There are a few basic tasks that need to be done in order to have a level and solid floor laid in joists. This is the exact alignment of the lag in one horizontal plane, their reliable fastening to the base, treatment with protective compounds, plus waterproofing of the entire structure. Before you align the logs under the wooden floor, you must correctly select them according to the section. Because this indicator affects the reliability and strength of the entire structure. If the house is being renovated, and the logs have already been installed, it is recommended to open the floors and check the beams for their quality condition. If necessary, some of them are replaced with new ones.
The appearance on the market of new floor coverings, which required a very flat surface when laying, replaced the technology of building floors on logs. They were replaced by screeds filled with cement-based solutions. This simplified the process of leveling the base for finishing, but this technology also had several drawbacks. One of them - it took a long time to wait until the screed dries. And this could take several days.
Modern technologies for the production of lumber have returned the method of constructing the floor along the logs due to the correct geometry of the manufactured products, through the use of dry wood. Protective impregnations came to their aid, which penetrated into the wood, increasing its service life and preventing deformation under loads. Due to new technologies, manufacturers began to produce improved inexpensive materials for decking on logs. This is not only plywood, I would like to note OSB boards. With the help of durable and even sheet and panel materials, it became possible to lay laminate, linoleum, and ceramic tiles on the floor along the logs.
We must pay tribute to the fact that wooden construction has again become fashionable. Increasingly, customers give their preference to the construction of wooden houses. And in such houses, wooden floors look harmonious. Although the logs for the construction of the floor are used not only in wooden structures. Today they are also used in city apartments, especially on the ground floor, when the task is to insulate the floors.
But this design also has its drawbacks.
- Even wood floors treated with flame retardants are still combustible structures.
- They can not lay the heating system underfloor heating.
- When installing logs in apartments, be prepared for the fact that the height of the ceilings will decrease.
Design features of the installation
If we are talking about installing a log in a city apartment, then there is only one option for location and alignment - this is laying on a concrete floor slab, which is poured from above with a concrete screed. In principle, a fairly even surface is already obtained, but one hundred percent evenness is still far away. Therefore, the lags in the apartment will still have to be leveled.
In houses, floors are built in three ways:
- On the ground. Up to the upper edges of the foundation, backfilling is done in several layers of different materials: crushed stone, sand, clay. All this is rammed, a screed is poured on top. On it, the installation of the lag is carried out. As an option, the logs are aligned with the foundation and completely filled up. Only their upper ends remain on the surface, to which the flooring is fastened. In this case, it is better to backfill with sand, and the wooden elements must be treated with protective agents before installation.
- On the foundation on the supporting posts or without them.
- By load-bearing beams.
Leveling the lag in the apartment
First of all, you need to determine the highest place on the floor. Usually this is either the corner of the room, or one of the edges against the wall. Therefore, we measure the height of the ceiling in each corner of the room. The smallest size is the required space. Now, from this corner to the others, a liquid building level is stretched from a transparent vinyl chloride tube, which is filled with water, and an air bubble is left inside. If the bubble rises to the indicated corner when the level is set, then the assumptions were confirmed - this corner of the room is the highest. The same can be done with the midpoints of the floor edges mating with the wall surfaces.
- Now a log is installed on the floor, one end of which is located in the selected corner of the room. Distance from the wall - 5 cm in the middle of the longitudinal axis.
- The opposite end is raised so that a short level, laid on a log, shows the evenness of the installation. That is, the air bubble in the chamber should stop in the middle.
- A lining is inserted under the raised end, pre-cut from a bar or plywood. There may be several gaskets, it all depends on the magnitude of the plane difference.
- The lag stands horizontally. It can be fixed to the floor, for example, with metal corners.
Now you need to install another lag element at the opposite wall and align it horizontally and in the same plane with the one already installed. Depending on the width of the room, either a flat wooden lath or a long two-meter rule can be used for this. One of their ends is installed on top of the laid log in the corner of the room. You can start from either end. The rule is set to the horizon, which will show an air bubble. A lag is laid under its free end, at the end of which linings are placed. The same is done with the other end. After that, the lag is attached to the floor.
So, two logs are installed and fixed at opposite walls. Now between them it is necessary to stretch several threads (4-5 lines), which will indicate the horizontal plane. The threads are fastened along the upper ends to nailed nails. Now intermediate logs are installed along the threads, under which pieces of plywood or wood are placed. The main requirement is that the threads must touch the upper ends of the log.
Manufacturers today offer adjustable designs with which you can easily set the logs. These are metal or plastic devices that are attached to the floor with dowels or anchors. Bars are installed on them, which can be raised or lowered using a threaded connection. Using this leveling option, you can not carry out complex measuring operations to determine the highest point on the floor.
Instead of adjustable structures, conventional anchors can be used, which are screwed into the concrete base of the floor at one end. A nut is screwed on them, a wide washer is installed on top. A lag is put on, on top of which a wide washer is installed and a nut is screwed on. In fact, it is all the same adjustable device.
Alignment with foundation and load-bearing beams
The operation of leveling the lag along the foundation and along the beams is carried out in the same way. But there are also differences.
By foundation
Usually, the ends of the logs rest on the foundation, which is the basis for the floor. It is not always poured evenly, so the logs have to be set in the same plane along the horizon. Here everything is done almost exactly the same as in the apartment.
- Two logs are installed at opposite walls.
- Each of them is aligned horizontally using a building level with plywood pieces lining under the ends.
- Threads are stretched between their ends, which in turn are checked for a difference. The lag, which is higher in height, will be the main one, that is, the starting point in the process of aligning all other lag elements. It must be immediately fixed to the foundation and to the walls of the house.
- The ends of the second extreme log are exposed along the stretched threads, which is also immediately fixed.
- A few more threads are stretched between the bars, defining a horizontal plane. According to them, intermediate elements of the lag structure with plywood or wood lining are exposed.
If the distance between the edges of the foundation is large, then support posts are built between them, against which the beams rest. The main requirement for the construction of supports is to precisely fit them in height so that the logs lie tightly on them. If this cannot be done as accurately as possible, then linings are placed under the bars.
On load-bearing beams
The design of the floor on the bearing beams is considered very reliable. Large-section beams or logs are installed on the foundation or ceiling, on which the logs are mounted. There are two options for leveling the floor structure.
- Beams are aligned.
- The lags are aligned.
It is more difficult to align with logs, because this lumber is uneven in cross-sectional geometry along the entire length. Therefore, the craftsmen try to process the upper and lower planes with a planer in order to give it the appearance of a plane. In this regard, it is better to use timber, because it is a rectangular material that manufacturers today produce with accurate geometry.
- First, two beams are laid at opposite sides.
- They are set on the horizon with a level, placing pieces of plywood, but metal plates are better.
- Then they are aligned in the same plane with each other, as described with lags along the foundation. That is, the log located above is left in place. Additional metal elements are placed under the second.
- After that, intermediate beams are set along the stretched threads.
- And already on the beams without alignment, the logs are laid and fastened.
Alignment of the lag along the beams is carried out in exactly the same way. This option is easier in terms of the fact that it will not be necessary to lift heavy logs and beams to put plates under them. First, the logs are installed across the beams. That is, the logs are mounted on a large number of supports. Secondly, the beams themselves are a reliable and solid foundation. Therefore, choosing a lag section, you can stop at beams of a small section, such as those used to build floors in apartments.
The alignment process itself is carried out in exactly the same way as in the apartment. With only one digression - logs can be attached to beams or self-tapping screws directly, since both elements are wooden, or using metal corners. Otherwise, the installation technology is the same.
