The home flooring market is replete with a variety of materials. Wood has been and remains one of the most popular options. Its environmental friendliness and operating features make it so flooring among the most popular materials.

The thickness of floorboards and their main characteristics deserve detailed consideration. This will allow you to properly install high-quality flooring. It will serve its owners for many years.

General concept of the material

When studying the question of what thickness should be used when building or renovating a home, you should understand the basic characteristics of the material. This is a profile element of the flooring made of wood. It looks like a milled part. It is made from solid wood or several thin layers, connected using special technology. This material differs from parquet in the significant dimensions of its elements.

Their shape after processing has adhesion elements (phases and ridge). If you want to fill your home with the beauty and natural subtle aroma of wood, you should give preference to this type of flooring. A number of its advantages make the material in demand.

Properties

The thickness of which is acceptable for furnishing a living space has a number of features. When choosing, you should pay attention to the quality of the material. The wood must not have any defects. Knots, irregularities, and resin pockets are not acceptable on the board. Cracks or blackening are also unacceptable.

The floorboard is a natural material, not causing allergies and irritation. Oak, pine, ash or larch are best suited for such purposes. These varieties have sufficient hardness. Less commonly used are softer walnuts and aspen. But poplar or linden are absolutely not suitable for flooring.

Advantages

Correctly selected thickness of floorboards gives this type of coating a number of advantages. In addition to environmental friendliness and aesthetic beauty, it is worth noting good thermal insulation characteristics.

This is a “warm” coating. It is comfortable to stand on bare feet at room temperature indoors. This material is also durable and strong. Correctly selected one is not afraid of mechanical influences. Therefore, the boards have a long service life.

The material has a beneficial effect on human health. Allergy sufferers can choose it. People suffering from respiratory diseases benefit from breathing air containing esters released by wood.

This material is known for its ability to purify the air from various pathogens. Therefore, it is also a hygienic type of coating.

Flaws

Delving deeper into the question of how thick a floorboard should be, one should take into account a number of its disadvantages. The material is subject to many external influences. He is afraid of high humidity. In such conditions, deformations, cracks, and fungus may develop. Also, significant temperature changes lead to changes in the dimensions of the coating elements. Because of this, creaks may appear and gaps may appear between the boards. If the wood from which the covering elements were made was not processed correctly, the moisture content of the material will meet construction requirements.

Therefore, you should purchase material only from a high-quality, trusted manufacturer. Wood that is not strong enough will quickly become covered with scratches, dents, and stains.

Board size

Important in the selection process are the dimensions of the floorboard. Dimensions (thickness, width and length) are selected depending on existing conditions. The reliability and durability of the coating depends on these parameters.

To choose the right thickness of the boards, it is necessary to take into account If each such structural element is located at least 70 cm from its neighbors, preference should be given to thick boards (35 or 40 mm). This coating can withstand significant loads. The width of each board is also very important. This parameter is selected in accordance with the design of the room.

Floorboard thickness in panel houses, private cottages depends on operating conditions. Experts advise not to purchase products thinner than 22 mm. If the thickness does not exceed this level, the board can only be used for cladding walls and ceilings.

Experts advise that before purchasing such a covering, take into account the load that will be placed on the floor. If there will be heavy furniture in the room and a lot of people walking around, you should purchase thick boards.

The most commonly used size for such products is 30-35 mm. This is the optimal value. They are very suitable for those in which an average amount of distortion and knots is allowed.

For finishing, it is important to purchase boards with a minimum number of defects. The bottom layer (rough) should be thicker than the top (decorative).

Production technology

A modern floorboard, the thickness of which is selected in accordance with the listed parameters, can be manufactured in several ways. Flooring elements can be solid or spliced. Each variety has its own advantages and disadvantages. A jointed board is made by gluing two or more pieces of wood together. For this variety you need to give preference to thick products. They are less durable than solid boards.

However, such products have a significant advantage. This production technology allows us to produce boards without knots or irregularities. They are smoother and more suitable for finishing a finished floor.

Solid arrays are more durable. Their thickness may be less than that of spliced ​​varieties. But sometimes they contain knots and small deformations.

Affordable and high-quality boards

When deciding what thickness of floorboard will be optimal for a room, you cannot ignore the cost of the material. It depends on many parameters. The thicker the flooring elements, the more expensive the installation will be. Therefore you should purchase suitable variety material.

When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the moisture content of the wood. Its level should be no more than 14%. If this indicator is high, the material will deform over time. There is no need to skimp on this feature. Resinous wood species (pine, spruce) have good resistance to such negative phenomena. They are affordable. Therefore, the presented breeds are ideal for flooring.

Oak and ash are also resistant to changes in temperature and humidity. This is a durable, mechanically resistant wood. But their cost is more expensive than previous varieties of material.

How to correctly calculate the quantity

The thickness of the floorboards is taken into account when calculating the amount of material upon purchase. In this case, the coating is sold in cubic meters. Some manufacturers package boards with markings in square meters.

In both approaches, it is important to pay attention to what area the seller takes into account when selling. Unscrupulous sellers may count the board along with its fasteners. For example, work surface product is 36 by 135 mm. But together with the grooves, the same part will have dimensions of 37 by 141 mm. If such floor boards are sold by the cubic meter, then this figure reaches unreasonably high value 41 by 149 mm.

In this case, the buyer overpays a significant amount. It happens that the seller generally rounds up the dimensions of the floor covering elements. The cost of the floor is much more than what the manufacturer envisaged. To avoid deception, you should pay attention to the actual size of the flooring elements. It is better to check the actual size using a ruler yourself.

Having familiarized yourself with such characteristics as the thickness of the floorboards, you can choose the optimal covering elements in all respects. This guarantees the quality and durability of the floor material. The correctly selected thickness of each coating element will lead to the correct distribution of the load. By checking the quality of materials when purchasing, as well as paying attention to other nuances, you can purchase truly high-quality boards.

Choosing a floorboard is a process that should be taken seriously. When purchasing a rough or fine coating, you should take into account a number of necessary characteristics: quality, type of wood and dimensions of the board. The service life of the floor depends on how well the material is selected. After all, it bears the main mechanical load.

There are several parameters by which to choose wood covering. The dimensions of the floorboard are not the last thing to choose. This characteristic depends on the following factors:

• place of use (residential premises, outbuildings, street, verandas);
• what kind of coating it is (rough or finishing);
• load on the planned floor layer.

The length is selected based on the parameters of the premises so that there is a minimum number of joints and waste. Fortunately, the building materials market allows this to be done. Existing size range– 2, 3, 4, 6 m.

The choice of floorboard thickness depends on the intensity of use and the distance between the joists. The higher it is, the thicker the board will be required. For example, if the distance is up to 700 mm, then it is better to choose a board thickness of 35–40 mm, above this size – 40–50 mm.

The width of the board is selected taking into account the design idea. Large canvases are more susceptible to shrinkage, which will subsequently affect the quality of the floor covering. Types of sizes from 85 mm to 140 mm.

The most popular board size: length – 2–3 m, width – 105 mm, thickness – 20-35 mm.

Which board is best for the floor?

Building and renovating a home is not a cheap project. That's why " Which board is best to use for the floor?» – current question. Correct selection material will significantly save money without losing the quality of the floor:

1. For roughing, slabs and unedged blades are used. Quality, low price. Use for subfloor edged board should be done if it is planned to have a finishing coating that requires a flat base (laminate, parquet, linoleum). Coniferous rough board is the most popular type. It has sufficient strength at a low price.
2. Deciduous tree species such as linden and aspen are used for the bath. These coatings are resistant to high temperatures And high humidity, will not release resin when heated. Make a floor in a bathhouse from untreated material - big mistake(this is fraught with splinters during operation). The presence of resin will cause burns.
3. For homes and apartments, the finishing floor covering is made from different breeds trees. The choice depends on financial capabilities and stylistic decisions. Coniferous fabrics are often used. But there is also a place for expensive tree species: larch, oak, cedar. It all depends on the planned design, load, and intensity of walking. The board used is processed. Best option– . This material forms a smooth, durable coating. By inside ventilation grooves must be made. This allows the flooring to “breathe” regardless of the base.
4. Larch and oak are used on the open veranda. These materials have high strength data and are also not susceptible to rotting or fungus formation. For open verandas The board goes on the floor, corrugated. This coating does not allow moisture to accumulate; it flows down the grooves. This terrace floor has a pleasant roughness. in winter corrugated surface made of larch will prevent you from slipping.

Which board is best to use for the floor depends on each specific case. But correctly selected material for one or another environment, microclimate, type of room will help save money on further work for rework. You should pay attention to the level of drying of the planks. This will prevent gaps from forming after shrinkage.

Video: Choosing a floorboard

Having decided to use natural material under the finishing coating, you should study its properties. This will help to do right choice in favor of a certain type of wood. Which will best suit your needs technical specifications. The following species are used for wooden floors.

Conifers (pine, spruce, fir). Optimal price-quality ratio. The canvases contain natural resins, which are natural antiseptics. This means the floor will be less susceptible to rotting and fungus. Another important property is good vapor permeability. It allows coniferous floors to maintain normal moisture levels in the room. The floor made of pine and spruce boards releases ethereal odors into the microclimate of the room, which have a beneficial effect on health. Another representative of the coniferous species began to appear on the building materials market - fir. This material contains a smaller amount of resins, which means additional treatment with antiseptic protective agents will be required.

Oak. The nobility, durability, and unique texture of this breed are difficult to dispute. But the price for such material is quite high. If we consider the service life of cheaper species and oak, then the cost becomes quite affordable. To the positive characteristics you can add resistance to moisture. Oak becomes even stronger under the influence of water. Not susceptible to rotting, the formation of fungus, mold, has wide range textures and low thermal conductivity. Oak also has good sound insulation.

Siberian larch. According to the main characteristics, this material is close to oak.

Has the same properties:

• durability;
• not susceptible to rotting, mold, mildew;
• maintains an optimal microclimate, releases antiseptic essential elements;
• good thermal conductivity, sound insulation properties, resists direct exposure to moisture;
• high strength data.

Along with the listed advantages, this material has 12 different shades.

Alder, aspen. These types of wood do not have particular strength or durability. But when heated, tannins are released into the indoor microclimate, which have a positive effect on health. This natural floorboard is used for finishing baths and saunas. Alder has found its place in the decoration of children's bedrooms. Where there is no intensive walking, but family members stay for a long time.

Cedar, linden. The first option is very expensive. But this cost is due healing properties, unique texture, strength, resistance to moisture. Cedar contains essential oils, which have a beneficial effect on the microclimate of the home and health. If the budget allows, then this flooring will greatly delight the family. for a long time. Linden is considered available material. Has healing properties, soft texture, low thermal conductivity, has a flavoring effect. Disadvantage: susceptible to rot and fungus formation. Requires antiseptic impregnation.

What boards are needed is determined by the budget and technical specifications. You can use exotic materials, but how relevant is this due to price?

There are four types of wood:

1. Extra class;

Extra class is mainly used for finishing coatings. The canvases have no visible defects, practically no knots, and have a uniform shade.

Class A, B have found their application as finishing coatings. The presence of knots and resin pockets is determined; there may be cracks, but not through ones.

Class C is usually used as a roughing board. The canvases have visible defects that cannot be corrected mechanically.

Laying floorboards on joists

This process can be broken down into several stages:

1. Installation of logs;
2. , insulation of the underground space;
3. Installation of the finishing coating.

Wooden coverings will require a device ventilation holes(outlet). At the first stage, it is important to determine the distance between the lags. It is better if it is 600 mm. The logs are laid across the length of the boards. It will be easier to lay the floor if the timber is laid out level.

The second stage allows you to organize additional thermal insulation and protection from moisture.

The third stage is the most important. Laying the floor begins with a gap of 10 mm from the walls. Natural floorboards have high plasticity and mobility. The first board is laid tongue-and-groove against the wall and secured with self-tapping screws with a flat head with a recess. The second panel is inserted into the groove of the previous one and fixed. If you have to lay boards on joists in two rows along the length of the canvas, then it is recommended to make an offset. This technology of work will give the finishing additional strength. After installation, a plinth is installed that will cover the technical holes between the boards and the wall.

Video: The process of laying floorboards with your own hands

Conclusion

The modern building materials market makes it possible to purchase any wooden floor covering. But not everyone can choose the right species, type, size of panels, class of wood and make high-quality installation. And the service life and quality of the floor depend on this. If you don’t have confidence in your abilities, it’s better to hire professionals to do the flooring.

Video: Tips for laying floorboards

Environmental friendliness, sound insulation, thermal insulation - this is what they choose when they decide to lay a floor from boards. When choosing a floorboard, you need to consider the following:

• board design;
• lock connections;
• manufacturing material.

Which board is best to use for the floor?

Oak boards do not rot and are suitable for rooms with high humidity. With additional treatment with stain, such boards will last a very long time. In addition to oak, boards made of ash, bog oak and teak have good performance properties. So what kind of boards are needed for the floor?

First of all, well fitted, their design must be perfect. There should be no chips, cracks, or discontinuities on the surface of the floorboard. Coniferous species - from pine, fir, spruce - this budget option. Due to its low cost, the board is widely used for all types of premises. But these types of wood are quite soft. Therefore, any dent on pine floor will appear immediately and remain forever. The thickness of the floorboard is usually measured 2-4 cm, width - 6 - 20 cm, the length can be any, depending on the room, starting from 3 meters. Ash boards are quite expensive, but their strength is comparable to oak. It is durable, strong, attractive material for finishing the floor.

There are several ways to create a wooden floor with your own hands. Suitable option always choose taking into account the purpose of the room, the load on the wood, and the size of the room. You need to lay plank floors on a frame of joists and beams. Manufacturers offer two types of boards:

• tongue and groove;
• ordinary.

The tongue and groove floorboard is equipped with mounting chamfers, grooves and ridges. Such boards are easy to lay, no need to worry about how to fasten them floorboard additionally. Single-layer floors are laid directly on the joists, while double-layer floors are mounted on plywood or wood boards. Following the advice of professionals, lay the board away from the wall correctly, leaving a one and a half centimeter gap for the baseboard. The first board must be fixed with wedges in order to then firmly fix all the other boards step by step. Each subsequent board is secured with a clamp, screws, and nails. Installation of floorboards can also be done on old wooden floor, but you need to make sure that it is able to withstand such loads, is not subject to rotting, and its ventilation is ensured at the proper level. If all these parameters are normal, then you can lay a new plank floor on top of the old one, but the boards should be laid in the same direction as the old boards.

Laying along walls is called deck laying. After laying the floor, the boards are sanded, primed, painted or coated with varnish or stain. All compounds are applied parallel to the wood fibers. You can walk on the new floor covering within a day, and it is recommended to bring furniture into the room at least after a week. The floor needs to be well ventilated. On ground floor wooden floor waterproofing and installation of insulation is required.

First of all, determine the area of ​​the room in square meters. The number of boards required for the floor will depend on the size of the board. The covering area can be divided by the width of the floorboard: this will give the total amount linear meters. Then the total number of meters is divided by the length of one board: the required number of boards is obtained. Internet resources offer online calculators and cube tables for floorboards.

Repair is a general concept. Even the stage of replacing a finished plank floor is specific, determined by the purpose of the room in which the work is being carried out. A competent approach involves, first of all, optimal choice type of wood, thickness and width of samples used when installing the flooring. This article will help the reader understand the main sizes of floorboards supplied to the market by manufacturers.

For those who are not well versed in the varieties of similar materials, it should be explained that parquet boards, so popular in the private sector, and flooring are not the same thing. The first is a multilayer product, obtained by gluing individual fragments. The second is products made from solid wood, and no “chemistry” in the form of special adhesives.

The data is indicative, the most common. But you need to take into account that manufacturers can supply samples with other parameters to the market.

• Length L (m): 3 – 6.
• Width m (cm): 8 – 13.5.
• Thickness h (mm): 28 – 40, with gradation of 2 mm.

Sales statistics show that floorboards with a width of 100 and a thickness of 35 (mm) are in greatest demand among the population. According to reviews from owners of private houses and apartments, it is these boards that are convenient to lay everywhere, without regard to the dimensions and configuration of the room. And what is important, a floorboard with these (or close to them) dimensions fits well into any room design.

Breed

• The best types of wood for flooring are ash, oak, pine and larch. It is advisable to install the latter in rooms characterized by increased, and even excess humidity. This wood, when absorbing liquid, acquires additional strength, therefore, you don’t have to worry about the reliability and durability of floors in damp rooms. By the way, that's why experienced craftsmen This rock is used to lay the lower crown of a log house.
• Undesirable wood for floorboards is linden, poplar, spruce.
• “Intermediate” option – aspen, alder, walnut. The reason for their limited use is insufficient strength. If the floor covering will experience increased load during operation (heavy furniture, massive household appliances), then it is better to refuse laying boards from these types of wood. Or you will have to install logs at insignificant intervals, which will lead to increased costs for floor repairs.

Calculator for calculating the quantity and volume of lumber

Other board sizes

Length

In addition to the specified limit parameters (3 and 6), floorboards can be either 4 or 4.5 m long. When choosing products, you should consider some points.

• If a composite floorboard is installed, then the number of joints between individual (short) boards increases. For residential premises, as a rule, 2 samples are used. Consequently, you will have to deal with sealing many cracks. But there is also a plus in this solution - in case of “spot” damage to the flooring, replacing 1 small floorboard is much easier than replacing a long one. This is especially true for rooms densely packed with furniture. household appliances and the like.
• It is much more difficult to transport boards 4.5 and 6 m long to the site. Moreover, if it country house or country house building. The narrowness of the lanes in such areas and the need to make turns are unlikely to allow a car with a trailer to reach its destination. Therefore, the optimal length of a floorboard purchased for a private building can be considered 3 m.

Thickness (mm)

It's short here. For residential and utility rooms in a house or apartment - at least 30. If the flooring is laid in lung buildings type (small shed, veranda on the site, etc.), then you can reduce it to 15. This is with a standard interval between logs of 50 cm. More detailed data are given in the table.

All other recommendations - appearance floorboards, the number of knots per 1 running meter, the condition of the grooves and protrusions and a number of other points are a separate topic, so before going to the construction/materials market you should familiarize yourself with all the nuances of choosing products, depending on the specifics of its use.

The choice of materials for installing and finishing the floor is quite wide. But only a plank floor combines both load-bearing and decorative qualities. The only exception is engineered flooring, which is a type of parquet. Not only the aesthetics of the future coating, but also its service life depends on how correctly the boards were selected, how they were prepared for laying, and on compliance with the flooring technology.

Optimal parameters for a quality board

Choosing floorboards is necessary based on several parameters. First of all, this is the design of the board itself. There are tongue and groove regular boards. Distinctive feature The first are the locking connections at the ends. That is, in the right end you will see a groove, and in the left a tenon of the same size. When laying boards, the tenon is inserted into the groove, which guarantees reliable connection and prevents cracks.

Regular or technical floor boards have straight ends and are laid end-to-end. Of course, the cost of tongue and groove boards is slightly higher. But a good wooden floor can last you a lifetime if used. So is it worth saving? You've probably seen a still strong wooden floor, the appearance of which is far from perfect: the center of the board sagged, the edges rose, and cracks appeared between the boards. This can only happen with an ungrooved board. The conclusion is that such material can only be used as a subfloor.

Important! The only exception to this rule is oak flooring. Due to the hardness of the wood, such boards do not “change” over time, and you can safely use non-grooved material.

The type of wood is the basis

Now we have come close to choosing the type of wood for your floor. Let's look at the most common ones:

• Oak– it is certainly expensive, but very beautiful and practical. Having spent money on such a board, you can be sure that you will not have to change the floor, and if proper care it will also serve your grandchildren. So, when deciding what boards you need for the floor in your home, think about whether you want to replace them after a couple of decades or are willing to pay once for quality.
• Siberian larch- also quite expensive wood. On average, its cost exceeds the price of pine by 2-3 times. However, due to the special hardness and high content Resin larch floors practically do not rot or wear off. It is great for damp areas or for homes where the owners do not live all year round.
• Alder and aspen– are not particularly durable, but have a number of other advantages. First of all, the enzymes secreted by these wood species have an excellent effect on human health, especially on children's bodies. So most often these breeds are produced in children's rooms and bedrooms, where the load on the coating is not great, and the healing abilities can manifest themselves most fully.
• The most common floor boards are made from coniferous species wood – fir, spruce, pine. For residential premises where it is not customary to wear street shoes, this flooring is quite suitable. We can say that this is the most budget option. Having chosen pine lumber, give preference to tongue and groove boards. Only in this case can you count on the fact that in a few years your floor will not go in waves.

Wood moisture content

The wood must be well dried. Otherwise, having made a floor from boards with your own hands, after just a couple of weeks you may be surprised to find that some of its fragments have been twisted with a “screw”, so much so that the screws have been torn out of the floor. Naturally, such a floor will have to be redone, and this additional costs time, effort and money. Optimal humidity floorboard - 8-10%, maximum - 12%.

Board thickness

The thickness of the floorboard also depends on the type of wood chosen. Yes, you can use oak boards thickness from 20 mm. For pine, the ideal thickness is 40 mm. The tongue and groove board is produced according to slightly different standards. Its thickness ranges from 28 to 36 mm. When choosing, you need to proceed from how large the load on the floor is planned: the greater the load, the thicker the board is needed.

Using a tongue and groove board will allow you to be sure that the floor will not “lead” in a few years

Board width

Few people know that the durability of a wooden floor largely depends on the width of the board. This is especially true for non-grooved material. The width, in turn, is selected depending on the moisture content of the wood: than more humidity– those already need to take the board. The optimal width is considered to be 100mm, but if you are sure that the wood is properly dried, you can use a board 180-200mm wide.

Acclimatization stage

Before making a floor from planks, you need to let the material get used to the temperature and humidity of the room. To do this, just fold it in the room and leave it for several days.

Important! In order to save money, sometimes floors are installed from boards with high humidity - up to 20%. In this case, it is recommended to lay them immediately after delivery, without acclimatization. However, this option is very risky. It is difficult to predict how the board will behave when drying.

What should the foundation be?

The base for a plank floor can be almost anything. The main thing is that it is strong enough to withstand the additional load. These could be:

• concrete floors;
• logs;
• interfloor floor beams;
• old wooden floor;
• plywood base on screed.

Methods for attaching boards to the base

The method of fastening the boards depends on their type. So, a non-grooved board is attached to the joists with nails or screws at an angle of 90 degrees to the base.

Fastening the tongue-and-groove board with screws through a tenon allows you to leave the floor surface absolutely smooth

The tongue and groove board can be fastened in the same way, or it can be laid, hiding the screws. The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• We attach the first board through the front surface at a distance of 7-10 mm from the wall with a groove towards it.
• In the next board, from the tenon side, we drill a hole at an angle of 45-50 degrees.
• We install the second board so that the tenon and groove coincide, leaving no gap between the boards. To do this, you can gently hit the end of the board several times with a hammer through a wooden block.
• When the board is in place, screw it with self-tapping screws through the prepared hole.
• We also attach the last board through the front surface.

Important! If the board width is more than 140 mm, it is advisable to additionally fasten it in the middle, recessing the head of the screw into the array and closing the hole with a dowel.

That's all. The floor is ready. All that remains is to apply protective coating and you can use a beautiful, durable and environmentally friendly floor for many years.