One of the main ways that you can use to make a flat floor surface is to lay a board or sheet materials on a pre-created crate, where logs are used as load-bearing elements. One of the primary tasks, the implementation of which directly affects the final quality of the floor surface, is the alignment of the log in the horizontal plane, their reliable fixation, as well as the treatment with protective compounds and waterproofing. You can find out how the position of the wooden beams is adjusted, as well as some of the nuances of the process of mounting the frame under the flooring of the horizontal floor surface, by reading this article. The thematic video lessons offered for viewing will help to consolidate the information received.
Features of the floor by lags
There was a period when developers began to move away from the technology of laying the floor base on wooden blocks. This was due to the fact that in this way it was difficult to achieve a perfectly flat surface, which was necessary for laying modern flooring. The advantage was given to screeds made with cement-based mortars.
Now, modern technologies for the production of lumber make it possible to manufacture wood products that differ in regular geometric shapes, and special impregnations make wooden beams durable and prevent their deformation. More advanced materials have also appeared at a similar price for decking, such as plywood and OSB boards. This made it possible to return to the technology of laying floors by joists, bringing it to a higher quality level.
The massive use of this method of arranging the floor surface is also explained by the popularization of wooden construction, when houses are built from logs or timber. In such a building, any floors other than wood would look inorganic. However, logs as a frame for flooring are used not only in wooden houses. This floor leveling technology is used everywhere. In private houses, including on the second floor, in city apartments and even in office premises. To explain the popularity of this technology will help its advantages, such as:
- the relatively low price of the material / work complex, especially when it comes to the flooring device on the second floor of the house;
- the ability to qualitatively insulate the floor surface by laying a thick layer of insulation;
- the created surface is immediately ready for the installation of finishing materials (does not need drying and maturation, like concrete);
- it is convenient to lay communications under the flooring;
- the frame made of bars, as well as the flooring, have a relatively small weight, due to which the load on the floors and load-bearing structures is noticeably reduced;
- the workflow is quite simple, making it accessible to many home craftsmen.
This floor also has some disadvantages:
- despite the use of flame retardants, wood remains a combustible material;
- the use of logs, for example, in an apartment, provides for a decrease in usable volume;
- the impossibility of making the floor heated.
Base surfaces for installing logs
A horizontal frame of wooden beams can be made in any room. But the base surface, which serves as a support for the lag, is different. If the floor structure is assembled on the ground floor of a private house with a ventilated underground, there are columns poured with concrete or bricked as supporting elements. In apartments and some houses on the second floor, where a reinforced concrete slab is poured as an interfloor partition, the latter is the base for the installation of load-bearing beams. When a floor is made on the ground on the ground floor of the house, a rough screed is prepared for the installation of the bars. Let's look at the installation rules and how to align the load-bearing bars in each of the options.
Important! If the interfloor ceiling in the house is made with timber, its surface is the basis for plywood, OSB or board flooring on the second floor. Alignment of beams occurs even at the stage of building construction.
How to align the bearing bars on a reinforced concrete slab?
You can install logs on the stove using several devices, such as:
- screw adjustable supports;
- support brackets;
- anchor fasteners.
Screw supports and metal brackets are used when it is necessary to raise the floor surface relative to the base surface in order to lay insulation between the lags. With the help of these devices it is convenient to fasten the bars and adjust their position relative to the horizontal. Another plus of such devices is the absence of contact between wooden beams and a concrete surface, which eliminates the need for waterproofing the lag.
Anchors are used when the beam is laid directly on the concrete surface, and its position is regulated by all kinds of linings. This is done when the thickness of the thermal insulation layer does not matter much, at the same time there is a desire to minimize the usable space.
To align the logs and install them in the same plane, you need to use the hydraulic level and a long (1.5-2 m) spirit level. Using the water level, marks are made on two opposite walls, which correspond to the horizontal in which the load-bearing bars should be located.
The first to be installed and aligned are the extreme logs, which are located about 10 cm from the wall. First, one edge of the beam is set according to the mark that determines the desired horizontal level. Then the position of the other edge is adjusted so that the floor support is horizontal. The same should be done with a bar on the other wall.
When the extreme logs are set and fixed in a predetermined position, strong strings are stretched between them so that their sagging is minimal. Stretched threads located in the same horizontal plane will be a guideline for adjusting the position of the intermediate lags. To mark the horizontal, if possible, you can use a laser level. This will speed up the process and possibly improve accuracy somewhat. You can see how the lag is installed on metal brackets, as well as their alignment, in the video below, which shows the entire process of installing a plywood floor base along the load-bearing beams on the loggia.
