This material will tell you how to make a high-quality concrete floor screed with your own hands in an apartment and a house. Moreover, you do not need to resort to the help of specialists. The most affordable and common is the concrete base. It is ideal for any top coat. In principle, sometimes it can be operated independently without flooring. If the pouring technology is followed correctly, then the concrete screed will be highly durable, it is resistant to destruction, and will last a long time. It is these factors that are key when choosing this technology.
For what purpose is concrete screed used
The design of the concrete floor screed can be different. Screeds are made using different technologies that are designed for specific purposes. In particular, they are used when leveling the floor before starting the installation of the finish coating. A powerful screed can serve as a fairly reliable foundation in rooms where there will be very high mechanical loads.
Also, the ties perform the function of a heat stabilizer. For example, they can accumulate in themselves the heat emanating from the pipes of the underfloor heating system. Quite often, all communication systems are closed with a screed. In some rooms, with their help, the necessary slope is formed.
Varieties of construction by layers
You can group the ties by the number of layers:
- Single-layer, which is poured at a time to the full height. As a rule, it is used for economic, industrial, auxiliary non-residential premises. In this case, there are no increased requirements for evenness.
- Multilayer concrete screed must be made in several passes. As a rule, the first layer is a rough base, and the topmost layer is a flat surface to make a quality floor covering. This approach can be implemented in the case when the thickness of the screed is quite large, it is advisable to perform it in several passes.
Related Covers
You can also divide concrete screeds according to the degree of adhesion to the base. And the first ones are related types of coatings, they are in direct contact with the base. Of course, when making a floor using this technology, the filling should be as homogeneous as possible. It is necessary that the level of adhesion be quite high. Such coatings have high strength, withstand high mechanical loads. But it should be noted that the state of the top layer largely depends on the level of humidity of the base. These screeds are usually mounted on dry floor slabs between floors of buildings.
Waterproofing qualities
If the substrate does not have sufficient waterproofing, a screed with a separating layer must be used. In this case, a layer of polymer film, roofing felt or bituminous lubricant is used. This layer is an insurmountable barrier to moisture. It cannot penetrate from below. In fact, the concrete screed has no contact with the base.
The mortar to be poured must be less than 3 centimeters thick. Reinforcement is required. This technology is very often used in the construction of premises that are installed on the ground. For example, these are basements, sheds, garages, first floors of private houses without a basement. It is much better to use a semi-dry floor screed when installing. Anyone, even a not very experienced master, can apply it with his own hands.
Use of heaters
In the event that it is necessary to provide a high degree of thermal insulation, as well as sound insulation, it is allowed to use various insulation materials. In this case, the solution of concrete must be poured over the insulation material. The screed is an independent design. This is a slab that does not communicate with either the walls of the room or the base. The thickness of the fill must be at least 5 cm. Reinforcement is required.
Fillers for concrete screeds
It is allowed to use ties both in their original form and with fillers. If cement and sand, as well as polystyrene chips, are added to the solution, this will significantly increase the thermal insulation properties. But be awarethat such mixtures can not be used everywhere, so make sure they are compatible.
When making a floor screed in a house with your own hands, you need to decide what characteristics you need to achieve.
Expanded clay and concrete
If it is necessary to make a very thick screed or to increase its thermal insulation properties, expanded clay may be added. Concrete with the addition of this material becomes much stronger, but before applying certain coatings, it is necessary to pour the face layer from simple cement. If it is planned to lay ceramic tiles, then this can be done directly on such a base.
Fiber Reinforcement
Quite high performance can be observed in concrete screeds with micro-reinforcement using fiberglass. This technology can significantly increase the strength of the coating, improve susceptibility to stretching, bending, and mechanical stress. These screeds are not covered with cracks, they are less prone to shrinkage during solidification. They also produce much less dust. They are ideal for do-it-yourself underfloor heating in the apartment.
Classic Mortar
Before you start pouring the concrete screed, you need to decide what type of mortar will be used. The classic concrete mortar, which is used for pouring ordinary screeds, is a mixture in a ratio of one to three of cement and sand. This recipe has been tested over the years, it justifies itself completely. But it should be taken into accountand some nuances so as not to spoil the screed. For example, when preparing concrete, it is forbidden to use plain river sand that has not undergone special processing.
When solidified, the surface will not be able to distinguish itself by strength, over time it will crumble, crack and crumble. The problem is that the grains of sand are rounded, they cannot provide the proper level of grip. It is much better to use a quarry type of sand. Its grains of sand are faceted and have an irregular shape. But it is necessary when choosing to pay attention to whether there are clay inclusions. If they are present, then the strength of the screed will decrease significantly.
Also, if there is even a small amount of gravel in a small fraction, the quality of the screed will not suffer. But in the event that it is necessary to make a perfectly flat surface, you need to sift all the sand.
What conditions must be observed when making a solution?
An extremely important condition for maintaining the strength of the screed is the selection of the optimal amount of water. It is no secret that sometimes during construction, in order to significantly facilitate their work, a large amount of water is added. The result is a semi-liquid, very easily flowable cement slurry. We can say that this is a "time bomb", since the screed will not meet all the requirements.
Be aware that too thin a solution will shrink more during hardening. In this case, a flat surface will not be able to form. It should also be noted that whenviolation of the balance of cement and water will decrease the strength properties of concrete. And the surface will be unbound, loose, a lot of dust will form. But let's find out how to make a floor screed with your own hands. After all, there is another component - water. And the requirements for her are quite serious.
Water requirements
During construction, it is necessary to get a dense concrete solution, but it must have plasticity. When pouring and leveling, there should be no voids from the air. Focus on this ratio: one liter of water must be added to 5 kg of a mixture of cement and sand. It should also be noted that it is quite difficult to mix the mixture manually with high quality. Much better to use a concrete mixer or a construction mixer.
And first you need to mix the dry ingredients, and then add water. It should also be noted that there should be no impurities in the water. It is forbidden to use water in which there is a lot of fat, oil, petroleum products.
Ready mixes for making screeds
Now let's talk about how to do a floor screed with your own hands in an apartment or house without involving specialists. You can use ready-made dry mixes that are commercially available. These are materials that can simplify the filling procedure. Several advantages of these compositions should be noted:
- When compared with a solution of sand and cement, the strength and other performance characteristics of screeds from ready-made mixtures are much better.
- When preparing the solution, there is no need to usepowerful machinery or overwhelming manual labor. All you need is a mixer or a simple electric drill.
- There are no problems with the dosage of ingredients. The main thing in the manufacture of the solution is to mix the water and the dry mix correctly. All instructions are printed directly on the package.
- Most of the solutions that are prepared from this type of mixtures have a small mass. Therefore, less load is applied to the overlap. And transporting all the materials to the upper floors is much easier.
- There are several types of solutions. You can find on sale mixtures for rough leveling, as well as for finishing. There are compounds specially designed for use in underfloor heating systems, for rooms with high levels of humidity.
- Working with such mixtures is very simple, you do not need to have any skills. Try only to follow the instructions on the package.
But all these qualities will be valid only when you get a quality mixture. You can find fakes on the market, so trust only trusted sellers.
Surface preparation
In the event that it is laid on the ground, it is quite simple to install the floor screed with your own hands. Step by step instructions for surface preparation:
- The soil is sampled by about 50 cm. Then it is necessary to pour a pillow of sand. Its thickness should be about 10 cm. Be sure to carefullytamp.
- A layer of gravel must be poured on top in the same way.
- Then concrete is poured with expanded clay. Layer thickness no more than 20 cm.
- Then a layer of waterproofing is laid. If necessary, insulation is laid and the finishing reinforced screed is poured.
In the event that the filling is done in the apartment, the old screed is first removed. This is done for the following reasons:
- The old screed cannot guarantee integrity, it peels off, cracks, the same damage is transferred to the new layer.
- Be sure to take into account the maximum permissible loads on the floor slabs. If you leave the old layer, then the load may increase by 2 or more times.
- It cannot be said that the ceilings in all apartments are high. Therefore, if you pour another layer of screed, the height will become even smaller.
Work before pouring
Carefully study the sequence of steps in the manufacture of the floor screed composition with your own hands. Instructions are included on all solution bags.
Then you need to carefully inspect the base and carry out the following work:
- When making a connected screed, you need to thoroughly clean all the recesses that are on the surface. All cracks are cut to make cracks with a thickness of at least 5 mm. Only in this case will the concrete mortar penetrate into them.
- In the manufacture of a floating screed, it is necessary to repair all flaws without exception. Not allowedleave voids under the waterproofing layer. Condensation will accumulate there, so these areas will become problematic.
- It is imperative to process the overlap with penetrating primers. With this measure, you will get rid of dust, as well as improve adhesion. The floor will not absorb moisture from the cement mortar. This is very important when filling. If there is little water in the solution, then the maturation of the cement will be incomplete. After some time, the screed will begin to collapse and peel off even with not very significant loads.
- Elastic damper tape must be glued along the entire perimeter of the walls. With its help, it turns out to compensate for the expansion of the concrete screed. It can also prevent cracking and deformation of the coating. Please note that the screed must not be in contact with vertical structures.
- In the event that it is planned to install a screed on dividing piles, the first step is to close the entire surface of the floor. For this, a dense polyethylene film is used, the thickness of which is over 0.2 mm. The strips must be overlapped, the joints glued with waterproof construction tape.
