The market for flooring for the home is replete with a variety of materials. One of the most popular options was and remains wood. Its environmental friendliness and features of operation elevate such a floor covering to the rank of the most sought-after materials.
The thickness of the floorboards, their main characteristics deserve detailed consideration. This will allow you to properly mount a high-quality floor covering. It will serve its owners for many years.
General concept of the material
When studying the question of what thickness of the floorboard should be used in the construction or repair of a home, one should understand the main characteristics of the material. This is a profile element of the floor covering, made of wood. It looks like a milled piece. It is made from a solid array of wood or several thin layers connected using a special technology. This material differs from parquet in the significant dimensions of the elements.
Their shape after processing has clutch elements (phases and comb). If you want to fill your home with the beauty and natural subtle aroma of wood, you should give preference tothis type of flooring. A number of its advantages make the material in demand.
Properties
The floorboard, the thickness of which is acceptable for arranging a living space, has a number of features. When choosing, you should pay attention to the quality of the material. Wood should not have any flaws. Knots, bumps, resin pockets are not acceptable on the board. Cracks or blackening are also unacceptable.
The floorboard is a natural material that does not cause allergies or irritation. Oak, pine, ash or larch are best suited for such purposes. These varieties have sufficient hardness. Less commonly used softer walnut, aspen. But poplar or linden are categorically not suitable for flooring.
Benefits
Correctly chosen thickness of floorboards gives this type of coating a number of advantages. In addition to environmental friendliness and aesthetic beauty, it is worth noting good thermal insulation characteristics.
This is a "warm" cover. It is comfortable to stand on bare feet at room temperature indoors. Also, this material is durable and strong. Properly selected type of wood is not afraid of mechanical stress. The service life is therefore long for the boards.
The material has a positive effect on human he alth. It is allowed to choose for allergy sufferers. It is useful for people suffering from respiratory diseases to breathe air with esters released by wood.
This material is known for its ability to purify the air from various pathogens. Therefore, it is also a hygienic type of coating.
Flaws
Deepening into the question of how thick the floorboard should be, one should take into account a number of its shortcomings. The material is subject to many external influences. He is afraid of high humidity. In such conditions, the appearance of deformations, cracks, the development of fungus is possible. Also, significant temperature drops lead to changes in the dimensions of the coating elements. Because of this, creaks may appear, gaps between the boards are observed. If the wood from which the covering elements were made was not processed correctly, the moisture content of the material will meet the building requirements.
Therefore, the material should be purchased only from a quality, trusted manufacturer. Wood of insufficiently strong breed will quickly become covered with scratches, dents, stains.
Size of boards
Important in the selection process are the dimensions that the floorboard has. Dimensions (thickness, width and length) are selected depending on existing conditions. The reliability and durability of the coating depend on these parameters.
To correctly choose the thickness of the boards, it is necessary to take into account the distance between the lags. If each such structural element is located at least 70 cm from the neighboring ones, thick boards (35 or 40 mm) should be preferred. Such a coating is able to withstand significant loads. Width is also very important.every board. This parameter is selected in accordance with the design of the room.
Expert advice
The thickness of the floorboard in panel houses, private cottages depends on the operating conditions. Experts advise not to purchase products thinner than 22 mm. If the thickness does not exceed this level, the board can only be used for wall and ceiling cladding.
Experts advise before buying such a coating to take into account the load that will be placed on the floor. If there will be heavy furniture in the room, a lot of people walking, thick boards should be purchased.
The most commonly used size of such products is 30-35 mm. This is the optimal value. Very hard woods are suitable for the subfloor, in which an average amount of curvature, knots is allowed.
For a fine finish, it is important to purchase boards with a minimum number of defects. The bottom layer (rough) should be thicker than the top layer (decorative).
Production technology
Modern floorboard, the thickness of which is selected in accordance with the listed parameters, can be made in several ways. Floor covering elements can be solid or spliced. Each variety has its own advantages and disadvantages. A finger jointed board is made by gluing two or more pieces of wood together. For this variety, it is required to give preference to thick products. They are less durable than solid boards.
However, such products have a significant advantage. This production technology allows you to produce boards without knots, bumps. They are smoother and more suitable for finishing floors.
Solid arrays are more durable. Their thickness may be less than that of spliced varieties. But they sometimes come across knots, small deformations.
Affordable and quality boards
When deciding what thickness of the floorboard will be optimal for the room, one cannot ignore the cost of the material. It depends on many parameters. The thicker the flooring elements, the more expensive the installation will cost. Therefore, you should purchase the right kind of material.
When buying, you need to pay attention to the moisture content of the wood. Its level should be no more than 14%. If this indicator is high, the material will deform over time. This feature is not worth saving. Resinous wood species (pine, spruce) have good resistance to such negative phenomena. They are affordable. Therefore, the rocks presented are ideal for arranging the floor.
Oak and ash are also resistant to changes in temperature and humidity. It is a durable, mechanically resistant wood. But their cost is more expensive than previous varieties of material.
How to calculate the amount correctly
The thickness of the floorboards is taken into account in the process of calculating the amount of material when buying. In this case, the coating is sold in cubic meters. Some manufacturers pack boards marked in square meters.
In both approaches, it is important to pay attention to what area the seller takes into account when selling. Unscrupulous sellers can count the board along with its fasteners. For example, the working surface of the product is 36 by 135 mm. But together with the grooves, the same part will have dimensions of 37 by 141 mm. If such floor boards are sold in cubic meters, then this figure reaches an unreasonably high value of 41 by 149 mm.
The buyer in this case overpays a significant amount. It happens that the seller generally rounds up the dimensions of the flooring elements. The cost of the floor comes out much more than the manufacturer foresaw. To avoid cheating, you should pay attention to the actual size of the flooring elements. It's better to check the actual size with a ruler by yourself.
Familiarizing with such a characteristic as the thickness of the floorboards, you can choose the optimal coating elements in all respects. This guarantees the quality and durability of the floor material. Correctly chosen thickness of each element of the coating will lead to the correct distribution of the load. By checking the quality of materials when buying, as well as paying attention to other nuances, you can buy really high-quality boards.
