The subfloor serves as a reliable basis for the subsequent installation of fine floor coverings - laminate, parquet, and other materials. A lot depends on how well this floor was arranged. If mistakes are made, this will later lead to squeaks when walking on the floor, increased humidity in the room, and reduced service life.
Characteristic
Wooden draft floors are most often used in the construction of country cottages and houses. Wood has a fairly long lifespan. This is true even for the most difficult climatic regions. Having equipped the floor, you can no longer worry that it can be deformed due to dampness, low temperatures in unheated rooms. After all, the tree dries well due to air circulation through the foundation.
Device
The subfloor looks like a suitcase with a double bottom. Under the outer part is another base. The final result depends on what this base coat will be. Bumps, slight curvature, various othersdefects will definitely manifest themselves in the future already on the finishing floors. Simply leveling the base for arranging the finished floor is not enough - you need to build a work plan so that the rough base stands still and does not deform.
Producing a quality, durable, stable and even floor is no easy task. But everything can be done. However, until recently, laying the subfloor was considered almost the most time-consuming stage of construction and repair work. But now the latest technologies are used in construction, which greatly simplify life.
Although the floors on the logs are no worse than the screed, we will see how to make a subfloor for this design.
Structurally, the draft base may consist of several layers. This is a screed that is poured when it is necessary to hide the wiring. It is also a waterproofing layer that prevents the passage of water and moisture. There is also an underlying one to create uniform loads. The layer serves as a link with the subfloor. And finally, there are necessarily sound and heat insulating materials in the design.
Wood for flooring
To build a subfloor in a wooden house at a high level, first choose the right materials. When choosing a suitable wood, you should pay attention to the fact that the material is not subjected to putrefactive processes, and also prevents the development of mold and fungi. Coniferous wood works best with this. These are spruce, pine, fir, larch.
It is also important to use only carefully dried material. Humidity should not exceed 12 percent. If you lay wet boards, then there is a risk of getting an uneven base as a result. When wood dries under load, its original shape is lost.
Foundation
When planning to lay a subfloor in a wooden house, the first step is to start with the base foundation. If the floor will be built directly above the soil, then the boards must be placed on logs - these are longitudinal bars. Lags are placed in several ways. They can be mounted on walls, held on posts, stacked in embedded crowns and support beams.
Do not forget that in spacious rooms, logs should be mounted on supports not only along the edges, but also between the supports. You can use support pillars that would support the log between the walls. The more columns there are, the more reliable and durable the subfloor. But don't make too many of them, it can be costly.
High-quality and inexpensive designs can be obtained if the posts are installed in increments of 80 centimeters. In this case, the size of the beam must be at least 150x150 millimeters.
Making support pillars
So, to lay the logs for the floor, you need to make posts. The technology is not too difficult.
First of all, start with marking work. On the foundation or base base, on the walls, the places where the logs will be fixed should be marked. Then the cords are pulled from one wall to another. Then they are stretched between other walls. Must complystep for columns of 80 centimeters. Under the intersections of the cords on the soil or on the foundation mark the places where the posts will be installed.
Formwork for supporting elements is installed in a hole that is previously dug. The optimal size is 50-60 centimeters deep, and also about 40 centimeters wide. When the pit is ready, make a backfill for the foundation. The bottom must be carefully tamped. Then sand is poured into the hole. The layer should be about 10 centimeters. Next, pour the same amount of gravel. Each layer is carefully compacted.
The most difficult step is to prepare the formwork. Its height depends on what the columns will be made of. It will be brick or concrete. In the case of bricks, formwork elements can protrude by 10 centimeters. If the column is made of mortar, then the formwork should reach directly to the very base of the log.
Next, you need to make a reinforcing frame - take a steel bar with a thickness of 6 to 8 millimeters and tie it together. The concrete is then poured into the hole. If this is only the foundation for a brick support, then you don’t have to think about the horizontal level. But in the case of concrete columns, the tops should be even.
After that, the concrete should dry. The surface of the pillars is covered with roofing material. At the same time, it is better to lay it in several layers. When the concrete dries, the formwork is removed.
Laying lag
Before laying, it is recommended to carefully treat the wood with special antiseptic compounds. handleall elements of the subfloor device.
You can lay logs in several ways - on mortgage crowns or on the foundation or support posts. There is also another method - on support tanks mounted on supports. The support part is used only when there is a distance of no more than 60 centimeters between the lags. In any other case, the strength of the structure is reduced.
The size of the lags should be selected based on the thickness of the insulation materials. Between the floor board and the insulation you need a gap of 30 millimeters. It is necessary for ventilation. The step between the lags for the floor depends on the thickness of the board. The thicker it is, the wider the distance.
If the logs are placed on a support, it is important to ensure that they are as even as possible. It is also necessary to monitor the horizontal plane. Waterproofing materials that are pre-laid on the posts will get rid of sounds.
If the logs sag, then wooden bars are placed on the support and fixed. If the lag protrudes, then the protruding area is removed with a planer. Altitude differences on the logs should not be more than one millimeter per meter.
Fasteners are carried out using self-tapping screws. But if the base or columns are concrete, then the lag is attached using a mounting bracket. The corner is attached to the concrete with an anchor, and to the log - with a self-tapping screw. The laying order is simple - first the so-called lighthouse lags are installed, and then all the others.
Insulation
The subfloor device also includes a heater, as well as a waterproofing layer. Allthis is done with the help of modern materials. They fit into the space between the lags on a special substrate.
There are two ways to make a base. The first one uses plywood, which is nailed to the logs from below along the entire perimeter of the room. Thermal insulation will be laid on the plywood.
The second option requires more effort. First you need to nail the bars with a thickness of 20 millimeters. They are attached to the bottom of the log. Next, boards are placed on the bars, and insulation is placed on the last.
Laying the floor
We continue to learn how to make a draft floor with your own hands. The floor is made of plywood or board.
Laying boards is better from the wall. They are applied to the wall so that there is about two centimeters between them. Then the boards are screwed to the log. Near the wall, you can drive a self-tapping screw directly into the board, and all subsequent ones into the spike at an angle. The next part is inserted into the groove, and then fixed. Thus, you need to cover the entire surface. It is important that each board fits snugly together.
