How to close holes in the floor of the apartment. How to close gaps in the floor between boards: methods of elimination and technology for sealing gaps in a wooden floor

To seal the gaps in the floor between the boards, there are many options, you need to study them and choose the most suitable one. A wooden house is the most environmentally friendly and modern structure for housing. It is pleasant and cozy to be in it, however, there are a number of problems that the owners of this building face, for example, gaps in the wooden flooring.

Good to know: how to close cracks in a wooden floor

Cracks can occur due to the drying of the tree. The tree dries for 10 years. Deformations of wood in off-season time are possible. In winter, wood swells, and in summer it dries and decreases in size. Visually, this cannot be detected, however, in the microcosm, under a microscope, you can see how the fibers in a tree change over time.

More possible reasons:

Incorrect calculations of builders or incorrect installation of floorboards.
Incorrectly prepared wood for operation - low-quality paints and varnishes.
Bad ventilation.
Insufficient floor fit.
The appearance of mice and termites.

Do-it-yourself grouting of cracks in the floor is a very economical method, but it is not aesthetically pleasing and is used mainly in dilapidated housing or in the country

All cracks, depending on the size and location, are eliminated, you just need to choose the right solution. There are many methods for fixing cracks in wood floors. Cracks up to 15 cm are filled with sealant. In this case, the sealant can be used in 2 types, it is a silicone or acrylic sealant for wood. Special sealants for wood differ in color, which allows you to eliminate joints and gaps as imperceptibly as possible.

Sealants have a number of advantages: resistance to moisture, favorable consumption in the process of sealing the gap and long operation after the elimination of defects in the floor.

You can fill the gap with wood putty. The choice can fall on acrylic-based, solvent-based, oil-based or polymeric, water-based. You can putty not only cracks and holes, but also irregularities on plywood or wood, as well as cracks. You can seal the gap with foam. However, it is necessary to eliminate cracks very carefully, without spraying foam. Excess foam can be removed only after it hardens.

Cracks are sealed with polyester paste. There can be both one and two-component options. Suitable for sealing gaps and seams up to 5 cm. Sealing gaps with improvised materials, such as slats, tow with paint, glass wool, grout from paste and paper, sawdust and own preparation of putty, is also relevant.

High-quality sealing of cracks in a wooden floor

Regardless of the size of the gap between the boards in the floor or in the parquet, before removing it, it is necessary to do a dry and wet cleaning, remove dust and clean the gap area, let it dry.

Termination options:

If the gap in the wooden floor is up to 1 cm in size, then it can be sealed with a tourniquet, grout or filled with sealant.
If from 1 cm to 3 cm, then a special putty is well suited.
If the gaps are very large, then mounting foam, wedges or slats are well suited.

The most common sealing of large gaps in a wooden floor is polyurethane foam.

The field of operations performed, it is better to cover the floor with sheets of plywood, the joints of which are also processed and leveled with putty. Small gaps or joints can be covered with putty made from glue and sawdust.

Sawdust is taken in a fine fraction, poured with boiling water and mixed until a homogeneous mass.

After the solution with sawdust has cooled down, PVA glue is added and applied with a spatula in the localization of the gap cleared of dirt and dust. After the surface of the sealed gap has been leveled to the floor level, it must be left for a couple of days so that the mixture can take and dry. After everything has dried out, the irregularities must be treated with an abrasive, and fire protection should be applied, and only then the selected paints and varnishes.

You need to know: how to close a hole from mice

There are mice in both rural and urban areas. If there are any gaps in the houses, then mice can easily enter the living quarters, they will not only harm human health, as they are carriers of leptosperosis, toxocariasis, streptobacillus and many others, which can be fatal, but also harm room, its decoration, can penetrate food.

A hole from mice, so that they do not gnaw through a new passage in a wooden floor at all, can be patched up with concrete mortar, after putting metal shavings there

The most proven options for sealing holes in the wall from mice are:

glass wool embedment;
Eliminate the defect with cement;
Mounting foam also helps well, mice do not gnaw it, and tightly seal the hole.

The advice of experts comes down to broken glass, which are placed in the holes of mice.

How and how to seal the seams between plywood on the floor

On plywood flooring, you can often find seams and joints that need to be repaired. You need to know that the most important thing in choosing a putty is elasticity, since plywood consists of wood veneer, and the tree is subject to seasonal deformations. Over time, the plywood dries out, and the joints become more visible. It is also worth choosing a putty according to the color of the wood, as well as a special one, that is, for wooden material.

For sealing seams, are used:

acrylic putty;
Elastic sealant;
hot glue;
Sawdust with PVA and gypsum;
Epoxy adhesive.

To seal the seams between the plywood on the floor, it is necessary to choose exactly the putty for wooden floors, since the other simply cannot withstand the load

It is worth considering that chipboard, plywood should be well fixed so that they do not walk and do not vibrate, then the selected putty (putty for wooden floors) will not crack and will hold tightly, closing the gap.

These works are also being done for plywood, on which linoleum will subsequently be laid.

You should also cover with putty or better with silicone sealant, dents in plywood and all joints, cracks. Plywood needs to be coated with an antiseptic. Before laying linoleum, it is necessary to pay attention to the evenness of the plywood and its cleanliness.

Types of putties for the floor from the boards

To date, there is a fairly wide selection of putties on wood. Before choosing a putty, you need to decide on the price, scope, type and brand.

Elastic putty for the floor does not require careful surface preparation, it is easy to apply and cover with other paints and putties

Putties are divided into types:

Polymer putty, which is made on a water basis, therefore, does not emit chemicals into the atmosphere. It dries quickly enough, holds well and does not crack.
Oil putty based on water, chalk and oils. It is one of the most reliable, however, after processing the gap, it takes a lot of time for it to dry completely.
Acrylic putty is environmentally friendly and non-flammable, which is very important for wood.
Solvent-based putty is ideal for parquet flooring, but is not the most environmentally friendly option.
The putty is elastic, which is ideal for “floating” cracks and joints. It keeps its shape perfectly, has good adhesion to the surface.
Pigmented wood putty, that is, various colors (white-birch, teak-mahogany, wenge-dark oak, beech-oak). It must be taken into account that often the color does not match the one declared on the package, you should require a demonstration of the goods or a stand with these putties.
Putty for wooden floors, which is used to smooth out irregularities, various defects and cracks.

The main brands of putty manufacturers are Dulux, Parade, Semin, Varathane, Axton, Neomid, Forwood, Rainbow, Tytan, Master's Choice. We must not forget that putties differ in the main types: finishing, leveling, filling, universal, sealing. Putty is applied with a spatula of the selected size, by pressing it into the depth of the gap. After the putty dries, it is necessary to level the surface using abrasive products for wood.

How to close cracks in a wooden floor (video)

When cracks appear, it does not matter, any gap can be repaired with your own hands, and the wooden floor is easy to install and repair.

In order to lay a new floor covering, it is necessary that the floor itself be sanded and smooth. Along with repairing or replacing floorboards, you will likely need to patch up cracks and holes in plank floors, as well as clean up roughness and possibly deal with dampness in cast-in-situ concrete floors. Any flaws left uncorrected can eventually affect the quality of the flooring and damage it.

Seal holes in wooden floors

Holes from buried nails and screws can be easily repaired with a flexible wood putty using a spatula. If you plan to leave your plank floor unfinished and rub down with appropriate cleaners, try matching a putty or sealant to match the color of the wood the floorboards are made from; however, apply a layer of putty after each floor sanding cycle.

Deeper cavities can also be eliminated with elastic putty, however, if a knot has fallen out of the board, leaving behind a large round hole, insert a short wooden plug into it, having previously smeared it with glue, and then clean this place with a planer. Corks match the color of the floor or paint over after cutting them flush with the floor.

There are two main types of cracks you'll find in plank floors: gaps from cracked ends along the edges of the boards, and gaps between the boards themselves. Such cracks can most often be eliminated by pulling them together with nails: one nail must be hammered into each edge of the board near the end and further into the beam at an angle to its center. As the nails are driven in, these cracks should disappear.

Eliminating gaps between boards is more difficult. If they are not wide, you can use wood putty; however, for wider gaps, you will have to prepare thin slats and hammer them, after smearing with glue, into the resulting gaps. When the glue is dry, planer or sand the edges of the slats that protrude above the floor; if necessary, paint over the installed wedges.

If there are many wide gaps between the floorboards, the best solution is to lift all the boards in turn, starting from one side of the room and ending on the other. Special clamps will help you put the boards back together as they will press them against each other while you nail or screw them.

Seal gaps in the floor. To seal wide gaps, hammer glued slats between the boards. When the glue dries, use a planer to plan the edges of the slats that protrude above the floor.

Use a flexible wood putty to repair holes left by driving in nail or screw heads. When closing a crack at the end of a board, first fill it with glue, then pull it off by hammering nails near the end.

Leveling a wooden floor

Separate uneven areas of the floor can be sanded by hand - what you did after using putty - however, where depressions or a thick layer of old paint, grease and mastic have formed on the floorboards, the best way out is to borrow an industrial grinder for temporary use and sand it floor again. Start sanding the floor with a coarse sanding belt, then gradually move to a finer abrasive by guiding the machine across the boards. Finish sanding by running along the floorboards with a fine-grained emery cloth.

For hard-to-reach surfaces, also rent a special sander (if you do not have a belt sander), since the sander does not grab the areas of the floor that are directly next to the baseboards.

Sealing cracks and holes in monolithic concrete floors

Provided the screed is generally in good condition and dry, you may be able to repair cracks and holes using a quick setting repair mortar. Before this, all loose particles must be removed from the slots, and the edges of the slots, if necessary, should be cleaned to provide a surface for the mortar to set. The edges of cracks and holes should be treated with a PVA (white) solution in combination of one part glue to five parts water to reduce the effect of the concrete's absorbent properties and help the solution soak into the floor.

To prepare a cement mortar, use PVA glue and water in the same ratio as the base; then cover the cracks with the resulting solution, and apply two or more layers to areas with large depressions. Level the surface with a spatula.

To help the freshly prepared mixture "grab" the edges of the crack, treat them with a brush with a solution of PVA (white). Apply a coat of quick setting repair mortar to cracks in the cast-in-situ concrete floor. Rub the solution on the damaged surface and leave it to harden. If the floor surface is excessively porous, apply an insulating layer consisting of a PVA adhesive solution with a brush.

Leveling monolithic concrete floors

It doesn't take much skill to create a smooth, flat surface, as the self-levelling floor compound does the job for you. There are two types of such a mixture: these are dry powders that must be diluted either in water or in a special latex (synthetic substance used for the production of adhesives, paints, foam rubber) emulsions.

Before you start pouring, clean the room, and also remove the doors and baseboards. Attach slats (shingles) to the entire length of the thresholds with nails to prevent unwanted spreading of the mixture. Treat all cracks and holes with a depth of more than 6 mm with a solution of PVA and water, as described earlier. Dilute the self-leveling compound in a bucket of water and pour it onto the floor, then level the resulting layer with a spatula or plaster trowel. Allow time for the mixture to settle. As soon as it dries - after at least 24 hours - you can install skirting boards and doors; however, make sure that the door does not touch the floor when you open it: you may need to trim the bottom of it slightly.

Dilute the self-levelling floor compound according to the manufacturer's instructions. Start pouring the floor with a mixture from the corner farthest from the door. Using a plastering trowel, level the layer of the mixture to a thickness of 3 mm.

Repairing concrete floors with your own hands is by no means a simple “lubrication” with cement mortar. Such a "blamba" will not stop the destruction of concrete, will not level the floor and will not block access to fumes through it.

The thing is that concrete, even having gained structural strength, lives its complex physical and chemical life for decades: it changes its structure, gains strength, and then weakens a little until it stabilizes. In fresh concrete, a number of indicators, including shrinkage rate and coefficient of thermal expansion, differ significantly from cured concrete. For the repair of the old floor to be successful, you need to somehow coordinate the properties of the old and new concrete. One of the best ways for minor self-repair is to give fresh cement mortar thixotropic and rheological properties.

Thixotropy and rheology

Thixotropy is the ability of a medium to succumb, to reduce its viscosity with a small but constant impact. A good example of a thixotropic substance is common construction bitumen. If you move your finger along it with pressure, then at first roughness is felt, and then the movement is facilitated and a hollow remains behind the finger. By the way, continental plates move across the face of the Earth due to the fact that the substance of the upper mantle is thixotropic.

Rheology is nothing but superfluidity. This phenomenon is by no means a privilege of ultralow temperature physics. Any housewife who forgot to tightly close the vessel with sunflower oil faced rheology. However, if liquid helium-II is 100% superfluid, then vegetable oils are by units and fractions of a percent. But this is enough that after a while the dish turned out to be all sticky, and the kitchen furniture was damaged.

Under normal conditions, thixotropy and rheology are inextricably linked. Builders, when they say "thixotropy", immediately mean rheology. When repairing a concrete floor, rheology ensures that the smallest irregularities are filled with a repair compound, and thanks to thixotropy, the new concrete mass, figuratively speaking, does not rest against the previous one, but plays along with it.

In building stores, there is a wide range of thixotropic-rheological mixtures for repairing concrete floors based on epoxy and polyurethane. However, to repair an apartment floor, which is in relatively stable conditions and lightly loaded, a cheap thixotropic composition can be prepared independently:

To do this, PVA glue or bustilat is diluted with water three to five times, and a cement-sand mortar is kneaded on the resulting suspension in a ratio of 1: 3. If the amount of work is large enough, you can immediately buy PVA putty. This is the same highly diluted glue, but the minimum package is 5 liters.

PVA-suppension is not suitable for sealing deep deformation cracks; here you will have to buy a branded thixotropic primer for concrete and a repair compound. In this case, you should focus solely on the price: the apartment floor is a light object, and the exclusive quality of the compositions is not required.

Mixer and rule

All repair compounds for concrete must be kneaded: ready-made on water; homemade - on PVA suspension. It is impossible to mix manually: the finished solution should be as “dry” as possible, i.e. water or suspension is added in a minimal amount. A very viscous mixture will have to be “pounded” for too long to the desired uniformity, and irreversible changes will begin in it, worsening the quality of work.

For mixing small volumes of repair building compounds, I use an electric drill or a rotary hammer at low speeds with a special nozzle - a mixer. The principle of its operation is no different from a cocktail mixer.

In tool stores you can find a wide selection of different mixers, sometimes in completely bizarre configurations. But a mixer that is in no way inferior to them is obtained from an even rod 8-10 mm in diameter and half a meter long, the end of which is bent into a ring or simply folded in half.

The kneading lasts 3-5 minutes. When kneading in a bucket, the tool is driven in a circular motion; in the trough - transverse zigzag. A bucket of water should be at hand - after kneading, the mixer must be rinsed immediately, lowered into water and given more speed. When mixing with a perforator, in no case should you turn on the impact mechanism: the whole room and you will immediately find yourself concreted with a thin layer.

In addition to the mixer, to repair the concrete floor, you will need a rule - a meter wide spatula. The plaster trowel will not work: it will not smooth the concrete properly, but it will be erased on it. The rule, on the contrary, is to purchase a factory one, and you should not save on it, especially since it is inexpensive. Concrete is a good abrasive, and if the middle of the rule turns out to be “eaten up”, then the floor will turn out to be humpbacked.

Types of concrete floor repair

There are four different types of concrete floor repair:

Elimination of defects - bulges, potholes, seams from markers and formwork, cracks in the screed.
Seal gaping cracks.
Overhaul of the floor screed for polishing concrete, laying a finishing coating or underfloor heating with insulation and waterproofing.
Dedusting.

Each type of repair is carried out according to a special technology. The most time-consuming and costly repair of the screed under a clean floor. For its overhaul, you will additionally need a metal roller with a width of at least 0.5 m and a weight of at least 10 kg with a carrier handle.

After all types of repairs, except for dust removal, the floor must be kept for at least 20 days before continuing work, spraying it with water every day or wiping it with a richly moistened cloth. It is impossible to fill the floor or wet it more often: the set concrete absorbs a certain amount of water and slowly. "Drinking" will hurt him.

Recommendations on mandatory exposure of 40 or more days, covering concrete with wet burlap, etc. are intended for concreting in the open air. In relatively stable conditions of a residential or utility room, 20 days of exposure is more than enough.

Room preparation

Preparation for the repair of the concrete floor comes down to the release of the premises and thorough cleaning. Large debris is raked with a shovel, then the floor is thoroughly swept two or three times with a wet broom with spraying. Potholes and cracks after drying the floor after each sweeping are blown with a household vacuum cleaner.

If it is possible to use an industrial vacuum cleaner, floor preparation can be done in an hour: they suck the floor, blow through potholes with cracks, suck it again - and that's it, the preparation is over.

Concrete floor repair procedure

Repair of the floor in the apartment begins with its inspection and assessment of the condition. Before dismantling the old finishing flooring and cleaning, it is impossible to correctly assess the required degree of repair. The following cases are possible:

The floor is generally level, but dusty, and in places there are potholes, clearly defined small protrusions, or thin, serpentine cracks. Do-it-yourself repairs are possible and inexpensive.
There are gaping cracks no longer than half of the short side of the floor, tending to the perimeter or longitudinal-transverse. Self-repair is possible using branded thixotropic compounds.
The floor is "all humpbacked": small bumps and depressions alternate relatively regularly. Self-repair "on concrete" is possible in a private house or outbuildings.
In a multi-apartment building, there are long gaping cracks on the floor on the floor screed, generally located diagonally or crosswise. It is only possible to overhaul the screed with a preliminary professional assessment of the state of the ceiling.

Note to point 3: leveling a carelessly poured screed is possible either with a milling machine or with a liquid leveler after repairing the cracks. Leveling the floor with a hardening compound is the subject of a separate discussion, and a milling machine cannot be used in an apartment building: it is very dusty, and the presence of cement dust in the air of residential premises is strictly prohibited by sanitary standards. In addition to the “gratitude” of neighbors, one can also fall under serious legislative sanctions, up to and including imprisonment. For example, if a resident is hospitalized with an exacerbation of asthma or a lung disease during or after your work, this is a moderate or severe health hazard. Terms - see the Criminal Code.

Minor patching

Potholes are filed with a grinder with a diamond wheel in a rectangle with a grip of at least 20 mm to the sides. Cutting depth - to the depth of the pothole plus 10-20 mm. Less - if the floor is dense; more - if dusty. The protrusions are knocked down with a puncher or manually to the hollow.
A puncher with a chisel for concrete chooses a rectangular recess in place of the pothole. Small dents can be removed by hand with a 200 g hammer and carbide-tipped chisel. It is impossible to beat with all your might on a dull metalwork chisel: a crack may occur.
The recess is blown with a vacuum cleaner, then the remaining dust is sucked out with it.
Lubricate the recess with one layer of any primer on concrete. Choice - by price; case is not responsible.
After the primer dries, the recess is filled with a thixotropic compound, home-made or purchased, leveled with the rule and left for aging - sealed.

Notes:

Branded repair compounds are kneaded only on sifted quartz sand. It can be purchased from the same store. Proportion - according to the instructions on the package. Thixotropic mixtures in small packages are sometimes sold in a set with sand packaging in the right amount.

Sawing work should be done in a respirator, goggles, earplugs, gloves and tightly buttoned clothes, with windows wide open, doors tightly closed and as quickly as possible. Unlike a hypothetical asthmatic neighbor, you will certainly find yourself in the very center of a cloud of cement dust. Headphones in this case protect more from it than from noise.

Repair of small cracks

Small cracks are first sawn through with a grinder along the length to a depth of 20-50 mm and a width of 10-20 mm. As in the previous case, the minimum / maximum depth and width of the cut is determined by the condition of the floor. The cut is also blown and sucked.

How to fix cracks in the floor? If the floor itself is not dusty, and the circle is a little tight, then a home-made repair mixture will fit perfectly. If sawing is easy, and the angle grinder sometimes even slips, you definitely need a good branded primer and thixotrope. But if the dust during sawing is so thick that the tool in the hands is hard to see, and / or streams of sand are thrown out from under the circle, you need to close it up in full, like gaping cracks.

The sealing of small cracks is reduced to coating with a primer and filling with a thixotrope, as well as recesses.

Advice: if possible, two to six months before the repair, stick paper strips on the cracks every half a meter. If the paper is not torn for repair, the crack is shrinkage, it will not go further, and you can fix it in haste, as described. If at least one piece of paper is torn, the crack is deformational and needs to be repaired in full.

Seal gaping cracks

A gaping crack is considered to be more than 2 mm wide, but this criterion is very relative. More important is the dynamics of the process: will the crack go further or not. You can independently evaluate the dynamics, without having building experience, using the “paper” method described above or by turning on a laser level with a sensor or reflector on the opposite wall for several days. If, for example, the light spot has gone by an average of 0.01 mm per day, then for the year it will be 3.65 mm - the situation is emergency, and you need to think about the overhaul of the entire building.

If the condition of the building as a whole does not cause concern, then the repair of gaping cracks is carried out as follows (see figure):

The crack is sawn 50-60 mm deep and 20-30 mm wide.
The edges of the cut are knocked down to form a triangular hollow.
The cut is carefully blown and sucked.
The hollow is treated with a primer.
After the primer dries, markers are inserted into the cut in turn. Holding the next marker vertically with your hand, the hollow is covered with a thixotropic compound, leveling it with a rule. Homemade thixotrope in this case can not be used!
When the thixotrope sets, the markers are removed, and the seam is cut through the holes from them to the previous width.
A damper cord of the Viloterm type or similar is placed in the seam. Clotheslines, synthetic ropes, etc. are not suitable.
The seam is finally sealed with silicone or polyurethane sealant; in no case with mounting foam, epoxy or other fully hardening compounds.

Note: markers - thin smooth metal bars. Excellent markers are obtained from bicycle spokes. To make it easier to remove later, markers can be lubricated with grease before installation.

Overhaul of the screed

Overhaul of the screed means, in fact, its replacement. This is an extreme measure, costly and time-consuming. They go to it if it is supposed to be laid or finished, and the moisture test gave an unfavorable result.

You can read more about the formation of various types of floor screeds from scratch at the links below:

Screed thickness calculation

If repairs are made in a room adjacent to others, then the floors should be on the same level. And in any case, the finished floor should not be higher than the threshold of the door. Therefore, the calculation of the thickness of the screed is carried out from the bottom up with a margin upwards. In this case, the level of the base floor will be lower, but this can be compensated by increasing the thickness of the plywood bedding or the height of the logs. The thickness of the solution layer above the reinforcing mesh must be taken at least 8 mm.

Calculation example: from bare ceiling to door threshold 80 mm. Initial data:

Waterproofing - 1 mm.
Expanded clay bedding in one layer - 25 mm.
Reinforcing mesh - 6 mm.
The concrete layer above the grid is 8 mm.
Layer of mastic - 1 mm.
Plywood - 8 mm.
Adhesive layer - 1 mm.
Laminate - 16 mm.

The total is 66 mm. You can improve thermal insulation by pouring one and a half layers of expanded clay or taking thicker plywood. However, laying the floor on the logs will not work, except perhaps to abandon expanded clay thermal insulation, but such a floor will be colder and more sensitive to dampness.

Screed markers

The screed is leveled with pin or plaster lath markers. Both of them are immured with a small amount of cement-sand mortar (see the figure below):

Pins - in the corners and along the walls in half a meter or less.
Plaster markers - parallel to the short wall. The first is 25-30 cm from her; further - half the width of the rule from each other.

Pins can be made from improvised materials, and plaster markers will have to be bought, and expanded clay will need to be rolled very carefully. But even an experienced craftsman is unlikely to be able to withstand the horizontal surface better than 3 mm / m using the pins, since as a rule you will have to work without additional support.

The height marks on the pins are made with a tightly stretched cord and a bubble level, starting from the corner closest to the door diagonally. Then, the second diagonal is beaten off along the primary cord, the cords are pulled around the perimeter and marks are made on the wall markers. To speed up the beating of heights, you can use a laser level, but this will not improve the accuracy and smoothness of the floor, see above.

Screed overhaul procedure

Lay waterproofing (plastic film) with an overlap of 0.5 m and an overlap on the walls of 10-15 cm. The joints along the entire length are glued with adhesive tape.
Expanded clay is poured and leveled with a rolling roller. Under the draft floor, it is permissible to use a manual rammer, wooden or metal.
A reinforcing mesh is laid with an overlap of 1-2 cells and with an indent from the walls of 30-40 mm.
Priming markers.
If pin markers are used, after the curing is set, the heights are marked.
Knead in portions of 10-20 liters of a viscous cement-sand mortar (1: 3); thixotropic additives are optional. At the end of the kneading, the next portion is dumped between the markers next to the previous one.
Each portion of the solution is leveled with a rule, starting from the far wall: along a cord or with the support of the rule on two adjacent markers. The rule is held obliquely so that excess solution falls into an empty cell.
The kneading of the next portion is started after leveling the previous one.
After the solution hardens, the markers are removed and the grooves are sealed with a solution.
Excess waterproofing is not touched; they are cut off after installing the plinth.

Note: under the draft floor, instead of plaster markers, you can use wooden logs-lighthouses, even and of the same height.

Video: an example of pouring a screed

Dedusting

Quite serviceable, but dusty due to surface wear, the concrete floor can be quickly repaired with special compounds:

Draft floor and floors in outbuildings - domestic Neomer-LP, Elakor-PU or imported Ashford formula, etc. They give a layer of 150 microns.
Finished concrete floor in living quarters, garage, workshop - GruntElast-PU, Elakor-ED, Retroplate. Layer - 250 microns.

In terms of quality and cost, these compositions are approximately equivalent.

Outcome

Do-it-yourself concrete floor repairs can be as simple, quick, and cheap as they can be complex, difficult, and expensive. The need for repair of one degree or another, in addition to the presence of gaping cracks, can be determined independently. In any case, it is definitely beneficial for self-fulfillment only dedusting worn from the floor surface.

Concrete coatings are used in a wide variety of areas: in the installation of floors, concreting surfaces in both industrial and residential facilities, construction of highways and much more. However, concrete has a low tensile strength, so during the hardening process, the mixture shrinks slightly and the structures shrink. Because of this, small and more serious defects appear on the surface. In this case, it is required to seal cracks in concrete, which is carried out using different technologies, depending on the type of damage and the cause of its occurrence.

Types of cracks in concrete

Some novice or unscrupulous builders prefer to simply cover up a hole or any other defect with putty or mortar. However, before closing a hole or crack in a concrete wall and other foundations, it is worthwhile to figure out what exactly caused such troubles.

Defects are of several types:

Surface. Such cracks often appear after pouring the foundation during the drying of the sand-cement mortar, if the mixture was prepared without observing the required proportions of the components, poor-quality components were used, or there was not enough water in the mixture.
Shrinkage (also called hairline cracks). Defects of this type are considered the most dangerous, since they cause not only the deformation of the fundamental foundation, but also the entire building as a whole. This leads to a decrease in strength. Flaws of this type appear with an uneven load on the foundation and with the wrong selection of the cement composition.

Temperature shrinkage. Cracks of this type appear during the hardening of the concrete base due to the exothermic reaction that occurs between cement and water. Very often, when erecting walls and ceilings, novice builders do not take into account the freedom of deformation, as a result of which thermal stress occurs in the concrete mass and defects appear on the surface.
Cracks and holes that appear due to poor-quality reinforcement. If the frame to reinforce the structure is too weak, then it will sag under loads, which will also lead to the formation of defects. In addition, reinforcing rods may begin to oxidize. Due to the appearance of corrosion, the material increases in size, breaking the concrete mass from the inside.

Outdoor concrete surfaces are also prone to cracking. The external environment contains chemically active substances that create favorable conditions for the appearance of defects.

In addition, sharp temperature drops, which can occur both on the surface and in the very thickness of concrete, have a destructive effect. At the same time, not only cold air, but also ultraviolet radiation has a detrimental effect.

It is also worth paying attention to the width of the cracks, since in some cases such defects are not critical.

Permissible crack sizes

In the construction industry, there is such a definition as the permissible crack opening width, which is determined according to DBN V.2.6-98:2009 based on operating conditions:

The size of cracks should not exceed 0.5 mm if the concrete surface is not exposed to weather conditions. That is, it is not affected by moisture, low temperatures and ultraviolet radiation.
The allowable crack opening width may not exceed 0.4 mm, provided that the structure is exposed to the weather.
The width of the crack should not exceed 0.3 mm if the concrete base is in an aggressive environment.
It is not recommended to allow the formation of gaps of more than 0.2 mm when it comes to reinforced structures that are characterized by reduced resistance to corrosion.

Also considered harmless are horizontal cracks with a small opening, which often appear in reinforced concrete columns.

However, it is important to consider that there are certain operating conditions under which cracking is not allowed at all:

if we are talking about reinforced concrete structures that constantly interact with liquids and gases (that is, they must be impermeable and airtight);
when using structures that are subject to more stringent requirements for their durability.

Having determined the type of defect and the need to fix it, it is much easier to choose than to fill holes in a wall or any other concrete surface.

cement mortars

These compounds are very popular due to their low cost and the ability to repair minor shrinkage cracks in concrete.

Crack repair

Before proceeding with embedding, it is necessary to check the crack itself for the presence of chips around it. If there are any, then in the near future they can turn into holes, so it is imperative to eliminate all exfoliating pieces of concrete. After that you need:

Perform stitching. To do this, using a chisel and a hammer, you need to walk along the entire length of the crack so that its depth is at least 5 mm. If necessary, you can use a spatula to create a recess.

remove dust with a vacuum cleaner and rinse the cavity with water.
Remove excess water and cover the crack with cement mortar (3 parts of sand per 1 part of cement with the addition of PVA). In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the composition covers the entire space of the recess.
Moisten the poured cement with water.

hole patching

If a hole has formed in the concrete surface, in which reinforcement is visible, then the defect can be repaired as follows:

Clean the hole in the concrete and treat its surface with an anti-corrosion compound.
Lay pieces of steel wire with a diameter of about 4 mm in the recess.
After that, the recess is covered with a primer, evenly applying it to the entire surface. In this case, the thickness of the layer of the mixture should be about 3 mm.
Without waiting for the mixture to dry, fill the depression with cementitious concrete cracking compound and make sure that it fills the entire depression. If the hole is too deep, then the cement is poured in several stages. In addition, each subsequent layer must be moistened with water from a spray bottle.
Level the surface with a lath (metal or wood) by moving the tool from right to left.

After the mixture has hardened, the excess cement composition must be removed with a spatula and the surface must be plastered. If the crack was too deep, then leveling is done with a grinder.

Healthy! The cement composition must be poured with a margin so that it is slightly above the floor surface. The mixture will shrink as it cools.

After 24 hours, the concrete floor can be painted or any finishing material can be laid on it.

However, it should be borne in mind that such sealing of cracks in concrete will not give a sealing effect and is not suitable for surfaces that are subject to increased requirements for waterproofing. In addition, the cement composition can be considered as a temporary solution to problems. Sooner or later defects will appear again. If you want to “majorly patch” holes and avoid their appearance in the future, then in this case you can repair defects with resins, specialized repair compounds based on them or sealant.

Long-term repair of defects

When deciding how to repair cracks in concrete for a long time, you should pay attention to this method of processing defects. Resin and mixtures for embedding based on it are suitable for the restoration of screeds, blind areas and various concreted areas or horizontal surfaces.

Repairing cracks in concrete using such compounds has several advantages. First of all, this is the cheapness of the mixtures, as well as their quick drying. On the other hand, the resin allows you to securely fix the seams and keep them from further increase.

So, to eliminate defects, you will need to prepare:

angle grinder and diamond-coated discs;
vacuum cleaner;
spatulas and a trough for diluting the composition;
primer for concrete;
Epoxy (base A and hardener B);
Fine-grained sifted sand.

Before you close the crack, you need to clean it from dust and dirt. After that, we perform the termination in the following sequence:

We make crack jointing. In this case, the width of the resulting recess must be at least 5 mm.
With the help of a grinder, we cut transverse seams in concrete with a step of 400 mm (the length of the grooves is about 100-150 mm).
We remove the loose layer of concrete and dedust the surface with a vacuum cleaner.
We treat the surface of the defect with a primer, and fix the transverse grooves with repair brackets.
We prepare a solution of resin (base), hardener and sand according to the instructions on the package with the composition.
We close the defect with the resulting mixture and quickly level the surface, since the setting time of the resin is only 10 minutes.

The best epoxy compounds

If we talk about the best materials for repairing cracks in concrete walls and other surfaces, then the most effective today are:

Epoxy resin of domestic production ED-16 and ED-20 costing about 2,000 per 3 kg. The hardener will have to be bought separately (it costs about 300-500 rubles).
Epoxy 520 resin from the Czech manufacturer Spolchemie worth 3,500 rubles per 5 kg.
German composition UZIN KR 416, which will cost 2,700 rubles for 0.75 kg.

Also, compositions from the Italian manufacturer Sika are very popular.

However, it should be borne in mind that this method of correcting defects is not suitable for processing holes that form in concrete bases that are under strong pressure from water. In this case, it is worth using a sealant.

Use of sealants and self-expanding tapes

It should be said right away that this method of repairing defects is very expensive, so it is most often used in the repair of concrete bowls of suburban pools. However, despite its high cost, the use of sealant and self-expanding cords has its own advantages:

the possibility of processing a defect of any type;
complete tightness;
the possibility of carrying out installation work in cold weather conditions.

For work, in addition to the standard set of tools, you will need:

mounting gun;
self-expanding tape or cord;
chisel and brushes;
concrete sealant.

However, before you cover up the flaw, you need to measure the dimensions of the cracks and purchase the right type of sealant and tapes, depending on this. For example, if the hole is 60 mm deep, then an 18 x 23 mm cord will do.

Not the next step is necessary:

Expand cracks and remove dust from them.
Install the cord in the recess.
Fill the remaining space with sealant.
Smooth out the protruding composition with a spatula.

After completing the work, you do not have to guess how to putty the surface or caulk it. It is enough just to apply the composition and level it.

If we talk about the best compositions of this type, then the most popular are:

Domestic ELASTOSIL PU 20 worth 280 rubles per 600 ml.
Composition from the French manufacturer Rubberflex, which today is sold at a price of 300 rubles per 310 ml.
Tape PLUG Russian production cost about 260 rubles per linear meter.

injection

Also, when deciding how to seal holes in a concrete wall in the most effective way, especially if not only a crack has appeared, but water also flows through it, you should pay attention to this method.

Injection technology involves the introduction of a special composition (polyurethane or epoxy resin, microcement or waterproofing mixture) into the thickness of the concrete using special injection pumps that create strong pressure.

To perform such restoration of defects, it is necessary:

Make holes in a checkerboard pattern on both sides of the gap.
Install packers in them (special tubes through which the solution is supplied resemble a dowel) at an angle.

Pour in the solution.
Pull out the tubes and cover the surface with building compound.

So, we looked at how to fix a hole in a concrete wall on our own, but what if we are talking about aerated concrete?

Features of sealing cracks in aerated concrete

Cracks in aerated concrete are formed as often as in conventional cement-sand monoliths. To close them, work is performed in the following sequence:

A layer of collapsed building material is removed from the wall or any other aerated concrete surface and dust and dirt are cleaned.
The gap is primed. For this, it is recommended to use a 50% aqueous dispersion of PVA and water (ratio 1:3).
Cracks are sealed depending on their dimensions. If the damage is single and its width does not exceed 0.4 mm, then the gap is expanded to 10 mm and any building compound is poured into it (cement or special glue for aerated concrete can be used). If the width of the defect is up to 10 mm, then it is better to use a porous adhesive for sealing and widen the gap to 20 mm. In the event of a defect up to 20 mm wide, it is recommended to use an adhesive or cement composition, after adding coarse-grained crushed stone from aerated concrete to it.

After completing the work, it is necessary to close the treated surface with a plywood sheet (fix with self-tapping screws) for 3-5 hours.

Types of repair of concrete floors

Preparatory work

Repair of small holes

Repair of shallow cracks

Small cracks are expanded with a grinder. To do this, it is enough to capture 1-2 cm of the floor in width, and 2-5 cm in depth. Depending on the strength of the floor, the cut can be reduced or increased.

Repair of deep cracks

Floor overhaul

Floor dedusting

Concrete floor repair

Kharkov Forum > Kharkov > Household > What is the best way to close up holes in the floor under linoleum

View Full Version : What is the best way to fix holes in the floor under linoleum

The floor is a concrete slab. Surprisingly smooth (I did repairs myself - there were such steps, what a horror ...) But there are many small shells - from 5 to 20 mm, well, plus a few large holes.
In general, they smeared them with a DSP ... But something fell out the next day when sweeping 😀

What would cover them up so that for centuries?

9.03.2011, 23:26

Glue it with gum, comrade: gee:

Maybe someone knows a super-solution for such a case - well, there is like alabaster + cement + PVA ....
Starter putty.. 😉

Have you tried priming before sanding? It helps a lot :).
I also got smart about the ground - but there are a lot of holes, when they swept the floor, all the dust went into the holes, then they started priming hole-by-hole - the brush pulled all the dirt out of the hole onto the floor, in short, not that, that's why I asked about the additive to the solution - I remember once they worked out at the academy, so there the master who oversaw our testing, covered up such holes, only on the wall, and told me that in order not to prime, you need to mix cement with something and add pva ... but then I didn’t listen , what to interfere with - I thought - nafik it to me .... 😀
Starter putty.. 😉
Just let it dry for a couple of days. Don't sweep.. 😉
There is a little plaster - knauf and abs ... but it seems like a current finish - will it work?
The same DSP, pour a couple of glasses of PVA onto a bucket of solution. Yes, you need to buy a DSP not ready-made, but make it yourself from cement and sand. Firstly, it is much cheaper, and secondly, no one will steal part of the cement by adding excess sand.
That one is not at my place - that's why I was not on the subject of procurement ... besides, there are such ridiculous volumes - a bag of everything 😉
Glue it with gum, comrade: gee:
then we chew boom with the whole forum - there are a lot of holes 😀

10.03.2011, 00:48

TS, use the CM11 mixture and you will be happy 😉 - there is already a polymer and gluten and cement together, firmly lies on any surface, even quite dusty, just let it dry for two days

TS, use CM11 mixture and you will be happy 😉

Is this for tiles?

10.03.2011, 01:00

Yes, for tiles that are almost ideal for sealing air bubbles, sinks, seams, cracks. It has proven itself well for sealing even fairly small depressions (~ 2mm) ... and if you also put primers and PVA into this damn thing, then in terms of strength it will turn out almost like pressed concrete ...

oh thank you! :beer:
Tomorrow I will sell this recipe 🙂

Have you tried leveling?

It may help to resolve the issue - there is pure cement, DSP, Cersite tiled, alabaster, a little knauf and abs-ki ....
Yes, anything from the list .. I would do this ... First, I swept the dust and debris well ... Then I wet the places with holes well. I would close up with anything from the list above (except for pure cement). Let it dry...
TsPS- three days.
Everything else is a day or two.
That's all... But keep in mind that it will gain real strength in about a week...

Sexual holes: termination methods for different materials

I have the finishing ABS holes in the floor (potholes in the tiles) on the site are patched up .. It holds perfectly .. And blows, and a pass, etc.

10.03.2011, 12:27

To begin with, we sweep, then carefully vacuum all the holes (otherwise, everything is up to the ass), we prime it abundantly, - and only then anything (preferably cement-containing) -

Oh, five points advice! 🙂
And you yourself try with hands without gloves, work with cement: class:
Fingerprints are wiped off! 😉

added

fucking advisers .. everything is higher, nothing can withstand vertical loads
Have you tried leveling?
there are not the same volumes - they don’t sell it in bags of 0.5 kg.
and even better, add alabaster to the cement mortar - it keeps dead. :Class:
So I remember that cement with alabaster and pva is a lethal mixture, only the proportions would be more ...
.... I have finished ABS holes in the floor (hollows in the tiles) on the site.

100 I was also surprised how ABS diluted with soil works wonders - it turns into a stone ... and it can be turned into dust - it’s enough tightly.

10.03.2011, 19:01

and even better, add alabaster to the cement mortar - it keeps dead. :Class:

10.03.2011, 19:50

yeah, this is only if you need to fill a continuous seam, and if you need to cover up a bunch of holes, then ... until you cover a dozen - by that time the solution has time to harden well: class:
I also remember that cement with alabaster and pva is a lethal mixture, only the proportions would be more ... I used the "eye" proportions - and alabaster in general a little bit - otherwise the mixture was grabbed almost like pure alabaster.

And alabaster is such a bastard - everything connected with it must be kneaded a little bit and often. But it's safe.
I used "eye" proportions - and alabaster in general a little bit - otherwise the mixture was grasped almost like pure alabaster.
"eye" is how? half a kilo of solution for a glass of eyes? 😀

in short, today everything was well swept, washed, primed.
then everything was smeared with tiled ceresite with the addition of a primer.
small holes dried up before our eyes, three large holes are still "alive"
We're waiting...

Oh, five points advice! 🙂
I think that it all fell out - it turns out it was necessary not with a spatula, but with your hands! 🙂

Well, did you have a spatula in your hands? 😉

held, but I like holding boobs more 😀

Glad that you all come out with the floor and not only!: D: class:

A Japanese delegation arrived in the USSR.
Well, they are taken around factories, factories, they show all sorts of achievements in science and technology ...
And they go and look and for some reason they always say one thing: "Oh, what good children you have!" ...
No one understands what the hell, what are the children for?
Well, at the end of the visit, they ask them: "Why are you talking about children all the time?"
They answer: "Yes, it's just that your children are really good, and everything that you do with your hands ... is such a G ..."

Let's get back to the topic, otherwise they will slap mustard plasters on us right now ...

So I noticed yesterday that this plate had already been processed before us.
Only now the color of the solution is somehow strange - almost black, very smooth, almost like glass and very durable, I wonder what it is? ...

liquid glass?

This is a slab from Chernobyl... vitrified.. 😉
Threat - hit with a hammer - will it go astray?

And what was there in Chernobyl that concrete turns into glass? ... 😀

I won’t hit anything with a hammer there, today I came, they already say everything has dried up, already the linoleum is on top, there are waves - they said that he needs to mature in order to even out ...

Ready-made DSP 1: 3 I do not advise anyone to close cracks and recesses / pits in the floor (even with PVA and alabaster). I also patched the cracks in the screed, primed it, sealed it with a spatula with a TsPS with PVA, left it overnight, the next day I scraped off the excess with a spatula and decided to sweep this excess (dust) so with a broom all the TsPS from the cracks and swept out. As a result, everything was re-sealed with cement + sand (1: 2) + a little PVA - it turned out well. I think tile adhesive is also good for this purpose. IMHO

Despite the strength and durability of concrete floors, even they need regular maintenance. Violations of the technology of laying such a floor, the features of its operation, improper maintenance can lead to problems in the form of cracks, chips, potholes, swelling and other surface defects. Repair of concrete floors allows you to return the coating to its original appearance and high performance. In some cases, repairs can be done by hand, and to eliminate complex defects, you will need to involve specialists.

Causes of concrete floor defects

Even if the concrete floor laying technology was strictly observed, cracks and other defects may appear on the surface. Among the main reasons leading to problems with concrete floors, the following can be listed:

The destructive effect of the soil base can lead to swelling and unevenness of the surface of the concrete floor. At the same time, the front layer of the floor remains absolutely smooth and without cracks. Its unevenness can be caused by swelling of the soil during the cold season in a warehouse without heating, shrinkage of the structure, exposure to groundwater, or insufficient tamping of the base during the flooring process.
Cracks in the floor surface can be caused by improper care of the concrete surface immediately after it is laid. Internal factors cause shrinkage of the floor and delamination of the top layer. As a result, the floor begins to crumble, potholes and chips form on it.
The negative influence of external factors leads to "dusting" of the surface. Due to significant regular loads on the floor from heavy objects and vehicles, potholes can occur.

Types of repair of concrete floors

The concrete floor repair technology involves four types of work:

Repair of small surface defects resulting from the removal of markers, formwork removal, due to traffic. These include small cracks, bulges, potholes on the top layer of the floor.
Repair of deep surface damage. In the course of the work, deep deformation and shrinkage holes and cracks will have to be repaired, and chips will be eliminated.
A major overhaul of a concrete surface is done if it is planned to polish the front layer, lay a new floor covering, or perform waterproofing and floor insulation in a warehouse or other room.
Dedusting. If the floor began to crumble and dust, it is necessary to carry out repair work to dedust the floor.

Important: after repair work, except for dust removal, the floor cannot be used for three weeks. During this time, the concrete will fully set and gain the desired strength. At the same time, during the first week, the surface of the repaired floor should be regularly moistened with water to prevent shrinkage and cracking.