Replacing a wooden floor with a concrete one. How to replace a wooden floor with a concrete screed. Tools and materials

In old houses where the floors were made of wood, the problem of squeaks and fragility of the coating arises very often. The board wears out, rots and dries out. Replacing a wooden floor with a concrete one in an apartment looks rational. This can be done, including in old houses. Concrete floors have excellent strength and service life, and can be covered with laminate if the technical requirements for this process are fully met.

Replacing a wooden base

Dismantling the old covering is the first step in replacing a wooden floor with a concrete one in an apartment. For this, standard tools are used: sledgehammer, crowbar, crowbar.

1. Linoleum floor coverings are removed.
2. Using a tool, the coating is disassembled.
3. In areas where pipes and other communications enter, you should be especially careful.

After removing the old boards, access to the base opens. In apartments, logs are laid on reinforced concrete slabs, often they are not even secured. The space between them is filled with the remains of construction waste for sound insulation.

Everything needs to be removed. To collect garbage you will need bags and a place for their temporary storage.

After construction debris and dirt have been removed, the joists are assessed. If the wood is in good condition, you can create a base for pouring screed over plywood or chipboard, which will be placed on the existing substrate. But this will cause the floor level to rise, so it is worth deciding what is better: to make a new coating on the joists, without insulation, or to remove the joists and form a layer of concrete over the floor slabs.

In practice, most apartment owners act according to the second option. The logs are dismantled. After this, you need to carefully assess the condition of the pipes - cold and hot water, sewerage. If there is damage or signs of poor condition, the interfloor section should be replaced immediately. Later, after the concrete floor has been created, repairs will cause much more problems and time.

Removing a wooden floor

Evaluation of the work list

The slab, freed from the floor, joists, construction debris and other dirt, is inspected. Level measurements are taken. A laser level is useful, which can be used to determine height differences and their nature.

Several situations may arise:

1. the base is formed by several narrow slabs forming a “step”;
2. there is a trough-like appearance or there is a bulge in the center of the room with a drop in height towards the perimeter;
3. there is a uniform slope of the base in one direction or the other.

It is necessary not only to evaluate the work according to the level of investment of funds, but also to plan for the smallest possible mass of the screed. To do this, the concrete layer is made to a minimum thickness, placing it on backfill or lightweight mortar.

The procedure for assessing the work of the future floor with a large difference in floor heights, from 70 mm, looks like this:

• the thickness of the concrete screed is 40-50 mm;
• the remaining space can be filled with expanded clay concrete class mortar.

A cheaper method is to fill the rough surface with sand, but the mass of such a cushion will be significant. In practice, it is ideal to make a base of plywood, under which expanded clay is poured to level the level. This method of carrying out work simultaneously provides a smooth, even surface for the screed; the rough filling has a low mass and provides a certain degree of additional sound insulation.

The base for the plywood screed can be made on logs made of small-section timber. This is a convenient and fairly cheap way. The logs are laid on the floor, ensuring horizontality, while small supports are placed under them in the right places. After this, the free space is filled with expanded clay.

When filling the base with sand, it must be spilled with water and compacted thoroughly. It is not recommended to use a vibrating tool - the neighbors below may damage the plaster finish or experience other troubles. After finishing the work, the sand should be given a couple of days to dry.

The difference is whether a wooden or concrete floor is located on the interfloor floor - in the mass of the coating. Although, not only this. About this video:

A little about very old houses

In houses where there is no reinforced concrete floor slab, there is one way to replace a wooden floor with a concrete screed: build a subfloor from plywood or chipboard. Some people recommend repairing the existing wood floor or adding additional covering.

However, in practice, such work takes a lot of time, money, and requires replacing damaged areas, removing old paint and other coatings to assess the condition of the boards.

Therefore proceed as follows:

• all flooring boards are removed;
• in houses with ceilings on beams or a metal profile, construction waste is poured between the floor and ceiling of the lower floor for sound insulation. All this needs to be removed;
• the state of the lag is assessed. If bad, they are deleted. If good, the logs are cleaned, treated with anti-mold and antibacterial agents and secured in such a way as to ensure the evenness of the plywood or chipboard flooring.

Preparation of the base for the screed begins with filling expanded clay into the interfloor ceiling on beams or I-beams. This layer will have low mass and have good sound insulation. Backfilling is carried out to the upper level of the lag. After this, they lay plywood or chipboard and operate in the same way as in an apartment.

Screed base

Construction of waterproofing and insulation

After the rough base for the screed is ready, they begin to create a waterproofing layer. For this you can use:

• roofing felt or glassine;
• bitumen roll insulators based on fiberglass or fiberglass;
• polymer film;
• one-sided vapor-permeable membrane.

Before spreading the rolled waterproofing material, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work. To do this, the entire perimeter of the room is taped with a special construction tape. Afterwards the coating is coated with bituminous mastic of a cold type. Some compositions will require time to dry, so it is worth warning your neighbors in advance about the need to tolerate the unpleasant odor.

After the mastic has hardened, the perimeter is glued with damper construction tape 20 mm thick and the roll waterproofing can be spread. The strips of material are placed with an overlap of 10-15 cm, each subsequent strip overlaps the previous one. Along the perimeter of the room, the waterproofing agent should extend 10-15 cm onto the walls.

The seams are processed as follows:

• when using a polymer film, the area of ​​the edge of the strip located on the previous one is glued with wide tape;
• roofing felt and other bitumen-containing materials are thoroughly heated with a construction hair dryer over the joint area and rolled over it with a gluing roller.

It is not recommended to use floating class materials in an apartment. They require processing with a kerosene burner, which can be a problem in conditions of limited space and ventilation.

Rolled waterproofing insulators on a self-adhesive basis will speed up the work. They cost more, but will speed up the flooring significantly.

After the waterproofing is laid, insulation is placed on it. This stage of work is carried out if a heated floor heating system is being built. In other cases, it is not necessary to use thermal insulation.

Waterproofing concrete floor

Laying reinforcement

• classic, laying a 10 mm steel mesh with a mesh size of 5 cm on the floor with a gap to the insulation or waterproofing insulation;
• using plastic reinforcing mesh;
• adding special fibers to the solution.

You can also place an aluminum mesh inside the screed. But the method using fibers is the leader in terms of convenience and rationality. This will allow:

• do not worry about the presence of an expansion gap to the waterproofing or insulation;
• lay a heated floor heating system inside the screed;
• work at high speed.

Fibers for screed reinforcement are affordable, and their use can ensure uniform strength of the concrete layer. But when constructing a floor not on a reinforced concrete floor slab, it is recommended to proceed in the classical way, using reinforcing mesh.

Mesh reinforcement

Installation of beacons

Beacons on the floor on the prepared surface are installed simply: special profiles or a corner for decorating corners during plastering are placed on small mounds of gypsum putty. The evenness of the surface formed by the upper points is checked using a long building level.

If the base is poorly prepared and there is a difference in levels in certain areas of the area, the height of the putty mounds varies. The beacons must be placed at a distance of 40-50 cm, directing them along a line from the window to the door. Parts cannot be moved until the putty has completely hardened and the beacons are securely fixed.

Preparation of the solution

If you want to replace a wooden floor with a concrete screed and worry less about the pressure on the floor, you can use ready-made building mixtures. For example, KREISEL 440, 441, MZ150, which allow you to create a layer of up to 70 mm with a minimum of 35 mm. In this case, there is no need to stir the dry mixture - the composition is immediately ready to add water.

The standard approach is to use a classic cement-sand screed. To prepare it you will need:

• 1 part of cement grade M400;
• 3 parts sifted construction sand;
• 0.1 parts of lime paste, acting as a plasticizer;
• fibers for reinforcement in the quantity recommended by the manufacturer.

Before mixing with water, the dry mixture must be thoroughly mixed until a uniformly colored composition is formed. After this, they begin to add liquid, continuing to stir until the consistency of thick sour cream is obtained.

Recommendation: for quick and high-quality work, you should prepare a large amount of dry mixture in advance. As needed, you can quickly dilute it with water. If you measure out equal parts of the composition, it is easy to figure out the amount of liquid required and prepare the solution extremely quickly.

Laying the screed

The screed is laid from the window or far wall to the door. The solution is laid out in large portions and leveled with a long rule along the beacons. There are no difficulties during the work, you just need to act quickly so that the solution does not set and is easily smoothed out. It is recommended that two people work together to lay the screed. One is preparing the solution, the second is applying it.

Creating a Finish Coat

In the apartment, I want to achieve maximum strength and at the same time the aesthetics of the concrete floor covering. There are several ways to do this:

• sand the floor with sandpaper;
• apply special polymer compounds or paint with paint for concrete;
• iron the surface of the screed after 3-4 days, when partial hardening occurs;
• form a thin layer of self-leveling floor.

If you plan to lay tiles on the floor, you can do without additional surface treatment. For laminate or linoleum coverings, it is recommended to carry out ironing. The most expensive version of self-leveling flooring allows you not only to obtain a smooth and even surface, but also to create an effective final coating. For example, a popular 3D floor or with graphic images.

Finishing option

The issue of creating the final coating should be considered in advance. The self-leveling floor will raise the overall level by about 30 mm, a similar situation with ceramic tiles. However, the final design can be considered as a secondary measure. As for the concrete floor itself, if you follow the given rules and methods, after complete drying in 2-3 weeks, you can create a very strong, durable coating at an acceptable cost of money and time.

delaypol.com

Replacing the floor in an apartment: subtleties of repair – Floor School

Replacing the floor in your apartment with your own hands will significantly save your budget.

Moreover, understanding the intricacies of such a process will also be useful if you hire specialists for repairs.

Work is in full swing

Prerequisites

If the replacement of the old floor in the apartment was carried out in the next ten years, then there is no point in worrying about this yet. Unless you are already tired of its appearance, and your budget allows you to update the room.

But in the case where the floors in the apartment have not been replaced since the construction of the building, it is necessary to carefully check their condition and, if necessary, take action.

Urgently needs repairs

Obvious external signs of the need for replacement are:

• creaking boards;
• deflection of floorboards;
• the appearance of cracks.

A closer inspection may reveal rotten or cracked boards.

Advice: on an old floor that has not been renovated, you should not lay linoleum or other decorative covering on top. Because any new finishing layer that has fallen into disrepair will quickly become unusable.

Since all the prerequisites for repairing the foundation are present, we will consider two ways to solve the problem:

• Full or partial replacement of wood covering.
• Replacing a wooden floor with a concrete one in an apartment.

Installation work

The degree of unusability of the old floor and what kind of coating you are going to use on top in the future will determine which method to choose. Let's look at them in more detail.

Restoring a wooden floor

Dismantling the surface

If, when examining the boards, you come to the conclusion that the base is quite in order, and only the upper floorboards have fallen into disrepair, then you can limit yourself to only repairing or replacing the boards.

The following instructions will help you with this:

• Remove all traces of paint or varnish from the coating.

Tip: use a sander to sand the boards. This will significantly improve the result and simplify the work.

• We examine the boards for signs of rotting, cracks and other deformations. All rejected products must be replaced with new ones.

External signs of rotting

• We inspect the fastening of the floorboards to the joists. Old fastenings with nails should be secured with self-tapping screws for reliability.
• We use wood putty to treat all possible small cracks and recesses, leveling the surface as much as possible.
• If the crack is more than five millimeters, we hammer a specially prepared wooden wedge into it.
• After finishing with putty, we go through it again with a sanding machine.
• We carry out dry and wet cleaning of the premises.
• We cover the floor with paint, varnish or any other desired coating.

Replacement of boards is completed

If more than 50% of the covering material is unusable, feel free to remove and discard the entire covering. It would be more profitable to completely replace the boards. Moreover, today the manufacturer offers special products with tongue and groove for such work, as shown in the figure:

Photo of a board with tongue and groove

This structure of the tongue and groove board allows the surface of the new floor to be made without through gaps, which, of course, will significantly improve functionality and durability.

Replacing a wooden floor in an apartment with your own hands is quite simple. The use of high-quality dry wood and the correct execution of the work give you a minimum ten-year guarantee on the new coating.

Preparation process

Two reasons may prompt you to decide to completely remove the tree and pour concrete yourself:

• Complete disrepair of the old covering, including the base of the floor.
• The desire to use expensive external coating materials such as tiles, parquet, laminate and others.

The most important thing about using this method is the ability to create a smooth and even surface. If you lack the skills, it may be worth considering inviting professionals to do this work. Although the cost of repairs will then be higher.

Filling can be done in three ways:

1. Use prepared cement-sand mixture (CSM) for screeding.
2. Use levelers – dry cement mixture.
3. Make a “dry screed” using gypsum fiber sheets.

Let's carry out the preparatory work:

• We remove absolutely all the old coating.
• We remove all construction debris, freeing the old screed or tiled floor.
• Lay down plastic film as moisture insulation.

Waterproofing before screed

• We glue damper tape around the perimeter. It compensates for shrinkage of the coating and increases reliability.
• We install beacons for direction.
• To level a particularly curved surface, it should be covered with expanded clay or sand.

Example of using expanded clay

• In case of increasing the reliability of the floor, we install a steel mesh.

Reinforced mesh will increase the strength of the concrete pavement

Ready-made mixtures harden faster, up to 10 days, and even self-level. This greatly simplifies the work, but also increases the cost. Although if you do everything yourself and have already saved money on hired work, then this is quite a profitable option.

Dry screeding is done quickly, easily and cleanly. But it's expensive. The choice is yours.

The process of creating floors using dry screed

Conclusion

If the floors have not yet been changed since the purchase of the apartment, then this most likely needs to be done. However, the creaking boards are probably a reminder of this.

Depending on your budget, you can choose different ways to replace the wooden floor in your apartment. You can carry out a partial or complete replacement of boards, you can even replace wood with concrete and, again, using different methods. It all depends on your financial capabilities.

Everything is ready for applying the finishing coat.

The video in this article will introduce you to additional material.

One high-quality floor repair will save you from constant squeaking and the fear of one day failing for 10-20 years. Make up your mind!

shkolapola.ru

How to replace wooden floors in an apartment with concrete ones, reasons and sequence of work

If a wooden floor is constantly exposed to dynamic loads, temperature changes and moisture, this will eventually lead to deformation and destruction. Then, at best, the coating will need to be repaired. But if the boards have been severely damaged and rotten, then there is only one way out - to replace the old coating with a new one.

An alternative to a wooden floor in an apartment is concrete; its installation is carried out on an old screed or on a new one. Laying a concrete floor indoors requires dismantling the wooden covering and carefully preparing the old rough foundation on which the screed is applied.

Replacing a wooden floor is not an easy job, but it is not overly difficult either. You can handle this task yourself, if you have the desire. This work consists of a number of stages, each of them is important and determines the quality and service life of the future coating.

In addition, there are a lot of nuances that need to be taken into account when removing the old coating and installing a new one. Much attention needs to be paid to the quality of the concrete base screed. So that you can fully imagine the complexity of such work, it is worth familiarizing yourself in more detail with each stage of the repair of replacing the old wooden floor with a new concrete coating.

Reasons for replacing an old floor with a different flooring material

The reasons for replacing wood flooring with concrete flooring vary, but the main ones are:

• The wooden covering in the room does not meet operational standards. Boards may not withstand the impact of loads on them, even if they are in very good condition.
• The condition of the wooden floors is too bad. There are large gaps between the floorboards, the wood rots and collapses, and when walking on the flooring the floor makes unpleasant squeaks. These reasons most often force apartment owners to carry out repairs or completely dismantle the old foundation.

• A major renovation is planned for the premises. In this case, many people replace the floor coverings with a stronger base.

Replacing flooring is a difficult job that requires special skills, so if you are not confident that you can repair or dismantle the old floor and lay the concrete base yourself, then it is better not to experiment, but to immediately entrust these tasks to professionals. Because if you pour the concrete solution incorrectly and make a poor-quality screed, this will negatively affect the quality of the future floor.

Why concrete floor?

Among all types of floor coverings, concrete floor screed is chosen for a number of reasons:

• high strength characteristics;
• long service life of the concrete screed;
• reliability;
• environmental friendliness;
• Possibility of screed installation of any floor coverings: carpet, linoleum, laminate, parquet.
• Low cost of material, unlike other types of flooring.

There are many other advantages that concrete floor screed has. We can talk about them for a long time, but even the advantages listed above are enough to understand that today this is the best alternative to a wooden floor in an apartment. But in order for such a floor to last a long time and become a reliable basis for installing flooring material, it is worth adhering to the technology of laying it, and it consists of several stages.

Attention! When repairing and dismantling a wooden floor, it is recommended to use safety glasses and a respiratory mask, because such work will entail a lot of dirt and dust, which is harmful to the eyes and lungs.

Removing a wooden floor

If you are wondering whether it is possible to renovate an apartment by replacing wooden flooring with a concrete floor, the answer is yes. First, the wooden floor laid in the room is dismantled; this step will allow access to the lower floors. However, keep in mind that during dismantling, debris and dust are generated, and the work itself is noisy, so carry out repairs in such a way as not to disturb your neighbors. It’s better if there is an assistant who can help you tear off boards, take out trash, make mortar, and so on.

Before you begin repairing and dismantling the old coating, prepare the following tools:

1. hammer;
2. saw;
3. axe;
4. nail puller

Dismantling begins from any part of the room, but it is more convenient to proceed from the front door. If the wood flooring is in poor condition, you can leave only the intact elements and throw away the rest. Good material will be useful for some other purposes and auxiliary operations.

Dismantling begins with the removal of baseboards. After this, they begin to remove the old coating and rough flooring, which is located under the floor. If there is old insulation, it is also removed, and the base is thoroughly cleaned of debris.

Concrete floor installation

Now that the old coating has been removed, you can begin installing the concrete floor.

Sequencing:

1. A waterproofing layer is installed.
2. Insulation is being installed.
3. Installation of reinforcing mesh and damper tape is in progress.
4. This whole pie is filled with concrete mortar. The layer of solution is 10 - 12 centimeters.

The entire work process involves several stages:

• Installation of the waterproofing layer. Hot bitumen mastic is used as waterproofing or material with water-repellent properties is laid. If the water-repellent material is in roll form, during installation, make sure that its edges protrude slightly above the floor level. Those places where individual sheets are connected to each other are coated with mastic.

• When the waterproofing is laid, a thermal insulation board is installed on top of it. Such a heat insulator will help save on creating a screed, since it will require less mortar. In addition, such a step will improve the thermal insulation in the room and reduce heating costs. In addition, slab insulation also improves sound insulation, which is important if you live in a multi-story building.

• At the next stage of repair, the reinforcing mesh is installed. For ease of installation, you can use beacons, and use welding or wire for fixation. A damper tape is attached around the perimeter of the room.
• Now it’s the turn of the solution. First, prepare a solution for the concrete screed, then spread it on the floor surface and level it, starting from the middle to the corners of the room.

• When the solution is evenly distributed over the surface of the base, it is left to dry. The lifespan depends on the thickness of the layer.
• After the moisture leaves the concrete, a screed of a self-leveling mixture is applied on top. The floor repair is complete, all that remains is to lay the finishing coating.

If the work is done correctly, as a result of the repair you will have a reliable concrete base for installing the flooring material. To better understand how floor replacement repairs are performed. and how to make a screed, watch the video presented here:

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laminatepol.ru

How to replace a wooden floor with a concrete one in an apartment?

Sooner or later, it is necessary to replace the wooden floor with a concrete one in an apartment located on the ground floor. This is primarily due to increased humidity levels. This is especially true for houses that are built in climatic zones where it often rains heavily. Over time, wooden boards begin to creak and sag, which causes great discomfort to the apartment owners.

Tools and materials

The best option for the floor base in an apartment on the ground floor is concrete.

It is not at all afraid of moisture and is quite resistant to various types of mechanical damage. In addition, if necessary, such a floor can be insulated without problems. But to get the job done quickly and efficiently, you should take care of the necessary tools. So, you will definitely need:

• a crowbar and a trowel, which will serve as a tool for completely dismantling the old covering of wooden joists;
• slag, high-quality cement, fine crushed stone, expanded clay and dry sand;
• large container for solution and bucket;
• large meter and chalk for marking;
• level;
• large size polyethylene film;
• materials for heat and waterproofing;
• gloves, protective mask and suit;
• rule;
• wooden stick for stirring the solution.

Particular attention should be paid to the choice of cement for forming the concrete subfloor. It’s better not to waste money and spend money on a good brand of cement. This way the floor will last for a very long time, without allowing the communications that will be laid to deteriorate.

Preparing the base

Replacing a wooden floor in an apartment involves dismantling the old base. It is necessary to carefully dismantle wooden joists. First, boards that are completely rotten and collapsed are removed. At the same time, we should not forget that if more than half of the covering is damaged, it is better to dismantle even the few remaining good boards. But if most of the base is almost like new, the good boards can be left behind. It is only recommended to strengthen them further.

After the logs are removed, you need to clear the room of debris. It is very important that the floor is free of not only large specks, but also dust. This is the only way to ensure the strongest possible adhesion of cement to the base surface.

Now we need to take care of communications. So, if necessary, all pipes, cables and cords are laid at once. If you plan to make a warm floor, then you should not lay it on the surface yet. This is done much later, before the final screed.

Now you need to lay out the initial base for the floor in layers. First, fine gravel or crushed stone is poured in a layer of about 7-10 cm. After this, about 5-7 cm of sand is poured, everything is leveled using a long straight rule. Next, you can lay a layer of waterproofing, and then thermal insulation. There are 2 options here: use separate materials or buy an expensive film that will both protect from moisture and help keep the apartment warm.

It is strictly not recommended to use coating materials for insulation. It is best to give preference to special film ones, having calculated the required area in advance before purchasing. At the same time, installation is quite easy with your own hands if you follow the diagram in the instructions.

Main fill

Now you need to make a concrete solution for pouring. It needs to be thick enough. Usually sand and cement are taken in equal parts, then water is added little by little. In this case, you should constantly stir the solution so as not to overfill the water.

You need to make a concrete layer of about 10 cm. This thickness is considered optimal if the apartment has a high level of humidity. This will greatly improve the microclimate. But if the ceilings in the apartment are low, which does not allow you to make the thickest screed, you can reduce the thickness to 6-7 cm.

After this, you should wait until the concrete has completely hardened, and then pour fine crushed stone onto the base of the floor and carefully level it over the entire surface. A thick plastic film must be placed on top of the crushed stone, which will serve as additional protection from moisture. And the floor will be warmer as a result.

Now you will need to lay out the slats on the floor. It is best to use regular long thin wooden boards for this. It is recommended to strictly maintain the same distances between them, and also to ensure that their ends are strictly adjacent to the walls along the perimeter. A cord should be pulled over the slats along the walls, which will determine the maximum height of the final concrete screed. Ideally, the cord should be pulled exactly along the slats on the floor.

Mix a thick solution in a large container, then gradually fill the strips between the slats with it. When one strip is half filled with the solution, you need to use a long, flat board or a special rule to level the layer, then proceed to the final filling, leveling everything again. It is recommended to pour the solution at the very corners so that there are no voids as a result.

Each strip is filled in this way. When everything is ready, the solution will have time to set a little. And then you need to remove the slats and fill the remaining voids with the solution, again carefully distributing and leveling it. It is recommended to remove the slats gradually: after filling every 2 strips, remove them one at a time.

Now you should completely moisten the base of the floor with a spray bottle and cover it with plastic wrap. This will ensure the concrete hardens as quickly as possible and at the same time secure it as much as possible. After the base layer has set, all that remains is to apply a thin leveling screed.

The screed is also applied to wooden slats. But in this case it is already recommended to use thinner boards. Everything is done in the same way as the main filling, but you only need to use a special composition, which is sold ready-made. It contains special polymers that will protect the floor for a long time. The final coat takes about 4 weeks to dry.

As a rule, it is recommended to replace a wooden floor with a concrete one in an apartment using the proposed method on the ground floor. Indeed, in other cases it will not be possible to change the floor level using several layers of screed. But such a replacement of a wooden floor with a concrete flooring will protect the room from dampness as reliably as possible.

From the author: Hello, dear readers. If you are reading these lines, it means you have decided to find out everything about what it is to replace floors in an apartment. Only here you will find a complete set of information from the original source, namely, from the best professionals in this field of repair.

What types of floors are there, and why change them?

We all want our apartments to be warm and comfortable. To do this, we make expensive repairs and spend a lot of time. But we will not achieve the desired result if we replace windows, doors, level the walls, and leave the floors as they are. That's why we set out to replace the flooring ourselves.

Floors need to be replaced if you are not satisfied with the quality of the coating, its evenness, thermal characteristics, or if it is completely worn out. You should also think about repairing the coating if you have had it since the very installation of the building, and you decided to lay linoleum, laminate or parquet boards in a high-quality manner (then it would be best to lay the finishing coating on plywood).

To give you an idea of ​​what they are, we will describe the most common types that are used in apartments. Floors are divided into rough and finished.

Subfloor

A surface manufactured and laid over floor slabs or wood to provide a base level layer for the finished floor. Subfloors are divided into:

• plank on joists - an old wooden floor that is processed with a special jointing machine. Either a new structure is made from logs, boards are laid on it and processed again with a jointer;
• plywood on joists - the old joist structure is restored, or a new one is laid, and sheets of plywood are laid on top of it;
• chipboard, chipboard on joists - the same as in the case of plywood;
• OSB boards on joists - the same as in the case of plywood;
• concrete screed - the old concrete coating is knocked off, and a new, perfectly smooth cement screed is poured onto the prepared surface with or without an insulating pad;
• self-leveling floor - a special solution is poured onto the old cement screed, which is sold dry and must be made strictly according to the instructions. Suitable for leveling surfaces from 5 mm to 20 mm, no more;
• dry screed - the old concrete screed is knocked down, beacons are laid on the prepared surface and quartz or other sand is poured out, leveled over the beacons, and a rough floor covering is laid on top of it;
• heated floor - pouring a concrete base or dry screed, laying water or electric heating elements, again a regular or dry screed. Expensive to make and maintain, but very comfortable.

Finish floor

This is the finishing material on which we will move - most often, a thin coating that is quickly applied. Typically the following coatings are found on the market:

• linoleum is a rolled, porous-rubberized coating that has a base with a variety of properties. It is used for laying on a variety of coatings and has a low price;
• laminate is visually a wooden covering, but at its base it has fiberboard - a fibreboard, glued with glassine on the bottom for waterproofing, and treated on top with a special armor layer resembling wood. Afraid of water, short-lived, relatively inexpensive;
• parquet is an extremely expensive material made from valuable wood species. Most often, it has a multi-layer structure, at the base - cheaper wood, the last layer, the rear - only precious species, resistant to mechanical wear and having a very beautiful appearance;
• edged polished board - boards of a certain durable species, require piece-by-piece adjustment, after installation they are processed and covered with a special coating, the final result is not cheap;
• Fiberboard is the most inexpensive material, it is laid with the expectation of further painting, and cannot be used without paint treatment;
• - an almost eternal coating with excellent water-repellent properties and an aesthetically beautiful appearance, excellent in all respects, with the exception of one huge disadvantage - it is very cold.

You can do the work yourself very simply. Perhaps some of the coatings require specialized tools, but on modern markets and Internet resources you can find any equipment and tools you are interested in, and rent them at very affordable prices.

Any repair always requires careful consideration. Plan everything down to the last detail. Think through every aspect, calculate the amount of money you need and add another 30% of it - this will give you the approximate final amount you should expect.

When choosing and making a floor, remember the following:

• When pouring a new screed, always knock down the old one;
• When pouring floors, use damper tape;
• always use waterproofing;
• When purchasing cement or special mixtures, always look at the expiration date;
• It is better to replace conventional rolled, perforated beacons with a wide profile for plasterboard structures;
• remember the load on the surface, and if it is large, for example, more than 300 kg/m2, discard the dry screed;
• If possible, always insulate your floor if it is a screed. Use expanded clay if these are logs - or better yet, foam, but mineral wool will also work;
• remember about air circulation in wooden floors and create a gap between the insulation and the subfloor, as well as ventilation “drawbars”;
• use the levels, but it’s better to rent a laser one - it will work for your money;
• mix cement mortar only with cold water;
• if possible, add a plasticizer - if this is not available, add a little shampoo;
• when making screeds, always lay reinforcement or use basalt fiber;
• if you need a screed that will be used as a ceiling, and there will be heavy loads on it, make a stressed concrete structure;
• always maintain the drying time of surfaces and materials;
• when installing tiles, use only waterproofing adhesive, for example, ceresite, and do not forget to grout the seams;
  You can calculate the amount of grout required:
• Use only serviceable tools and machines with all protective covers.

To do the job yourself, you will need the following tool:

• hammer;
• chisel or chisel;
• mallet;
• construction knife;
• plane;
• Master OK;
• concrete mixer or mixing container with a shovel;
• hammer drill, jackhammer or crowbar;
• level, hydraulic level or laser level;
• tape measure and square;
• screwdriver;
• axe;
• a needle roller for smoothing the screed and removing air bubbles.

You won't need all of these tools to get the job done; everything will depend on the coating you choose. Yes, purchasing it is too expensive and unprofitable for the sake of one repair, but renting a concrete mixer or bumper is a completely different matter. Well, a hammer and an ax are already present in any home, so dismantling and laying a wooden covering with your own hands will cost you half as much as hiring workers.

Replacement Instructions

Now let's take a closer look at how to install different types of floors.

Replacing a wooden floor with a concrete one

Changing a wooden covering to a concrete one is a very simple operation that does not require skill. It can be done literally in one full working day by one person, if you have a concrete mixer at your disposal.

We begin the whole process by dismantling the old coating. To do this we use a crowbar. Without sparing the boards and joists, we dismantle them and take them out of the room. You will most likely see some kind of insulation under the floor. In some houses this is expanded clay or agloporite, sometimes you even find broken glass mixed with glass wool.

If you see this, immediately put on a respirator and remove all this garbage. Don't be greedy and try to leave a layer of old insulation. Previously, they didn’t even think about the environment and used everything indiscriminately. If you need to insulate the ceiling, then buy a dozen bags of expanded clay and cover the surface with it.

After dismantling and preparing the surface, we carry out waterproofing with bulk mixtures or roofing felt. Then we insulate it with expanded clay, if required, but you can do it without it, it all depends on whether you want heat loss or not. Next, we lay the waterproofing film on the expanded clay and lay the reinforcing mesh, and if we use basalt fiber, then the reinforcement is eliminated.

Replacing floors in a house or apartment is carried out for various reasons. The most common examples are the need to install sound and heat insulation, a decision was made to install a “warm” floor, the coating was deformed, the boards began to creak, or the humidity coming from the basement increased, you just wanted something modern and new.

Be that as it may, you will have to do a lot of work, consisting of several stages. Much when replacing material depends on what material the old floors are made of, and on how you plan to see the new flooring. Moreover, you need to consider an additional function that would increase noise and heat insulation, and also provide more reliable protection for the apartment.

So that the complexity of the upcoming work does not come as a surprise to you, you need to find out not only how much it costs to replace floors, but also become familiar with the main stages of the upcoming events.

Removing the floor

This process is one of the most unpleasant. But no matter how scary it may be, you simply cannot do without such an activity, and therefore you should boldly get to work.

If the old floor in the apartment is wooden, then there will be no big difficulties or problems with its dismantling. For work, you need to prepare all the necessary tools, such as a hammer with a nail puller, an ax, a pry bar, a screwdriver, an electric saw or a jigsaw for cutting old boards (if you do not plan to reuse them), a shovel and garbage bags.

How to dismantle an old wooden floor

• First of all, you need to get rid of the baseboards by removing them around the entire perimeter of the room, and only then can you begin to dismantle the plank covering.

• If you plan to re-lay the boards or use them as joists, you must remove them carefully, being careful not to cause serious damage to them. So use a nail puller to carefully remove all the nails. If the boards were secured with self-tapping screws, then this process will not cause any difficulty - most often they can be unscrewed with a screwdriver.

• If you do not plan to use the boards in the future, it is better to immediately remove them from the apartment. You should not collect a bunch of garbage, as it will interfere with subsequent actions. You should also do the same with other elements that you definitely won’t need for installation work.

• Having freed up space, you can begin dismantling the joists. It is important to remember that they can be securely fixed to the floor, and they must be dismantled carefully, trying not to damage the base. Otherwise, you will add additional work and expenses to yourself, which will be spent on sealing the resulting holes.

• When you free the room from the old coating, you need to thoroughly clean it, as far as the base allows, of course. Having completed this procedure, you can begin preparing the floor for installation work.

Dismantling a wooden floor: video

Removing old concrete pavement is done as a last resort, as it can be easily repaired. Drastic measures are taken only if the old cement coating cannot be preserved. For example, it was constantly exposed to moisture without regular drying. In such a situation, mold and mildew could form in the concrete layers, which could cause effects on the health of residents - asthma, allergies, lung diseases, rhinitis and others. Naturally, it is simply necessary to dismantle such a coating.

Another reason for dismantling is low ceilings in the apartment. If you are going to install a floor with insulation, then be prepared for the fact that it will become higher, and the covering will need to be removed to make room for a sound- and heat-insulating structure.

If you plan to remove the screed, make sure that it is laid on the concrete floor, and perform this procedure with extreme caution.

To remove the screed layer, it is better to use a hammer drill. With its help, its individual pieces are removed. Typically, such a layer leveling the slab ranges from 50 to 120 mm.

When the old screed is removed, you also need to carry out cleaning activities. However, in this option it is unlikely that you will be able to perform a perfect cleaning, but you will have to make every effort.

Preparatory work

In order for the new floor covering to be laid efficiently, it is necessary to bring the cleaned base from the old floor into proper condition.

• Carefully remove all dust from the surface. This is done in order to detect serious flaws in the base (holes, cracks, crevices, areas of coloring or peeling, places where the concrete was saturated with certain compounds, or where traces of mold and dampness were visible).

• If you find any, they need to be sealed well, otherwise they can reduce the effect of sound and thermal insulation. This can be done using polyurethane foam, cement mortar or sealant. You need to make a choice of repair materials based on the size of the damaged base. In case of mold or mildew formation, the base must be impregnated with special aseptic compounds.

• As soon as the base has dried, subsequent preparation steps are carried out, which will depend on what type of flooring is being replaced with the old one. For this reason, these processes should be considered in conjunction with the installation of each type of flooring.

But keep in mind that even if you are going to install a wooden floor instead of a dismantled screed, the surface will have to be leveled with a new concrete coating (a small layer).

Making a new screed

You can make a new screed in different ways. If the base is more or less flat, and a wooden covering is laid on top of it, then put it in perfect order by making a self-leveling floor. One of the best options would be to pour a self-leveling coating.

You can familiarize yourself with the technology for preparing the solution on the packaging, and it must be strictly followed. Next, the prepared solution needs to be poured over the surface, then spread using a wide spatula or squeegee, and then pierced with a needle roller to release the remaining air bubbles.

The leveled floor must be left to dry so that it gains strength. All compositions are characterized by their maturation period, depending on the components from which the building mixture is prepared.

Then on the leveled floor you can:

• lay thin insulation and decorative covering;

• install a plywood covering with the installation of a special infrared heated floor film;

• lay the wooden floor on the installed joists.

Screed with expanded clay insulation

The second type of screed is laid directly on expanded clay, which is a high-quality sound insulator and insulation material. Moreover, the material is quite light, which means it will not weigh down the interfloor ceiling, which should be taken into account when screeding in an apartment. Moreover, the process of laying this screed is as follows.

• If the screed is performed on the first floor, located above a cold basement, then first of all, waterproofing is done. Its installation is carried out in various ways: casting, plastering, painting, pasting and others. It is applied not just to the floors, but also to the lower part of the walls, to a previously primed surface.

• A thick polyethylene film is laid on a previously prepared waterproofed surface, extending 20 cm onto the walls. The film sheets must be glued to each other using special tape.

• Next, a damper tape is attached on top of the film around the perimeter of the room, which helps keep the screed intact during severe temperature changes.

• Next, beacons are installed on top of the film and leveled. They are usually fixed to concrete mortar. In this case, the height of the beacons must correspond to the height of the expanded clay layer being filled + the planned thickness of the screed.

• Next, expanded clay is poured in a layer slightly below the installed beacons and leveled well.

• Then, a concrete solution is poured on top of the expanded clay, which is leveled along the top of the beacons.

• When the screed dries, it will most likely settle somewhat; it can be covered with a thin layer of self-leveling floor.

• Then any decorative floor covering is laid on top of this structure.

Screed without insulation

An ordinary concrete mortar screed is made to strengthen the floor under further wooden flooring or on the floors of an apartment building where insulation is not required.

A special damper tape is glued along the entire perimeter of the walls.

On top of the laid waterproofing film you need to lay a reinforcing mesh (fiberglass or metal), and then install beacons that are leveled in the horizontal plane.

In this way, the entire room is poured and leveled, after which the screed is left for 3-4 weeks, during which time it will harden and mature.

Once it is ready, proceed with the installation of joists, insulation, and boardwalk.

Dry screed

Another option for arranging a new floor is a dry screed, which is perfect for installing in an apartment. It has proven itself to be excellent in that you don’t have to mix the solution and create a swamp in your home. Floors made of dry screed are made as follows:

• A thick polyethylene film is laid on the floors, which should extend 5-10 cm onto the wall (height allowance). A board is installed in the doorway to limit spillage of the mixture. The flooring should fit as closely as possible to the surface of the base.

• Next, beacons made of even wooden beams or a metal profile are placed on the film. But in this version, the screeds cannot be fixed to the base, otherwise, after leveling the surface, the guides from the backfilled layer must be removed.

• The beacons themselves must be leveled to the building level to a flat horizontal plane.

• The next step is pouring the filler onto the film. Its layer should have a greater height (several millimeters) compared to installed beacons.

• Using the rule, the dry filler is leveled, focusing on the beacons.

• The last stage is the laying of gypsum fiber boards with interlocking joints. Glue is applied to them, after which the next panel is laid. This is done in such a way that the locking parts fit together perfectly. The plates are additionally fastened in these places using self-tapping screws.

The finished floor is decorated with a decorative coating, the choice of which depends on your personal preferences.

Wooden floor

The floor, made of plywood or tongue-and-groove boards, is installed on a prepared screed. Moreover, it can be laid directly on a concrete base or laid on logs.

The most popular among these options is the first one, as it has many advantages. For example, between the joists it is possible to install sound insulation and insulation. Moreover, the surface is raised above the concrete, which in turn adds an insulating effect. Another advantage is that the logs add greater rigidity to the coating, and it becomes more reliable. Floors on joists or bars are installed in several stages:

• Before attaching the logs, the room is marked. The lines are marked with painted stretched twine. The distance between the logs should correspond to the width of the insulating material (if mineral wool is used, it can be reduced by 30-50 mm, this will be much better).

• Next, cut the logs to the required length. But it is important to remember that they must be located at a distance from the wall, no less than the thickness of the insulation. As a rule, mineral wool is used for insulation - if low-quality polystyrene foam is used in closed residential premises, the atmosphere will not be so environmentally friendly.

• The distance between the log posts, which are fixed to the floor, should be within 40-50 cm. The level of the future floor can be brought to the horizontal plane by adjusting the height of the posts.

• At the end of this work, you need to lay the insulation. First, this must be done between the wall and the joists, along the entire perimeter of the room, then lay it between the joists.

• The next stage is covering the entire structure with a special vapor barrier film - it should be secured to the joists using a stapler.

• Laying the boards is the most important process. Starting floorboards should be 5-7 mm from the wall, which will provide ventilation and compensate for linear expansions from increased humidity or thermal changes in the room.

• If you plan to lay plywood on joists, then provide a joint between two sheets so that it falls in the middle of the joist. You need to calculate the size of the plywood sheet. To ensure surface rigidity, the sheets must be fastened according to the brickwork system, namely with a shift of the next sheet by half.

Most often, replacement of old floors is required in Khrushchev-era buildings or in private houses. After all, this is where the coating was used for a long time. The floors in such housing are usually wooden. Of course, this material is durable, environmentally friendly, affordable and has reliable heat-shielding characteristics. However, despite this, over time the tree begins to undergo deformation due to constant loads, temperature changes and air humidity. Eventually, the time comes when you have to do a major overhaul and decide to replace the floor. However, before carrying out such work, you will need to determine the degree of wear of the coating. This will allow us to consider possible options for its repair.

Carrying out diagnostics

Before starting work, you will need to decide on its type. Replacement of a floor made of wood is carried out in the following cases:

1. The appearance of a significant number of longitudinal cracks on the boards. This indicates that the tree has dried out and will soon begin to simply fall apart. What do you mean by a large number of cracks? A dozen of them on the entire surface of the floor should already be an alarm bell for the owner. The reason for such cracking of floorboards is, as a rule, non-compliance with the humidity conditions in the room. As a result of this, they dry out.
2. The occurrence of local wood failures. In this case, a mandatory floor replacement will be required. After all, the fact that the board breaks becomes clear confirmation that it is rotten.

Floor repairs are carried out when the floorboards creak. This is the least of the evils that can happen to an old coating. However, even at the same time, it is worth making sure that this creaking is not caused by rotten logs. And to do this you will need to tear off one or two floorboards in the place where the unpleasant sound is observed. If the logs turn out to be rotten, then replacing the floor will be simply necessary.

Consider coatings with a concrete base. Replacing the floors in the apartment in this case is assumed for two reasons:

1. The presence of a large number of cracks. Floor screeding is done not only to make it more convenient to walk around the house or apartment. It is also needed for uniform distribution of loads on the floor slabs. A cracked screed does not cope with its functions. Its deformation leads to the concentration of loads in one place, which is fraught with bad consequences, especially for an old house.
2. Shedding of the screed until it turns into sand. In this case, replacing floors in an apartment or in a private house is mandatory.

Preparing to install new wood flooring

After diagnostics have been carried out, convincingly proving the need to replace the floor when renovating apartments, it will be necessary to dismantle the old covering. To do this, you must first prepare:

• hammer with nail puller;
• mount;
• hatchet;
• screwdriver;
• shovel;
• an electric saw or jigsaw, which will be used to cut old boards;
• garbage bags.

The dismantling process begins with removing the baseboards around the entire perimeter of the rooms. Next, using a nail puller, the previously hammered nails are pulled out. If the floorboards were attached to the joists with self-tapping screws, then use a screwdriver. The removed wooden elements should be removed from the room, after which the dismantling of the logs should begin. Often these parts are securely attached to the subfloor. That is why the logs are removed carefully, which will prevent damage to the floor slabs and save time on filling up the resulting holes.

After complete dismantling of the old covering, the room is thoroughly cleaned. And only after this is it possible to begin work on arranging new floors.

What kind of floor should I make in the apartment? Just like it was - wooden? Or maybe pour cement screed in the rooms? As a rule, the issue is resolved in favor of wooden flooring, if there was one there before. The only exception is replacing the flooring in the kitchen and hallway. In these rooms, the preferred covering option is tiles. And it is almost impossible to lay it on a wooden surface. But if tiles in these rooms are not included in the renovation plans, then the need for floor screed disappears by itself.

Anyone who has decided to replace the floor in a Khrushchev building with their own hands should still consider the option of installing wooden coverings. After all, the screed has a significant weight, for which the floors in an old building may simply not be designed.

Arrangement of logs

How to replace the floor with your own hands in a Khrushchev-era building or in a private house? The technology for arranging a covering made of wood is not as complicated as it is described. At the initial stage you will need to install logs. They should be located from each other at a distance of 600 to 800 mm and be strictly in the horizontal plane. To level the lags, bars are used. After obtaining a single plane, it is advisable to secure this base for the floor to the ceilings using U-shaped brackets. The principle of performing this work is similar to that used when installing ceiling profiles for placing drywall. You just need to perform all actions in mirror image.

Adjustable supports can be installed as joists. They are studs equipped with nuts and washers. Rotating the nuts allows you to raise or lower the joist, leveling it to the horizontal plane. How much does it cost to replace the floor in this case? It is worth keeping in mind that adjustable elements will significantly increase the amount of money invested.

When replacing the floor in a private house, you will need to inspect the condition of the support columns that are located under the joists. They must be in good condition. If there were no posts initially, then they need to be mounted. To do this, soil is removed and compacted in the designated places. Next, polyethylene film is laid. It is necessary for waterproofing the foundation. Afterwards, crushed stone is poured, reinforcing mesh is installed and formwork is mounted for the foundation under the column. The support itself is laid out of brick in two rows using a cement mixture. The top of the posts must be waterproofed.

Laying wood flooring

At the final stage of work, OSB boards or sheets are laid. If you use the second of these two materials, the logs will need to be installed in increments of 62.5 cm. OSB is laid in two layers. The second of them is attached with self-tapping screws to the first and must be laid in the opposite direction from it.

The installation of plank floors is simpler than using OSB. However, there will be a lot more work with the floorboards. After all, each of them will need to be adjusted to size and at the same time carefully monitor the joining of the ends. They should not be outside the log.

Due to the labor-intensive nature of the work, many owners who replace the floor with their own hands give preference to OSB. In this case, the coating is more reliable and has fewer seams. Parquet, laminate, linoleum and other finishing materials can be laid on it without any further processing.

But in any case, it is important to pay attention to the space under the flooring. It must be provided with ventilation. To do this, experts recommend leaving a small (0.5 cm) gap between the walls and the floor along the entire perimeter of the room, which will subsequently be covered with a plinth. Often, when replacing the floor in a private house, holes are drilled in the corners of the rooms. They will ensure ventilation of the underground. Such holes, which are preferably located in criss-crossed corners, can be covered with decorative overlays.

Replacing cement screed

The technology for performing these works is much more complex than those described above. Replacing wood floors with concrete floors will require significant labor.

At the first stage, the floor slabs are also released, and the resulting garbage is removed from the apartment. After this, waterproofing is laid on the cleaned surface. A thick polyethylene film is used for it, which will not allow the water contained in the cement mortar to appear on the ceiling of the apartment located on the floor below.

Replacing the floor covering, which begins with screeding, allows you to eliminate some of the unevenness of the base. This becomes possible through backfilling, as well as pouring the floor using a special composition that forms a perfectly flat surface. In addition, the screed allows you to strengthen the surface of the concrete slab and increase its strength characteristics. This technology comes in different forms. Today these are three existing options for arranging the base for installing the top flooring. Let's take a closer look at them.

Standard screed

This option is used, as a rule, when performing major repairs of floors in private homes. The fact is that the main disadvantage of a standard screed for high-rise buildings is the presence in the solution of a large amount of water, which does not evaporate, but, looking for all sorts of loopholes, rushes to the ceiling of the neighbors of the lower apartment. Moreover, a waterproofing film previously laid on the floor slabs cannot save you from such a lack of material. This fact does not allow the use of such a screed option. And this despite its cheapness and ease of self-production.

Semi-dry screed

It is an excellent alternative to the previous option. Semi-dry screed is a fairly cheap option for replacing a wooden floor in an apartment. A minimal amount of water is added to its solution. The result is a special mass that builders call prancing. It consists of cement mixed dry with sand, to which just a few drops of water are added. When laying such a mixture, a waterproofing film is laid only just in case, to be on the safe side. However, such a screed is difficult to level. Sometimes, to create a perfectly flat surface, it has to be additionally moistened with water. The cost of performing work using it turns out to be slightly higher than when using the standard option.

Dry screed

We can say that this option is ideal for creating the best floor in the apartment. This technology does not involve the use of water at all. Perhaps that is why it can be classified as a screed only formally. To a greater extent, this coating is similar to wooden flooring.

The implementation of a dry screed begins with the installation of beacons, relative to which a backfill is made at the horizon level, for which fine granular heat-insulating material is taken. Gypsum fiber boards are laid on top of this layer. In terms of its technical characteristics, the resulting coating is similar to a cement-sand floor screed. This allows it to withstand all emerging loads for a long time.

When using a dry screed, it becomes possible to replace a wooden floor with laminate, tiles and other types of floor coverings. There are no restrictions in this matter.

The only drawback of each type of floor screed is the cold. It is impossible to walk on such a surface barefoot. The only way to insulate it is to install heated floors.

Selecting the type of coating

After completing the screed, you can begin the final stage of major floor repairs. It consists of selecting and installing flooring. Which option for a house or apartment will be the most suitable? Here you can be guided by the following principles:

• personal preference;
• quality;
• durability, strength and reliability of the material;
• type of coating;
• at a price.

As a rule, porcelain stoneware or tiles are chosen for the toilet and bathroom (less often in the hallway and kitchen). In the rooms, parquet (sheet or piece), linoleum, laminate or carpet is laid.

Before choosing one material or another, you need to listen to the advice of experts. The best solution is a perfect match between two factors: price and quality. But, be that as it may, it is necessary to purchase material that will maintain the strength of the floor for the next 10-15 years.

Repair

If the diagnostics carried out did not indicate the need to replace the floor, then there will be much less work with the coating. It will only need to be repaired.

How to do this? Let's consider options for such work for different genders.

1. On a concrete base. If the floor covering is not located on the joists, then you will need to remove the existing damaged fragments. For example, a hole in linoleum can be closed with a patch from a new piece. It is advisable to remove moving or fallen tiles completely. But in both cases, the floor surface is cleaned of damaged material and a new solution is applied to it. After the concrete has completely dried, patches of linoleum, tiles or other material are applied. A special mixture or glue can be used as a solution. If restoration is required for the entire concrete base, then screed will have to be performed.
2. Wooden floors, as a rule, irritate with their “senile” creaking. To eliminate this problem, you will need to explore the “vocal” zone. Often problems arise due to loose fasteners. If this is the case, then the floorboards will need to be additionally secured using galvanized screws or nails. If the “creaky” problem has deeper roots, then fighting it is possible using other methods. The most common cause of unpleasant sounds is the ridge from the tongue not sitting firmly in the groove. This can be corrected after carefully dismantling the baseboard and removing the outer board, and then all the squeaks reaching the area. You will need to remove nails from the dismantled floorboards and baseboards. Then you should check the logs, if necessary, making partial or complete replacement of damaged elements. Next, the floor is laid back and secured with self-tapping screws in places located 3 cm from the previous fixation point. If the creaking of the floorboards occurs due to their insufficient adherence to the joists, then this problem can be eliminated by laying a wedge, cardboard or a piece of roofing felt, which is placed under the board from the subfloor side. From the room, two additional screws are screwed into this area, which are placed at an angle both to each other and to the creaking board. Another way to get rid of squeaks is to pour talc or graphite powder into the gap between the floorboards. Sometimes when repairing a wooden floor, it is necessary to replace damaged boards. And if significant gaps have formed between the floorboards, then they should be cleaned and primed after preliminary grinding of the surface. Next, the floor is coated with nitro varnish and covered with a finishing substance.
3. Minor damage to ceramic tile or laminate surfaces is usually masked. To do this you also need to know some secrets. For example, scratches on laminate flooring can be restored using a wax pencil. Special pastes are also used to mask minor defects. If the laminate is swollen or has a significant area of ​​damage, the coating will require replacement. But the formation of cracks and chips on the tiles is eliminated with the help of cement laitance. But if the damage is significant and the defects cannot be hidden, then it is still advisable to replace the tiles.

These are the features of the process of replacing floors in private houses and apartments.

Replacement of floors in an apartment occurs for various reasons. Typical examples - it’s time to install heat and sound insulation, a decision was made on a “warm floor”, the boards began to creak heavily, the coating deformed or the humidity coming from the basement increased, you just wanted something more new and modern.

In any case you have to do a great job, which consists of several stages. Much in the process of replacing the covering will depend on the material from which the old floors are made, as well as on what kind of new coverings are planned. In addition, additional floor functions are being thought out that will help protect the apartment from dampness and increase its heat and sound insulation.

So that the complexity of the upcoming work does not come as a surprise, you need to familiarize yourself with all the stages of replacing floors in advance.

The process of dismantling the old floor covering is one of the most unpleasant moments. But no matter how “scary” it may be, you cannot do without this activity, and therefore you need to boldly get to work.

Wooden floor

If the apartment has a wooden floor, then there will be no big problems or difficulties with its dismantling. To work, you need to prepare the necessary tools, such as an axe, a hammer with a nail puller, a screwdriver, a pry bar, a jigsaw or electric saw for cutting old boards (unless, of course, you plan to reuse them), a shovel and garbage bags.

• The baseboards around the entire perimeter of the room are removed first, and only then can you move on to the plank covering.
• If the boards will be re-laid or they are intended to be used as joists, then they must be removed carefully, trying to cause minimal damage to them. Therefore, you need to try to carefully remove all clogged nails with a nail puller. It will be easier to solve this issue if the boards are secured with self-tapping screws - they can most often be unscrewed using a screwdriver.
• If the removed boards are not needed for further work, it is recommended to immediately remove them from the apartment. It is hardly worth collecting a large pile of garbage - it will soon greatly interfere with further actions. The same should be done with other elements that are not useful for installation work.
• Having freed up space, you can begin dismantling the joists. It must be remembered that they can be quite securely fixed to the floor, and they must be removed very carefully, trying not to damage the base. Otherwise, you can add completely unnecessary work for yourself by sealing the resulting holes.
• Having freed the room from the old covering, you need to thoroughly clean it, as far as the base allows.

Having completed this procedure, you can begin preparing the floor for installation work.

Video - complete dismantling of an old wooden floor

Concrete covering

Dismantling of old concrete pavement is carried out only in extreme cases, as it can be easily repaired.

Drastic measures are taken if the old cement coating cannot be preserved, for example, it was constantly exposed to moisture without periodic drying. In this case, fungus and mold could appear in the concrete layers, which can cause various health pathologies of residents - allergies, asthma, rhinitis, lung diseases, etc. Therefore, it is simply necessary to dismantle such a coating.

Another reason for dismantling may be low ceilings in the apartment. If you plan to install a floor with insulation, which means it will have to be raised to a certain height, then the covering is removed in order to make room for a heat- and sound-insulating structure.

If you still decide to get rid of the old screed, you need to know that it is laid on a solid concrete interfloor ceiling and must be removed carefully.

To remove the screed layer, a puncher is used, which breaks off its individual pieces. Typically, this slab leveling layer ranges from 50 to 120 mm.

hammer drill

After removing the old screed (or better, even periodically during the removal process), it is also necessary to carry out cleaning activities. But in this option, perfect cleaning is unlikely, so it is carried out as thoroughly as possible.

Preparatory work

In order for the new floor to be laid efficiently, it is necessary to bring the base, cleared of the old floor, into proper condition.

• From the surface, from the maximum carefully, dust is removed. This is done to detect serious flaws in the foundation, such as cracks, holes and crevices, areas of peeling or coloring, places where the concrete has been saturated with any compounds, or where traces of dampness and mold are visible.
• If any are found, they must be sealed very well, otherwise they will reduce the entire effect of thermal and sound insulation. This can be done using cement mortar, polyurethane foam or sealant. The choice of repair materials should be made based on the size of the damage to the base. In the case of fungus or mold, the base must be “treated” with special aseptic impregnating compounds.
• When the base has dried, further preparation steps are taken, but they will depend on what type of new floor covering will be installed instead of the old one. Therefore, these processes should, perhaps, be considered in conjunction with the installation of each type of flooring separately.

But it should be noted that even if it is planned to install a wooden floor instead of the removed old screed, the surface will still have to be leveled with a thin new concrete coating.

New screed

A new screed can be arranged in different ways. If the base is more or less flat, and a wooden covering will be laid on top of it, then you can put it in perfect order using a self-leveling floor.

• The self-leveling coating is able to cover small differences or defects in the base. To do this, purchase a ready-made dry construction mixture for a self-leveling floor.
• The technology for preparing the solution can be read on the packaging, and it must be followed very carefully.
• The finished solution is poured over the surface and distributed using a squeegee or wide spatula, and then, to ensure the release of remaining air bubbles, it is rolled with a needle roller.
• The leveled floor is left to dry and gain strength. All compositions have their own maturation period, depending on the ingredients from which the dry construction mixture is prepared.

Spread thin insulation and lay decorative covering;

Install a plywood covering with infrared heated floor film;

Lay a wooden floor on the installed joists.

Screed with expanded clay insulation

Another type of screed is laid on expanded clay, which is a good insulator and sound insulator. In addition, the material is quite light, so it will not particularly weigh down the interfloor ceiling, which is very important to take into account when making a screed in an apartment. The process of laying this screed is as follows.

• If the screed is installed on the first floor, which is located above a cold basement, then waterproofing should be done first. Its installation is carried out in different ways: plastering, casting, pasting, painting, etc. It is applied not only to floors, but also to the lower part of the walls, to a pre-primed surface.
• To the prepared waterproofed A thick polyethylene film is spread on the surface, which should extend 15-20 cm onto the walls. The sheets of film are glued together using special tape.
• On top of the film, along the entire perimeter of the room, a damper tape is attached to the glue, which will help keep the screed intact during temperature changes.
• On top pl In the buildings, beacons are installed, which are leveled. They are most often fixed to concrete mortar. The height of the beacons should be equal to the height of the expanded clay layer to be filled plus the planned thickness of the screed.
• Next, expanded clay is poured in a layer slightly below the installed beacons and carefully leveled.
• After this, a concrete solution is poured on top of the expanded clay, which is leveled along the top of the beacons.
• After the screed has dried, it will most likely settle somewhat, and it can be finally finished with a thin layer of self-leveling floor.
• Any decorative covering can be laid on top of this structure.

Screed without insulation

A regular screed made of concrete mortar is made to strengthen the floor under a wooden floor, or on the floors of an apartment building where there is no great need for insulation.

• A waterproofing polyethylene film is spread on the prepared base.
• Damper tape is glued along the perimeter of the walls.

• A reinforcing mesh (metal or fiberglass) is laid on top of the laid waterproofing film, and then beacons are installed, which, as usual, are leveled in a horizontal plane.

• Concrete solution is poured 1.5-2 cm above the beacons, starting from the far wall of the room, and then leveled using a rule that is carried out strictly according to guide beacons.
• This way the entire surface of the room is poured and leveled, the screed is left to harden and mature (up to 3-4 weeks).

Once the screed is ready, you can begin installing the joists, insulation and plank flooring.

Dry screed

Another type of tidying up the floor is dry screed, which is perfect for installing it in an apartment. The good thing about it is that you don’t need to mix the solution and create a “swamp” in your apartment. Dry screed floors are made as follows:

• A dense polyethylene film is laid on the surface of the floors; it must also be on the wall, to the height future floor with a margin of 5-10 cm. A board is installed in the doorway that will limit the mixture from spilling out. The flooring must be very tightly fitted to the surface of the base.
• Then beacons made of metal profiles or even wooden beams are placed on the film. But in this version, the screeds are not secured to the base, since after leveling the surface, the guides from the backfilled layer will need to be removed.
• The beacons are leveled to the building level to an ideal horizontal plane.

• The next step is to pour dry floor filler onto the film. Its layer should be several centimeters higher than the level of the installed beacons.
• The dry filler is leveled according to the beacons using the rule.
• The final stage is the installation of special gypsum fiber slabs that have special interlocking joints. Glue is applied to them, and then the next panel is laid so that the locking parts meet evenly. The plates are additionally fastened in these places with self-tapping screws.

The fully finished floor is decorated with a decorative coating - you can choose it to your liking.

dry backfill

Wooden floor

A wooden floor, made of tongue-and-groove boards or plywood, is mounted on a prepared screed. It can be laid on joists or laid directly on a concrete base.

The most popular of these two options is still the first, as it has a number of advantages. For example, insulation and sound insulation can be laid between the joists. In addition, the floor surface is raised above the concrete, which also adds an insulating effect. Another plus is that the logs add rigidity to the coating, and it becomes more reliable.

Floors on bars or joists are installed in several stages:

• Before attaching the logs, the room is marked. The lines are marked with stretched twine, painted, for example, with blue. The distance between the logs should be equal to the width of the insulation material (can, if using mineral wool, be reduced by 30 - 50 mm, it will be even better).
• Then the logs are cut to the required length. It should be remembered that they must be located at a distance from the wall no less than the thickness of the insulation. Usually, mineral wool is used for insulation - if low-quality polystyrene foam is used in residential enclosed spaces, the atmosphere will not be so environmentally friendly.
• The next step is the installation of the joist to the base. They can be fixed directly to the concrete base, or they can be raised to a certain height using special pins or metal holders.
• The distance between the joist posts fixed to the floor should be within 40-50 centimeters. By adjusting the height of the racks, the level of the future floor is displayed in one horizontal plane.
• After completing this work, the insulation is laid. First, this needs to be done between the joists and the wall, along the entire perimeter of the room, then it is laid between the joists.

• The next step is to cover the entire resulting structure with a vapor barrier film - it should be secured to the joists with a stapler.
• The most important process is laying the boards. It is important that the starting floorboards are 5-7 mm from the wall - for ventilation and compensation for possible linear expansions from thermal changes or increased humidity in the room.

Video - Installation of a tongue and groove floor

• A plinth is fixed on top of the fully covered plank floor around the perimeter of the room. It is important that the baseboard is attached to the wall, but not to the floorboards.
• If plywood is laid on the joists, then the joint of the two sheets must be provided so that it falls in the middle of the joist block, so it is important to calculate the correct size of the plywood sheet. To ensure surface rigidity, the sheets are fastened using a brickwork system, with the next sheet shifted by half.
• When the material is completely laid, it is necessary to seal all the cracks between the sheets with putty, and after it dries, it is advisable to sand the surface.
• Any decorative covering is laid on top of the plywood, and then the installed baseboards will complete the floor.

In addition to the simple floors indicated in the article, which can be made instead of dismantled ones, warm floors - water or electric - have recently become popular. The design of such systems is discussed in separate publications on the site.

You can familiarize yourself with all the possible flooring options and choose the right one in the publication.

Having calculated everything correctly and without rushing, it is quite possible to dismantle and install the coverings yourself - this will help save a considerable amount, since such work on updating the floors in an apartment is very expensive.