Installation of modern wooden floors in residential buildings. Types of structures of various floors on reinforced concrete slabs, their component layers

The reinforced concrete base of floors has remarkable strength and is not subject to aging and destruction.

The characteristics of its thermal expansion are very insignificant, so any finishing coating does not experience significant deformation loads.

The arrangement of floors can be very different - load bearing capacity concrete is so large that the weight of the structures does not matter.

Layers that make up the structure of floors on reinforced concrete slab foundations: possible options

When arranging a floor, its layers can be:

concrete slabs;
thermal insulation material (expanded clay);
screed ( solid fiberboard, cement-sand);
waterproofing (polyethylene film with a foil surface, bitumen mastics);
soundproofing;
underlying layer (chipboard, fiberboard);
adhesives (mastic, PVA dispersions, bitumen);
finishing coating (tiles, parquet, other flooring).

Correctly and competently formed floor structure for iron concrete slab also includes connecting parts (plinths), seams, etc.

There are a lot of options for flooring; changes can be made to them depending on circumstances. For example, linoleum can be laid on chipboard without gluing, welding only at the seams. However, it is important to remember that complete sound and heat insulation will make life in your home much more comfortable.

Laying linoleum on a concrete floor
Installation of linoleum

Scheme of laminate flooring on screed
Cutting off excess linoleum

Linoleum flooring on concrete

When choosing As a linoleum covering, flooring systems can consist of:

reinforced concrete floor;
cement-sand screed (about 20 mm thick). The basis of this solution is made up of materials of the M-200, M-150 grades;
bitumen mastic, applied layer thickness - 0.5 mm;
bitumen primer 0.3 mm thick;
linoleum.

If you want to insulate the system, a layer of expanded clay concrete about 60 mm thick is installed between the slabs and the screed. In this case, you can use linoleum on a heat-insulating base, carpet, and also eliminate the screed from the design.

Laminate flooring, parquet

In terms of their characteristics, the design of floors on a reinforced concrete slab with a finished flooring made of laminate or parquet differs slightly from the previous version.

The components are:

reinforced concrete floor;
expanded clay concrete with a layer of 40 mm;
20 mm screed - its solution is prepared from material grades M-150, 200;
mastic: bitumen 0.5 mm, adhesive 0.3 mm;
parquet.

For additional insulation, a layer of expanded clay concrete is installed in front of the screed device.

Laminate on reinforced concrete screed
How to lay laminate flooring on a reinforced concrete slab

Ceramic tiles on concrete base
Laying tiles

Ceramic tiles on a concrete base

The simplest way in such a situation is considered to be tiling with mortar. In this case, a screed is applied to the concrete, and then tiles are laid on the solution. When using adhesives, a bitumen primer is applied, and then the tiles are fixed to the adhesive mastic. If insulation is necessary, an expanded clay concrete layer is installed on the slabs, which is covered successively with screed, primer, mastic and the final element - tiles.

How to soundproof

Good insulation is an opportunity to exclude the penetration of extraneous annoying noise from neighbors and make your life truly intimate.

For sound insulation, you will need to supplement the structure with additional elements:

cover the leveling layer with lining roofing felt in one or two layers;
install wooden logs;
lay between joists soundproofing material: mineral wool, glass wool, etc.;
cover the logs with plank covering;
construct a leveling layer from fiberboard.

From the author: Greetings, dear reader! We all sooner or later face renovations in the hope of making our home the most comfortable and beautiful, because the house is our fortress. This is a place where we can be alone with ourselves and where we feel protected. As soon as we start thinking about repairs, we begin to look at the prices of materials and services, and literally immediately we understand that we cannot save much on materials, but we can refuse the services of builders by doing the repairs ourselves. One of the upcoming operations is laying floors, and it is vital for you to know the structure of the floor on a concrete slab, otherwise problems with repairs will definitely not be avoided.
Types of floors and their designs
First, let's figure out what types there are, since not all of them are suitable for installation in an apartment or house. Some of them may not meet your needs or damage your budget. So, the following types of flooring technologies are distinguished:
on concrete slabs;
on the ground;
wooden on concrete slabs;
concrete with wooden base;
concrete for industrial buildings;
made of fiber-reinforced concrete;
warm.

Now you will understand which one is needed for what, how it is made, and what its advantages and disadvantages are.
Floors on concrete slabs
This type of flooring is the most common, since most city residents live in apartments, and all floors of apartment buildings are made exclusively using reinforced concrete slabs. They can be used to make any floor, be it wooden or warm, floating or with the laying of inexpensive linoleum.
Floor slabs are a universal base - they are strong, capable of withstanding enormous loads and can be used for many years in the harshest conditions, without losing their strength properties. But no matter what kind of coating we lay, it is worth remembering the necessary sequence of actions in laying the various layers. In any case, the production of wooden floors on concrete floors is as follows:
Substrate preparation, cleaning or screeding.
Marking the installation of logs and applying special glue to the surface.
Laying the logs strictly horizontally, using a hydraulic level or a regular level.
Laying a waterproofing layer on top of the lag.
Laying insulation between joists.
Placement of the rough layer, be it a board, plywood or chipboard.
Vapor barrier layer.
Substrate.
Finish coating, laminate or parquet, or boards.

Making a concrete base takes much less time than a wooden one, but its properties are completely different. Such floors have extremely high strength compared to any other type of floor and are not subject to destruction and aging. This floor is static, it thermal expansions so slow and insignificant that any finishing coating on it does not experience any deformation loads and can serve for a very long time. At proper arrangement serves as an excellent barrier to heat loss, and in case of an emergency such as a flood, it will not allow water to penetrate to the neighbors.
The disadvantages include the following. Low heat capacity, i.e. poor ability to retain heat - therefore, such a floor without a finishing coating will almost always be cold, unless it is made using heated floor technology. It's very heavy. Places a serious strain on bearing structures and the foundation, so if this a private house, and even with floating soil, you should refrain from such a floor.
Now let's look at the sequence of work. It consists of the following steps:
Surface preparation.
Primer with deep penetration compounds.
Laying roll waterproofing or applying liquid formulations with the same properties.
Installation of a reinforcing cage, or the use of basalt fiber. In the case of reinforcement with cellular layers, we tie or weld them and lay them on pieces of brick so as to move them away from the surface (so that when pouring the screed, the mesh is in the middle).
Installation of beacons. They are laid on a solid strip of cement mortar with a small addition of alabaster - this “slide” is laid on top of the reinforcing cage, but so as not to catch it.
Preparation of a solution using plasticizers or several caps of shampoo.
Pouring the mortar, pulling the screed.
Laying vapor barrier, underlayment and finishing coating.

Floors on the ground
This coating is typical for newly erected buildings. The floor on the ground must meet many criteria - after all, it is the main barrier from the earth, which constantly strives to destroy it, saturate it with moisture and take away heat.
To prevent the harmful effects of these factors, multi-layer laying technology is used. Work on the ground is performed as follows and in this order:
If we have soft soil at the base, we cut it off upper layer, approximately 20–30 cm.
The resulting layer of earth is compacted with a special metal block or press.
We lay a cushion of sand mixed with crushed stone on the compacted earth. The layer should be about 10–15 cm.
We lay a damper tape made of foamed polyurethane.
Next, fill in a rough layer of screed, possibly without reinforcement or beacons. Fill with a layer of approximately 5–15 cm.
We lay a layer of polyethylene or roofing felt for waterproofing.
Then we lay a layer of insulating material. It is best to use polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam.
We lay the reinforcing mesh on the brick islands to create a gap and place the reinforcement in the middle of the screed layer.
We install beacons.
We lay the damper tape.
Fill in the finishing layer of screed.
We lay a vapor barrier, underlayment and any finishing coating.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in making a floor with your own hands, and you can do it all yourself in a short period of time. All that will stop you is the drying time of the layers.
Source: http://mrpol.su
Firstly, the ground on which the pillow will be laid must be dry. If it is wet, wait until it dries or dry it using specialized diesel infrared guns that will effectively cope with this task.
The rough layer of the screed must dry completely - on average, this takes 20–25 days, and in climates with high humidity - 28–30 days. The finishing layer of the screed should be thinner, no more than 5 cm. It also dries in 20–25 days.
In order for this layer to turn out to be of high quality, it must be covered with film immediately after pouring. To dry it evenly, moisten it generously twice in 24 hours and then cover it. plastic film for 3–4 days to ensure even distribution of moisture. Then remove the film and leave for 20–25 days to dry completely.
This method is effectively used for making floors in a private house, since usually only there is a need to pour the screed onto the ground. This concludes our discussion of making a ground screed with our own hands, and now let’s move on to the next type.
Floors with basalt fiber
New on the market building materials. It appeared not so long ago, about seven years ago, but it never gained much popularity. Basalt fiber is an extremely strong fiber with amazing tear resistance properties. Represents fibers, most often white only 5–7 cm in length, which are supplied in bags.
Manufacturing technology concrete screed with basalt fiber is as follows. Exactly the same operations are performed as when pouring a regular screed, but with one fundamental difference. We do not put reinforcing cages and rods into the base, but instead add basalt fibers directly to the solution, in the proportion indicated on the packaging, and mix. After hardening, the fibers bind the entire fabric with thousands of threads, which give the structure incredible strength and flexibility.
This method is rarely used in home construction, but almost all industrial facilities are built this way. In cases where support beams or stiffening ribs are erected, the methods are combined, i.e., both reinforcement and basalt are used to obtain heavy-duty structures.
Wooden subfloors
To understand what the production of concrete floors involves wooden base, watch this video very carefully. Or you will definitely achieve the destruction of the entire structure. No, we are not scaring you, we are just trying to warn you.
The fact is that wood and metal are materials with completely different nature, structure and properties. A tree is never static, it is always moving. Its dynamics are determined by humidity, temperature, and degree of drying. It is forbidden to pour screed onto a tree at all if the tree is fresh - only after a 3-year period!
When exposed to the same temperature, these materials expand differently, so they need to be combined so that they are completely independent of each other. To do this, use ordinary plastic film - concrete does not stick to it at all and seems to slide while the wood moves.
The entire process should be performed in the following sequence:
We remove the boardwalk and inspect all the joists to remove damaged and rotten ones, otherwise the wooden floor may not withstand the load. A slab of concrete 5 cm thick and 1 m2 in area weighs about 300 kg.
We restore the flooring and treat the wood with an antiseptic and primer.
We lay down plastic film.
We lay reinforcement or use fiber-reinforced concrete.
We lay the damper tape.
We place beacons.
Fill the screed.

As a result, we get two coatings that exist completely separately from each other. This design rarely used in practice, but sometimes extremely necessary. No matter how complex it may be, it has all the properties of a full-fledged concrete base and the thermal characteristics of a wooden floor.
Floors in industrial buildings
If there is a need to manufacture specific flooring with increased durability and improved performance, then you need to inquire about industrial building flooring.
This coating is poured in the same way as all screeds. We use waterproofing, damper tape, reinforcement, basalt fiber. But there are a few critical differences. IN industrial buildings, depending on the purpose, either a simple screed or a screed with iron is made. Depending on the expected load, the layer thickness increases from 5 cm, as in civil buildings, to 20 cm for industrial facilities.
Reinforcement must be laid in two stages. The first is the lower reinforcement, the second is the upper. The floor is poured in such a way that the reinforcement cage is located 5 cm below, and 5 cm above the screed, because the coating can work not only in tension under heavy weight, but also in compression, and each of the reinforcement belts must absorb these forces.
And most importantly, any industrial screed should be made only using vibration machines. These are special installations that force the layer of mortar to become denser under the influence of vibration and fill all voids more thoroughly. In this way, excellent coating properties can be achieved.
Well, dear reader, now you have learned everything you can about what types of flooring devices there are and how to make them. There are, of course, specific schemes - for example, production in a bathhouse, but they differ only in the presence of drains and drainage holes, and are made according to exactly the same principles as all the others. Now, with this information, you can easily arrange a floor for any purpose. Good luck and see you again!

Floors on concrete slabs can withstand high loads. For this reason, they most often become part of the structures of multi-story buildings. Laying slabs is a fairly simple task, but the characteristics of the material make some adjustments to the flooring process.
What should you consider when working with a concrete base?

Surface roughness;

Gaps between plates;

Fairly cool temperature.

Creating a screed on a concrete slab

The installation of a floor on a slab suggests the presence of several options. The simplest one is pouring screed. You can make it in several ways:

Mix sand and cement (with the addition of water);

By preparing a special mixture.

The old method is no longer very relevant today. The second option is much better. Of course, purchasing a dry mixture will cost a little more, but the result of its use will be much better. The fact is that manufacturers put on the market improved formulations, which include plasticizers, polymers and other components that improve product quality.

Installation process

First of all, you need to inspect the slab for defects in order to know which places you will have to pay more attention to when pouring the mortar. Afterwards, a primer is applied to it (with a roller or brush).
Important! It is best to use a deep penetration primer. When the surface is dry, you should move on to the screed. The layer should not be very thick. Its task is to hide defects and slightly level the surface. In about a day, the screed will dry out and it can be covered with film. Polyethylene will play the role of a vapor and water insulator. The film should cover not only the floor, but also at least 15 centimeters of the wall.

Afterwards, metal profiles or wooden slats are placed over the entire area. So called beacons are installed in one horizontal plane.

How to install a beacon?

In the corner of the room, near the stove itself, install a laser level. When the light rays mark a contour on the walls, make sure that they exactly repeat the floor level along which the finishing will need to be done.

Beacons must be installed over the entire area (along the contour) at a distance slightly less than the length of the rule that will be used to level the screed. First, strong threads are stretched from opposite walls. They are attached to self-tapping screws. Beacons are fixed using gypsum or screed mortar.

Final stages

Having installed the beacons, you can proceed to laying the insulation. There are no restrictions in the choice of material, but expanded clay will be the most optimal. It does not need to be protected with film, unlike porous insulation. Then it’s the turn of the main screed. It must be dense and also have a thickness that can withstand heavy loads (5-15 cm).

Important! To make a level floor, you need to use a rule. It should be placed on the beacons and pulled towards you. As a result, the excess mortar will be drawn towards the wall and fill the unevenness.

The floor will dry in a few days. Then it will be possible to remove the beacons and fill the gaps. Finishing is recommended only on a completely dry surface.

Making a plank floor

Wooden flooring is still the most popular in private homes. Its installation is not particularly difficult. The device must begin with the elimination of base defects. The usual cement-based mortar will do. It is used to seal cracks, chips, and seams between slabs.

Then, with the help laser level the contour along which the finishing surface is ultimately set is determined, and it’s time to create the overall structure.

Main works

The floor is covered with waterproofing material as indicated at the beginning. Then the logs are installed. They are installed in the same horizontal plane.

Important! The logs are fixed perpendicular to the boards, and the boards are fixed perpendicular to the wall with the window.

There are several options:

Using long self-tapping screws, the joists are cut through and fixed to the floor. The holes in the slab are made in advance. Plastic dowels must be inserted into them.

Along the edges of the joists you can install supports made with wooden slats or pieces of lag. The supports are attached to the floor, the logs are laid between them.

A modern method is to install logs on lifting devices.

Final stages

After installing and securing the logs, you should start insulating the floor. The insulation is laid in the space between the joists. The type of material used is not important, its thickness is important. When installing wooden floors, the main thing is not to forget to leave a gap between the clean coating and the insulation. It will become ventilation, which will remove excess moisture and increase the service life of the coating and thermal insulation materials.

Now all that remains is to cover the surface with polyethylene and proceed to the final step - laying the boards.

Water floor installation

Before moving on to installing warm water floors, you need to deal with their thermal insulation. For this case, foil insulation is best suited. It is covered with reinforcing mesh. Afterwards you can lay out the pipes for water heating. They are fixed to the mesh with plastic clamps.

Important! For greater reliability, a reinforcing mesh is also laid over the structure.

To protect expansion joints, pipes are laid along the walls (corrugated ones are suitable). You can proceed to pouring concrete after hydraulic tests. Water system checked for faults within 24 hours. All detected problems are promptly corrected.

To make the final screed of a warm water floor, you need to use a cement mortar. The thickness of the layer should be within 5-15 cm. In a day or two it will dry, after which you can proceed to the direct use of the heated floor. The temperature should be increased gradually.

This method of installing warm water floors is relevant not only if the base is a floor slab, but also a concrete floor on the ground. A water floor is perfect for both home and apartment. It is warm, durable, and protects against moisture and mold.

Laying self-leveling floors

To make a self-leveling floor the main coating, you need to start with a base primer. Epoxy or polyurethane primer is applied in two layers (only from one mixture). The front layer is applied exclusively to the decorated coating. Photo printing looks especially impressive on the surface. It is made on a special film, and a transparent self-leveling floor is laid on top.

Laying technology

The process of installing self-leveling floors begins with a standard procedure - cleaning the surface from dust and dirt. Next, a primer is applied. After it dries, along the vertical surfaces that will come into contact with the self-leveling floor, damper tape is glued around the perimeter. It protects the self-leveling base from cracking.

Then it’s time to apply the self-leveling floor solution. It must be done strictly following the instructions, using an electric mixer at low speed.

Important! To obtain a homogeneous composition, you need to stir the mixture according to the principle: stir and stop. The duration of action-inaction should be the same and not exceed 5 minutes.

The finished solution is poured onto the surface and spread with a roller or spatula, and air bubbles are removed with a needle roller. The thickness of the fill should be at least 3 cm. Now you need to wait for the coating to harden.

Important! Direct sunlight and drafts have a negative effect on uncured material.

The time it takes for the surface to completely dry is also affected by its thickness. The curing time is indicated on the packaging of the dry mixture. As a rule, work on laying ceramic tiles begins after three days, and installation of parquet – after a week.

The role of OSB in floor construction

OSB or OSB is used to achieve one or all of 3 objectives:

To level the floor and hide defects.

In order to ensure good sound insulation. The multilayer structure successfully absorbs noise.

To insulate the floor and make high-quality waterproofing. The natural-based material is characterized by increased moisture resistance and excellent heat retention.

Features of the use of the material

OSB (OSB) is not always attached to the floor. If the concrete base has large differences in height or significant unevenness, the slabs are fixed on wooden beams. The latter successfully act as lags.

Important! Maximum resistance to deformation is provided by OSB (OSB) boards with a thickness of 10 mm. They are laid in two layers (offset). The parts of the material are fastened using glue or spiral nails.

When you start building a house, the question of flooring arises Firstly, since both the strength of the coating and the preservation of heat in the rooms, and therefore the health of the residents, will depend on them. Flooring in a private home can be installed in several ways, but you need to consider each of them in order to evaluate the pros and cons of each option.
Wooden flooring has always been considered the most popular and comfortable floor for a home, since wood, unlike concrete, is itself a warm material.
Concrete coverings are more durable than wood, but require good insulation, so they are often combined with wooden floors.
Loose or floating floors were not so popular among home owners in the past, but recently many are increasingly turning to this option, as it is easy to install and can be done in literally one day.

Whichever gender is chosen, it has specific features your device, depending on the design of the house, the area on which it should be placed, the difficulties and nuances of installation, and even the financial capabilities of the homeowners.
In order for the floor in a private house to be warm and pleasant to walk on, each of its types requires insulation, so it is necessarily included in the general improvement plan.
Wood floors can be made different ways, but they are always secured to logs, which are made from beams laid on a concrete base, support pillars, or embedded in the walls of the house. The latter option is only possible in a room with a small area, for example, narrow corridor or a small hallway.
In addition, wooden floors are divided into single-layer and two-layer, i.e. with subfloor.
Pole-supported floors
Floors on supporting pillars are made in cases where it is not possible to connect the logs to the walls of the house or this is not enough for strength general coverage. A log system installed only on support pillars is called “floating”.
"Floating" floor on supporting pillars
Floors using this system are arranged as follows:
The first thing to do is to dig holes in the underground space of the house to install brick pillars. Such mini-pits are marked at a distance of 70-100 centimeters from each other. The depth of the pits should be at least fifty centimeters. The size of the section will depend on the height of the supports being erected; the higher the pillar should be, the greater its width and thickness.
Crushed stone, gravel or sand, at least twenty centimeters thick, is poured into the bottom of the dug holes, then filled with water and thoroughly compacted. The better the bottom is compacted, the more reliable the support for the joist system will be, so this process must be carried out conscientiously.
Red brick pillars are laid on the compacted cushion, or formwork is arranged, reinforcement is installed, and a cement-gravel mixture is poured. If the pillars are made of concrete, then their cross-sectional size should be at least 40×40, and preferably 50×50 cm. The erected pillars are checked for level, and, if necessary, their height is adjusted.
On top of the pillars, to a depth of 10-15 centimeters, threaded rods are embedded or anchors are installed, onto which the floor beams will subsequently be attached.
It should be noted that if the building or room has a small area, then support pillars can only be installed along the perimeter of the future room, but in this case it is necessary to lay massive beams on them.
After the pillars are ready, waterproofing material is laid on their upper part. It is better if it is three or four layers of roofing material.
Holes are drilled in the beams through which the mounting pins will pass.
Beams made of timber or logs are laid on the waterproofing, they are put on studs and leveled, leveled using wooden boards. When the base of the floor is laid, it is better to fix the pads to the bars using nails, and the beams themselves also need to be secured by screwing them to the posts with nuts through a wide washer. If the studs have excess height, it is cut off with a grinder.
It is best to pour expanded clay onto the surface of the underground in a layer of 15-20 centimeters - it will well retain moisture that can come from the ground and additionally insulate the floors.
In order for the floor installed in this way to be warm, it is better to make it two-layer, especially since in this embodiment all the conditions have been created for this. If you plan to immediately lay a floorboard on the beams, then the underground must be completely filled with expanded clay, leaving a distance of no more than ten centimeters between it and the wooden covering.

Subfloor
The subfloor can be constructed in several ways. The choice of a specific method will depend on the insulation material.
If slag or expanded clay is used as insulation, then the subfloor is made solid, from boards that are nailed to the bottom cut of the beams. The cracks between the boards are coated with clay diluted to a not very thick state. After the clay has dried, insulation can be poured into the cells, on top of which a vapor barrier film is laid.
If the floors will be insulated mineral wool, then the boards are nailed to the bottom side of the beams at a distance of 50 centimeters from each other.

A vapor barrier is attached to the beams and bottom boards and laid thin plywood. Insulation is laid on it, which is also covered with a vapor barrier on top, attached to the beams using a stapler and staples.

Then logs measuring 10 × 3 centimeters are nailed onto the beams, on which floorboards or thick plywood will be laid.

Video: a visual example of installing a subfloor
Wooden floor on the ground
A wooden floor is also installed on the ground. There is a scheme for this, focusing on which you can draw up a work plan.
The soil in the underground must be compacted well, and a cushion of sand, gravel or medium-fraction crushed stone, 20 to 40 centimeters thick, placed on top of it, and then compacted again.
Rigid waterproofing, for example, roofing felt, is laid on the compacted cushion. If desired, you can lay reinforcement mesh under it for greater strength. Waterproofing should extend to the walls at least 10 centimeters.
For waterproofing, lay bricks or concrete blocks, which will subsequently become a support for the beams. The supports are placed in such a way that the beams are at a distance of 60 centimeters from each other (standard insulation width).
The first layer of insulation is laid around the bricks - this can be 50÷100 mm polystyrene foam or mineral wool.
Install on bricks, or better yet, on concrete blocks wooden beams, level them and secure them with a corner.
Between the laid beams, for greater insulation, you can additionally lay mineral wool slabs.
Insulation on top, cash yeah attach a vapor barrier film.
Then lay the floorboard, which is secured with nails carefully driven into its side.
The board is laid at a distance one - one and a half centimeters from the wall to ensure ventilation.

Wooden floor on concrete screed
When installing the floor on concrete screed or slab, logs can be laid directly on concrete or, if you need to raise the floors to a small height of 10-20 centimeters, on threaded studs.
When laying floors on concrete, you cannot skimp on joists - they must be quite massive, then the floors will be reliable and non-creaky.
It should be immediately noted that with such a floor arrangement, it is imperative to make it two-layer, i.e. with the subfloor described above, otherwise it will be very cold.
First on concrete covering Preliminary marking of the location of the logs is made. They should be installed at a distance of 60 centimeters, taking into account future insulation. Marking is done by marking a line with color.
Next, marks are made on the broken lines at a distance of 30-40 centimeters.
At these points, holes are drilled into which studs are installed with clamps located at approximately the same height from the floor - they will hold the beams.
Holes are drilled in the beams themselves at a measured distance corresponding to the location of the studs mounted into the surface of the concrete, after which the beam is placed on the studs.
Then, using a level, tighten the clamps in one direction or the other, bringing all the beams to an ideal horizontal level, controlling it with a level.
The nuts are tightened on top of the studs, driving them into the prepared recess, and the excess part of the studs is cut off with a grinder.
The next steps are the installation of the subfloor, insulation and laying of the finished floor.

Fastening the joists directly to the screed
Place joists on the concrete floor not difficult at all, and you can do it yourself if you have the right tools.
Strips are struck on the concrete surface, also at a distance of 60 centimeters from each other, but from the wall they should be at a distance of the thickness of the insulation (150-200 mm).
Then, using anchors, the logs are securely installed on the concrete floor. In this case, the beams can be of any height - this will depend on the desire of the owner of the house and on the ability to raise the floors to the desired height.
Then, it would be a good idea to lay thin insulation, for example, polyethylene foam, which can be secured to the joists using staples.
All over the wall, all over strips cut from mineral wool mats are installed around the perimeter of the room.
Next, they are laid on the covered polyethylene. insulation boards material or expanded clay of fine or medium fraction is poured.

The top of the insulation must be covered with a vapor barrier film.

Next, a floorboard or thick plywood is laid, and a decorative coating can be laid on top.

Concrete floor
Concrete floors are also installed in different ways, but in general they are similar in technology, with minor deviations or additions.
Concrete coating is mainly done in houses with concrete or brick walls, and begin its construction after the walls are removed and the roof is covered.
If necessary, the top layer of soil is selected to place a sand cushion in its place, which should be 10-15 centimeters deep. It needs to be compacted well by pouring water.
The next layer is crushed stone of the middle fraction, which also needs to be compacted. The thickness of its backfill should be at least 10 centimeters.
Next, a rough screed is arranged. It can be made insulated by adding expanded clay or foam chips to the solution. In addition, in this case the solution can be mixed not on sand, but on gravel. The screed is leveled and left to harden.
On the finished hardened rough screed you need to spread waterproofing, which should extend 15-20 centimeters onto the walls. For it, you can take roofing felt or ordinary thick polyethylene film - the main thing is that the material is laid hermetically, with overlaps glued.

Insulation - expanded clay - is poured onto the waterproofing, or high-density extruded polystyrene foam is laid, the thickness of which is chosen at the request of the house owner and depending on the climatic conditions region where the house was built.
A metal sheet is installed on top of the insulation reinforcement mesh, and then the finishing screed is poured, to which you can also add insulation material. To ensure that the screed is level and there are no differences in floor height in the room, it should be done according to those exhibited according to the construction beacon level.

If desired, additional insulation can be added to such a coating. You can lay wooden floors on the finished screed, lay laminate linoleum or ceramic tiles. Nothing prevents you from organizing a “warm floor” system.

Dry screed floors
There is nothing complicated about installing floors using a dry screed - it is done much faster than a concrete or wooden floor. That is why in last years it is being used more and more often.
The main thing in its installation is a high-quality uniform bulk material. For such a floor, perlite, quartz or silica sand, slag or fine-grained expanded clay are used. These materials are not only convenient to use, but also perfectly perform the task of sound insulation and thermal insulation. If the bulk material is well distributed over the area of the room, it almost does not shrink, so if the work is done conscientiously, the bulk floors will last a long time.
Leveling the bulk mixture
To ensure that the floors keep their shape and the dry screed does not crumble, special bulkheads made of boards are installed.
Plates made of moisture-resistant GVP, plywood or other sheet materials are laid on top of the dry screed. The most important thing is to set the first slab perfectly level - this is done using a level. The next slabs to be laid will be aligned with the first one. The laid material does not need to be pressed into the dry mixture, but should be moved very carefully along the surface. The evenness of laying sheets during all work is controlled using a level.
in areas that are subject to the greatest load, for example, in aisles.
On gypsum fiber the sheets have folds with which they are connected to each other when laying them on a dry screed.
The sheets are stacked with an offset of half a sheet, similar to brickwork- this will increase the stability of the coating.
Having laid the first layer of slabs on a dry screed, they usually move on to laying another one - it will make the floor more durable and stable. If used for flooring gypsum fiber sheets, then a fold is cut off from them on the first layer so that they fit tightly together and bulk material cannot get between the first and second layers.
The second layer of sheets is always laid perpendicular to the bottom sheets.
The laid top layer of sheets is fixed with the bottom with using glue and additionally fastened with self-tapping screws. They must be twisted under load - to do this, just stand on top sheet, and the weight of the master will serve as the necessary load.
Exactly along the line doorways It is not recommended to join the sheets - it is necessary that the sheet be distributed in this place to both rooms.
sealed with waterproofing material, for example, sealant.
If such floors are installed in a room where there is high humidity, the entire surface of the floor, before installation decorative covering treated with coating waterproofing.

Thus, it is obvious that the floor in a private house on a dry screed is quite easy to install if you take the work seriously, do it carefully and take your time. Rush absolutely inappropriate– in terms of time for completing work, such a technology under any circumstances is many times superior to any other.

Concrete flooring is currently perhaps the most widespread in both residential and industrial construction. It is suitable for almost any finishing coating or can, after appropriate processing, be used independently. Its main advantages, subject to the filling technology, are high strength, resistance to destruction, and durability of use. It is not surprising that when conducting private construction or when renovating an apartment, in the vast majority of cases, homeowners opt for this particular flooring technology.

Is it worth inviting specialist builders, or is screeding a concrete floor with your own hands a completely affordable process for the average homeowner? This publication is devoted to answering these questions.

Types of concrete floor screeds

Concrete floor screeds may have different design, performed using slightly different technologies and intended for different purposes.

Thus, they can serve solely for leveling the floor, which is carried out before installing the finishing coating. Powerful screeds serve as a reliable foundation in rooms where increased mechanical loads are expected. They can also perform the functions of ensuring the required thermal balance, acting, for example, as powerful heat accumulators in “warm floor” systems. Screeds are often used to cover communication systems. They can they are used and in order to create a certain slope in those rooms where it is necessary.

Concrete screeds differ according to the number of layers:

— They can be single-layer, that is, poured simultaneously to the entire calculated height. This is usually used in industrial, commercial or utility applications. non-residential premises, where there are no increased requirements for the evenness of the floor.

— Multilayer screeds are poured in several stages. Typically, the first layer serves as a rough base, and the top one creates a smooth surface for further flooring work. This approach is also used in cases where the total thickness necessary screed reaches too large a size, and it is more advisable to do it in layers.

Screeds also differ in the degree of adhesion to the base:

— Bound ties have direct contact with the base. Of course, with such a filling technology, maximum homogeneity of the materials and their high adhesion to each other must be ensured. Such coatings are characterized by good strength qualities in terms of withstanding high mechanical loads. However, the condition of the surface layer will largely depend on the moisture level of the base. Such screeds are mainly performed on dry floor slabs on the floors of buildings.

— In the case where the base does not have sufficient waterproofing, a screed is used as a separating layer. A layer of waterproofing material (roofing felt, polymer film, coating composition) becomes a barrier to the penetration of moisture from below, and the screed itself has no contact with the base. With this technology, the layer of poured mortar cannot be less than 30 mm and, as a rule, requires reinforcement.

This technology is often used when constructing screeds on the ground, for example, in garages, sheds, basements, and on the first floors of houses without basements. They also use it in rooms with high humidity levels.

— Where enhanced thermal insulation of the floor is required or there is a need for sound insulation, floating screeds are used. In this case, the concrete solution is poured over a layer of insulation of one type or another. The screed turns into a completely independent structure - a slab, not connected either to the base or to the walls of the room. The minimum thickness of the fill in this case is at least 50 mm, and reinforcement of the screed becomes a prerequisite.

The humidity of such a screed is absolutely independent of the condition of the base, and a good insulating effect is achieved. Disadvantages - excessively large thickness, and therefore - load on the floor. Typically, such screeds are used only on the first floors of residential or ancillary buildings, especially if the filling is carried out on the ground.

Screeds can be made with a homogeneous solution or include certain fillers:

— The addition of a cement-sand solution of polystyrene foam chips significantly increases the thermal insulation qualities of the coating.

Typically, such screeds require a second, strengthening and leveling layer.

— Where screeds of great thickness or with increased thermal insulation qualities are required, expanded clay is added to the concrete solution.

Expanded clay concrete has sufficient strength, but for laying some coatings, you will also need to fill in the front layer from ordinary mortar. But ceramic tiles can be laid directly on such a base.

Screeds with micro-reinforcement show good performance fiberglass. This technology allows you to dramatically increase the strength of the coating to mechanical loads, stretching, and bending.

Such screeds usually do not crack, are less susceptible to shrinkage during hardening, and have less dust formation. They are great for underfloor heating systems.

flooring can be done using classic, “wet” technology, or semi-dry. Semi-dry screed is a relatively new thing, and not all more ready to try it out in practice. In addition, it requires special professionalism in preparing the mortar mixture, laying out, compacting and leveling the mortar. Most home builders prefer to use proven “wet” technology, which will be discussed later in the article. However, if you are limited in time, consider inviting a semi-dry screed installation specialist. When choosing a contractor, pay attention to the technology used - the presence of a mechanized supply of the composition will ensure cleanliness in the apartment. For example, laying a semi-dry screed along latest technology is carried out by the company "EUROSTROY 21 CENTURY" (company website www.prestigehouse.ru).

Solutions for pouring concrete screed

It is quite natural that if you need to pour a concrete screed, you will first need to decide on the type of solution. There are some options in this matter.

According to the existing canons of SNiP, the minimum strength of a conventional concrete screed, regardless of the type of further cladding, must be at least M-150 (the coating can withstand a force of 150 kg/cm²). If used self-leveling jellied composition, then here the requirements are even higher - from M-200. The solution should be selected in accordance with these requirements.

1. The “classic” concrete mortar used for pouring a regular floor screed is considered to be a cement-sand mixture in a ratio of 1:3. This “recipe” is time-tested and fully justifies itself. However, there are several nuances, without taking into account which you can easily ruin the future screed:

To prepare concrete, you cannot use ordinary “washed” river sand, which has not undergone special processing. The frozen surface will not be durable and will begin to crumble, crumble and crack over time. The fact is that grains of sand have smoothed outlines due to prolonged exposure to water, not providing adequate clutch. In this regard, quarry sand is much better than its faceted grains of sand irregular shape. True, when choosing, you need to look carefully so that it does not contain a large number of clay inclusions - this will also reduce the strength of the screed.

The presence of a small amount of fine gravel component will not affect the strength properties of the screed. However, if a smooth surface is required, it will be necessary to sift the sand through a sieve.

The optimally selected amount of water becomes a very important condition for the strength and durability of the screed being poured. It is no secret that some novice home builders, in an effort to make the work of pouring and leveling concrete easier, use excessive amounts of water, getting semi-liquid, easy spreading solution. By doing this, they are laying a “time bomb” - at the end, the screed will not have the required qualities.

Firstly, an excessively liquid solution will definitely cause severe shrinkage when hardening. Smooth surface, in accordance with the set level, in this case there is no expectation. And secondly, a violation of the cement-water balance will certainly reduce the strength qualities of hardened concrete. The surface is loose, unbound, with increased dust formation.

There are, of course, special amounts of water in concrete mortar, but they are usually adhered to by the technologists of production enterprises. reinforced concrete structures and large mortar units. In home construction, people often rely on their own experience, intuition and common sense. In addition, it is very difficult to accurately calculate the amount of water due to the fact that it largely depends on the moisture content of the filler. The sand can be wet and heavy - and this is also water, which will participate in the process of preparing the solution.

Ideally, the concrete solution should be dense, but sufficiently plastic, so that when it is poured and leveled, there are no air voids left in the thickness of the floor. You can roughly focus on the following ratio - a liter of water per five kilograms of cement-sand dry mixture.

It is important to choose the right “golden mean” so that the solution is both dense and plastic
It is very difficult to mix the screed solution by hand using a shovel. It is better to use a concrete mixer or construction mixer of sufficiently high power for this. First, mix the dry ingredients in the required ratio (maybe with a little moisture), and then add water very carefully, portionwise.

An important condition for the quality of the future concrete screed is the purity of water. It is prohibited to use process water containing fats, oils, petroleum product residues, etc. Also, dirty, oily containers should not be used to carry water to the concrete mixing site.

2. The modern range of building materials on sale can significantly simplify the process of pouring screed. For these purposes, ready-made dry construction mixtures can be used.

Compared to using the usual cement-sand mixture, this technology has whole line advantages:

In terms of strength and other performance indicators, screeds made from ready-mixes are in no way inferior to ordinary concrete, and can even surpass it in a number of parameters.

To prepare the solution, you do not need powerful equipment or heavy manual labor - a mixer or even a powerful electric drill (perforator) with an appropriate attachment is enough.

In principle, there are no problems with the dosage of components - everything is already provided by the manufacturer, and the master can only strictly follow the instructions for preparing the solution.

Many solutions prepared from such mixtures are much lighter, which reduces the load on the floor, reduces transportation costs and makes it easier to lift materials to floors.

It is possible to select the required composition for specific operating conditions. Thus, there are solutions for rough or leveling screeds, for underfloor heating systems and for rooms with high humidity. Special plasticizers or microfibers added to their composition not only increase the strength characteristics of the coating, but also reduce the time it takes for the screed to completely harden, reducing the overall duration of construction work.

What is very important for beginners is that working with such compositions is simple and does not require particularly high skills. The main thing is to follow the recommendations for pouring technology, which are necessarily attached to any batch of material.

All this will be true only if a high-quality dry mixture is purchased. Alas, there are a lot of fakes or low-quality mixtures on the building materials market in this segment. It is best to choose formulations from reputable manufacturers, be sure to check the certificate so as not to run into counterfeit products. It is also important to check the shelf life of the material - it is limited, and an expired mixture can significantly lose its quality.

The only drawback of this approach to pouring screed is that the price may be slightly higher than when making the solution yourself. Well, you have to pay for convenience and quality.

Prices for various types of screeds and self-leveling floors

Screeds and self-leveling floors

Preparing the surface for pouring concrete screed

The surface for pouring the screed is prepared in different ways, based on the conditions:

If the floor will be laid on the ground, for example, in a private house without a basement or basement, then the work is carried out in next sequence:

— The soil is selected to a depth of 500 mm.

A sand cushion 100 mm thick is poured and carefully compacted. A gravel layer is poured on top of it in the same way.

— Rough pouring of concrete with the addition of expanded clay is done to a height of 150 — 200 mm – for insulating the floor surface.

— After the base has hardened, it must waterproofed- roofing felt or thick polyethylene film to prevent the ingress of ground moisture from below. Waterproofing material must definitely go out on the walls on height, slightly greater than the height of the planned screed. If necessary, another layer of insulation can be poured on top, and then a reinforced finishing screed can be poured.

In apartments, first of all, it is necessary to remove the old screed. This is done for several reasons:

— Firstly, the old screed does not guarantee integrity, since it can peel off, crack, and these deformations will be transferred to the newly poured layer.

— Secondly, do not forget about the maximum permissible loads on floor slabs. So, in serial high-rise buildings of old construction permissible load about 400 kg per square meter - static and 150 kg - dynamic. And the news is one square meter concrete screed, 50 mm thick, approaches 100 kg. Therefore, all work related to thickening the screed will have to be coordinated with design organizations. And it is far from a fact that such permission will be obtained.

- And thirdly, the height of the ceilings in apartments is usually not so significant that you can afford to significantly raise the floor level.

The old screed is dismantled with a hammer drill, but very carefully to prevent destruction or damage to the floor slab. The remains of the chipped concrete are removed, and then the surface is thoroughly cleaned and dust-free.

If a bonded screed is planned, then it is necessary to thoroughly clean the existing recesses, cut cracks or crevices to a width of at least 5 mm so that the concrete solution can freely penetrate into them when pouring.

If the screed is floating or on a separating layer, then all defects must be repaired immediately. You should not leave voids under the waterproofing layer - condensation can accumulate there, and these areas of high humidity are likely to become a “problem area”.

Defects are sealed using a repair compound, epoxy putty or ordinary concrete mortar. In case of large defects, polyurethane foam can sometimes be used.

The corners between the walls and the floor are especially carefully checked and repaired - water from the concrete solution when pouring the screed can penetrate deep into the ceiling or even leak to the neighbors below.

Then, in any case, the surface of the ceiling should be treated with a penetrating primer. This measure will additionally remove dust from the surface of the slab and improve its adhesion to the concrete being poured. In addition, the ceiling will not actively absorb moisture from the solution. This is extremely important. A lack of water in the layer of wet concrete adjacent to the base will lead to incomplete maturation of the cement stone, and the screed will peel off or collapse under even minor loads.

The soil is poured over the surface in strips and distributed evenly with a roller. IN hard to reach places For example, in the corners, it is better to use a brush.

An elastic damper tape is glued along the perimeter of the walls. It will become a compensator for the expansion of the concrete screed, which will prevent its deformation or cracking. In addition, under no circumstances should the screed come into contact with vertical structures, be it walls, partitions or columns.

If the screed is on a separating layer, then first the entire surface of the ceiling is covered with a dense polyethylene film, at least 0.2 mm thick. The strips are overlapped by at least 100 mm. The joints must be taped with waterproof construction tape. You need to try to very carefully lay the film in the corners so that strong wrinkles and folds do not form - air “pockets” may remain there. The edges of the film on the walls should be 5 ÷ 10 mm higher than the planned screed - it will be easy to trim them later.

Schematic - waterproofing film and damper tape for screed on the separating layer
After the polyethylene is laid, the damper tape is glued - just as mentioned above.

Beacon system and reinforcement

To achieve horizontal screed and its required height, it is necessary to create a system of beacons along which the concrete mortar will be leveled.

Definition of zero level

It is very successful if the farm has it or if it is possible to take it from friends. In this case, the work will be significantly simplified - it will be much easier to cut horizontal stripes on the walls and control the level of alignment of the guides.

If this is not possible, then you can set up beacons just as well using water and conventional building level.

The water level consists of two cylindrical transparent vessels with the same scale applied, connected by a long elastic thin hose. According to the physical law of communicating vessels, the liquid level in them is always at the same height from the horizon. Thus, having made one mark at a certain level, it can be transferred with high accuracy to other surfaces within the length of the flexible hose.

Marking begins by determining the zero level of the future screed. To do this, first of all, you need to draw a basic horizontal line. This is done as follows:

The estimated highest corner of the room is visually determined. A mark is made on the wall in this corner at an arbitrary height. It is better, of course, to make it so that it is as convenient as possible to work, for example, one and a half meters from the floor.

Using a water level, this mark is transferred to all walls of the room. The distance between the risks should allow you to connect them with a line using an existing ruler (you can use a long building level or a pure rule).

The drawn line should run along the entire perimeter of the room and close at one point - this will indicate the correctness of the measurements.

Measurements are taken from the applied baseline to the floor surface. Measurement points are usually every 0, 5 m. It is imperative to ensure that the measurement is carried out strictly vertically. The obtained values need to be written down (on a piece of paper or even on the wall with a pencil).

The measuring point that gives the minimum height of this distance will correspond to the high area grounds.

The thickness of the future screed is subtracted from the obtained value at the highest point (minimum 30 mm). For example, the minimum height is 1420 mm. We subtract the thickness of the screed (30 mm) and get 1390 mm. This is the distance from the drawn reference line to the zero level.

Now it will not be difficult to draw the entire zero level line around the perimeter of the room - to do this, you need to measure the resulting value from the base down, mark the points and connect them with a straight line. To simplify your work, you can make a template and quickly move the marks from the base line. After connecting them, you get the main line of the zero level.

In construction practice, it is rare, but it still happens, when in the center of the room the floor level is slightly higher than at the walls. This must be checked by pulling the cord at the zero level between opposite walls and measuring the height from it to the floor. A similar check should be carried out in several places. If it is determined that there is a hill in the center, it will be necessary to shift the zero level upward to ensure the minimum permissible thickness of the screed over the entire area of the room.

Marking for beacon system

It is advisable to mark the beacons and guides immediately after hitting the zero level, guided by the following principles:

The orientation of the guides should correspond to the intended direction of the most convenient pouring of the screed. This is usually done along the room, from the far wall to the exit.

It happens that due to the complexity of the room configuration, it will be necessary to change the direction of pouring in a certain area. This should also be immediately taken into account when marking beacon lines.

The distance between the wall and the parallel guide closest to it is usually maintained no more than 250 - 300 mm. If you leave it large, a poorly leveled area or even a failure may form along the wall, which will require additional intervention later.

The distances between adjacent guides are not particularly regulated. The main thing is that the leveling rule installed on them protrudes on both sides by about 200 mm. The guides should not be spaced too far apart - quite large gaps may appear in the center between them after the hardening concrete shrinks.

I distribute the guide lines across the width of the room, usually at the same distance from one another.

How to set beacons and zero level guides

Previously, various improvised materials were used as guides for the beacon system, for example, wooden blocks or unnecessary pipes. Today, metal profiles are mainly used for these purposes.

Thus, galvanized U-shaped profiles from plasterboard systems perform very well. They are resistant to deflections and create a reliable “rail” for working as a rule.

Plaster profiles are very popular, although they are not without some disadvantages. They have a stiffener, however, on long sections when working as a rule, they can still sag. Therefore, when using them, the number of support points must be increased.

In some cases, you can do without using profiles altogether.

There are many ways to install a beacon, and it is impossible to consider everything. Let's look at just a few of them.

One of the most accurate and simplest is using self-tapping screws.

— At the far end of the room, at a distance of 250 - 300 mm from the corner between opposite walls, a strong cord (for example, a fishing line or a thick nylon thread) is pulled strictly at the zero level. It is important to tighten it as much as possible so that there is no sagging in the center.

- At the intersection of the line of the extended cord with the line closest to the wall, directing in the floor is drilled hole where it is clogged plastic dowel and the self-tapping screw is screwed in. Using a screwdriver, it is screwed in so that the upper edge of its cap exactly coincides with the zero level.

— A similar operation is repeated on the opposite side of the room, closest to the exit.

— Two self-tapping screws defining the guide line are connected to each other with a tightly stretched cord, so that it runs along the top of their heads.

— On this segment, mark and drill holes for dowels, distributing them evenly so that an interval of 350 ÷ 400 mm is maintained between them.

— Self-tapping screws are screwed into dowels until their heads coincide with the tensioned cord. A check must be carried out using a building level - if necessary, the required adjustments can be made.

— In the same way, a line of screws is made on the opposite guide, and then on the intermediate ones. In this case, the check must be carried out in all directions - longitudinal, transverse and diagonal.

— Once the same zero level has been reached along all lines, the stretched cords are removed. Prepare a thick concrete solution. It is laid out in small slides along the line of screwed-in screws. Then a U-shaped profile is put on top and pressed into the solution. The transverse flange of the profile should rest against the head of the screw. It is important that the profile “sits” evenly on both sides, without distortions.

Installation and fixation of metal profiles - guides
— After the solution has set and securely fixed the profiles in the installed position, you can proceed to pouring the screed.

With plaster profiles it turns out to be somewhat more complicated - it is more difficult to fix them using the heads of the screws. For these purposes, special fasteners can be used - “eared”, which are put on self-tapping screws, and their petals are crimped side shelves profile.

Video: placing beacons using screws and fasteners -“ Ushastiki»

Another subtlety is that plaster profiles also have their own height, and this must also be taken into account when setting the screws to the zero level.

In addition, much more fixing solution will be required - to the point that I even resort to laying out a solid shaft into which the profile is embedded with emphasis on the screw heads.

Some craftsmen are accustomed to doing without metal profiles altogether.

— The exposed self-tapping beacons are tied with thin wire, thereby creating a kind of reinforcement frame. Then the solution is laid out along the entire line in a slightly excess quantity, so that the resulting shaft is slightly above the zero level.

— When the solution begins to set, a guide plane is formed. Using the rule, the upper edge of this shaft is compared and smoothed down to the screw heads.

- After hardening, you will get excellent guides along which you can work as a rule, and then they will enter the structure of the poured screed.

If the screed is carried out on the floor, then the self-tapping method becomes inapplicable - the tightness of the film cannot be broken, and in addition, there should be no rigid adhesion of the new screed to the base. In this case, you will have to tinker more, laying out piles of mortar and accurately inserting the guides at the zero level along the stretched cords.

To speed up the readiness of the beacon system, tile adhesive is often used instead of conventional mortar - its hardening time is much shorter. But gypsum compositions are unacceptable. Firstly, they practically do not shrink, unlike cement ones. Secondly, gypsum compositions have completely different indicators of water absorption, adhesion, strength, ductility, etc. We can say with 100% certainty that cracks will appear on the screed where the beacons are located.

Nuances of screed reinforcement

Of course, this measure is useful, especially with thick ties. Most often used for this purpose is a metal mesh made of galvanized steel wire with cells from 50 to 100 mm - it can be purchased at finished form in shops. Only when placing it, many people make a serious mistake.

If you look at numerous photographs on the Internet, you can see a mesh laid directly on the floor slab or on a layer of waterproofing. There are many doubts about the usefulness of such reinforcement. Ideally, for the reinforcing belt to play its role, it should be placed in the thickness of the mortar being poured, approximately in the middle of the height of the screed.

To do this, you can purchase special polymer stands. However, it will not be difficult to make supports from wire or even to raise the mesh on linings from pieces of broken tiles or fragments of old concrete screed. Wooden pads should not be used under any circumstances.

Obviously, it is necessary to install the reinforcing grid before setting the guides. Most often, the installation of the beacon system and reinforcement is carried out in parallel, and the mesh can also be fixed on those piles of cement into which metal profiles are embedded.

Filling the screed

Oddly enough, the process of pouring the screed itself looks like a series of technological operations probably the easiest one. If all the preparatory work is done correctly, then this stage will not be difficult.

For normal pouring and hardening of the screed, the optimal temperature is from 15 to 25 degrees. It is allowed to carry out work even with more low temperatures(but not lower than +5), but the maturation period of concrete will increase significantly. In too hot weather, it is also better to refrain from pouring - = the top layer can quickly dry out and crack. It does not like screed and drafts, although the access to fresh air cannot be completely blocked.

It is best, of course, to work together - one is preparing the concrete solution, and the second is directly pouring and leveling the screed. The technology for mixing the solution has already been described above.

Work is carried out from the far corner of the room, gradually moving towards the exit. You should try to complete the pouring within one working day - this way the screed will be as uniform and durable as possible. If for some reason this is not possible, then the floor surface is divided in advance into sections (they are called fill maps) with jumpers installed between them.

spread in excess quantities between the guides, so that its layer is 15 - 20 mm above the zero level. Initial distribution is carried out using a trowel or shovel. It is imperative to ensure that there is no unfilled places- this happens often under the guides, under the bars fittings or at corners. It is necessary to achieve maximum compaction of the concrete solution and release of air bubbles from it. To do this, you can carry out “bayoneting” - the solution is pierced with a shovel or trowel before leveling.

Next, on on the rulers set the rule. Using forward and transverse zigzag movements, the solution is leveled to the level of the guides, so that a flat, smooth surface is obtained.

If the sand has not been sifted and large fragments (pebbles or shells) remain in it, then certain difficulties may arise - these inclusions can leave grooves and you will have to suffer a lot, removing them and smoothing out unevenness in order to bring the surface to an ideal state.

Concrete mortar is added as needed so that work continues uninterrupted. Excess mortar is carefully removed at the end of filling the room.

Video: a visual example of pouring screed along beacons

After the filling is completed, it is necessary provide measures, excluding accidental entry of people or pets into the premises during the first 5 - 7 days. In order for the maturation process to proceed effectively, the surface must be moistened with water daily (starting from the second day), keeping it moist. In extreme heat, it makes sense to cover it with film after initial setting to avoid drying out.

If a regular one was used sand-cement mortar, then we can talk about the readiness of the screed with operational use no earlier than after 3 weeks. When using dry building mixtures The deadlines may be different - they must be indicated in the attached instructions.

After the screed is ready, it is checked for evenness and surface quality. To do this, set a rule on the embedded guides and measure the resulting gap in the center. There is no escape from shrinkage of concrete, and if the gap does not exceed 1 - 2 mm, then this will be within normal limits.

Often a thin layer of compound is poured over the screed to make the surface perfectly smooth. However, this is a topic for separate consideration.