Pouring floor screed: step-by-step technology and feedback

If you decide that there will be a warm floor system in your house, on which you plan to lay a modern finish coat, then the foundation of a cement-sand mortar will really be reliable . Its laying can be carried out on any, even uneven ground, and you will be able to make the desired bias. However, it is important to properly prepare the mixture, and then - apply it on technology. Alignment and drying are equally important steps if you want to get a strong safe coating.

Preparing the roughing surface

The floor screed is poured on a previously prepared surface. If the house has an old wooden floor, bare ground or concrete slab, you should approach each case individually. If there are large cracks and depressions on the rough surface, they should be cleaned and covered with cement mortar. For grinding a concrete floor, you can use a grinding machine or milling equipment for concrete. From the formed dust, you can get rid of using a construction vacuum cleaner.

Installation of lighthouses: reviews

Pouring floor screed, according to the master, can be carried out directly on the ground. For this, the soil is compacted and supplemented with a sand cushion. It is important to have a waterproofing layer so that moisture from the concrete does not leak down. Only after it is possible to start the installation of beacons, in the quality of which guides appear. They can be made from improvised materials, using long slats, bricks, pipes and cement mix. Home masters are advised not to use wood, as the material will absorb moisture from the screed, after which the shrinkage will occur unevenly.

First you need to prepare slides of cement mortar, which will be convenient to install the profile. Its location is checked using the building level. Lighthouses should be located strictly parallel to each other, while the most extreme should be removed from the walls by 20 cm. The distance between the beacons should be less than the length of the rule by 40 cm. As experts emphasize, beacons made of metal pipes, Is made on a dense solution of gypsum.

Laying of waterproofing and reinforcement

You can independently fill the floor. Cement screed for this is prepared in a certain proportion. The ratio of materials will be mentioned below, and at this stage it is necessary to lay the waterproofing. To do this, you can use ruberoid and other similar materials that are combined with the screed. It is important to remember that the mortar must adhere well to the substrate, most often a universal primer is used to increase the adhesion characteristics. Dry the surface after applying the primer is about 4 hours. If the floor absorbs moisture well, then it should be primed twice, otherwise it will not be possible to achieve a positive result.

When installing a system of "floating" floor is better to use polyethylene film. Pouring the floor screed with concrete must necessarily be accompanied by the pre-laying of the reinforcing cage. To do this, it is best to prepare a grid with square cells with a side of 100 or 150 mm. The diameter of the rods should be 5 mm.

Reinforcement recommendations

If the future floor will be subjected to heavy loads, for example, it will be driven by trucks, then instead of the grid, the reinforcement cage should be laid. To do this, store the rods, whose diameter can vary from 8 to 16 mm. The fittings are connected manually or by a special gun. To build a concrete floor with a high dynamic load on its surface, a solution is applied to the components of which steel fiber is added . It replaces the reinforcement and is triggered by tension.

Mortar pouring

Filling the floor screed must be accompanied by alignment. Tracks between the slats should be filled by moving to the doorway. To align the solution, you need to use a rule or a half-ruble. If it is necessary to arrange a multi-level screed, a plywood formwork is additionally installed, due to which the solution will not flow into the neighboring area. At the highest point, the screed layer should have a thickness of 2 cm, otherwise the surface will crack, but do not make this parameter larger than 8 cm, since the load on the foundation will be unjustified. As the most suitable option are 5 cm, for the arrangement of such a floor should be prepared concrete grade "M300" or higher.

Arrangement of a warm floor under a cement screed

Such a system is usually mounted on an old base, which is covered with thermal insulation, which can be foil or foam foam. The presence of this layer is necessary, otherwise the heat will go down. The next step will be laying the water pipe, heating mats or cable. There is no question of high strength of such a construction. Therefore, on each square meter of thermal insulation it is necessary to make holes.

On the perimeter of the area where the device of the warm floor is made, leave 15 cm of free space. This will allow the top screed to rest on the bottom layer, which is especially true for small rooms. Pouring of the screed of the warm floor is carried out taking into account the formation of a concrete layer of 5 cm. This will ensure a quick warm-up after the system is turned on. If there are circumstances that make the screed less than 3 cm, then a universal plasticizer should be added to the solution. For 100 kg of dry mix, 1 l of additive is needed. As an alternative solution, you can use a self-leveling mixture for floor pouring , which has a higher elasticity.

Technology of laying underfloor underfloor heating

Pouring floor screed (the price of work will be mentioned below) is often done by home masters themselves, as these works do not differ in complexity. On the black screed should be laid insulation, which is strengthened with glue or tape. Next comes a metal mesh, which is useful for marking, and for laying the pipeline. The grid should also be fixed to the base. A damper band stretches along the perimeter of the site , which will level the coefficient of linear expansion. Next, the installation of elements of the warm floor along the perimeter of the site, they should be connected to the coolant supply system.

If you know the cost of pouring the floor screed, the price does not suit you, then you should do the work yourself. Moreover, the technology is quite simple. So, at the next stage it is possible to carry out the final floor screed, after drying which the masters begin to lay the finish coat.

Recommended proportions

If you fill the floor screed by yourself, then first you need to familiarize yourself with the ratio of materials. The optimal and proven proportion of years is the use of part of cement and three parts of sand. For this, two parts of the water will be needed. You can use other options, in which part of the sand is added to the part of the cement, you can use the ratio 1: 2. However, in this case, though you will improve the strength of the floor, but lose in quality. The mortar will snap fast after laying, and it will be problematic to level it. If you increase the volume of sand or water, this will cause a decrease in strength and quality.

Cost of work

Pouring floor screed, the price of which is 400 rubles. Per square meter, can be made by specialists. Installation of liquid floors is cheaper - for a square meter you have to pay 300 rubles. The highest price you will pay for the device of a modular dry screed - 450 rubles. Per square meter.