home · On a note · Self-leveling floor on wooden floor. Self-leveling floors for wooden bases. Preparing the base for Lugato NeuAufAlt self-leveling floor

Self-leveling floor on wooden floor. Self-leveling floors for wooden bases. Preparing the base for Lugato NeuAufAlt self-leveling floor

When carrying out renovation work, homeowners are increasingly choosing to install cement screeds as a finishing coating.

This type of floor guarantees strength, durability, and the latest developments make it possible to apply design art.

The technology for the production of self-leveling floors does not raise any questions when pouring them onto floor slabs. But self-leveling flooring on a wooden base - this problem seems insoluble. Let's look at how to properly prepare a wooden base for pouring and what to pay attention to to avoid mistakes.

Required properties of the base

If the floor boards are stuffed onto logs that are fixed to a concrete base, then it is better to dismantle everything before the rough screed.

This will significantly simplify the process of filling the floor and is guaranteed to increase its service life.

Plank flooring as a basis for a self-leveling floor must have certain characteristics:

  1. The coating must be hard. Playing or loose elements are not allowed.
  2. When applying physical pressure, floor boards should not bend.
  3. The floor must have a minimum difference in height.
  4. The tree should not have any damage. Boards that show signs of rotting or large cracks should be replaced.

It is important to check not only the finishing coating material, but also the joists for defects. If the boards sag, an additional base beam should be laid.


If there is no waterproofing, remove the old coating and lay down a protective film

Be sure to check the condition of the floor waterproofing. If the material is leaky or has not been laid, this must be done. To do this, you will have to dismantle everything down to the subfloor, lay down a film and restore the plank covering again. This must be done because wood is a living material and reacts to moisture.

The boards on which the screed will be poured should not undergo any changes so as not to destroy the cement layer.

If the wooden base meets all the above requirements, you can begin preparing it for pouring the floor.

Preparatory stage

Under the self-leveling floor on a wooden base, it is necessary to create the most even surface possible. Preparation is perhaps the most important step.

The quality and service life of the future self-leveling floor depends on how well the base wood is processed.


Sand the old coating by removing the paint and varnish layers

The order of work in the preparation process:

  1. All skirting boards should be dismantled along with fasteners and small cracks or holes in the boards should be noted.
  2. The floor is cycled, and the removal layer may be larger than usual. It is necessary to get rid of paint, varnish or other coating. At the same time, they get rid of small dents and shallow chips.
  3. Unliquidated cracks are sealed with bars or putty.
  4. The surface is sanded to give it a slight roughness and get rid of excess putty.
  5. The floor is being cleaned. Small debris and dust are removed. The surface is degreased.

After carrying out the above measures, the floor must be primed. Moreover, this must be done at least 2 times. This is done in order to improve the adhesion of the screed solution to the wooden material.

Choose the right primer containing quartz sand. This treatment will give the floor additional roughness and increase the degree of adhesion.


When mixing cement-acrylic mortar, be careful with adding water, excess will cause cracking of the coating

Expert advice:

  1. Before installing a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor, check the humidity level in the room and the air temperature. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations on the packaging.
  2. Before pouring, cover the entire perimeter of the floor with damper tape, this will help avoid additional risks of destruction of the screed.
  3. According to the technology, the top layer is made with a leveler. Check the manufacturer's information to see if this particular mixture is approved for use on a wooden base.
  4. If you use a cement-acrylic mortar, then when mixing it, try to avoid excess water. High water content will cause cracks in the screed when drying. To learn how self-leveling floors are made on a plywood base, watch this video:

The pouring height is no more than 5 mm; to control the thickness and evenness of the layer, install beacons over the area of ​​the room.

Types of flooring mixtures, their advantages and disadvantages:

MixtureAdvantagesFlaws
PolyurethaneResistant to UV rays
Possibility of installing 3D floors
Low resistance to mechanical damage
EpoxyAlmost zero susceptibility to chemical and physical influencesLong readiness cycle
High price
Methyl methacrylateReady for use quickly
High strength
Toxic until hardened
Cement-acrylicLabor-intensive when pouring

Pouring process

When installing a self-leveling floor on a wooden base, mix the solution strictly in the proportions indicated on the package. If you are inexperienced, mix small batches to prevent the solution from thickening. You should start pouring from the wall opposite the door, from the far corner. To learn how self-leveling floors are made on a wooden base, watch this video:

As a rule, work takes place in a certain sequence:

  • the solution is mixed. The ideal density of the solution resembles thick sour cream;
  • spread the mixture over the surface using a squeegee or spatula, achieving the required thickness;
  • remove the beacons;
  • remove air by walking over the surface of the layer with a needle roller.

When buying a roller, take into account the thickness of the layer being poured: the size of the needles should be 2 mm larger than the thickness. Otherwise, the base of the roller will touch the fill layer and create unevenness on the surface.


Allow the filled layer to dry for 2 days

The poured layer must dry for 2 days at constant temperature and humidity. At first, do not allow water to get on the floor surface.

Self-leveling flooring for wooden bases can be used not only on a plank base. Self-leveling mixtures can also be poured onto plywood. In this case, it is better to choose polymer mixtures for filling.

It is necessary to approach work with cement mortars more carefully. When working with aqueous solutions, it is better to lay a waterproofing film on the wood. If necessary, place a reinforcing mesh on top of it.

Quite often, during renovations recently, self-leveling floor systems are used, which are characterized by durability, wear resistance and strength. Among their positive qualities are safety and environmental friendliness. Since the creation of such coatings, significant technical changes have occurred. For example, they are presented in a wide range of colors, which is especially true. With their help, you can create real masterpieces of design.

Can wood be used as a base?

Quite often, craftsmen ask the question of whether it is possible to install a self-leveling floor on a wooden floor. The answer is yes, but before laying such a coating, it is necessary to analyze the rough base and determine whether it requires preparation. It is necessary to carry out installation work on wood only if it is well preserved, and it is recommended to use a thin mixture for arranging the finishing surface, which will not be able to increase the height significantly.

Preparatory work

The self-leveling can be installed not only on the type of rough foundation described above, but also on concrete. Before pouring, any surface must be prepared; the first step is to remove the baseboards and remove the fastenings from the walls. Then the master scrapes the surface; for this you should use the appropriate equipment. If the room has a small area, then it will be possible to cope with the help of a manual cycle. The next step is to hide the cracks using an encryption machine. Such errors during operation in any case appear on the wooden surface. The resulting irregularities and crevices are treated with putty, which after application is left to dry completely. Then the surface should be sanded with coarse sandpaper, which will improve the quality of adhesion.

The self-leveling floor on a wooden floor will last a long time if the base is cleaned of dust after sanding. It is most effective to use for this. Before priming, the base is degreased. The primer is necessary to increase the adhesion strength of the material to the wood. The composition is applied in two layers; before carrying out work, sifted quartz sand can be added to it. This will ensure the most reliable adhesion between the polymer coating and the base.

Preparing tools

If you are wondering whether self-leveling floors can be applied to a wooden floor, then the answer will be clear. Such work is carried out quite often today. It is important to properly prepare the surface and ensure that you have the appropriate tools. To dismantle the skirting boards you will need wooden wedges, a nail puller and a chisel, but to process wood you need to prepare a sanding machine and a grinding device. You can finally prepare the surface using coarse sandpaper; an industrial vacuum cleaner will allow you to clean the base. To apply the primer to the surface, you will need a brush or roller. Quite often these tools are used in tandem, since not all hard-to-reach places can be treated with a roller. A short-haired roller and a flat brush will allow you to distribute most effectively. The craftsman will need a spatula and a squeegee. You can mix the solution for installing a self-leveling floor using a construction mixer or a drill. It is best to pour a self-leveling floor on a wooden base while wearing special clothing, wearing safety glasses, a respirator and gloves. To move on the surface you will need special soles with spikes. This will allow the master to move around the freshly laid layer.

Work technology

Laying a polymer floor on a wooden floor is no different from the procedure that involves using concrete as a base. Only the preparatory stage differs, which was discussed in more detail above. Before pouring the self-leveling floor, you should prepare the solution using the instructions. The dry mixture should be mixed with water until a homogeneous mass is formed. The resulting solution is laid out on the base, and it is necessary to advance from the far corner of the room.

The self-leveling floor is poured onto a wooden floor and then leveled using a spatula until the required layer thickness is achieved. If we are talking about a wooden covering, then the thickness should be five millimeters or more. The most optimal and convenient tool for leveling and combating bubbles is a needle roller. The intervals between pouring batches should not be more than 10 minutes, otherwise the joints will be clearly visible. But even in this case, the connection of the mortar strips must be carefully rolled with a roller. As soon as the pouring is completed, you should cover the curing surface with film; this must be done 15 minutes after completion of the work. This will prevent dust from settling. After applying the base layer and its hardening, you can begin to apply the finishing coating, which can be a varnish or a polymer.

Cost of work from specialists

The self-leveling floor on a wooden floor will hold quite firmly if you follow the instructions provided. This process can be called quite simple, and you can do it yourself. But if financial capabilities allow, it is recommended to hire a team of specialists who guarantee high quality workmanship, carry out installation in accordance with technology, and also provide a guarantee for the work done. As a rule, specialists use expensive construction tools. All this adds up to the cost of preparatory, priming work and manipulations for pouring the mixture. For one square meter of preparing a wooden base you will have to pay 400 rubles, while applying a primer costs 200 rubles. per one square meter. Specialists fill the surface with quick-drying liquid compounds for 400 rubles. per one square meter.

If you want to make renovations in a residential area, it is recommended to choose mixtures based on polymer resins. If there are areas of high humidity, then epoxy filler should be used in them, while polyurethane flooring is suitable for other areas of the house. If you are wondering whether it is possible to pour a self-leveling floor, a wooden floor can be an excellent base. If there is a plank covering, it should be repaired and the peeling floorboards replaced. The fasteners are tightened, the cracks are filled with sealant or the latter is mixed with an equal volume of sawdust. Waterproofing should be laid on the wooden base. Do not neglect the need to apply a primer, two layers of which will facilitate the main work and increase the strength of the coating.

Secrets of using finishing mixtures

A self-leveling floor on a wooden floor will look very good if the rough base does not have rough relief flaws. It is advisable to exclude them, since the thickness of the laid layer does not exceed 5 millimeters. Even though the bumps and depressions can be smoothed out by a leveling compound, there is a strong argument for eliminating the defects. Self-leveling floors will harden unevenly, and the strength indicator will vary.

It is also important to choose the right dry composition, the ingredients of which will determine the purpose of the future floor. For example, if the mixture contains cement as a binder, then this composition is suitable for pouring floors in bathrooms, kitchens, showers and bathrooms. If we are talking about mixtures with gypsum in the composition, then such a floor is best used for rooms with dry and low humidity levels, where the self-leveling floor will demonstrate all its positive qualities. A wooden surface can also be used for a base in which a heating system will be present. In this case, you should choose a leveling mass that has increased elasticity. It will expand and contract during operation without cracking.

Conclusion

Sometimes the self-leveling floor is separated from the wooden surface with oiled paper, which is covered with an overlap. In this case, the layer should be poured one or two centimeters thick. The boundary between the screed and the self-leveling floor should be formed by treating the surface with waterproofing impregnation.

Self-leveling floors on wooden floors and wooden bases are usually found in wooden buildings. Often these can be old houses in villages, or modern cottages made from logs. Be that as it may, in each of these cases it is possible to install a self-leveling floor.

Types of floors in wooden houses

In wooden houses, as in any other residential premises, special attention should be paid to the arrangement of the floor, since its rooms are usually located on the ground floor. Therefore, in addition to the obvious requirements for evenness and aesthetics, the coating must also be insulated.

There are two types of floors in a wooden house: concrete or wood. At the same time, it is the concrete base that has the most advantages. It takes less time and money, and in addition, professional skills for installing such a coating are not required. But at the same time, there is a significant increase in the load on the foundation, and vibrations of the walls can provoke cracking of the base and loss of the heat-insulating ability of the material.

The second option is still more resistant to wall vibrations and more environmentally friendly. In addition, they can be machined and parts can be easily replaced, even after installation. At the same time, their cost is quite high, the work of professional workers is required, and achieving a perfectly smooth surface is almost impossible.

Materials and tools

Laying a self-leveling floor on a wooden base is not such a difficult process to do on your own, but it does require care and precision.

You will need the following tools and materials:

  • Construction aluminum rule with a length of at least 2 meters;
  • Needle roller;
  • Special dry mixture for self-leveling floors;
  • Construction mixer;
  • Laser construction level;
  • Alabaster;
  • Construction beacons - special slats with perforations with a thickness of 6 to 10 mm;
  • Large bucket 20 liters;
  • Putty knife;
  • Construction beacons in the form of special slats with perforations from 6 to 10 mm thick;
  • Stationery ruler;
  • Building mixture;
  • Self-tapping screws, screwdriver, dowels;
  • Vacuum cleaner and cleaning powder;
  • Triangular scraper;
  • Wooden blocks

Preparing the base before applying the mixture

Preparation of the base is an important step on which the quality of the finished coating largely depends. If you do not take into account the correct step-by-step technology for installing self-leveling floors, the coating may crack, collapse and peel off ahead of time. A high-quality base is the key to the durability of the flooring in your home.

In some cases, self-leveling flooring is done directly onto the old wooden flooring. Therefore, it is recommended to sand the wood and give it a rough structure using sandpaper. There should be no fats, oils, varnish or dirt left on the surface of the wood.

Now you have to remove all the baseboards and close all the holes that are in the floor with blocks. The floor must be thoroughly cleaned with a scraper, special attention should be paid to the inter-board joints, and all cracks must also be opened. Thoroughly clean the base of the future self-leveling floor using a vacuum cleaner and degrease it using cleaning powder.

Next, well-cleaned cracks and cracks need to be sealed using mortar, then the surface should be leveled. The next step is to draw a line along the entire length of the room at a distance slightly less than the length of the rule being used. Self-tapping screws are placed along these lines in increments of 30 centimeters. Now, using a laser level, you need to find the highest point on the base for the future self-leveling floor.

Remember that you need to add 6 mm - the thickness of the self-leveling floor and start screwing in the screws at the same level, while at the room ends the screws are also screwed in perpendicular to the pre-marked lines. Alabaster is laid out in small pieces near each screw.

The next step is to lay the beacons intended for self-leveling floors directly on the screws, while being careful that your beacons do not sag - they can be additionally cemented. The dry mixture is mixed with water using a mixer, in the proportion indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. The prepared solution is left for 5 minutes, then checked for fluidity and homogeneity.

The finished self-leveling floor solution is poured at a time onto an area equal to 2 square meters. The solution must be leveled using the beacon rule; also roll it with a needle roller to ensure uniformity. During the work, you need to ensure that the level of the self-leveling floor is level relative to the beacons. Leave the finished floor to dry thoroughly.

Additional Information:

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The main advantages of self-leveling floors lie in their wear resistance, durability and coating strength. In addition, they have such qualities as: environmental friendliness and safety.

Since their creation, serious changes have also occurred; today polyurethane coatings have a wide variety of color options, especially for such types as 3d self-leveling floors. With their help, it is possible to create real design masterpieces with a stunning three-dimensional effect.

When laying a self-leveling mixture, one of the labor-intensive processes is preparing the base. Many homeowners are put off by the work of removing old wood flooring. However, not all of them know that, along with concrete, you can also use a wooden base. Installation of self-leveling coating on wood should be carried out if the wood is of good quality. You should choose a thin mixture so as not to increase the height.

Preparatory work

Before pouring, you should carefully prepare the base. This procedure must be done with any type of base, and especially if the surface will be installed on an existing wooden floor.

The first step is to remove all the baseboards from the floor, and also remove their fastenings from the walls. After this, the surface is scraped. To do this you should use . However, if the room is small, then a manual cycle can handle it.

The next stage is opening cracks with a grinding machine, which, one way or another, form on the wooden surface. Then all irregularities and cracks are covered with putty. After it dries, the surface is sanded with coarse sandpaper. This procedure is necessary to ensure better adhesion.

Then, the coating, cleaned of dust using an industrial vacuum cleaner, should be degreased before priming. Primer of the base is necessary to increase the adhesion strength of the wood to the polyurethane material.

The base should be primed in two layers. You can add sifted quartz sand to the composition, thus ensuring the most reliable adhesion between the base and the polymer coating.

Necessary tool for the job

To perform foundation preparation work you will need:

  • A nail puller, wooden wedges and a chisel for removing baseboards.
  • Cycling machine or manual scraping machine.
  • Grinder machine.
  • Coarse sandpaper.
  • Industrial vacuum cleaner.
  • Roller or brush for applying primer.
  • A flat brush or roller with short naps to distribute the polymer coating.
  • Squeegee and spatula.
  • A construction mixer or drill for mixing self-leveling floor mortar.

This should also include work clothing, safety glasses, gloves and respirators. Soles with spikes are also required to allow walking on the freshly applied layer.

Self-leveling floor technology

The technology for pouring a polymer floor onto an ordinary wooden floor is no different from a similar procedure where concrete serves as the base. The difference lies only in the preparatory stage, which we discussed in detail above.

Before pouring the self-leveling floor onto a wooden surface, it is necessary to prepare the solution in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

In a nutshell, the dry mixture is mixed with water using a construction mixer until a homogeneous mass is formed. Then, the resulting solution is laid out on a wooden base, starting from the far corner of the room.

The mass must be leveled using a spatula until the required thickness is achieved. In the case of a wooden floor, this is a maximum of 5 mm. The best tool for leveling and eliminating air bubbles is a needle roller.

The intervals between pouring batches of mortar should not exceed 10 minutes, and the joints should be carefully rolled with a roller.

After pouring is completed, after 15 minutes, it is necessary to cover the hardening surface with a film, preventing dust from settling. After applying the base layer of self-leveling floor and its hardening, the finishing coating is applied. It can be a polymer or varnish.

Installation cost

In general, the procedure is quite simple, and you can do it yourself, but if financial capabilities allow, you should still hire a team of specialists who practically know how to make self-leveling floors.

Hiring professionals will provide:

  • High quality workmanship
  • Guarantee for all work done
  • Installation according to technology
  • Use of expensive but necessary construction tools.

The cost of installing a self-leveling floor consists of several stages, these are:

  • Preparatory work (average price 400 rubles per 1 sq.m);
  • Base primer (average price 200 rubles per 1 sq.m);
  • Filling the surface (average price 400 rubles per 1 sq.m.).

The cost of installing decorative floors is calculated individually. It is imperative to use the services of specialists if you plan to install a self-leveling floor in 3D format.

If you do the work yourself, do not neglect the advice of professionals. Their experience will help you avoid costly alterations later.

For residential premises, you should choose mixtures of self-leveling floors based on polymer resins. At the same time, in places of high humidity, an epoxy type of flooring is used, while polyurethane flooring is used in other parts of the house.

It is better to pour it on a concrete base, but installation on a plank wooden surface is still allowed.

At the same time, its preparation is no less labor-intensive, and the service life and appearance of the floor depend on the quality of its work. It is imperative to prime the base in two layers - this will facilitate the main work of pouring and increase the strength of the coating.

To create a high-quality self-leveling coating on a wooden base, you should produce your own required complex in each specific case. Much is directly dependent on the conditions of further operation, the area and type of room, as well as the type of foundation. If you doubt your ability to carry out high-quality installation, contact specialists who will not only carry out the work, but also help with choosing the optimal materials.

However, modern manufacturers produce special mixtures suitable for pouring wood floor leveling.

To obtain a smooth, strong and wear-resistant surface, it is necessary to carefully prepare the base and use materials declared by the manufacturer as suitable for working with wooden surfaces. Adapted mixtures (primer, putty) form good adhesion to the wood base, which is the key to the quality of the future floor.

Preparing a wooden base for filling with self-leveling mixture

Before starting work, you should make sure that wooden floors do not have rotten, loose floorboards and are firmly attached to the base (joists, rough screed). If defective areas are found, they should be repaired - rotten fragments should be replaced, sagging and creaking floorboards should be screwed tightly.

  • Dismantle the baseboards (if this was not done during repair work to eliminate defects in the wooden floor).
  • Cycle the entire floor surface. Removing the top wood layer helps to detect cracks and other surface imperfections. In addition, the level of the finished floor after pouring will rise to the height of the mixture layer, and removing the top layer will reduce the final height of the floor and help avoid a large difference with the floor of the adjacent room.
  • After cleaning the scraped surface from debris and dust, it is treated with a primer to protect the wood from fungus, rot, etc.
  • After the primer has dried, carefully inspect the surface for cracks and gaps. Detected defects are marked with a marker.
  • The marked areas are puttied, not excluding the smallest cracks. Wood-look self-leveling flooring has great plasticity and mobility, so the smallest crack can become a place for the mixture to leak out, thereby forming a small dent on the hardening flat surface.
  • Next, the floor is treated with a primer for better adhesion of the self-leveling floor to the wooden base. It is better to apply the primer in two layers, adding corundum filings to the second layer. You can also use special factory soils containing coarse sand filler.


Note: instead of a primer with an adhesive filler, a reinforcing mesh is sometimes used. In this case, it must be glued to the surface with appropriate glue, carefully ensuring a tight fit to the plane without ridges or wrinkles.

  • The last stage is to apply damper tape around the perimeter. It will prevent the floor from cracking as it expands due to temperature changes.

Some builders believe that primers for different purposes (wood and concrete) may be incompatible when applied to each other due to their chemical composition. However, to eliminate the possibility of their mutual antagonism, it is enough to simply first test them for compatibility on a limited area of ​​the floor.

Pouring the floor correctly

Filling the floor in a room is done at one time - it is unacceptable to do this in several approaches.


When preparing the bulk solution, observe the ratio of water to mixture specified by the manufacturer, as well as the mixing algorithm. Most polymer compositions need to be re-mixed after 2 - 3 minutes of exposure. Do not neglect these rules.

The finished mixture is methodically poured onto the floor, starting from the bottom point. As the plastic composition spreads, it is leveled with a spatula or a needle roller.

The benchmarks (if they were used) are removed as they move towards the exit, carefully smoothing out the resulting irregularities with a spatula or roller. If you need to touch up any flooded area, use paint stools.

Advantages of self-leveling flooring for a wooden base

Having a strong, stable, level base makes it possible to avoid large financial and labor costs for a cement-sand screed. The work of pouring a floor onto a wooden surface is so economical that many, when building a private house, specially form a wooden base from moisture-resistant plywood, which is filled with a self-leveling mixture.

It is better to learn about the time for complete drying of the self-leveling floor and the possibility of its use after pouring from the manufacturer’s recommendations on the packaging. Usually this period is at least a week.

Following simple rules will allow you to get cheap, durable, smooth floors at minimal cost.