How to seal the gaps in the wooden floor
There is a fairly large number of materials that can be used as a floor covering, and one of the most common and familiar among them is wood. Its indispensable qualities such as naturalness, ease of processing and aesthetic appearance are appreciated by many people. However, during operation or with errors in the installation, between individual floor boards can and most likely will appear gaps of different widths. And although this circumstance is sad, it is a payment for the use of natural material. However, the situation is not hopeless, and the repair of cracks in the floor is a task that is quite feasible even on its own. And there are several options for how to do this.
Wooden slats
Speaking about how you can seal the cracks in the wooden floor, it should be noted that the choice of the method should be made based on the width of the cracks, and their number. If there are several fairly large cracks, a width of more than a centimeter, then it is best to close them with wooden slats. Carrying out these works can be divided into several stages.
- Training. At this stage, it is necessary to remove all the furniture from the room and remove other decorative elements, such as carpets or floor lamps, that is, to free up space as much as possible. If there is no possibility or desire to carry the furniture, then you can simply move it to one side of the room, and after working in the first half, move the furniture to it. And also need to carry out dry and wet cleaning the floor.
- Installation. At the installation stage, you need to first align the edges of the slots and widen them somewhat. For these purposes, you can use an electric saw with a disc on the tree. You can use jigsaw for the same purpose. After that, you need to prepare suitable for the size of wooden slats. Further, the edges of the slot and the outer sides of the rails need to be treated with wood glue, then, using a wooden or rubber mallet, hammer the rail into the slot. With proper selection of rails, the gap will disappear completely.
- Final processing. After the slats are clogged, they must be trimmed to the same level as the floor, and also ground with the help of a skin.
Use of ductile materials
Choosing, than to close up the cracks in the wooden floor, it is impossible to ignore the various plastic materials. Among them are several.
Silicon
This material is well suited for sealing gaps in the floor, having a small width. On the market are presented as transparent and painted versions. Silicone glue is applied using a special mounting gun operating on the principle of a syringe. The composition is simply squeezed into the slot and fills it. After the gaps are filled, the composition should be left to its full polymerization, which will be about a day.
Sawdust
В случае же, если нет желания переплачивать, пусть и за качественный материал, можно изготовить смесь для того, чтобы замазать щель в полу самостоятельно. Для этого потребуется какое-то количество древесных опилок. Sawdust необходимо залить горячей водой, равномерно перемешать и оставить до набухания. Как только опилки пропитаются водой в них нужно добавить некоторое количество клея. Клей нужно добавлять до момента, когда смесь будет готова. Заметить момент готовности состава к применению можно по прилипанию его к инструменту, которым производится перемешивание. Полученным составом заполняют все щели в полу. После чего необходимо дать смеси застыть. Для этого может потребоваться от нескольких часов до суток. После застывания, швы необходимо обработать шлифовальной машиной.
Papier mache
The mixture for filling the gaps will be made on the same principle as the material used to make children's masks and similar items. In order to make it, you need to add starch and flour to hot water, mix thoroughly and bring to a boil. As soon as the components turn into a homogeneous mass, the mixture must be cooled, and the excess water must be drained beforehand. While the first component of the composition will cool, you can do the preparation of the second. To do this, small pieces of paper (you can use newspapers) need to fill with water and leave to swell. As soon as the components are ready, they need to be mixed to obtain a homogeneous mass. For greater strength of the composition you can add a certain amount of wood glue.
Plywood
As one of the most radical methods of eliminating gaps in the floor, is the installation of plywood. Thus there is a complete overlap of all the cracks, regardless of their width and location. In order to carry out this type of work, you do not need to have any special knowledge or skills. It is enough to measure the surface area of the floor. Plywood sheets are simply laid on the floor surface and fixed with screws on the wood. If the need arises to give the plywood sheet the desired shape, then you should know that it is most convenient to do this with an electric jigsaw, but for lack of it, an ordinary hacksaw is also suitable. The use of this method elevates the surface of the floor somewhat, it must be taken into account, especially if the room has a small height.
Polyurethane foam
It should be noted separately that in the case where there is a gap between the wall and the floor, you can use mounting foam to save time. It is easy to use, has excellent insulating properties. The only negative is the low mechanical strength and not quite aesthetic appearance. But as a rule, minimum loads fall into place along the walls, and you can use (if you don’t say, need) plinths for decoration, after which the foam is simply not visible.
Options for how to seal the gap in the wooden floor there is a considerable amount.
Video
This video demonstrates how to seal the gaps in the floor with a sealant: