Fiberboard is made from wood fibers that are bonded together through heat and pressure. The attachment of fibers to each other is achieved through cohesion and the inherent adhesion properties of wood. Fibers on surface layer the boards are often rougher than the middle layer. This gives the slab a flat and compact surface. Glue and other additives can be used to improve the properties of the board. The main raw material for fiberboard is wood fiber, and the amount of additives is usually less than 1%.
Sphere fiberboard applications very wideParaffin is commonly used as a water-repellent adhesive. Starch, artificial resin and hardening oil are used as binders to increase strength.
Its scope of application is quite wide: from use as the back side of furniture, arches and to floors when performing repair work and in the decoration of new premises.
Fiberboard is environmentally friendly pure material Advantages and disadvantages of coating
The advantage is the evenness and smoothness of the sheet. This is why it is used to level fiberboard floors in old buildings and in new construction. It can act as the base itself or be laid on the surface of a dilapidated coating in need of replacement, concealing its unevenness and defects. This is also practical - there is no need to dismantle the old floor, which is used as the basis for a new one.
Fiberboard has its advantages and disadvantages Of great importance is the ease and speed of installation work due to the ease of processing and cutting, packaging, and low weight, so even one specialist can handle the installation. And also having a moderate price for many buyers, durability, good sound insulation, and high material strength. It can withstand loads very well thanks to the dense structure of the pressed wood material, which allows it to withstand mechanical stress and place massive pieces of furniture on a seemingly fragile fiberboard floor. Coating with varnish or coloring compounds with water-repellent properties, along with synthetic additives and antiseptics added to the composition, gives the slabs advantageous qualities in comparison with floors made from natural wood species.
Fiberboard sheets are distinguished by their plasticity, due to which they retain their original properties under conditions of temperature changes while maintaining moderate humidity.
It is worth noting the environmental composition of the fiberboard flooring material, as a result of which it can be laid in rooms where allergy sufferers live.
Fiberboard sheets are very plastic and durable IMPORTANT!
- The special composition of the material, high density and breathability are the reasons why fiberboard does not change its shape and is therefore able to effectively insulate buildings for over 80 years.
- In the unlikely event of a fire, fiberboard surfaces slow the rate of fire spread through a structure - this is Class E flammability. This results in increased fire resistance for the entire building structure.
The disadvantages of fiberboard for flooring are the following: a simple texture for most interiors, flammability, fragility when the canvas is bent, if not properly treated, it is absolutely not moisture resistant (deforms, swells), the surface without a paint layer is erased in short time, which immediately manifests itself when moving cabinets, sofas, tables, chairs and similar loads.
Fiberboard sheets can last 80 years at correct operation How to wisely choose fiberboard for the floor
First of all, it is necessary to get an idea of the nature of future loads on the floor to be covered, the conditions of dampness or dryness and the regime of low, normal or high temperatures.
The most commonly used standard size of one slab for most floors is 1.7 m x 2.745 m with a thickness of 3 - 3.2 mm. They also produce moisture-resistant boards with oil impregnation 6 mm thick, which is advisable to lay on the floors of the first floor and in wet rooms.
Selecting fiberboard sheets for specific purposes is not difficult By brand they are divided into M - soft fiberboard sheets, T - hard, ST - super hard with an unpainted or painted front layer. Based on the purpose of the rooms, slabs of a suitable brand are selected.
Harder boards (hardboard) are used as a substrate for laminate (laminated flooring), parquet or parquet board, linoleum and for better thermal and sound insulation of the floor. In addition to installing floors, such fiberboard sheets are used for installing interior partitions, wall cladding, and for cladding panel systems.
Give preference to trusted manufacturers Particle boards can be painted and laminated. All general products intended for interior painting wooden surfaces, suitable for painting boards.
In the event that the floor is leveled with subsequent painting, it would be correct to choose special decorative sheets Fiberboard, which, like parquet, can be laid out in patterns.
When purchasing floor slabs, you should pay attention to the fact that all selected canvases are smooth, have the same surface appearance, size and thickness. When purchasing this material, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the bars. They should be coniferous species wood of second or third quality, dry, treated with special fire-retardant compounds, without visible large knots, fungi and other similar defects. However, small cracks in the wood are acceptable. If mold and fungi are found, these areas are cleaned and a fungicidal solution is applied on top of them to prevent damage to the new coating.
During transportation and storage, the boards must be protected from dryness and humidity, dirt, sunlight, contact with the ground, dents and scratches. Fibreboard is stored face down on a flat base. If necessary, support wood is used at 0.5 meter intervals.
During transportation, make sure that the plates are not damaged Laying fiberboard on a wooden floor: installation features
When constructing a floor that involves laying out joists, it is necessary to level the surface cement-sand screed or pour a self-leveling mixture with a layer thickness of approximately 50 mm. Pour onto the prepared, swept and washed base. construction sand medium size and then a liquid solution is poured, evenly distributed over the surface.
After the preparation has hardened, wooden logs are laid in increments of about 20-40 cm, hiding the slope, level difference and other defects. To ensure that the logs lie in the same plane, linings from particle board. Then the fiberboard is laid.
Before laying the slabs, prepare the subfloor Before laying fiberboard on the subfloor, preparatory work should be done. You must first bring the sheets into the room so that they stay there for two or three days. Or, if you don’t have enough time, you can treat each slab on the reverse side with a cotton swab or brush slightly moistened with water, fold the back sides and leave for one day. Then they carefully sand (if there are uneven spots), clean, dry, remove dust and apply a primer, which should dry for eight to twelve hours, on the wooden base.
How to lay fiberboard on a wooden floor? It is required to mark the starting point for laying the first slab, fixing it in several places. Usually this is a corner by the window. Then it is recommended to check by preliminary dry installation that the dimensions and edges match. If necessary, the outer sheets are cut to fit the outlines of the room and openings. It is important to pay attention to leaving gaps of four to six millimeters wide from the wall surface to allow for possible expansion of the floor covering as the temperature rises.
Before laying, the slabs must be measured and cut When the base is prepared, a fiberboard backing is laid on a wooden floor made of polyethylene film.
Glue or bitumen mastic and shades. Let it soak for half an hour. It is also evenly distributed on the floor thin layer glue or mastic.
Fibreboard is laid as follows: lay the first layer of slabs on the base. If such a need arises, how to lay the second and third layers of slabs on a wooden floor, their further laying is carried out. Then the resulting coating is fixed, for which there are three main types of fasteners:
- furniture stapler staples 12-14 mm wide;
- nails with a closed head with a diameter of 1 to 1.5 mm and a length of 20 to 25 mm;
- self-tapping screws with a countersunk head with a diameter of about 3 mm and a length of 25 to 35 mm.
The cracks formed during the installation process are puttied with special putties to deform the seams; after drying, it is worth sanding the uneven areas with sandpaper or using grinder. Also remove any remaining glue that has come out between the sheets.
The cracks that form during work can be filled with putty. Slab cutting process
Most often, the parameters of the slabs do not fully correspond to the room, which necessitates cutting them. To do this, you can use the following cutting equipment:
- a circular saw with a laser guide, equipped with discs for cutting wood blades;
- “grinder” with preliminary application of precise markings;
- tools for cutting wood, roofing felt, film, etc.;
- electric jigsaw with wood saw;
- metal scissors.
There are several ways to cut a slab In order to carefully cut out the holes for engineering Communication, wall projections or niches for heating radiators, it is best to use sharp knife, universal tool or jigsaw.
If much more is cut than required, parts of the sheets can be hidden under the baseboard, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to trim off the excess.
If you lack experience, you can practice on an unnecessary piece and prepare cardboard templates in advance, according to which the markings will be transferred to the surface.
Retail, wholesale or supermarket locations may offer cutting services facing materials, including wood-fiber and wood-shaving sheets, and it is necessary to provide an accurate floor plan of the rooms. Cutting using a machine allows you to get a better quality edge. And you will have to do the adjustment of the recesses for pipelines yourself.
You can make a fiberboard floor yourself if you follow the recommendations. If the fibreboards are intact and dry, they can be reused in certain cases. Reuse is the most popular in relation to the "recycling" of fibreboards.
Video: Laying fiberboard on the floor
Video: Types of wood panels
When leveling the bottom surface of a room, the most practical and in an accessible way All that remains is to lay fiberboard on a wooden floor. This method is advisable when laying on old lumpy floors, a plane with unevenness, defects or with some slope. Fiberboard sheets are most often laid on joists, but another method is also possible. It is possible to lay them under linoleum or carpet with insulation. This material is not always advisable, for example, under heavy loads, and all the features of the coating are worth considering in more detail.
Basic conditions for laying fiberboard on a wooden floor
Each flooring has its own advantages and disadvantages, and installing fiberboard over a wooden floor remains the simplest and most practical. It doesn’t always make sense to tear old boards off the floor, especially in old houses and country buildings. They provide surface integrity and give extra heat. However, the boards become deformed over time and require partial or complete replacement.
Experts recommend leveling the surface using sheets of plywood, fiberboard or chipboard (not to be confused) using logs made from quality timber. However, thin layers of these materials cannot always withstand significant loads, For example:
- for working machines that produce high vibration;
- under thin metal furniture legs;
- under heavy and bulky furniture, especially if the supports are not on the logs under the sheets of covering, but on the gaps.
The choice of materials for installation and how professionally the installation work was carried out is very important. Whether or not there will be floors in the future directly depends on this:
- smooth;
- solid;
- durable;
- sustainable.
The horizontal surface is a fundamental criterion for the quality of floor laying work. Therefore, prepare in advance necessary tools, including universal building level, without which it is difficult to verify the accuracy of the floor geometry.
It is equally important to properly prepare the old base:
- thoroughly clean and remove all construction debris;
- remove the plinth, which prevents the installation of the base under the fiberboard;
- seal all cracks in the floor for tightness;
- clean off everything that is peeling and crumbling on the floor;
- mark the level of the lower horizontal lines near the walls along which the surface will be leveled;
- if in the floor of the dacha, country house or the building is supposed to have an entrance to the cellar, it is better to start with its arrangement and then lay the floors.
Attention: If the logs are perfectly aligned, then poor-quality work on laying fiberboard sheets can ruin the whole impression!
Fiberboard should not be laid too tightly without a gap, otherwise, when the level fluctuates, their edges will rise, splitting. The sheets should also retreat from the walls by about 4-7 mm - this edge will still go under the baseboard.
Experts recommend starting laying out fiberboard sheets from the opposite wall to front door. If there is no experience in how to lay fiberboard on a wooden floor, experts recommend immediately checking the first layer with a level for leveling if any inaccuracies are identified. Each subsequent row is checked horizontally using the same method - haste in case of inaccuracies is inappropriate. When gluing slabs, it is advisable to place a weight on top of the seams, but if they are nailed, then there is no need. If the floors are laid under linoleum or carpet, then no further processing is expected.
Advantages of fiberboard floors
Wood fiber boards are a fairly common construction and finishing material, applicable for repairs and cladding. various surfaces. Fiberboard is used not only for rough installation various designs, but also for the floor. It is noteworthy that even those who do not know how to lay fiberboard on a wooden floor prefer this material due to its reasonable cost and practicality. Fiberboard sheets are irreplaceable:
- when leveling the old floor;
- for rough laying of linoleum or parquet;
- for covering surfaces (floors, walls, arches).
Main advantages:
- easy installation, but you need to know how to place joists on a wooden floor;
- high strength of a fragile-looking material resembling wood cardboard;
- tolerates temperature changes well with moderate air humidity;
- durability (in the absence of excess moisture);
- environmental friendliness, thanks to which fiberboard is a natural material used by people with allergies and intolerances chemical components in a residential area;
- convenient packaging;
- affordable price.
At the same time, fiberboard floors have their “disadvantages”:
- when leveling the floor, additional costs are required for timber under the logs as a base;
- insufficient protection from water, although this is quite suitable material for a nursery or bedroom;
- with great pressure or impact with a sharp, heavy object, a small gap may form between the joists;
- poor fire resistance in case of fire;
- the appearance is too simple for cladding;
- without protective treatment the surface wears out quickly, especially with heavy loads and furniture movements;
- in the raw unheated room may delaminate.
Attention: Regarding environmental friendliness, this is a controversial issue, since the old form of release involved a different technology for gluing materials, so it is not advisable to use the remains of fiberboard sheets lying around workshops and garages in a residential area!
If you have any doubts, see expert advice: how to lay fiberboard on a wooden floor, video at the end of the article.
How to choose materials
Buying fiberboard sheets is a responsible business, and a large list of building materials from different manufacturers not only gives more choice, but also, to some extent, creates confusion. Today there remains a risk of purchasing a low-quality or unsuitable product.
1. If leveling the floors is done for painting, then it is better to purchase decorative plywood, which can be laid out in patterns, like parquet or laminate floors High Quality will cost much less.
2. If appearance is not so important, since fiberboard flooring on a wooden floor is planned under laminate or carpet, then visual parameters are not as important as specifications. Fiberboard sheets are different sizes, soft and hard, and are classified according to their standardization scale:
- grade T with a regular front surface;
- T-S has a front layer with a finely dispersed mass of wood fibers;
- T-P has a color on the front surface;
- T-SP finely dispersed front layer is tinted;
- T-B has increased water resistance without tinting;
- NT - semi-hard sheets;
- ST - super-hard sheets with a regular front surface;
- ST-S - super-hard sheets with a finely dispersed front layer.
Quality groups A and B are found in hard slabs of brands T, T-P, T-S, T-SP, and their front surface assumes grades 1 and 2. Density soft sheets varies: M-1, M-2 and M-3. Separately, hardboard is distinguished - fiberboard brand T, which is produced wet method. It is used for various purposes:
- insulation and finishing;
- soundproofing and thermal insulation of the floor;
- construction of internal partitions;
- wall cladding;
- underlay for parquet, laminate, linoleum;
- For decorative cladding various panel structures.
Tip: When purchasing, pay attention to the appearance of the hardboard. They must be free of defects, have the same thickness around the entire perimeter, with the same shade of the surface of the sheets in one pack (batch).
Key quality indicators:
- identical sheet sizes;
- uniform thickness of fiberboard sheets;
- uniform, homogeneous front surface.
Choosing timber for logs
When choosing timber for logs for installation, it is important to adhere to some recommendations:
- wood laid under fiberboard on a wooden floor must be dry (light timber - dry);
- You should not purchase it in advance and display it in a damp room - it will warp and become unusable;
- use wood treated with special antiseptics of the 2nd or 3rd grade from healthy wood without knots from coniferous trees;
- it is recommended that the beam cross-section is at least 40mm and up to 70mm;
- knots will “lead” the logs later due to the heterogeneity of the wood, but trimmings without these defects can be used;
- a small number of cracks is acceptable, since this is a natural state for timber beams;
- * absence of fungi and germination on damaged areas of wood (quality indicator);
- It is better to immediately discard warped or “winged” bars or use the trimmings on short sections of the joist sheathing.
Attention: You can check the “winging” (screwing of a warped beam) with a plumb line or a thin elastic cord stretched along any wood edge.
How to cut fiberboard correctly?
When laying sheets of facing materials such as hardboard or plywood, you have to deal with the need for cutting, especially in the outer rows. Construction supermarkets offer such services, but they need exact dimensions of the room with its deviations from the norm, for example, not all angles are 90°.
Attention: Remember that it is better to make the sheets shorter - they will go under the baseboard, but it is very difficult to cut off the excess.
When cutting with a machine, the cutting of sheets is carried out most evenly and with a high-quality edge. If this is not possible, you will have to do it yourself:
- jigsaw;
- circular saw with a laser guide and disks for working on hardboard;
- universal construction tool for cutting building materials;
- grinder according to precise markings.
Tip: It is better to use a special homemade machine holding the grinder. Metal scissors will help you remove the edges a little. If you have no cutting experience, it is better to practice on an unnecessary piece, first studying the video at the end of the article.
Often it is necessary to trim sheets to make holes for pipes for radiators and plumbing, niches or wall projections. Special holes are made with a jigsaw, universal tool or a reliable, sharp knife. Take care of this tool in advance, for example, rent it. Prepare a template from cardboard and check everything on site; if everything is accurate, transfer the markings to the fiberboard.
Technology for laying logs and fiberboard on the floor
It is unacceptable to store fiberboard slabs and timber in a damp room; it is best to place the timber horizontally on the floor, and the sheets vertically along the wall in conditions close to room temperature.
The logs are laid on previously prepared surfaces - screed, self-leveling mixture or old wooden floors. As a rule, the method of laying fiberboard on a wooden floor is applicable both for leveling the surface and for updating the surface. If there are slight curvatures, differences in floor level from east to north or from west to east, a noticeable slope or obvious unevenness, then it is worth trying to either eliminate them or close them.
If you have no experience in how to lay fiberboard on a wooden floor, then you can ask for advice in the video. In many cases, you can turn to specialists to install the logs, and lay the fiberboard sheets yourself. However, there is nothing difficult about this if you have a tool, patience and experience working with wood. It is necessary to carefully inspect the entire surface of the old floor, and if fungus or mold is found there, it should not be left under the fiberboard sheets, otherwise over time they will “eat up” all the new floors. The remaining areas are treated with a special fungicidal primer or construction antiseptic for wood and other surfaces.
Tip: It’s also worth removing those boards that creak - don’t think that anything will change under the weight of the new floors. Sometimes, due to defects, a significant portion of the old wood flooring has to be cleared away. Don't worry - it will all be hidden under the joists and new cladding!
1. 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 method of installation, the old base must be thoroughly cleaned after sanding for primer. It must dry for at least 8-12 hours, depending on the composition and air temperature. Just after this, apply glue and lay down sheets of hardboard, pressing down with weights on the corners and edges.
2. In the design of the joists, special galvanized locknuts with a nylon ring are usually used, which prevents the nuts from moving along the thread.
The devices do not allow them to unwind and weaken the structure. When tightening the top locknuts, which secure the joists in the position required on a given area of the floor, they are slightly buried in the wood structure. Because of this, the surface level may be slightly lower than expected. By tightening the upper locknuts, trace the boundary laser level, taking into account this error. Experts also sometimes create 2 levels, an additional one under the locknut.
3. All logs are laid in a similar way - see the diagram:
Preliminary calculations for the interval between them and the floor level correlate:
- with a beam section;
- floor slope;
- sizes of hardboard sheets.
The bars are mounted directly to the old wooden base, and where there are no boards at the base, instead of them, pieces of timber or other pieces of wood are installed under the logs. It is not recommended to make partial sheathing of joists or leave gaps in the floor underneath them before laying fiberboard. Before laying them on the floor, it is worth recalling that for subfloors, as a substrate for linoleum, parquet or carpet, less expensive slabs with a small thickness, and for finishing - high-quality hardboard.
Attention: Purchased fiberboard sheets stand for 2-3 days in a living room - for acclimatization 2-3 days. Before sticking, you can lightly spray the back side with a spray bottle or treat it with a primer for better adhesion. When installing with nails, this is not necessary.
Features of fastening fiberboard to logs:
- the sheets are laid on the logs so that the seams meet on the bars;
- hardboard (fibreboard sheets) are nailed with screws, self-tapping screws or nails at intervals of about 100mm along the edge and at intervals of 120-150mm in the center;
- the next row does not fit tightly, with a small gap - about 2-3 mm;
- All parallel sheets are laid in the same way.
Features of fastening fiberboard with glue:
- assembly adhesive is applied to the entire surface of the sheet and is well distributed without smudges,
- the sheet should be soaked for 25-30 minutes;
- glue is also applied on top of the primer on the floor;
- the sheet is pressed down and checked horizontally.
Peculiarities finishing gender:
- it is important to remove all remnants of glue that has protruded into the cracks;
- large gaps between the sheets are sealed with putty or glued with reinforcing tape - under the subfloor;
- The fiberboard surface can be varnished or painted.
What is fiberboard and what types of boards exist, the pros and cons of the material, features of use and selection rules, technology for installing wood sheets on the floor using wooden logs, glue and mastic.
Description and types of fiberboard for floors
Fiberboard (Fiberboard) is a sheet building material. The front side of the product is smooth, the back side has a mesh structure.
The raw materials for the production of fiberboard are waste from sawmills and wood processing, firewood, as well as industrial chips. After steaming and grinding it, fibers are formed, which are scraps of wood tissue, individual cells, groups of cells. Fiberboard is made from wood fiber that is formed into a carpet.
Fiberboard can be of different densities. According to this criterion, the slabs are divided into the following groups:
- Soft fiberboard. Their density is not higher than 350 kg per cubic meter. Such slabs have high porosity, low density and are suitable for insulation work, insulation of floors and walls. They have low sound and thermal conductivity. They are divided into three types: M-1, M-2 and M-3.
- Semi-solid fiberboard. They have a density of at least 850 kg per cubic meter. They are used in the manufacture of furniture back walls and drawers.
- Solid fiberboard. Their density is 800-1000 kg per cubic meter. They have low porosity and are used in the production of panel doors and furniture. There are these types: T, T-S, T-P, T-SP.
- Super hard fiberboard. They have a density of at least 950 kg per cubic meter. Their porosity level is very low. Used in construction and for finishing works, creating partitions, flooring, in the manufacture of furniture, doors, temporary buildings. They have a smooth front side covered with paint, varnish or primer. In addition, the starting materials in the production of such boards are treated with pectol, which increases the strength of fiberboard by 20%.
As for thickness, this figure can vary from 2.5 to 40 millimeters, depending on the type of slab and its density. Fibreboard most often comes in thicknesses of 8, 12, 16 and 25 millimeters. These are slabs of medium and low density, which, as a rule, are not used for finishing work. Semi-solid slabs come in thicknesses of 6, 8 and 12 millimeters. Hard and super-hard fiberboards are produced in thicknesses of 2.5, 3.2, 4.5, 6 millimeters. Such materials can be used to cover walls and floors.
Advantages and disadvantages of fiberboard flooring
Fiberboard is often used as a laying material for subfloors. They are suitable for installation on almost all surfaces. If you follow certain rules, you can easily attach the sheets even to an old coating.
Laying fiberboard on the floor has many advantages:
- Low price of this building material. This type of rough flooring- budgetary, and expenses for installation work- minimal.
- No labor-intensive work - the process of laying slabs is very simple. Some problems may arise when installing joists, but to avoid them you need to carefully calculate the layout of the boards on the floor.
- Absolutely environmentally friendly slabs. The sheets are based on natural wood. Therefore, they can be used to create flooring in bedrooms, children’s and game rooms.
- Strength and durability of fiberboard, provided that boards of density corresponding to the loads are used. However, such a coating should not be subjected to heavy loads and should not be allowed to direct impact water on it.
- Low level of fire resistance. At the slightest interaction with fire, the coating will quickly ignite.
- Relatively low wear resistance. To strengthen the slabs, a finishing coating is applied so that they do not wear out and wear out so quickly. Besides finishing will add aesthetics to the flooring.
- Low level of moisture resistance. Fiberboard sheets tolerate moisture better than, for example, chipboard, but, nevertheless, it is not recommended to install them in the bathroom or kitchen, because the coating will quickly deform. For finishing in such rooms it is better to use aqua panels, gypsum fiber or moisture-resistant plywood.
Features of the use of wood boards
It is not recommended to lay fiberboard in rooms where water or aggressive chemicals can get on the boards. But today, thanks to the development of technology, the performance qualities of these boards are also improving, which helps to significantly expand the scope of use of the material.
Modern fiberboard flooring has excellent performance characteristics, but it is worth noting some minor limitations when installing indoors:
- It can be laid in dry rooms with a low level of humidity (no more than 60%) and temperatures above +10 degrees.
- The slabs must not be placed on the floor in rooms where they will be exposed to heavy power load, for example, in shops or warehouses. At mechanical impact such flooring will quickly collapse.
- Wood boards are practically not used as a finished floor, but they are excellent for rough flooring. Fiberboard flooring is an ideal basis for laying parquet and laminate flooring. These slabs can also be used to level or insulate the floor.
Remember about the safety of using slabs: if you purchased them more than twenty years ago, and before that they were stored in an unintended place, the material may be dangerous. Previously, the technology for manufacturing fiberboard sheets was different. To make the fibers in the boards stick together better, unsafe products were used. Such slabs cannot be installed in a residential building!
How to choose the right fiberboard for the floor
To buy quality material, you need to know several basic criteria for choosing slabs:
- Be sure to check the fiberboard certificate for the presence of harmful components. Some manufacturers, in order to improve density and moisture resistance, add to the composition of the boards (or rather to their fibers) hazardous components eg formaldehyde. The presence of this substance indicates that the material is not intended for installation in residential premises. This is extremely dangerous! It is almost impossible to determine by eye whether the panels contain this component. Therefore, ask the consultant for documents for building materials. They must clearly indicate that the fiberboards have passed sanitary and epidemiological control. When purchasing, choose trusted manufacturers.
- Carefully inspect each wood panel, there should be no visible production or transportation damage or defects. Manufacturing defects include oil or paraffin stains, blisters and blisters on the surface of the boards. The only drawback that is allowed on fiberboard sheets is a small stain no larger than two centimeters in size. Remember that when combined with oil or paraffin stains, the panels become flammable.
- Please pay Special attention on technical specifications material and marking of sheets. So that it can be long time to operate, thickness and density are important wood boards. The level of moisture resistance is also important. All fiberboards should be selected according to technical indicators, based on the room in which you will be placing them.
Technology for installing fiberboard on logs
If you lay wood boards on logs, the floor will be warmer than when working with screeds. Also, when working with this type of flooring, traces of attaching fiberboard to the joists will be practically invisible.
Preparatory work before laying fiberboard
Before laying fiberboard on the floor, it is necessary to carry out some preparatory work according to the following scheme:
- As soon as you bring the panels into the room, moisten them with a small amount of water and stack them on top of each other. Installation can begin the next day. This way you will protect the material from possible deformation.
- Next, if necessary, we dismantle the old covering and baseboards. All paint must be removed from the floor and all debris must be removed.
- We fill the resulting gaps between the coating and the wall using polyurethane foam. After it hardens, cut off the protruding residues.
- The cracks can also be sealed with putty for moving bases.
- We examine the old floor covering for the presence of fungus or mold; if necessary, we replace these places, since in no case should they remain under the new panels. After replacing the damaged areas, treat the surface with a fungicidal primer or a special antiseptic solution for wooden materials.
Installing joists on the floor
With the help of logs you can correct a slight curvature of the floor, level out its differences, slopes or unevenness. It is recommended to pre-treat them with special compounds that will protect them from pests, fungi and rot.
They need to be fastened according to this scheme:
- We install dry and even beams about 30-50 millimeters thick on the main covering in increments of about 50 centimeters.
- All logs must be positioned strictly horizontally. You can check their evenness using a building level or a long ruler.
- When assembling the joists, we use special zinc locknuts, which will prevent the fasteners from moving freely along the threads. Thanks to these devices, the nuts will not unscrew and weaken the entire structure. The locknut itself should go slightly deeper into the wood structure.
- We fix the bars onto the old coating, and where wooden boards missing, we place pieces of timber or pieces of wood under the joists.
Rules for attaching fiberboard to joists
It is recommended to start installing slabs on logs from the corner opposite the entrance to the room. Before laying fiberboard on the floor, study the work diagram:
- We attach the fiberboard to the joists using screws, self-tapping screws or nails. The step is about a centimeter along the edge and one and a half centimeters in the center.
- Do not forget to leave 5-10 millimeters between the wall and the coating thermal expansion. In the future it will be possible to cover it with a plinth.
- The seams of the slabs must necessarily meet on the bars.
- The next row of material should fit tightly, leaving a small gap of a maximum of two to three millimeters.
- All subsequent panels in rows are laid in a similar manner.
Technology of laying fiberboard on glue
Wood boards can be installed on a pre-leveled base surface using glue. Preparatory stage in this case, it is identical to that which preceded the installation of fiberboard on the logs.
We work according to the instructions:
- We apply the glue to the entire surface of the material; it should be well and evenly distributed, without spreading.
- Give the sheets 30-40 minutes to dry.
- We also apply the adhesive composition to the previously primed and well-dried surface of the base.
- Press the sheet horizontally.
- We press the next product tightly to the previous one.
- Be sure to check each fixed sheet for evenness and horizontality using a level.
Note! When laying the next row of fiberboard, you need to offset the joints of the slabs by 40-50 centimeters in relation to the previous row. This will give the floor more strength and the load will be evenly distributed.
Technology for fixing fiberboard using mastic
Installation of slabs on concrete screed much easier than using logs. But most importantly, such installation must be carried out perfectly. flat surface. If the base has slight unevenness, then they must be leveled using cement mortar. For laying on a concrete floor, durable and thick fiberboard is used. You will also need mastic for the job.
We carry out installation according to the following scheme:
- Carefully prime the surface of the screed.
- Half an hour before the start of the installation process, apply cold mastic on the underside of the wood boards and leave them aside.
- We immediately treat the entire surface of the screed with mastic. The thickness of the composition should not be more than 0.6 mm.
- Hot mastic Apply immediately before fixing so that it does not have time to cool. The layer of the product is no more than one millimeter; we level it over the surface of the sheet and screed using a rubber comb.
- The final stage of installation is to press the fiberboard tightly to the base.
Features of finishing fiberboard flooring
Final treatment of fiberboard floors helps to increase the service life of the slabs. The main thing is to carefully prepare the surface so that it is perfectly smooth and even, since it will be impossible to correct defects after painting.
We work according to the following instructions:
- We clean the floor from any remaining glue or primer.
- We close all gaps between the panels using putty or reinforcing tape.
- Carefully sand all seams with fine sandpaper.
- If there are stains, we treat them with a degreaser.
- Remove all dust from the surface using a vacuum cleaner.
- We cover the slabs with paint or varnish in two layers. Apply using a spray gun, roller or brush.
Using wood boards you can assemble high-quality flooring with a minimum of effort. Before leveling the fiberboard floor, it is necessary to carefully study the technical characteristics of the slabs and select the appropriate material for the room being repaired, and then all that remains is to follow the technology for performing installation work.
When carrying out renovations of residential and office premises It is often impossible to do without leveling the floor before laying linoleum, laminate or other covering.
Among various methods Leveling the fiberboard floor is quite popular.
Despite the fact that experts note some disadvantages of using this method, it also has a number of advantages that can play a decisive role when planning repair work.
Methods for leveling floors
The alignment method may vary. This depends on the characteristics of the operation of the premises, the acceptable time frame for completing the work, the budget and other factors, such as the angle of the floor. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Screed made with cement mortar is considered the most thorough, but it requires significant volumes preparatory work and enough time, because cement mortar It takes a long time to dry and may take up to 28 days to completely harden. If the surface slope is small, up to 30 mm, you can get by with self-leveling systems. They are able to smooth out any flaws. The drying time of the system does not exceed 2 days, but working with them requires certain skills from the craftsmen. The temperature of the finished surface is always slightly colder than the air temperature in the room, which causes some discomfort. Another disadvantage of bulk mixtures is the price: they are not cheap.
Among dry methods, we can note leveling using ready-made gypsum fiber sheets, which allow you to work even with surface height differences of up to 100 mm. GVLV has only one drawback, but a very significant one - high price. Another option is to use wooden frame, on which chipboard, plywood or sanded wooden boards are then laid. Fiberboard can also be chosen as a floor leveling material.
The advantages of such floor leveling, compared to cement mortar or self-leveling systems, are speed of installation, low sound permeability and good thermal insulation. Let's look at the last method in more detail.
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Share onAmong different options Leveling and finishing the floor is as cheap and simple as possible. One of them is laying fiberboard on the floor. It's practical and affordable option, which will eliminate minor unevenness from the surface. Fiberboard has its own characteristics and contraindications for use - all this, as well as how to properly lay the material, will be discussed in this article.
Fiberboard as a material is known to everyone. The sheets are used for upholstering the back wall of cabinet furniture and for various other purposes. Fiberboard is a sheet product made from waste from wood processing plants. This waste is steamed, ground, mixed with resins, water repellents and antiseptics, and pressed under high pressure. The result is flat and even, but at the same time quite soft sheets.
On a note! The abbreviation “Fibreboard” is simply deciphered - it is wood-fiber board.
The dimensions of the fiberboard sheet are standard - 3.2x1700x2745 mm, although the thickness can vary from 2.5 to 4 mm. On the front side the material is smooth, and on the back it is rough to the touch, having a mesh pattern, which appears due to the fact that during production the material is laid and dried on a special mesh with small cells. There is always a demand for fiberboard; you can purchase sheets at any construction or hardware store.
Fiberboard is also used for finishing and leveling floors. It can be found especially often in older apartments and houses, where the subfloor is usually made of wood rather than concrete. Here it acts as a leveling material before laying finishing floor coverings - carpet, linoleum, etc. Fibreboard can also act directly as finishing material, however, it requires the application of a final decorative layer - for example, paint.
Description and types of fiberboard for floors
There are several types of fiberboard. They mainly differ from each other in terms of density.
Table. Main types of fiberboard.
| Types | Characteristics and description |
|---|---|
| These types of fiberboard have a low density - it is no more than 350 kg/m3. They do not have good soundproofing properties. Typically, such sheets are used as the back walls of cabinet furniture, used to make the bottom of furniture boxes, etc. Types of soft fiberboard: M1, M2, M3. |
| The density of these types of wood sheets is already higher - at least 850 kg/m3. Likewise soft species, these fiberboards are used in the manufacture of furniture, but are more durable and less flexible. Marked with the abbreviation NT. |
| The density of these sheets ranges from 850-1000 kg/m3. They are low-porous and can be used in the production of certain types of doors, as well as for the manufacture of furniture. Types: T, T-S, T-P, T-SP; T has a regular coating, T-S has outer side covered wood fibers, T-P sheets painted, T-SP also have a slight tint. There are also T-B sheets, which are highly resistant to moisture, and do not have tinting on the front side. |
| Sheets with a maximum density of over 1000 kg/m3. Raw materials are necessarily treated with pectol, a substance that increases their strength by 20%. It is these sheets that are used in construction: they are used to create partitions, cover floors or sheathe walls, and are used for various finishing works. Also suitable for making furniture and door leaf. The front side can be coated with paint, primer, or varnish. They are marked as ST, which has a standard front side, and ST-S, which has a finely dispersed front layer. |
Fiberboard brands T, T-S, T-P, T-SP may be marked with a quality group (A or B), their front side may be of the 1st or 2nd grade. By the way, T is hardboard, which is produced using the wet method. Hardboard can be used for wall cladding, as a backing for laminate and other floor coverings, for sound insulation and thermal insulation of floors, and room finishing.
Advantages and disadvantages of fiberboard flooring
Fiberboard is often used to level a subfloor or base and is suitable for almost all surfaces. This material has a lot of advantages, which is why it is in great demand.
Advantages of laying fiberboard on a subfloor.
Disadvantages of fiberboard as a floor covering.
- The material is afraid of water. When moisture gets in, the fiberboard begins to deform - it bulges and swells. Thus, the sheet completely loses its appearance, the paint on it and other finishing coatings are also deformed. Fiberboard cannot be used in the kitchen or bathroom.
- Fragility. If there are cavities under the fiberboard sheets, then under strong mechanical stress the material is easily destroyed. It also breaks easily when the sheet is strongly bent.
- High fire hazard. In the event of a fire, the fiberboard will quickly be engulfed in flames and burn.
- The front side wears out quickly. If the fiberboard is not covered with finishing material, it quickly peels off and loses its appearance.
- If fiberboard sheets are laid in an unheated and damp room, then they become deformed and begin to peel off.
How to choose the right fiberboard for the floor
In order for the final work to please the owner for a long time and serve without complaints, it is important to approach the choice of material responsibly and buy a high-quality option. There are several criteria that will allow you to choose fiberboard that is ideal in each specific case.
