How to level a floor on a wooden base. How to properly level a wooden floor. Is it possible to use a sanding machine to level a wooden floor?

Renovating apartments and private houses often involves installing new flooring. One of the problems associated with this is the need for additional work to level the wooden base, which has various defects and irregularities. This article will discuss how to level a wooden floor.

In modern construction, there are several basic ways to level a wooden floor in order to install a new floor covering on top of it. Some of them involve working directly with wood, others involve applying various leveling compounds and sheet materials without dismantling boards and joists.

The first group includes:

1. Manual leveling.

The photo shows two fundamental approaches to leveling a wooden base. The first is by using sheet materials. The second is mechanical treatment of the floor surface using a grinder.

The second group includes:

1. Leveling with sheet wood materials (plywood, chipboard and fiberboard).
2. Leveling with cement screed.
3. Leveling with self-leveling floors.

Let us consider each of these methods in more detail, their nuances and features, and the main mistakes made by non-professionals when performing them.

Leveling a wooden floor by hand

If you find an abundance of protruding places on the floor boards, which are usually located near the knots in the boards, you must try to eliminate them. First make sure of the strength of the joists that serve as the basis for the existing and new coating.

Rotten, collapsed bars will not be able to withstand the weight of the new and old floor in the house. They will have to be replaced or a new base in the form of a concrete screed installed.

If the lag is sufficiently strong, you can safely level the wooden floor. To work you will need the following tools:

• Axe;
• Electric planer;
• Any type of grinder (belt, vibration, etc.).

Examine the surface of the boards and mark problem areas with a pencil or chalk. With a sharply sharpened ax in the direction of the wood grain, you can roughly chop down protruding places of great height. It is convenient to smooth out irregularities a few millimeters high with a plane.

When working with mechanical tools, pay special attention to the presence of protruding nail heads and screws in the boards, which can irreparably damage the knives.

Before leveling an old wood floor with a power planer, go over the entire surface and deepen the fasteners or remove them completely.

For the first type of work, it is convenient to make a simple finisher by cutting off a part of the rod with a head 50-70 mm long from a nail No. 120 or 150. Having installed the device on top of the nail, with several blows of the hammer, deepen it into the board and joist by 3-4 mm. To remove, use pliers or a nail puller, hitting it with a hammer.

Perform the final leveling of the boards with a sander, connecting a vacuum cleaner hose to it to reduce dust in the room in the house. By alternating sandpaper with different abrasive grain sizes, you can get a perfectly flat, smooth surface.

If the quality of processing is high, you can do without updating the floor covering by covering the sanded floor with several layers.

Leveling the floor by scraping

Manual sanding has been used in carpentry for a long time, but it allows you to remove only micron layers of wood. Leveling a wooden floor is best done with a mechanical scraper, which can be rented from relevant construction organizations.

The principle of its operation is similar to the principle of operation of an electric planer, but it is more suitable for leveling and imparting flatness to a horizontal surface. Similar to the process described above, it is necessary to carefully eliminate possible metal defects on the surface. This is especially true in an old house or apartment, where the floorboards were attached not in a “secret” position, but from above.

If the need to lay a new floor covering is urgent, then after mechanical sanding the floor surface does not need to be sanded.

Leveling the floor with sheet materials

The most common way to achieve a flat base is to lay wood-based sheets on top of it. This method has a number of advantages over those described above:

1. There is no need for extensive leveling before leveling a wood floor with plywood.
2. The process is accessible to any craftsman who has a jigsaw and a screwdriver in his arsenal.
3. Minimum waste when performing work.

If it is necessary to raise the level of the base, the sheets can be attached not to boards, but to small logs made of bars with a section of 20x50 or 30x50, attached to the floor with self-tapping screws. It is necessary to position the sheathing so that the joints of individual sheets are located on its elements. The frequency of installation of new logs should not exceed a distance of 40-50 cm.

Leveling with concrete screed

Another fairly universal way to level the floor, which can be done without tearing off old boards. It places higher demands on the strength of the joists, since the load on them increases due to the high mass of the concrete layer.

The advantage of this option is minimal preliminary preparation. Before leveling the wooden floor in the house with a concrete mixture, you only need to carefully examine the condition of the floor joists and the tightness of the boards to each other. The last aspect is related to the liquid component of the mixture. If there are large gaps, it is recommended to pre-fill them with polyurethane foam, cutting it flush with the floor after hardening.

To level with concrete you will need:

• a sufficient amount of mixture components - sand, cement and water;
• mechanical concrete mixer;
• device for leveling concrete on the floor;
• beacons made of sheet steel or self-tapping screws fixed to the floor at the required level.

Portions of the liquid mixture are laid out on the prepared base, distributed using a trowel or spatula and leveled with a meter-long metal lath - as a rule. After the concrete layer has hardened after a few days, installation of the floor covering begins.

Self-leveling floor on wooden boards

Self-leveling floors have become a relatively new type - mixtures based on various polymer compositions, which, after hardening, form a smooth, perfectly even horizontal layer on the surface of the base. It is possible to use this type of mixture for leveling wooden floors.

It should be noted that this type is one of the most expensive of all described in today’s review. In addition, the use of such a composition also requires high strength wooden logs. This is due to a significant increase in the load on them. The video clearly shows the process of creating a self-leveling surface on a plank floor.

There is no need to control the filling level; you just need to correctly distribute it with a special toothed device called a squeegee. You need to move around the uncured self-leveling floor on special wooden platforms supported by steel spikes - wet shoes.

Thus, in the framework of this review, we examined the main methods of leveling a wooden floor, provided that the joists and boards for laying one or another type of flooring are preserved. Each of them has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages; the choice of the final option depends on specific conditions.

Despite the impressive list of advantages, wooden flooring requires repair work over time. Cracks may appear, and the boards begin to sag and deform. Of course, this does not happen in a year, or in two. But sooner or later you will have to decide how to level the coating.

Especially if it is planned. This finishing layer requires a level base, which can be achieved in several ways. We will look at all this below.

Why is it necessary to level the floor?

Many people are interested in the question not of how to level a wooden floor, but why it is necessary. We hasten to assure you that this is an extremely important stage in laying a new coating, which also extends the life of the main floor. All cracks, irregularities, and deformations negatively affect the overall appearance and the finish coating. It does not matter whether it is carpet or ceramic tiles. In any case, troubles cannot be avoided. For example, linoleum in places where the floorboards are curved will fray and crack, and the laminate will immediately begin to creak and the joints, accordingly, will not adhere securely to each other.

Methods for leveling the floor.

So, if you don’t know how to level a laminate wooden floor, then it’s worth learning the basic methods that are actively used today. It is worth noting that the choice depends on the initial state of the base.

• Looping;

• Self-leveling mixtures;

• Floor putty;

• Laying plywood sheets.

In order to understand how to level a wooden floor under tiles, and in what cases each option is used, we will consider all the methods separately.

Looping.

We can say that this is the most labor-intensive method of leveling, but it is also the most effective. It is suitable if there are no plans to lay a new coating, and the design is limited to varnishing or painting the renewed floor.

There are two methods of scraping, performed manually and mechanically. In the first case, a manual scraper is used, and in the second, a scraping machine is used. The manual method is already outdated and does not justify the labor and time costs at all, so we will consider the mechanical method.

Tools for work:

The most important thing is to take care of your own health, so buy the following things:

• a respirator that will protect your lungs from dust;

• headphones that isolate you from noise (and the level is very high);

• gloves or thick mittens necessary to reduce vibration from the device.

Preparing the room:

Be sure to remove all furniture, curtains, and paintings. This way you will protect things from fine dust. You can cover the shelves with film, securing the edges with tape. The doorway is covered with film, and the windows, on the contrary, are opened to allow the dust to ventilate.

Coating preparation:

If the floorboards are in good condition, partial replacement will not be necessary. In this case, carefully inspect the floor. If the heads of nails or screws are on the surface, then it is necessary to recess them into the floor to a sufficiently large depth. Without doing this, you will inevitably damage the equipment.

Floor scraping:

We start working from the corner, moving around the room like a snake. For this we use a coarse-grained tape. This is how we remove the first layer.

You will still need a manual scraper for processing the floor in hard-to-reach places - near the walls. At the end of the work, you need to vacuum it, but wait a bit, allowing the dust to settle. Before varnishing or painting, the floor is wiped with a cloth soaked in white spirit.

Self-leveling mixtures:

If you are looking for a way to level a wooden floor under a laminate, then the previous option will not suit you. In this case, the work will be more labor-intensive, but you will get a proper base for the finishing coat. It is worth noting that this method is also suitable for further laying tiles.

Let's take a closer look at the process of leveling the floor.

Preparing the base.

We make all spring elements motionless, for which we use self-tapping screws or self-tapping screws.

The hats, as with scraping, are deepened into the floor.

We thoroughly sand the base, removing any remaining paint, dirt, or varnish.

All obvious cracks and voids are filled with acrylic putty or the same mixture, but in a thicker consistency.

After the composition has dried, the floor is primed in several layers with a moisture-proof primer, which ensures reliable adhesion of the mixture to the base.

A polystyrene foam seam is created near the walls, after which the floor level can be determined.

Pouring the mixture.

Before starting to pour the mixture, we staple the reinforcing mesh onto the base. All joints are connected with an overlap of about 5 cm.

Prepare the mixture according to the instructions, mixing it using a drill with an attachment. Leave the solution for 10-15 minutes and stir again. Now you can begin the actual installation.

Pour the mixture in parts, leveling it over the entire surface with a roller.

Using a spatula, rule or rubber mop, spread the mixture over the coating.

Drying of the solution is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Some tips:

Follow all the rules indicated on the packaging of the mixture. The specified thermal conditions must be maintained throughout the entire period of laying the solution and drying it.

Be careful when preparing the mixture. Excess water can cause delamination when the coating dries, while too little water can cause it to dry too quickly and not be evenly distributed.

If it is planned to raise the floor level, then pouring is carried out in two passes. That is, it is undesirable to immediately lay a thick layer.

Floor putty.

This option is not particularly suitable if you are deciding how to level a wooden floor under tiles. But for linoleum or carpet this is the ideal way.

Putty mixtures based on sawdust and PVA are becoming increasingly popular. With their help, you can level a fairly large area of ​​wood. At the same time, the cost of materials is low, and this makes repairs also economically profitable.

Procedure:

• Beacon slats are placed on the cleaned surface according to the level;

• the space between them is filled with a mixture with the consistency of “thick sour cream”;

• To prevent the sawdust from drawing water out of the glue, it is advisable to moisten them in advance and then squeeze them out a little;

• if a thick layer of putty is required, then form the coating in layers of 1-2 cm. In this case, each subsequent layer is applied after the previous one has dried;

• We check the result with a level, and if necessary, fill the uneven areas with the same mixture.

Laying plywood sheets

This is one of the most popular ways to correct uneven wood floors. But first you need to decide how to level a wooden floor under plywood.

Everything is quite simple here. Damaged floorboards are screwed with self-tapping screws to the base or joists. If the deformation is too great, then such boards are replaced with new ones.

Next, you need to install beacons - self-tapping screws that are screwed into a certain height in squares of 20-30 cm. Moreover, the thicker the plywood, the less frequently beacons are installed. After this, we lay the logs in the form of strips of plywood and secure them with self-tapping screws.

Preparation of plywood sheets:

It is advisable to pre-cut the sheets into squares with a side of 60cm. It is worth noting that before purchasing sheets, it is advisable to inspect them. If delamination is detected at the ends of the workpieces, then such material is not suitable for work. If a defect is detected at the installation site, the sheets are replaced with new ones.

Laying plywood sheets:

We install the finished squares on the formed log grid, taking into account the location of the plywood joints, since they should fall on the logs. It is highly desirable that the brickwork be carried out with offset sheets, which is necessary to avoid the intersection of four seams. Each plywood sheet is secured with self-tapping screws with a countersunk head.

If you mark the joints with chalk in advance, you will significantly save time and effort during installation.

With this leveling, you can get a smooth subfloor that is suitable for further installation of any finishing coating.

By adhering to clear rules, you will not have any questions about how to level a wooden floor or how to correct any defects. The whole process is not very complicated, but it requires some labor.

Wooden flooring has excellent characteristics, but they also deteriorate over time. To extend the life of a wooden floor, it is necessary to carry out preventive maintenance work from time to time. If things are really bad - the boards are sagging, there are cracks and deformations everywhere, then you will have to resort to leveling the coating.

Leveling a subfloor is not an easy task, but if you have certain knowledge, skills and materials, you can handle the job on your own without involving expensive craftsmen. The cost of a rough wooden floor depends on its characteristics and performance, so today we will tell you how to make high-quality, durable, and most importantly, even floors with your own hands.

Often, subfloors in a wooden house are leveled for laying laminate or other flooring. This procedure is one of the main ones in the installation process, and the final result depends on it. And it doesn’t matter whether you are going to lay laminate flooring, lay carpet or tile the floor - the surface must be flat. So, on a crooked floor in the places where the floorboards bend, even the most durable linoleum will crack or fray over time, to say nothing of the fancy laminate, which will soon begin to creak and become loose.

How to Level a Wooden Subfloor

There are several effective ways to level rough wooden floors, the price of which can be very intimidating for professional craftsmen, but if you do it yourself, you can save a lot!

So, today there are four ways to level the floor:

• putty;
• self-leveling mixtures;
• laying plywood.

The choice of floor leveling method depends on the initial condition of the surface and the desired final result. Let's take a closer look at the features of each method and the work process.

Looping

Sanding is the most effective and most labor-intensive way to level rough wood floors. This method is relevant for those cases if you are not going to lay a new coating on top of the wood, but just want to open the floor with varnish or paint it.

Sanding can be carried out either manually or using mechanics. It is clear that if you have special equipment, then you do not need a manual scraper. Even if you don’t have a car, it makes sense to rent one, because the manual method is irrevocably outdated, as it takes a colossal amount of energy and time. Below we will consider the use of the mechanical scraping method.

First of all, take care of safety precautions and get protective plastic glasses, vibration-absorbing gloves (can be replaced with thick mittens) and construction headphones, since the sanding machine is very noisy. Don't forget a respirator to protect your lungs from wood dust.

Progress:

Self-leveling mixtures

Self-leveling mixtures are suitable if you are going to lay laminate flooring. It makes no sense to scrape the surface for this, but you can solve the problem with the help of special mixtures in no time. Don’t be fooled by the name and think that all you have to do is pour the compound onto the floor and it will level out on its own. This is a labor-intensive process, but the result is an ideal base for laminate or tile installation.

Progress:

Helpful Tips:

Carefully follow all proportions and rules written on the packaging.

During drying, the recommended thermal conditions must be maintained until the mixture has completely hardened.

If you pour too much water while mixing the solution, the floor may delaminate after drying. If you add too little liquid, the mixture will not be evenly distributed over the floor.

If you want to raise the level of a wooden floor, fill it in two layers, and the first layer should not be too thick.

Putty

Now you know how to level a subfloor for laying tiles and laminate flooring. Putty is not recommended for these purposes, but is ideal if you are going to cover the floor with carpet.

Today in construction stores you can find a lot of putty mixtures based on PVA glue and sawdust. This is the best option - reasonable cost, ease of use, large coverage area.

Progress:

Leveling the floor with plywood

Leveling rough wooden floors with plywood is the most popular method due to its speed, simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

Progress:

Helpful Hint: To save time and effort when installing a plywood floor, mark with chalk where the joints will be.

Leveling the subfloor in a wooden house with sheets of plywood is perfect for any finishing coating, be it laminate, tile or carpet.

Repairs to an apartment or house are necessary to improve the quality of life and the appearance of the home. One of the main surfaces of the room is the floor. In order for it to fit harmoniously into the environment, it must not only have an attractive appearance, but also be smooth. Next, we consider the easiest way to level a wooden floor.

Why is alignment necessary?

The old floor has an unattractive appearance, and a decision has been made to replace the floor covering. Before this, you need to level the wooden floor with your own hands, but is this really necessary?

Scheme of a smooth wooden floor

Below are the reasons for holding such an event in a private home:

• aesthetic appearance of the floor covering;
• no changes when moving around the room;
• extending the service life of the finished floor by ensuring normal operating conditions.

Soft floor coverings such as linoleum or carpet allow slight differences in height, but it is better to prevent this. Rigid materials (package, laminate) require a flat base, since in the presence of unevenness and differences, their design scheme is violated. The structure does not function properly and cannot withstand the load being applied. Because of this, partial or complete replacement of floors may soon be required.

Methods of carrying out work

There are several options with which you can level the floor in a private home. Before leveling a wooden floor under laminate, parquet or linoleum, you need to familiarize yourself with each of them and choose the most suitable one.

1. Leveling can be done using plywood.
2. You can ensure the evenness of the base under the flooring by using PVA-based putty.
3. Self-leveling mixtures can be used for these purposes.
4. To eliminate strong irregularities, you can use logs.

If it is difficult to remove old flooring boards in your home because they are securely nailed to the subfloor, it is best to leave them as is. In this case, level the surface under laminate, parquet or linoleum using a plane or sanding machine. The flooring can be laid directly on the existing surface after it has been leveled.

Work in which the old floor is processed is called scraping.

Performing this step manually using a plane is quite difficult. If possible, you should use a scraping (grinding) machine. When working with this device, a large amount of wood dust is generated, the penetration of which must be prevented into other living spaces.

Leveling the base with putty

Scheme for filling the base with putty

For small irregularities, it is better to use simple puttying technology. Special putty consists of sawdust and PVA glue. This method will not require significant financial costs and will provide a sufficiently flat and durable base for laminate, parquet or linoleum. In this case, logs or other additional elements are not required, so the work is done quite easily. It is best to follow the following procedure:

• removal of existing coating;
• cleaning from dust and dirt;
• sanding the surface;
• it is necessary to fasten sagging and creaking boards and existing joists using self-tapping screws;
• nailing of beacon slats;
• applying a layer of putty and leveling it using the rule.

The drying time for the mixture is on average two days. After gaining strength, you can begin further work (laying linoleum or other covering).

Self-leveling mixtures

The process of leveling the base with a self-leveling mixture

The method involves using a special composition of screed. If the manufacturing technology is followed, the mixture itself should spread over the floor in an even layer. In this case, all irregularities and holes are filled.

It is rational to use this method when the height difference is up to 2 cm. For larger unevenness, it is better to use logs, since the screed will create too much load on the floor. The work is performed in the following order:

• surface cleaning and polishing;
• applying a primer layer (moisture-resistant deep penetration solutions can be used);
• waterproofing with polyethylene film;
• laying reinforcing mesh and fixing it;
• laying the mixture and leveling it.

Leveling and removing air is carried out using a special roller with spikes. Drying time depends on the material of the mixture.

One of the undeniable advantages of using this type of floor leveling under linoleum or laminate is the absence of the need to use beacons. Also, the filling process takes a small amount of time.

But the worker carrying out the leveling must have experience in construction work or study this issue in depth, since proportions must be strictly observed when preparing the solution. If the ratio of ingredients is violated, the expensive composition will be unsuitable for installation.

Leveling the floor with plywood

The easiest way to use plywood is considered to be one that does not require logs. Before leveling a wooden floor with plywood under linoleum or other covering, you need to familiarize yourself with the sequence of actions:

Scheme for leveling wooden floors with plywood

1. Bosses (small wooden planks) are laid along the perimeter of the walls, which will not allow the 2 cm distance from the walls to be violated (mandatory).
2. Plywood should be laid with small gaps, the size of which is 3-8 mm. This indentation is necessary to prevent bending due to small movements or thermal expansion.
3. The sheets are mounted staggered. It is necessary to shift each subsequent one relative to the previous one by half.
4. The last step is to secure the sheets with self-tapping screws. You can prepare holes in the plywood in advance to make work easier.

Plywood is also laid, installing logs around the perimeter of the room to support the sheets. It turns out to be a strip support for plywood. Work to prepare the base for linoleum or laminate is carried out in the following order:

1. Laying out sheets of plywood without fastening. The installation diagram of the sheets (spacing, gaps) is the same as in the previous case. This stage is necessary to check the compliance of the number and size of plywood sheets with the area of ​​the room. The laid out sheets need to be numbered.
2. Drawing out the places where the logs will be located.
3. The logs are mounted along the walls.
4. Installation of crossbars and their fastening with self-tapping screws. Next, you need to check whether the logs and transverse supports are installed evenly, and secure the entire frame to the base.
5. Laying and fastening plywood.

Upon completion, you can lay linoleum or laminate.

In addition, plywood can be laid on point supports. Such supports are called slabs; their thickness is selected depending on the size of the floor unevenness. The pads are laid quite often, since this system cannot provide the same reliability as the previous one. For plywood with a thickness of 14 mm, the pitch of the support cells is no more than 30 cm, and for sheets of greater thickness the pitch can be up to 45 cm. The procedure for carrying out the work is similar to the previous one, the only difference is the geometric diagram of the supports for plywood sheets.

When carrying out renovations, it is also necessary to replace the floors. The covering plays an important role in creating the interior; in addition, the use of creaky and sagging boards is not the best solution. To save money and effort, it is necessary to simplify the process as much as possible. For example, removing old coating is a very expensive pleasure. It's best to avoid this. Next we look at how to level a wooden floor without tearing down the boards. There are several methods, the choice between them depends on how damaged the wooden floor is.

Gender survey

At this stage, you will have to carry out not only a thorough inspection, but also measurement of irregularities. The wooden floor must meet the following requirements:

• the boards should not be damaged by rot or mold;
• cracks or gaps between elements should not be more than 5 cm (even if they are less than 5 cm, leveling with plywood will be required; other methods cannot be used);
• height differences do not exceed 1-2 cm.

Assessing gaps and height differences between boards

If these conditions are not met, then it will be almost impossible to repair and level the wooden floor without changing the boards. To choose an alignment option, you need to know the height difference. The following instruments are used for measurements:

• construction levels (laser, hydraulic, bubble);
• rule.

The simplest option is to attach a long strip or metal profile to the floor and measure the deviations with a ruler. You can also buy a bubble level at a hardware store to inspect a wooden floor yourself. It determines the slope of the board and costs between several thousand depending on the length of the body.

You can make a hydraulic level yourself. All you need here is a thin transparent tube and water. The disadvantage of such a device is that it is not very convenient to use. The most accurate way to measure a wood floor is with a laser level. This device is used by professional builders, its cost is high, and its use requires special skills. If you need to level the boards in a house or apartment yourself, there is no need for such precision.

Methods of performing work

There are several alignment methods, each suitable for different cases:

• Laying a substrate made of elastic material used if unevenness does not exceed a few millimeters. This increases sound insulation. Most often, materials such as isolon or polyethylene foam are used. The thickness is set within 2-5 mm.
• For more serious defects, scraping is suitable. This method is also not capable of leveling out serious differences, but it can refine the surface and give it an attractive appearance. Before starting work, the floor is carefully inspected for the presence of metal fasteners. Staples and screws will have to be removed, and the nails will be sunk into the boards so that there is no chance of damaging the sanding machine.
• The putty is suitable for height differences of 2-3 mm. Sealants or acrylic compounds are used.
• Self-leveling floors or cement screeds.
• The most reliable option that will allow you to level a wooden floor with serious differences and cracks is plywood or OSB boards. For work, material with a thickness of 14-22 mm is used. There are two methods that can handle different sizes of bumps.

It is worth talking about putty and plywood in more detail.

putty

Repairing gaps between boards using putty

Leveling a wooden floor using this method will require preparatory work. They consist of cleaning the surface from dust and dirt, priming. The primer layer ensures a high degree of adhesion of the putty to the wooden surface.

The material for processing is selected depending on the finishing floor covering. If you plan to lay tiles, linoleum, laminate or parquet on the boards, then acrylic putty is suitable. When using a wooden floor as a finishing floor and then covering it with varnish, use a sealant matched to the color of the material.

Acrylic mixtures are characterized by low strength, so you can replace them with other compositions:

• if the layer does not exceed 1-2 mm, putty on plaster using PVA glue is suitable;
• For a thicker layer, a mixture of sawdust and PVA is used.

The disadvantage of this composition is that it is difficult to distribute over the surface, so after drying it will require sanding until completely leveled.

Laying plywood

The most reliable way to level the boards. After laying the plywood, you can install the flooring (tiles, carpet, linoleum, laminate, parquet). There are two technologies for performing work:

• without intermediate supports for differences of less than 1 cm;
• with intermediate supports for differences of more than 1 cm.

Laying without supports consists of securing the sheets with glue and screws. Before starting work, it is necessary to lay out the elements and cut them. The distance between the parts is taken to be 2-4 mm, and between the wall and plywood - 8-10 mm. This is necessary so that the sheets do not affect each other and waves do not appear when the material expands.

Layout options for plywood sheets

Having laid out the parts of the flooring, they are numbered. And they begin to fasten. The adhesive layer should not exceed 2-3 mm. The composition is applied to the leveled surface. Sheets must be laid with a spacing of at least 10 cm.

After the glue has completely dried, you can begin installing fasteners. Before starting work, holes are drilled in the sheets for self-tapping screws, which are located at a distance of at least 20 mm from the edge of the part. The fastening pitch is taken within 15-20 mm. After completion of the work, the surface of the plywood is sanded with a special machine.

The use of intermediate supports increases the leveling capacity. You can use logs or point support points (slabs). The former allow for higher reliability, while the latter save on materials. It is important to provide for the arrangement of the elements so that the joint of the sheets falls on the place of support. The pitch of the elements is determined depending on the thickness of the plywood sheet.

• when using flooring with a thickness of 12-14 mm, the support spacing should be 30-40 cm;
• thickness 16-16 mm – 50 cm.

For OSB and chipboard, other values ​​are accepted:

• thickness 16-18 mm – step 30-40 cm;
• thickness 20-24 mm – step 50 cm.

Laying plywood on intermediate supports

The thickness of the supports is taken on average 15 mm. The width of the boards for making logs is 40 mm. Fastening to the plank floor is carried out using self-tapping screws. Attaching the plywood to the supports can be done with self-tapping screws or glue.

When leveling the floor without removing boards, it is important to ensure that the subfloor is in good condition. If the logs are rotten, then none of the methods described above will help; only replacing the structure will give the result.