Chipboard on the floor: features of selection and installation

Recommendation points

• Application of chipboard for flooring
• Installation of chipboard on the floor
• The choice of chipboard for the floor and the cost of the material

In this article, you will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of using chipboard for flooring. We will argue for this material and discuss the disadvantages. The article contains normative, technical and practical information regarding the use of chipboard for the floor.

Chipboard – chipboard produced by hot pressing a mixture of wood-shaving material (sawdust, shavings) and non-mineral binder (glue, resin).

Note.The abbreviation Chipboard is the unofficial name of the material. The correct abbreviation is particle board. In the normalization classification, chipboard is wood-laminated plastics. In the article, chipboards will be referred to as chipboard.

Chipboard characteristics: GOST 27935–88 “Fiberboard and chipboard” and GOST 10632–2007 “Chipboard. Technical conditions “.

Chipboard has become widespread due to the low cost of the main material – shavings, which is a waste in woodworking. In terms of compressive strength, bending, deformation and water resistance, it is divided into two grades:

1. PA (more durable) – used in furniture production and for the manufacture of floor and wall finishing materials. Usually this board is covered with a protective layer (laminated).
2. P-B (less durable) – used for sheathing utility rooms, intermediate layers, containers, auxiliary operations. A sanded board is suitable for leveling the surface, unpolished is used as a hard insulation.

According to the quality of the product, chipboard is divided into 1st and 2nd grade:

• 1st grade – a product of proper quality, with consistent dimensions and no defects;
• 2nd grade – slabs have defects that are acceptable under the given conditions (cracks, breaks, spots, heterogeneity). Defects can be both mechanical (during transportation) and manufacturing (marriage).

By density, chipboard is divided into three categories:

1. Low density slabs – up to 550 kg / m³. These are unpolished slabs of poor quality (relatively loose). Used as insulation.
2. Medium density – 550-750 kg / m³. Sheets sanded on both sides with a geometry kept within a 5mm tolerance. Used in construction, industry and packaging.
3. High density – 750-950 kg / m³. Furniture board. Has the highest rates of strength, water resistance and safety. Usually produced in laminated form (laminated chipboard).

In terms of safety, in accordance with international standards of maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) of substances harmful to humans, EAF is divided into four classes. The danger in the composition of the material is formaldehyde, which is released from the finished boards. According to the degree of its emission from 100 g of a dry plate, the safety class is determined:

1. Super E is a material that meets the highest international standards for the production of children’s furniture. Formaldehyde emission less than 5 mg.
2. E-1 – emission up to 10 mg. Allowed for the manufacture of furniture, including children’s furniture (depending on sanitary legislation).
3. E-2 – emission of 10-30 mg. Used for overlapped finishing layers.
4. E-3 – emission of 30-50 mg. The material is used for insulating attics, finishing temporary and non-residential premises, packaging.
5. E-4 – emission of more than 50 mg. Material, hazardous to health, used for technical purposes.

There are often fakes on the market – when a low-security stove is presented as a higher quality one. This can negatively affect health – require a quality certificate when purchasing chipboard for interior decoration.

Application of chipboard for flooring

As an object of research, it is appropriate to take the most common type of chipboard – a polished non-laminated sheet of the 1st grade, medium density and safety class E-1 or E-2. The optimum thickness is 12–22 mm. The most popular formats are 2500×1850 and 3500×1750 (“euro format”).

This board has the following advantages inherent in flooring:

1. Perfectly flat surface ensures full adhesion of any finishing layer (parquet, laminate, linoleum).
2. The stiffness of the sheet makes it possible to level differences and steps up to 5 mm without preliminary grinding of the base.
3. Compressive strength is 40 MPa, which is close to wood (pine – 45 MPa). This provides a sufficient margin of safety for the operation of home furniture..
4. The thermal conductivity of the chipboard is 0.2 W / m · ° С versus 0.15 W / m · ° С at the floorboard and 0.05 W / m · ° С at the foam. This allows us to state that the plate has good insulating properties for a structural material..
5. Good adhesion to building adhesives.
6. Sufficient rigidity of the slab allows it to be anchored to concrete surfaces and screeds.
7. Plates of sufficient thickness can be laid on logs.
8. The slab does not rot, which makes it possible to make permanent formwork for screeds (for example, when decorating a bathroom on wooden floors).
9. Noise isolation, dielectric properties and draft blocking.

Along with the advantages, there are disadvantages that require increased attention during installation and operation:

1. Low hydrophobicity – sanded slabs are afraid of water. It is enough for the material to get wet – and it can begin to deteriorate. This speaks especially eloquently about the quality of the product. The slab of the declared average density can withstand 3-5 wetting and drying cycles without weakening the layer.
2. Low fire resistance. Fireproof chipboards with the addition of a fire retardant are not produced in the Russian Federation. The material on the market does not have fire-resistant properties, on the contrary, it is considered fire hazardous..
3. Low resistance to pulling out nails and screws. This is a kind of tribute to the low density and thermal insulation properties. The anchor in the sheet does not hold well, therefore, during installation, the sheet is pressed with screws through the through hole.
4. Low abrasion resistance prevents the use of unlaminated boards for floor finishing.

Considering that there is no perfect material, chipboard has a winning ratio of advantages and disadvantages.

Installation of chipboard on the floor

Having identified all the pros and cons, we can summarize – how and where it is better to use chipboard for the floor and what rules should be followed:

1. The material is suitable for wood and concrete bases (screeds). For fastening, you need to drill a through hole and use a tightening screw (no thread in the area of ​​the head). Be sure to make a secret.
2. Before mounting on concrete, contact surfaces should be hydrophobic (primer for concrete and varnish for chipboard).
3. When laying the finishing layer “dry” the contact plane of the chipboard should be treated with linseed oil. When using glue do not apply anything.
4. The gap between the plates – 5 mm – is filled with non-shrinking sealant or elastic filler.
5. It is recommended to use boards with a thickness of less than 16 mm only on level surfaces. This thickness may not be enough to smooth the steps..
6. When installing on logs, the relationship between the layer thickness and the step of the log should be observed.

Thickness, mm	Step, mm
1 layer
sixteen	250
20	280
22	300
24	350
28	400
2 or more layers
24	400
28	450
thirty	500
32	550
36	600

Video on how to make a floor from waterproof chipboard

The choice of chipboard for the floor and the cost of the material

The problem of quality identification is relevant for any building material – a decent appearance and beautiful packaging do not say anything about the observance of technology in the production of content. The reputation of the manufacturer can be considered a reliable way when choosing a material. If you have experience working with high-quality products of a company that produces a large assortment, it makes sense to pay attention to the chipboard of its production.

Today in Russia there are several factories producing pressed panels, some of which have “European roots” – Kronospan, Knauf, Stiropol, Tarkett and others. The price of their products is about the same, the product is also about the same quality.

Chipboard prices

Thickness, mm	Price for 1 sq. m, y. e.
12	1.5
fourteen	2.0
sixteen	2,3
18	2.6
20	3
22	3.1
24	3.4
28	4
32	4.5

Chipboard production is profitable and convenient for any country that has forest resources – there is a profitable waste disposal. That is why chipboard remains a very popular material. The optimal balance of properties, price and availability makes them a profitable option for floor finishing.