Wood is the traditional, main material for flooring, despite its inherent disadvantages. Its structure is based on organic substances: this makes wood less resistant to destructive factors compared to other types of building materials. In addition to oxidation, and both metals and concrete are subject to this process, biological organisms, sunlight, water, and fire threaten wood fibers. To extend the service life of structures, builders make certain efforts to improve the operating conditions of wooden parts or give them new properties.
Wood beams: operating conditions and protection
The floor logs, due to their location, are protected from sunlight, are not affected by water flows or sudden changes in temperature. However, they are affected by condensed and partly capillary moisture, as well as living organisms: fungus, bugs, snails. The influence of each factor can lead to damage, rotting of parts. The main enemies are biological agents, their penetration into the wood structure leads to a blue material. The defect itself does not violate the strength characteristics of the timber, however, other types of microorganisms settle in the affected areas over time, for which blue fibers are the best nutrient medium.
There are various ways to protect the wooden elements of the structure. SNiP 2.03.11-85 distinguish structural and chemical measures that must be performed when installing floors.
A preventive measure to combat rot is a competent arrangement of the underground space, it should not collect condensate. To prevent its formation, ventilation is equipped in the basement of the house: ventilation is made between the flooring and the base of the floor - holes that provide air circulation. If water forms and accumulates in large quantities under the boards, drainage is performed.
In the case when a concrete screed is laid under the floor in a house or bath, it is advisable to equip the basement with vertical pits to drain condensate. If the base surface is covered with sand, channels are not necessary.
To protect the log from decay even at the laying stage, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of absorbing water rising from the soil along the foundation elements. To do this, mechanical hydroprotection is performed: bitumen-containing films are placed under the bars and boards at the points of contact with piles or a concrete base.
Compositions for chemical protection of wooden elements
The main way to prevent rot formation is to use chemical coatings on the floor beams. All protective liquids SNiP are divided into several groups:
- surface antiseptics;
- impregnating compositions;
- film-forming substances.
According to SNiP, materials for surface antibacterial protection can be:
- water soluble;
- organic;
- oil.
The first group includes salts (fluorides), borates (washable antiseptics), as well as compounds containing chromium, copper, arsenic, which are called difficult to wash out. The second group includes alkyd, urethane and acrylic compounds. The third set of antiseptics includes tar-containing substances, which are based on coal, anthracene and other similar compounds. This also includes vegetable oils linseed, hemp and gum, as well as rosin and tar.
Glazing materials are intended for surface application - to a depth of 1–3 mm. Impregnations penetrate into the fibers by 15–35 mm. Water-washable compositions are suitable for protecting parts that are not exposed to precipitation, are not subjected to intensive washing: in a bath, they can cover, for example, logs.
According to the functional application, antiseptics are distinguished:
- transport;
- preservative;
- bleaching;
- fire-fighting (flame retardants).
Factors determining the suitability of timber
In order to be completely sure of the quality of the floor, it is advisable to know in advance the history of the origin of the wood from which the beams are planned to be made. The tree must undergo the first antimicrobial treatment at the stage of primary sawing. Moreover, the period of its holding is strictly limited: 12 hours after cutting.
The second important point is drying. According to the norms that have been established since 1925, all timber must go through a mandatory period of closed storage. Coniferous wood is aged for at least a year, oak - more than two years. At the same time, the humidity indicator is important: for pine and spruce, it should be 15–18%.
If to place a steam room in a bathhouse, you arrange logs made of damp wood, lay them on a damp foundation, they will collapse in a year or two. The preservative coating will turn the timber into an indoor mold breeding incubator. It follows that you need to coat the material, which is guaranteed to have undergone preliminary preparation and drying.
Materials for chemical protection
In individual housing construction, both home-made impregnations and factory-made mixtures are used. In the first group of antiseptics, there are solutions prepared on the basis of materials recommended by GOST, SNiP, as well as preparations made according to folk recipes.
For biological protection of the lag of a country bath or at home, impregnations based on copper salts, urea, linseed oil, a solution of wood resin and beeswax are used. Oil mixtures are heated before use. In combination with normal ventilation, such a coating provides wooden floor elements with a long life. Experienced carpenters say: with working products made in the basement of the bath, beams made of dried wood do not rot.
According to folk recipe
One of the popular compositions with which lags are preserved is machine mining. There are many recipes that are based on a combination of oily waste, diesel fuel and various salts. However, craftsmen claim that only oil coating is extremely reliable: it can be used to stop the process of decay on already damaged beams.
The method has gained popularity due to the large supply of used oil. The effectiveness of the method is beyond doubt: there are many active substances in the development that can neutralize the development of any biological process. For this reason, mining is not recommended to be applied to the entire surface of the lag - chemical activity is high. Do not use this material to protect parts in the bath. Relatively safe is the coating of small areas of the most affected part of the beam - the ends and cuts: it is in these places that the most accessible path is located along which microorganisms penetrate deep into the fibers.
Mining is applied in a hot way: the mixture is heated in a water bath, then rubbed into the prepared surface with a kvoch or a brush. It is not necessary to polish the timber before processing, the molten emulsion penetrates deeper if the surface remains unplaned.
