The room is formed by three main surfaces, each of which has certain requirements. Within the framework of the article, one of them will be considered, namely gender. It is on him that the maximum loads fall: static from furniture and household items, as well as dynamic - from people moving around the room. Do-it-yourself flooring is one of the most inexpensive options for leveling this surface for a finish coat.
They are mainly based on floor slabs, during installation of which it is difficult to achieve the required accuracy. Moreover, these elements themselves have certain tolerances and deviations from the ideal plane. The concrete screed device allows you to level the surface. Cement-sand mixture fills all recesses in the best wayand brings it as close as possible to the ideal.
Floors can also be used to heat a room. To do this, heating elements are introduced into the array of concrete screed. These can be pipelines for the coolant from the heating system or a special electrical cable. The heaters are laid out over the entire surface of the floor or part of it in a certain way to ensure uniform heating.
Materials and tools needed for the tie device
Cement-sand mixture is prepared right on the job site or delivered using a special truck-concrete mixer. The latter method is usually used when working in low-rise buildings. Ready-mix floor screed has a relatively short shelf life and should be used quickly.
This circumstance requires a large number of workers and good organization of their work. More often, another technology is used with the preparation of mixtures on site manually or by machine - in a concrete mixer. The mechanization of work significantly reduces labor intensity and increases the pace of work. In the absence of the necessary equipment, it can be purchased on a free sale or rented.
The list of necessary materials for the preparation of mixtures includes the following components:
- cement grade 400 or 500, which is the link between the individual particles of the filler;
- quarry sand, sifted and washed;
- crushed stone of fine fraction - it serves as the main filler for concrete screed, depending on its sizeparticles depends on the quality of the coating;
- technical water;
- special additives - plasticizers and modifiers that improve the properties of the mixture and speed up its drying.
The quality of all components and strict adherence to technology are decisive factors in the construction of a durable and wear-resistant coating.
Preparing the surface for work
At this stage, the old coating must be removed to the base and any delamination of the base material or rebar sticking out. Then you should sweep the floor well, remove oil pollution and remove all foreign objects from the room. The floor screed can be monolithic or floating. So, pouring a warm floor without damping elements along the walls can damage either the walls or the floors.
As such a layer, a polymeric elastic tape laid along the perimeter can act. It will compensate for the thermal expansion of the screed due to heating. The second important element in the device of such a screed is the presence of a waterproofing and heat-insulating layer. They will ensure minimal energy consumption during the operation of a warm floor.
Installation of beacons
For the most accurate leveling of the surface and making it horizontal, a special technological technique is used. It lies in the fact that strips are installed throughout the room, along which the rule is moved. Thus, the most complete approximation to the ideal plane is achieved. Aslighthouses use T-shaped steel slats, which are installed on quick-drying gypsum-containing mixtures.
Determination and marking of the horizon are carried out by instrumental methods, for which specialists use laser devices or hydraulic levels. The highest point is visually identified, along which a mark is made on the nearest wall. The floor level is set in excess of the total thickness of all layers, taking into account the fact that it should not be more than 40 and less than 20 mm for the screed.
Do-it-yourself flooring begins with laying a waterproofing layer of roofing material or a dense polymer film. On top of it, thermal insulation is made of extruded polystyrene foam or polyurethane foam. The next step is the installation of lighthouse rails on the prepared solution. To speed up and simplify the process, you can use threads stretched between the walls along the floor level marks.
Preparation of cement-sand mortar
Do-it-yourself concrete floor pouring is done with industrial or home-made mixtures. To do this, it is necessary to place cement, sand and gravel in a certain proportion in a concrete mixer or a specially prepared container, mix them thoroughly first dry, then pour in water and mix again until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
The ratio of components is determined by the brand of cement and its quality. When using a binder marked 500, three to four parts of sand and the same amount of crushed stone should be added to one part of it. The amount of water is determined, as a rule, by eye so that the finished mixture has the consistency of sour cream of medium density. Too thin a solution will spread, and a thick one is difficult to distribute evenly.
Filling floors with mixtures
This operation is best done with an assistant who will supply the solution. In general, do-it-yourself flooring is done as follows:
- ready mixture is taken from the container into buckets and placed in strips between the beacons;
- using the rule, it is distributed evenly;
- tool movement is carried out along the beacon rails, the movement should be wavy, not straight.
In this case, the solution is distributed with less resistance and more evenly. When smoothing, care must be taken to ensure that there are no voids or depressions. Their filling is carried out by a return movement with the capture of a small amount of the mixture. The fill starts from the farthest corner with a gradual movement towards the exit. The process is carried out in strips along the lighthouses until the entire floor surface in the room is completely filled.
Finishing the floor surface
The time for complete drying of the concrete screed is two to six weeks. This coating is suitable for laying ceramic tiles, linoleum or laminate. However, if some innovative technology is to be applied, such as 3D poured flooring, a thin layer of self-levelling compound must be applied to the concrete screed.
Modern technology for pouring a self-leveling floor provides for the following procedure for the process:
- a special thermal compensation tape should be laid at the interface between the leveling layer and the wall, which will avoid the destruction of the screed due to thermal expansion;
- indoors it is necessary to ensure the optimum temperature (not lower than 15 ° C) and the absence of drafts, which can cause too rapid drying and cracking of the layer;
- before pouring, the base is primed to ensure the best adhesion of the coating to the surface.
Special compositions have been developed for different materials. So, for porous and layered substrates, primers with high penetrating power are used. They can be applied with a roller to speed up the process, however, in places where reliable impregnation is not ensured, a brush of the appropriate size should be used.
Preparation and application of mixtures
Special dry composition is supplied in bags with packaging of 50, 25 and 10 kg, the calculation of the required amount is carried out according to special tables. The mixture is poured into a pre-prepared container, then water is added. This should be done gradually, constantly stirring. As a device for preparing the mixture, a drill with a speed controller with a special nozzle is used.
Filling the self-leveling floor with your own hands is carried out in two stages: the first layer is the base, the second isfinal. The prepared mixture is poured onto the base and distributed over it. The best tool for this is a special brush-type roller. The size of the protrusions is selected in such a way as to ensure the removal of air bubbles.
The final (finish) layer is poured after a few days. The mixture is applied to the surface and redistributed over it. In this case, a roller with spikes is used. Complete polymerization and drying of the coating occurs within a few days. To increase wear resistance, floors are covered with a special transparent polyurethane varnish.
Conclusion
High-quality do-it-yourself flooring is quite possible, you just need to strictly adhere to the described technology and have standard materials available. Step-by-step descriptions and instructions allow you to carry out work taking into account all the nuances
