In addition to the above, it is required to lay one more component in its design - sand. This is to create sound insulation, otherwise you will hear everything that happens in different parts of the house.
Sand is laid on the waterproofing, but on top of it there is already a heater - at the same time, the layer can be much smaller than on the first floor. That's all I wanted to say about how to make a double floor.
If you want to learn more secrets about building a house, not fall for the bait of false masters and be savvy in all construction matters, we invite you to view free repair video course.
Types of wood floor finishes
I would also like to tell you what is the best way to lay the surface of the floor. The market is replete with a variety of floor coverings, but basically, they are:
- the floorboard is an excellent, durable coating, but it requires incredible efforts to achieve a good end result: dressing “thorn in the groove”, grinding-fitting, varnishing;
- parquet - the perfect flooring - strong, beautiful and durable, made of natural precious wood. The installation is not so simple, it requires precise fitting, and the price for it is very high;
- Laminate is a common coating made from compressed fiberboard, waterproof paper and armor coating. It's easy to install, cheap, but not as durable. In addition, the laminate is very afraid of floods, it swells up in an instant, and it has to be changed;
- plywood, or chipboard with further coating with linoleum or other material. This coating is easy to install, cheap to buy and easy to install. In general, one of the most affordable ways, but is it suitable for a wooden house? I doubt.
And one last piece of advice. If you are dealing with a tree, always start not from its price, but from its quality and properties - this is exactly the case where savings go sideways. From unverified companies, you will definitely buy an undried board, which will dry out in a few years, and it will definitely lead, moreover, very strongly! Buy, having checked the supplier a hundred times and read reviews about the work of the company. Also, for a variety of floors in the house, use the wood you need exactly there, whether it is moisture resistant or strong.
That, in principle, is all that could be told about how to properly lay the floor. Good luck and see you soon!
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