Guidelines for pouring concrete screed onto wood floors. Can a self-leveling floor be made on a wooden floor? How to make a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor

You can extend the life of a wooden floor in a country house using a concrete screed. This will make the surface smoother and more durable. In the future, it is allowed to finish the floor with any material, for example, laminate, tiles or parquet.

Feasibility of concrete flooring on a wooden floor

Disputes about the advisability of implementing a concrete screed on a wooden floor do not stop. Many people say that concrete will make the structure heavier, and accordingly, the pressure on the foundation will increase. On the other hand, the fragility of the wooden base will lead to cracking of the concrete surface, deformation of the floor covering. The floor is also very likely to be uneven. However, there are many facts that speak in favor of a concrete coating on a wood floor:

A concrete screed is poured onto a wooden floor using a separate technology, taking into account the peculiarities of the wood base. Laying is carried out according to the principle of an unbound screed, which neutralizes the possibility of deformations.
It is recommended to pour cement when leveling and strengthening of the base for the arrangement of hard floor coverings is required.
Concrete is ideal for underfloor heating.

To avoid possible negative consequences from the interaction of wood and concrete, the recommendations for the work should be followed exactly. An important stage in the preparatory stage is the priming of the wooden surface in order to ensure sufficient moisture resistance. It is recommended to use a durable plastic sheeting without defects as waterproofing. Its individual parts must be overlapped. To obtain a flat surface, beacons must be installed before pouring. The thickness of the concrete layer should not exceed 5 cm.

Since concrete itself is a massive and heavy material, which can lead to subsidence of the screed on a wooden base or fracture in weak areas of the floor, it is recommended to add plasticizers to the masonry mixture. These additives endow the mortar with sufficient fluidity, plasticity, strength, water resistance, and the screed does not collapse for a long time even under high loads.

Execution technology

Scheme of a concrete screed for a wooden floor.

A screed on a wooden base is created to increase the strength of the boundary between wood and concrete. So that cement and wood do not come into contact, do not affect the quality of each other, the concrete layer is cut off from the walls of the room with a damper tape, and from the wooden base - with polyethylene. This principle of arrangement allows you to save concrete from cracking and destruction due to changes in the base. The screed, laid on wooden floors, has some peculiarities:

the mass of the pour should ensure a tight adhesion of the concrete to the floor;
the cement should not come into contact with the wood (a layer of film is enough to prevent interaction);
it is forbidden to pour the cement mixture directly onto the wooden floor;
it is imperative to equip a high-quality waterproofing layer.

It is possible to pour a concrete screed onto a wooden surface only after carrying out calculations and preparatory work.

Calculations

Before proceeding with the arrangement of the floors, a calculation should be made. When using a ready-made sand-cement mixture, the amount of material is determined on the basis that 1 cm of a layer is obtained from 15 kg / m2 of the mixture, but a stock of 10% is needed.

To prepare concrete mortars with your own hands, you should buy material, taking into account a ratio of 1: 2: 3 (cement, sand, crushed stone or gravel) or 1: 6 (cement, a mixture of crushed stone and sand). The required amount of material is calculated from the formula for multiplying the surface area of the room and the required thickness of the screed.

Preparation of the base

Preparing the wooden floor for the screed.

First of all, the plank covering is carefully examined. If there are damaged ones, they should be replaced, and partially destroyed ones can be turned over. The back boards are fastened with nails. When installing a lag with a step of more than 40 cm, it is recommended to additionally use support bars. To prevent the nails from tearing the plastic wrap in the future, their caps are drowned in boards by 2-3 mm.

Old skirting boards must be dismantled. It is recommended to fill in the cracks that have appeared at the junction of the floor and the wall with thin wooden boards. After filling, they will need to be removed. This will allow natural ventilation of the wood base and prevent rotting.

If the wooden base has small gaps, a sealant or wood dust parquet putty is used for sealing. For self-preparation of the putty, you should take 4 volumes of sawdust and 1 part of oil paint.

If the cracks are deeper, it is better to resort to polyurethane foam.

Primer and markings

After the preparatory treatment of the base, it is removed from dust and debris. Sanding of boards is carried out if necessary. A primer is applied to the cleaned surface. Such processing will create a protective layer that prevents the appearance of bubbles, the absorption of moisture from the cement mixture, the appearance of mold and mildew.

Marking is carried out with an ordinary or laser level. The zero mark can be at any height. It is recommended to put several marks on each of the walls at a distance of 35 to 70 cm from the floor, taking into account the thickness of the future screed. Then the marking is carried out in the reverse order - from points on the wall to the floor. In both cases, a line is drawn using a level. The future alignment line is determined by subtracting the screed thickness from the minimum measurement.

It is important to take into account that the standard thickness of the screed should be ± 5 cm. Moreover, every 1 cm of concrete exerts a pressure of 100-110 kg / m2. Therefore, the logs must be reinforced with beams or metal channels.

Reinforcement

The most popular are two methods of reinforcement - metal mesh and fiberglass:

The arrangement technology is carried out by an unconventional method. A layer of concrete is poured immediately without beacons. Take a break of 1 month to harden. Then the mesh is laid, beacons are installed and the second layer is poured. This technology avoids unwanted punctures in the waterproofing film.
Fiber reinforcement is different from the above method. The reinforcing material is added directly to the concrete solution at the stage of its preparation. The peculiarity of fiber: its molecules are arranged in a chaotic order, therefore, when interacting with the molecules of the cement mixture, the material is strengthened in all directions. The use of fiberglass significantly reduces the total weight of the concrete pavement, therefore, reduces the pressure on the wood flooring.

The self-leveling floors so popular today have a lot of advantages. A self-leveling floor on a wooden base is not only strong and durable, but safe and environmentally friendly, therefore it is perfect for living quarters, including children's rooms and kitchens.

The first self-leveling floors were not particularly diverse. Now times have changed, and experts offer polyurethane coatings in numerous colors. Floors made in 3D technology are very popular, with their help you can create a stunning effect that will decorate the design of any room.

More often, self-leveling floors can be found in houses with a concrete base. But the wooden floor is also suitable for this type of work. Pouring a floor with a wood base is somewhat more complicated and has certain nuances.

Preparation for work

Laying the bulk mix is a laborious process. Much depends on how thoroughly the preparation for it will be. First of all, you need to determine whether it is possible to work with a particular wooden base. The self-leveling floor will last a long time and will be really high quality only when the wooden flooring is solid enough.

The preparation of the base consists in getting rid of the baseboards and their fixings against the walls. Further, the wooden floor is cycled using a special machine. In small rooms, you can do with a manual cycle.

Next comes the grinding machine, whose task will be to open cracks in the wooden coating. If they were not initially visible, then after processing they will certainly appear. All cracks and irregularities on the surface should be treated with a putty and wait until it dries completely. After that, the base for the self-leveling floor is sanded with coarse emery. In this case, it is better to give preference to wood combined with polyurethane.

The final stage of preparation is surface priming. Before starting this procedure, it is necessary to degrease the base and carefully get rid of all debris and dust. It is better to apply the primer in two layers. For more reliable adhesion, it is worth adding quartz sand to the primer.

For preparatory work, you will need a chisel, a nail puller, a scraper and grinder, coarse-grained emery, a primer roller, a spatula, and a mixer for mixing a polyurethane mortar. In addition, it is worth stocking up on gloves, respirators, overalls, goggles and shoes with spikes for walking on freshly applied surfaces.

Floor pouring technology

According to the principle of operation, pouring polyurethane onto a wooden floor is no different from a similar process with a concrete base.

First of all, it is important to properly prepare the solution. This procedure must be carried out in accordance with the rules indicated in the manufacturer's instructions. Basically, this happens according to the same scheme: the dry mixture is poured with water, and then mixed until homogeneous with a construction mixer.

The finished mixture must be spread on the wooden floor, starting from the farthest corner of the room. The thickness of the finished coating is very important. In the case of wood, it should not be more than 5 mm. The polyurethane is leveled with a spatula and a needle roller. The latter is necessary in order to remove all air bubbles from the mixture. An even layer of polyurethane must be dried for about 15 minutes, and then covered with a film so that dust does not settle on the solidifying self-leveling floor.

The base coat should be completely dry and well cured. Only then can the finishing layer be applied. As a rule, this is a varnish or a polymer mixture.

Experts advise choosing self-leveling floors for residential premises, which are based on polymer resin. Where the humidity is particularly high, such as in the bathroom, it is better to use an epoxy coating.

Self-leveling floors can be very durable, but each case has its own peculiarities of preparation and installation. For example, in a room with the possibility of sudden changes in temperature, it is worth using mounting tape. It must be laid along the entire perimeter of the wall of the room. As a result, a damper pad will come out, which will be able to protect the polyurethane surface in the event that the tree begins to expand with increasing temperature.

In rooms with a wooden base of the floor, after finishing the preparatory work, you need to check the humidity and temperature in the room. The instructions for the polyurethane mixture must indicate the optimal values for starting work.

Masters recommend pouring a surface area of about 2 square meters at once. Then it needs to be quickly leveled and work continued on other areas. Do not interrupt the pouring process of the polyurethane coating for more than 10 minutes, otherwise you may get an uneven surface. It is most convenient to fill in strips starting from the door farthest from the entrance.

The needle roller plays an important role in filling the floor, as it makes the coating as uniform as possible. Experts recommend not to skimp on the finish coat. A good varnish will give the self-leveling floor a beautiful glossy shine and increase its durability.

The self-leveling floor becomes hard after 10-12 hours. However, it is better to wait a few days before stepping on the surface. In some cases, the dry period may take a week.

If you follow all the rules, you can achieve an amazing effect that will delight for many years.

Requirements for a wooden base

It is worth noting that not every wooden floor is suitable as a base for a self-leveling mixture. The wooden floor must necessarily meet the following requirements:

the coating does not creak;
all boards must be securely fixed and must not bend when walking;
the wooden floor does not have significant level differences;
there are no gross defects on the surface of the boards;
the boards are in good condition, they do not have any damage caused by fungus, rotten areas.

If the floor meets these requirements, you can proceed to the next stage - preparation of the base.

Important: In the event that there are any of the listed defects, you will need to revise the wooden coating, check the condition of the old logs, and, if necessary, install additional ones. It may also be necessary to replace some worn-out boards.

Preparation of the base

The self-leveling floor is poured onto a wooden base only after its careful preparation. The service life of the self-leveling coating largely depends on the quality of the leveling of the surface of the boards.

First of all, the surface of the boards is polished. The top layer with varnish, paint and dirt is removed. After sanding, the boards are treated with emery to give a rough structure.
Then all the skirting boards are removed around the perimeter of the room, and the resulting cracks are closed with bars. All seams at the joints of the boards are scraped, clean all cracks and chips. Dust and small debris are removed with a vacuum cleaner. Before pouring the self-leveling floor onto the boards, they should also be degreased. For this, you can use a special cleaning powder.
The next stage in the preparation of the base is the installation of beacons and laying the tape around the perimeter of the room. The tape will act as a damper pad, and the beacons will help to pour the self-leveling floor onto the wooden floor without any drops. They are exposed using a water level, and the installation height depends on the layer of self-leveling coating. Typically, the layer thickness of the mixture is in the range from 1 mm to 5 mm.
Before pouring, the level of humidity in the room and the temperature of the air are checked without fail. Compliance with the requirements indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging is one of the important conditions for the successful completion of the work.

Floor pouring technology

Self-leveling flooring for wooden floors is poured in almost the same way as mixtures for a concrete base.

First, you need to properly prepare the mixture. The amount of water required to mix the composition is indicated on the package.

Important! The proportions recommended by the manufacturer should be strictly observed. With an excessive amount of liquid, self-leveling mixtures for wooden floors will harden much longer, and their resistance to external influences will be less than expected.

If there is not enough water, the mixture will harden for a shorter period of time, and you may not have time to distribute it.

Be sure to pay attention to the hardening time of the composition. If you have no experience of pouring self-leveling floors, it is better to mix the solution in small portions so that you can have time to level it over the floor surface. To speed up the process of distributing the mixture, you can invite an assistant and share the work being done.
It is recommended to start pouring from the lowest level. Level the self-leveling floor on wood using a soft spatula or roller with needles. When choosing a roller, it is important to consider the thickness of the future coating. The length of the needles should be 2 mm longer. If the needles are short, the roller will sink deeper into the solution than necessary and create excessive fluid movement. Long spikes will prevent the roller from quickly spreading the mixture. To move on a surface already filled with the composition, special shoe pads with spikes are used.
After the self-leveling leveler, remove the beacons and leave the surface until completely solidified. Manufacturers indicate the minimum time required for the mixture to harden. If you plan to carry out further work with the poured surface, professionals recommend waiting a week.

The self-leveling wood floor leveler can be poured onto both wood planks and plywood. Polymer self-leveling floors do not contain moisture that can cause deformation of the base, but it is necessary to approach the filling of cement mortars with special attention. Depending on the moisture resistance of the plywood sheets, additional waterproofing may be required. In general, the self-leveling floor is poured onto plywood in the same way as on a tree. Some experts recommend using mesh reinforcement when applying self-leveling mortar.

More detailed answers to the questions: is it possible to lay a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor and how to do it correctly, you can get after watching the next video.

If your home's old wood flooring has lost its appearance, hasn't rotted or broken, or you want to heat it up, you may be interested in information on how to pour the floor over wood floors without removing them. So, the concrete screed will be poured from above onto the existing base, for which it is initially necessary to coordinate the height of the future coating with doorways and communication lines (pipes, radiators, etc.). In most cases, it is necessary to shorten the door leaves by sawing them from the bottom. Sometimes they resort to installing new doors, and all the highways are laid in a new way, then the decision is made by the owners of the dwelling.

For the device of a high-quality screed on an already existing wooden flooring, mixtures are chosen that are suitable for such purposes, otherwise there is a risk of destruction of the screed if the old floor is rotten or sagged from old age. Bulk mixes, which are easily leveled and quickly harden, are the best suited here. For greater strength, such a screed must be reinforced by reinforcing it, and it is advisable to check the compressive strength 28-30 days after laying. Typically, the height of the concrete layer is 10 mm.

Concrete as a screed: installation steps

Anyone who is familiar with construction knows that any such process begins with preparatory work, and the installation of flooring in a wooden house is no exception.

Preparation of the base

Be sure to make sure that the old floor is not rotten and can withstand the load from the new screed.

The main task facing the masters in this case is to ensure high strength of the screed after it has hardened.

If you are dealing with a very worn out previous base in a concrete-filled house, you will need to remove the loose layer by sanding or milling. The fat accumulated over the years of long-term operation of the floor structure, the glue base, the old bulk mixtures must be removed, as well as the irregularities, the differences of which exceed 10 mm, must be leveled. For such purposes, special cement-based mixtures are used, or, more simply, concrete. The final leveling can only be carried out after the mass has completely hardened, which has filled the recesses.

Arranging the fill on the old wooden flooring in the house, all rotten and broken boards are removed, and new ones are nailed to the logs in their place. You also need to ensure that each board is securely fixed and does not wobble, which can be eliminated using ordinary self-tapping screws. In no case should there be a squeak or sagging of the floor when exposed to its surface. If there are holes in the flooring through which concrete will flow, they are sealed with wood putty, which consists of wood dust and plastic components. You can also prepare such a putty yourself: mix sawdust with oil paint in a 4: 1 ratio. Water-soluble fillers are not suitable for such purposes.

Step by step before the main process, the subfloor is prepared as follows:

The plinths are dismantled, and in their place are planks that will cover the openings between the wall and the floor.
The gaps between the installed planks and the base are putty. After removing the planks between the wall and the covering, the ventilation of the underground space will be restored.

Padding

The wooden flooring in the house needs to be sanded, and then with a vacuum cleaner remove all debris and prime. The primer will significantly improve the adhesion between the concrete and the old coating and prevent air bubbles from forming. Also, the soil will prevent the water contained in the solution from quickly absorbing into the wood and will ensure uniform spreading of the mixture over the base. Dry flooring must be primed twice, and in the case of multi-layer leveling, each layer of filling is processed. Make sure that before applying the primer, the floor is not even slightly damp, otherwise the result will not give the desired effect.

Reinforcement

For a weak wood base in your home, it is best to purchase a fiberglass mesh to reinforce the leveling layer. It is attached directly to the base using staples and a special stapler. The staples will prevent the mesh from floating up after pouring the grout. The reinforcement system must be mounted in the middle or just below a third of the screed thickness. When hammering in the staples, control the strength of their fixation to the deck.

Mixing concrete

Special attention is paid to the preparation of the solution, because the final result depends on its quality. Basically, for such purposes, dry formulations are purchased in bags of 25 kg. This amount of dry matter takes about 6.5 liters of water, if the required consistency is not obtained, you can gradually add another 0.5 liters of liquid. Do not overdo it, as a liquid solution is difficult to pour, and it will not have the required strength properties. The mixing process itself is best done using a drill with a special attachment until a homogeneous consistency is obtained. The ready-made solution must be used within 15 minutes after mixing, otherwise it will harden and be unusable. Also, do not forget to control the temperature in a wooden house and in a solution. An indicator not lower than + 10C is considered optimal. If you are carrying out work in a new, unheated building, warm water will come to the rescue, the temperature of which should not exceed + 35C.

Pouring concrete

Now that the wooden base and mortar are ready, you can install self-leveling floors in the house. The screed is poured continuously until its surface is perfectly leveled. The work uses spatulas with steel or serrated blades. 4-5 hours after the wooden flooring is covered with mortar, you can carefully step on it. 6 hours after the completed process, surface grinding is allowed, if necessary. It is usually carried out for future painting or application of liquid floors. Before sanding, they take out the boards, which are temporarily installed instead of the baseboards, they have completed their mission and are no longer needed.

We process expansion joints

In those places where there were expansion joints (doorways), using a grinder with a diamond wheel, a screed layer is cut out. This process is carried out only after the filling surfaces have hardened and it is allowed to walk on them. Further, each seam must be filled with a special material that is intended exclusively for such purposes. It has high elasticity and seals the holes in the screed. When you calculate the required amount of material for self-leveling floors, proceed from the following parameters: for a layer thickness of 1 mm, 1.5 kg / sq.m are consumed. mixtures.

After finishing work, be sure to clean the tool before the solution hardens on it, which will complicate such actions. To do this, rinse the spatulas and rules with water, and clean the hardened mass with a coarse brush or a spatula with a flat blade. Now you know that in a house with an old wood covering, you can arrange a screed from a concrete solution, and you are also familiar with the technology of such work.

An illustrative example of floor filling is shown in the video:

The 21st century is the time that made a self-leveling floor on a wooden base so popular and in demand both in residential premises and in modern offices. Today, self-leveling floors on a wooden floor are not just a covering, but also an excellent decorative solution, especially if three-dimensional image technology is used together. Such floor coverings have many advantages and decent performance characteristics, as well as quite affordable cost. Few people know how to make a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor with their own hands, but this is not as difficult as it might seem at first. This guide will help you make a self-leveling floor for planks.

What are the types of self-leveling floors on a wooden base?

Self-leveling floor on a wooden base is not one solution, but a whole category of materials that are applied to a concrete or wooden (as in this case) base. Self-leveling floor on a wooden floor can be divided into:

Polyurethane. A durable and resistant to long-term impact polymer floor, which is perfectly suited for arranging flooring in places with a large number of people.
Epoxy. This is a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor that does not react in any way to the effects of moisture. It is recommended to install such floors in damp rooms, especially in the bathroom and kitchen.
Epoxy urethane. A type of polymer floor that has good strength and wear resistance. Can be used as an alternative to polyurethane coating.
Methyl methacrylate. Polymeric floor with excellent thermal insulation properties, often used for the arrangement of floors in rooms without heating or with poor heating in the cold season.

Do-it-yourself self-leveling floor on a wooden floor can be one-component and two-component. The first type is often used as a basis for installing parquet, stone, tiles or other decorative coverings. Two-component flooring often contains a three-dimensional image, which gives the floor a creative and unusual appearance. Next, we will figure out whether it is possible to make a 3D floor on a wooden floor and how to do it.

The main advantages of self-leveling floors on a wooden base

A pouring floor on a wooden floor is a solution that has received its demand not only due to its appearance, but also because of its good technical characteristics and numerous advantages. You can find them below:

High resistance to long-term mechanical stress, wear and tear resistance.
Excellent resistance to chemicals - wood-like self-leveling floor will withstand even acids.
A wide range of available colors, styles, patterns and textures, images.
Excellent sound and heat insulation performance - the creative self-leveling wooden floor is quiet and warm!
High strength, reliability, long-term use of the coating, which will last for decades.
The presence of antistatic properties, thanks to which the self-leveling wooden floor is quite easy to clean.
Absolute seamlessness - this facilitates the process of floor maintenance, prevents floor squeaks.

You can see that a self-leveling floor in a wooden house is not only a modern and beautiful, but also a practical solution that can delight the inhabitants of the dwelling for many years. In addition, such a coating can be equipped on its own. We will learn how to fill a wooden floor with a self-leveling floor, what tools and building materials are needed for this.

What tools are needed to equip the floor?

Do-it-yourself self-leveling floor for wooden bases requires the use of a wide range of tools, fixtures and materials that must be prepared before starting work. You should definitely have at hand:

A special mixture for self-leveling floors is the basis for future flooring.
Long spatula, needle roller (required to remove air bubbles).
A construction mixer or a drill with a special attachment if there is no mixer.
Laser or ordinary building level, aluminum rule.
A minimum capacity of 20 liters, a set of building beacons and wooden blocks.
Alabaster, mortar, water sufficient for the mixture.
Triangular scraper, screwdriver, screws, dowels, long ruler.

Also, special clothing does not hurt - protective gloves, a mask for the eyes and face, as well as shoes designed for walking on painted surfaces (paint shoes). After preparing the required arsenal, you can start.

We prepare the base for the polymer floor

Can self-leveling floors be poured onto a wooden floor? Yes, sometimes the masters do not ask the question of whether it is possible to make a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor and apply the solution directly to the old coating. However, even with this, it is necessary to carefully prepare the base made of wood - it should be well sanded so that the surface becomes rough. This will significantly improve the adhesion of the floor to the polymer layers. It is also worth making sure that there are no traces of grease, dirt, oil and other contaminants on the wooden floor surface - they are removed with a solvent.

Is it possible to make a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor if it creaks? No - otherwise the final coverage will be uneven and cause a lot of problems. To avoid trouble, you also need to check the floor. All boards must be securely fixed in the correct position, the floor itself must be level, without irregularities and defects. Also, before applying the polymer floor, it will be necessary to remove all paint from the surface of the base, if any.

Before making self-leveling floors in a wooden house, it is necessary to carry out a small preparation of the coating:

Remove all skirting boards and cover the holes formed after removing the skirting boards.
Seal all cracks, chips and irregularities on the floor surface with mortar.

Now you can proceed to the actions that will eventually lead you to the completion of the self-leveling floor arrangement.

We level the surface and put beacons for the floor

To make the floor as even as possible, you need to take care of this at the initial stages. So, before pouring the solution, draw a line along the entire length of the room, and then set self-tapping screws along it, the distance between which is 30 centimeters. With the help of a laser building level, you will need to find the highest point located on the wooden base for the polymer floor. After detection, it is necessary to add about 5-6 mm (thickness of the floor layer) and align the screws at the same level. It is still too early to make 3D floors on wooden floors.

The next stage, which continues the installation of a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor, is the installation of beacons. They must be placed on previously installed screws, securely fastened with mortar. After that, you should prepare a solution for the self-leveling floor - for this, the contents of the package must be stirred in a container with water in the instructions indicated on the package, and then stirred until smooth with a construction mixer.

We start pouring the solution for the self-leveling floor on the tree

We already know if it is possible to use a self-leveling floor on a wooden base. The solution prepared in advance should be carefully poured onto the prepared base, covering an area of about 2 square meters at a time. meters. The layer must be leveled along the beacons using a long spatula. When the formation of the layer is completed, it will be necessary to remove all air bubbles on the surface of the coating using a needle roller - this is a very important stage on which the further fate of the entire result depends. Wait until the floor is completely dry.

Now you know how to make a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor - video instructions on the Internet will help you see how the process looks visually, which will give you a better understanding of the technology. The equipped coating can be used as a basis for applying decorative materials, or left as an independent floor.