What to put on the subfloor. Making a subfloor in a wooden house. Finish floor and its types

Before you start laying the final coating, you need to take care of the rough coating. This rule should never be neglected, because otherwise you risk your entire repair. Rework flooring and the floors themselves will require even more effort, expense and time. In addition, such a complex event can cause damage to the entire interior of an apartment or house. So experts recommend taking a close look at the subfloor issue once and forgetting about it for many years.

There are two main ways to create a subfloor, which are divided according to the method and materials used: wet and dry. For wet, concrete or concrete expanded clay is used, and for dry, installation on joists is used.

DIY concrete subfloor

This option is especially popular in standard city apartments, but if desired, it can also be used to furnish a private home. The only question is the foundation.

First you need to create high-quality waterproofing. This can be done using a special film of increased strength. If we're talking about about renovations in an apartment on the second and higher floors, we recommend that you pay special attention to insulation. Your manipulations with the floor can cause leaks and affect the repairs of the neighbors below. So be very careful when installing the film. Along the perimeter of the apartment it must be supplemented with penoflex 0.5 - 1 centimeter thick.

The next layer of the subfloor is responsible for the thermal insulation of the room. Previously, polystyrene foam was predominantly used as a material, but recently penofol, consisting of two layers at once, with very good characteristics. The foil layer reflects heat and prevents it from leaving the room, and the polyethylene foam itself is responsible for thermal insulation. Whatever material you choose, it also needs to be covered with a layer of waterproofing film.

The next important stage is pouring the floor with concrete or concrete expanded clay. But you can’t just pour the solution onto the future subfloor. The thing is that this layer will not be able to level itself. That is why, before pouring, special beacons are installed, which will become the basis for leveling the floor. All beacons must be installed level. Only in this case will you be able to get a beautiful and smooth subfloor as a result.

If you want to increase sound insulation, as well as thermal insulation, then pay attention to concrete expanded clay. This material has excellent properties and outperforms conventional concrete in many respects.

Having mixed the solution and distributed it over the floor, carefully level it using the rule, placing the tool on the beacons. Remove excess solution, then leave the coating until completely dry. Your subfloor is ready.

DIY wooden subfloor

To make a subfloor out of wood, you will need some kind of base. If the house already has concrete, then logs can also be laid on it. Just make sure that the concrete screed is level and has no differences in height. Otherwise, your floor will turn out crooked and will creak. Experts do not recommend using wooden blocks as a support for joists in excavation areas. The problem is that over time the wood will shrink and the joists will lose their stability. And your floors will sag and creak.

To avoid this, you need to be careful preparatory stage. So, to begin with, the concrete base is leveled using a small layer of screed. The amount of solution is determined by the height difference in the room. After this, leave the resulting base until the solution dries completely.

The next point is laying the waterproofing film, all joints of which must be taped. On top of it, in the place where the logs will be laid, we lay a special soundproofing layer. Foamed polyethylene or cork material is usually used. Without this layer, the floors in your home will make noise with every step.

Now it's time to deal with the lags. But for this you will need timber. Professionals recommend not skimping on joists and using high-quality edged boards. Installation will take you much less time and effort, and your own subfloor will turn out much more impressive and faster. To install the subfloor you will also need edged board 25 mm x 100 mm. It can be used not only for installing joists, but also for installing roof sheathing and other general construction work.

The logs themselves are installed on a pre-prepared base so that the layer of soundproofing lining is strictly under them. The height and slope of the joists must be checked with a level.

Now they need to be attached to the base of the floor using corners so that the logs do not move anywhere and serve as the basis for the next layer.

As soon as all the logs are firmly fixed, insulation is laid between them. Under no circumstances should he enter the logs themselves, only occupy everything free space between them.

A floorboard or plywood is laid on top of the joists. This is what the subfloor itself will look like. Working with plywood is much easier, but it has a certain drawback - a relatively high price. A floorboard of the same quality will cost less, but installation will require more effort and more time.

The thickness of the plywood sheet should be at least 22 millimeters, otherwise your subfloor will sag under the weight of a person. In addition, the distribution of furniture throughout an apartment or house can cause a change in the topography of the subfloor. Experts recommend using thicker plywood if you plan to place heavy objects in the room: wardrobe, refrigerator, sideboard with plenty of dishes, etc.

Sheets of plywood should be laid in a checkerboard pattern to prevent joints from being aligned. Screw the plywood to the joists using self-tapping screws, not forgetting to leave a distance of 2-3 centimeters from the wall for shrinkage and ventilation.

The concept of “subfloor” hides not just poorly processed boards, but a real “pie” of various materials, which together form solid foundation for finished floor. By the way, the subfloor does not have to be wooden; it can also be a concrete screed on the ground. The technology for arranging a subfloor includes a set of measures that provide hydro, heat and sound insulation of the base. In this article we will look at how you can make a durable and reliable subfloor on which you can lay any finishing coating.

How to make a wooden subfloor on the ground

IN country house arranging the floor is a responsible and time-consuming task. Wooden flooring on the ground can be done without restrictions. Even if you live in a house temporarily, when the heating is not working, the wooden floor lasts for a long time without changes, since the underground is well ventilated through vents in the foundation.

For wooden elements For floor construction, it is necessary to select high-quality dried wood with a moisture content of no more than 12%. This is important, since wet wood can “lead” during operation. For the subfloor in the house, coniferous wood species are chosen - spruce, pine, fir, larch. Wood saturated with resins is less susceptible to rotting and mold development.

Also, wood for joists and subfloors must be treated with an antiseptic and fire retardant.

The underground wooden floor on joists should be well ventilated. To do this, vents are made in the foundation, which are covered with a mesh with a mesh size of no more than 8 mm, so that mice do not get inside.

Wooden floor base

The design of a wooden floor on the ground assumes that the floorboards will be laid on joists - longitudinal beams. Depending on the characteristics of the house, logs can be laid on support beams, a crown molding or on support posts.

If the room is large enough, fixing the logs only at the ends to the beams will not be enough; the structure will turn out to be fragile. Therefore, in the spaces between the walls, support columns are installed on which the logs will be laid. The pitch between the columns depends on the cross-section of the lag. For example, if a 150x150 mm beam is used as a log, then the distance between the support posts should be no more than 80 cm.

How to make support pillars for joists:

First we make markings where the logs will be located. We make marks on the support beams or foundation of the house. Then we stretch the cords across the entire underground. We stretch the cords across the future logs at a distance of 80 cm or any other distance that is equal to the step between the posts. Support posts will be located at the intersections of cords or ropes.

In the places where we will make support pillars, we dig a hole 40 - 60 cm deep, with sides 40 cm.
At the bottom of the pit we compact the soil, pour a 10 cm layer of sand, and then 10 cm of crushed stone. We carefully compact each layer one by one. This will be our backfill for the foundation of the column.
We install in the hole wooden formwork for pouring a foundation under a concrete column. If the support columns are made of brick, then the height of the foundation should be such that it rises 5 - 10 cm above the ground level. If the entire support column is cast from concrete, then the height of the formwork should be such that the logs laid on the column are positioned horizontally.
Inside the formwork we insert a reinforcing frame connected from steel rods with a cross-section of 6 - 8 mm.
We pour concrete.

Important! If the entire column is poured from concrete, then it is necessary to ensure that the surface of the column is exactly horizontal and that all columns are at the same level.

After the concrete has completely dried, cover the surface of the column with roofing material or glass insulation in 2 - 3 layers. Definitely no sprinkles. Coat the surface and joints with mastic.

If you want to make support columns from brick, then the masonry must be fastened with cement mortar. For a column less than 25 cm high, the masonry should be 1.5 bricks; for a higher column, a masonry of 2 bricks will be required.

After the concrete has dried, the formwork can be removed. For greater reliability, it is better to remove fertile soil from the underground. It must be removed to a depth of 20 cm. Instead of soil, it is advisable to add 10 cm of gravel and 10 cm of sand and compact it thoroughly with a vibrating plate.

Before arranging the base, it is necessary to treat the beams, joists and subfloor boards with an antiseptic. The logs can be laid directly on the embedded crown or foundation and on the support columns, or you can first install the support beams on the columns, and then the logs across the top. Any option is correct. Only laying the logs across the beams provides a more stable and durable structure if the distance between the logs is very small, 40 - 60 cm.

The cross-section of the logs must be selected taking into account the thickness of the heat-insulating material that will be laid between them. For example, if the thickness of the insulation is 150 mm, then it is necessary to take a beam with a height of 180 mm. Always need to leave ventilation gap at 30 mm.

The pitch between the lags is selected taking into account the thickness of the boards of the future floor. More precise instructions can be found in the table below.

Table 1. Lag step.

Let's consider laying lags on support posts:

We lay the logs on the embedded crown (support beams, foundation) and support posts. We control their even position, horizontal. A noise-absorbing material can be placed on the surface of the support posts under the logs. But this is not necessary, since roofing felt or other waterproofing material that covers the surface of the post has a good spring and hides sounds.
If, however, sagging of the logs is noticed somewhere, it is necessary to place wooden blocks on the support posts under the logs and secure them firmly. If a beam sticks out somewhere, it can be cut off with a plane.

Important! Maximum tolerance the evenness of the lag is 1 mm per 1 m.

We secure the logs to the support posts using fastening angles. On the wood side we secure it with self-tapping screws 50 mm long, and on the concrete column side we tighten the anchor.
The first to lay the so-called “beacon logs”, which are located at a distance of 2 m from each other. We will follow them further.
By analogy, we lay all the logs and check their even position.

After all the logs are secured, you can begin arranging heat and waterproofing.

Thermal insulation and waterproofing of wooden floors

Waterproofing and thermal insulation materials are laid between the joists. To secure them, it is necessary to arrange the base. There are several ways to do this.

Method 1. Sheets of moisture-resistant plywood can be nailed to the bottom of the joist. This design will be as reliable as possible. To do this, you will have to work underground, which is not always possible.

Method 2. The lag can be nailed at the bottom cranial bars 20 mm thick, roll the boards on top. This work is more painstaking, since you will have to cut a lot of boards with a cross-section of 15 mm and a length equal to the pitch between the logs.

You can choose the method that you like best. The main thing is to get a fairly strong foundation.

We lay a layer of waterproofing with an overlap of 15 - 20 cm, and seal the joints with construction tape.

Important! Be sure to use a superdiffusion, vapor-permeable membrane. We need the waterproofing material to release moisture from the room, but not let it in from the underground. Therefore, ordinary plastic film cannot be used.

We lay thermal insulation material on top of the film between the joists. We cut the rolled material with a width equal to the pitch between the lags plus 1 - 2 cm, so that the material fits into the gap between the lags at random.

Important! As insulation for a wooden floor, you can use mineral wool in rolls, slabs, basalt wool, you can blow in ecowool, sawdust. Polystyrene foam and extruded polystyrene foam cannot be used. These materials are completely vapor-tight; a wooden floor simply cannot breathe.

A ventilation gap of 2 - 3 cm must be left on top of the insulation.

Laying the subfloor

Now you can lay the subfloor in the house. There are several options for arranging rough flooring. The material can be used floorboard 15 - 25 mm thick with minimal processing. You can also use tongue and groove flooring if finances allow. For subfloors, the price depends on the cost of the materials used. If you use thick massive board, then there is no point in laying a subfloor from a floorboard. Or you can lay down sheets of plywood and lay a finished floor covering on top.

Subfloor from floorboards:

We start laying from the wall. We cut off the tenon and apply the board to the wall, leaving a gap of 2 cm.

Important! A distance from the walls is required, since wood is a plastic material; when it absorbs moisture, it expands, and when it dries, it shrinks. The gap will provide unhindered opportunity for the wood to expand and shrink.

We fix the board to the joists. From the wall side we screw the screws directly into the board, then this place will be hidden by the baseboard.
From the tenon side, we screw the screws into the tenon at an angle of 45 degrees.
We move the next board close to the first. We insert it into the groove of the first board.
We screw a self-tapping screw into the groove of the second board, securing it to the joist.
We lay all subsequent boards by analogy.

Important! If the boards are the same length as the room, then they can be laid exactly parallel to each other. If the boards are shorter than the room, then they must be laid offset - staggered.

The last board is secured so that the screw heads can be hidden under the baseboard. At this point the subfloor is ready. The main thing is to fit the boards tightly to each other. You can lay flooring on top.

How to make a wood subfloor on a concrete base

In apartments with concrete floors You can also make a wooden floor. The logs are laid on a concrete base, but for this it must be level. A height difference of several centimeters is unacceptable. Therefore, the option of placing wooden blocks under the sagging logs is not suitable. Over time, the pads will dry out and become deformed, which can easily cause them to fly out and the floor will begin to creak.

Preparation of the base: hydro- and sound insulation

Before laying the joists on the concrete floor, it is necessary to level the base. To do this, pour a cement-sand screed. Further work can only be continued after the concrete has completely dried, i.e. a month later.

We lay a waterproofing film on the surface of the concrete screed with an overlap of 15 - 20 cm, and seal the joints with tape.

We place soundproofing pads under the joists. To do this, you can use cork materials or foamed polyethylene with a thickness of 1 - 4 mm. Lining under the joists is needed to dampen impact noise.

Laying joists on concrete

It is advisable to use a beam equal to the length of the room. If this is not possible, then you can take a shorter beam and connect it to the end. The connection points should be spaced apart.

We lay the logs on the prepared base.
We check the horizontal position of the logs.
We fix the logs to the floor using corners. Do not forget that the corners themselves are attached to the concrete floor with anchors.
After laying and securing all the joists, we lay the insulation between the joists in the same way as in the case of a floor on the ground.

Do not forget to leave a ventilation gap of 2 - 3 cm.

Installation of subfloor

We lay a subfloor on top of the joist. As mentioned above, it could be plywood, or it could be a floorboard.

Consider the option of arranging a subfloor made of plywood:

We take a sheet of moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of 22 mm.
We lay a sheet of plywood on the joists and fasten them to them with self-tapping screws in 15 cm increments.
We arrange the plywood sheets in a checkerboard pattern. To do this, some of them will have to be cut.
The joints of the plywood sheets must not be on the same line.

Do not forget that there should be a gap of 2 - 3 cm between the wall and the subfloor. The following floor coverings can be laid on top of the plywood base: laminate, linoleum, ceramic tiles, vinyl tiles, parquet, parquet boards, solid boards.

Installation of rough concrete floors on the ground

It is not always possible to pour a concrete floor in a private house over the ground. There are certain restrictions. Firstly, groundwater on the site should be quite low - at a level of 4 - 5 m. Secondly, the soil must be stable, not mobile, otherwise the concrete floor may collapse. Thirdly, people must live in the house permanently, or it would be more correct to say that it must be heated during the cold season. If all conditions are met, you can safely fill concrete slab on the ground.

Excavation and foundation preparation

First of all, it is necessary to outline the “zero” mark - the level of the future floor. You need to orient yourself along the bottom of the doorway. All walls must be marked so that in the future you can see until when to pour concrete.

The floor on the ground is a multi-layer structure 30 - 35 cm thick. To equip it, we remove upper layer soil until the height from the zero mark to the bottom of the pit is 30 - 35 cm.

Important! If the soil level is below 30 - 35 cm from the floor level, then it is necessary to level the soil surface, compact it, add sand to the required level and also compact it thoroughly.

We compact the base of the pit.
Pour a 10 cm layer of crushed stone and compact it thoroughly. If the thickness of the backfill is difficult to control, then we hammer several pegs into the ground at the required mark. After leveling and compacting, the pegs can be removed.

Pour the 10th layer of sand, water it and tamp it too.
Pour a small layer of crushed stone on top with a fraction of 40 - 50 mm.
Sprinkle with sand, forming a thin layer, and compact thoroughly.

Important! If suddenly sharp edges of crushed stone fractions are observed on the surface of the base, it is necessary to unroll the pebble and place it so that there are no sharp corners anywhere.

At all stages of backfilling, it is necessary to ensure horizontality.

Waterproofing, thermal insulation, reinforcement

We lay a waterproofing material on the surface of the base - polyethylene film with a density of 200 microns, roofing felt or glass insulation. The main thing is that the material is not damaged by the edges of the crushed stone.
We apply waterproofing material to the walls to a level 2 cm above the floor level. We lay it with an overlap of 10 - 15 cm and glue it with tape.

At this stage, you can lay durable thermal insulation material. For example, extruded polystyrene foam or basalt wool in slabs, perlite or expanded clay. You can also place the thermal insulation layer higher, on top of the concrete base.

Concrete floors must be reinforced. For this we use metal mesh with cells 10 cm.
We install the reinforcing mesh on stands 2 - 3 cm high so that the mesh is completely inside the concrete.

Installation of formwork and guides

To maintain a horizontal floor level, it is necessary to lay so-called “beacons” or guides. For these purposes, you can use round and square steel pipes, wooden blocks. We place them in increments of no more than 1 m. We fix them with thick cement mortar. You can also control their height by pouring more solution under the guides.

We install formwork between the guides to fill the floor. This is not necessary, but it makes the task of pouring a concrete floor by hand much easier.

We treat the guides and formwork with oil or polish so that after pouring they can be easily removed.

Rough floor screed - pouring concrete

It is necessary to pour a concrete floor in a house in one or two passes. If you take long breaks, the foundation will turn out to be fragile.

We begin pouring concrete from the corner opposite the front door.
Fill several cards at once, then level them with a shovel.
We compact the concrete using an internal vibrator.
Level the surface using the rule. We set the rule on the guides and pull it towards us. Excess solution is distributed among cards that do not have enough solution.
We take out the cards and fill the voids with concrete.
When the entire floor is poured with concrete using this technology, it must be covered with plastic film and allowed to dry for a month.

For better drying of the concrete subfloor, its surface must be moistened with water.

After the concrete has completely dried, you can finish screeding the floor and laying the floor covering.

Making a subfloor with your own hands is a very important task, because a solid foundation is much more important than a finishing coating. For example, in an old house, you should not lay new flooring on top of the old subfloor unless it has been completely renovated.

Builders call a subfloor the base on top of which the finishing floor covering is laid. If we are talking about concrete floors, by arranging a subfloor we mean installing dry or wet screed to level the surface. In wooden structures, this term is used by experts to denote bottom part two-tier ceiling.

Install the subfloor in wooden house you can't make it with your own hands special labor if you have installation skills wooden structures. The ceilings in a wooden house are made of two layers so that it is possible to lay heat-insulating material.

Insulated floors in a wooden house on the ground floor are an opportunity to:

reduce heat loss at home, thereby reducing heating costs during the cold season;
Avoid blowing through cracks in the floor (drafts not only create discomfort, but are also dangerous to health).

A double floor with thermal insulation material in the middle of the structure is also installed as a ceiling between the first floor and the attic (or the second floor, residential attic). The insulation prevents heat from escaping through the roof and at the same time serves as a sound insulator if the upper room is used as a living room or workshop.

Construction of the subfloor of the first floor

The system consists of the following elements:

Lags.
Skull bars. Support for plank flooring, packed along the bottom edge of the joists.
Subfloor flooring. Made from boards or sheet wood material.
Waterproofing layer. Thermal insulation protects against moisture.
Insulation. Mounted between joists.
Vapor barrier layer. Prevents moisture from penetrating into the insulation.
Counterrail. It is packed longitudinally along joists or beams to create a ventilation gap - this prevents rotting of the top flooring.
Flooring. Mounted from planed boards or sheet material, you can lay the finishing coating on top of it.

Before making a subfloor in a wooden house, you should ensure ventilation of the space under the future lower flooring. To do this, there must be vents in the base. If they are not there, you will have to drill large holes in the corners of the base of the building.

Ventilation will protect the wood from which the ceiling is made from damage by fungus. The vents are covered with mesh to prevent rodents from getting under the floor. If in winter period snowdrifts are swept above the vents, from the underground space should be brought upstairs ventilation pipe, the upper cut of which must be protected by an umbrella from the penetration of precipitation.

Another important condition safety of the structure - high-quality processing lumber with a composition for fire and bioprotection. The processing is carried out after the timber, board or other element is adjusted to size. This allows you to protect the ends of each element and prevent the appearance of areas of rot. The treatment is carried out in two passes with a break for drying the first layer of the composition.

The lower part should also be treated with an antiseptic. wooden walls buildings with inside– all structures that will be hidden by the laid subfloor.

Installation of logs

Logs are load-bearing structural elements. They are installed in increments of 400-600 mm - this parameter depends on the design loads and the cross-section of the element. A beam with a cross section of 100x150 mm (for light loads), 150x150 mm (for medium loads), 150x200 mm (for high loads) is used as a log.

If you have to use a beam of small cross-section under high loads (or a 50x150 mm board placed on an edge), the installation step of the logs is reduced to 300-400 mm.

The best option is to lay the ends of the logs on a plinth or grillage. But for this, the width of the free part of the foundation base must be at least 120 mm. The strapping is carried out - boards of small thickness are laid on the free part of the grillage or plinth on top of the waterproofing layer so that the wood does not come into contact with capillary moisture rising along the porous concrete.

The ends of the logs are fixed to the strapping boards using corners mounted on both sides of the beam. The logs cannot be rigidly fastened, since the wood changes its geometric dimensions with changes in temperature and humidity. There should be a gap of 20-30 mm between the end of the joist and the wall for such an expansion. This gap is usually filled with elastic insulation, for example, mineral wool.

If the width of the free part of the foundation base is less than 100 mm, the logs are cut into the wall of the house. At the end of each element, a recess is made to the missing centimeters, taking into account 20 mm for the expansion of the wood.

It is advisable to avoid deep cutting so as not to weaken the walls. In this case, support columns are erected next to the foundation so that they bear the main load that falls on the ends of the joists.

The logs need reliable support in the middle part if the length of the run exceeds 2-2.5 m. Brick columns act as supports. To reduce the number of columns, a thick beam is laid on brick supports, on which all the logs will rest. The total height of the supporting structure (column + beam) must exactly correspond to the height of the foundation with the laid board frame.

For each cross beam you need to install at least three brick pillars, to create reliable support. The columns are placed along one line, a pit with a depth of 400 mm and a cross-section of 200x200 mm is prepared for each. A 100 mm layer of gravel is poured onto the bottom and compacted, then a 100 mm layer of sand is also compacted.

Installed on a prepared “cushion” on small supports reinforcement mesh in the shape of a square 150x150 mm, poured concrete mixture. After the concrete gains strength, the resulting foundation is waterproofed with roofing felt and a column of bricks held together with mortar is erected. Before installation cross beam or a joist (if the posts are mounted under the joists), a layer of waterproofing material is laid on the post.

Construction of a subfloor in a wooden house

Right installed logs form a horizontal plane - when doing this, use a level to control the accuracy of the installation of each element.

Skull bars with a cross section of 40x40 mm or 50x50 mm are attached to the bottom of the logs. If it is possible to unravel the boards, it is cheaper to buy boards with a cross-section of 40x150 mm and get three suitable bars from each. They are attached with nails and form ridges for the decking.

Subfloors are the underlying flooring that is laid on top of the subfloors. For its installation use moisture-resistant plywood or OSB boards, but boards of small width are more often used. They are cut to size so that the elements are laid in a continuous layer without gaps. This flooring should not be secured.

Installation of a subfloor in a wooden house involves laying waterproofing roll material. A special membrane or dense polyethylene film is used. The material must envelop all the joists; the joints of the panels are glued with reinforced tape, making an overlap of at least 120 mm wide. The edges of the material should extend onto the walls - the excess is subsequently cut off.

The next stage is laying thermal insulation between the joists. When choosing how to insulate your home, pay attention to operational parameters slab or roll materials. Mineral wool insulation and foamed polymer slabs are popular. If the thickness of the heat insulator exceeds the height of the logs, bars of suitable thickness are packed onto them.

Mineral wool slabs are cut with a margin of a couple of centimeters in width and length and installed in the spacer. Rigid slabs of polystyrene foam or polyurethane foam are cut to size, and the joints are sealed with polyurethane foam.

If mineral wool insulation is chosen, a vapor barrier must be installed. It prevents moisture from accumulating in the fiber insulator, as this sharply reduces the effectiveness of insulation.

It is important to ensure the tightness of the vapor barrier around the perimeter and at the joints of the panels. The material (thick polyethylene film or special membrane) is attached to the joists with a stapler. Its edges can be secured to the folded edges of the waterproofing material using reinforced tape. The same tape is used to glue the joints of the canvases laid with an overlap of 100-150 mm.

Laying the subfloor continues with the installation of counter-battens along the joists. They are needed to create a ventilation gap under the top deck. This will reduce the risk of fungus appearing and developing.

The top flooring of the wooden floor is mounted from quality boards or sheet material - plywood, wood boards. Fastening is carried out using self-tapping screws, since the nails become loose and come out over time, plank base starts to creak.

After installing the flooring, the subfloor is considered ready.

Conclusion

Step-by-step instructions help you figure out how to make a subfloor in a wooden house. Ideally, this issue is considered at the stage of preparing a building project. For example, support beams passing through two adjacent rooms and internal partition, are designed in advance.

When developing a foundation project, it is worth considering the optimal width of the grillage, taking into account the width building structures so that in the future you don’t have to embed logs into the wall.

A properly installed subfloor will give home comfort and heat, will increase the thermal efficiency of the house and help save on its operation.

Construction of a private house is a long process that requires a lot of time, labor and finances. Many, in an effort to save money, decide to carry out some of the work themselves. How to make floors in private homes without resorting to the services of builders? It’s quite possible to make the floor yourself if you have necessary materials, tools and knowledge.

Which floor design to choose?

Before you begin work on the construction of floors in a private house, you need to decide on the type of construction of the future coating. Experts distinguish three types of structures:

Single;
Double;
Concrete floor.

The choice of one type of construction or another depends on the characteristics of the building in which the floor is laid. The operating conditions of a private home can be considered the determining factor. Single floor represents the most simple design, the construction of such a floor does not require a lot of time and materials, since the floorboards are attached with nails directly to the joists. The main disadvantage of a single plank floor is the limited use of it: such a coating would only be appropriate in small areas. summer houses and at the dachas. For a home where it is planned year-round accommodation, single design is not suitable.

Scheme of the possible implementation of a “double” floor and a concrete one.

If you want to do a private house, suitable for living at any time of the year, then you will have to arrange a double floor. This type of construction is warmer, reduces heat loss and provides comfortable accommodation in the house during the cold season. A double floor consists of several layers, the main ones being rough and finishing coatings. Between these two layers, hydro- and thermal insulation materials, protecting both the floor itself and the entire house from destruction.

Most often, the rough covering in a private house is assembled from unedged boards, and the finished floor is made of tongue-and-groove floorboards. All work, including laying thermal insulation from sawdust or expanded clay, can be easily done with your own hands.

Boards for the subfloor.

Third possible type floor construction in a private house involves pouring a concrete screed. Compliance with all rules preparatory work, laying waterproofing, pouring cement mortar and timing its drying will allow you to get a solid, high-quality floor, ready for finishing with any decorative coating.

Installation of wooden floors

When building a private house, many people prefer to make the floor out of wood. Such a desire to have quality underfoot wood flooring is explained by the desire to use environmentally friendly materials, which include wood. In addition to being highly environmentally friendly, such a floor has a number of other advantages.

Wooden floors are easy to install and easy to repair during use. Due to the low thermal conductivity of the material, such a floor will retain heat inside the house without letting it out. Wooden floor quality wood It has a long service life and an attractive “natural” appearance.

To make a floor in a private house, you need to choose the right wood. Choice starting materials should be based on the design features of the structure itself. The installation of a floor in a country house must necessarily provide for the presence of a subfloor that plays the role of air gap. If such a layer is missing, the wooden floor will quickly become unusable due to exposure to moisture. In addition, for a good floor, it is important to have all the layers of the structure, including joists, rough flooring, hydro- and thermal insulation, and a finishing coating.

The floor in a private house is subject to significant mechanical loads, so for its construction it is necessary to choose wood with good technological characteristics. The boards must be well dried, the recommended moisture content is no more than 12%. Any chips or cracks on the surface of the material are not acceptable. Experts recommend giving preference to wood coniferous species, pine, larch, fir, cedar are suitable. To increase the service life of the future floor, all boards must be treated with an antiseptic and fire retardant.

Installation of a wooden floor begins with determining the locations for the support posts and their installation. The fertile layer of soil around the entire perimeter of the house is removed and removed, gravel is poured in its place, and sand is poured on top of it. Layers of gravel and sand must be compacted well. At the ends support pillars waterproofing material is laid; most often, ordinary roofing felt is used for these purposes.

Backfilling with gravel.

Next, we make beams that need to be secured to the posts with metal corners. It is better to make floors in a private house with double insulation. Experts suggest first laying plywood sheets on the sides of the beams, and then placing mineral wool or other insulating material on them.

When the insulation layer is ready, you can begin laying the rough covering. The boards of this layer should fit well to each other; ordinary screws can be used to attach them to the beams. It is better to leave some distance between the flooring and the walls of the house: a gap of 1.5 cm can be considered the norm for this part of the floor. These gaps provide ventilation to the entire floor structure and protect the walls from expansion of the floor boards as they subsequently dry out.

A layer of vapor barrier made of polyethylene film with a thickness of 200 microns is laid on top of the subfloor. The joints of individual pieces of film must be taped, and the edges must be folded onto the walls to a height of about 20 cm - the height of the final coating. When the film is laid and secured, you can proceed to assembling the finished floor.

The finished floor is assembled from solid wood boards or plywood sheets. Plywood sheets are easier to attach, but in the end they don’t look very attractive. Therefore, if you want to leave wooden floors in your home, then it is best to immediately assemble the finishing coating from a tongue-and-groove board, and if you plan to cover it decorative material– just secure the plywood sheets. After assembling the finished floor, plank floors must be coated with varnish, which will not only protect the material from external influences of a mechanical and chemical nature, but will also emphasize decorative qualities natural wood.

Pouring a concrete floor

The installation of a concrete floor in a private house begins with preparatory work. First, markings and gravel filling are made on the site of the future floor. The soil is first cleared of plants and the top layer, and then compacted. Next, a layer of gravel is poured, which also needs to be compacted well. In the construction of a concrete floor in a private house, gravel will act as thermal insulation. Sand is poured on top of the gravel. After compacting it, a thick polyethylene film is spread on the surface, acting as a waterproofing material.

How to make a concrete floor in a private house? After installing the waterproofing layer, you can begin pouring the screed. Cement strainer in a country house it is poured in the same way as a screed in an apartment: levels are set and the mortar is poured, which is leveled from wall to door according to the rule.

When pouring a concrete screed, several features should be taken into account. The solution for pouring must be fresh; for its preparation it is recommended to use cement of a grade not lower than M-300, screening out sand and water. To increase the strength of the concrete layer, you can add special compounds– plasticizers that will give the future coating additional strength.

When pouring a screed with a height of 5 cm or more, you can use reinforcing elements or a reinforcing mesh, which is laid on the waterproofing layer before pouring. In the case of installing warm water floors in a private house, the use of reinforcing mesh and the addition of plasticizers to cement mortar are mandatory procedures.

When the concrete hardens a little after pouring, you can remove the beacons. The voids left after their removal are filled with the same solution. After filling and leveling all the cracks, the floor is covered with polyethylene and left to dry. Drying a concrete floor is a long and responsible undertaking. The concrete must dry on its own within a month; if you have a heated floor system, heating should not be turned on until the screed is completely dry. Turning on heating elements, you will help the concrete crack even before the premises are used. When drying concrete screed It is recommended to periodically moisten it with water and cover it again with polyethylene: if this requirement is met, the coating will gain maximum strength and will not crack.

To do it right cement pouring, remove the beacons and dry the concrete, it is recommended to look at photos of the work of builders who specialize in arranging floors in private homes.

Finishing

It is quite simple to make just a finished floor in a private house from scratch, but sometimes additional installation of a decorative coating is required. You can also cope with this problem yourself. How can you cover the floor in a private house?

The most the best option For a private house, a double floor made of boards can be considered. The finishing coating of this design does not need to be coated with anything additional. This option is practical and beautiful, and also has a long service life. proper care. Before using the boards, they should be treated protective compounds and cover with varnish that will protect them from sand, dirt, water and chemical substances. For coating, you can choose either a transparent varnish, leaving the natural color of the wood, or a colored one, giving the floor a different shade.

A concrete floor in a private house requires a top layer of decorative coating. As a floor finish, parquet or parquet board. This coating is quite expensive, but is highly environmentally friendly, has good antistatic and thermal insulation characteristics. It makes no sense to make parquet, but in a house where you plan to live permanently, such a covering will look appropriate.

As analogues to parquet, you can consider more affordable laminate, linoleum, carpet and ceramic tiles. Laminate flooring is suitable for the living room and bedrooms, ceramic tile It will look appropriate in the kitchen, bathroom and hallway. It is also better to place linoleum only in the kitchen or hallway. The use of carpet is more limited: the material is suitable for finishing floors in bedrooms.

The range of modern colors and textures of the listed materials allows you to choose a coating to suit every taste. In a private home, floors with natural patterns that replicate the texture of wood or natural stone would look appropriate.

The subfloor, as a base, can be made of wood and concrete houses. The preliminary floor must be perfectly level. Installation of such a coating is a labor-intensive process, and it is best to trust the professionals.

Of course, you can make a subfloor in a wooden house with your own hands.

Before proceeding with installation, we will discuss with you the types and purposes of subfloors.

Types of subfloors

Flooring directly on the joists. In this case, we use chipboard, OSB, plywood or boards, which in turn are laid on logs.

This type of subfloor is well suited for surfaces with low load-bearing properties, which allows you to distribute the load over the entire floor area. It is recommended to use coatings such as laminate, linoleum or parquet boards.

Flooring directly under the joists. It is also called double layer. The space from joist to joist is filled with waterproofing, thermal insulation, and vapor barrier.

Subfloor directly on the supporting beams. This flooring option should be used when designing a house.

In order to reduce the step between the beams from 1.2-1.5 m, as is usually accepted, to 0.6-1 m, then the beams will replace the logs. We discard the extra layer. In terms of everything Consumables, it turns out that we also save about 30%.

Plus we get an increase in the height of the room. But, in case you have already purchased ready house, don’t be upset, the subfloor boards can be thrown diagonally across the beams, this will ensure high strength of the floor surface.

Types of subfloor:

The wet base is a screed (concrete base) under which the wooden floor will be installed.

Since the concrete base is not level, an additional leveling layer will be required. The finishing coat can be applied only after the rough base has completely dried, approximately 7-8 days.

Dry is the flooring lag. They are laid on the ground covered with sand. When installing the log, use a ruler and level. Unlike a concrete base, a floor on joists is difficult to bring to a perfectly level state.

Protecting the subfloor from moisture

All subfloor components must be treated by special means against mold and rot. Processing of all wooden elements is carried out after drying - this is very important point, the less moisture in the wood, the better and more deeply it absorbs antiseptics.

Impregnation is done at least 2 times, do not forget about the cross sections of wood, they must be processed. It is not recommended to lay the boards first and then process them, because the ends will be open to mold and water vapor.

Natural ventilation of the underground is the most important organizational point when installing a subfloor. If it is not organized correctly, then not a single antiseptic will help you, and after a while you will have to change the entire floor covering.

Vents are made at a height of 30-40 cm, and 90 cm from the corner wooden house, so that the air does not stagnate.

To protect small rodents, you can install a metal grill on the vents. For the winter, you can close the vents to preserve the heat of the first floor, but be sure to open them as the weather gets warmer.

The preliminary floor does not have to be continuous. For flooring, you can use any material that can withstand this load.

Waterproofing is mainly used over subfloors. But it can also be used before, or crushed stone can be used as a material.

Roofing felt is used as waterproofing on top of the floor. We lay a layer of insulation on top of the waterproofing ( mineral wool, Styrofoam).

After the insulation layer, you can begin installing the finished floor, but professionals recommend applying another layer of waterproofing on top of the insulation layer, and then the final floor covering.

Laying a subfloor on a concrete base

The most important condition is that the screed is perfectly level.

There are two options for installing a subfloor on the surface of a concrete base:

Laths are used when it is necessary to carry out communications, install additional insulation or the screed has significant differences, more than 2-3 mm.

Between the slats and the screed we lay a layer of waterproofing, usually roofing felt. We align the slats with pads and secure them with dowels. If necessary, we additionally insulate or install communications. Subsequently, we install the floor using boards or slabs.

Remember that two slabs will be joined in the middle on one rail. We lay out the slabs as brickwork, thanks to this we get an even distribution of the load on the slats. We fasten the slabs or boards with nails or self-tapping screws.

Laying the subfloor concrete base, apply on a perfectly flat surface. To obtain a smooth surface, auxiliary compounds are used, usually construction adhesive. The glue is applied in an even layer, the slabs are laid one after another.

The glue under the slab removes all the unevenness and the subfloor becomes a monolith with concrete surface. The heads of nails and screws are recessed using a screwdriver or hammer. The holes from the caps are puttied with a special compound.

It is important to always leave a distance of approximately 1 to 2 cm between the walls and the floor. Do not forget to cover this distance with any insulation. If you plan to lay linoleum on top, then it must be sanded with special machines. Mainly the joints of the slabs.

Price of work performed

Rough floor work for 1 sq.m. - on average 150-200 rubles.
Finishing floor work for 1 sq.m. - on average 150-200 rubles.
Completely rough floor, for 1 sq.m - on average 1200-1500 rubles.
Completely finished floor, per 1 sq.m. – on average 2400-2800 rub.