There are many options for leveling and finishing the floor; you can select materials for these purposes at different prices and complexity of the flooring. One of them is laying fiberboard on the floor. These are practical, inexpensive sheets that will make the base smooth and even. Like any other material, chipboard has a number of specific features, which must be taken into account when laying. This article will talk about the types of fiberboard panels, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.
Fiberboard is a shortened name (abbreviation) for wood-fiber board. This is a finishing or sheet construction finishing option. The price of fiberboard is not too exorbitant, so it is always in demand. The material differs in density. Before you buy it, you need to figure out which one is suitable for your floor.
There are soft, hard and super-hard fiberboard. In this case, the thickness of the sheet can fluctuate in different ranges. This point must be taken into account when purchasing. Some sheets are 2–3 mm thick, while others are 12–15 mm thick. The most voluminous are materials with a thickness of 40 mm. They are used least often in practice.
Fiberboard has high strength and density. But thin sheets have the plasticity necessary for covering curved surfaces. Slabs are used everywhere. In construction they are used for covering floors and walls, and make partitions in passenger-class railway cars. Fiberboard has good sound insulation properties and is suitable for partitioning rooms with excessive noise effects.
Pros and cons of using
Advantages of the material when leveling fiberboard floors:
- Cheap, always a wide range. Anyone can choose their taste and color while spending a minimum of money.
- Easy to use, easy installation of sheets on the floor. You will not need virtually any additional parts for installation (except for mounting ones).
When installing slabs, you must make sure that the surface is even and that the work done is correct. preliminary work. No other incidents or difficulties were found in the work of laying the material.
- Light weight. You can work with the material alone, without involving assistants.
- Environmental friendliness. The boards are made from recycled wood waste. This natural material, which can even fit in a children's room.
- There are no foreign odors after installation. At first, the aroma of wood will be felt, but after several months it will disappear.
- Durability. This quality applies when fiberboard installation was carried out in compliance with all necessary conditions(correct measurement, selection of slab width and step-by-step installation according to the instructions).
- Possibility of use as an insulating layer.
This material has significant disadvantages:
- Fiberboard is afraid of water. Minimal contact with moisture on the surface leads to its deformation (it begins to swell and increase in volume). The top layer of paint that is applied to finishing, also suffers. Therefore, you need to know that you cannot lay the material in the bathroom or kitchen.
- Fragility. When the surface on which the material is applied is deformed, the slab breaks, cracks, and loses its normal appearance.
- High fire hazard. In the event of a fire in the room, the fiberboard will burn first. This situation may then lead to the spread of the fire over an even larger area.
- Rapid wear on the front side. Without cover finishing wears out quickly and cracks.
Fiberboard can easily peel off if it is not positioned correctly on the surface. Any vibrations, movements or touches in in this case very dangerous for the material.
Types of slabs
There are several types of fiberboard for flooring, depending on the density of the source material:
- Soft. The density of the material is no more than 350 kg/m3. The sound insulation properties are not very good, so it is more often used as finishing for the back walls of cabinet furniture. The soft format is suitable for making the bottom of furniture drawers. There are soft grades - M1, M2 and M3.
- Semi-solid. The density is much higher (about 850 kg/m3). Abbreviation marking - NT. Semi-solid materials are also best used in furniture production.
- Solid. Density ranges from 850 to 1000 kg/m3. The low-porosity composition can be used to make doors and furniture. There are the following types: T, T-S, T-P and T-SP. Sheets are produced under marked T-B. They are more resistant to moisture and are not tinted with outside unlike other brands.
- Super hard. The maximum density of such sheets is slightly more than 1000 kg/m3. Raw materials must be treated with pectol. This is a substance that increases the initial strength of the material by 20%. Such sheets are used in construction. They can be used to make partitions, cover floors and sheathe walls.
The front side can be coated with varnish, paint or primer. They are marked as ST, which has a standard front side, and ST-S, which has a finely dispersed front layer.
Mounting methods
On glue
- A special glue is first applied to the sheets.
- Then you need to wait for half an hour for the adhesive layer to dry.
- While waiting, the same composition must be applied to the base of the floor, which must be well cleared of debris and primed.
- After all these manipulations, the sheets are pressed tightly to the base of the floor.
To avoid unevenness during installation, use a water or laser level. This must be done as quickly as possible before attaching the slabs so that the glue does not have time to dry.
- When laying sheets, the joints should not move relative to each other by more than 50 cm. This condition is mandatory, since in this case the coating will be very durable and will not deform when exposed to external factors.
For mastic
The method is suitable for covering concrete screeds with fiberboard sheets.
- The base is well cleaned, swept or vacuumed. When the contamination is very strong, wash with a wet cloth.
- When the surface dries, a layer of primer is applied to it. Prime the base as many times as necessary to achieve a slow absorption effect. The faster the primer absorbs, the more you need to apply.
- The completely dried base is covered with a small layer of mastic (layer more than 0.6 mm).
- Before this process, the mastic is applied to the sheets and dried well.
- The sheets are laid in even layers on the treated floor surface and pressed tightly.
If used hot mastic, then it is applied immediately before laying the sheets, without waiting for drying. In this case, its contact with air should be minimal.
Stages of work
Preparing the base
- Before installing the slabs, rough finish grounds.
- The floor is thoroughly washed to remove dirt and dust and dried.
- Primer is required.
- All skirting boards must be removed to make room for easy installation.
- The integrity of the wooden floor must be checked.
- All poorly reinforced elements must be carefully secured. By tapping, they look for voids, which must also be eliminated.
- Deep cracks should be covered with an even layer of putty.
- If the structure is old enough, additionally treat the surface with an antifungal mixture.
Installation of sheets
Before placing the sheets on the subfloor, you need to make sure they are the correct size. If necessary, you need to cut off the protruding parts. Cutting tools: jigsaw, machine, Circular Saw and metal scissors.
Sheets can be attached to the base in two ways:
- For glue or mastic.
- With nails.
Attention
Fiberboard can be laid on logs, and if the floor is wooden, then it will be enough to use drying oil or tar.
Most easy way fastening slabs to a wooden floor - nails:
- First, the base is cleaned from dirt and dust. To do this, walk over the surface with a wet cloth or vacuum cleaner.
- Then the material is laid out on the floor, its dimensions are adjusted to the size of the room, and the sheets are cut.
- The first is laid from the far corner of the room towards the exit from the room. The sheet is fastened with nails with a diameter of 1.1-1.6 mm and a length of 20-25 mm, and nailed to the rough wooden floor. Fastening begins from the middle of the room. The caps of fasteners should not rise above the surface.
- The subsequent sheets are laid in the same way. The resulting deformation gap along the walls is covered with a plinth.
Laying options
Under laminate
You can level the surface under the laminate using a dry screed. GVL sheets, moisture-resistant plywood, asbestos sheets and plasterboard are used.
- The surface is tapped well for the presence of voids and gaps.
- Only after this is it sanded and washed to remove dirt.
- When the surface is perfectly clean, apply a small layer of primer.
- Once the primer has dried, apply it to upper layer base prepared mixture. All this should dry within a few days, then you can start laying the laminate.
Under linoleum
It is advisable to place fiberboard under the linoleum, having made preliminary calculations. This is the installation option when a lack of sheets can lead to an error in the location of the entire structure. It is important to observe the following conditions during installation in order to achieve good results:
- It is important to pre-treat the surface with drying oil to minimize contact with moisture and protect the entire surface from water.
- After processing, the sheets are left to dry and then stacked to achieve maximum evenness and a smooth surface.
- You can put weights on top. This is done to speed up the leveling. Under the influence of gravity, the sheets are better pressed and aligned more perfectly.
- Special glue is applied to the surface, then the sheets are placed and pressed tightly to the base.
- It is necessary to maintain the distance between the sheets. The gap should be no more than 7 mm, but there is no need for a distance that is too small. You should not make a gap less than 5 mm.
- The work is carried out from the far wall, farthest from the door of the room.
- After the composition has dried, the joints are treated. The surface is smoothed by sanding, removing all unevenness and dust, and the seams are sealed with putty.
- Before laying linoleum, the surface is thoroughly cleaned and dried.
Experts advise adhering to the following recommendations when installing:
- Very often people use adhesives or mixtures as fastening. This option for attaching sheets is simple, but time-consuming: you have to wait for the glue to dry, and then make sure that the slab adheres tightly to the base. The easiest way is to use simple nails. It is better to fasten the slabs to a wooden floor with small nails (15 mm).
- It is important to put high-quality waterproofing under the base. Those who believe additional protection floors from moisture is an unnecessary hassle, you need to be careful. Even a slight ingress of moisture on the sheet leads to its severe deformation. In a few years, such an overlap will be left with dust. You will have to change the entire base by carrying out extra work and spending a lot of money on materials.
- If the old floors are relatively smooth, but the surface needs to be updated, it is enough to sand them and then cover them with sheets of high-quality fiberboard - hardboard. With this installation method, the old base is thoroughly cleaned after sanding for primer.
To level the floor, you must first draw a diagram of the planned work. You need to have everything at hand necessary materials, tools. The laying of sheets begins with thorough cleaning of the surface, only after which installation begins. If this condition is not met, the sheets quickly become unusable. In a few years, repairs will be needed again.
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Renovation work is often very scary for people. Of course, when you think that a lot needs to be done, even if the repair is purely finishing in nature, you immediately feel uneasy. In fact, everything is not so scary and not very difficult if you know exactly what you are going to do and how to prepare for repair work. First of all, you should think carefully about what problems you may encounter during the repair work.
Many residents of apartments and houses prefer to have laminate floors in their homes that are pleasant for their household members. Often in houses and apartments with wooden floors Experts are faced with the fact that it is completely impossible to lay laminate flooring directly on the floor until the problem can be eliminated.
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The most common possible problems unevenness of walls, floors or ceilings, as well as a number of other individual features that may be present in your apartment or house:
- Moved walls;
- Additional partitions;
- Non-standard window openings, etc.
Why is there no way to lay laminate flooring directly on the floor? There are reasons for this. Laying on uneven surfaces can cause the laminate to become lumpy, which subsequently leads to damage to the integrity of the coating. Laying on such a floor is not only impractical, but also difficult in itself. In this case, it is almost impossible to fit small laminate tiles. How can you determine whether the floor is level if no defects are visually noticeable, but laying the laminate is not possible? A good helper in this matter would be the usual building level, which accurately determines whether the surface is flat or not.
If it is discovered that there is any unevenness on the floor surface, you should stop all work that has already begun and begin to correct it.
Now the question arises, how to turn an uneven floor into evenness? Relevant specialists will always help answer this question. They know better than anyone else what the dangers of repairing a crooked floor are, and how you can fix it all yourself. The most common method for leveling a floor is to use a material such as a leveling underlay, which should be laid on the floor surface. And yet, there are also some nuances here. Let's take a closer look at this type of substrate.
Why do you need a leveling underlay for laminate flooring?
According to experts, most often similar problems are noted by repairmen to varying degrees of unevenness of walls, ceilings and floors. If the unevenness of the walls can somehow be circumvented, for example, by using special tiles or panels installed on the metal carcass, and the unevenness of the ceiling is harmoniously hidden under stretch ceilings, then an uneven wooden floor is a more serious problem.
Leveling underlay for laminate flooring is perfect solution for small uneven floors, be it a wooden floor or a rough concrete floor.
In this case, the underlay can be used when laying both laminate and parquet floors without screed. The substrate can vary in thickness, which varies from 1 to 4 mm, so that it is enough for leveling, as well as by manufacturer and type of material itself.
So, the leveling substrate can be:
- Polyethylene foam backing. This is the most popular synthetic-based material. It is characterized by low prices and high thermal insulation, which makes it an excellent material for leveling and simultaneous insulation of the floor; in addition, such material is not subject to attacks by rodents and pathogenic microorganisms.
- Cork type of substrate. It is a high-quality, environmentally friendly leveling material with a price that matches the quality. At the same time, it is more advisable to lay a cork underlay for a long period under a high-quality expensive floor. Some manufacturers of cork substrates equip their material with an additional adhesive layer.
- Bitumen substrates with the addition of cork chips. Relatively pricing policy, is as expensive as its cork counterpart, but due to the addition of bitumen, it has excellent hygroscopicity and sound insulation.
- Expanded polystyrene type leveling material. Laying such a substrate allows you to maintain the maximum level of the floor and will help level out minor unevenness and imperfections in the floor surface.
- Combined substrates. Most often, for their production, companies use a combination of polystyrene foam and polyethylene foam.
- Pine needle tiles. Ecologically pure material to level the floor surface. Laying such a substrate is not difficult, but it is worth remembering that coniferous tiles are laid diagonally.
Thus, it can be noted that before buying a leveling underlay, determine what type of floor it will be laid on, what the price line of underlays is and what properties and disadvantages the selected underlay model has.
Do I need to carefully level the floor under laminate?
It was considered where to start working on finishing the floor, how to choose a substrate, and what to pay attention to, but you need to decide whether maybe you don’t need to deal with leveling? Finishing work themselves imply the presence of an already flat surface on which finishing will take place, but with some materials this rule can be neglected, with the exception of laminate. Laminate tiles must always be laid perfectly flat surface floor. Otherwise, you will only get a headache.
The following flaws are also possible:
- A difference in floor surface level will cause deformation of the laminate panels.
- Differences in the level of 2 adjacent sections of the floor will also cause poor adhesion between the panels, which will lead to cracks.
- The seams between laminate tiles will be subject to divergence, and therefore deformation of the laminate material itself. Broken seams will have to be puttied more than once.
- On an uneven floor surface, especially at the transition between rooms, laminate flooring creaks.
- Due to the divergence of the panels, moisture will get under the coverings, which will cause irreversible sad consequences, and the floor will have to be completely replaced.
- If the floor is uneven, you may notice that some of the laminate panels, and maybe several parts, are pressed through.
As you can understand from the above, you always need to level the floor surface as much as possible before laying the laminate, otherwise you risk prolonging renovation work Not even a single day or even a month will the material costs of repairs increase accordingly.
Is it possible to lay laminate directly on fiberboard?
Very often, people moving into apartments of the so-called old building are faced with the fact that the floors are covered Fiberboard material, in other words, plywood or chipboard boards. The question arises: is it necessary to remove everything down to the rough surface of the floor, or can you install the laminate directly on top of the slabs?
Experts say it is possible.
In addition, fiberboard and chipboard slabs can be used to level the floor level in an apartment, especially if there is not a strong permissible floor slope. A floor with a slope is the case when the height of one part of the floor is 0.1-0.2ᵒ or more higher than the other.
The advantages of this material work in defense of the use of fiberboard and chipboard boards:
- With such slabs you can level the floor surface without any problems;
- Having good rigidity, the slabs are an additional guarantee of the longevity of the laminate;
- Pleasant cost of leveling material compared to others;
- Does not require special conditions– Chipboard and fiberboard slabs are covered different types floors in different rooms.
Although such slabs are not full-fledged high-quality boards, they are capable of covering and masking uneven floors, but also due to their great endurance, they can be used even in rooms with high traffic or the presence of massive heavy furniture. Such slabs allow you to correct uneven floors and level the floor surface. For these reasons alone, you can give the go-ahead for installing stoves in the room.
Recommendations: how to properly lay laminate flooring on an uneven floor
If initially there were no fiberboard or chipboard slabs on the floor, but you want to cover the floor with them, then first of all it is necessary to install the slabs with all responsibility. Next comes the installation of the laminate itself, which in turn follows certain classic installation points, regardless of the type.
Let's consider what types of installation can be used:
- Laying the laminate perpendicular to the light source. This method is good if you are worried that the seams between the tiles will be visible.
- Laying parallel to the light source, diagonally and classic herringbone laying is possible. This can often be found in older apartments.
Each installation method allows you to achieve a special pattern on the floor surface, which makes the room more interesting and cozy.
Ways to lay laminate flooring on an uneven wooden floor (video)
So, there are enough options for getting the job done. It is important to understand for yourself what you want to get as a result. And then all that remains is to follow the chosen technology.
Before installing laminate flooring, it is strongly recommended to level the wooden floor. Laminate is a fairly popular floor covering. But a prerequisite for its installation is a flat floor. That is why it is leveled using plywood or other methods.
Why is it necessary to level a wooden floor under a laminate?
Before installing laminate flooring, you need to ensure that the floors are perfectly level. The alignment process depends on the initial state flooring. If you neglect this procedure, the laminate will quickly become unusable, begin to crack, and lose its attractive appearance.
By leveling the wooden floor before laying the laminate, you can significantly extend its service life.
In places of unevenness, the finishing coating will crack and change shape. If there are elevations, the laminate will begin to swell. If the base is loosened, then the coating itself will begin to diverge. That is why you need to take all necessary measures to level the floor.
If the presence of unevenness is a couple of millimeters, then there is no need to level the coating. It is enough to use a thick substrate.
Laminate is quite popular among floor coverings. It is made of wood and covered with a protective layer on top that prevents mechanical and chemical influences. It is widely used in both residential buildings, and in office buildings.
Advantages of laminate:
- Attractive appearance;
- Acceptable price;
- Easy installation;
- Quality.
It is possible to level a wooden base with your own hands. At the same time, the pricing policy of the issue is acceptable. You don’t need a lot of tools for the procedure, just desire.
How to level an old wooden floor under laminate: methods and techniques
The alignment procedure has several methods. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. To determine best option For your own case, you need to familiarize yourself with each of them.
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Methods for leveling flooring:
- Manual or mechanical scraping;
- Using OSB, chipboard or fiberboard plywood;
- Self-leveling mixtures;
- Putty made from shavings and PVA glue;
- Use of lags;
- Concrete screed.
Looping involves the use of special grinding machines. This technique will take a sufficient amount of time and effort. You will have to deepen all the nails and screws so that their caps do not peek out. If this is not done, then breakdown of the unit is inevitable.
Old wooden floors need to be leveled using a sander
If the floor has some differences, then leveling with plywood is suitable. It's simple and effective method. Plywood raises the floor by only a couple of centimeters, which is very convenient in a room with a low ceiling.
For better effect you need to use two layers: the first is made of fiberboard, the second is plywood. In this case, the joints should not coincide.
For minor unevenness, self-leveling mixtures can be used. Before leveling, you need to carry out preparatory work: replace damaged boards, fill the cracks, fix loose boards, prime the floor and take care of waterproofing. You can use additional reinforced polyethylene mesh, which should be laid on a small layer of the mixture. It is used if the self-leveling floor height should exceed 1 cm.
Leveling with putty is the cheapest method. Preparatory work with this method includes securing the guide strips. The interval between them should be 50-60 cm. The mixture should be applied to a clean floor treated with degreasers. After drying, you need to secure the plywood on top.
When the old floor has completely deteriorated, it is better to use joist mounting. To do this you need to get rid of the old boards. Expanded clay is poured between the joists, then there is a layer of polystyrene foam or gypsum fiber board and the whole thing is covered with plywood.
Concrete screed is often used to level the floor. The disadvantage of this procedure is the large weight of the concrete. That is why the rough wooden floor must still be strong enough to withstand the required load.
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Leveling a wooden floor: how to determine the presence of unevenness
To properly level the floor and ensure the durability of the floor covering, you must perform necessary measures. This can be done in several ways. But before such a procedure, it is necessary to inspect the quality of the wooden base.
You can determine the presence of unevenness in a wooden floor using a level.
Parameters for assessing floor quality:
- Presence of insects and rot. Need to study carefully wood covering at both sides. If there are no traces of harmful influence, the floor does not need to be changed.
- Evenness of the floor covering. For this they can use laser level or visual assessment. If you have the skills, you can resort to the help of a building level.
- The presence of irregularities and bumps. To do this, pull two ropes and monitor the contact of the thread with the floor.
Before the procedure for determining unevenness, it is necessary to clear the floor of any objects. This will help more accurately determine the presence of flooring defects. You can use any of the methods to check the evenness of floors. You can also use a mounting level or hydraulic level.
Degrees of roughness:
- Small – 5-20 mm;
- Medium – 20-60 mm;
- Large - from 60 mm.
After identifying the unevenness, you can choose the leveling method. Laying plywood is considered the most optimal. This is a simple option that anyone can do on their own.
The sequence of leveling the floor with plywood under the laminate
This technique does not take much effort and does not require special skills. We level the floor ourselves with our own hands. To do this, you only need desire and a set of necessary devices and materials.
Tools for leveling plywood floors:
- Medium hammer;
- Hammer;
- Screwdriver;
- Roulette;
- Level.
Thanks to plywood, you can hide even serious unevenness in the floor, resulting in a smooth surface.
Fastening plywood is the most effective way to level the floor. It can be used when the base has completely deteriorated or has severe unevenness. But at the same time, all power components must be strong enough.
