Repair of the floor in the apartment with your own hands in stages

Renovating or replacing an old, worn-out floor in an apartment is one of the most time-consuming operations in the overall repair process. Only after presenting the scale and cost of the forthcoming, many owners of housing very often refuse to repair the floors, confining themselves only to changing the decorative coating on them. But time takes its toll, and sooner or later a moment comes when it is simply impossible to delay such work.

In this case, it is not necessary to immediately look for a team of masters - especially since in this sphere of services very often you can meet frank "hackers".In the end, everything can lead to a completely unnecessary waste of time, nerves and money for a low-quality result. Why not try it yourself? If the owner has certain skills in general construction works, and if repairing the floor in the apartment with his own hands in stages, with observance of the recommended technological rules, then everything should turn out!

The repair stages, of course, depend on the type of floors, their initial condition, the purpose of the premises in which the work is being done, such as the finish coat. In this publication, several of the most frequently encountered variants will be considered.

Initial stage - Determine the work front

Once the landlord thought about the repair of the floor, then, most likely, for that there are incentives, unless, of course, this is not a cosmetic replacement of the cover for another spouse's whim. So, first we need to identify and clearly formulate problems - this will determine the whole scale of further preparatory and repair work.

The speech in this publication is about a city apartment, and in the vast majority of multi-storey houses, any floor has a base in the form of reinforced concrete slab. But here the further design can already essentially differ. The floor can be arranged on logs fixed to the base, or be laid directly on the concrete screed.

• The wooden floor on the logs usually starts to show its defects with creaking, unstable coatings - floorboards "play" under their feet, the appearance of an unpleasant smell of rot, the formation and gradual expansion of cracks. Even worse, if suddenly one of the boards bursts or its fragment falls down.

• The old screed on which the covering is laid, from "old age" too can begin to present surprises, especially if it was once filled with low quality. So, too, the appearance of obvious squeaks and rustling from sand or small pebbles, the "baying" of the screed, the appearance of crumpled areas of the surface, the disruption of the smoothness of the finish coat, and sometimes the apparent instability of the whole large fragment are also possible.

In any case, in the presence of obvious defects, remove the old coating.

Removing the old

• cover. From the room, you will need to take out all the furniture, completely freeing it for further work. If the repair is not carried out in the whole apartment at once, but from the room to the room, it will be necessary to provide protection against the spread of dust, for example, by curtaining the entrance with curtains from a dense polyethylene film or often moisturized fabric, and a slot under the door covered with a roller from a wet rag. True, the full effectiveness of this method is very doubtful, and the best option is still to provide for resettlement of family members for the period of repair behavior. However, a dust barrier is necessary in any case.
• Next, old skirting boards are removed. Do it carefully so as not to damage the lower part of the walls to which they are attached. If the plinth is to be used further, then they are numbered at the location and temporarily removed.

If someone has not encountered this case before, it can be recalled that skirting boards are fixed to the wall, and not to the floor surface, that is, it is necessary to correctly direct the lever effort. It will be easier if the plinths are fixed to self-tapping screws or to special brackets.

The next step is actually the removal of the old coating. There are several possible variants:

A. If the floor is covered with some roll material, then it is poded from one side and try to roll it neatly into a roll - this will make it easier to carry it out. In the event that the coating( for example, linoleum or carpet) has once been laid without glue, directly onto the concrete screed, it will be easy to do this. You can preliminarily make parallel incisions with a sharp construction knife to facilitate the action, thus dividing the entire fabric into several narrower bands.

But often there are situations in which the old material departs along with the layers of the peeled screed. Then it is necessary to remove it fragmentarily and immediately take it out of the room together with pieces of concrete so that this construction garbage does not interfere with further work.

It happens that once the high-quality linoleum that has been glued on, when it is removed, begins to separate, leaving the screeds on the screed. In this case, it is necessary to work with a scraper( spatula), warming these areas with a construction hair dryer or moistening the old adhesive layer with a detergent solution for the floors.

B. More trouble can deliver the old "playing" parquet. If it does not represent value, then its plates are successively removed, immediately loaded into bags, which they carry out as they fill. If once the parquet was glued to bitumen mastic or glue on an organic basis, removing individual dies or even entire fragments can be difficult. The "recipe" is the same - scraper, chisel and warming with a hair dryer.

used for its parquet. B. To remove an old tile, it is most convenient to use a rotary hammer that has been switched to the chiselling mode with the chisel mounted. If such an instrument is not available, then everything is done manually, using a hammer and a chisel.

G. When removing the plank flooring the most difficult, probably, to pick up and separate the first floorboard. Further, when it will be possible to get a lever freely, the work will go faster. For work you will need a nail with a long lever-lever, a hammer, tongs. Nails should be taken carefully, without destroying the boards, as, it is possible, this material will still serve for a new flooring after repairing or for making logs.

If the old covering is fastened with screws( screws), you can try to dismantle it using a screwdriver.

Well, if the board cover does not represent any value, then it will be most convenient to make cuts with the help of manual vertical circular( carefully and prudently, so as not to catch the concrete base, do not damage the logs and not "hit" the nail).After this separation of long floorboards, their removal will be a simple task.

Should I remove all plank flooring if obvious defects were observed only in certain areas, and in the plans it is not necessary to replace it with another type of surface finish? Of course, you can confine yourself to a partial repair - the replacement of worn or deteriorated parts. But experts in one voice advise - remove everything completely. There is no guarantee that if the process of dilapidation is manifested in one area of ​​the sex, then it will not show itself in another one year, or even earlier. It will be cheaper to refurbish the foundation and redefine the floor, even with the use of the old material, than to return to such repairs again after some short period.

Carrying out a revision of the

foundation After the floor covering has been removed, the base must be thoroughly inspected.

• If there are lags on the floor, and the plank cover is planned to be repaired again, then carefully check the condition of these load-bearing elements and supports for which they are installed. Beams lag should not have areas of decay, rottenness, fungus damage - such details are subject to mandatory replacement. Each lag is checked under load - it should not be loose, sag, creak, etc. If necessary, update the pads that hold the rail at the correct height.

It is recommended to treat all logs with an antiseptic composition after the inspection and repair of the log - this will protect it from biodegradation.

If the condition of the log does not cause concern, after a thorough cleaning in the spaces between them it will be possible to cover a new coating. Perhaps, most old floorboards will do this. After such a bulkhead, the floor will cease to creak and will acquire the necessary stability. If required, between the lags can be laid thermal insulation material, which also assumes the role of noise insulation.

. However, on the old wooden floor very often the lugs themselves are worn out, and their repair is impossible or does not guarantee longevity. In this case, they will have to be dismantled to subsequently install new ones. When removing the log, remember that they can be firmly attached to the base base. It is necessary to exercise accuracy and circumspection in order not to allow a strong destruction of the concrete foundation and not to add to itself unnecessary care for its restoration.

After removing the lag, the floor is cleaned as thoroughly as possible in order to proceed to further steps.

If after the removal of the old finish coat under it opens the concrete screed, it is most carefully examined. It is necessary to rely on concrete as strong in itself, and repair of such a surface is not necessary.

Tightening is necessary to tap - this will help to lay out the areas of its detachment, which must be removed before the "healthy" base. Verified surface for the presence of loose places, those where, due to a violation of the technology of pouring, the solution did not gain strength or was eroded by moisture. Such areas also need to be cleaned.

Do not leave large crevices on the surface - hence the process of destructuring the base may continue. Slots and cracks lie in the cutting in breadth and depth not less than 10-15 mm for subsequent repair.

Sometimes, after removing unstable areas of concrete, an unsightly picture opens, for example, as shown in the photo. Nevertheless, and it is quite amenable to repair.

After thorough cleaning and removal of defective areas and cutting of cracks. It is best to use a powerful construction vacuum cleaner in this business - by other means it is very difficult to clean the surface qualitatively and the cavities formed from small debris and dust.

Sometimes you have to resort to the complete dismantling of the entire screed to the floor slab. This can be caused by an extremely low quality, a coating that is inexpedient to repair, and it is better to re-pour completely. Often in a coupler in damp rooms, there is a "shelter" of mold or fungus. Another option is when the floors require additional insulation and sound insulation, and the height of the ceilings and the dimensions of the doorways in the apartment will not allow raising the level of the coating( taking into account the thermal insulation layer and finishing finish).To the same extent resorted to when it is planned instead of thin coatings to make a wooden floor on the logs.

Of course, the process of completely dismantling the screed with a bump tool is very tedious, noisy and dusty, but there is no other way to think about it. This requires some caution, so as not to damage the concrete slab overlap. Screed chop apart individual pieces, which immediately shovel to the side with a shovel and pack on sacks for export. Use even small fragments as a material for filling a new solution - it is not recommended, since they will not enhance, but, on the contrary, will worsen the quality.

After removal of the old screed, a thorough cleaning of the surface is carried out - as described above.

Repair of the basic surface

What was the floor was not planned in the future to the flooring, the concrete foundation under it is necessary to put in order. Thus, poorly sealed joints between the slabs of slabs, crevices along the perimeter of walls, potholes or caverns, etc. can be exposed.

Such repair is necessary even in the event that it is planned to fill a new screed. The solution may not penetrate these flaws, there will remain air cavities that reduce the monolithic nature of the coating and become the starting point of the process of screed destruction. Especially it is important and necessary, if the screed will be poured on the separating layer or waterproofing film( floating screed).

All surface defects should be thoroughly cleaned, if necessary( for example, interlacing welds), and then remove even the smallest crumb and dust with a vacuum cleaner.

Next step, the surface is carefully, at least - twice, primed with a deep penetration compound, which is designed specifically for concrete.

This treatment will significantly strengthen the surface, which is especially important for its looseness, increase hydrophobic qualities, reduce the absorbency of concrete, improve adhesion to repair compounds. To further work pass after the last applied layer of soil is completely absorbed and dry.

As a repair composition, a conventional cement-sand mortar can be used. However, it dries and acquires the necessary strength for a long time, and it is better not to regret money for special repair compounds, also on cement or epoxy basis.

Primed flaws of surfaces are tightly filled with repair mortar, comparing with the general level of the floor. To do this, you can use an ordinary spatula. Some remedies are implemented in plastic tubes, and they will be more convenient to apply using a construction syringe or a special "pistol".

If the defect is large in volume, in some cases it is possible to resort to filling it with mounting foam. After it dries, the excess is cut off, and then the repair staff brings this area to the general level of the surface.

Repair "patches" give time for full hardening, in accordance with their instructions, after which you can level the surface with sandpaper wrapped on a bar. Then it is recommended to walk once again on the entire surface of the primer. If there is an increased absorbency of the composition in the places of repair, then these areas are ground twice.

After drying, the surface can be considered ready for further work.

Leveling screed

If an old screed or a wooden floor has been removed, and the slab has been opened, then, most likely, its level is very far from the horizontal. The house eventually shrank, and when it was erected many years ago, builders could not particularly care about the strictly verified level of overlap. So, what was the floor was not planned to do next, it is recommended to base and strengthen, and at the same time align the screed. The thickness of this fill layer must be at the highest point of at least 30 mm.

First of all, it is necessary to determine the value of the drop, that is, to identify the peak, the highest and the lowest points of the surface and "break through" the zero-level line. A lighthouse system will be put at this mark.

Filling technology for leveling screed

This process requires careful preparation, during which it is necessary to accurately reconcile the level of filling the solution. With all the secrets pouring screed in the apartment can be found in the special publication of our portal.

For the filling of the screed, you can apply a conventional cement-sand mortar, which is prepared directly at the place of work. It is usually based on the proportion of three parts of sand to one cement M-400 - this ratio gives an optimal surface for strength and durability, on which any existing floor coverings can then be mounted.

Those novice builders who do not want to communicate with the independent composition of proportions, you can recommend using ready-made construction dry mixes. Their composition is already optimized for screed, and it remains only to close it properly with water, in accordance with the attached instructions.

How many materials will be needed in any given case? Everything depends on the level of the height difference at the extreme points, the planned minimum thickness of the screed, the area of ​​the room, the characteristics of the solution.

Usually on the package of dry construction mixtures, their normal consumption in kilograms per 1 square meter of the filled area is indicated with a layer thickness of 10 mm. On the basis of this, it is possible to determine the amount of material required by simple calculations.

To facilitate the readers of the task - a calculator that allows you to quickly and accurately make such calculations:

Calculator for calculating the amount of dry mortar for the screed

For the calculation of a cement-sand mortar produced independently, proceed from several other positions. Here, the volume ratios of the components and their density are important. In order not to bore the reader with formulas, a calculation calculator is added for this case:

Calculator for calculating the amount of cement and sand for the preparation of concrete mortar for screed

After pouring the leveling screed, it is given time for full maturation and strength collection. After this, you can proceed to the arrangement of the selected type of floor.

Which floor is best for apartment spaces?

There are many options for finishing the flooring in the apartment. The most common are natural wooden - massive board, parquet or cork, linoleum, laminate, carpet, ceramic tile.

Wooden floors

They are rightly considered the most "cozy" and clean in terms of ecology. Mounted on the lags, between which you can freely place insulation and noise-absorbing material - it will only add comfort to the sexes. The coating itself can be laid directly on the logs, or, for example, the parquet - on the plywood mounted on the logs.

• Wooden floors are applicable in any of the living rooms.
• With a certain caution, it is worth using them in the kitchen - the abundant smells inherent in this room can absorb into the wood and become obtrusive or even harshly with time.
• Wood flooring for a bathroom or bathroom is not suitable - due to the high probability of water falling on it.
• The entrance hall is also not the best place for a wooden floor. Firstly, because of the increased intensity of movement in it in street shoes - this leads to rapid abrasion of the wood. Secondly, the humidity level here too can be increased. And thirdly, there can be difficulties with installing the cover on the logs - this can be prevented by the floor level in the entrance and the location of the entrance door.

One of the most difficult operations for installing a wooden floor is the installation of a log system. They must be strong and stable, and their level must be perfectly aligned to the horizontal plane.

For logs, a high-quality wooden beam is most often used. There are a lot of ways of installing and lagging horizontally, from the simplest ones, with the placing of pallets or pieces of plywood under them, to the use of adjustable supports or various brackets.

How to install wooden floors?

lag is installed as the first step in almost always .Then this base can be immediately carried out flooring of wooden floor , or plywood. But plywood will already become the basis for many other coatings. In particular, it is convenient for to lay the parquet board .All these issues are detailed on the pages of our portal.

Laminate

This type of coating, made of wood-polymer composite, has gained immense popularity during the last 10-15 years. Such floors surprisingly accurately imitate natural materials, but more affordable. And some types of laminate significantly exceed the wood for durability, moisture resistance and service life.

The drawbacks are that wood-containing composites are still made using phenol-formaldehyde resins. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the ecological class of the material when choosing. It is considered permissible issue of formaldehyde not more than 0.01 mg, and phenol - 0.003 mg. These types belong to the class E1, and they can be laid in any living quarters. Classes E2 and E3 for bedrooms and children's rooms are strictly not suitable.

Laminate selection

In addition to the environmental performance, the laminate is further divided into several parameters, and not equally suitable for different rooms. How to choose the class of laminate - in a separate publication of our portal.

For a quality laminate flooring, an almost perfectly aligned base is required. In this case, plywood or OSB sheets, mounted on lags or directly on a concrete screed, are ideal.

Video: one of the interesting ways of leveling the floor with plywood without the use of logs

It is possible to lay laminate flooring on a concrete base using special substrates of their foamed polyethylene. However, the evenness of a conventional screed made by hand on lighthouses may not be enough - the coating will begin to creak in a short time. It is best to pour a self-leveling floor under the laminate - then the density of the panels to the surface over the entire area will be ensured.

Self-leveling floor is the solution to many problems!

The vast majority of modern floor coverings require an ideally leveled surface. This can be achieved by casting using the self-leveling floor technology. All the nuances of doing such work are detailed in a separate publication of our portal.

Linoleum

Despite the appearance of new types of coatings, linoleum does not give up its leading position. This is due to its relatively low cost and the ability to lay down on its own.

Modern linoleum types are distinguished by high wear resistance, water resistance, a rich variety of decorative designs. This material has become more favorable from the ecological point of view. The coating can differ in thickness and material of manufacture, be on a soft foamed, fabric or insulated basis, be produced in rolls of different widths.

Linoleum with the right choice can be suitable for any type of premises, except, perhaps, the bathroom. The requirements for the base are almost the same as for the laminate - one should be perfectly even, because through the plastic material with time, all defects will necessarily appear.

What should I do if I want to lay the floor with linoleum?

First of all, you need to orient yourself in the classification of the material in order to manage the to choose the right linoleum , which is optimally suited to the specific operating conditions. And the second - to know the technological rules for laying linoleum , to cope with this independently. All this is on the pages of our portal.

Carpet cover

This cover was recently very popular, but gradually the number of its supporters has decreased significantly due to the characteristic shortcomings of the material.

While the carpet is new, it looks very advantageous, it's nice to walk - the surface is always warm and soft. However, even with the best quality material, this "period of youth" quickly ends - the pile is wrinkled, rubbed, and loses its color. With such a coating, it is very difficult to remove an accidentally stained spot. But the main thing - dust inevitably accumulates among the villi, and to clean it you need a powerful vacuum cleaner.

It would seem - an excellent solution for a children's room, especially since there are many coatings on sale with a very interesting design. But the softness and warmth of the coating does not compensate for the increased risk of allergic reactions or even chronic respiratory disorders in the child. For children, the best choice is a coating that can often be put in order by wet cleaning. For the same reason, this material is not particularly suitable for an adult bedroom.

Carpets will not be suitable for passage rooms - it will soon be "trodden down a path", and the nap will be clogged with dirt and dust, brought on the shoes from the street.

The only place where you can apply it with a certain degree of caution is the living room. But in this case, too, do not avoid frequent cleaning with a vacuum cleaner.

And almost completely excluded the use of carpet in the apartments, where pets are kept. This - and a constant wool, tangled in a fleecy surface, and a "polygon" for the cat's claws. Well, if a pet accidentally "made" on such a floor - it is generally akin to a "catastrophe".

If nevertheless the choice is made in favor of carpet, then its laying, in principle, differs little from the work with linoleum. It also requires a clean, flat surface, such as a plywood or a self-leveling foundation filled with a base.

Ceramic tile

Floor tiling with ceramic tiles is most appropriate in rooms with high humidity. Such a coating with a competent styling is not afraid of dampness, does not absorb into its surface fat or oil, accidentally poured into the kitchen.

Qualitative tiles are not afraid of a long abrasive load, that is, it is perfect for rooms with the maximum intensity of movement of people - for the corridor or the hallway.

Ceramic coating is easily and quickly laundered from external contaminants, while free to withstand any household detergents and solvents.

Even a direct hit of water, quite likely in the bathroom, will not bring any harm to the tile.

Ceramic tiles are produced in the richest variety of color, textured and patterned designs. For floors, of course, it is best to choose a material with a microrelief surface, so that the roughness does not allow slipping on the wet floor.

Ceramic flooring can be laid, in principle, on any prepared surface, and the ideal smoothness of the base here is of decisive importance. Including, there are technologies for laying a new tile covering over the old one, without tedious dismantling.

The disadvantages of the ceramic coating, of course, is. So, it is always very tough, and, for example, a cup or a plate dropped to the floor is almost doomed to be broken. This factor also reduces the comfort of such a floor, so it is very rarely arranged in living rooms.

Another important drawback - ceramics refers to "cold" materials, and walking on it barefoot or even in home light shoes is not entirely pleasant. However, this defect can be completely eliminated by laying under the cover an electric warm floor.

How to lay a ceramic floor covering?

The tiling of the floor can be done by yourself. The main thing is to prepare the surface well, as already mentioned in the article. And then it will remain to strictly follow the technological recommendations for for the tiling of .In this case, you can immediately provide electric floor heating .

No matter what material is used for flooring of new floors, it will not be superfluous to think about the surface insulation. The need for this is not always. For example, if a residential and well-heated apartment is located below, then most likely, no additional thermal insulation is required. But the tenants of the first floors, whose apartments are unheated cellars or purged basement rooms, have something to take care of.

There are a lot of options in this matter. So, the technology of laying a warm layer of extruded polystyrene foam is applied, followed by pouring the screed or installing the finish coat.

Another option is the use of special compounds for pouring the insulated screed. Such building mixtures with the addition of EPS or foam glass granules can be found in the store. Claydite is widely used for these purposes.

Ceramsite - an excellent insulation for floors!

This thermo-insulating material is characterized by high ecological purity, therefore it can not be better for residential premises. It can be used for backfilling between lags, and for the preparation of mortar for pouring, and for creating floors using dry screed technology. How to independently make screed with expanded clay - in a separate publication of our portal.

So, the further actions of the hosts directly depend on the type of coverage chosen. The links offered in the article to other pages of the portal should give a complete picture of the technology of independent work on the replacement of floors in the apartment.

After the flooring or laying of the finishing floor is completed, it will only be necessary to finish the finishing of the walls and proceed to the installation of skirting boards. This last detail will complete the interior appearance of the renovated premises.

Video: an example of repairing the floor with the replacement of the old

coating