The floor screed is performed in order to obtain a flat surface, which will serve as the basis for laying decorative material. The solution is poured according to various types bases, but concrete slabs are most common. Floor screed as a process requires accuracy and sequence of actions. The durability of the structure being created depends on the work done correctly, any shortcomings will lead to the fact that the final result will be of poor quality, and the service life of the coating will be minimal.
First of all, you should decide why you need a screed. Indeed, this layer is not always necessary, it is not done in cases where there is an alternative. For example, wood flooring, which provides an even base for laying the final decorative layer.
But there are situations when it is advisable to do the floor screed with your own hands. Firstly, it is necessary in new facilities that have concrete slab floors. Secondly, when dismantling the old structure, when literally everything is removed to the very foundation. Thirdly, a finishing floor screed is arranged on an existing coating in order to obtain perfect evenness.
The floor screed in the apartment may be different. First of all, there are options for the method of manufacture:
It is advisable to decide in advance which one is needed in a particular situation.
The screed in the apartment can be performed with a different number of layers:
Thus, if necessary, it is possible to choose best option obtaining a surface that will serve as an ideal basis for further work. All varieties allow you to do the floor screed with your own hands.
Do-it-yourself floor screed is done using various materials. Often, auxiliary substances are added to the mixture to give the composition additional properties.
It must be borne in mind that identical materials should be used to fill the rough and finish floor screed in the apartment.
How to make a floor screed in an apartment? Many craftsmen and construction firms argue that work should only be done with professional skills and special tools. This position is justified, but only for large industrial facilities where complex and large-sized equipment is required. To level the floor in an apartment or house, you will need a minimum of tools and skills. The main thing is to follow the technology of the process.
So, you will need the following materials for the screed:
Do-it-yourself floor screed includes a series of actions that are performed in strict sequence.
On a note! On mixtures for leveling, the manufacturer often places instructions for the correct mixing of the composition, great attention must be paid to the strict observance of all proportions.
All construction debris and dirt are removed, cracks are embroidered and impregnated with a primer. They are completely covered with a putty mortar, turning Special attention at the junction of the floor and walls. The entire surface is covered with two layers of deep-penetrating soil, a damper tape is glued around the perimeter. This is a mandatory procedure when a screed is made, the tape provides desired gap and protects against leaks. Finally, a layer of rolled or liquid waterproofing is laid.
Any shortcomings that have not been eliminated will become a significant problem in the future.
At this stage, the level difference is determined, which will allow you to choose the thickness of the poured layer and the most suitable material.
Using the level, the highest points of the floor covering are determined and marked on the walls. A cord is pulled along them, the most noticeable recesses are measured, and a measurement scheme is drawn up. There are lines around the perimeter. If the differences are small - within 2 cm, then work can be carried out with mixtures with a self-leveling effect. But such an indicator is extremely rare and only on previously lined surfaces. When working with concrete floor slabs, it is required to perform a rough screed, which allows you to create a layer with heat and sound protection properties.
VIDEO:
Beacons are installed in order to quickly level the area, avoiding deviations. Many consider this procedure very complicated, but if the preliminary calculation was performed correctly, then the event will take no more than an hour.
Principle of operation:
All elements must be in the same plane, a level is used for verification.
On a note! If the length of the tool is not enough, then a rule comes to the rescue, which is placed between two elements, and a level is set on top.
A rough floor screed with a thickness of more than 4-5 cm needs mandatory reinforcement, this improves the quality characteristics of the coating. The work is carried out using a special grid, which is laid at some distance from the base; linings from improvised materials are used to create a gap.
It should be noted that the finished floor also sometimes needs to be reinforced with a mesh. For this, fiberglass products are used, which are fixed on the surface itself.
It is impossible to do a floor screed in an apartment with your own hands if you do not properly prepare the mixture for pouring. The simplest option is based on cement, sand and water. In this case, the standard proportion of 1: 3 is observed, water is added gradually, until a pasty consistency is obtained. If a ready-made mixture is used, then all actions are performed according to the instructions.
The general procedure for preparing the solution:
The composition has a limited period of application, which is no more than 30-40 minutes.
After preparing the mixture, the floor screed device begins, which is divided into two stages: the creation of a rough and finishing floor covering.
It is for this process that the made solution is used. Actions take place as follows:
For work, you should choose self-leveling mixtures that are applied in a layer of 3 to 30 mm, although some varieties may have a greater thickness. When arranging such a floor, the technology almost completely repeats the previous one. So, special beacons-repers are installed on the surface. The preparation of the composition is carried out according to the instructions. Due to the fact that it turns out to be more liquid, it is poured and quickly distributed with a spatula. The needle roller forms the correct position of the solution.
After three days, you can begin the installation of decorative material on a well-leveled surface.
Floor leveling is one of the most important stages of repair work. Before laying the final floor covering, the floor screed in the apartment is performed. In the construction of multi-storey residential buildings, they are used as floors reinforced concrete slab, which has a smooth surface on one side only. The flat part is always laid in the direction of the ceiling, therefore, the side with defects serves as the floor. In this article, we will consider how to make a floor screed in an apartment, the types and rules for preparing mixtures.
The screed eliminates the difference in the height of the floor and its defects, allows you to lay the finish flooring with high quality. If you lay linoleum on an uneven floor, it will crack over time in places of height differences.
Functions of the screed in the apartment:
With the help of a screed, you can raise the level of the floor. In the course of work, it is necessary to take into account the permissible loads on the plate. It is impossible to pour concrete more than 70 mm in thickness, since the ceiling may not withstand the load.
Often there are questions about how a floor screed is made in a new building, which one is better. We choose the technology of laying the subfloor depending on design features plates.
Stages of dry screed
The type of screed is selected depending on the condition concrete slab, functional features and flooring.
The floor in a new building often has to be leveled at the stage of settling in an apartment.
Stages of preparation:
Marking is carried out from the lowest part of the floor
The thickness of the screed and the choice of material for its installation depend on the differences in floor height.
Find the lowest and highest point of the floor. We make markings using a laser or water level.
If the threshold turned out to be the highest point, a concrete base can be poured. If the corners of the room are above the threshold, there are two algorithms for action:
To correctly mark the floor boundary, you need to place the guides parallel to each other at a distance of 150-200 mm from the wall. The distance between the guides must be less than the width of the mix spreading tool.
As guides, we use T-shaped profiles designed to align vertical surfaces. To set them to the level, we use plastic and metal strips or install beacons on a gypsum (cement) mortar.
Cardboard, chipboard and wood cannot be used as supports for beacons, as they lose their shape from moisture.
The volume of the screed is measured in liters
To determine the amount of sand, cement and water, we calculate the volume of the screed in liters. To do this, we multiply the average height by the length and width of the room, we get the volume.
Suppose, taking a room with a width of 4 m and a height of 3.5 m, we fill the screed with a thickness of 25 mm at the lower point, and 40 mm at the highest.
We calculate the average thickness of the concrete pavement (25 + 40) / 2 = 32.5 mm.
We calculate the area of the room: S \u003d length 4 m * width 3.5 m \u003d 14 m.
Volume \u003d 32.5 * 14 \u003d 497 liters.
Sand will need as much as the volume of the screed. But sand weighs 1.5 times more than water, so 497 * 1.5 = 745.5 kg.
And cement will need 1 part to 3 parts of sand. 745.5 / 3 = 248.5 kg.
The amount of water used depends on the moisture content of the sand. Add water until the consistency of thick sour cream is obtained.
Mix the ingredients in a specific order
After marking the floor, we proceed to the preparation of concrete. The preparation scheme is standard, for one part of high-quality cement (M 200) there are three parts of sand.
We mix the ingredients correctly:
| Concrete brand | Application | Consumption of cement in kg per 1 cube of concrete |
|---|---|---|
| M100 | Minimum strength. It is used when concreting road curbs, fences | 165 |
| M200 | It is used when installing floor screed in new buildings, when repair work. Suitable for foundations | 240 |
| M300 | It is used for the installation of foundations, ceilings, etc. | 320 |
| M400 | For the construction of structures subjected to significant loads: bridges bearing supports on overpasses | 417 |
To get a homogeneous mixture, we pour the dry ingredients into water. If done in reverse order, then the sand and cement will remain at the bottom, and it will be difficult to mix them.
Consider how to properly make a floor screed in an apartment. We start installation from the far corner of the room. We fill the floor in one go, with a large thickness of the screed, we reinforce it with a thin metal mesh. For more information about the process, see this video:
Stages of work:
You can walk on the floor after 4 days. Concrete dries completely and gains strength within 30 days.
The deviation in the horizontal plane should not exceed 0.2%.
At the end of the installation of the screed in the apartment, we exclude drafts, smearing all the cracks, and regularly moisten the concrete so that the coating does not crack. Finishing alignment is done after the screed has completely dried. You can use mixtures for self-leveling floors.
This type of coating facilitates the load on the plate and increases the thermal insulation of the floor. Dry screed is laid using expanded clay or other bulk material of fine fraction. For more information about dry screed, see this video:
The layout of the premises and the installation of beacons is carried out according to the above principle.
We select leveling elements for a dry screed device in a new building depending on the level of humidity in the room:
We use expanded clay, quartz sand, fine-grained slag as backfill for floors.
Do-it-yourself dry floor screed provides for the following sequence of work:
Lighthouses are taken out as the plates are laid. If you leave them, then the floor will shrink during operation, and the guides will remain in place.
It is important to install a coating on the first floors that provides increased thermal insulation of the floor.
With a small difference in height, it is easy to make a floor screed in the apartment with your own hands using a self-leveling mixture.
Sequence of work:
The floor dries within 4-5 days depending on the temperature and humidity in the room.
It differs in that the upper concrete coating is not bonded to the slab, as it is laid through the film on a layer thermal insulation material.
damper tape
We fasten the damper tape before laying the heat-insulating material, its height must be at least the total thickness of the floor structure: from the slab to the finishing floor covering. Trimming is carried out after laying the floor covering.
The heat-insulating material is laid strictly in a horizontal plane, uneven laying leads to the formation of cracks in the cement mortar.
Creating a floor screed can be expensive if you invite specialists to perform this procedure. But not many people know that do-it-yourself floor screed can be done no less qualitatively. So it makes sense to do it yourself, because the laying technology is very simple, and the training video will help you with this. Any person who decides to perform this kind of work needs to be able to properly prepare the solution and deftly install beacons.
In multi-storey buildings, the floors are separated from each other with the help of special plates for covering. For one apartment, such a plate acts as a ceiling, and for another - a floor. In order for these plates to fully perform their functions, they need finishing. Sometimes it can be laborious and costly. And if the ceiling today is quite easy to finish (the market offers high-quality finishing materials), then it is not so easy to finish the floor.
Floor screed in the apartment There are just as many floor coverings, but the problem is that you can't lay any floor coverings on an unfinished floor. Be sure to need a floor screed in the apartment. Its main function is . It should be quite strong, capable of heavy loads.
The qualitative differences of each type will depend on the material used. Kinds:
As a material, lightweight or lightweight concrete can be used. In some cases, a reinforcing agent is added to the concrete. There are other types:
Increasingly, innovative technology for the manufacture of self-leveling floors has been used. It is based on ready-made mixtures created according to special recipes. Such mixtures are called leveling.
Self-leveling floor manufacturing technology Sometimes a combination of mixtures is allowed. In this case, a mixture with coarse aggregate is used in the lower layer. A finer aggregate is placed in the upper layer. If you choose a mixture, it is worth carefully inspecting the material. A high quality blend has a perfectly gray color without a hint of red.
Watch a video on how to determine the quality of a mixture. Video:
Concrete can be placed directly on the slab, or after the heat-insulating material.
The technology of its manufacture is quite simple, but has its own nuances. The tutorial video will help you understand how it is done.
Clean the surface of debris. After that, it is worth sealing all the cracks with cement mortar. Observe the room temperature when laying the mortar. It should not exceed +25 and be below -10 degrees. Close all doors and windows. If you plan to create thermal insulation, then the necessary materials are laid on the primed surface.
Think about how to waterproof the walls. To do this, you can use a strip of roofing material, which is glued along the bottom of the fence so that its top is twenty centimeters higher than the screed at the top. Level zero is the starting point for all work in the future.
The evenness of the coating and the amount of materials used will depend on how the beating technology of this level is observed.
In order to complete this process faster and easier, you can use a laser level. First make one mark, and then make marks on the other walls of the room.
As a result, they can be connected to each other using a special beating. The thickness of the screed should be at least 3 centimeters. Before you start laying, you need to install beacons. These are guides that are installed horizontally.
Today you can buy inexpensive metal beacon profiles. It is worth fixing the beacons on gypsum. Using a bubble level, it is necessary to regulate the correct installation. The video will tell you more about how to install beacons correctly.
To make the solution, you will need a concrete mixer. If you don’t have a concrete mixer, you can try kneading the mixture by hand. After you have prepared the solution, it must be used up within a maximum of a couple of hours. Types of subfloor for creating a screed:
Filling is carried out from the farthest corner of the room. After that, a rule of aluminum is drawn. It is necessary for alignment.
The first strip is placed along the wall at the zero level. Then the rest of the rows are sequentially applied. This technology allows you to completely fill the entire floor. Over the next week, the floor screed device is wetted with water. This is important for the correct formation of concrete stone. Do not forcefully speed up the hardening process of concrete.
Full hardening will occur no earlier than after 4 weeks.
In the other case concrete pouring may lose its strength. As you can see, the technology is quite simple. It is worth once again to summarize all the nuances of the work.
As for financial costs, it all depends on whether it is a rough screed or an ideal one. For the first cost will be many times less. Also, the cost will depend on whether reinforcement was performed. Great importance has a type. For example, pour a concrete screed immediately on wooden beams not worth it. They will need to be replaced with metal ones. After that, reinforcement is mandatory.
Reinforcement in progress Foam concrete screed is the most economical. But it cannot be laid on the ground. In addition, its surface must be covered with a layer for protection. Such a coating is very strong and durable. That is why builders so often use it in their work.
If the floor screed has already been done with your own hands, it is worth evaluating the quality of the work done. Several methods are used for this.
If you find a marriage, you can use a special leveling compound. It is applied in a thin layer.
Apply in a thin layer If you notice cracks on the surface, then you need to expand them and seal them with a primer, and then cover them with BUTS. If there are too many cracks, then the filling must be done again.
Before you make a floor screed with your own hands, it is important to calculate the amount of material needed.
Calculate the amount of material needed According to experts, it is necessary to take about ten bags of the mixture for 7 square meters area. In the event that you do not use the finished mixture, it is worth making a simple calculation. For example, your room is 50 square meters in area. If a height of 5 centimeters is planned, then the calculation will be as follows: 50 sq. m. * 0.05 \u003d 2.5 square meters. m. The mixture is prepared in a ratio of 1: 4 cement and sand. So you need 0.5 sq. m. of cement and 2 sq. m. sand.
Keep in mind that during the preparation of the mixture, it may decrease in volume. So it is worth preparing a little more mixture than necessary.
Floor screed is the most versatile and most popular floor leveling method.
If you are interested in the question of how to make a floor screed in an apartment, a training video will help you deal with it in more detail. The detailed laying technology was discussed above.
In this video you will learn how to make a floor screed with your own hands.
Thanks to this material, you will receive a lot of useful information.
Photo source: pol-spec.ru, incorros.ru
Floor screed - as you know, the basis of everything. Leveling and concreting the floor is necessary, first of all, to create a base on which the final coating will be laid. In this article, you will receive all the necessary information about the do-it-yourself screed device.
Which is better? How to do it right? How to use beacons? You will receive comprehensive answers to all these questions, supplemented by photo and video materials.
The key to a perfectly even screed is the use of special rails-beacons in the work. They serve to ensure that the level of cement mortar over the entire surface of the room is the same.
That's why, installation of beacons for floor screed is the most important stage of the whole process. Treat it with the utmost care.
So, as you can see in the photo, metal beacons are fixed to the floor with the usual solution that you will use. But before that, make sure you have everything in stock. necessary materials and tools:
First of all, you need to mark the floor in order to understand where and at what distance to mount the beacons and how to make a screed in general. At the walls, the distance to the beacons should be 20-30 centimeters, the distance between the beacons may be different, depending on the length of your rule, for small spaces, small distances of 100-150 centimeters are most convenient. Beacons fit only in one plane.
In advance, it is worth attaching a damper tape to the wall, which will become a “layer” between the screed and the walls.
In order to fix the beacon on the floor along the entire length of the proposed installation, we make small tubercles from the finished screed solution. After that, until the solution has hardened, we sink the beacons in the solution and begin to level them using bubble levels.
Important! If the solution remains above the level after leveling the beacon, it must be leveled to the level of the beacon.
Very carefully it is necessary to measure the level of not only a single beacon, but all at once and in different planes. To do this, you can use both a thread stretched across, and any means at hand.
When all the strips of the lighthouses are installed and aligned, you need to wait until the mortar that fastens them to the walls hardens.
Today, hardware stores and markets offer a large variety of ready-made dry mixes for do-it-yourself floor screed. Which one to choose is up to you. The main thing is to carefully read the information on the bags and their areas of application before buying a batch of the mixture.
Ideally, choose well-known brands that have been proven over the years, but in some cases you can use lesser-known brands, but with good advice from familiar builders.
To prepare the solution you will need large capacity, water and a mixing tool. Usually, in the finished mixture, you just need to add water in the proportions indicated on the bag and mix thoroughly.
How to make a screed can be seen in the video below the article.
Note that it is better to measure the amount of water carefully, because. lack or excess of moisture in the screed can significantly affect its quality.
Some masters "in the old fashioned way" cook mortar for floor screed from cement-sand mortar. This is also appropriate, but more laborious, because. in this case, it is necessary to take into account the grade of concrete and the amount of sand to comply with the required proportions. Such a solution will ultimately cost a little cheaper than the finished mixture, so here are the proportions for the mixture:
In ordinary rooms, the concrete grade M150 is suitable, in rooms with increased load - M200. Which screed is better? It all depends on your preferences and operating conditions. If you want to do everything yourself, quickly and easily, use ready-made dry mixes.
Important point! The floor screed solution must be prepared gradually, because. its curing time is usually only a few hours. Therefore, it is better to knead the mixture in small volumes.
When the beacons are installed, and the first portion of the solution is mixed, it's time to start pouring the screed. There are no special rules and tricks in this, anyone can handle it.
So, the whole point is to fill the space between the beacons with a screed solution for the floor with your own hands. Leveling is done using a rule, or in extreme cases, a flat board or bar. You can simply pour the solution onto the floor with a bucket, as shown in the video below.
By the way, if there is a need to strengthen the floor, it is recommended to lay a reinforced mesh in the screed.
So, guided by the beacons and gradually kneading all new portions of the solution, all voids are filled and leveled. It turns out a perfectly flat and durable surface.
Depending on which dry mix you use, the drying conditions for the screed may vary. In some cases, a few days will be enough for complete solidification. Sometimes (in the case of using cement-sand mixtures), you will have to “care” for the screed with your own hands, pouring plenty of water daily.
In almost all apartments, concrete floors act as a sexual base. They have high strength, reliability and the ability to withstand significant loads. But their evenness index leaves much to be desired, so this floor requires leveling. After all, the bulk of modern finishing floor coverings requires a perfectly flat surface. The easiest way to achieve this is to pour the screed. Let's take a look at how to make a floor screed with your own hands, and the video and photo of the process will become a clear illustration of our instructions.
Why are we talking about DIY work? The fact is that this process is so simple that even a beginner in the construction and repair business can handle it. And today, many people themselves make repairs in their homes, trying to avoid large costs for the wages of craftsmen. But let's not assure everyone and everything that pouring the screed is too simple. Here you will need knowledge of all stages of technology and several nuances that affect the quality of the result. Therefore, first we will understand what a screed is.
In fact, this is a layer specially laid on a concrete base, creating an even and even surface on the floor. durable coating, followed by laying the finishing finishing material. Currently, manufacturers offer several options for screeds, which differ from each other in components.
Hence the types of screed:
We will try to understand all these types and give them characteristics that determine which of them is better. Each type of screed has certain functions, and one of the main ones is the uniform distribution of loads over the entire area.
Among the masters it is also called wet. The fact is that the concrete screed is mixed with water, which plays one of the most important roles in this solution. In fact, it is a liquid mixture of various materials. By the way, concrete screeds are divided into cement-sand, cellular and special self-leveling mixtures. When choosing from these three types, it is necessary to take into account the purpose of the room, as well as the quality of the floor to be treated. And further. If a new concrete base is being constructed, or its overhaul is being done, then cement-sand screed would be the best option.
It is not so difficult to pour such a screed with your own hands, because equipment or some complicated tools are not used to carry out the work. Everything is extremely simple and convenient. But there are several distinctive points in this laying technology that relate to the materials laid under the screed layer.
In this regard, such screeds are divided into several types:
A concrete screed can be poured either over the floor slab or over the ground, laying several layers of other building materials, for example, sand, crushed stone or gravel.
floor leveling
First of all, a zero mark is applied, along which the solution will be poured. Usually, a laser level is used for this, according to the marks of which lines are drawn along the perimeter of the walls, thereby creating a contour. Please note that the highest angle on the floor is taken as the reference point for the height of the future layer - it is from it that you need to mark the contour.
Now the guides are set. Their purpose is to accurately set in the same horizontal plane large area gender. Otherwise, the drops will remain, which means that there can be no question of any evenness of the future foundation. For work, the floor surface is divided into several sections of a smaller area, limiting them with special straight elements in the form of metal profiles or wooden slats. The upper edges of the guides must exactly match the contour laid on the wall.
This is not so easy to do, so pay attention to our recommendations. First, install two guides near two opposite walls, which must first be set exactly along the deferred contour. To attach them to the floor, use a thick solution of gypsum, laying it on the floor in slides. Install a guide on them, which is aligned by pressing one and the other end. Gypsum hardens quickly, so you need to work without delay. So, the two extreme elements are installed. Now stretch several rows of threads between them and set intermediate elements along them in the same way.
Then a cement-sand mortar is prepared. Today, in stores you can buy dry mixes for screeds, which are factory-made exactly according to the recipe. If you had to create a solution with your own hands, then it would be difficult to accurately observe the concentration of one or another material. So, the quality of the composition could suffer. The finished mixture is simply diluted with water according to the instructions on the package. It is necessary to mix the mixture with water in a container using a construction mixer or a drill with a special nozzle. The solution should be homogeneous.
After that, just dump it on the floor and pull it towards you with the rule laid on the guides. In this case, the rule should stretch from side to side. If there is not enough solution in some area, add it, and if there is a surplus, transfer them to another area. Such a floor can be processed after 7–8 days, but loaded, for example, with furniture, only after 28 days, when the solution gains its branded strength.
Cement strainer gender
There are several nuances in this installation process that you need to pay special attention to:
A day after pouring, the guides must be removed, and their installation sites must be sealed with a solution.
Experts recommend adding polymer fibers to the screed solution, which not only strengthen it, but also make it more plastic. For this, special fiber fibers made from a polymer by extrusion are used. By the way, such a screed can be laid on the floor without a reinforcing mesh, which significantly reduces the cost of work. After all, fiberglass is practically worth nothing. But here you need to carefully calculate everything, because an excess of fiber fibers reduces the quality of the solution - after drying, it begins to crumble.
Screed part of the floor
It is not always possible to use wet ways alignment, so there is a second option - a dry screed. This is a brilliantly simple invention. It is necessary to fill the floor with expanded clay, perlite or sand, and then lay flat tiled material on it - plywood, chipboard or gypsum boards. The most amazing thing is that the plates are fastened with special glue or self-tapping screws.
It turns out quickly, efficiently and simply, and there are no dirty operations. In addition, the thermal insulation properties of the concrete base increase, the load on it decreases, it becomes possible to lay communication networks, and immediately after completion of the work, proceed to finish the floor.
As you can see, this leveling method has a lot of advantages, but there are also disadvantages. For example, the fear of moisture, so you have to make sure that the coating is moisture resistant.
These are the floor screed options that you can do with your own hands today. Not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. This is especially true for the dry version of the performance, but learning this is not a problem. The presence of simple building materials and the relative ease of installation allows us not to turn to specialists. For those who decide to understand all the intricacies of the installation process, we recommend watching the videos that we have specially posted on this page.
Ruslan Vasiliev
