Do-it-yourself parquet repair in Khrushchev

The houses built in the middle of the last century are traditionally called Khrushchevs. The buildings usually had five floors in height and were distinguished by non-standard ceiling heights, which were 20-35 cm higher than that of other buildings. Often on such buildings, a sloping roof was also made on the top floor. Such design features inevitably influenced the condition of the apartments, especially the flooring.

A dozen years after the commissioning of the object, it dried up, swelled and began to creak, the reason for this was the careless laying of slabs during construction, improperly organized moisture removal and the lack of waterproofing between adjacent floors. All these reasons have turned the repair of the floor in the Khrushchev into a regular event.

Before planning a floor renovation and stocking up on materials, you need to have a clear idea of ​​what kind of work you will have to carry out. For this, it is important to know how the floor is arranged in the houses of the Khrushchev construction.

The device of floors in the old Khrushchev includes 5 layers:

• Base - made either of concrete or wood;
• Waterproofing - usually used roofing material with a bituminous coating (often there is no such layer at all);
• Noise and heat insulation - a layer of slag or glass wool (most often, instead of these materials, ordinary construction waste comes across);
• Cement screed - it may also not be present in very old houses;
• Wood flooring - Wood flooring was done in the rooms and square tiles were laid in the bathroom.

The floors in any Khrushchev have either all these five layers, or only some of them. The photo of the Khrushchev floor covering, which has never changed, speaks volumes about its deplorable state.

Over a long period of time, wooden boards and logs dried out due to changes in temperature and humidity, cracks and cracks appeared in the boards and baseboards, which ultimately led to an unpleasant creak and an unsightly appearance of such a floor.

All these negative phenomena are characteristic of all Khrushchev houses. It was possible to maintain them in good condition for 10-15 years, then the entire coating had to be replaced.

Since repair work in many houses has not been carried out since the time of their construction, the replacement of the old floor in Khrushchev has become an obligatory item when decorating small apartments in such buildings.

The list of measures required to bring the flooring into an acceptable form is determined based on the results of preliminary diagnostics. Repair of floors in Khrushchev can be cosmetic or major, the amount of work in each case is significantly different.

Repair of a wooden floor in any Khrushchev can be cosmetic and major. The first type of work is carried out in order to eliminate minor shortcomings: replacing cracked boards, eliminating squeak when walking.

If the floor is in a very poor condition, especially when there is old parquet in the form of flooring that cannot be repaired, it will be cheaper to overhaul and install new flooring from modern materials.

Floor repair in Khrushchev can be done in various ways. Firstly, to carry out repair work to update the coating, then to strengthen the existing boards, putty gaps, paint, replace rotten elements, renew boards and, if necessary, lag under them. Secondly, it is necessary to insulate and floor the concrete screed; first, it is required to remove the old floor. You can make a flooring from GVL boards: the old floor is removed, a new insulation and the GVL sheets themselves are laid.And one more way: strengthening the existing floor with sheets of plywood or chipboard.

Redecoration of floors in Khrushchev can be carried out in different ways, the determining factor in this situation will be the lack of coverage that needs to be eliminated.

Large cracks often appear on the wooden floor in the Khrushchev. This defect not only makes cleaning the room inconvenient, but also contributes to the ingress of dirt from under the base. It is not difficult to repair such a floor: the cracks must be putty and looped. On top of a wooden base, you can put a laminate or ordinary engineering board.

Scraping the floor.

If the gaps are very large, then it will be necessary to pull together the boards. For this, the skirting boards are removed, and then all the boards are raised in turn. It is better to change decayed or damaged logs immediately by treating with an antiseptic. The boards must be returned to their places, pressing them tightly against each other.

The need to repair floors in Khrushchev is caused by an unpleasant creak of boards. Their creak is caused by the poor state of the lag system: either the lags themselves are loose, or the boards themselves are poorly attached to them.

The problem is solved quite simply, the logs are firmly fixed to the base, and the boards are fixed to the logs.

The floors in Khrushchev sometimes begin to spring. It is also possible to fix this problem with your own hands. If the floorboard was initially chosen incorrectly, then sooner or later the floorboards will begin to spring. The floor will sway if the joists are installed at a large distance from each other. The only way to find out what distance is laid between them is to open the floor.

Opening the floor is necessary to eliminate the squeak and spring effect of the boards.

At the beginning of work, it is necessary to remove the upper flooring from the boards, and then measure the distance between the joists. The optimal value is 60 cm. If the gap between the beams is greater, then additional logs are required, after which the upper deck can be returned back.

A complete replacement of floors in Khrushchev is recommended to be carried out if the old flooring is 60% damaged. It makes no sense to leave the half-rotted supports and lags, having slightly repaired them: after a short period of time, the floor will become unusable again.

A good redecoration option is to cover the floor with plywood.

To make a good redecoration of the floor in a Khrushchev, you can cover it with plywood. Before carrying out work, it is recommended to read the video instruction. In this case, you will not need to dismantle the old base. First you need to remove all the skirting boards and lay the plywood sheets on the floor surface. It is required to leave gaps of 1 cm near the walls. Plywood is fixed to the floor with self-tapping screws. The optimal sheet thickness is considered to be 8 mm. After the installation is completed, the plywood should be treated with a water-repellent primer. After the repair work carried out, linoleum, carpet and even laminate can be laid on plywood flooring.

In old houses, parquet is often used as flooring. It makes no sense to repair the floors covered with worn out parquet in Khrushchev. Large costs for materials in this situation are not justified. It will be more profitable to completely replace the coating with a modern version that will serve you for a fairly long time.

How can the floors in the Khrushchev be repaired in this case? There are three main options:

• Self-leveling compound screed plus floor covering;
• Installation of new logs plus a covering of boards;
• Floor installation on adjustable joists.

In the absence of strong changes in the floor surface, the first option looks preferable, besides, when removing the old coating entirely, you still cannot do without a concrete screed.

Overhaul of the floor in Khrushchev is carried out according to the following algorithm. First, the old covering is completely removed, all debris is removed from the room. The overlap found under the old floor is carefully examined for all kinds of defects.All cracks are filled with plaster, all chips and potholes are leveled. After the initial repair, the floor surface is carefully cleaned and must be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner - no debris should remain!

Sometimes it is more advisable to dismantle the old parquet floor.

Polyethylene is laid on the cleaned floor. Pieces of the roll are overlapped and fastened with construction tape. Do not forget that the film should go on the walls up to the mark where you plan the height of the screed.

When repairing floors in Khrushchev, it is advisable to provide for waterproofing flooring. After completing all these steps, you can install beacons. All beacons are fixed with plaster mortar at the same level - they will be your guide when distributing the screed.

The solution itself is prepared from cement, sand and expanded clay. For a floor screed in Khrushchev, the recommended proportion of the constituent elements of the solution looks like 1: 3: 3. The mixture is well mixed with water until the consistency of thick sour cream.

The filling of the screed must be started from the corner, from the extreme niche between the two beacons. The mixture is leveled over the entire surface of the floor using a rule. Lighthouses are removed on the second day after pouring, the cracks after them are filled with the same solution as the entire floor.

It takes 3-4 weeks for the screed to dry. It is recommended to moisten the drying mortar every 2 days with water, this is necessary so that the cement layer does not crack during drying. After a month of aging, the decorative coating can be laid on the floor.

Repairing the floor in Khrushchev involves laying the top floor covering.

The final choice of finishing material depends on personal preference and the available conditions for its flooring. For cold Khrushchev floors, it is best to choose insulated linoleum, for bathroom and kitchen - standard tiles would be the best option. Laminate can also be used as a floor covering in small apartments in old houses, but here it is necessary to take into account that the initial surface for laying it must be perfectly flat.

In order to avoid mistakes when repairing the floor, it is recommended to consult with a specialist. He will tell you what kind of repair the floor covering of the old Khrushchev needs and what kind of finishing material you can use.

Khrushchevs form the basis of the housing stock of our country, despite the fact that their condition leaves much to be desired. There are many problematic issues here, but the most familiar negative point for the residents of Khrushchev is the floors that have expired. This article will tell you how to carry out competent, high-quality repair of floors in Khrushchev with your own hands.

Do-it-yourself floor repair in Khrushchev

Before undertaking repairs, it is worth considering one important nuance: the floor in Khrushchev consists of five layers, each of which needs restoration.

1. The first layer is the base of the floor. As a rule, the first layer is made of wooden floors, but sometimes concrete slabs are also found.
2. The second is waterproofing, which is the most vulnerable layer to external aggressive factors.
3. The third is sound and heat insulation.
4. The fourth is the sub-floor, which is a screed.
5. The last, fifth layer is the floor covering itself.

Since the floor is made mainly of wood, it is not surprising that over such an impressive period, it began to "float", bend and lost its aesthetic appearance. Cracks, cracks and other defects are a natural process of wood deformation. And to eliminate these defects, you can choose one of two things: either carry out major repairs, which, of course, will become a laborious and expensive way, but completely eliminating all imperfections of the floor, or make cosmetic repairs depending on the type of problem.

Next, we will study both of these types in detail, but let's start with the more popular option, the cosmetic one.

If the floor is covered with small cracks, then you should not wait until it finally dries up, and the repair will cost a pretty penny.To eliminate small cracks, you need to stock up on putty and a good laminate. We carefully putty the slots, while the boards need to be looped. At the end of the work, we lay the substrate, lay the laminate and admire the results of our hands.

We eliminate cracks with putty

Old floor with large cracks

There will be more work with large slots, but this problem can be solved. If gaps of more than six millimeters have formed, then a simple putty cannot be dispensed with. We follow the further instructions:

carefully remove all the skirting boards around the perimeter of the room;

Dismantling the wooden floor skirting board

Replacing damaged cracked boards

We spread the carpet. Renovation completed

Important! New supports must be treated with an antiseptic so that they will serve for many more years and not be adversely affected by dampness and time.

If the creak appears as a result of friction between the boards, then you can drive wedges into the cracks (wedge the boards) in the places where the creak occurs

The squeak caused by the friction of the boards against each other can be eliminated with talc or graphite powder.

If a creak occurs at the point of direct contact between the floorboard and the log, pulling the floor with self-tapping screws for wood will help

You can try to eliminate the creak of the wooden floor boards using polyurethane foam, filling the underground with it

Quite often people are faced with another problem, squeak. The floorboards begin to creak if the joists are loose, or the boards are rotten, which no longer cope with their task of holding the flooring. You can remove this defect as follows:

• we carefully study the floor and, having found defective boards, we replace them with new ones;
• if all the boards and logs are in a satisfactory condition, then we simply fix them more firmly, most likely, the fasteners simply loosened, which is not scary. We fix the logs to their base, and the boards to the logs, and that's it, the floor will stop creaking.

If the floor began to look more like a trampoline, this means that the floorboard was not chosen correctly by the builders, apparently, they were in such a hurry to finish the five-year, ten-year period that they did not think about the quality of their work.

Unfortunately, such a defect occurs all the time. But fixing it is not that difficult. To do this, you will really need to completely remove the flooring and measure the gaps between the lags. The floor bends because the boards are too thin and the distance between the joists is too great. This is where you'll have to tweak it a bit.

Installation of lags on pads

Foam under the lags, of course, will not hurt, but it will not give a special effect either. It is better to install pads more often and fix the logs to the base

So, the gaps should be no more than sixty centimeters. If you find that the distance is more than the specified size, seventy, or even eighty, put down additional logs, and so on to the end of the floor, around its entire perimeter. The last step is to lay the flooring again, firmly fixing the boards.

Strengthening the lag with crossbars

Let's clarify that major repairs are needed only when the wooden coatings are out of service by 60%. It is pointless to restore such floors, it will take more time, effort and money. In this case, you should think about a major overhaul.

If the restoration of the floor turned out to be unprofitable, then it is worth understanding a more complex, multifaceted issue - the overhaul.

Overhaul is carried out in several stages, each of them requires knowledge of simple, but very important rules, utmost care and accuracy.

So, first of all, we dismantle the old floor. With the help of an ax, we remove boards and logs. In this case, of course, we throw out all the nails, and in no case are we trying to straighten them and hammer them into new boards. They will no longer be kept as they should, and all work will be in vain. We take all this trash to the landfill and proceed to the next stage.

Now we carry out a horizontal line around the entire perimeter of the floor so that the floor is ultimately perfectly flat.In order to do this work correctly, you need to measure the distance from the horizontal line to the floor. We find the highest point and retreat from the floor by an interval equal to the thickness of the log. We mark and once again do the measuring work, already from this mark to the horizontal line. We need to place labels on all corners, and then connect them with a line.

Today there are three ways to break a horizontal line.

Hydro level - the most simple and therefore popular. Here, a flexible tube with control flasks of digital marking at the ends is used as equipment. The hydro level allows even a beginner to do this work, which is the advantage of using it.

Water level (hydro level)

The principle of this method lies in the property of communicating vessels in which the water is set at one horizontal mark. When working with a hydraulic level, the hose is filled with water, and its ends go up. The liquid in the flask will settle at the same level as soon as the vessels are raised to the same height.

The principle of operation of the hydro level

It takes two people to work with the hydro level. The break is as follows:

• filling the device with water and bringing it up;
• bringing together its ends, so that there is a displacement of liquids in two flasks.

Sometimes this does not work due to the formation of air congestion, if this happened, you just need to expel the air from the hose by shaking it. In order not to mess with bubbles, you can pour boiled water into the hose, but builders do not always have such an opportunity.

The principle of working with a hydro level

Now one person applies one end of the device to the edge of the wall. This is usually done at the corner.

A second person, on the other side of the wall, marks the floor and applies the other end of the hose to it. The task here is to match the level with the mark. After that, the same must be done at the first end of the hydraulic device.

The first builder makes a level mark on the wall in his hose tube.

On this mark, a skipping is made around the entire perimeter of the room. Beating or drawing lines horizontally is carried out using the so-called chopping cord, which can be purchased at any hardware store in the city.

How to use the hydro level

Of course, the skip technology seems very complicated and can scare a beginner, but in fact, even after watching the video once, you will understand the whole technique and can perform it yourself. The main condition here is slowness and attentiveness.

Another way to beat is laser level... This is a new generation building tool, which is an apparatus that projects a laser beam, which draws a perfect horizontal line on the wall.

How to use a laser level

How to use a laser level

And, finally, the third way of skipping is marking level, which is a complex device designed for professional builders, therefore it is not used in everyday life.

Optical level Leica Jogger 28

In order for the tree to serve for a long time, it is necessary to cover it with a special agent, you can varnish it. We are waiting for the boards to dry and move on.

Next comes an equally important stage. We mount new boards on logs, firmly fixing them to each other. Here we will use dowels 10X100. To make the floor strong, you need to make props for the logs every half a meter. Any bars or even pieces of plywood can act as props. Now we will fasten the logs perpendicular to the boards, they should be every fifty centimeters, at least. Remember, if the intervals between the lags are greater, then very soon the floor will begin to spring and creak.

An approximate scheme for installing floorboards on logs

We check the lags for evenness, for which we use stretched threads. The gap between the thread and the lag should be about a millimeter.

For fixing the boards, self-tapping screws 60 mm long are used (if the board thickness is 35 mm). And one more important nuance: in order to avoid the appearance of a squeak in the future, it is necessary to leave small gaps between the boards at the joints.

The final step is flooring. The flooring is currently represented by the widest assortment, and here you can already be guided only by your own tastes and imagination.

If you want to turn a room into a luxurious hall in a classic style, to give the room harmony and attractive aesthetics, then it is difficult to imagine something better than parquet.

Moreover, parquet today is laid not only in a standard way, a board of the same color, of the same shape, but they make composite compositions, even combining a parquet board with other types of flooring, which allows you to select several zones and give the room expression, style, brightness. This option is especially good for the living room.

It is better to choose a parquet board from coniferous woods, they are distinguished by increased hardness, durability and excellent appearance. Experts say that the coniferous board is in no way inferior in its strength even to ceramic tiles.

There are also plenty of options for the pattern of the parquet: checkerboard pattern, "deck", wicker, herringbone, etc. The advantages here are attractive appearance, reliability, versatility. The disadvantages include instability to high humidity and sudden changes in temperature, in particular, if something very hot falls on the parquet, no doubt there will be traces.

Laminate has absorbed many of the advantages of parquet: it is also an aesthetic floor covering, rather durable, bringing a touch of comfort to the atmosphere. Being a compressed layer of wood waste covered with a film, the laminate is much easier to install than parquet board and is resistant to external aggressive factors. But it is believed that this material is less environmentally friendly.

Laying laminate flooring in Khrushchev

Tile good in spacious living rooms, in the kitchen. At the same time, large plates with an original pattern look very good, of which a great many have appeared recently. Such tiles can create the perfect baroque style that inspires big ideas. Unlike parquet, tiles are absolutely resistant to moisture and temperature changes; if a hot iron falls on a tile, if it is of high quality, there will be no problems. But it is less comfortable than parquet and, moreover, slippery.

The most popular, economical option for flooring in Khrushchev is linoleum... This material is very easy to fit, moreover, it is affordable, presented in the widest variation and is durable. But just like laminate, linoleum made from synthetic materials is not environmentally friendly.

In the last decade, a fashionable trend has been the installation of the so-called "warm floor", which is a complex structure. Warm floors are of two types: water or electric.

Repair of floors in Khrushchev: do-it-yourself replacement options, what to do if creaks, dismantling of old parquet

Before proceeding with the repair of the floor, it is worth studying the theoretical part of the Khrushchev process - these are apartments that were the result of massive developments in the last century. Due to the large volumes and high rates of work, such apartments were built in a hurry. Therefore, today, almost everyone living in small-sized Khrushchev houses is faced with the problems of uneven walls and floors. In addition, in the intervening time, the surfaces have become very worn out, which led to the appearance of unpleasant squeaks on the floor when walking. How to cope with common floor defects in apartments in Khrushchev buildings on your own - on the website below.

Self-repair in a small-sized Khrushchev can be major and cosmetic (superficial).The type of repair required depends on the condition of the floor, the desired result, the topcoat that will be used at the final stage of the work. So, for example, for laying parquet or laminate flooring, the floor will need to be leveled. In addition, the type of repair is also influenced by the flooring (the floor in the Khrushchev can be covered with tiles, parquet, board).

An excellent solution is to perform floor repairs using logs

If the wooden floor does not creak and is well preserved, then you can limit its repair by scraping, sanding and processing with colored varnish.

It is possible to eliminate cracks in the plank floor with a putty and sealant. In wider slots, plywood or a composition based on PVA glue and sawdust is usually hammered. Rotten and crooked wooden floor boards can be replaced locally with new ones.

If the floor creaks, then you will have to disassemble it and check the state of the lag.

You can remove the floor yourself. At the same time, it is not necessary to purchase new boards for covering. You can cover the logs with an old coating if the boards are suitable for use. To do this, they will need to be numbered and re-laid. Defective lags, at the same time we replace them with new ones, since they cannot be repaired. In order to further level the old boards, plywood can be laid on them.

You can repair a creaky floor yourself without contacting a professional builder. But in order to do this, you need to determine why the floors creak.

There are the following reasons for the squeaky floors in Khrushchev and options for their repair:

1. If the board sags under the weight and squeaks, then you can eliminate the sound without disassembling the floor by making holes with a diameter of 0.5 cm in the floorboard and pouring a cement mixture into them. You can try to fix the board to the logs with screws or nails. But for this you need to know exactly the location of the lags.
2. The creaky board can be changed. But in this case, the replacement board must be selected so that the coating comes out monolithic.
3. If the board is loose and creaks, then its fasteners just need to be tightened better.

So that the floors in Khrushchev do not creak, a substrate should be placed under them

You can try to loop the floor and varnish it in several layers with intermediate drying. The varnish will penetrate the pores of the wood and seal it. The sound may disappear. But this method is not reliable. The only option that guarantees one hundred percent getting rid of the unpleasant squeak is to dismantle the floor.

The floors in the Khrushchevs are made of reinforced concrete slabs. In order to obtain an even and solid base, a sand-cement screed is performed for any type of topcoat. In addition, such a procedure may be necessary even if the installation of an additional heating system "warm floor" is planned in the room.

It should be borne in mind that underfloor heating with water heating can only be installed on the ground floor: this is due to possible system leaks.

To fill the screed, the floors are disassembled down to slabs. Before screed, builders recommend foaming the joints of the slabs and covering them with plaster. Expanded clay can be used as an insulating material. A waterproofing layer (for example, polyethylene) should be laid under the expanded clay.

In order to perform a high-quality floor screed, you should set the beacons evenly using a level

After that, you can start preparing and pouring the screed:

1. First, you need to paste over the room around the perimeter with intercontour construction tape.
2. Then lay fiberglass or reinforcing mesh on expanded clay
3. Next, you should put up beacons, focusing on the highest place in the room.
4. Pour the cement-sand mixture over the lighthouses. In this case, the pouring should be carried out quickly: the solution begins to solidify within half an hour after mixing. The cement layer should be 4-5 cm thick.

You need to level the layer immediately after filling. To do this, you can use the rule. The evenness of the coating should be controlled using a laser level.You can quickly fill the floor with your own hands using a construction concrete pump. Leveling the floor in the apartment can also be done using a polymer self-leveling coating.

Which finishing flooring to choose for the renovated floor depends on the design of the room, financial capabilities and taste preferences of the owner of the apartment.

It is recommended to put a thermal insulation material under the new floors.

You can replace the old coating in Khrushchev with:

1. Linoleum. This is the most affordable material, the installation of which does not take much time and effort. The assortment of linoleum is extremely large today, so problems with the selection of a model should not arise.
2. Laminate. This material has an attractive appearance and long service life, is absolutely harmless to health and fireproof. But laminate flooring is not advised to lay in rooms with high humidity levels.
3. Parquet. It is a natural material that looks expensive and stylish. The parquet will last at least two decades without the need for repair. The main thing is to choose the right material. For rooms with high traffic (hall, hallway), it is advised to choose hardwood parquet (oak, beech, ash). For bedrooms, soft varieties are suitable (pine, cherry, birch).

Floors in non-residential areas (bathroom, kitchen) can be tiled.