Since new technologically advanced floor coverings have become available on the market, plank flooring has begun to be perceived by many as a relic of the past or, in modern flawed language, “sucks.” Only natural wooden parquet, which still belongs to the category of elite coatings, has not lost its position. Whereas simple floorboards are associated with times of poverty, equalization and shortages. Is this really so and how to make a beautiful modern floor from boards - we’ll figure it out.
Brown wooden floor from the Soviet past Source odstroy.ru
Wooden floors - myths and reality
In the minds of many, plank flooring looks too simple compared to laminate or parquet boards. But this is a mistaken opinion. These materials are produced with a ready-made decorative top layer, which can imitate expensive and exotic wood species. But precisely to imitate. Nothing prevents you from decorating the floorboard, giving it any desired look. For this purpose, there is a huge arsenal of paints and varnishes, waxes, oils, and impregnations.
In addition, there is no problem in buying not pine boards, but oak, larch, walnut or any other species, including merbau or wenge. It's just a matter of price.
Decorating a wooden floor Source dvervdom.ru
Another erroneous opinion is that the boardwalk will definitely dry out, become deformed, creak, and cracks will appear in it. Indeed, this will happen if the boards are poorly dried, initially have defects, if they are laid on a poorly prepared base, or if errors were made during the installation process. The coating laid in a room with an unstable microclimate with frequent changes in humidity and temperature will also creak and dry out. But all this, with similar initial data, will happen with parquet boards, parquet, and laminate. Repairing such floors will be more difficult and expensive.
Yes, laying and finishing solid wood floors can take longer. But they will probably cost less, and they will look the way you want. And they will last longer.
Fence
The name of the board comes from the scope of application. Due to its structure, the board is used in the construction of minor structures, mainly fences. Not much attention is paid to processing, the board has many knots, and when exposed to the sun for a long time, it changes its original appearance and becomes deformed.
Not suitable for the construction of serious structures, as it is very fragile and breaks under minor loads.
What should the floorboard be like?
Most often, planed pine boards are used for floors. They have good strength, resistance to rotting, an affordable price, and can be easily processed and decorated using paints and varnishes. The board can be:
- regular edged;
- tongue and groove;
- and a quarter.
Floorboards with a quarter Source garantwood.ru
The most popular option is tongue-and-groove boards equipped with a groove and a tongue on the opposite long end edges. Sometimes tongues are also present at short ends for joining boards along the length. This profile provides the highest quality coating without cracks and with minimal risk of deformation.
Thickness
Before laying a wooden floor, a base is prepared for it in the form of a frame made of logs. The thickness of the floorboards is selected taking into account the distance between the joists: the larger it is, the thicker the boards should be.
Table for determining the thickness of boards Source stroimzanovo.ru
It is important! Do not forget that after leveling and sanding the flooring, its thickness may decrease by several millimeters.
Variety
The higher the grade of products, the fewer knots, chips, scratches, resin bags and other defects they have. The best and highest quality, and therefore more expensive, is the “Extra” variety.
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in doors, windows and related work
Humidity
Floorboards can be sold raw, immediately after leaving the sawmill. It can warp and become deformed during the drying process, especially if stored improperly.
It is better to buy natural or chamber-dried lumber. The latter have a humidity of 8-10%, they can be used immediately without fear that the flooring will dry out. Boards with a moisture content of 12-20% must be dried in a dry room, stacked using spacers. In utility rooms, on terraces, and verandas, floors can be laid from planks of natural moisture.
Storage conditions
It is advisable to select floor boards personally, inspecting each one for defects and distortions and of the same thickness. It is important to pay attention to the conditions in which they are stored. The storage location should be dry, ventilated, and the boards should not be in bulk, but in stacks.
Lumber storage warehouse Source tildacdn.com
Installation is the final stage
Having nailed the first board to the joists, it is necessary to hammer staples into the edges of the beams, thereby forming a gap into which the safety rail is placed. If necessary, each subsequent board is compacted with a mallet, and only then secured with nails. Next, you need to eliminate unevenness at the joints of some boards, for example, you can put roofing felt under the bars.
Having finished installing the boards, you should move on to sanding and “voila” you become the owner of a beautiful wooden floor that exudes chic and style. In general, relying on a little knowledge and following a certain sequence, laying a wooden floor covering is not a troublesome and quick task.
Do you want to buy edged boards? Visit the website greenbud.kiev.ua
Flooring rules
The process of installing wooden flooring consists of several stages.
Preparing the base
The board must be ventilated, so it is not laid on a solid base, but on joists or beams. They must also be dry and thick enough to support the load.
The following are used as support beams:
- thick boards placed on edge;
- bars;
- debarked round timber with the top side beveled into a plane.
The cross-section of the logs depends on the installation method - on a solid concrete base or on support posts. And also on the length of the span between them. Exact numbers can be found in SNiPs and reference literature.
Before laying the logs on brick or concrete columns, they are covered with a double layer of roofing material for waterproofing. You can place cuttings of boards under the logs to level them horizontally. Both joists and linings are impregnated with antiseptic before installing plank floors.
Installed parameters
Its application depends on the characteristics of the unedged board. Most often, these products are distinguished by length and thickness. The first parameter depends on the size of the sawn log and, generally, ranges from two to six and a half meters. However, it all depends on the height of the tree, and the board can be much longer.
The second ranges from 16 to 90 millimeters and depends on the type of wood being cut and the purpose of the board during construction. The width for this type of timber does not matter and is not a standard, since the edge when sawing it is not adjusted to the established dimensions.
Video description
How to install logs for a wooden floor, watch the video:
Preparing the boards
Even kiln-dried lumber needs acclimatization to the conditions in which it will be used. Therefore, it is advisable to bring the floorboard into the house in advance and let it lie for several days. But this can only be done after all wet work has been completed - installing screeds, plastering walls, so that the wood does not absorb moisture evaporating from the solutions.
Then the boards are sorted, putting the deformed ones aside and choosing the smoothest and cleanest ones. Products that are not of the best quality can be used for wooden flooring in less significant rooms or for laying along walls where they will be hidden by furniture.
For reference! If the boards are of different widths, then narrow floorboards will deform less when drying.
After sorting, the lumber is treated with an antiseptic and left to dry. It is enough to carry out such processing only for the back side and ends, since the finished flooring will be subjected to sanding and protective and decorative finishing.
Antiseptic treatment of lumber Source myosu.ru
Summarizing
The finished wooden floor should be sanded and painted according to your wishes, although varnishing it would be much preferable: the natural, unique pattern of the wood will remain visible. Nowadays, you can choose a varnish of any shade you like.
Boards coated with clear varnish retain all the visual advantages of the structure of the wooden flooring
As you can see, the process of laying edged boards is not complicated and is quite feasible even for an inexperienced amateur craftsman. And the video in this article is ready to confirm all the information you read above!
Decoration
The floorboards in the house should be in harmony with the interior, so it is rarely left without a finishing coating, which also protects the wood from damage, discoloration, moisture and dirt. To do this, use various tinting compounds that do not hide the texture of the wood, or covering paints.
Tinting allows you to imitate any type of wood. You can change the tone using stains, impregnations, oils, wax, varnish.
Paints provide even more scope for designers. You just need to discard stereotypes and forget that a wooden floor can only be brown.
- White, light gray, beige and other light shades of the floor make the interior light, airy, and clean.
- Black color fits many modern styles, but you need to keep in mind that dust on it is much more noticeable than on a light-colored coating.
- Bright floor shades look great with light walls in minimalist interiors.
You can also paint the floorboards in different colors, create simple patterns on the floor using masking tape or patterns using a stencil.
Non-standard floor design Source systemautepleniya.com
In short, there are many options for decorating plank flooring. During the next repair, you can cycle it and change the decor.
How to do
The peculiarity of blanks made from unedged lumber is that their edges have uneven outlines. Therefore, it will not be possible to fit adjacent parts tightly together. There will always be a small gap between them. To prevent all components of the floor or the base plane to which the coating is attached from being visible through it, the parts are attached in two layers. They are laid in a checkerboard pattern and the gaps formed when laying the first layer are closed with parts of the second.
The covering components can be attached directly to the floor beams or to a pre-assembled sheathing. This option is used when the surface to which everything is to be attached is uneven or for other reasons it is impossible to fix the boards directly on it. Fixation is carried out with galvanized nails or self-tapping screws.
