When starting a bathroom renovation, it is important to know that special requirements are imposed on the floor, walls and finishes due to high humidity. In this room, as in any other, repair work begins to be carried out precisely with the arrangement of the floor. More precisely, with its alignment.
Why is it necessary to level the floor in the bath?
He should be repaired for the following reasons.
- Every floor finish (especially mosaic, tile, moisture resistant laminate, linoleum) that is suitable for a bathroom should be properly laid on a leveled floor.
- Decided to leave bumps on the bathroom floor? They can cause flooding.
- Often a washing machine is installed in the bathroom. If it will work on a sloped surface, you will need to buy a new machine soon.
How to properly level the floor in the bathroom? Let's deal with the most common questions and problems that arise during work.
How and what is the best way to level the floor in the bathroom?
The best method for leveling the floor in this room is screed. Excluding only self-leveling floors, besides, the difference in levels should not be more than a couple of centimeters. However, as many professionals and craftsmen say, this technique is more suitable for a more or less leveled floor. Therefore, the standard screed is most often suitable.
Classic screed is the most common way to level the floor. Before we look at how to level the floor in the bathroom with a screed, let's deal with the list of materials used in this process.
From what is better to make a floor screed
To screed bathroom floors, either a self-made mortar or a ready-made building mixture, specially made for leveling technology and bought at a hardware store, is used.
Using a ready-made mixture bought in a special store is the best option, because a professional solution contains auxiliary astringents and water-repellent elements. In addition, if you make a mistake in the ratio when making a solution at home, such an error can be expensive and adversely affect the quality of the floor screed. But if the decision to make the mixture on your own has already been finally made, then it is more correct to do it on a cement base, and not on a plaster one. Because gypsum is not suitable for use in a high humidity room.
It is worth considering that a mixture containing cement, especially poorly mixed, after drying, can give a noticeable"shrinkage". This can cause cracks to appear. You can get around this situation with the help of a mesh of reinforcement. Or add special binders to the mixture - plasticizers.
Types of ready mixes for screed
There are two types of ready-made floor screed mortar: regular (or leveling) and self-levelling. Both mixtures contain different synthetic components that improve the elasticity of the mixture and prevent cracks from forming after the screed dries. However, due to the special properties of these mixtures, the floor leveling process is greatly simplified, and makes it possible to obtain quite successful results even for a non-professional builder.
When buying a ready-made solution, you should pay special attention to the date of manufacture. There are two significant reasons for this.
- Over time, cement, which is the basis of most mortars, loses its properties.
- The long period of storage of the solution increases the possibility that the solution has absorbed excess moisture, which, of course, adversely affects its quality.
Screed mortars, like many mortars, can be divided into starting and finishing. Starting solutions are used when it is necessary to lay the screed in a fairly wide layer. In this situation, the base is created from the starting mixture, and the finishing mixture is laid on top of it, helping to make the surface perfectly flat, even and smooth.
Be sure to paytheir attention to the fact that even an outwardly impeccable screed cannot be the final floor covering, because thanks to it a lot of dust will collect. Also, the screed will absorb all the moisture.
In addition to the mixture that serves as the base of the screed, a primer and waterproofing must be used in its manufacture.
Consider how to level the floor in the bathroom, step by step. This work is not very difficult, so it is quite possible to do it yourself.
Alignment process
Let's consider how to level the floor in the bathroom with your own hands. The alignment technology includes the following steps.
- Prepare the floor surface.
- Install waterproofing.
- Install beacons.
- Pour screed solution.
Let's take a look at how to level the floor in the bathroom. First of all, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work.
Preparing the floor surface
Before you level the floor in the bathroom, first, of course, you must remove the old flooring and clean the surface of the remaining adhesive or mortar. This process can be carried out both manually and using a puncher or drill with a special nozzle for cleaning (the second option is more convenient). When the floor surface is cleaned, all cracks and cracks must be removed. This is best done with any tile adhesive. When it dries, you need to carefully and thoroughly clean the floor surface from dust and debris. And in the end, the final step in preparing the floor surface -applying a primer layer. The primer provides the best adhesion of the floor screed to the waterproofing.
Installing waterproofing
Because the bathroom is most at risk of flooding, the floor surface should be as waterproof as possible. In order to achieve this, before leveling the floor in the bathroom, it is very important to make a waterproofing layer.
Waterproofing material can be pasted (or rolled) and coated. The pasting type is recommended more for wall use, but it is also suitable for the floor. However, undoubtedly the ideal option is to apply a coating waterproofing material.
The structure of the coating waterproofing material is similar to the structure of paint or mastic, so it is convenient to distribute it with paint tools: brush or roller. With its help, you can eventually get a waterproofing layer whole and without seams, and it is quite possible to correct its density and thickness on your own. The method of distributing the coating material may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Therefore, before you start applying, you need to carefully study the description of this material.
It doesn't matter what brand of waterproofing you choose, in any case it is better to apply it in two layers. In addition, in addition to the floor surface, we must not forget to apply waterproofing material to the wall areas at a height of at least 10-15 centimeters adjacent to it. The joints must be glued in addition with a special waterproofing tape.
Installing beacons
Before you level the floor in the bathroom with your own hands under the tile or other finishing material, you need to install beacons. This step of leveling the floor surface is probably the most important. It is on him that the final result of the whole process depends. Before installing beacons, you first need to identify the highest point of the floor in the room. To do this is quite simple. On any wall (usually this is done at the corner) of the bathroom, a mark of 1 meter is set. From this point, when using the level, make a control line around the entire perimeter of the room. Then from this line at various points you need to measure the length to the floor. The place where this distance will be the smallest is the highest point, from which the beacons will be set. Accordingly, even at the highest point of the floor, the dimensions of the screed thickness will be satisfactory.
It is quite common when the highest point is not located next to the wall of the room. In such a situation, in order to determine it, you can use a rope stretched across the room. But it is not necessary to take the zero level as a guide along the hill located in the central part of the bathroom. If it is rather inconspicuous and small, then it will be easier to knock it down or cut it off. This will make it possible to use the material more economically in the process of laying the screed.
After the zero level is determined, the installation of the beacons itself begins. Most often, beacons are made of U- or T-shaped profiles. Firstthe lighthouse is placed above the highest mark, and the subsequent ones are set depending on the first, observing the level.
It is important to consider that the length of the gaps between the beacons should not exceed the width of the rule (this is a spatula of wide thickness; any flat object, such as part of an aluminum profile, will also work), with which the screed will be leveled.
Filling the screed
After the process of installing beacons is completed, you can start pouring the screed. The prepared mixture is poured onto the floor surface between the beacons so that it fills the entire space. Then, using the rule, the mixture is leveled, and the excess is removed. When the solution is completely dry, a finishing layer is poured over the initial screed. The process of pouring the finished solution is one of the most important stages, which must be carried out with great care.
Even if you do not have much experience in construction work, it is recommended to use only self-leveling mortars for the top coat.
Well, now that the finish layer is completely dry, the whole process of leveling the floor surface of the room can be considered completed. Bathroom screed ready!
Conclusion
So, we looked at how to level the floor in the bathroom with our own hands. This process is quite difficult, but requires minimal building skills. Of course, it can be entrusted to experienced craftsmen, but these tips will help you do all the work without someone else's help on a fairly goodlevel.
