One of essential elements of any room is its floor. Today a lot of materials for the device are produced floor coverings: laminate, linoleum, ceramic tile and others. However, many homeowners choose naturalness and install wooden floors on joists. After all, this technology has many advantages and is also time-tested.
Logs made from boards have been used for floor construction for many years. This is due to the availability of materials and simple technology for installing the base. Logs are long bars of large cross-section on which the finishing wooden covering is mounted.
They are made from the following materials:
Wood is most often used. Usually this is planed timber 100 × 80 mm. In addition to timber, they also use edged board– in this case, the thickness of the beam is made up of several planks. However, this is not the best option - wooden floors installed on such a base may warp over time.
Wooden beams
Like any other technology, flooring on joists has advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that wood is afraid of moisture. And if you compare beams with concrete, their strength is less.
But flooring on joists also has a number of significant advantages:
Communications in the floor Important! The main disadvantage of wood is the fear of moisture, so before installation, logs must be treated with special impregnations.
Another undoubted advantage is the ease of installation on foundations with large slopes. The log horizon can be easily adjusted using substrates, without the need for additional materials. If we compare this situation with a concrete screed, the situation here is much worse: the volume of work will increase, more will be required building materials, so the cost of building the foundation will increase.
In order for a floor on joists to last as long as possible, you need to carefully select beams. The most popular material for beams is considered conifers, for example, pine. It has two advantages:
When purchasing, make sure that the material is well dried - the optimal value is 12-15% humidity. If you lay raw wooden beams, over time they will begin to dry out, crack and warp. Then the finished floors on the joists will become unusable.
Board 2 grades Since beams are structural elements, there is no point in spending money on wood premium. The second class is suitable here, it has best ratio prices and quality. It is better not to take the third grade, since the abundance of knots and cracks reduces the final strength of the material.
Another important point- this is the cross section of the lag. It is selected based on the planned laying step, the thickness of the flooring and the expected load on the floors.
Lag pitch, depending on the thickness of the flooring:
The thicker batten, those longer distance done between the sex lags. However, here it is necessary to take into account the loads on the base. If heavy furniture or appliances will be installed in the room, it makes sense to reduce the distance between the beams by 10-20%.
Step between joists The best ratio of the height and thickness of the logs is the proportion of 1 to 1.5-2. The main point that affects the size of the beams is the distance between the support points:
Lag section However, the construction of spans of more than two meters leads to a significant increase in the thickness of the wood. Therefore, it makes sense to install additional support points. This will provide the following benefits:
If you install additional supports every meter, the cross-section of the beam can be reduced to a size of 80*50 mm.
Additional supports Another important point that it is recommended to pay attention to when choosing a material is the possibility of insulation. Installing a floor along joists involves installing heat-insulating materials between the beams. Therefore, it is worth deciding in advance on the type of insulation and its thickness.
Often it is not possible to maintain exact distances between support points. In this case, values are rounded down. And it is better to take the thickness of the material with a small margin - this is an additional insurance that will guarantee the strength and durability of the base.
After purchasing the wood, you cannot immediately begin installing the flooring. Before laying the logs, they are properly processed to eliminate the imperfections of the wood:
The joists are covered with special protective equipment. Now on construction market There are many compositions presented, so there is plenty to choose from.
Protective impregnation Before processing, wooden joists are cleaned of dirt, making sure that there are no wet spots on them. It is best to apply the product twice - this way its protective properties will appear much better.
Important! The timber for installing floor joists must be treated with protective agents.
And the last stage - before installing the logs, they are acclimatized. This is an important point - wood expands and contracts under the influence of ambient temperature and humidity. And given the thickness of the material, in order for it to accept normal physical properties, it will take a lot of time. Therefore, the boards are brought into the room where they will be installed and left for 2-3 days.
If the installation of floor joists is done on the ground, it is important to carry out good preparation. The fact is that a lot of humidity comes from the ground - and this is fraught unpleasant consequences for wood.
Step-by-step preparation instructions:
This way the tree is reliably protected from the direct effects of dampness coming from the ground. This is especially true when on the site groundwater pass close to the surface.
If the room is small, then the logs can be laid without additional preparation. The edges of the beams simply rest on the grillage or foundation of the job. However, this is justified when the length of the log does not exceed 3 meters. If they are longer, then in order to correctly lay the logs, you will need to make intermediate supports. It is better to use red brick for these purposes - it is solid and is not afraid of dampness.
If the room large sizes, and installation of additional supports is required, it is better to start with them, and then make shared pillow.
Brick supports Installation Guide:
When preparatory work finished, the pits are filled with concrete. It is recommended to put a metal mesh in them for reinforcement. After this, you will need to wait for the mortar to dry completely and remove the brick columns.
Before starting installation concrete base lay a layer of waterproofing, and then begin to drive out the brick. The final stage is the installation of waterproofing on the brick on top. After this, you can install the logs.
Installing a wooden floor on joists involves installing several layers:
Therefore, before or during the installation of the beams, additional bars are sewn onto them for laying the subfloor.
Floor construction How to correctly lay floor beams with your own hands:
Installation of beams After this, the remaining bars are laid. Now comes the important point - setting the exact horizon for the base. To eliminate sagging, pads are placed under the joists on the brick supports. It is important that they are made of durable material - ceramic tiles or bricks.
Important! Direct contact between the joists and the support points should not be allowed - there must be waterproofing between them.
Installing joists on pads It is not necessary to fasten the beams to the brick columns. It is enough to ensure that they fit tightly to them. If there is a need for rigid fastening, then you can use metal corners. They are fixed to wood with self-tapping screws, and to brick with anchors.
After this, you can lay communications and proceed to installing a wooden floor along the joists.
In apartments, laying wooden floors on joists is done according to concrete screed. There is an option to make the base from plywood, but laying the beams is more correct technical solution.
Installation of bars on concrete There are several ways to make screed joists. The simplest one looks like this:
This completes the installation. However, this method has one big drawback - the base must initially be level. In addition, the floor cannot be raised using the joists. There are two ways out of this situation:
Adjustable fastener The first option is definitely cheaper. However, it has the following disadvantages:
To avoid problems and facilitate further installation of the floor, it is better to use adjustable structures. They are a metal platform with a rod. The platform is attached to concrete floor, and the height of the beam is adjusted using threads.
You can easily make a floor on wooden logs oh with your own hands. Main - accurate calculations And good preparation. The installation itself is simple and quick.
When it is necessary to use floor joists, the size of the timber is important parameter, which needs to be taken into account. Joists are parts of a lattice structure or continuous flooring that are installed on top of the rafter legs. They are designed to strengthen and level the flooring. As a result, the lattice structure must be reliable and of high quality. In this case, logs are an irreplaceable thing; without them it is almost impossible to level and strengthen the floors.
The flooring without additional reinforcement with joists will sag under the significant weight of the furniture, and creaking and vibration are also possible.
The logs perform the function of leveling the floor covering, which is required for subsequent stages of construction and finishing. Lathing made of logs serves as ventilation for the underground space, which reduces the risk of fungus and rotting of the boards. This function is most relevant in houses whose floor is placed on the ground, since even the highest foundation will not protect against moisture entering the house.
Thanks to the use of lags, a so-called buffer cushion is formed between the top layer of the flooring and the bottom, which maintains and even improves the sound insulation of the house. In addition to sound insulation, a buffer cushion, namely the free space between two layers of flooring, is used to insulate flooring or for laying pipelines and other things.
The reinforcement structure made of logs will make the floor strong even if its base has significant unevenness. Everything depends on correctly defined and established support points.
The flooring is a fundamental element, so any durable material that will withstand weight loads is suitable for the base. These characteristics are suitable for parts made of durable plastic, metal, concrete, and wood. Optimal and budget option is precisely wood, namely ordinary wooden blocks.
For the manufacture of timber they are mainly used coniferous trees, such as spruce, pine, fir, but larch is recognized as the most durable material, since it is resistant to rotting. When choosing a material, or rather, wood, you should not pay attention to its various defects, given the tarred areas, wood of a non-first grade is suitable for a structure made of logs.
The reliability of the floor and its covering depends on correctly selected joists, so before purchasing you need to clearly calculate the length and width. Usually there are no problems with this, the main thing is to leave 3 cm between the wall and the structure. The space is left for the reason that when temperature changes, wood tends to breathe, and so that the finished floor does not begin to bend, it is necessary to leave it a little space.
It is better to select bars according to the size of the room, but most often they use splicing of two parts using fastening pads. The splicing process itself is simple. It is important not to miss the nuance of creating support for such a fused place. Small sized posts are often used as support, supporting the structure with them.
When creating a lag structure, the beams must be laid on edge. This method laying will ensure maximum structural rigidity with minimum cost material. Basically, the thicker the joist, the stronger the floor surface will be. If you decide to use metal or concrete as bars, it is worth remembering that they can be thinner because they are more resistant to deflection, unlike wood.
Wooden logs can be attached to any base covering, but it is important to follow all the installation details. You will need:
It is necessary to fix the logs, because with the slightest movement the entire structure will be doomed to failure. It is necessary to mount the structure to concrete or soil using additional fixation methods.
Laying on the ground occurs as follows:
On wooden base fastening does not take much time and effort; you just need to attach the bars to the base using self-tapping screws. The resulting holes must be drilled to prevent splits and cracks in the timber.
Wood logs are not only budget-friendly, but also the best option for strengthening and leveling floors. By following all the rules for choosing bars and installing them, you will achieve the desired result in the form of reliable and durable floors.
More articles on this topic: 
Thanks to the joists you can create a perfectly flat floor in any room Modern technologies in construction – these are unique opportunities. For many, words such as bridging and polymers, strip flooring, GOST, cabinets, post connections, dimensions 100x200, or 150x50 mean nothing. But those who have already encountered repairs know that we're talking about, most likely, about the field on the logs. Some people just want to reinforce the floor, while others want to lay a new, durable and beautiful one. And the technology of installing floors on joists is very often used.
It’s worth saying right away that laying the floor on joists is in many cases simply perfect solution. Indeed, this method has many advantages. It is very important that the floor is warm.
Among the advantages of lag it is worth noting reliability and low price
It is also worth making floors on joists as follows:
When you work, the smell in the room will be very pleasant. For many, by the way, the smell of treated wood is a real antidepressant, which naturally lifts their spirits and gets them ready to work.
Lags are called beams that are needed as support for a hard floor covering. The logs can be made of metal, polymers, reinforced concrete, but usually wooden logs are used. Wood is easier to work with and costs less.
Logs differ from beams in their mobility and smaller size. Beams after installation, to give a figurative example, cannot be moved, but logs can. And installing them is much easier, and if repairs are needed, it will be simple and quick.
To work you will need a hammer, a level, a screwdriver or drill, and a knife. The following materials are taken for the manufacture of such a floor - pieces of chipboard or plywood, any insulation, self-tapping screws, corners or U-shaped fasteners.
All necessary tools for installation, logs can be purchased at any hardware store at an affordable price
To prepare the floor for installation, the entire floor area must be cleared. Check the old screed; if the concrete floor is no longer intact, it needs to be patched up. Then debris and dust are removed, everything should be clean. Then you need to eliminate the defect in the subfloor. The floor should be primed. No matter how much the pros talk about the need for priming, there is some kind of careless attitude towards this procedure. The primer is correct, it should be absorbed and dry, and only then the flaws will be filled.
Then, the maximum surface point in the room is calculated using the level. You need to set a mark so that this is a guide for subsequent work. And then the work develops according to two possible scenarios: make a screed, bringing the surface to one level, or set the logs level with small plywood spacers.
It all starts with the fact that solid or connected bars are laid out across the width of the room. The first and last bars will be located 20 cm from the wall. You need to calculate the step between the lags in advance.
To make the floor warm, thermal insulation material should be placed between the joists.
There is an option to install a log and on an adjustable fastener, by turning it, you will achieve desired result. By the way, if the finishing coating is not a wooden floor, but small ceramic tiles, then the distance between the beams will be equal to 30 cm. Only in this situation there are also cross beams, and at the same distance. They need to be fixed at an equal level with the longitudinal bars (a corner is used). Such structural reinforcement must be used, because the size of the tiles is small.
The reliability of the design depends not only on whether you use a board or metal elements, but also on whether the calculation is correct. First, the length and thickness of the beam are determined. Length is the length and width of the house. In this case, it is imperative to leave a gap, and the timber, accordingly, is selected 20-30 mm less.
Such a ventilation gap is necessary - it prevents deformation if changes in humidity and temperature occur.
The cross-section of the beam and its size are more difficult to calculate. What is important here is the potential load on the floor, as well as the size of the spans between the direct support points of these logs. There is a table that makes the calculations easier. The longer the span, the thicker the timber will be. For example, the span size is 3 m, which means the cross-section of the log is 150 by 80 mm. The cross-sectional shape is usually rectangular. Install the beam on the edge so that the logs can withstand high pressure.
The pitch of the lag will depend on the thickness of the flooring. If you are using a deck made from strong, thick boards, joists can be attached relatively rarely. Well, a thin and not particularly durable coating requires more lag.
The distance between the logs should be selected depending on the area of the room and its design features
The dependence can be examined using a couple of examples. For example, the thickness of the floor board is 30 mm, which means the interval between the logs is half a meter. Or a thickness of 40 mm, therefore, the pitch between the logs is 700 mm.
There is no need for precise calculations. It will be sufficient to simply take the distance between our lags of the average value. And if at the end of installation you see that the distance is inaccurate, then make the step between these last lags smaller, and the structure will be strong.
The length of the beam should be approximately 3 cm less than the width and length of the room where the floor is laid. The length of the log must be less than the length of the room to avoid deformation of the structure if temperature changes occur. It’s good to make logs from solid materials, but sometimes the beam needs to be lengthened.
Two elements are spliced according to the rules:
The connection must meet these conditions, otherwise there may be a risk of low floor rigidity in the very place where the timber is spliced. Adjacent logs are spliced with an offset of a meter. This fact affects the size of the bars taken.
The wooden log should be laid from the corner part of the room. Then, the first row is usually placed with a tongue and groove relative to the wall, and in this case the gap between the wall and the joist should be equal to 1 cm (to avoid deformation of the wood). Then a series of lags are laid offset relative to the first lag, approximately by several beams.
In order for the boards to be firmly attached to the base, you need to lightly tap the wood with a construction hammer. This is necessary for secure fastening. The boards are attached along the wall and secured with screws. The screws may be on the surface, it doesn’t matter, they will be covered by the baseboards.
Everything here is individual, but some general rules There is. For example, if floor joists and a bottom strapping beam are located at the same level, then they can be fastened together with forged brackets, or perforated corners will help. If the logs are located below the strapping beam, then a metal stand bracket is used.
Roughly speaking, the main purpose of reinforcement is to rigidly fix the floor joists and beams lower crown. In this case, when the floor is strengthened, the floorboards will stop moving apart. Another option is to consolidate the floors until the gaps are eliminated, and simply cover the gaps with baseboards.
Despite the relatively short service life of multilayer wooden structures, their a light weight, environmental priorities, and efficiency have a convincing effect on owners. If in the field of wall construction with natural organic matter foam concrete, brick, gas silicate blocks, then lumber continues to lead in the field of flooring. Basically, for the construction of multilayer wooden structures, floor logs made of durable polymer compounds or wood are used.
What attracts owners to a floor with unique air cushions formed by laying polymer or wooden blocks? The list of advantages includes important points, such as:
Installation of floors using joists - quickly, economically, reliably
In addition, a well-executed floor arrangement using joists will eliminate the rather expensive leveling process, since it fully fulfills its function. The presence of ventilation voids in the floor structure will extend the service life of the lumber used for the arrangement, which is still recommended to be treated with antiseptics, wood aging and fire protection agents. Thrifty owners can use bitumen instead of antiseptic.
Floors with joists can be laid on an earthen base and on floors constructed from wooden powerful beams or reinforced concrete slabs. Regardless of the type of base, identical materials are used to construct the floor structure.
Lags are the transverse floor beams on top of which finishing coat. It is extremely rare to use metal and reinforced concrete beams, most often wooden blocks or progressive polymer products. Wooden blocks are chosen mainly because of their low cost, polymer ones because of the speed of construction and ease of installation.
Logs - transverse beams, most often made of wood or polymer
Note. Instead of timber, which for some reason could not be purchased, boards selected in accordance with the cross-sectional dimensions of the timber, sewn together in pairs, can be used. It is permissible to exceed the cross-sectional dimensions. In such cases, installation of floor joists made from sewn boards is done on edge.
Builders of log houses to this day use straight logs with a similar diameter, hewn on three sides, instead of timber. In austerity mode, logs may well replace timber. The only condition: they must lie for about a year in a dry room before installation.
The cross-section of the bars selected for constructing the floor along the joists resembles a rectangle with a height that is a multiple of 2 and a width that is a multiple of 1.5 (aspect ratio in the section is 2×1.5). If the floor is laid on wooden floor beams, then the size of the cross-section of the bars will be affected by the size of the span between the elements on which they will rest.
The cross-section of the log depends on the thickness and strength of the floor covering
Please note those who are planning to install a floor structure thermal insulation layer. There should be a ventilation gap of at least 2 cm (preferably 3-4 cm) between the bottom plane of the final coating and the insulation laid between the joists. This means that timber must be purchased taking into account the size of the ventilation gap. If the floor structure will rest on the ground, it will also be necessary to take into account the thickness of the bead laid on the cranial block attached to the joists.
It is recommended to purchase timber with a “margin” in cross-sectional dimensions for floors with joists. When constructing a floor over an earthen base, in order not to use too expensive timber of a large cross-section, the span is reduced by installing brick columns. The intermediate distance between the supports is 1.2 m. They are made of red brick M100, silicate is only applicable if the level of the aquifer is below two meters.
Plan for laying the floor on joists with emphasis on brick columns
Proper laying of the floor on logs with brick columns requires equal distances between the rows of supports and between the beam elements. Before constructing brick supports, a 40x40 cm foundation is poured under each of them. The foundation can also be poured in the form of a strip under a whole row brick pillars. In every row support pillar two bricks each, the height of the support depends on the level of the elements on which the beam will rest (bottom frame beam, concrete grillage).
The pitch between the lags is an important parameter on the basis of which calculations of material consumption are made. You can draw a plan of the rooms and calculate exactly how much timber and brick with cement will be needed if the floor is not laid on the floors. This is the value between the axes of elements located parallel to each other. The size of the step is influenced by the power of the finishing coating and its strength characteristics. That is, when laying a coating that can withstand a large load, the distance between the floor joists can be increased.
Before flooring thin materials logs will have to be installed frequently (0.3-0.4 m for laying boards up to 24 mm thick). For boards with a thickness of 50 mm, the distance between the axes of the logs can be 1 m. Basically, 40 mm boards are used for home improvement; the logs are laid with a distance between the axes of 70 cm. Reducing the pitch between the elements, as well as increasing the cross-section, will increase the strength of the structure, but also increase expenses. Only the owner can decide what is more important to him.
Those who lay the floor on joists with their own hands must remember that the indentation of the element furthest from the wall should not exceed the size of the step between the joists. Usually they retreat from the wall by 20-30 cm.
Orientation in space is a significant component correct device floor. Those who want to know how to lay joists on the floor correctly should follow the following building rules.
The logs are laid “cross” to the floor boards
Note. If the floor structure is strengthened by installing two layers of timber, the top layer is laid “cross” to the previous one.
Earlier to concrete slab or the beams were simply fastened with nails. Not the best and not long-term method was replaced by fixation using galvanized metal corners. The instructions on “how to attach joists to the floor” read:
Instead of a corner, a U-shaped fastening device can be used.
It often happens that the standard length of the timber is not enough. Elements can be joined in two ways:
Attention. The joints should be strengthened by nailing 1 m long pieces of lumber to one, or better yet, two sides of the beam.
Methods for connecting timber into a log floor
When installing the beam, the distance between the connection points of the beam should be at least 50 cm.
A practical, democratic floor pie on wooden joists can be arranged in front of the building load-bearing walls, For example, frame house, or during interior decoration. It is recommended to clean the floor after all plastering and painting operations.
When constructing a multi-layer cake above the ground, work is performed in the following sequence:
Diagram of a floor with joists on an earthen base
Leveling the timber before laying the covering
When installing a floor over ceilings, the process is shortened, since the logs are attached directly to the beam or to the reinforced concrete slab.
Convenient innovative design - installation of adjustable plastic joists, withstanding about 5 tons of load per m 2. The joists designed for operational floor installation have threaded devices for adjusting the floor level. The logs are rigidly attached to the rough concrete surface dowels, to wood with self-tapping screws. Excess length is simply cut off.
Adjustable floor joists
It is not very easy to construct a multi-layer floor pie on wooden joists, but it is precisely this that significantly reduces the construction or repair budget. In addition to minimizing material consumption, the pace of finishing production is also increased. Thorough adherence to the technologies for arranging this floor construction scheme and compliance with the recommendations guarantees long-term operation and aesthetic appeal.
24.06.2017
There are many DIY solutions for leveling your floor. Laying the floor using wooden joists is no exception. This method of floor installation is very popular due to its environmental friendliness and practicality, and the naturalness of the materials creates warmth, comfort and a welcoming atmosphere. Wooden floors have always been valued for furnishing country houses, and in apartments. And if you have chosen a wooden floor on joists, you should decide what kind of wood to choose, how exactly to install floor joists in a particular room, their size, amount of material, etc.
The main purpose of the log is to obtain flat surface for subsequent finishing works in the house. In addition, they help maintain proper ventilation of the lower part of the floor, thereby preventing rotting of the wood. This is especially important if the floor is laid on soil that causes dampness. The space between the subfloor and the flooring prevents dampness and improves sound insulation. In addition, there are other functions:
The logs represent wooden beam, which is laid on any foundation or directly on the ground. Most often you have to use timber with an aspect ratio of 1:1.5 and 1:2, but there are other section sizes. It all depends on the characteristics of the overlap and the load.
Better buy already finished timber, but making it yourself is also not excluded, the main thing is to choose the right wood. Its ideal humidity levels are 18-20%. At higher values, the finished floor will deform after drying.
The most popular material is pine. You can also use spruce and fir. There are no special requirements for the quality of the wood; the timber can be made from second or third grade material.
Possible options for making logs from simple boards, which are connected with self-tapping screws and installed on the edge. If very long beams are needed, they are spliced together by creating lock connection or joint to joint. And at the joints a support is installed, for example, pillars made of bricks.
When choosing a material for the base, you should remember that it must be strong, smooth and have a low deformation rate under load. It can be plastic, metal, reinforced concrete, etc. But the most popular material remains wooden beams. Since there is no need for high-quality wood for timber, the choice usually falls on spruce and pine, which are very popular due to their low price. But when installing such a tree in a house, it is better to consider a waterproofing system.
Larch and aspen are more expensive, but are irreplaceable when it comes to high humidity. Larch is considered the best option if you need strength and resistance to rotting of the floor in the house.
If the timber is installed on a reinforced concrete base, then a layer of foamed polyethylene is first laid. And if the logs are installed on brick support posts, then polyethylene is placed between the beam and the post, as well as between the post and the ground. Roofing material is suitable for laying between wood and brick.
Before installation, logs must be treated with an antiseptic to protect themselves from various pests. This is especially true for wooden houses, where wood-boring beetles can be found.
How reliable the design will be depends not only on what material is used, but also on the correct calculations. Before purchasing a beam, you need to determine its length and thickness. The length must match the length and width of the house in which the floor is installed. But it’s better to leave a gap and choose a beam 20-30 mm smaller. This is done in order to prevent deformation in case of changes in temperature and humidity.
Determining the cross-sectional dimensions of a beam is much more complicated. The thickness depends on the material of the log and on the design characteristics of the future floor. The basis is the maximum possible load on the floor and the size of the spans between the support points of the joists. IN residential buildings accepted to take for maximum load figure of 300 kg per sq. m. There is a table that displays the relationship between the thickness of the beam and the length of the span between its supports. Typically, for a length of 2 m, a beam with a cross-section of 110x60 mm is used, for a length of 3 m - 150x80 mm, and for a four-meter span, a beam with a cross-section of 180x100 mm is used. You can follow a pattern: the larger the span, the thicker the timber.
The shape of the section itself is usually rectangular. The beam is installed on the edge so that the logs can withstand high pressure. This achieves maximum rigidity of the timber. But you shouldn’t get hung up on the ratio table, since the thickness of the lags can be greater if necessary. For example, if you plan to lay a thick layer of insulation.
It should be taken into account the fact that for non-residential premises load level indicator more than 300 kg per square meter. m. And you will have to first calculate it and only then select suitable lags, based on the data obtained.
If the beams are not made of wood, but of metal or reinforced concrete, a smaller thickness is allowed. This is due to the fact that such materials are more resistant to loads and bend less. The distance between the lags is selected depending on the thickness of the coating that will be used for the flooring. After all, the thicker the flooring, the larger the pitch between the joists, since a thick covering is less susceptible to deflection when exposed to loads. There is also a special table to establish such a ratio. With a board thickness of 20 mm, the step is 30 cm; 25 mm – 40 cm; 30 mm – 50 cm, etc. Or you can use the following formula: when the thickness of the timber increases by 5 mm, the step length increases by 100 mm.
When using plywood or OSB, the calculations are slightly different. This is due to greater bending rigidity. Here, for timber 1.5-1.8 cm thick, you can allow a distance between the logs of up to 40 cm. And such materials are attached to the logs in several places. The logs are arranged in such a way that the flooring can be fixed at the edges and in the middle. In this case, the edge of the sheet is laid only up to half of the beam, and not across its entire width.
Wooden logs can be installed on any base, subject to the installation rules. For the sheathing you will need:
When installing the floor on joists, it can be used as simple design, and adjustable. In an adjustable design, screws can align the joists. The beams do not need to be attached to the base of the floor, but there is a risk of destruction of the entire structure due to displacement of the joists.
In addition to these tools, you may need others. To install logs on concrete or soil, you need a manual hammer drill. First, supports are installed, for which holes up to 10 cm deep are made, filled with sand and filled with water. A film is placed on the sand, and on the film - brick support, which is covered with roofing felt. You can install beams on these supports, fixing them to the walls using galvanized corners. If wooden beams serve as the base, it is important to determine the direction of the beam. If the timber is laid across the beams, it is better to fasten the logs with self-tapping screws, treat the beams with an antiseptic, and drill holes to avoid splitting. With parallel fastening of the timber relative to the beams, the logs are installed both on top and on the sides.
For concrete floors, foamed polyethylene with a foil layer is used, which creates waterproofing and reduces heat loss. The timber is distributed over the entire surface with a certain step. Next, the base is leveled and the logs are fixed. You can also install the timber on a concrete floor using stands. First, stands are fixed to the ceiling, and then the logs are attached to them using self-tapping screws.
The floor in the house plays a huge role. And in order for it to be smooth and beautiful, you should take preparation seriously before installation. When installing a floor on joists, it is important to correctly calculate their size, the amount of material, the distance between the beams and the parameters of the house itself. If you strictly follow the instructions for laying the floor along the joists, the surface will not sag or creak, but will only bring joy and comfort to the residents of the house. Indeed, despite the ease of installation, the process of installing such a floor is very responsible. And it is better to constantly monitor all actions to avoid mistakes.
