How to level the screed under the laminate. Leveling the floor under laminate

If installation is to be done various types flooring care must be taken to ensure that the surface of the base is perfectly flat.

Important so that the coating is laid efficiently. In addition, you need to take care of hydro- and thermal insulation and do everything for its long-term operation.

Below we will outline all the features of leveling a concrete floor before laying the laminate.

The need to level the base

So, why do you need to prepare the base before installing the laminate flooring? This procedure should be carried out in order to:

Protect the interlocking joints of individual boards. If there are imperfections in the concrete surface in the form of bumps and holes, this will cause the connection to fail and the distribution of loads will be incorrect. After some time, gaps form at the joints and cracks may appear on the laminate.
Reduce humidity concrete base, which can damage laminate flooring. Moisture tends to penetrate from under the screed through cracks and defects in the concrete. This is why it is necessary to conduct a thorough preliminary preparation such a basis.
Eliminate all existing irregularities, distortions, cracks, and potholes. Such defects lead to the fact that the laminate will be installed incorrectly, the quality of installation will suffer and the coating will last very little.

You can level a concrete base regardless of its quality. For this work, self-leveling mixtures, plywood sheets or cement-bonded particle boards are used.

You can level the concrete base yourself without investing extra money in it. Initially, it is necessary to thoroughly clean it of existing floor covering residues, dirt, debris, and dust.

It is advisable to use a vacuum cleaner, since a regular broom is not always able to remove everything unnecessary. Next, you need to inspect the base for cracks and other defects. They are masked with appropriate cement mortar.

Then a primer with a deeply penetrating effect is applied to the surface. If a screed is used, it will adhere securely to the base. Using a primer, you can reduce the absorbency of concrete, which will reduce the cracking of the floor.

If the question arises of how to level a concrete floor under laminate, then it is worth considering four types of work. Namely:

Using leveling mass;
Laying a cement monolithic screed;
Installation of cement bonded particle boards;
Leveling by laying plywood.

Each method implies certain conditions and also differs own merits and shortcomings.

The method of leveling the concrete base of a level with mass is not complicated and it will not take much time.

The dry mixture is diluted with water and has a self-leveling effect. She guarantees high-quality coating, makes it perfectly smooth, eliminating possible differences. It is easy to apply, which means anyone can work with it.

How to prepare leveling mass

The method of preparing mass level is quite simple. All proportions are indicated on the packaging of the mixture.

Important! To mix the components, you need to use a drill with an appropriate attachment. When preparing the solution, it is necessary to monitor the density of the mass and focus on specific tasks.

If it is necessary to make a thin leveling layer, the task of which is to hide all the unevenness, the thickness of the solution can be left medium. Such a layer cannot cope with leveling. In order for the floor surface to be perfectly smooth, the mixture must be uniform, without lumps.

Laying leveling mortar

Stages of pouring the leveling mixture under the laminated coating:

The mixture should be poured at the highest point of the base. Thus, it will spread over the entire surface on its own.
The solution should be spread with a spatula. You can use a toothed roller for leveling.
To remove formed air bubbles you need to go over it with a roller. It does not take too much time for the mass to dry completely. However, in order for it to gain proper strength, you need to wait several days. During this time, the surface must be protected from exposure to heavy objects. You also need to take your time when laying laminate flooring.

Monolithic screed

This type of screed is relevant in case of large differences. Before you start pouring the screed, you need to install guides and determine the level of the future floor using a pencil.

Between the beacons it is necessary to ensure a distance of 60-90 cm. These elements are placed on a cement-sand mortar. Solution for monolithic filling laminate flooring includes the following components: cement, sand and water in a ratio of 3:1:0.5.

Leveling the mixture is carried out by a rule. Once it dries, the beacons can be removed.

Laying cement bonded particle boards

DSP boards are an excellent option for leveling floors under laminate. After the base is cleared of debris and dust, ordinary wooden boards are laid on the floor.

Their fastening must be done taking into account the level of the future floor. Next, using self-tapping screws, you need to attach the DSP boards.

Important! The resulting gaps should be sealed with an appropriate compound. A substrate is laid on top of the slabs. This completes the surface preparation and you can begin installing the laminate.

To level the floor before laying the laminated flooring, plywood sheets are often used. They need to be attached to logs in increments of 30 cm.

The plywood should be laid tightly. An additional layer of thermal insulation can be laid between the joists. If it is to be installed, a thick underlay should not be placed under the laminate. All you need is a thin layer for shock absorption.

Today, to level floors they resort to various methods. Which one should you choose? Where to start work?

Tools and materials for laminate flooring

To lay laminate flooring you need to prepare a set of tools and materials, which includes:

Sound-absorbing substrate with a thickness of no more than 2 mm;
Polyethylene, which is laid during concrete screed. Necessary for the vapor barrier effect;
Jigsaw;
Pencil and ruler;
Mounting clamp. It will be useful when laying the final row of laminate panels.

Underlay for laminate

To provide floors with a waterproofing layer, you cannot do without a substrate that is able to cope with such a task. A film layer of 0.2 mm or more is suitable as a substrate. Its installation is carried out with an overlap of up to 20 cm and is fixed properly.

Important! If the base of the floors remains wooden, or there is linoleum on it, the waterproofing layer must be abandoned.

However, the layer of soundproofing material in in this case let's say. In this case, it will be possible to solve two problems simultaneously: reduce the noise level and make the surface smooth. For these purposes ideal material will become foamed polyethylene with a thickness of no more than 2 mm. Fastening the material should be done end-to-end.

Laminate location

When you plan to lay laminate flooring yourself, as a rule, three options for its location are used. These include: laying parallel to the incident light from the window, perpendicular placement or diagonal. A commonly used laying method is the first one, as it makes the seams invisible.

When installing laminate flooring, you need to ensure that the patterns are positioned correctly. This especially needs to be controlled at the joints between walls and floors. Floors can “walk” or, as they say, “breathe”.

Important! The gap must be calculated using the formula: the minimum gap in millimeters must correspond to the width of the room in meters, which is multiplied by 1.5. It should be taken into account that the criterion for the gap distance depends on the humidity level of the room.

The higher the humidity, the larger the gap should be. Gaps should also be provided in the area where pipes and doorways are located. The method of laying laminate can be interlocking or special at 45 degrees. The first option is called the “click” method.

A series of spacer wedges are installed around the perimeter of the walls. They need to be placed taking into account the width of the gaps. After finishing work, these elements can be removed. You can start laying from the farthest corner of the room.
The installation of the first row begins with a board, to which the next one is joined from the end side at an angle of 45 degrees. Then the boards are pressed tightly to the floor and the lock is latched.
The second row of laminate is assembled using an identical method. You need to latch it with front side. It is advisable to carry out such work with an assistant, as it involves some difficulties. Thus, all subsequent rows are laid.

Laying laminate using the locking method

The Click laminate installation system is in great demand due to the fact that it is quite lightweight. There are other options, for example “Lock”. Its advantages include only the affordable cost of laminate flooring with this locking system. It is very difficult to assemble it, so this should be done by professionals.

Adhesive laminate also has a reasonable cost, but its installation system is very complex. For those who have decided to carry out the work of laying laminate flooring themselves and are doing it for the first time, the “Click” method is suitable, which does not require much effort and is carried out quickly. You need to start laying the flooring from the far corner.

Important! Initially, the first panel is placed. Before starting work, you need to place wedges in the gaps. The joining of the panels should be such that the tenon of the first hits the tenon of the second. Next, the panels need to be adjusted with a rubber hammer.

Then the second row of laminate is installed. When resorting to the locking method of laminate flooring in the kitchen or hallway, all locks must be treated with sealant. Such actions will prevent moisture penetration.

After the laminate is laid, you need to prevent moisture from getting on it. To care for it, you need to use a semi-dry cloth.

High-quality laminate allows you to create comfortable and environmentally friendly floors. But the desire to make such a floor often runs into a problem - low quality subfloors, especially in older houses.

If the floor is not level, a poor-quality base can negate all the impressive benefits of embossed wood fiber panels. Already worked out for today different ways leveling the floor under the laminate. But despite its apparent simplicity, this technology has its own nuances that are worth knowing.

Is it always necessary to level a laminate floor?

In construction, with rare exceptions, it is customary to operate smooth surfaces. But if in other cases it is possible to neglect perfection, then when it comes to the problem of leveling the floor under laminate flooring, you should still strive for the ideal indicator.

The reason for this approach lies in physical properties the laminate itself. It is these properties that force builders to level the floor as best as possible. Otherwise, an uneven floor will cause deformation of the laminate panels, poor adhesion between them, cracks, and divergence of seams. As a result, moisture will begin to get under the floor covering with all the negative consequences.

The only thing a specialist can afford when installing a floor under a laminate is minor irregularities.

For good quality difference in floor height by 1 linear meter. base should not exceed 2.5 mm.

With such results, it is recommended to carry out light leveling of the base. If frequent bulges/depressions are observed, if the height differences in certain areas are significant, the leveling will have to be done more carefully. But if the difference in heights per unit area is no more than 1.5 mm, you can limit yourself to a simple substrate.

Having thus determined the state of the “relief” of the base, you can choose the leveling method. If you plan to raise the floor level to a height of up to 5 cm, it is recommended to screed with cement mortar. If the floor is even higher (for example, with large differences in height), then a lighter option is desirable. For example, you can use a dry screed made of gypsum fiber board panels or use the method of laying plywood sheets on joists.

Materials and tools for leveling the floor

Whatever methods are used for leveling, it is worth stocking up on the following materials and tools:

building level;
rule;
beams for joists;
cement mortar;
plywood sheets;
scraping machine;
electric drill;
hammer;
wood hacksaw;
screwdriver;
screws, nails.

Concrete base leveling technology

Tools for leveling floors under laminate: hammer, ruler, logs, level, pliers, tape measure, brush.

Today, most laminate flooring bases are made of concrete. But rarely are they without defects. Possible cracks, potholes, chips, sinkholes, the presence of various sagging or peeling of the mortar on concrete surfaces lead to differences in heights on the plane, which should be eliminated.

Experts offer the 2 most common methods for leveling concrete bases under laminate. The first method involves the use of a cement screed, the second is based on the use of a self-leveling mixture.

Before use cement mortar All remnants of the previous floor must be removed from the surface of the concrete base. Sludges of solution are removed with a pick or hammer drill, while small ones can be left. If there are stains of oil or paint on the base, they should be removed with a solvent or burned out with a torch. Finally, the concrete is treated with liquid soil.

Then along all the walls of the room, in their lower part, using a level, mark the upper edge of the subfloor. Beacon slats are placed along the marked floor level. There is no method for fixing them special significance, but most often the slats are fixed with arbitrary slides of mortar. The width of each strip between the slats should not be greater than the length of the rule.

As for the cement-sand mixture, in this case it is necessary to adhere to the following proportion - 25% M-400 cement to 75% pre-screened quartz sand. It is worth noting that when using this technology, the solution should be quite thick, which will prevent it from spreading prematurely.

Immediately after preparing the solution, it should be poured between the exposed beacons. Using the rule, the level of the solution is leveled to the level of the beacon slats. After pouring the solution, each strip must be rolled with a special spiked roller, which removes unwanted air bubbles.

After the solution has set and hardened, the beacon slats are removed. The grooves formed in their place are filled with solution.

But even after the solution has hardened externally, the readiness of the floor for laminate cannot yet be considered final. It must be borne in mind that the screed, especially a fairly thick one, requires a long time (up to 3-4 weeks) to harden so much that you can safely walk on it. She must be kept covered during this entire period. plastic film, regularly (2 times a day) moisturizing its surface.

Another option for preparing a flat floor is covering it with a self-leveling mixture. This method is fast and high quality execution. But all this can be achieved if only the process is organized correctly.

First, as in the case of screed, it is necessary to clean the room in which the floor will be prepared for laminate flooring. Sludges of mortar, debris, dirt are removed, bumps are knocked down, cracks and potholes are filled with putty. Finally, the surface is treated with deep penetration primer.

Next comes the preparation of the self-leveling mixture. The dry powder is diluted with water according to the attached instructions and mixed thoroughly until smooth. But you can deviate somewhat from the instructions for preparing the mixture by determining the proportions of dry powder and water experimentally. This is allowed if the worker has his own experience in laying floors, taking into account, in particular, the fact that preparatory layers of different thicknesses require self-leveling mixtures of different densities.

After the mixture is prepared for pouring, it is carefully applied to the base of the future floor. Moreover, this should be done at the highest point of the leveled surface, from where the solution will spread throughout the room. Speed up this process You can use a spatula.

To ensure the highest quality leveling of the solution, good surface smoothness and removal of unwanted air bubbles from the mixture, the spread mass is rolled with a spiked roller. Then the resulting floor is left to settle for several days. After this, you can lay laminate panels on it.

This method using a self-leveling mixture is suitable not only for concrete, but also for wooden bases. In the second case, preparing the base for pouring the mixture mainly consists of securing loose boards, removing paint residues and protruding nails, after which the fixed base is impregnated with waterproof primer.

Leveling the wooden base

Often it is necessary to level a wooden floor, on which laminate will later be laid. Here you need to pay attention to the degree of wear of individual floorboards. The method of alignment will depend on this. The most common methods in repair and construction practice are two methods: scraping subfloor boards and leveling the floor using plywood sheets.

Sanding is used in cases where the master is dealing with a flat floor in good condition. technical condition. It usually eliminates minor defects. For this, 2 types of tools are used - a manual scraper or a special scraping machine.

In the 2nd case, the process will be quite fast and not labor-intensive. You just need to drive all possible nails and screws into the wooden floor with a hammer in advance, otherwise you can damage the blades of the machine. After the operation of such a mechanism, the floor usually becomes smooth and quite ready for laying laminate.

To the 2nd leveling method - plywood or chipboard sheets- used in cases where the floor is very uneven, but there are no plans to disassemble it. To do this, first carefully secure the loose floorboards with self-tapping screws, and if necessary, replace individual boards. And only then pre-cut sheets of plywood or chipboards are laid on the floor.

Particular attention should be paid to ensuring that there is a gap of several millimeters between the sheets being laid. This is necessary to prevent deformation of the sheets during their possible expansion or swelling under the influence of moisture.

Finally, all sheets are carefully attached to the bottom boards with countersunk screws. After this, you can begin laying the laminate.

Installation of underlay for laminate

Speaking about leveling floors under laminate, we should also mention the substrate, without which this process in some cases will be unfinished. Typically, a substrate is used when the difference in height of the base surface is small and the worker is faced with a problem - it is impossible to lay the laminate on the base without preparation, but there is no need to fully level it.

For this purpose, both synthetic substrates and materials based on natural components are used. Among synthetic ones, polyethylene substrates are most often used; among the most popular natural substrates, cork or cork-bitumen ones are used.

It should be noted that in many cases these components are not cheap building materials. But they guarantee excellent quality and speed of work. And this, combined with the skill of the performer, is the key to a beautiful, comfortable and durable floor.

Laminate is a fairly unpretentious and easy-to-install coating. An absolutely flat subfloor will ensure its maximum service life, otherwise the coating will have to be replaced after just a couple of years. Even in new buildings, the floors have many defects, and if the laminate is laid in the process overhaul, then to the defects of the concrete foundation are added the mistakes made by previous builders.

How level should the floor be to lay laminate flooring?

Laminate flooring places strict demands on subfloor, the height difference should be no more than 2 mm per 1 m2, although in practice the laminate is laid with a difference of up to 3 mm. Almost any floor must be leveled before laying laminate. Otherwise, over time, the panels will begin to move relative to each other, the locking joints will break, and the floor in places of unevenness will disintegrate into separate panels and begin to deform. The durability of the laminate will of course depend on its class and quality, so the choice must be taken very seriously. After all, it is known that the most expensive laminate does not mean that it is the best.

Therefore, before laying the laminate, it is necessary to level the floor. This problem is relevant for all residential premises in our country. For beginners, the alignment procedure seems very complicated and impossible to do on their own. But in fact, any floor leveling technology can be easily mastered. If you approach this process with all responsibility, it is quite possible to level the floor yourself.

Several technologies are used for this:

leveling with plywood;
alignment of monolithic cement screed;
leveling with leveling masses;
dry screed using the Knauf superfloor technology or similar.

Any of the above technologies will give correct execution For all work, the floor is perfectly level.

Preparation

Before you begin, you should carry out a number of preparatory work:

clean the floor from construction and other debris (be sure to use a vacuum cleaner; a brush does not remove dust and small particles of debris);
Use tile adhesive or putty to seal rough irregularities and cracks;
measure the unevenness of the floor. The easiest way to do this is laser level. The highest part of the floor and dips are noted. If the elevation is single, it is easier to remove it than to bring the floor to this height;
install beacons; for this purpose you can use drywall guides, self-tapping screws or mortar. They are installed at a distance of 30 cm from the walls and 60-90 cm from each other over the entire floor area. Their level is verified using a laser level.

Leveling the floor alone is very difficult, especially when it comes to self-leveling floors. Therefore, you will need 1-2 assistants (there is no point in more).

Leveling with plywood on joists

This method has proven itself to be good for leveling floors without dismantling the old one. wooden covering, but is often used in other cases. If the level difference is less than 2 cm, then leveling logs do not need to be used; plywood is attached to the subfloor, and laminate can be laid on it.

For leveling you will need plywood - enough sheets to cover the floor area twice, logs - unplaned wooden boards of 2 or 3 types of coniferous or hardwood wood (except linden and poplar). The thickness of the logs should be at least 40 mm, width - 80-100 mm. The logs are attached to a concrete or other base with special tongues with a pitch of 400-500 mm. In residential premises, logs are laid across the light falling from the windows. They form the level of the subfloor; the height is selected depending on the level difference.

Under each joist in several places along the entire length, small wooden blocks- bosses, they, in turn, rest on pieces of roofing felt or linoleum, this allows you to create a flat floor plane.

Sheets of plywood are laid out in two layers on the logs adjusted in height. Heat and sound insulation can be laid between the joists - this is a significant plus this method. The plywood is fixed to the joists with self-tapping screws in increments of 5-10 cm; additionally, the joints are glued with PVA glue. The second layer is laid perpendicular to the first or offset. After installation is complete, small gaps between the sheets must be puttied.

Before installation, all wooden elements of the subfloor must be treated with an antiseptic composition.

Leveling with cement screed or leveling compounds

These are two methods similar in principle, only self-leveling floors are several times more expensive than conventional mortar. But monolithic cement mortar screed takes a long time to dry and deteriorates quite quickly, so it is used less and less. The pouring technology is extremely simple: beacons are installed, guides are placed along them, the prepared solution is poured between them, and it is leveled using a rule (a board or a special rail that moves along the guides).

After waiting 24 hours while the screed dries, the beacons and guides are removed, and the holes are sealed with fresh mortar. The surface is rubbed down, completely leveled, and covered with a film that prevents cracking of the screed. After approximately 28 days the floor covering can be laid.

Self-leveling floors are a more advanced and faster technology in obtaining the final result. If there is a large difference in height, its use will cost you a lot, but if possible, it is better not to skimp on the quality of the floor.

Note that many leveling compounds have the attractive “self-leveling” feature, but this quality is inherent only in expensive mixtures (Finnish-made Vetonit “Vaaterli Plus”, about 600 rubles per 25 kg bag, or other mixtures of the same price level). Most inexpensive mixtures must be leveled by hand.

To level the floor with a leveling compound, you will also need a rule, a spatula and a roller with needles. It is also a good idea to take care of your shoes: professionals use shoes with sharp spikes - they do not leave marks when walking on an uncured floor. The working fluidity of the mass is lost 15-20 minutes after pouring, so it must be leveled non-stop until the level marked by the beacons is reached. It’s optimal when two people prepare the mixture, and one does the leveling at the same time.

In a private house, before leveling the floor, it is best to immediately make a heat and vapor barrier; this will significantly increase the service life of the laminate, protect it from temperature changes and dampness.

It’s better to start work in the morning; pouring is carried out without interruptions, so before you start, you should have all the necessary mixture prepared with a reserve. To knead the mixture, you will need a mixer with a long whisk, reaching to the bottom of the container, and a container of 30-40 liters. The proportions must be exactly as indicated in the instructions, otherwise the floor will be loose and fragile.

The floor is filled with the largest possible spots, next to each other, then stretched across the room with a large notched trowel and leveled with a notched roller. It is better to cut off the mortar that has come out of the doorway in a frozen state with a spatula; you should not make any thresholds.

The next day after pouring, you can already walk on the floor. But you shouldn’t do this - let the mixture dry for 5 - 7 days. Only then will the surface be in ideal condition for laminate installation.

Leveling with dry screed

This is also not cheap (from 270 rubles per sheet and 180 for a 30 kg bag of backfill), but a fairly simple method of leveling. Superfloor sheets are laid on a layer of expanded clay distributed over the floor. The technology is not complicated, the only subtle point is laying the first sheet, it is done from a temporary section of approximately 50x50, laid on expanded clay.

Before laying expanded clay, a vapor barrier film is laid on the floor with an overlap of 10-15 cm on the walls. edge tape width not less than the height of the dry screed. The Knauf instructions indicate that expanded clay is poured completely over the entire room, but experienced builders It is recommended to lay the sheets in sections, pouring one island between the guides at a time. This way there will be less dirt, expanded clay will not get into the joints between the sheets, and it is much easier to level it.

The sheets are fastened together with special glue and self-tapping screws (in increments of 10-15 cm). On sheets that are adjacent to walls, the fold must be cut so that there is a double layer of material against the wall. After finishing leveling, you can lay the underlayment under the laminate. A cork substrate can be considered environmentally friendly; it is hygroscopic and does not emit harmful substances, does not dry out over time and has good sound insulation. You can also use the underlay to level out minor unevenness in the floor.

Before leveling, read the instructions for the selected material and stock up on everything you need to get started. For some technologies, interruptions during the installation process are unacceptable, so a minimum margin should be provided. If you follow all the rules for laying the coating, even on your own you can make a perfectly flat floor that will good reason for laminate.

If the plank floor is lost appearance and there is a desire to replace it with laminate, it is not at all necessary to undertake large-scale repairs. Dismantling the old coating is justified only in case of serious wear and tear and major damage, for example, many rotten or cracked boards. If the floor is still strong, it can well serve as a rough foundation; you just need to eliminate minor defects and properly prepare the surface. And now more about how to level a wooden floor under laminate and why to do it.

The laminate itself is relatively rigid and can withstand short-term loads without visible deformation, of course, within reasonable limits. But under the weight of a person or large furniture, the panels will definitely sag, and the longer the impact, the stronger the deformation. If pressed sharply, the laminate may even break if there is emptiness underneath.

If the unevenness is very small, the panels are unlikely to break, but they will not hold firmly either. First, the coating will begin to spring under your feet, then the locks will become loose, gaps will appear between the slats and an unpleasant creaking will appear. All this leads to rapid wear of the laminate, and very soon it will also have to be replaced. Avoid similar problems It’s easy – you just need to properly level the old floor.

Creaking of panels is the least of the problems that can happen when laying laminate flooring on an uneven floor.

We identify problem areas

First of all, you need to make sure the structure is strong. To do this, you should walk across the entire area, stepping on each floorboard.

The absence of deflections and strong creaks indicates good condition floor, if such defects are found, you need to try to find their cause. Perhaps the boards have simply dried out or the nails have become loose, which can be determined visually. Heavily damaged floorboards, that is, rotten, with wide longitudinal cracks gnawed by mice must be replaced with new boards.

Prices for Kronospan laminate

laminate Kronospan

Next, carefully dismantle the baseboards and one or two boards to assess the condition of the joists. It often happens that the flooring is in good condition, but the joists have already begun to rot or cracked, sagging under load. If such damage is detected, as well as a damp smell from the underground space, the flooring will definitely have to be removed and the damaged elements replaced. But if everything is in order, the boards can be put in place.

If necessary, the floor is stretched with self-tapping screws, strengthening problem areas, protruding nails are driven in, and rusted ones are replaced. The heads of the hardware must be deepened into the boards by 1-2 mm.

Now you need to determine the degree of unevenness of the floor, since the complexity of the work depends on this. In different places of the room, a level is placed on the floor and the height of the clearance is measured. At the same time, they check whether the floor has a slope, which will also have to be eliminated.

Alignment methods

So, having determined the degree of unevenness of the plank floor, you can easily choose the optimal method for leveling the surface. The greater the differences, the more time and effort it will take, but the result is worth it.

Floor condition	Method for eliminating irregularities
	It is enough to cover such small defects with a polymer or cork backing. The main condition is that the thickness of the substrate must correspond to the greatest difference. This material perfectly compensates for uneven floors and at the same time increases the sound and heat insulating properties of the laminate.
	It is best to repair the damage with wood putty or a homemade repair compound made from sawdust and PVA glue, and sand it after drying. Protruding areas can also be easily removed with sandpaper
	The best option is to scrape the floor. In order for the result to be of high quality, such processing is carried out after stretching the flooring, and not before it. In addition, the heads of the fasteners must be recessed into the boards by 3-4 mm, since the sanding machine removes the top layer of wood. The work requires some effort, but the result is a flat and smooth base.
	Here the best option The floor will be covered with sheets of plywood, chipboard, OSB or DSP using pads or narrow joists. These materials will provide a perfectly flat plane and completely cover all defects in the subfloor.
	This floor can be leveled using a wet screed. The main condition is the installation of reliable waterproofing of the subfloor to avoid rotting wooden elements. The method is labor-intensive, but allows you to perfectly equalize large differences and create solid foundation under laminate To reduce the load on the joists, it is better to prepare the solution with light fillers, for example, fiberglass

If there is significant deformation of the floorboards, severe wear and drying of the wood, these methods will not be effective. If such a floor is covered with plywood, this will not stop the destructive processes, and one day the base under the sheathing may fail.

Material requirements

When choosing materials, you must take into account the operating conditions of the floor and the type of room. For residential buildings and apartments should be selected environmentally clean materials with appropriate markings. This applies not only to the floor covering itself, but also repair trains, impregnations, as well as boards used for leveling - OSB, plywood, chipboard. You should not think that laminate will protect against harmful fumes: no matter how tightly the lamellas are laid, toxic substances will definitely find a way out, especially when the temperature in the room rises.

When choosing chipboard, OSB or plywood, be sure to pay attention to the emission class - in residential premises it is allowed to use materials of class E1, with lowest content formaldehyde. The higher the class, the more toxic resins there are in the slabs. Now you can find OSB with emission class E0 - in these boards the formaldehyde resin is replaced with a synthetic binder that is safe for health.

As for the thickness of the slabs, it all depends on the degree of load on the floor and the strength of the flooring itself. If the floor boards are thick and strong, and the load intensity is low, plywood or OSB 12-15 mm thick is suitable. For a walk-through room, it is better to take slabs 18 mm thick, and if the flooring is done directly on the logs, then it is recommended to use slabs 15-18 mm thick and lay them in two layers with the joints bandaged.

Sealants, putties and leveling mixtures must be designed specifically for wooden surfaces. They have sufficient elasticity and do not crack during thermal expansion of the boards, which means that the floor under the laminate will last longer. The same applies to protective impregnations: you need to use only those compounds that are suitable for treating wood indoors. When purchasing such products, carefully study the information on the packaging so as not to make a mistake.

How to level the floor with your own hands

Consider two options for leveling plank floors - using plywood and DSP. Both methods allow you to achieve an ideal plane, but at the same time they differ in the complexity of implementation and the duration of the work.

Leveling with plywood

This method makes it possible without special effort eliminate large differences in the floor - up to several centimeters. True, it is not suitable for rooms with heavy traffic and heavy loads on the floor, but for a bedroom, living room, or office it is a completely acceptable option.

What you will need for work:

level;
screwdriver;
self-tapping screws 5x60 mm;
sheets of plywood 8 and 10 mm thick;
scraps of plywood, drywall, wooden planks for substrates;
jigsaw;
circular saw;
tape measure and marker.

Step 1. First you need to determine the zero level and put markings on the walls. Most convenient to use laser level, but if you don’t have one, a water level will do. Along the markings on the walls you need to put dots every 25 cm - these will be beacons for laying the substrates.

Step 2. Blanks are cut from scraps of wood, plywood and other available materials. square shape for substrates. It is advisable to make them the same in size, but the thickness should be different, since the height differences at different points on the floor are also different. The more irregularities, the more blanks will be needed.

Advice. Instead of large quantity strong substrates can be used wooden slats of various thicknesses, which are filled in increments of 30-40 cm over the entire area of the subfloor. They act as lags for plywood and can effectively eliminate slopes of up to several centimeters.

Step 3. The floor is cleared of debris and dust and markings are made on the floor according to the beacons on the wall: stretch the cord between the marks on opposite walls and draw straight lines on the floor.

Step 4. The underlays are screwed along the lines to the floor in increments of 20-25 cm. First, the underlay is applied to the floor, checked against the zero level, then screwed in the center with a self-tapping screw. Having completed the row, a level is placed on top of the substrate and the plane is checked again.

Advice. In order not to check each element, you can screw the outer substrates in a row and lay a metal profile on them. After this, you just need to put the part against the profile to find out whether it is suitable in thickness or not.

Step 5. Having secured the substrates over the entire area, they begin to install the sheathing. The first sheet is laid from the corner of the far wall, leaving a gap of 10-15 mm around the perimeter. Check the horizontal position again by applying a level to the plywood in several places.

Step 6. Another sheet is laid nearby with a gap of a few millimeters at the joint, and the edges are adjusted. Be sure to check that there is no difference along the seam between the sheets.

Step 7 Screw the plywood to the floor. To ensure reliable fastening, the plywood must be screwed through the backings, but since they are located below and are not visible, it is necessary to mark the surface of the sheathing. The guideline for this is the rows of substrates not yet covered with plywood. Screws are screwed in along the marked lines at a distance of 25 cm from each other.

Step 8 The remaining sheets are cut and adjusted. Since in this case the plywood is mounted in two layers, it is not necessary to move the joints in the rows - they will overlap top layer material.

Step 9 The slabs of the second layer are laid so that the direction of the fibers is perpendicular to the fibers of the lower layer, and the intersections of the seams are completely overlapped. In addition, the plywood should be positioned so that the side cuts are strictly above the substrates. For accuracy of fixation, it is advisable to make the same markings as on the bottom layer. At the joints between the sheets, you can insert thin pieces of fiberboard to maintain uniform gaps.

Advice. Before screwing in the self-tapping screw, you need to drill holes in the plywood with a thin drill. This will allow the sheets to be securely pulled to the floor without damaging the fibers.

Step 10 Having completed the installation of the second layer, check the plane again with a level. You also need to make sure that all the screws are sufficiently recessed into the sheathing, otherwise the sharp protrusions will damage the laminate over time. Now all that remains is to clean the surface from dust and construction debris.

As a rule, such a floor does not require additional treatment. You can immediately lay a thin underlay and begin installing the floor covering. But some craftsmen recommend sealing the joints and recesses from the screw heads with putty.

DSP alignment

This is a more expensive and time-consuming method, although quite common. It is used in case of small differences or slope of the floor plane.

Step 1. Remove the baseboards and clear the floor of debris. Now you need to determine the location of the lag. They can usually be seen by the nail heads in the floor, arranged in rows across the decking, but if the nails are hidden under a thick layer of paint, you will have to do something differently. To do this, just remove one of the boards under the wall - the edges of the joists will be visible. If the flooring is parquet, you need to remove several of the outer boards, insert a screwdriver into the hole and run along the gap.

Step 2. They mark it on the floor surface where the joists go and stretch the boards with self-tapping screws. Self-tapping screws are screwed in every 10 cm to tighten the coating more tightly.

Step 3. In places of greatest differences, screw backings made from planks, scraps of plywood or Fibreboard suitable thickness.

Step 5. Having laid the first sheet, screw it around the perimeter in increments of 15 cm and in the center. Wood screws are used for fixation. The remaining sheets are mounted in the same way, laying them staggered.

Step 6. After installing the DSP, the surface is thoroughly dust-free, primed and, after waiting for the soil to dry, covered with a thin layer of leveling mixture. The mixture is rolled out using a needle roller. This layer will eliminate minor defects, such as indentations from screw heads and possible differences at the joints.