If you decide that your house will have a warm floor system, on which you plan to lay a modern finish coating, then the foundation made of cement-sand mortar will become really reliable . Its installation can be carried out on any, even uneven basis, while you will be able to make the desired bias. However, it is important to properly prepare the mixture, and then apply it according to technology. Leveling and drying are equally important steps if you want a strong, safe finish.
Preparing a rough surface
The floor screed is poured on a prepared surface. If the house has an old wooden floor, bare soil or concrete slab, then you should approach each case individually. If there are large cracks and depressions on the rough surface, they should be cleaned and coated with cement mortar. To grind the concrete floor, you can use a grinder or milling equipment for concrete. You can get rid of the formed dust with the help of a construction vacuum cleaner.
Installation of beacons: reviews
Filling the screed floor, according to the master, can be carried out directly on the ground. To do this, the soil is compacted and supplemented with a sand cushion. It is important to have a waterproofing layer so that moisture from the concrete does not seep down. Only after that can the beacons begin to be set up, which are guides. You can make them from improvised materials using long slats, a brick fight, pipes and a cement mixture. Home craftsmen do not recommend using wood, since the material will absorb moisture from the screed, after which shrinkage will occur unevenly.
First, you should prepare slides from cement mortar, on which it will be convenient to install the profile. Its location is checked using the building level. The lighthouses should be strictly parallel to each other, while the outermost ones should be 20 cm away from the walls. The distance between the lighthouses should be less than the 40 cm rule length. As experts emphasize, lighthouses made of metal pipes will be durable, the fastening of which produced on a dense solution of gypsum.
Waterproofing and reinforcement
You can independently fill the floor. Cement screed for this is prepared in a certain proportion. The ratio of materials will be mentioned below, and at this stage, waterproofing should be laid. To do this, you can use roofing material and other similar materials that are combined with a screed. It is important to remember that the solution should adhere well to the base, most often a universal primer is used to improve the adhesion characteristics. Drying the surface after applying the primer takes about 4 hours. If the floor absorbs moisture well, then it should be primed twice, otherwise it will not be possible to achieve a positive result.
When arranging a "floating" floor system, it is better to use a plastic film. Filling the floor screed with concrete must be accompanied by a preliminary laying of the reinforcing cage. To do this, it is best to prepare a grid with square cells with a side of 100 or 150 mm. The diameter of the rods should be 5 mm.
Reinforcement Recommendations
If the future floor will be subjected to intense loads, for example, trucks will ride on it, then instead of the mesh, the reinforcement cage should be laid. To do this, stock up on rods, the diameter of which can vary from 8 to 16 mm. The fittings are connected manually or with a special gun. For the installation of a concrete floor, on the surface of which a high dynamic load will be applied, a solution is used, to the components of which steel fiber is added . It replaces the fittings and is tensile.
Grouting
The filling of the floor screed must be accompanied by leveling. The paths between the slats should be filled by moving towards the doorway. To level the solution, you need to use a rule or a trowel. If it is necessary to equip a multi-level screed, plywood formwork is additionally installed, thanks to which the solution will not flow to the neighboring area. In the highest place, the screed layer should have a thickness of 2 cm, otherwise the surface will become cracked, however, this parameter should not be made more than 8 cm, since the load on the foundation will be unjustified. As the most suitable option are 5 cm, for the arrangement of such a floor should prepare concrete grade "M300" or higher.
Arrangement of underfloor heating under cement screed
Such a system is usually mounted on an old base, on top of which thermal insulation is covered, which can be foil or foam foam. The presence of this layer is necessary, otherwise the heat will go down. The next step will be laying a water pipe, heating mats or cable. About the high strength of such a design is not talking. Therefore, holes must be made on each square meter of thermal insulation.
Along the perimeter of the site where the device is underfloor heating, it is necessary to leave 15 cm of free space. This will allow the upper screed to rest on the lower layer, which is especially true for small rooms. The underfloor screed is poured taking into account the formation of a concrete layer of 5 cm. This will ensure quick heating after the system is turned on. If there are circumstances that make the screed less than 3 cm, then a universal plasticizer should be added to the solution. For 100 kg of dry mix you will need 1 liter of additive. As an alternative solution, a self-leveling mixture, which has a higher elasticity, can be used to fill the floor.
Technology for laying underfloor heating under screed
Filling the floor screed (the price of the work will be mentioned below) is often done by home craftsmen on their own, as these works are not difficult. Thermal insulation should be installed on the rough screed, which is strengthened with glue or tape. Next comes a metal mesh, which is useful for marking and laying the pipeline. The mesh should also be fixed to the base. A damper tape is stretched along the perimeter of the site , which will level the coefficient of linear expansion. Next, the elements of the warm floor are installed around the perimeter of the site, they should be connected to the coolant supply system.
If you find out the cost of filling the screed, the price did not suit you, then you should do the work yourself. Moreover, the technology is quite simple. So, at the next stage, it is possible to carry out the final screed, after drying of which the craftsmen begin laying the finish coating.
Recommended Proportions
If you will fill the floor screed yourself, then first you need to familiarize yourself with the ratio of materials. The optimal and proven proportion over the years is to use part of cement and three parts of sand. At the same time, for this ratio, two parts of water will be needed. You can use other options in which a part of the sand is added to part of the cement, you can use a ratio of 1: 2. However, in this case, although you improve the strength of the floor, you will lose in quality. The solution after setting will set quickly, and it will be quite problematic to level it. If you increase the volume of sand or water, this will cause a decrease in strength and quality.
The cost of work
Pouring screed floor, the price of which is 400 rubles. per square meter, can be produced by specialists. Installation of bulk floors is cheaper - you will have to pay 300 rubles per square meter. You will pay the highest price for a dry screed team - 450 rubles. per square meter.