Recently, heated floors are very popular. This is a great opportunity to provide maximum comfort in the house. With this system, you can easily control the temperature in the room and ensure an optimal microclimate. For a warm floor to be effective, you need to follow the installation technology. An important step is the installation of the upper protective layer. What is the best way to fill a warm water floor? Consider in the article.
Options
What kind of solution to pour a warm floor? To date, there are several filling options. This is:
- Concrete screed.
- Semi-dry screed.
- Self-leveling floor.
Which species is the most relevant? Consider the features of each coverage.
Concrete screed
This is a classic version of the floor fill. As for the price of self-leveling floors per square meter, the cost will beabout 300 - 700 rubles. However, it is worth remembering that such a coating will be constantly exposed to large temperature differences. Therefore, it must be as strong as possible. This parameter depends on the filler. Screenings are used instead of sand. The result is a high-quality concrete mortar for screed. According to the requirements, this composition should contain:
- Cement M300.
- Sifting with a fraction of 3 to 5 millimeters.
- Plasticizers.
Due to screening, you can get a reliable and high-quality grip that cannot be achieved with sand. Also, the composition does not use cement of low grades. It will not create the necessary strength and when heated, such a surface will become covered with cracks. As for plasticizers, they are needed so that the screed does not crumble during temperature changes. By the way, with the use of plasticizers, the thickness of the underfloor heating can be reduced from 5 to 3 centimeters.
How is the solution prepared? It is kneaded in the following proportions:
- 1 piece cement.
- 6 pieces dropout.
- 350 milliliters of plasticizer per bag of cement.
- Water (added until a smooth paste is obtained).
In the event that a large area (over 40 square meters) is being poured, experts recommend adding fiber to the composition. This component allows the mixture to be better distributed over the surface. Also, in the presence of fiber, you can not lay the reinforcinggrid.
Is it possible to pour a warm floor with self-leveling floor? Experts give a positive answer. If you follow all the rules and recommendations, you will end up with a strong and durable screed. We will also get uniform heating of the entire surface.
Disadvantages of concrete pavement
But before pouring a warm floor with such a composition, you need to know the disadvantages. These include:
- Great floor weight.
- Long drying time.
So if you need to fill the floor in a short time, you should consider other options.
Semi-dry screed
What are its features? The main difference of this type is a smaller amount of water. At the same time, the composition necessarily includes fiber, as well as polymer additives. The market sells both ready-made options and compositions for self-preparation.
What's included:
- 1 part M400 cement.
- 3 parts sifted coarse sand.
- 500 grams of fiber per cubic meter of mix.
As for water, it is added in a small amount. At the same time, all components are constantly mixed. How do you know that there is enough water in the composition? To do this, you need to collect a little solution in your hand and squeeze it hard. It is unacceptable for water to flow from the mixture after compression. This means there is too much of it. Also, you can not use a composition that crumbles when compressed. This indicates insufficient water concentration. Ideally, such a composition should hold its shape well when compressed and not smear on the palm of your hand.
Pros and cons of drymixes
What are the advantages of such a screed? Among the significant advantages, it is worth noting the speed of drying. Due to the smaller amount of water, the composition takes a solid form much faster. Also, this coating is more resistant to temperature fluctuations. The strength is high, there is practically no shrinkage. The material does not crack.
But there are also disadvantages. So, the material has less plasticity. Therefore, when creating a solution, you need to make more efforts.
Also, due to low plasticity, uniform compaction of the layer is not always obtained. Sometimes voids appear in the thickness of the screed. In addition, after drying, such a screed needs additional protection from moisture.
Self-leveling compounds
These mixtures are similar in their characteristics to the first, cement-sand mixture. However, such compositions have more advantages. So, self-leveling mixtures are more plastic. When laying, you do not need to carefully level. This composition spreads well under its own weight. The material dries much faster.
Also note that these mixtures are divided into two types:
- Rough.
- Finish.
How to pour a warm floor? The first type is used for pouring underfloor heating. The second is applied to ordinary floors with a thin layer. Before pouring a warm floor, you need to decide on the choice of rough compositions. There are differences here. They can be cement based or gypsum based. But, as experts say, both types are great for underfloor heating indoors. Whatas for the cost, the price of one square meter will cost 800 rubles.
It is important not only to choose the right type of screed, but also to know how to fill it. The slightest mistake leads to the destruction of the coating and the appearance of cracks. Next, we will look at how warm floors are poured in a house with different compositions.
Using concrete screed
Before pouring on the surface, work on laying the reinforcing layer and waterproofing must be completed. Also, before this operation, a damper tape is attached around the perimeter of the room. Next, you can start filling. For this operation, we need to prepare:
- Dry gypsum.
- Level.
- Rule.
- Trowel (construction spatula).
- Metal profile for rails.
At the next stage, according to the instructions, the gypsum mortar is kneaded. With the help of a trowel, the composition is laid out in small portions along the wall at a distance of 20 centimeters. Guides are laid on the solution. It is important to level them. The distance between the beacons should be from 150 to 180 centimeters. Since the gypsum dries quickly, there is no need to lay out beacons over the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe room. Experts recommend doing this in several steps.
Next prepare the concrete solution. To do this, dry ingredients, a plasticizer are mixed in the required proportion and water is added. An important point: before pouring a warm floor under the tile, you need to achieve a certain pressure in the pipes. This value should be 0.3 MPa. Otherwisefilling is prohibited. When the pressure in the pipes corresponds to the norm, it is necessary to pour the solution between the guides and, using the rule, distribute it carefully over the surface. It is important not to step on the pipes. The filling process takes place in stages. It is better to divide the room into several sections. If the area is more than 40 square meters, a damper tape should be laid between the sections. The thickness of the tape should be from 5 to 10 millimeters. Experts recommend using an intercontour tape with a T-shaped profile. Its dimensions are standard: thickness - 1 centimeter, height and width - 10 centimeters. Such tapes are produced in lengths of 2 meters. To prevent the screed from cracking during thermal expansion, expansion joints must be provided. Additionally, in places of pipe seams, it is necessary to close the corrugation.
When the floor is filled, the screed is covered with polyethylene on top. It is necessary to wait until the composition dries. After 24 hours, remove the beacons. The recesses are sealed with mortar. Then the surface is again covered with a film. Periodically it is recommended to wet the floor with water. This will prevent cracks from appearing. When the humidity level drops to 5 percent and the screed has the desired strength, the top coat is laid.
Using a semi-dry screed
Laying of this screed is also carried out after the installation of the warm floor. Along the perimeter, all pipes are securely fixed, a damper tape is glued (in the same way as in the previous case). In the course of work, the following will be required:
- Level.
- Sand and cement.
- T-beacons.
- Rule.
- Fiber fiber.
- Power trowel.
- Capacity for mixing the mixture.
The laying work itself is practically the same as the previous version. So, on the surface of the floor you need to set the beacons and align them horizontally. After that, a solution with the desired consistency is prepared. A pressure of 0.3 MPa is created in the pipes and the mixture is distributed between the guides. It is important to control the thickness of the material layer above the pipes. This parameter should not be less than 3 centimeters. In this case, the mixture is carefully leveled and fits as tightly as possible. It happens that notches are formed under the rule. To remove them, you need to add a certain amount of mortar and level the surface again.
After laying it is worth waiting 30 minutes until the screed dries a little. Next, proceed to grouting. The trowel allows you not only to level the floor, but also to compact the screed.
Pay attention
Until the material is completely dry, it is forbidden to turn on the heating. On the first day after starting the heating system, the temperature in the pipes should not exceed 25 degrees Celsius. Then the parameter can be increased by five degrees. And so for several days in a row (until the heating system enters its operating mode). This is a mandatory rule to follow.
Self-leveling compound
Before pouring electric floor heating like thiscomposition, you need to carefully fix all the heating elements, as well as remove everything superfluous from the surface. If it is a water floor, pressure is created in the pipes. In this case, the installation of guides is not carried out. Next, the mixture is prepared and mixed with a mixer (you can use a drill with a nozzle). The solution should cover the heating elements with a uniform layer at least 3 centimeters thick. In order to distribute the self-levelling compound well, it is recommended to use a wide spatula.
What's next?
After that, with the help of a special roller, the filled layer is rolled and all possible voids are removed. If air bubbles form during installation, they can contribute to the destruction of the screed. After leveling the surface, cover the floor with a film and wait for the material to dry completely. At the same time, direct sunlight, as well as any air currents, must be excluded. Otherwise, the material will dry unevenly, resulting in deformation.
Conclusion
So, we found out how and with what the warm floor is poured. As you can see, there are only a few options. Many use a semi-dry screed, as it takes less time to fill and a fairly solid construction is obtained. But if you want to save money, you can use a concrete self-leveling floor. The price of self-leveling floors per square meter ranges from 300 to 700 rubles. However, there is a significant disadvantage - you have to wait a long time until it dries completely.
