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Do-it-yourself plywood floor on joists - step-by-step instructions from preparation to installation. How to lay plywood on a wooden floor: which plywood to choose and installation methods Laying plywood on the floor with your own hands

- an operation that allows you to level the floor surface in a short time and with maximum quality without dismantling the old floor covering. Before starting installation work, it is necessary to select a material that meets the requirements of the technological process in all respects:

grade;
thickness;
immunity to moisture;
quality of impregnation (and with what means);
number of layers;
resistance to mechanical damage;
bending strength.

The advantages of this method of leveling the surface, such as laying plywood on a wooden floor, are undeniable. It's a low price and high level material strength, ease of processing, ease of installation. It is also important that preparatory work is kept to a minimum.

Features of installing wooden coverings

You can put plywood on the floor in cases where the floor boards dry out and become unusable, and replacing failed elements is impossible or unprofitable.

To achieve a positive result, it is important to strictly follow the requirements and rules of the technological process:

Plywood is laid on a wooden floor only if there is no deflection along the joists and complete dismantling of the floor is not required.
There should be no high humidity in the room where the work is planned to be performed.
Laying is carried out dry. According to the plan, 3 seams should converge at one point.
There should be gaps of at least 1 cm between individual sheets and between plywood and walls.
Laying is carried out in strict accordance with the plan and markings, and for this purpose all sheets are numbered before installation.
When fixing sheets with self-tapping screws, all fasteners are placed at a certain distance from each other. The step size is 20 cm, the distance from the edge of the sheet is 2 cm. The screw caps should be recessed by 1–2 mm.
Self-tapping screws are chosen so that their length exceeds the thickness of the plywood by 3 times.

Before proceeding with installation, you need to conduct a humidity test. To do this, you will have to lay a plastic film on the floor and only after 3 days, having made sure that there is no condensation on its back side, make a positive decision about carrying out the work.

Important! Before laying plywood on an old wooden floor, the base needs to be treated grinder and impregnate with a primer containing antiseptic additives.

This treatment will provide complete protection of the structure from rotting, mildew and mold.

Preparation and cutting of material

Before laying plywood on wooden floors, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work, including determining the maximum difference, identifying dips or bends, which can be leveled using a special underlay or tightening the boards. If there are differences exceeding 1 cm, you will have to lay additional logs made from small thickness bars.

When choosing plywood, it is important to take into account what the final floor covering will be like:

linoleum;
carpet;
laminate;

The thickness of the laid sheets depends on the thickness of the flooring material. In order to lay plywood on an old wooden floor, you will need a special set of tools:

jigsaw and screwdriver;
seal and level with spirit level;
tape measure and construction pencil.

The floor surface also requires preliminary preparation, which consists of sanding, priming, and possibly additional fixation of the boards.

You need to cut the purchased plywood sheets before starting work. This operation is performed in accordance with the layout plan and the dimensions of the room. The layout begins from the far wall.

On the plan of the room, its middle is marked, which will correspond to the middle of the first sheet. Subsequent elements will be laid from it in different directions. You can determine their shape and quantity by dividing the entire area of the room into squares with a side of 60 cm.

During cutting, we must not forget that there should be a gap between the walls and structural elements. Otherwise, the floor will “rise” and the plywood covering will have to be dismantled.

As will be shown on the plan, number the components, cutting out bends and protrusions if necessary. It is difficult to lay plywood on an old plank floor in a room with complex geometry; precise numbering of structural elements is especially important here.

Work order

How to properly lay plywood on a wooden floor? It is important to follow the installation plan exactly and strictly follow the installation sequence.

If there is a difference exceeding 1 cm, a frame is installed around the entire perimeter of the room and joists made of multi-layer plywood are fastened. Their width is 30 cm, and the distance between them should not exceed the specified figure. The covering sheets are laid in such a way that the joints between them fall exactly in the middle of each joist, between which thin insulation can be placed.

The absence of differences or their value not reaching 1 cm allows plywood to be laid on the substrate. In this case, it is important to remember the need for gaps between the walls and the sheets, and also strictly follow the laying sequence, paying attention to the numbering of the sheets.

The substrate is spread close to the walls. Fixing the flooring material is not required, but if desired, you can secure it in several places with the staples of a construction stapler.

Plywood is laid directly on top of the substrate, doing this offset and in accordance with the plan.

Self-tapping screws are screwed in along the edges and diagonals. The fastening step is 20 cm.

During the installation process, you need to ensure that all screw heads are screwed in. This will make further work easier and safer. After installation is completed, the surface is sanded and treated with antiseptic compounds.

Often during repairs, dismantling the old wooden covering is not practical, but it is necessary to level the surface for further work. In this case, experts advise simply laying down sheets of plywood, thereby creating the necessary “platform”.

Laying plywood on a wooden floor

Pressed sheets are an excellent material for rough and primary work. They are inexpensive, easy to transport, easy to install and are good at eliminating small differences in floor level. Often they prefer to lay linoleum, parquet boards or laminate on plywood, since it has the following advantages:

laying sheets significantly reduces the time of preparatory work before installing the final finishing floor covering;
prevents rotting of the underside of floor coverings due to good ventilation between the material and the concrete screed;
a floor lined with plywood prevents premature wear or deformation of linoleum or carpet, extending the life of the decorative coating;
provides a smooth subfloor;
plywood sheets are light, hard, durable, resistant to stress and abrasion;
plywood is flexible enough and does not break during installation;
has no pungent odor;
has good sound and heat insulation properties;
due to the large size of the sheets, the number of joints is minimal;
high-quality factory grinding prevents slipping of the sheet and materials placed on it.

Popular types of plywood used for renovation

Sheets produced by industry are classified according to various criteria:

wood used;
presence and method of impregnation;
variety;
number of layers;
surface treatment;
moisture resistance.

For repair work When the part of the structure made of plywood is hidden from view, it is recommended to use moisture-resistant plywood of grade II or III. The sheet must be at least 10 mm thick, but the recommended value is 14-22 mm. A thinner one will not cope with the load, and a too thick one will be inconvenient to work with.

The number of layers is not of fundamental importance. If possible, you should purchase sheets sanded on both sides.

1. If possible, the plywood should be dried for 2-3 weeks before starting work. The sheets are dried vertically, at a temperature slightly above room temperature.
2. After finishing the drying process, it would be useful to treat the plywood with an antiseptic and ventilate thoroughly.

48 hours before the start of work, the material must be brought into the room where it will be installed and laid horizontally. There are two ways to lay plywood.

Method 1. Installation on old wood flooring

When laying plywood on a wooden floor, there are many options for fixing the sheets:

on self-tapping screws;
for glue;
for liquid nails.

Among the adhesive compositions, there is glue for water based, two-component composition, assembly adhesive and bustilate. However, fastening with self-tapping screws is preferable.

Materials and tools

To successfully install plywood sheets, you will need the following tools and materials:

plywood sheets;
jigsaw;
level;
roulette;
marker;
self-tapping screws;
screwdriver;
substrate;
construction vacuum cleaner or broom.

You may also need a sanding machine, a roller and primer, glue and sealant.

Preliminary preparation and priming of the floor

Installation of plywood on wooden floors is carried out only if the height difference when checking the level is no more than 1 cm. In this case, you will also need a substrate to compensate for unevenness and tape, which will need to be used to glue the joints of the strips of material.

Inspect the condition of the floors. Strengthen creaking and loose floorboards, replace rotten and damp floorboards. Do not try to restore boards that have traces of mold, damage, or have been attacked by rodents. They definitely need to be removed and the room ventilated.

Use a broom to sweep away dust and dirt from the floors. If desired, go over the wood surface primer twice to ensure better adhesion of the materials. And dry the base for at least 16 hours.

Marking and cutting

Plywood sheets are sawn so that the number of joints is minimal, taking into account damping joints of 3-4 mm between sheets and 8-10 mm between plywood and the wall. This will help avoid swelling of the sheets, since during operation, under the influence of microclimate and fluctuations temperature conditions the workpiece will increase in area by several millimeters.

The cutting is done with a jigsaw, while the ends of the workpieces are carefully inspected for delaminations and sanded. On large areas, for ease of installation, plywood can be cut into squares of 50x50 or 60x60 cm. This technique will help to more accurately level the surface and eliminate possible defects styling

The sawn sheets are numbered, and similar to their numbers, a schematic arrangement of the workpieces is drawn on a wooden base.

Laying plywood

Installation of blanks has several features.

If necessary, a backing is placed on the old wooden covering, and the strips are glued together with tape.
The holes for the self-tapping screws are drilled in advance and then countersunk with a drill of a slightly larger diameter.
The screw heads are recessed into sheets of plywood.
Laying plywood begins with niches, podiums, and ledges. Next, the sheets are arranged from the middle to the edges with a brick shift of the squares relative to each other.
Cracks and gaps in the old flooring can be filled with glue, allowed to dry and peeled off.

Upon completion of installation, you should check the quality of the coating, remembering that the ideal gap between the level and the plywood is 2 mm, the maximum is 4 mm.

Method 2. Installation of plywood on joists

A more complex and labor-intensive method of laying plywood material along beams is justified if the height difference is more than 1 cm. Joists can be installed on an old wooden floor only if you are sure that everything is in order under it

Preparatory stage

Old flooring must be removed from dust and debris, paying sufficient attention to the gaps between the floorboards. The largest cracks can be filled silicone sealant or mounting adhesive.

At this time, you should prepare the plywood - you need to saw the material, make markings on a piece of paper and number the squares, taking into account that they will be laid out in bricks.

Installation of logs and plywood sheets

According to the drawing, the plywood squares should be installed. Fastening can be done liquid nails or self-tapping screws; in the latter case, the screw heads must be thoroughly recessed. The holes can be pre-marked and countersunk.

Final processing

After laying the materials, the joints of the plywood sheets should be treated with fine-grained sandpaper, this will smooth out all the unevenness and differences of the adjacent sheets. After sanding, the entire surface must be coated with several layers of varnish.

If a laminate or parquet board will be installed on top of the plywood, then the thickness of the plywood should not be less than the finishing coating.
Try not to allow 4 plywood sheets to touch at one point at once.
The width of the log step should be 0.5 m from the side of the square.
Plywood cannot be used in rooms with high humidity, even if it is a moisture-resistant grade of material.
If non-moisture resistant plywood is used in the work, then prerequisite The next stage of work will be laying a layer of waterproofing.
The length of the screw should be at least 2.5-3 times the thickness of the plywood.
When laying plywood on joists, after sealing the gaps between the boards, the base can be primed and a layer of heat and waterproofing can be applied, and only then the guides can be installed.

It is important to remember that defective plywood sheets cannot be used in the work, even if they are intended to be further covered with decorative materials.

Video - Laying plywood on a wooden floor

Video - How to lay plywood on a wooden floor

Plywood is a practical and affordable material. But it is recommended to use such flooring only in special cases, since one cannot expect increased load-bearing capacity and durability from it. Especially when it comes to a wooden rough base, which will soon require repair or complete renovation. But in some rooms this is really the best solution - having chosen the appropriate sheet format, all that remains is to install it correctly. How to lay plywood on a wooden floor? The installation and locking mechanism is generally consistent with the fastening technique of many other floor coverings, but with some features that will be discussed below.

What is plywood sheet?

First, it’s worth understanding the design of plywood, its components and possibilities for use as a floor covering. Such sheets have a multi-layer structure, the basis of which is previously prepared and dried veneer. These are thin cut sheets of solid wood that are glued together and form a fairly strong slab with an average thickness of 4 to 30 mm. Of course, for floor installation you should select models that are stronger and more reliable. The permissible thickness of plywood starts from 10-12 mm, depending on the characteristics of the structure and additional impregnations. The number of layers also varies. For example, for wall cladding, three-layer slabs are quite sufficient, but wear-resistant coatings must be made from a multi-layer sheet, which will initially provide the surface with sufficient characteristics mechanical protection.

The nuances of choosing the right plywood

Determine which material is suitable for specific case, follows on the basis of a wide range of data - from the local microclimate in the room to the features of the planned installation. At a minimum, the material must be able to cope with the loads placed on it - not only mechanical, but also temperature and humidity. Especially for installation in the kitchen, you can use moisture-resistant plywood, which will protect the base from destruction. There are also special fire-resistant series, which are often used in attic floors, hallways and living rooms.

At the next stage, the design parameters of choice are determined. In this part, you should focus on the balanced placement of fastening hardware in the corners and at equal distances from the edges. What kind of plywood should I put on it to ensure the integrity of the fixation scheme? Parquet workers recommend using multilayer sheets of 122x244 cm format. You can also divide the floor into square segments using a standard size of 122x122 cm, but frequent use of screws can negatively affect the structure of the core, so this nuance should not be discarded. As for the bet on large division, it optically increases the space, but creates a higher load on the supporting base. If we are talking about a large living room, for example, with new system lag, then it is quite possible to apply such a scheme.

Preparation for work

By the time of work operations, both the floor itself and the plywood sheet must be prepared. Regardless of the type of floor base, the following procedures must be carried out:

Removing skirting boards.
Replacement of rotten elements (joists, boards, slabs, panels).
Even with the slightest signs of instability, the foundation in the problem area is repaired.
If there are signs of biological damage, the structure is also updated. Only with minor damage can you get by with special antiseptics after sanding the area.
The horizontal position of the flooring is checked. If there are significant deviations, then the wooden floor is first leveled with plywood using a backing or other damping materials. However, small protrusions up to 5 mm can be removed from a wooden covering with a plane.

Next we move on to preparing the plywood sheet. What will be required at this stage? Each element must be checked for integrity, absence of defective areas, dents and chips. Dust, dirt and small chips are cleaned from surfaces. Next, a control “fitting” is performed, on the basis of which the final markings are made. It is worth keeping in mind the possibility of preliminary making holes in the sheets by tightening screws as a preparatory operation.

The most suitable tool for creating neat cuts in wood-based materials is electric jigsaw. It allows you to process plywood with a thickness of 10 to 50 mm, while also implementing curved cuts. But in in this case this is not required and only direct cutting of the sheets into small segments will be sufficient. The format of these parts depends on how to lay plywood on a wooden floor in specific conditions. It has already been said that the optimal solution would be an average factory molding, close to the 122x244 cm format. But with individual cutting, you can move away from the template and perform your own calculations with marking the attachment points.

The cutting work begins with installing a special saw blade into the mounting hole. The sheet is placed on a reliable platform and fixed with a vice or clamps. Further in the process of work, you should adhere to the following rules:

With respect to the intended line, the tool is not drawn directly along the marker, but along it, which will give the appearance of the contour. Plus, you can add a safety width of 1-2 mm in case of chipping.
When driving a jigsaw, it is not recommended to apply strong pressure to it - usually the stroke of the equipment itself is enough to complete the cut.
If the aesthetic property of the front part is important (it is not planned to cover the plywood with another coating after installation), then in order to avoid scuffing, the sheet is placed with the outer side down.
To minimize the amount of dirt in the workplace, you should connect a construction vacuum cleaner to the jigsaw. It will blow away sawdust and shavings as it works.

Technology for installing plywood on a wooden floor

The peculiarity of the installation of plywood sheets is that they are laid in a checkerboard pattern. Fastening is usually carried out with self-tapping screws with indentations of about 20 mm. On coatings that are designed for intensive use, you can reduce the distance between fasteners to 15 cm. Again, you can simplify the installation process by first making holes for hardware at the cutting stage.

Plywood is laid on the floor in marked areas. Hardware of a suitable size is inserted and screwed into the prepared holes.
If necessary, you can use the gluing technique in addition to the main method of screwing the sheets.
The screws are deepened into the caps. How to lay plywood on a wooden floor so that there are no elements protruding on the surface? To do this, even at the stage of drilling the sheets, you should perform a countersink - that is, expanding the upper diameter of the hole to recess the cap.
Seams and joints are sealed. For this purpose, special mastics, primers, sealing materials and sealing compounds are used.

Features of leveling a wooden floor with plywood

Key Feature Leveling using this method is that surface preparation can be carried out both in relation to the finishing coating and as a base flooring under another structural floor level. Of course, there is no talk of further laying screed or self-leveling floors, but building a new sheathing frame for the joists is quite possible. Often, similar methods are used to install water-based underfloor heating. In the niche between the laid flooring and the top decorative covering, pipes are installed through which the hot water. That is, moisture-resistant plywood should be used, which in the event of an accident will be able to perform its primary tasks.

Leveling itself is required to maintain the horizontal laying of the pipeline, which will reduce possible costs for circulation pump. Features of the installation process include the increased importance of sealing and the use of an adhesive installation method. The introduction of the same self-tapping screws is not excluded, but first of all it will be important to protect the rough base with a waterproofing agent and ensure sufficient correction of the floor by level.

Installing adjustable plywood on studs

Quite a specific technology that will allow you to arrange a floor with the possibility of raising it in height. It must immediately be emphasized that the supporting base for such a coating must be extremely reliable and stable, otherwise the structure will collapse.

In addition to plywood sheets, you will need thick pins that can be inserted to a depth of up to 10 cm. The distance between the regulators will be about 40-50 cm. How to properly lay plywood on a wooden floor with the possibility of height adjustment? Work begins with the integration of the studs into the base of the laying sheets. Under the diameter of the studs, recesses are made to half the thickness of the plywood. In each recess, a through hole is drilled in the center, but with a smaller diameter. The leg of the hairpin will go through it. Next, washers are placed along the wide holes, through which markings are made for drilling support points for fixation on the floor. Anchor screws, complemented by a nut and washer, are driven into the floor base. Using an electronic level, adjust the washers to the same plane and secure them at the desired level using a thread locker.

Laying on joists

This is the most important part of the floor, so the appropriate plywood sheet is selected. It is advisable to use multilayer panels with a thickness of 25-30 mm. They will bear the load without deformation or structural destruction. The most important thing is to create conditions in advance for an even distribution of gravity. Support should be provided by thick joists with reliable fixation on the grillage.

How to attach plywood to the floor on joists? In this case, large-format sheets can be laid directly along the contours of the flooring in the form of regular cladding, and not in a checkerboard pattern. Direct fastening is carried out with anchor connections at each point of overlap on the logs.

Features of laying under laminate

The difference between this method is that the master is faced with the task of maximizing heat and noise insulation with a damping effect, since in the future it will be impossible to provide these layers. Installing plywood under laminate on a wooden floor requires that the resulting coating be both stable and resilient. It is with these characteristics of the base that it will be possible to eliminate the characteristic operational disadvantages of laminated panels. How to do it?

The substrate will be of great help. It will need to be laid after the plywood sheet so that the laminate organically interacts with it through the damping layer. It will also act as a heat and sound insulator. What is the best underlay for plywood on a wooden floor? The best solution will be a cork board or a coniferous fiber panel. Firstly, both materials and secondly, they provide a sufficient elasticity effect in conjunction with plywood and laminate.

Features of working with old basics

The main problem in working with an old subfloor is its restoration. Plywood is not a concrete screed or a poured coating. It transmits to the surface the smallest noise and vibration effects that old flooring can produce. And this is the best case scenario, since an oversight of a rotten joist will ultimately lead to the need to replace the entire coating. That is, laying plywood on an old wooden floor should be done only after a thorough inspection and replacement of rotten floorboards.

As for fastening, the same set of hardware is used - from self-tapping screws and screws to dowels and nails. If new logs with boards were previously partially installed, then it is better to choose attachment points in these places - but only if there is stable support underneath them. For the same reason, at the stage of troubleshooting the base, it would be useful to evaluate the condition of the supporting base with the grillage.

Decorative design of laid plywood

First of all, it is recommended to grind the surface, since even after installation, minor flaws could appear on it. Fine-grained cleaning is carried out grinder using circles No. 80-100. The processing direction is maintained strictly perpendicular. By the way, the success of varnishing will depend on the quality of this operation. But before that, all small chips and dirt must be removed from the surface.

Paint and varnish materials are selected strictly based on wood and with an emphasis on the necessary protective properties - from fire, moisture or biological destruction. If plywood was laid on a wooden floor with pronounced decorative seams, then it is advisable to seal them with putty or grout from the same line as the main coating. In this case, negative chemical reactions. In addition to varnishing, you can also use laminating, impregnation or tint paint treatments.

In each case, special attention is paid to the ends. In these areas, if possible, it is worth using more elastic compounds - for example, acrylic paint in 2-3 layers. If the work is carried out in a room with high humidity, then facade compositions can be used as they are more resistant to external influences. As for the application technique, it is carried out with a spray gun or a regular brush. In the first case, the work is done quickly, efficiently and without much effort, but the brush will allow you to cope with hard-to-reach corner areas.

Conclusion

Against the backdrop of the emergence of ever new plastic alloys, composites and synthetic resins, which in some areas even replace metals, plywood may seem like an obsolete material, both morally and technically. And yet, in places that are not subject to increased requirements in terms of technical, physical and aesthetic properties, this suitable option flooring But it is important to know how to lay plywood on a wooden floor in order to get coverage not for a month, but for several years, at least. And for this it is necessary to follow the installation technology, not forgetting about careful marking and adjustment of each sheet. You should also initially consider the configuration of the interaction of plywood with future layers of decorative coating - this will allow you to determine further tactics for insulating work and strengthening the floor structure.

Impractical, but the surface must be leveled in order to carry out further work. In such cases, you can make a rough plywood floor, thereby creating a perfectly flat area. Plywood floors are durable and also resistant to various deformations. The plywood base is perfect for any further finishing, be it laminate, parquet or solid wood. This foundation has many other advantages. Let's see how plywood is laid as a rough base.

Material advantages

Pressed sheet is an excellent material for rough and initial floor installation work. The sheets are inexpensive, they are convenient to transport and install. Plywood easily accommodates small differences in height on the floor. Often, plywood is laid before installing laminate and other finishing floor coverings.

The sheets reduce the time required for preparatory work before installing finished floor coverings. Plywood protects the underside of the finishing coating well from rotting - the material has the ability to “breathe”. This can be used when only a concrete screed is available as a subfloor.

Floors that are leveled with plywood help prevent wear or deformation of linoleum, carpet and other soft coverings, thereby extending the service life. Using plywood, you can get a perfectly flat surface. The price of laying plywood on the floor is very low, and the entire process is done by hand.

The sheets are distinguished by their low weight, high hardness, and resistance to various loads (including abrasion). The material has no odors and has excellent sound and thermal insulation characteristics. Plywood does not allow heat to pass through, but retains it inside. The sheets are cut into large sizes - this allows you to reduce the number of joints during the laying of plywood. The sheets are sanded at the factory - this helps prevent slipping of the plywood itself and other materials that are laid on them. Also, plywood does not allow moisture to pass through at all, which makes it ideal for arranging floors in wet areas, for example in toilets, bathrooms and kitchens.

The material is environmentally friendly and completely safe for humans, pets and children. An important advantage is the affordable price. Leveling floors with plywood is the most profitable.

The process of laying plywood is simple, and this affects the deadlines for completing the work - they are minimal. This can be easily explained by the fact that the material can be mounted on any base.

Flaws

The material has some disadvantages, but not very many of them. Plywood is unstable in front of fire: it is wood. Level fire safety very low. Cost can also be considered a disadvantage when compared with similar chipboard and fiberboard. A floor leveled with plywood will, at least slightly, increase the height of the final structure. If the ceilings in the room are low, then it is better not to use this option.

Which sheet to choose for the floor?

Laying plywood with your own hands requires correct selection materials. Suitable plywood is the key to a quality result. The industry produces it in sheets, and it is classified according to the following set of characteristics. These are the methods and presence of impregnations, the type of plywood, the number of layers in the sheet, the presence of surface treatment, and resistance to moisture.

If part of the structure made of plywood is hidden from view, then experts recommend choosing moisture-resistant options of the second or third grade. Sheets must have a thickness of at least ten millimeters. But it is best to use sheets from 14 to 22 millimeters when laying plywood under laminate. Thin materials will not be able to withstand the load. Thicker sheets are inconvenient to work with.

How many layers should there be in a sheet? This does not matter for the arrangement of the floor. Experts recommend purchasing plywood sanded on both sides.

About varieties and types

Plywood is produced in four grades. Let's look at them. Knowing the varieties will help when choosing:

The fourth grade material has various defects on the coating. The surface is rough, there are holes from knots, since the lowest quality raw materials are used for production.
Third grade plywood is higher in quality. There is less defect on its surface, but it is there.
The second grade is distinguished by the presence of minor cracks, but the surface of such plywood itself is smooth.
The highest quality material is considered to be the first grade. This is the most expensive plywood. The sheets are carefully sanded on each side, and there are no defects on each surface.

Depending on the processing method, plywood can be either sanded or unsanded. To construct or level existing ones, purchase material polished on one side only.

About raw materials for production

Plywood sheets are made from deciduous as well as coniferous wood - most often manufacturers use birch and pine. Veneer is held together using natural or synthetic resins. The top layer is treated with water-repellent compounds.

In addition to dividing by grade, plywood is classified according to its level of resistance to moisture. Thus, the following brands are distinguished: FBA, FSF, FC.

For the installation of floors in bedrooms and other living spaces where humidity is low, materials of the FK and FBA brands can be used. They are made on the basis of urea and albumin-casein glue. Plywood is environmentally friendly and at the same time resistant to moisture.

FSF is preferable for bathrooms, kitchens, corridors and is relevant in any other rooms where humidity is high. Then, after leveling the floor, the tiles can be laid on the plywood on the floor.

How to prepare plywood?

Before starting work, the material should be dried for about 2-3 weeks. Sheets should be dried vertically. In this case, the room temperature should be slightly higher than room temperature. When drying is complete, the sheets are treated with antiseptic materials and the room is well ventilated. If you need to increase the strength of the sheets, then several layers of acrylic varnish are applied to them.

Two days before the start of work with plywood, the material is brought into the room where installation work will be carried out.

Installing plywood on an old wooden floor

During installation work on a wooden floor, the sheets can be fixed by the most different ways- using self-tapping screws, liquid nails, glue.

When laying plywood with glue, use water-based adhesives, two-component glue, assembly adhesives, as well as bustilate. But it is much preferable to fasten the sheets with self-tapping screws.

Tools and materials

In order for the installation of plywood sheets to be successful, the following tools and materials are required. So, you need the plywood itself, a jigsaw, a building level, a tape measure, a pencil or a marker. There may also be a need for a sander, roller, or primer. Glue and sealing materials are being prepared.

Preliminary work

The floor is leveled with plywood only if the height differences are no more than ten millimeters. In this case, you will need a substrate that compensates for unevenness, as well as tape for gluing the joints of the material.

Next, it is important to inspect general state old floor. If there are creaking floorboards, then they are strengthened. Rotten or damp elements are replaced. Don't try to restore floorboard if it has been attacked by mold or mildew.

The floors are cleaned of dust and dirt, and the surface is covered twice with a wood primer - this is necessary to increase adhesion. Next, the base is dried for about 16 hours.

Marking and sawing

Plywood must be cut in such a way that the number of joints is kept to a minimum, taking into account damping joints between sheets of 3-4 millimeters, as well as 8-10 millimeters between the sheet and the wall. This will avoid possible swelling of the sheets in the future. During operation and temperature fluctuations, the workpiece will increase.

Sawing is carried out using a jigsaw. It is recommended to carefully inspect the end sections of the plywood blanks - there should be no delamination there. For a large area, plywood is cut into squares of 50x50 cm or more. This technique will allow you to accurately level the floor and eliminate installation defects. The sawn blanks are numbered and a layout of the blanks on the floor is created using the numbers.

Laying process

There are some peculiarities during the installation process. If necessary, the old coating is covered with a substrate where it is needed. Holes for fastening with self-tapping screws are made in advance, and then they are additionally countersunk. The screw head should be recessed into the sheet.

Laying or other covering is carried out from niches, podiums, and various protrusions. Then the sheets are placed from the middle to the edges with a shift like brickwork. Any cracks and gaps are filled with glue.

Installation on joists

If the height differences on the base are more than 1 centimeter, then it is recommended to lay plywood on boards or joists. The latter can be installed on the old floor, but you must be sure that everything underneath is in perfect order.

The old floor is cleaned of debris and dust. In this case, you need to pay enough attention to the gaps between the floorboards. If the cracks are large, they are filled with glue or sealant. At the same time, sheets of plywood are prepared - the material is sawn, markings are made on paper, and the elements are numbered.

Logs are guide boards for leveling the floor. These are slats, the length of which is approximately 1.5-2 meters, the section of the board is 40x15 millimeters. The joists are attached to the floorboards using dowels or self-tapping screws. They are placed so that their upper borders form a single plane, and the slats form a sheathing. There will be space between the guides - it is filled with any soundproofing material. You can also hide communications there.

Final works

Regardless of the device, laying plywood on the floor with your own hands also involves a finishing operation. It comes down to processing the joints of sheets with sandpaper to smooth out irregularities. After sanding, the entire surface is varnished.

Installation of plywood on a screed

We looked at the features of installation on a wooden floor. But most apartments have concrete floors. Let's look at the features of laying plywood under a screed.

Before starting work, the surface is also thoroughly cleaned. It will be very good if the surface is cleaned not with a broom, but with a vacuum cleaner. Debris, sand, and dust - all this will significantly impair the adhesion of the adhesive to the floor. In addition, through the glue, unevenness in the form of debris will appear on the final floor covering.

Then the entire surface of the screed is coated with penetrating primers. The glue is applied with a shaped spatula, and then the cut plywood is laid according to the numbers. To ensure that the plywood sticks well to the floor, it is tightened using a dowel screw. Using a hammer drill, a hole is made in the plywood and in the floor, and then a dowel is driven into the hole with a hammer.

The plywood laying technology implies that the sheets are laid at a distance from each other. So, it is necessary to retreat approximately 4 millimeters between them, and 1 centimeter from the wall. This is necessary to compensate for gaps due to changes in plywood geometry due to climate or humidity changes.

If there are irregularities between individual elements, they are removed with a grinding machine. The gaps between the sheets are filled with glue. The cracks can be sealed with gypsum-based finishing plaster. Next, the seams are rubbed with a special grout mesh. Plaster is also used to fill up uneven spots on plywood.

FK stamps can be placed on the screed. It contains wood veneer, which means no harmful phenol was used in production. This plywood is widely used in residential premises. Unsanded sheets must be sanded after installation. You can put plywood on the screed, which is processed on only one side. The thickness should vary from 1.2 to 1.5 centimeters.

The sheets are placed offset so that all four seams cannot be joined in one place. Do not forget about waterproofing - the layer must be laid on the screed before installing the plywood. It is recommended to treat the sheets with drying oil in two layers before laying.

It is not always necessary to cut sheets into small pieces - this is especially true for city apartments. This will just add more work.

Plywood for linoleum

Some experts recommend using not plywood under linoleum, but the popular OSB. But the slabs are not perfectly flat; under constant loads, some of the chips may peel off from the sheet - this will certainly affect the evenness of the floor. Chipboard and fiberboard are also not suitable. Plywood is the most ideal option.

It is best to purchase sheets with a thickness of 12 millimeters or more. For a perfectly flat subfloor, thin materials up to 8 millimeters thick are suitable. If the screed is particularly uneven, purchase thick plywood from 20 millimeters.

The sequence of operations, how to lay plywood on the floor, installation of a plywood floor - everything is described in detail above.

Installing parquet and solid wood on plywood

Many people are sure that the rough base for a parquet floor is unnecessary waste money. However, it is not. Experienced specialists are confident that using plywood you can get high-quality results. The subfloor will protect the finished base from rapid wear.

As for the technology of laying parquet boards on plywood, the process goes much better than if the base were concrete. Before installation, it is important to determine how the parquet board elements will be located.

Next, plywood sheets are prepared - a single sheet is cut into squares of 50x50 centimeters. It is best to choose waterproof plywood. Installation is carried out with or without glue. Elements can be fastened randomly with compensation gaps. Additionally, the sheets are secured with special fasteners. The thickness of the plywood should be 70 percent of the thickness of the parquet. Then, after the glue has dried, you can begin installing the parquet board.

Laying solid boards on plywood differs only in that solid wood is a slightly different material. As for installing plywood, the process is similar.

Conclusion

So, we looked at how to properly lay plywood on the floor. Using this operation, you can easily and quickly level the surface and almost immediately begin installing the floor covering. Usually plywood is used to then install laminate boards.

Plywood flooring is distinguished primarily by its strength and resistance to deformation. This flooring is an excellent option for further finishing: laying laminate or parquet. Plywood is capable of retaining more than 30% of heat, so when installing such a base, heat losses are significantly reduced. We'll talk about the features of laying plywood on the floor further.

Laying plywood on the floor: advantages and disadvantages

The use of a floor covered with plywood is primarily characterized by strength and reliability. In addition, it is not prone to deformation and will serve its owner for quite a long time.

It is possible to install a white plywood floor, that is, use this material as the main finish or rough covering on which laminate, linoleum or parquet boards will be laid.

Please note that the main plywood floor will have small defects in the form of joints between its sheets. Although, subject to plywood installation technology, high-quality sanding and further finishing using paints and varnishes, such a floor will be quite presentable appearance.

Although, in most cases, plywood is used precisely as a subfloor, for the construction of which chipboard was previously used. If we compare this material with plywood, it is inferior to it in terms of non-environmental friendliness and moisture accumulation. The use of moisture-resistant plywood can withstand even minor flooding of neighbors.

Among the advantages of laying plywood on a wooden floor are:

environmental safety of the material, which is suitable for installation in premises for any purpose, including children's and medical institutions;
high strength characteristics provide solid foundation for further finishing of the floor;
good thermal insulation properties, since plywood does not allow heat to pass through, but retains it indoors;
sound insulation, plywood is used to improve the sound insulation characteristics of a room;
high resistance to moisture is explained by the fact that plywood is used in the process of constructing floors in the kitchen, bathroom or toilet;
affordable cost - leveling the floor with plywood is one of the most profitable and economical options;

ease of installation and quick turnaround time are explained by the fact that plywood is laid on any pre-leveled base.

Despite the undeniable advantages of plywood, it has several disadvantages, namely:

instability before ignition and spread of fire, since plywood is wooden material, then its fire safety level remains quite low;
the cost of the material is slightly higher than similar materials in the form of chipboard or fibreboard;
Leveling with plywood increases the height of the flooring by a few centimeters; if the room has a rather low ceiling, this option is not suitable for it.

Plywood on a wooden floor - choice of material

The minimum thickness of plywood laid on a wooden floor is one centimeter. It is preferable to choose the thickness of plywood based on the thickness of the subsequent finishing coating. Plywood should always be thinner.

In addition, when installing plywood in a room with high humidity, you should pay attention to its labeling and choose moisture-resistant materials.

When arranging the floor in a non-residential premises, an excellent option would be to use FSF-grade plywood. It contains formaldehyde glue, which gives it high resistance to moisture. the use of this material in residential premises carries a certain risk of the release of formaldehyde, which is harmful to health.

A more environmentally friendly option would be to purchase FC-brand plywood. Its cost is slightly lower, it is harmless to health, although it is slightly inferior to the previous option in terms of moisture resistance.

To level the floor, a material that is sanded on only one side is sufficient. Thus, the sanded side is on top, and finishing is carried out on it for finishing purposes.

Laying plywood on a wooden floor - how to do the work

Plywood is attached to wooden floor two ways:

lagged;
styling

The first option requires more physical and time resources, since for its implementation it is necessary to build a joist foundation. To make logs, boards with a minimum thickness of 4 cm and a width of 8-10 cm are used. The minimum distance between the logs is half a meter. The top points of the logs should be at the same level. Plywood is laid on the joists as brickwork. That is, the seams do not intersect with each other. Thus, it is possible to avoid deformation of the finished floor.

The extreme sections of plywood are located on the joists and secured to them using self-tapping screws, the installation step of which is 250-300 mm. Please note that compensation gaps of two millimeters are left between the sheets.

If the installation of joists and plywood coverings is done correctly, the floor will serve its owners for a long time. In addition, choosing this method allows you to avoid pre-leveling the base for laying plywood. The subfloor is leveled directly with lags.

Installation of logs in a room with low ceilings is unacceptable, since in this case, the space is reduced by 80-100 mm.

If the wooden floor does not have large differences in height, then it is preferable to choose the option of laying plywood using glue. This type of plywood must have a minimum thickness of 1.2 cm. All work begins with cleaning the base from dust and dirt. Next, the plywood is cut, all its parts are installed on the floor and adjusted according to the specified dimensions. Using a drill, holes are made for installing screws. Next, the sheets are removed and the base is primed using a special solution.

During the installation of the sheets, each of them is impregnated with a special glue, the layer thickness of which is about three millimeters. The plywood is fixed with screws. Compensation gaps between sheets are 3 mm. Thus, it is possible to obtain a level base for laying the finished floor quickly and less expensively.

Technological features of plywood installation

To cut plywood, you need to match it to the floor. Please note that near the wall, plywood is not laid closely, but is mounted with an indentation of 1 cm, and the gaps between the joints of the sheets are 2.5-3 mm.

After sawing the sheets into rectangular or square pieces, their end sections are checked for the absence of peeling elements or irregularities. If there is a damaged edge, the workpiece must be replaced.

Plywood is laid exclusively in a checkerboard pattern. The sheets are attached to the base using self-tapping screws. The installation pitch of which is 200 mm. To facilitate and speed up installation, you should number the sheets and create holes for installing self-tapping screws.

Instructions for installing plywood on a wooden floor:

1. Plywood is installed on the floor in a previously marked space. To fix the material to the base, use self-tapping screws or screws with plastic dowels.

2. Prepare holes in advance for installing screws and countersink them. This procedure will improve the appearance of the structure and hide all the screw heads.

4. After they dry, it is done fine finishing floor.

By laying plywood on the floor, it is possible to level any base made of wood. The main rule for long-term operation of the floor is compliance with all technologies for its installation.

The procedure for laying plywood on a wooden base is especially relevant if a previously high-quality wooden floor has already served its useful life and has defects in the form of deformation, unevenness, and drying out. With the help of plywood, the restoration procedure will take place quickly and efficiently.

Before starting work, you should carefully examine the base of the floor, check it for any deformations or sagging. If the latter is present, then the wooden floor must be completely disassembled and repaired.

If the cause of the malfunction is logs, then just laying plywood is enough. Please note that plywood is unstable in the face of high humidity and too high temperatures; it, like any wood, is prone to drying out and deformation under the influence of these factors.

To check a wooden floor for moisture, you should carry out the following procedure:

place a small piece of plastic film on the floor;
leave it indoors for 64 hours;
After this time, inspect the polyethylene; if there is no condensation on it, then the floor is suitable for installing plywood; otherwise, it is better to discard plywood.

Installation of plywood sheets is carried out in such a way that one point has a maximum of 3 joints. Therefore, using separate sheets, they are adjusted to the size of the room and the niches are filled.

Please note that the presence of damper joints is mandatory; they are about 1 cm. After numbering all the squares laid on the floor, it is recommended to draw up a plan diagram that will show the sequence of their location.

If the floor surface is perfectly flat, then it is permissible to use plywood, the thickness of which is about 8-10 mm. Otherwise, it is recommended to use material with a thickness of more than 12 mm.

Experts advise cutting out square pieces of plywood measuring 600x600 mm. In this way, it will be possible to obtain the best number of damper seams. In addition, it is precisely this cutting of plywood that will allow you to detect deformation of the material, which is not visible in a solid sheet.

Priming is a procedure for covering the floor with special compounds that improve its antiseptic properties and its adhesion to glue for plywood installation. In relation to the diagram, each of their sheets is installed on the area intended for it. Self-tapping screws are used to secure the plywood. They are mounted along the edges of the square and on its diagonal parts. You need to retreat at least two centimeters from each edge to fix the screw.

Try to recess the heads of the screws as much as possible so that they do not spoil the appearance of the coating. Consider, when choosing fasteners, the fact that they should be three or four times thicker than the thickness of the plywood.

When all parts of the plywood are secured, the finished floor is sanded. For these purposes, a parquet sanding machine or coarse sandpaper is used.

Installing plywood on the surface of an old wooden floor

This method opens up the following advantages for its voters:

no need for additional material, time, money for arranging logs;
no floor elevation when working in a room with low ceilings.

Installing plywood on a floor made of wood seems possible if there is no creaking on it and the boards are not prone to sagging.

Even if there are gaps between the boards, laying plywood seems possible. The procedure for laying plywood is as follows:

1. Pre-cut squares are laid on the old floor, be sure to ensure that the seams are offset and do not allow the joints to cross in one place.

2. Prepare holes for installing self-tapping screws. If there are gaps between old boards, they are filled with glue or sealant.

3. After laying the plywood on the floor, using building level, level the base.

4. In addition, the horizontality check is carried out with a strip, which is applied to the floor in different parts of it and checked for evenness.

5. The rule and the surface of the plywood should not have a gap of more than two millimeters.

7. If there are dull tones, the installation procedure for these parts should be redone.

8. If on the surface, when tapping, a loud, uniform knock is heard, then the plywood is laid correctly.

Installation work on laying plywood on a joist base

Although the base made of logs is labor-intensive and difficult to install, installing plywood on its surface is of higher quality. Since, in this option, not only the installation of plywood is carried out, but also the insulation and soundproofing of the floor covering.

Plywood installed on joists must have a thickness of at least 1.5 cm. Work on installing plywood on a joist base includes:

setting all the logs and setting them in relation to the level;
filling the space between them using soundproofing and heat-insulating materials;
installation of communication systems in the form of pipelines and electrical wiring;
installation of plywood squares, their fixation on the surface of the lag.

If you plan to install parquet on the floor in the future, then the plywood installed on the joists must be of high quality. When finishing the floor with laminate, a shock-absorbing underlay is installed after the plywood, which provides additional leveling and heat retention in the room.

Before installing the parquet board, the coating is thoroughly sanded, which eliminates the presence of differences and unevenness between in separate parts plywood. After sanding, use a vacuum cleaner to clean the surface.

Plywood on wood floor video: