How to close the gaps between the floor and the wall?

When operating various types of residential premises in private houses and apartments, situations often arise when large and small spaces form between the floor and the wall. They must be closed up to return the room to its former appearance and eliminate the source of drafts, penetration of dampness into the room, which can provoke the appearance of fungus and mold. That is why it is very important to fix the problem immediately after it is detected. In this article we will tell you how and what to fix the cracks between the floor and the wall on your own.

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When does a repair need arise?

Before closing the gap between the floor and the wall under the baseboard, you need to find out where it came from, because it is very important to avoid problems in the future.

Cracks form more often for the following reasons:

• Boards are subjected to excessive loads. That is why the floors are often additionally strengthened, especially when it is planned to equip the premises with heavy furniture.
• The appearance of rodents. These creatures are able to gnaw even concrete. As for the tree, there are no obstacles for them at all. If cracks appear precisely for this reason, then before embedding the concrete is additionally processed, metal or glass chips are added to it.

Important! The poison does not fall asleep immediately, since the death of rodents can provoke an unpleasant odor.

• Using too fresh boards. Natural wood is filled with moisture, and when it is laid on the floor, it dries too quickly. It is because of this that the volume of the structure is reduced. Therefore, the boards must first be dried in a natural way. Wood before operation should contain no more than 10% moisture.
• Incorrectly selected tree species. Outwardly, maple, ash, cherry look best, but they have too much flexibility. That is, it is better not to use them to finish the floor. It is recommended to choose rocks with the highest level of hardness. These include pine, spruce, oak.
• Poorly executed floor laying. It is important that the boards do not diverge, so they are laid on the logs. Wood begins to deteriorate from moisture only when it is impossible to use this technology due to the height of the room. In addition, screed requires careful drying. It is absolutely necessary to use waterproofing protection for wood material.
• Strong temperature fluctuations. As previously mentioned, the tree contains too much moisture, in winter the air inside the material dries out under the influence of the heating devices. As a result, the tree gives up moisture that has accumulated in it during the life cycle. Because of this, the wood dries and its volume decreases.

Important! The reduction in wood volume remains completely invisible as long as it retains relative humidity. But the gaps become wider throughout the entire period of operation.

In order not to encounter such a problem, it is necessary to ensure that the humidity in the room does not exceed 40-60%, but also does not fall below these marks. Special humidifiers, which, among other things, are very beneficial for health, help well in this.Slots make the room not only unsightly in appearance, but also dangerous, because it becomes cold in it, smells from other apartments begin to penetrate into it. That is, the risk of biological pollution increases. But in fact, you can close up the cracks in the floor easily and simply yourself.

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How to repair the cracks between the walls and the floor with your own hands?

Before considering how to cover the gap between the floor and the wall, you need to carefully prepare for work. Namely, to perform such manipulations:

1. Clean the bottom of the wall from previously used finishing materials.
2. Tear off the baseboard, clean the place under it well.

The way to eliminate the gap is selected, depending on its size:

• Thickness is less than 3 cm. This is the easiest option. Such a gap can be filled with mounting foam, putty, gypsum or cement mix.
• The average size. There will already be insufficient mounting foam, or rather, its strength will not be enough. It is better to give preference to such natural materials as tow or jute. They are easily hammered in with a conventional hammer.

Important! When using jute, it is additionally processed from insects so that moth does not start in the house.

• Large gaps. They are usually filled with various construction waste, which is fastened with foam. You can use scraps of boards, broken bricks, pieces of polystyrene foam. In this case, the materials should cover a large area, but not exceed the gap itself in size.

Important! Before using the mounting foam, the gap must be moistened with water so that it reliably holds the materials together. Foam increases in volume several times after solidification and this must be taken into account. Its excess is easily cleaned with a clerical knife.

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The use of wooden battens

It’s difficult to work with such material, you can’t do without perseverance to achieve the desired result. By the way, in terms of efficiency, this is the most successful solution, because there are small planks inside the cracks, and with this solution, creating thin holes is simply impossible. But if you need to seal the seam between the parquet and the wall, this is an ideal option.

You must do the following:

1. Work with a milling cutter the lateral edges of the slit to expand it a little. Remove the old layer of wood from the surface.
2. Drive the dowels inside the gap to align it. To process end elements in a floor covering with sandpaper, to cover with adhesive composition from above.
3. Reiki is better to choose a thickness less than the hole. First you need to grease them with glue, and then hammer in between the surfaces.
4. The surface should be treated with glue, sanded. Thanks to this, the repair site will become invisible.

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Rules for the use of putty

When deciding how to cover the cracks between the floor and the wall under the baseboard, many people prefer the putty.

Together with it the following compositions are used:

• A mixture of wood varnish, sawdust, paint. To mix all the components, you must use a ratio of 1: 4: 1.

Important! The main advantage of putty in this case is that you do not need to use any additional finish. It initially has the right color, matching the tone of the rest of the coatings.

• A paste with finely chopped newsprint.
• Glue is often replaced with gypsum. It is mixed with sawdust, and then the whole mixture is poured with water.
• PVA glue with sawdust. This material is poured with boiling water to swell to a certain extent. The procedure is repeated until the composition becomes viscous.

The cracks are closed very simply, they are filled with a mixture using a spatula. In this case, you must ensure that the putty penetrates as deep as possible.

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The use of special sealant

The best operational qualities are distinguished by sealants that are based on acrylic or silicone. This material will reliably protect the room, will not allow to penetrate inside the drafts.In addition, the sealant protects the tree from moisture and the appearance of various microorganisms. He is known for everything and his dynamism. That is, even when the boards are shifted to a small extent, they do not deform, which means that the seams between them do not collapse. In the slit, the sealant is immersed with a mounting gun.

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Alternative methods for removing gaps

The sealing of the seam between the parquet and the wall can be made using other methods that are considered more obsolete, but nevertheless relevant.

These include the following methods:

• Pouring with epoxy resin. It perfectly holds together the elements, but is able to break off under the influence of strong loads.
• Laying ordinary plywood, chipboard or fiberboard over floors.
• Bookmark tow soaked in water.

Important! The most effective solution is to remove the entire coating - this applies to cases where the floors are still completely new, but the cracks are already quite noticeable. The boards are simply stacked closer together again.

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Stock footage

You won’t be able to completely avoid problems in the coatings in your house, but now you know how to solve one of them - to close the gaps between the floor and the wall. Choose a method that is more convenient for you, and eliminate all the defects of repair or the quality of the materials used.