How to dismantle an old wooden floor. Repairing the floor in an apartment: step-by-step creation with your own hands. Removing old coating

Updating or replacing an old, worn-out floor in an apartment is one of the most labor-intensive operations in the overall renovation process. Just imagining the scale and cost of what is to come, many homeowners very often refuse to repair floors, limiting themselves only to changing decorative covering on them. But time takes its toll, and sooner or later a moment comes when it becomes simply impossible to delay such work.

In this case, it is not at all necessary to immediately look for a team of craftsmen - especially since in such a service sector you can very often meet outright “hack workers”. As a result, everything can result in a completely unnecessary waste of time, nerves and money with a low-quality result. Why not try it yourself? If the owner has certain skills in civil works, and if you do it in the apartment with your own hands step by step, in compliance with the recommended technological rules, then everything should work out!

The stages of repair, of course, depend on the type of floors, their original condition, the purpose of the premises in which the work is being carried out, and the type of finishing coating. This publication will discuss several of the most common options.

The initial stage is to decide on the scope of work

Since the owner of the apartment is thinking about renovating the floor, then, most likely, there are motivating reasons for this, unless, of course, this is a cosmetic replacement of the covering at the next whim of the wife. Therefore, first you need to identify and clearly formulate problems - the entire scale of further preparatory and repair work.

This publication is about a city apartment, and in the vast majority multi-storey buildings any floor has a base in the form of a reinforced concrete floor slab. But further design may differ significantly. The floor can be built on joists fixed to the base, or laid directly on a concrete screed.

• A wooden floor on joists usually begins to show its defects with creaking, instability of the coating - the floorboards “play” underfoot, the appearance unpleasant odor rot, formation and gradual expansion of cracks. It’s even worse if suddenly one of the boards cracks or a fragment of it falls down.

• An old screed on which a coating is laid can also begin to present surprises due to “old age,” especially if it was once filled with low quality. So, it is also possible that there may be obvious creaks and rustling sounds from sand or small stones, “bumping” of the screed, the appearance of dented areas of the surface, disruption of the evenness of the finishing coating, and sometimes obvious instability of an entire large fragment.

In any case, if there are obvious defects, remove the old coating.

Removing old coating

• All furniture will need to be removed from the room, completely freeing it for further work. If the renovation is not carried out in the entire apartment at once, but from room to room, it will be necessary to provide protection against the spread of dust, for example, by covering the entrance with a thick curtain polyethylene film or a frequently moistened cloth, and cover the gap under the door with a roller made of a wet rag. True, the full effectiveness of this method is very doubtful, and best option However, it is necessary to provide for the resettlement of family members during the renovation. However, a barrier to dust is necessary in any case.
• Next, the old baseboards are removed. They do this carefully so as not to damage the lower part of the walls to which they are attached. If the skirting boards are intended to be used further, they are numbered according to their location and temporarily removed.

If anyone has not encountered this issue before, we can remind you that the baseboards are attached to the wall, and not to the floor surface, that is, you need to correctly direct the lever force. It will be easier if the baseboards are secured with self-tapping screws or special brackets.

The next step is actually removing the old coating. There are several options here:

A. If the floor is covered with some kind of roll material, then they pry it off from one side and try to carefully roll it into a roll - this will make it easier to take it out. If the covering (for example, linoleum or carpet) was once laid without glue, directly on a concrete screed, this will not be difficult to do. You can first make it sharp to make things easier construction knife parallel cuts, thereby dividing the entire canvas into several narrower strips.

But there are often situations in which old material comes off along with the layers of peeled screed. Then you will have to remove it in fragments and immediately take it out of the room along with pieces of concrete so that this construction debris does not interfere further work.

It happens that once well-glued linoleum, when removed, begins to delaminate itself, leaving dried layers on the screed. In this case, you will have to work with a scraper (spatula), warming up these areas using construction hair dryer or moisturizing old adhesive layer solution detergent for floors.

B. Old “playing” parquet can cause more trouble. If it is of no value, then its dies are sequentially removed and immediately loaded into bags, which are taken out as they are filled. If parquet was once glued to bitumen mastic or organic-based glue, then removing individual dies or even entire fragments can be difficult. The “recipe” is the same - scraper, chisel and heating with a hairdryer.

IN. To remove the old one tiles, it is most convenient to use a hammer drill switched to chiselling mode with a spade chisel installed. If such a tool is not available, then everything is done manually, using a hammer and chisel.

G. When removing a plank floor covering, the most difficult thing is probably to pick up and separate the first floorboard. Then, when you can freely move the lever, work will go faster. To work, you will need a nail puller with a long lever handle, a hammer, and pliers. You should try to remove the nails carefully, without destroying the boards, since, quite possibly, this material will still be used for a new flooring after repairs or for making joists.

If the old coating was attached with screws (self-tapping screws), then you can try to dismantle it using a screwdriver.

Well, what if plank covering is no longer of any value, then the most convenient way would be to make cuts using a manual vertical circular saw (carefully and prudently so as not to catch concrete base, do not damage the joists and do not “run into” a nail). After separating the long floorboards this way, removing them will be an easy task.

Is it worth removing the entire plank floor covering if obvious defects were observed only in certain areas, and there are no plans to replace it with a different type of surface finish? Of course, you can limit yourself to only partial repairs - replacing worn out or damaged parts. But experts unanimously advise - remove everything completely. There is no guarantee that if the deterioration process has manifested itself in one area of ​​the floor, then it will not show itself in another in a year, or even earlier. It will be cheaper to renew the base and re-lay the floor, even using old material, than to return to such repairs again after a short period.

Conducting a foundation audit

After the floor covering has been removed, it is necessary to carefully inspect the base.

• If there are logs left on the floor and you plan to re-lay the plank flooring, you should carefully check the condition of these load-bearing elements and the supports on which they are installed. Log beams should not have areas of decomposition, rottenness, or fungal damage - such parts are subject to mandatory replacement. Each joist is checked under load - it should not dangle, sag, creak, etc. If necessary, update the linings that hold the guide at the desired height.

If the condition of the joists does not cause concern, then after thorough cleaning, a new coating can be laid in the spaces between them. Most old floorboards will probably work just fine. After such a bulkhead, the floor will stop creaking and gain the necessary stability. If required, you can lay between the joists thermal insulation material, which will also take on the role of a sound insulator.

However, on the old wooden floor very often the logs themselves are quite worn out, and their repair is impossible or does not guarantee durability. In this case, they will have to be dismantled in order to subsequently install new ones. When removing the joists, remember that they may be quite firmly attached to the base base. You need to be careful and careful to prevent severe destruction of the concrete base and not add unnecessary worries to its restoration.

After removing the joists, the subfloor is cleaned as thoroughly as possible so that you can move on to further steps.

In the case when, after removing the old topcoat, underneath it opens concrete screed, she will be examined most thoroughly. You need to trust that the concrete is strong in itself, and repairing such a surface is not necessary.

The screed must be tapped - this will help to remove areas of its detachment, which must be removed to a “healthy” base. The surface is checked for the presence of loose areas, those where, due to a violation of the pouring technology, the solution has not gained strength or has been eroded due to exposure to moisture. Such areas also require cleaning.

Large cracks should not be left on the surface - this may continue the process of destructuring the base. Slots and cracks must be cut in width and depth by at least 10 - 15 mm for subsequent repairs.

Sometimes, after removing unstable sections of concrete, a completely unsightly picture is revealed, such as, for example, shown in the photograph. However, this too is completely repairable.

After removing defective areas and cutting out cracks, a thorough cleaning is carried out. It is best to use a powerful construction vacuum cleaner in this matter - using other means to thoroughly clean the surface and formed cavities from small debris and dust is extremely difficult.

Sometimes you have to resort to complete dismantling of the entire screed down to the floor slab. This may be caused by the extremely low quality of the coating, which is impractical to repair, but it is better to completely refill it. Often, mold or mildew finds refuge in screeds in damp rooms. Another option is when the floors require additional insulation and sound insulation, and ceiling heights and dimensions doorways in the apartment will not allow raising the level of coverage (taking into account the thermal insulation layer and finishing). The same measure is resorted to when it is planned to make a wooden floor on joists instead of thin coverings.

Of course, the process complete dismantling ties using a breaker tool are very tedious, noisy and dusty, but no other method has yet been invented. This requires some care to avoid damaging the concrete floor slab. The screed is cut into separate pieces, which are immediately shoveled to the side and packed into bags for removal. It is not recommended to use even small fragments as material for filling a new solution, since they will not enhance, but rather worsen the quality.

After removing the old screed, thoroughly clean the surface - as described above.

Base surface repair

Whatever the floor was, it was not planned for the flooring in the future; the concrete base under it needs to be put in order. Thus, poorly sealed seams between floor slabs, cracks around the perimeter of walls, potholes or cavities, etc. may be exposed.

Such repairs are necessary even if it is planned to fill a new one. The solution may not penetrate into these flaws; air cavities will remain there, reducing the solidity of the coating and becoming the starting point for the destruction of the screed. This is especially important and mandatory if the screed will be poured onto a separating layer or onto waterproofing film(floating screed).

All surface defects must be thoroughly cleaned, if necessary (for example, slab joints) cut, and then even the smallest chips and dust removed with a vacuum cleaner.

The next step is to thoroughly scrub the surface at least twice, which is specifically for concrete.

This treatment will significantly strengthen the surface, which is especially important when it is loose, will increase the hydrophobic qualities, reduce the absorption of concrete, and improve adhesion with repair compounds. Further work begins after the last applied layer of soil is completely absorbed and dry.

As a repair composition, you can use ordinary cement-sand mortar. However, it takes quite a long time to dry and gain the required strength, and it is better not to waste money on special repair compounds, also cement-based or epoxy-based.

Primed surface defects are filled as tightly as possible with the repair compound, comparing with the general floor level. You can use a regular spatula for this. Some repair compounds are sold in plastic tubes, and it will be more convenient to apply them using a construction syringe or a special “gun”.

If the defect is large in volume, then in some cases you can resort to filling it polyurethane foam. After it dries, the excess is cut off, and then this area is brought to general level surfaces.

The repair “patches” are given time to completely harden, in accordance with their instructions, after which the surface can be smoothed using sandpaper wrapped on a block. Then it is recommended to go over the entire surface with primer again. If increased absorption of the composition is noted in areas where repairs are being carried out, then these areas are primed twice.

After the soil has dried, the surface can be considered ready for further work.

Leveling screed

If it was removed old screed or a wooden floor, and the floor slab has opened, then, most likely, its level is very far from horizontal. The house shrank over time, and even when it was built many years ago, the builders may not have cared much about the strictly verified level of floors. So, no matter what the floor was, it was not planned to do anything further, it is recommended to strengthen the base and at the same time level it with a screed. The thickness of this poured layer must be at least 30 mm at the highest point

First of all, it is necessary to determine the magnitude of the difference, that is, to identify the peak, highest and lowest points of the surface and “break through” the zero level line. The beacon system will be set at this mark.

To fill the screed, you can use a regular cement-sand mortar, which is prepared directly at the work site. Usually they start from the proportion of three parts of sand to one of M-400 cement - this ratio provides a surface that is optimal in terms of strength and wear resistance, on which any of the existing floor coverings can then be installed.

Those novice builders who do not want to deal with drawing up proportions on their own can be recommended to use ready-made dry construction mixtures. Their composition has already been optimized for screed, and all that remains is to properly seal it with water, in accordance with the attached instructions.

How much materials will be needed in this or that case? It all depends on the level of height difference in extreme points, the planned minimum thickness of the screed, the area of ​​the room, the characteristics of the solution.

Usually on the packaging of dry building mixtures their normalized consumption is indicated in kilograms per 1 square meter poured area with a layer thickness of 10 mm. Based on this, you can use simple calculations to determine the required amount of material.

To make the task easier for readers, here is a calculator that allows you to quickly and accurately make such calculations.

When the apartment has an ugly, shabby floor, the whole impression is good repair or beautiful furniture will be lost. But such work - replacing the floor covering - is a very labor-intensive process, which is not easy to decide on. But a simple change of decorative coating will only give the result of a cosmetic update. Invisible processes will continue and, as a result, you will have to spend much more effort and money to restore the damaged coating. Let us consider in detail the algorithm for repairing the floor in a home and the procedure for carrying out the procedure on our own.

How to repair the floor in an apartment on a concrete base

If the floor covering is laid not on logs, but on a concrete base, pay attention to the advice of specialists. If the floor covering is worn out and requires replacement, then it is necessary to carry out the following manipulations:

• Whatever material the floor is based on, damaged fragments must be removed. If it's linoleum, there is interesting way make a patch from a new one. To do this, the old piece must be attached to the roll and the patch cut along the border.
• Any tile that moves or has fallen off should be removed.
• The places from which damaged fragments were removed must be cleared of debris and dust. Carefully using auxiliary tools, clean the surface of old material.
• The substrate may be damaged, in which case it is necessary to prepare a new solution and troubleshoot the problem.
• After the concrete has dried, you can lay patches, be it linoleum, tiles or other material. For this, glue, mortar or other necessary mixture is used.

Sometimes it happens that the entire concrete base requires restoration. In this case, it is necessary to perform a screed. If the surface of the concrete base is uneven, lumpy, then it should be leveled, this will affect finishing coat and ruin it. Linoleum will become unusable and may tear, repeating the bends concrete covering, the tiles will wobble due to different floor levels.

Methods for repairing the floor in an apartment

To avoid such troubles, you should level the surface concrete slabs on which the floor covering will be laid. This should be done like this:

• first you need to remove the old coating, if any, the substrate, residues construction waste and dust;
• ideally, the base of the floor must be waterproofed, it is laid overlapping and strengthened along the walls;
• if you do not use waterproofing, you need to consider this important point - concrete mortar should be poured onto a pre-moistened surface, this will allow the material to “grab” better;
• when leveling the surface, to make it ideally even, beacons and a building level should be used;
• After the concrete surface has dried, it is covered with any material.

When repairing a wooden floor covering, it is necessary to inspect the entire floor and remove damaged boards. The floor area is treated with special solutions against fungus; those areas that are exposed to moisture are protected from water using special waterproofing materials. If cracks have formed as a result of the wood drying out, the following work must be done:

• grind the surface with special equipment;
• prime and clean the cracks;
• cover the floor surface with nitro varnish;
• After the solution has dried, cover it with a finishing substance.

If the laminate has become unusable or ceramic tiles, you should try to disguise minor damage. A wax pencil can restore scratches on laminate flooring. Specially developed pastes mask minor defects. If the laminate is swollen or damaged, it must be replaced. If chips and cracks form on the tiles, you can try to use cement laitance and hide the defects. But if the damage is significant and affects the aesthetic appearance of the room, the tiles need to be replaced.

When repairing linoleum on your own, you must remember that it is possible to repair the floor surface of such a material.

If the linoleum is swollen, cracked or torn, you can do this:

• inject glue with a syringe into the damaged area;
• place the load and let it sit for several days;
• If the result is not satisfactory, replace the area with a new one.

If the carpet fails, spare parts should be used:

• cut out the damaged area, glue a patch;
• edges are processed special glue to prevent fraying;
• Ideally, it is worth considering the pattern and direction of the fibers.

For stone flooring, the following steps must be taken:

• cracks and chips are leveled using grinding equipment, after which the surface is polished;
• polishing helps make the coating protected from dirt;
• You can perform such actions with the result when the cracking depth is no more than half a centimeter.

Complete replacement of the floor in the apartment

If you have decided to completely replace the floor covering in your apartment and even change the material, pay attention to a new product on the construction market - OSB panels. Replacement wooden version from boards to floors made from this material is a fairly practical result. Floor coverings made from OSB boards deserve attention, as the flooring is of high quality, durable and practical. The surface is not afraid of moisture and does not accumulate it inside. Using plates, you can achieve the following result:

• perfectly level the surface, which allows you to use any, even the most delicate and sensitive coating;
• high sound insulation allows you to absorb noise;
• two tasks are solved simultaneously - insulation and waterproofing are performed.

Use OSB boards It is possible both on a cement floor and on logs. Coating with the material is not difficult. The panels are easy to cut to required sizes. For work you should prepare the tool:

• plane;
• rubber hammer;
• building level;
• electromill.

Plates can be finishing surface or a base for any material.

Advantage using OSB- slabs, is:

• ease of operation;
• one slab can cover large area rooms;
• speed of laying the coating;
• resistance to mechanical stress.

Instructions for repairing the floor in an apartment

After making a decision to replace the floor or overhaul it, it is necessary to decide on the scale of the work and the plan of repair activities. If we are talking about replacing the floor surface in an apartment, it should be noted that the basis is reinforced concrete slab ceilings Then there may be differences: in some apartments the floor covering is located on joists, in others it is laid on a concrete screed.

Wooden floors are susceptible to decay and wear. The first manifestations are considered to be creaking, “loosening” of some boards, there may be a smell of dampness, and gaps between fragments of the floor.

Not only the top coating can deteriorate, but also the screed, especially if the quality of the work was not the best high level. An extraneous sound may appear when moving, or the coating may “walk.”

A set of manifestations indicate the need for gender replacement.

Repair work on wood flooring

Provided that the coating defects are minor, you can partially replace the floor material:

• The surface is cleaned of the old layer of paint or varnish. This is easier to do with the help of a special technique - a grinding machine.
• Damaged boards should be removed.
• After this, the entire floor surface is checked for quality nailing. Pull out old, deformed boards so that the boards hold well; it is recommended to use self-tapping screws.
• If there are small distances between the boards, the cracks are sealed with putty for wooden surfaces; you can cover the places where the nails enter the base of the floor.
• If the gaps are large, you can fill the gaps with wood chips, cover them with putty, and rub the restoration area.
• After the putty material has dried, the floors are sanded manually or using a machine.
• When the work is completed, the floor surface is covered with paint or varnish.

Do-it-yourself floor repair when floorboards creak

You can restore the floor in an apartment, provided that the floorboards are fastened together, in this way:

• first you need to listen to which area of ​​the room the creaking is heard;
• between the board and the beam you need to hammer in wedges;
• this must be done carefully so as not to loosen the floorboard;
• a place for screws is drilled in the floor boards, they are screwed at a slight angle and the beam is screwed in;
• These manipulations can get rid of annoying squeaking.

If you only need to restore appearance coating, this can be done quickly and easily:

• if it is not possible to remove the furniture and vacate the room, the repair work will be carried out in two stages: first on one side of the room, then the furniture is moved to the renovated part of the room and the second half of the room is repaired;
• Now you need to use a machine for scraping the floor, there is no point in buying equipment just for once, you can rent it for the duration of the work;
• you can do this work manually, but you will spend a lot of effort, time and sandpaper;
• after sealing small seams and final leveling, I varnish the cleanly wiped and dry floor;
• It is recommended to use two to three layers of varnish, first allow time for the layer to dry.

Partial restoration of the floor in the apartment will allow you to get rid of the defect and not spend money on its elimination large quantity time.

Removing old flooring

Before starting work, it is necessary to empty the room completely: remove furniture, remove paintings, and, if possible, lamps and chandeliers. The work is very dusty and if it is carried out in stages, then reliable and hermetically sealed dust protection should be provided for other rooms. It’s good if the room has a door, but it is advisable to cover it with an additional damp cloth and place a roller underneath. This will help protect the rest of the rooms a little from the spread of dust. This will not have any particular effect, and if other family members live in the apartment, it is better to move them to another place during the renovation work.

The procedure for dismantling the floor covering is as follows:

• in the room from which the furniture has been removed, the baseboards are dismantled; this must be done carefully so as not to damage the surface of the walls to which they are partially attached;
• after dismantling the baseboards, they begin to remove the old floor covering;
• if the material roll type(carpet, linoleum), laid without the help of glue, then it is carefully rolled up, but most often the material is removed with fragments of the screed, in this case the covering is removed in sections and the room is immediately cleared of debris;
• if the material has been glued and is difficult to remove from the base, it is necessary to use additional tools to help remove the coating;
• old parquet, which can no longer be scraped and restored, is removed piece by piece and taken out of the room if the material was glued to special solutions, then the process of dismantling the parquet can be difficult, in which case it is also recommended to use auxiliary tools;
• tiles are removed using a hammer and chisel; if you can rent a hammer drill, the dismantling process will be much easier;
• if the floor consists of wooden boards, the most difficult thing when removing the covering will be the removal of the first floorboard; using a hammer, nail puller and pliers you can dismantle the board covering, perhaps not all the material will be intended for disposal, you will have to sort it in parallel.

The most common question that arises when restoring a floor is whether it is worth dismantling the entire coating if the material is fragmented. If you have started such a global undertaking, you need to completely replace the coating. It is possible that the process of rotting or destruction has affected all areas of the floor, but so far this is not visually noticeable. To avoid having to dismantle the covering again after some time, spend time and energy on a global restoration of the entire room.

Even an inexperienced builder can carry out floor repairs in an apartment with his own hands. Step by step instructions in the video will help you understand such concepts as partial and complete replacement coverage for repairs. After watching the video, there will be no questions left regarding the correct replacement of the ceiling or restoration of the surface.

Replacing flooring is not always justified financially and technically. Firstly, installation is usually carried out by permanent fixation, and removing the floorboards without breaking them will be problematic. Secondly, wood making the right choice and processing, it can “lie” for quite a long time. Repairing a wooden floor without dismantling it in this case will be the only way out of the situation.

Causes of cracking and places where defects appear

The main problem with a wooden floor is the time costs that affect the integrity of the wood. Floors laid in compliance with the technology, but not dried to the required condition, will crack over time. This defect can be corrected without dismantling.

The second problem may be the delamination of wood in the places where the annual rings are patterned. In this case, grinding the surface, followed by treatment with penetrating compounds, helps.

Another disadvantage is the discrepancy of the floorboards. This is also due to wood shrinkage. The problem appears at the joints of the boards. And in this regard, it will be impossible to repair a wooden floor without dismantling it.

As a rule, the latter problem is identified due to improper installation of the wooden floor. Many people resort to repairs by opening the flooring and changing the array of boards, or fitting old elements more tightly.

Options for repairing a wooden floor without dismantling - sanding the boards

The easiest option for correcting minor defects in the form of cracks that appear after wood has dried is to grind the surface. To do this you will need an electric machine. It will be very difficult to do the manipulations manually.

The repair process is as follows:

• First, you need to put coarse sandpaper on the machine and treat the surface of the boards with it;
• then all the dust is removed with a vacuum cleaner, and the process is repeated, only with fine sandpaper.

In this way, minor defects can be corrected without dismantling the flooring. The shavings produced by sanding will clog the cracks, and all you have to do is clean the floor surface, varnish or paint it.

Repairing cracks with wood putty

If the cracks in the floorboards are large, you can repair the flooring with putty without dismantling the boards. In specialized stores you can find great variety compositions.

Before use, the floor surface is prepared for repair. Dirt and dust are removed and sanded. It would be better to “walk” grinder With sandpaper small fraction.

After cleaning, the surface is treated with a vacuum cleaner. Problem areas are cleaned with a chisel. Need to expand a little large gaps so that the putty “sticks” better in them. The work is labor-intensive, but still the process is more gentle than dismantling the old floor and replacing it.

The putty is applied in several approaches. First it gets coated surface layer, then, after the mixture has hardened, it is necessary to process the cracks again. When the material dries, the surface is sanded and treated with paint or varnish.

To seal small cracks, you can prepare your own putty. For this you will need:

• 1 liter of water;
• 0.25 kg wood glue;
• fine sawdust.

Heat the water a little, gradually adding all the ingredients to it in portions. When the mixture takes the form of a thick putty, it can be used to seal problem areas.

Sealing large gaps

If, due to wear, large gaps have formed in the boards, they can be repaired without dismantling by cutting planks of the appropriate size. A piece of wood is taken. According to the length of the slot, a strip tapering downwards is cut out. If necessary, the insert can be worked on locally.

Then, after smearing the insert with PVA glue, it is applied to the crack and hammered in with a mallet until it stops. If the element protrudes above the surface, the board is sanded and treated with penetrating compounds.

Round potholes in a wooden floor can be repaired in the same way. Usually these are manifestations of low-quality material. Knotty places can also be subject to repair.

To eliminate such defects without dismantling, you need to drill out the affected area and sharpen a wedge made of wood. Then, having lubricated the end with glue, hammer it all the way into floorboard. The protruding part is cut off with a hacksaw. Next, grinding and treatment with repair compounds is carried out.

When is it necessary to rearrange an array?

Without dismantling, repairing a wooden floor will be impossible if large potholes have formed on the surface, or if the board is noticeably twisted due to cyclical temperature changes. But such a manifestation can only be observed in rooms that are not heated in winter.

Creaks when walking, deflections between joists - all this indicates that it is necessary major renovation floor, with dismantling of the flooring. With the proper approach, it will be possible to remove the array, and, having processed it, put it back, adjusting it closer to each other.

Wooden floors are considered a fairly durable and reliable coating. However, due to its hygroscopicity, wood is exposed to moisture. In summer, at elevated temperatures and humidity, it swells. And in winter it dries out. This causes cracks to form between the floorboards. Over time, the boards become rotten. Furniture causes dents and scratches on the surface of a wooden floor. The paint is peeling. Spilled chemicals leave a mark. Therefore, the coating has to be periodically restored. And what can we say about old houses that are being renovated? wooden floors has not been carried out for a long period of time. Where to start this process and what is needed for this? These are the first two questions that arise before a person who decides to renew a wooden floor covering.

Where to start repairing a wooden floor?

If you are repairing a wooden floor with your own hands, do not rush to start work right away. It is possible that in addition to those areas with damage that are clearly visible, there are hidden defects. They need to be detected and eliminated. Otherwise, over time, the repair will have to be done again. Therefore, first of all, conduct a comprehensive inspection of the flooring and its components. Having done thorough examination you can decide whether the floors can be repaired or whether they need to be completely replaced.

To detect rotten boards, you need to walk with a hammer across the entire floor. This is the only way to discover hidden defect. A dull sound indicates the presence of rot. The rusty nails in the floorboards tell the same story. The amount of work depends on the size of the damage. It is easiest to replace the top floorboards. Subfloor boards are more difficult to replace, but not as difficult as joists. To repair rotten joists, you will need to dismantle the floor above them and cut out the defective piece. Then replace it with a new one.

It is much more difficult to repair the floor in wooden house. Here, in addition to a thorough check of the upper floorboards, subfloor and joists, you will have to inspect the beams and embedded crowns. It is necessary to inspect from all sides: from the inside, from the outside, from the underground. Inspection must be carried out when good lighting so as not to miss the beginning of rot. When checking underground, it is advisable to use a powerful flashlight.

Sometimes small defects in embedded beams are not visible to the naked eye. To detect them, use an awl or a knitting needle with a sharp end. They go through the entire beam with piercing movements, checking for rotten areas. In this case, punctures are made as often as possible. If a damaged beam is discovered, it is replaced with a new one. Sometimes, in order to replace a beam in a wooden house, you have to jack up the structure.

Analysis of particular situations

Old apartment buildings still have wooden floors. Their design is slightly different from the floors in private homes. If in a private building the logs are laid on the ground, then in an apartment they are laid on concrete. Therefore, repairing a wooden floor in an apartment differs from repairing a private house. After removing the replacement joists, the concrete base must be cleaned and inspected for cracks.

If a complete replacement of the floor is carried out, after dismantling and cleaning it is necessary to perform. Can be applied. After which the base is primed and laid waterproofing material. Heat and soundproofing material and then the floor boards.

Replacing floorboards

Consider a situation where only one or a few floorboards need to be replaced. Having found the damaged area of ​​the floor, remove the rotted floorboard. We cut a new board according to its dimensions. After treating it with an antiseptic, without touching the ends, we place it in place of the old fragment.

Advice! You cannot treat the ends of the boards with an antiseptic. Otherwise, after a while the board will begin to rot.

Using self-tapping screws, we fix the board in place of the old one, screwing it to the joists. This is how each rotten floorboard is replaced. If found on the board small area rot, you don’t have to replace the entire floorboard. It is enough to cut out only the damaged area. Using it as a template to cut out new wood replacement. Secure it to the joists using self-tapping screws. In this case, the ends of the new section should reach the middle of the joists.

Sealing gaps between floorboards

Before you begin, clean the coating. Remove extra furniture so that she doesn't interfere. For a more thorough cleaning of crevices, use a stiff-bristled brush. To avoid missing anything, after the inspection, mark all areas that require repair. Prepare the composition for work. There are special putties for wood. But you can make the composition yourself. If you mix PVA glue with sawdust until it becomes thick like sour cream, you will get an excellent putty.

After carefully treating all the cracks, leave them to dry completely. Then sand it with sandpaper. This repair method is suitable for small cracks. Wide and deep cracks are eliminated differently - they are prepared for wooden blocks. Their length should correspond to the length of the gap, and in diameter they should have the shape of a cone.

Having placed it on glue with sawdust, the workpiece is driven into the gap with the sharp edge down. The excess is removed with a plane and sanded. Upon completion of the repair, the wooden floor is covered with varnish or paint.

Seal a wide gap using a piece of wood

Sometimes repairing a floor in a private house comes down to eliminating minor defects, such as. Over time, any wood covering starts to creak. The main cause of squeaking is loose fastening. If the house has basement The cause of unpleasant sounds can be easily eliminated. To discover which floorboards will hold together, find a partner. While he walks across the floor, you will have to determine where the defect is located.

Eliminating squeaky floorboards by hammering nails

Having identified the creaking floorboard, drive a wooden wedge into the gap between the beam and this board. Do not overdo it so that the board does not rise above the base. If it is impossible to get into the underground, repairs are made from above. Drill holes in the creaky floorboards above the joists. Secure the screws by driving them into the beams at a slight angle, changing the direction of the angle. You can secure the board with nails.

Updating an unsightly look

It happens that in floor covering no above problems. The only drawback comes down to its unsightly appearance. Or, after eliminating the remaining defects, it is necessary to restore the base to its proper form. Any repair of old wooden floors ends with it or varnishing. But before doing this, you need to prepare the foundation. old paint that does not stick, remove with a spatula. Wash the floor using detergent to degrease the surface.

If you are going to repair old floors according to the rules, it is advisable to sand the old coating. This will help smooth out unnoticeable bumps and depressions. The more thoroughly you prepare the surface, the smoother the paint will lie. The cleaned and dried floor is primed with drying oil. After this, you need to let the floor dry and only then apply a coat of paint. Don't try to paint everything with a thick layer of paint at once. It is better to apply two or three layers, carefully blending and allowing each to dry.

At proper care a wooden floor will last for decades. Wood does not like moisture, so try not to flood the floors with water when cleaning. To prevent furniture legs from scratching the surface, stick protective caps on them. Don't let your pets damage your floors with their claws or use the toilet in the wrong place. Such measures will help delay the next floor repair for a long time.

If you have a baseboard:

Wooden painted, nailed to the floor, nail heads are simply recessed into the wood (sometimes sticking out above the surface of the baseboard) and painted (rusty) - 55%.

Everything is simple here too. Drive the nail puller (1) with a pointed blade under the baseboard (2) at the place where the baseboard is attached to the floor and tear off the baseboards. According to the above theory, at the point of support of the nail puller on the floorboard, a pressure will arise that is 5 times greater than the effort you apply. Simply put, you will press a hole in the floorboard. To increase the area of ​​support of the nail puller on the floorboard and thereby reduce the pressure, plywood or a thin board (4) is placed under the nail puller at the support point (3):

Figure 1141.1. Inserting a crowbar under the baseboard nailed to the floor.

If the plinth breaks during dismantling or the nails push through the plinth and remain in the floor, or are so long that the short arm of the nail puller lever is not enough to completely pull out the nail, then an additional wooden block is placed on the floorboard at the support point of the nail puller:

Figure 1141.2. Removing the baseboard nailed to the floor.

To avoid breaking the baseboard, start dismantling from the edge. Raise the plinth 1-3 cm from the floorboard at the first fastening point, then on the second nail and on all the others, repeat the manipulations in this order until you remove the plinth. The farther you drive the nail puller under the baseboard from the attachment point, the greater the likelihood of breaking the baseboard.

If you are going to replace the baseboards with new ones or you are unable to remove the nails without damaging the surface of the floorboard, you can use a chisel to remove the layer of wood around the nail head and then pull out the nails by catching them with a nail puller on the heads. In this case, the support point of the nail puller is on the plinth or on a wooden block.

Wooden painted, nailed to the floor, nail heads recessed into the wood, puttied (filled with choppers) and painted - 33%

Typically, skirting boards are fastened at intervals of 50-70 cm, the outer fastenings are 10-20 cm from the wall. If you cannot find the heads of the nails, drive the nail puller with a pointed spatula under the baseboard 10-20 cm from the wall and try to gradually lift the baseboard. This will expose the first nail, and in the place where the baseboard has bent and begins to move away from the floor, there is most likely a second nail. Otherwise, the dismantling technology is the same as in the first case.

Wooden painted, screwed to the floor, screw heads recessed into the wood (sometimes sticking out above the surface) and painted (rusty), closed with plastic plugs - 3%.

Wooden coated with clear or tinted varnish, no nail heads or screws are visible, there are only some knots - 2%

Most likely these are not knots, but wooden plugs; they are usually used for baseboards painted with clear or tinted varnish. They are quite easy to find by their characteristic dark rim or, in extreme cases, by the texture of the wood:

Photo 1141.1. View of a wooden plug on an oak plank

The surface of the plug is a cross section of wood, the surface of the plinth is a longitudinal section of wood. Usually the plugs are drilled out or knocked out with a narrow chisel.

Typically, skirting boards are fastened at intervals of 40-70 cm, and the outer fastenings are 10-20 cm from the wall. If you cannot find the heads of the screws, drive the nail puller with a pointed spatula under the baseboard 10-20 cm from the wall and try to shake the baseboard a little. Usually the putty cracks at the attachment points.

Wooden painted, nailed to the wall - 2%

The dismantling technology is the same as in the first case, only the nail puller blade is driven between the baseboard and the wall:

Figure 1141.3. Removing the plinth nailed to the plug in the wall.

Wooden painted, screwed to the wall - 1%

Just unscrew the screws with a screwdriver.

Wooden finished with fine wood veneer with a latch into mounting brackets - 0.5%

Mounting fastenings for skirting boards come in 2 types: with mounting the skirting board on top and with snapping the skirting board onto the wall. To dismantle such skirting boards, it is better to use a wide spatula. Try to drive the spatula from below and lift the baseboard; if the baseboard does not rise, try to unclip the baseboard by driving the spatula between the baseboard and the wall.

Plastic (paper from MDF), with a latch into mounting brackets - 1%

Plastic, if you look closely, you can see two stripes approximately in the middle - 1%

Such skirting boards with cable duct are increasingly gaining popularity. They have the most reliable fastening. Such skirting boards are screwed on with screws and even nailed with self-tapping screws for quick installation, and the fastening points are covered with a special strip. Theoretically, such skirting boards can be removed and replaced many, many times. To get to the fasteners, a spatula is usually used:

Other options - 1.5%

2. Remove the boards

When laying a wooden floor, the first board is laid with a tenon to the wall (or a quarter up); accordingly, the dismantling of the floor should begin with a board that has a groove for a tenon (or laid with a quarter down) or with a board that is narrower than all the others, and therefore has been cut to width.

If the boards were attached with screws, simply unscrew the screws and remove one board at a time.

If the boards were nailed, then everything is a little more complicated:

When dismantling the first board into the gap between the board and the wall, drive a nail puller between the joist and the board and undermine the board so that the edge of the board rises 1-3 cm. Using a hammer and a piece of plywood, put the board in place, but the plywood should not overlap the nail head . If you did everything correctly, then after you have seated the board in place, the nail head (2 or even 3 heads) will stick out above its surface to a height of 0.5 -1.5 cm. Place a piece of plywood or thin board where the nail puller rests on the floorboard and pull out the nail(s):

Figure 1141.4. Removing the first floorboard.

Repeat the manipulations at the points where the floorboard is attached to the remaining joists. If you do everything carefully, i.e. do not undermine the board higher, then the tenon of the board is usually not damaged and this will allow you to use the removed boards later for laying a new covering. After the nails are pulled out, a crowbar or chisel is carefully driven into the gap between the first and second boards and the first tenon of the first board being removed is pulled out of the groove of the second, still nailed board. Although you can usually push the first board out of the groove of the second board even with your hands. Once the tenon is pulled out of the groove, the first board can be removed. The remaining boards are torn off more easily, since it is more convenient to insert a nail puller. The algorithm of actions is the same.

Note: the tenon of the board being dismantled and the groove of the adjacent board are the most weak points when dismantling the floor for completely objective reasons, therefore, the lower the height of the board, the less likely it is that the tenon or the top of the groove on the board will crack. Nevertheless, this cannot be ruled out. Wood is an anisotropic material; knots, rot and other defects may well occur. Therefore, when a board on a tenon or groove cracks (not often, but this has happened to me, one or two boards per room, in my opinion, is a completely acceptable result), I treat this with understanding. If a tenon cracks, there is nothing fatal about it; tenons and grooves in the floorboard are needed not so much to join the boards at the same level, but to more evenly distribute the concentrated load acting on the board. Therefore, the worst thing that can happen in the absence of one or two tenons is the creaking of the boards, and if the distance between the lags is relatively small, then there will be no creaking. Details of the calculation of wooden boards for deflection can be found. The same can be said about the breakdown of the lower part of the groove. If it cracks or breaks off upper part groove, then the problem becomes more aesthetic than functional. When laying a new covering, the cracked or chipped part can be glued with PVA glue or nailed with small nails. But if the aesthetic requirements are very high, then the board will have to be changed.

If the gap between the wall and the floorboard is very small and does not allow you to pry the board up with a nail puller or there is almost no gap at all, try knocking down the plaster in the place where the joist meets the wall.

If there is no plaster, or the joist is not adjacent to the wall, then you need to cut (drill, knock out with a chisel) a piece of floorboard near the wall so that you can drive a nail puller into the resulting opening, and it is desirable that the resulting opening is subsequently covered with a plinth.

If all else fails, use a hammer and chisel to knock down the layer of wood around the nails and remove the nails with a nail puller. When you put the board in place after the repair, the holes from the chisel can be filled with putty acrylic sealant, and if you are making a new coating, then there is nothing to worry about at all.