Stalinist buildings are considered quality housing.The construction of such houses was carried out around the 50s, but the buildings are still strong and reliable. However, time takes its toll, the floors in such houses require repair. Why does this happen? The floors of the buildings were made of wood, and this material does not last forever. Gradually, the boards loosen, dry out, cracks form, and the joists rot. Repairing the floor in a Stalin-era building involves eliminating all these problems. It is often carried out together with leveling the base for the selected floor finishing material.Stalin-era buildings are quite old, which is why their floors require major repairs. Such defects are caused by the following reasons:
The main advantage of a wooden floor is its rich appearance. It's not all bad, wooden floors have many advantages:
Elimination of cracks, getting rid of creaking
Repairing a floor in a Stalin-era building may not be that difficultglobal. In some cases, it is enough to seal the cracks between the boards. It is recommended to purchase a special putty for wood or prepare the mixture yourself. It should include PVA glue and sawdust. The mixture is thoroughly mixed, after which all the cracks are filled with it. They must be cleaned beforehand. The repair procedure is as follows:
Laying scheme of logs:1 - beacon lag; 2 - intermediate lags; 3 - fiberboard spacers; 4 - finished floor level. If the cracks are large, then it is necessary to dismantle such boards and replace them with new ones. Otherwise, the coating will not last long, and repairs will still have to be done with replacement of the base sheathing. Another problem is eliminating the creaking. This situation occurs because the boards dry out and become covered with cracks. When walking, they begin to move, bend, causing an unpleasant and annoying creaking sound. You can get rid of it if you perform the following set of actions:
Stalinist architecture is usually distinguished by tall buildings.quality, but the wood still dries out with prolonged use. Rotten joists and boards are removed and replaced with new ones. Beforehand, the wood must be treated with an antiseptic to protect it from rotting and mold. It is important to ensure that the wood is dry, damp joists or boards will cause a defect and a new creak. Return to contents</a>
Floor leveling: features of using a log
During the repair of floors, the following is carried out simultaneously:leveling work. The process requires a certain amount of time. First, you need to completely remove all the boards, remove the material that fills the space between the joists. Previously, construction waste was used instead of insulation. It is completely unsuitable for reuse, so you need to immediately prepare to remove a large amount of waste.When laying logs, they must be protected from moistureusing polyethylene. When the space between the joists is cleared, it is necessary to carefully inspect their condition, check the horizontality of the surface with a building level. If the joists are in order, they can be used further. If there are numerous cracks, traces of decay, then they will have to be replaced. Wooden beams are purchased for the flooring, they are mounted on the surface with a step of 60-100 cm. The section can be taken as previously used. When choosing on your own, you need to pay attention to what length of the span is required:
- when flying up to 1 m, you need to apply a beam, the cross section of which is 110 * 60 mm;
- when flying up to 2 m the cross-section of the beam should be 150 * 80 mm;
- when flying up to 4 m the cross-section is 180 * 100 mm;
- if the length of the span is up to 5 m, then the beam should be taken at 200 * 150 mm;
- at a span of 6 m you should use a bar for 220 * 180 mm.
When repairing floors in a Stalin-era building, attention must be paidpay attention to the step of the logs. Today, not only edged boards are used for alignment, but also OSB boards, plywood sheets. The step for the specified materials is required differently. For edged boards:To avoid skewing, you need to check the height of each joist using a level.
- at a thickness of 20 mm, the pitch is up to 30 cm;
- at a thickness of 25 mm, the pitch of the log is 40 cm;
- for a board of 35 mm thick, a step of 60 cm is used;
- for a board up to 40 mm, the pitch is 70 cm;
- for a board of 45 mm, the pitch is 80 cm;
- for a board up to 50 mm, the pitch of the log is 100 cm.
For plywood sheets and OSB boards:
- for a deck with a thickness of 15-18 mm, the pitch of the log is 40 cm;
- for a deck in 22-24 mm the step increases to 60 cm.
Return to Contents</a>
Mounting the basement log
The floor repair continues with the installation of joistsfoundation. First, you need to check the horizontality with a building level, make marks on the walls for the level of laying the beams. If necessary, pieces of plywood are placed under the beams, they will ensure proper alignment. First, the floor frame is assembled, i.e. the beam is mounted along the walls, observing a distance of 5 cm from the logs to the walls. Then you need to start installing the beams, observing the specified maximum distances. The logs are attached to the floor with anchors, it is important to constantly check the stability of the structure, its strength, and rigidity during work.Scheme of insulation of wooden floor.When the joists are installed, work is carried out to insulate the surface. For Stalin-era buildings, it is best to use heat insulators that do not have much weight. Cellulose insulation or mineral wool are excellent. During insulation, you should ensure that all cavities are filled so that no air pockets remain. If a bulk heat insulator is used, then a film must first be laid on the base of the floor. The heat insulator should be flush with the level of the joists so that there are no gaps during sheathing. Return to contents</a>
Sheathing of a wooden floor
Floors in a Stalin-era building after installing logs must besheathe, for this purpose boards or plywood sheets are used. Old edged floorboards can be used if they have no signs of damage or rot. The boards are pre-treated with antiseptics. Sheathing the floor with boards in a Stalin-era building is carried out in compliance with minimum temperature gaps. Self-tapping screws are purchased for fastening, their heads are slightly recessed into the wood. If plywood is purchased for the work, then it is necessary to pre-cut a large sheet into squares with a smaller area, and then sheathe the surface with them. A temperature gap is maintained between the plywood sheets, it is necessary to retreat from the wall by about 1 cm. The plywood is mounted in such a way that the 4 corners of the sheets do not converge at one point. The sides of two sheets must necessarily fall on the logs. After the floors in the Stalin-era building are ready, it is necessary to sand their surface, a grinding machine is used for the work. That is why all the heads of the screws must be recessed into the wood, otherwise the tool will be damaged. Repairing floors in a Stalin-era building is a troublesome business, it may require complete restoration and leveling of the covering or elimination of cracks and creaking when walking. A feature of repair work is that the floors in Stalin-era buildings were made of wood, i.e. ordinary cement filling will no longer work. Insulation and other materials should not exert heavy loads on the structure.