How To Properly Create A Flat Floor Surface Using OSB Board

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Types of slabs
• Application area
• Benefits
• Right choice
• Laying on a concrete base
• Installation on logs
• OSB processing for finishing

New materials are constantly appearing on the market with which it is possible to level the concrete base. These include oriented strand board (OSB). It has become a complete replacement for plywood or chipboard. OSB boards also have excellent thermal insulation qualities, which brings them to a leading position. In this case, you need to know how to properly level the floor with the help and what are the subtleties in the work.

Types of slabs

OSB boards are presented in the form of layers of glued wood chips, which, moreover, are still very strongly compressed. Usually everything is done in three layers. Chips are located inside perpendicularly, and along the outer layers - along the entire slab. The following main types of OSB boards are distinguished:

1. OSB-2. They differ in a low level of moisture resistance, which indicates their use exclusively inside a building in rooms with a low level of humidity.
2. OSB-3. You can call it a versatile material. Looks great and performs its functions, both indoors and outdoors, despite the level of humidity. Strength and other characteristics allow it to be used in any direction of construction. They withstand external loads from the arrangement of furniture, a constant flow of people, etc.

3. OSB-4. In addition to excellent moisture resistance, the board also has a high degree of strength. With their help, supporting structures are arranged, including in rooms where moisture is constantly present.

   

As for the thickness of the slab itself, much depends on the purpose of use. If it is necessary to get rid of minor defects in the floor surface, then 10 mm will be enough, but significant potholes - 10-15 mm. An even greater thickness will be required for the installation of the floor on the logs. In this case, it is already necessary to choose a layer of 20-25 mm.

Application area

When laying OSB on the floor is used, it should be understood for what purpose this is all done. There are main areas where this material is used:

• Use as a floor finish. In addition, you can make a rough version of the floor on the logs.
• Leveling the surface. After laying such material on a concrete or wood base, you can easily start laying flooring of any kind.
• Noise isolation. OSB board is able to absorb almost any kind of noise.

• Thermal insulation. The material is based on 90% wood chips, that is, a natural component. This indicates the high properties of thermal insulation. Heat does not leave the room, and besides, it is perfectly kept at the required level.

  

At the same time, it is worth paying attention to the fact that there are enough technologies, thanks to which you can fully perform laying on various bases.

Benefits

Any room can be brought to an ideal state if you use a plate in OSB work. In some cases, you do not even have to make the subsequent finishing of the sub floor. There are other weighty arguments in favor of choosing this material:

1. Convenience. The size of one slab is such that it can cover a large area in the room. In this case, the logs can be located at a distance of about 56 cm from each other. This, in turn, allows you to place the selected insulation option between the logs.
2. Simplicity. The work can be done on your own, even without the use of expensive equipment and tools. Only a minimum of knowledge in the construction field is required.
3. Acceptable cost. If you compare with other similar materials, then OSB on a concrete floor will cost a little less.

4. Reliability. After fixing with fasteners, the plate remains firmly and securely in this place. In addition, the fasteners perfectly dig into the structure and do not loosen during operation. Even over time, the shape and thickness remain the same, which allows it to withstand significant loads.

   

Right choice

Due to the huge range of products on the market, it is very difficult to choose a specific option for the job. In order to lay smallpox on the floor to be of high quality, you should adhere to certain tips regarding the choice.

• Preference should be given to European and Canadian manufacturers. It is they who occupy the leading positions in quality in the market.

  

  Here, the production technology is fully observed, adhering to all requirements.
• In stores, you can most often find OSB-3, which is perfect for installing and leveling floors. The result is a robust and durable construction with a high degree of moisture protection.
• Depending on the purpose (concrete floor, wood, on logs), the appropriate thickness of the material for work is also selected.

• The standards in the sizes of OSB boards are 2.44 * 1.22 meters. The number of products for repairing the base will be calculated, paying attention to the area of the entire room, the order of their location relative to each other. The slabs can be cut with a circular saw. Even so, how quickly the floor can be leveled.

  

In work, it is best to refuse to use a jigsaw for cutting, for the reason that the side surface very rarely remains even.

Laying on a concrete base

If it is necessary to level the floor with an OSB slab, you should carefully prepare the bases for work. Close up all possible cracks and potholes, get rid of defects as much as possible. There should be no rubbish. After all, the assembly adhesive must have excellent adhesion to the substrate. It will not be superfluous to cover the concrete floor with a primer to create a dense film on the surface. During operation, this will save the screed from dusting.

The next steps are to lay out the sheets over the entire surface in the room. Slabs should be cut to size along walls and other structures. The seamy side of the boards is covered with parquet glue based on rubber. To apply the adhesive evenly across the entire width of the material, a notched trowel is used. After that, the sheets are glued to the concrete floor.

For the reliability of the entire structure, the OSB board is fixed with hammer-in dowels. To make everything strong here, the fasteners are located at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other. An exception here is a flat floor and a dry room, when there will be enough dowels only at the corners of each of the plates.

An expansion joint of about 3 mm must remain between the boards. A seam is also maintained between the wall, but slightly more - 12 mm. These gaps will help to compensate for the expansion of the boards under the influence of temperature changes and changes in humidity. No blistering of the entire structure will occur during use.

The final stage is cleaning the surface from dust and debris. Those that have seams along the wall in the room are sealed with polyurethane foam. The whole "cake" will dry in about 3-4 hours. More accurate data are displayed on the instructions from the manufacturer. If excess foam is present, cut it off with a sharp knife. In the future, you can carry out work on finishing and flooring.

Installation on logs

You do not need to use leveling screeds to create a flat surface in the room if you buy OSB plates. Time is saved due to the fact that the solution for leveling the floor with your own hands is not prepared. This reduces the overall repair costs to some extent.

In this case, you will have to perform the installation of the lag. In addition, materials can be placed in the created structure to improve the protective functions against moisture, excessive sound and noise, as well as to increase the thermal insulation qualities. In addition, floor leveling takes place here quickly and in the shortest possible time.

The fastening of the lag to the concrete base is carried out using anchors or dowels. Depending on the thickness of the purchased OSB board, the distance between the lags will be determined. The thicker the wider the distance. With a step of 40 cm, a slab with a thickness of about 15-18 mm should be available. If the distance between the lags is more than 60 cm, then the material itself must have a thickness of at least 22 mm. This is provided by the OSB floor leveling technology.

After the device of such a structure, a space will be obtained inside that can be filled with various materials. This is mainly isolation. For the first cold floors, a heat insulator in the form of mineral wool or foam is perfect, and in the presence of a damp basement, vapor barrier films or membranes.

The location of the plates should be across the log. We must not forget about expansion joints, which should be determined in the middle of the lag. Gaps are set not only between different slabs, but also along the wall in the room. The sheets used can be attached to the joists with nails or self-tapping screws. True, nails are best chosen spiral or ring. Along the perimeter of the sheets, a fastener pitch of 15 mm should be maintained, and on intermediate supports - 30 mm. When using nails, measure about 10 mm from the edge of the board. As for the size of the fasteners, the length should be approximately 2.5 times greater than the thickness of the used OSB sheet. In this case, leveling the concrete floor with your own hands will turn out at the highest level.

OSB processing for finishing

When the answer is received on how to level the OSB floor, you can think about finishing. Processing must take place in strict accordance with technology. The easiest option is to cover the existing sheets with varnish, set them along the perimeter along the walls of the baseboard and enjoy the natural look of the material. But still, in most cases, when they think about how to level the concrete floor with their own hands, subsequently they perform the flooring. The processing feature depends on the type of coating, as well as the desired result.

1. Ceramic tiles on the floor. The base structure should not move, move. This is more true for the floor on the logs. The surface should be sanded with a wire brush or sandpaper. The work uses only special glue capable of connecting wood and ceramics. Only in this case, excellent alignment will be obtained, followed by tiling.
2. Fine finishing. As mentioned earlier, the surface is not covered with anything. But at the same time, you should think about carefully protecting the plates from external influences. For this, several layers of varnish or other special means are applied on the upper part. They will create a barrier against wear and tear. Special components in the composition of the covering elements prevent the appearance of various insects, especially the bark beetle.
3. Laminate is a durable and tough material. It can also be used to cover the OSB leveling layer. In addition, the laminate has special fasteners that allow you to forget about many other requirements for the base of the floor. As a result, you should get a flat surface. The interior will not only be beautiful, but also durable.
4. Linoleum. There is also an alternative to this floor covering - carpet. There is a very important requirement for their flooring - the base of the floor must be perfectly flat. Otherwise, over time, you can face serious defects. In addition to operational characteristics, differences in height will negate the appearance and attractiveness. Stepping on such a surface, it will be possible to feel every defect (cracks, crevices, gaps, bulges, screws, etc.). One level will allow you to get the looping process, which will need to be done before installing the flooring.

The use of OSB boards for leveling the subfloor in any room allows you to get a flat surface on which almost any type of flooring can be laid in the future. Compliance with technology will lead to a positive result. The main thing is to correctly choose a specific type of plate for work and follow the instructions.

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