Floor repair in Khrushchev: what can be done with the old base?

Small-sized apartments in brick five-story buildings and panel houses built in the middle of the last century are popularly called "Khrushchevs". Housing that has served for more than half a century, of course, needs repair. One of the important and mandatory stages of work is the repair of the floor in Khrushchev, which is carried out in various ways. Based on the real state of the old floor, the most acceptable option is selected. In some cases, the problem is solved radically by partially or completely replacing the old coating.

Minor boardwalk repair

There are many ways to improve the quality of an old wooden floor in Khrushchev. Let's consider some of them.

Filling cracks putty

Wooden boards dry out over time, resulting in the formation of cracks and crevices. Such defects not only worsen the appearance of the flooring, but also complicate its maintenance. You can get rid of small cracks using putty, which fill the space between the parted floorboards. However, this method is effective with a slit width not exceeding 5 mm.

Sealing of cracks in floorboards with putty

If the gap is greater, then the putty will crack and crumble over time. Pieces of plywood of suitable thickness can be driven into larger slots. Prior to this, the gap is filled with putty.

Alternatively, seal the cracks with a sealant and grind

Additional fixing of boards

The unpleasant creak that occurs when walking on the old floor can be eliminated by additionally strengthening the boards to the lags. If this method does not solve the creaking floor problem, then you will have to raise the boards and check the condition of the lag. In the process of overwhelming the floor, you can also eliminate cracks by placing the boards as densely as possible to each other.

Complete sex change

Work begins with the dismantling of the skirting boards, after which the boards are successively lifted with the help of an ax or pull-out, removing the nails. Dismantled boards are marked so that they can be re-arranged in the same order. After checking the logs, lay the peeled old or new boards, fix them with screws.

If the old floor is springy, then during the repair process additional logs are laid, reducing the distance between them. Too thin floorboards can also cause the floor to swing. This deficiency is eliminated by replacing them.

Covering the old floor with plywood

Proper alignment of plywood, as a rule, allows you to get rid of significant differences in the level of the floor surface. With the help of plywood, you can easily update the floors, avoiding their dismantling. After all, this procedure is rather laborious and financially expensive.

The work is carried out according to the following algorithm:

tear off old baseboards with a nail clipper;
laying plywood sheets on the floor, the thickness of which is at least 6 mm;
make sure that a centimeter gap remains between the walls and plywood;
sheets of plywood are attached to the wooden floor with self-tapping screws with a countersunk head, while using a screwdriver; while trying to firmly press the plywood to the boards, using a sufficient number of fasteners;
Next, they begin to impregnate the plywood sheets with a water-repellent, which is applied to the surface with a two-layer roller;
then close the joints between the sheets with special putty on wood;
on top of a flat plywood floor, a substrate is laid on which a laminate, linoleum or carpet is laid.

Alternative - installation of bulk floors

During the construction of the Khrushchev interfloor floors were made of reinforced concrete slabs, which serve as the basis for the device of the floor in apartments. Therefore, the base is often overhauled, during which a wooden floor is dismantled and a cement-sand screed is poured.

Recently, self-leveling mixtures have been used, which are also called bulk floors. Their advantage is the ease of filling and the drying speed of the mixture. A couple of days after the work, the bulk floors are ready for use.

The work is carried out according to the following plan:

They remove wooden floors and clean the base of debris, dirt, dust.
Close up cracks and cracks.
The surface of the base floor is covered with a thin and even layer of a special primer that improves adhesion.
The dry mixture is diluted in containers in small portions, while using an electric drill with a mixer nozzle. The ingredients are mixed in accordance with the instructions supplied by the manufacturer to their products. It is advisable to work with a partner who will be engaged in breeding the mixture.
The prepared mixture is poured onto the base and leveled with a large spatula or needle roller in a small area.
Then the next portion prepared by the partner is poured and leveled. A small interval between fillings provides the setting of the mixture at the boundaries of individual sections.
After drying, a fixative is applied to the surface, which prevents the formation of dust.

Dismantling of the old floor in Khrushchev

Dismantling the old floor in Khrushchev can take a lot of time and effort

Of course, the life of the old buildings has already come to an end, and such housing has long been subject to demolition. However, it will be a long time before the last dilapidated buildings disappear. Therefore, repairing the floor in old buildings will improve the quality of living in each individual apartment. You can carry out these works yourself or attract professionals.

Video example of work - before and after

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3 comments

Nadezhda yakocleva
2 years ago

I really liked about "it's time to demolish." Let’s then demolish the whole of St. Petersburg, where houses in the center have long been strong for 50 years ... The fact that low ceilings and small rooms in the Khrushchev does not make them low-quality houses. You look at the new buildings, there in some gaps after a year already 5 cm or at the entrance people discover already running pipes. I fully admit that in 20-30 years the Khrushchev will stand perfectly, but the current new buildings will already be demolished
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Andrew
6 years ago

As for me, it is far from always necessary to undertake a complete alteration of the floor, but cheaper means can be dispensed with. In our old apartment, when we just moved there and carried out repairs there, there were also problems with the “singing” floors, but they were able to solve them quite successfully by filling the cracks. Such elementary repair was enough for the whole ten years of rather intensive operation and only recently they began to creak mercilessly again. Thus, filling the cracks with putty seems to me quite a suitable solution for repairing floors. It allows you to extend their operation without significant financial investment.
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Victor
6 years ago

In my opinion, if the floor is being repaired in Khrushchev, it’s better not to be content with closing up cracks and other small “joys”, but redoing everything thoroughly. Of course, it all depends on the specific situation and gender, but I am a supporter of radical methods. Naturally, this is costly, long, troublesome, but it is better to do it once than to close the cracks every weekend, as they say.
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