There are two main options for flooring: a pouring method based on a mortar screed (cement-sand) and bulk using prefabricated structures. The second method is used less frequently, but differs in the cost-effectiveness of production. Let's consider a method for constructing a bulk floor using the products of the leader in this market - the German company Knauf.
Knauf products
This German company is widely known in the market and has been distinguished by the excellent quality of its building materials for many years. The list of its products includes gypsum board and gypsum plasterboard sheets, tongue-and-groove slabs, liquid building mixes. Bulk floors "Knauf" are especially widespread in our country.
Knauf floors, floor elements
Products in this segment include "Knauf"-supersheet (regular and moisture resistant) and floor elements"Knauf". Gypsum-fiber "Knauf"-superlist is a high-quality, environmentally friendly and fireproof material. It has good sound and heat insulating properties. Sheet dimensions 250x120 with a thickness of 1 or 1.25 cm. It is used as a compensating layer with a backfill thickness of less than 15 cm, if Knauf floors are being made.
Floor elements are made from moisture-resistant "Knauf"-super sheets. At the same time, two sheets with dimensions of 120x60x1 cm are glued together. As a result, a floor element 1200x600x20mm "Knauf" is obtained - a sheet with folds around the entire perimeter 5 cm wide. gender. Performing flooring work has the following advantages:
• Short terms;
• Exclusion of "dirty" work;• The resulting perfectly flat floor base with convenient placement of all communications.
Not only a flat surface is suitable for laying the Knauf floor, but also an uneven base with defects covered with a layer of fill.
Advantages of Knauf floors
• Ideal evenness of the floor base.
• Hypoallergenic materials.
• Absence of squeaks and breaks during the entire period of its operation.
• Ready for use of the floor immediately after installation.
• Excellent sound insulation (compared to cement screed or self-leveling floors);
• Impossibility to flood neighbors, since no water is used during operation.
• Low thermal conductivity of floorsKnauf.
• High speed of work.
• Possibility of alternate flooring in different rooms on the same level.
• Possibility of any floor covering (for example, parquet). • Possibility of installing electric underfloor heating (do not install water heated floors).
DIY floor installation
It's no problem to equip your own Knauf floors. Floor elements, necessary materials and tools must be purchased and simple instructions should be followed step by step:
• prepare the surface;
• lay a vapor and moisture insulating layer and a layer of sound insulation;
• fill in expanded clay;
• lay the Knauf floor elements, their installation is quite simple, just fix with screws and glue;• finish the floor.
Laying floor elements "Knauf"
When preparing the surface, if repairs are being made, remove the old coating, dust and debris, seal all the cracks and holes in the base with alabaster or gypsum mortar. If there are wires, they must be placed in the corrugation and pressed to the floor (the expanded clay layer above the corrugation should exceed 2 cm).
When installing a vapor and moisture insulating layer with the help of a level, it is necessary to mark the upper level of expanded clay backfill on the walls (from two to six centimeters, depending on the unevenness of the base) plus 2 cm for the thickness of the floor elements. A film (with an overlap of more than 20 cm) is laid on the base of the floor with a call above the affixed level and fastenedconstruction tape. For a concrete base, it is better to use a vapor barrier material (you can use a 200 micron polyethylene film), for a wooden one - bituminous paper or glassine.
When arranging sound insulation around the perimeter of the entire room, a sound-heat-insulating material 1 cm thick and 10 cm wide, self-adhesive or simple, fastened with ordinary adhesive tape, is attached along the walls.
When backfilling expanded clay, the main thing is to level the surface of the layer with the rule and avoid the formation of voids. To do this, profiles are preliminarily arranged parallel to each other with a step of no more than 150 cm at the previously noted height according to the marks on the walls. The desired height is obtained by placing boards or the remains of plates under them. For the stability of the profiles, their support points must be located at least 70 cm. If the expanded clay layer is more than 6 cm, then an additional layer of slabs must be laid. After leveling the layer with the rule, the profile is removed along with the supports, and the remaining voids are filled with expanded clay, leveled, and the entire layer is compacted. To move along the laid layer, placing squares of plywood sheets under your feet.
When the surface of the base is even, instead of backfilling with expanded clay, sheets of extruded polystyrene foam or other heat-insulating materials are used with edge tape along the walls.
We are completing the Knauf floors. It is better to lay floor elements from the door. When laying the first row, the folds of the sheets adjacent to the walls are cut off. Subsequent rows are laid with offset joints. In this case, the folds are glued with PVA glue and fixed with self-tapping screws.15cm apart.
