How to fix wood slabs - with nails or self-tapping screws?
At the parents in a private house in one room several boards fell into disrepair. Mice began to penetrate through the holes during the onset of cold weather. I want to lay a wood slab over a leaky floor. Thus, I plan to kill two birds with one stone: get rid of mice and insulate the floor. In general, the room in which I will perform the work is dry, and there was never damp. My question is as follows: why is it better to fix the wood slab with nails or self-tapping screws?
Hello! It’s not entirely clear what you mean by raising a “wood slab”. We dare to assume that this is a wood-particle board, which we all know as chipboard. As for its installation, there is only one answer here - screws.
What is chipboard?
In general, you have chosen quite rightly the flooring from particleboard in your situation. This material is produced by hot pressing. The technology involves dried wood chips (shavings), as well as substances through which the sawdust is bonded together. Synthetic resins are used as such compounds:
- phenol formaldehyde;
- formaldehyde.
It is the resins that give the plate high strength and durability, and for this reason it is great for flooring.
Note! Particleboard is not characterized by such disadvantages of natural wood as knots or internal voids.
Why fasten with screws?
Thanks to the special structure, DPS holds screws well. Just this quality of this material is appreciated by furniture makers, using similar plates for the manufacture of office furniture. She also behaves perfectly when arranging floors. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the load that they will have to withstand. You can choose between two structural solutions:
- Lay a chipboard plate with a thickness of 20 mm.
- Lay two slabs thinner, for example, 12 mm thick, but arrange them so that the seams are overlapped relative to each other.
During installation, it is desirable to apply glue. Naturally, the fastening itself with the help of screws will give the necessary strength to the floor cake, but the glue will 100% eliminate the risk of creaking during operation.
