Wooden floors are usually used in low-rise construction of houses made of brick, wood or foam block. Such designs have many advantages. They do not have too impressive weight, can do without professional expensive equipment, have an acceptable cost and have high strength. The material itself is easily processed, which means that the home foreman will not have to hire specialists or use any professional help in construction.
Such designs are also good for their affordability. Wood today can be bought at an affordable cost, and the material itself is also distinguished by high thermal insulation qualities.
Key Features
Wooden floors are installed along the width of the span, which should not be more than 8 m. The main supporting structures are beam beams, the cross section of which can be equal from 50 x 150 to 140 x 240 mm. You can use a debarked log of the desired diameter. The step between the beams is calculated taking into account several factors and varies between 0.6-1 m. Coniferous varieties are used for the manufacture of beams, because the bending strength of this wood is much higher than that of hardwood.
How to independently check the quality of the material
Timber or logs should be dried under a canopy in the air. If you tap on the beam with the ax of an ax, you should hear a clear sound. The length of the beams should be selected so that the products are firmly supported in the nests of the log house or brickwork, this will ensure reliability.
Material Guidelines
Wooden floors, in addition to beams, are made using:
- cranial bars;
- boards of a rough floor;
- boards of the floor of the room from above;
- insulation;
- waterproofing film;
- decorative coating;
- antiseptic.
Cranial blocks should have a square section with a side of 50 mm. They are fixed to the lower surface of the beams and hem the ceiling. For the boards of the subfloor, you can apply any material, including non-planed. A planed tongue and groove board can go to the floor of the upper floor. As a thermal insulation in wooden floors, a mineral slab or roll material usually acts, because fibrous thermal insulation does not burn and has high sound-absorbing properties. This compares it favorably with polystyrene.
To protect the insulation from moisture vapor, waterproofing should be used. In order to antisept wood, you can use scraps of roofing material or bitumen mastic.
Device features
Wooden floors are built taking into account the load on them, as well as the material at the base of the walls and other features. One of the main advantages of this design are the low cost and long life, which is approximately equal to 50 years.
Installation work does not include the use of expensive equipment and special devices, you can use ordinary tools that are in the arsenal of the builder. The design of the floors can be very different. Sometimes elements are located on metal or wooden beams, plywood or wooden trusses. The latter options are commonly used for the stability of large rooms, for example, gyms and shopping centers.
When erecting a private house, preference should be given to ceilings arranged on wooden beams. The design of the wooden floor can be represented by one of three types, which differ in the purpose and functions assigned to them. We are talking about interfloor, attic and basement ceilings. Their upper part is made of flooring, while the lower zone is drywall.
When erecting a brick building, wooden floors are often made of material that is coated with compounds to increase the life of the unit and protect it from the effects of harmful substances. This also contributes to increased fire safety.
When installing wooden floors, try to exclude the influence of temperature fluctuations on the material. For this product are closed non-combustible insulation materials. Those areas that will lie on the brick walls should be treated with resin or covered with roofing material. Wooden beams overlap form the basis of this design. The thickness of the products reaches 8 cm. Thick logs are used, which are sawn into 4 equal parts. For one beam, two logs are often used, the thickness of each of which is 5 cm. Products are interconnected and fastened with nails.
Wooden floor beams are installed on brick walls, in which grooves are made. Their size is 18 cm. Fastening is provided by anchor bolts. Fixing is necessary to the brick. When choosing the thickness of the board should take into account the step between the beams and the possible deflection, which is determined by the regulatory documentation. When installing floors, it is necessary to choose the cross-section of the supporting beams.
Features of the calculation
Wooden floors of a private house are installed taking into account the cross-section of beams at a certain load. If a full-fledged residential floor is under construction, then at a load of 400 kg / m 2 , a beam of 75 x 100 mm should be used. The installation step will be 0.6 m. The span in this case is 2 m. If the last value increases to 3 m, and the installation step remains the same, then the beam section will be 75 x 200 mm.
The calculation of the wooden floor can also be carried out taking into account other parameters. If the span is 6 m and the installation step is 0.6 m, then the beam section will be 150 x 225 m. When the span is 2.5 m and the installation step is 1 m, the beam section will be 100 x 150 m.
Wooden floors can experience less load ranging from 150 to 350 kg / m 2 . In this case, we are talking about an attic or attic without loads. If the span is 3 m and the installation pitch is 150 cm, then the beam section will be 50 x 140 mm. If the span is increased to 6 m and a distance of 150 cm, the beam section will be 100 x 220 mm.
When calculating, it is important to pay attention also to the length of the beams. It will depend on the span and method of fixation of products. If fastening will be carried out using metal supports, then the length will be the width of the span. When a wall is embedded in a groove, the length is calculated by summing the depth of the two ends of the beam and the span.
It is also necessary to calculate the number of beams. To do this, you must plan where the extreme products will be located. They are fixed indented from the wall by 50 mm. The remaining beams are evenly spaced in the span. In this case, a distance from 0.6 to 1 m should be maintained between the beams. Based on these parameters, the calculation is also carried out.
Wooden floors of the second floor should be arranged using a certain section. It can be:
- square;
- rectangular;
- I-beam;
- round.
The classic option is a rectangle. The most commonly used parameters are: height - from 140 to 240 mm, width - from 50 to 160 mm. The determination of the cross section will depend on the planned load, the step between the beams and the span. You must calculate the beam load by adding the load of the floor's own weight to the temporary load. For floors, the first value can vary from 190 to 220 kg / m 2 . The temporary load is also called operational and is 200 kg / m 2 . For operated floors, the average load is 400 kg / m 2 .
Before you make a wooden floor, you must determine what it will be. If we are talking about non-operational design, then the load can be less, up to 200 kg / m 2 . Special calculations will be required if significant concentrated loads are expected. The room can be installed a massive bath, boiler or pool.
The reinforcement of wooden floors is carried out with a span of more than 6 m. The purpose of these manipulations is to eliminate sagging of the product, which becomes the cause of deformation of the structure. To support the beam over a wide span, a support or column should be installed. Otherwise, the protein is laid along a short span, however, its maximum width should be 6 m. The cross section of the beam will depend on the span. With an increase in the latter value, a more powerful beam should be taken, which will be quite durable.
To cover the beams, the span should have a width of up to 4 m. If this value is greater, then non-standard blocks that have an increased cross-section should be used. For such products, the height should be correctly selected, which is 1/20 of the span. So, with a span of 5 m, it is necessary to use a product whose height is 200 mm, while the thickness can begin from 80 mm.
Mounting Features
Beams are laid in the walls during the construction of the house, and the remaining work on the erection of the ceiling is carried out after construction and before the start of finishing work. Beams in a brick or block wall are brought in during masonry, for this purpose, nests must be made in the wall. The depth of one of them should be at least half the wall thickness. It can be made end-to-end with subsequent termination with thermal insulation. To do this, select a vapor-permeable material.
In wooden buildings, beams are cut into the upper crown of the log house. The material is treated with an antiseptic and dried. When mounting rectangular products, make sure that the wide side is vertical. Rigidity can be increased. The ends of the beams should be cut at an angle of 60 °, treated with bitumen mastic and wrapped with roofing material.
The last beams are laid first. They are aligned with a long board, which is placed on the edge. Additionally, you must use the level. The intermediate beams should be aligned with the board laid on the extreme beams. As soon as the walls and roof are completed, you can proceed with the construction of ceilings. To do this, cranial blocks are suspended from the bottom of the beams on both sides. The main function of these elements is the support for the rough floor.
For cranial blocks, a pine beam is used, which is treated with an antiseptic. To the floor beams, it is fixed with wood screws. The floor boards are laid on the cranial bars. To do this, you can use an un planed board. Elements are located perpendicular to the beams and rest on cranial bars. Fastening is carried out by self-tapping screws.
When arranging floors on a wooden floor, in the next step you will need to install waterproofing. It may become Izospan. Canvases of the film are stacked with an overlap, the joints should be glued with tape. On top of the film is a mineral insulation. This will allow soundproofing of wooden floors. The thickness of the insulation must be such that the material does not protrude above the surface of the beams. You can use other options, for example:
- expanded clay;
- expanded polystyrene.
It is important to pay attention to fire resistance. After soundproofing the wooden floor, you can start laying the log of the floor of the upper floor. These elements should be located across the beams. The distance between them will be the limit from 0.6 to 1 m.
The basis of the lag can lie bars or boards. The thickness should be 40 mm. Fastening is carried out to the floor beams using metal corners fixed on self-tapping screws. A layer of mineral insulation is laid between the lags. The joints of the lower thermal insulation layer must be blocked.
Mineral insulation will also soundproof the ceiling and floor. Waterproofing is placed on top of the second layer in case a spill occurs. The floor of the upper floor is sutured with a fine floorboard, plywood or drywall, you can lay the top coating on top, namely:
- laminate;
- tile;
- cork;
- linoleum.
Plywood or floorboard is fixed on self-tapping screws.
The need for vapor barrier
Opinions of some experts on the need to use vapor barrier differ. This material fits into the ceiling structure and goes before thermal insulation. The material can act as a sound insulator. Use this layer if there is a risk of steam or condensation. This happens if the overlap is located between floors, the first of which is heated, and the second is not. In this case, we are talking about an unheated attic or attic above a residential ground floor.
Steam from humid rooms on the ground floor may enter the floor heat insulator. Such conditions are most often created in pools, bathrooms and kitchens. The vapor barrier is located on top of the beams. Cloths should be covered with an overlap, the edges of the previous canvas should be put on the next 10 cm. Joints should be glued with construction tape.
More about thermal insulation
A roll or plate heat or sound insulator should be placed on top between the beams. Voids and crevices should be avoided, so the materials should fit as close to the beams as possible. It is undesirable to use trimmings that have to be joined together.
In order to reduce impact noise in the ceiling, it is necessary to lay a sound insulator on the upper surface of the beams. Its thickness should be 5.5 mm or more. In this case, we are talking about conditions when the upper floor is residential.
About the need for waterproofing
On top of the sound and heat insulation layer is a waterproofing film. It will prevent the penetration of moisture from the top floor into the insulating material. If the upper floor is non-residential, then no one will wash the floors there, so the penetration of moisture, including atmospheric, is excluded. Therefore, the waterproofing film under such conditions may not be used. Otherwise, webs that are placed with an overlap of 10 cm are used. The joints must be glued with tape to prevent moisture from entering inside the structure.
Finally
Under the finish coating it is possible to equip warm floors, but the foil film traditional for such cases will act as a vapor barrier. Wooden flooring compares favorably with concrete slabs in that it does not create an unnecessary load on the foundation. Due to this, you can reduce the cost of building a powerful foundation. If the overlap is done correctly, then it will turn out to be durable and strong enough. The design will have excellent sound and heat insulation properties. Among other things, natural materials allow the ceiling to breathe.