The question is not for backfilling: what to do with the wooden floor in Khrushchev

Very often one hears that modern housing in terms of quality and reliability is in many ways inferior to what was done before. Take at least the mass construction of the 60s. The so-called Khrushchevs, although they did not differ in any special comfort, but faithfully served more than one generation of Russians and will still serve, if, of course, they do apartment renovation. Today we’ll just talk about this topic and discuss what to do with the wooden floor in Khrushchev.

How are the floors in Khrushchev and why is it important to know

Mass housing construction just a decade and a half after the Great Patriotic War was supposed to solve the most important demographic problem: to provide each family with its own housing. The ambitious goal, despite all its grandiose scale, was practically achieved. True, at a loss of luxury and comfort, and it was not before that at that time.

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The owners of the now living Khrushchev, before undertaking major repairs, need to imagine how the floor is arranged in such an apartment. If you decide to remove the boardwalk, you may have one of two options: either a concrete slab or wooden beams.

By the way, a tree is an extremely rare phenomenon, such ceilings in stalinkas were made in the very first series of this period, and there are practically no such houses left. So, if you find a slab under the floor from the boards, this is normal. Usually in this version on the floor there is coupler, and between the lags - sand backfill. Sometimes there are options when stripes are placed and fixed under the lags for stability fiberboard. Much, of course, depends on the region and on the builders who erected the building, so instead of insulation and sand filling between the lags of the subfloor, you can also find a banal construction garbage. On top of the log builders laid boards or (in elite buildings) thick plywood, which served as the basis for parquet.

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Why and what defects appear in the floors of Khrushchev

Let's start with the fact that the floors in Khrushchev are natural wood with all the consequences that come with it. This is not a tile or multi-layer modern self-leveling floors. The wooden floor in an old house inevitably changes its geometry over time. The tree collapses and loses its bearing capacity. The reason is quite simple: natural material does not tolerate temperature changes, increased or low humidity, and also suffers from mechanical stress.

Under favorable conditions, mold and other microorganisms can settle on wood, which will find this environment convenient for reproduction, especially in the kitchen. And after some time, the colonies of these uninvited guests can not only spoil the appearance of the interior, but also pose a real danger to the owners of the apartment.

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On average, wooden floors last up to 20 years without any problems. After various defects appear and it is time for repair, and maybe for a complete replacement. How do you know when it's time to repair your flooring?

The first signal about the beginning of the process of destruction will be a creak. At first, you may not notice a slight sound, but over time it will intensify and multiply in different places.

In addition to squeaks, you can detect bumps on the surface. The boards are deformed - it means that something has changed in their condition. Obvious deformations occur on the floors where the boards are nailed. This type of fastening is not able to withstand changes in the geometry of the board, so a “walking” floorboard can also be dangerous with nail heads sticking out above the surface.

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In humid rooms, boards, especially in places where there is insufficient ventilation, show traces of mold. And excessive mechanical stress can lead to cracks in the floorboards or even to their damage.

How to make cosmetic repairs to the floor in Khrushchev

If the above problems are not yet so acute or you currently do not have the opportunity to spend capital on replacing the floor in Khrushchev, it is worth considering the possibility of cosmetic repair.

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Floors with minor defects such as small cracks, slight creaking, abrasion of the paintwork, slight deformation of the floorboards are subject to cosmetic repairs.

How to close gaps in the floor

Small gaps may appear due to the natural drying process of wood. It loses moisture with age and the fibers shrink, reducing the dimensions of the board, hence the gaps that appeared. It is not at all difficult to close up small gaps - a home master can easily cope with this.

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The cracks appeared due to the fact that mice settled in the house, it is necessary to carry out deratization first, and then seal the cracks with a cement-based compound with the addition of broken glass - such a barrier is not for rodents like it.

To qualitatively putty the gap, you can use a self-prepared mixture of PVA glue and small sawdust. There is another recipe for home putty, which, in addition to glue and sawdust, also includes cement. In any case, the putty can be immediately tinted to match the main color of the floor at the mixing stage using color or paint.

putty put in place with a spatula, and after complete hardening, grind and paint to match the floor.

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Before work, the slots are thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt, the edges are, if possible, processed with sandpaper to improve the adhesive bond. A vacuum cleaner with a crevice nozzle will help remove debris and dust.

The prepared rail and the edges of the gap are carefully coated with building PVA. After that, the lath is hammered into the slot, using a small wooden block as a spacer, so as not to damage the boards around the slot with an accidental blow of a hammer. After the repair site must be left until the PVA dries. The part of the rail protruding above the surface must be cut off with a planer and treated with sandpaper, and then coated with paint or varnish.

You can cosmetically hide slotted holes with an elastic cord made of flexible polymer or ordinary cotton rope impregnated with adhesive.

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How to get rid of squeaks in wooden floors

The creaking floorboards are a sound that gets on your nerves and deprives you of peace. You need to start dealing with this problem by determining the localization of the script. That is, in the literal sense, you need to walk on the floor, maybe even jump on it to find creaking boards.

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The cause of the squeak may be the weakening of the fastening of the board on the logs. In this case, the most correct way out is to remove the old loose nails and replace them with self-tapping screws long enough for a strong fastening. For this purpose, self-tapping screws with hats are used, which can be drowned in the board. They are also called terraced.

You will have to act a little differently if it is not the floorboards that creak, but the logs themselves. To fix this problem, you will have to drill through both the log and the board. And attract them with anchors to eliminate backlash.

Note! Some craftsmen recommend filling the space under the floor with building foam to eliminate creaking on the lags. This is a very temporary solution, because over time the foam settles and the creak returns. The only thing you will achieve in this way is partial sound insulation from neighbors.

Related article:

Causes of wood floor creaking, the use of self-tapping screws to eliminate creaking, the easiest way to deal with creaking floorboards, what to do if the plinth is loosened to the floor, the lag is loosened to the base.

How to fix uneven floors

With age, the floor may begin to "hump". Irregularities appear due to the deformation of the board from the unstable humidity in the room. The only way out in this situation is scraping with the help of special equipment.

PHOTO: rostov-na-donu.polstrany.ru

If there is no special machine, you can do the same procedure manually using, for example, an angle grinder or grinders with sandpaper. This is a more time-consuming process, fraught with errors, but, in principle, this option is also possible.

In any case, before starting work, nail heads and self-tapping screws you need to drown to the depth that you expect to shoot.

You can also level the floor in another way - cover it with plywood sheets. So you get rid of cracks, creaks and bumps at the same time. Before work, be sure to check the coating with building level. Particularly deformed floorboards should be leveled with a planer or replaced.

Plywood sheets are laid with a small compensation gap from the walls of the room of 8–10 mm, leaving a small gap of 3 mm between the sheets in the inner part.

PHOTO: kraski-net.ru

How to make a major overhaul of the floor in Khrushchev

When the condition of the coating is already such that cosmetic repairs will not solve the problem, you have to think about a major restoration. How much it costs to replace the floor completely - depends on what kind of coating you choose to replace.

Of course, you will have to completely dismantle the old coating, and this is not an easy task, moreover, it is quite dusty and dirty. Start dismantling with skirting boards. Depending on their current state, reapplication may be considered.

The first board should be torn off from the side of the front door. First, it is lifted along the entire length and only then removed completely. With such a neat method, you will save the boards as much as possible, which may still be needed for different purposes.

For your information: in Khrushchev, you may encounter a situation where the boards on the floor can rise with one continuous monolithic flooring, that is, they are not individually fixed on the logs. Moreover, the flooring can rise along with the joists.

If during dismantling you find that the boards are in quite good condition, number them sequentially so that you can then lay them on new logs.

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In the case when the boards sagged during operation, additional logs can be added between them.

There are several options for a major floor replacement:

• full or partial replacement of logs and boards with new ones and the return of the plank floor to its place;
• leveling floors with a dry or wet screed;
• laying plywood sheets on logs with subsequent finishing coating;
• using a self leveling compound.

In any case, preparatory work is necessary. The concrete slab must be coated with a deep penetration primer, preferably with the addition of an antiseptic. If the apartment is located above the basement or basement, an antiseptic is required. New logs and boards also need to be treated with an antiseptic solution to protect against rot. Experienced people recommend parallel processing of logs and boards with a fire retardant. More than once such an additional action saved apartments when a fire started on the floor below.

If the choice is made in favor of a self-leveling floor, after repairing obvious defects on the concrete slab and thorough priming the floor is poured with mortar and a spiked roller is passed over it to prevent the formation of air bubbles.

You need to fill the floor from the corner farthest from the door and gradually move towards the exit. When the entire floor is filled, it is given time to dry and then the finish coat is performed. How to use the self-leveling mixture yourself, you can see in this video:

As you can see, the floors in Khrushchev can be two hundred to the mind, and this is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. You just need to determine the degree of damage to them and assess the possibilities of your budget. Instead of old wooden floors, you can lay parquet, lay tiles, or choose the cheapest option - linoleum flooring. If you are thinking about how to lay a laminate - this is also not difficult.

Whatever choice you make, it is possible, so do not put off the repair in the apartment and get started! What do you suggest covering these floors? Share your opinion in the comments!