The arrangement of the floor in the garage is an important stage of construction work. The quality of materials and work put forward high demands. To reduce costs, many garage owners decide to do all the work themselves. Almost everyone will cope with this work. Next, we will consider detailed instructions on how to fill the floor in the garage yourself.
Floor requirements
So, we build a garage on our own. If such a decision was made, you need to familiarize yourself with all the intricacies of the process. The floor in the garage is exposed to various adverse effects. Therefore, increased demands are put forward on him. It should be strong enough and reliable. Serious loads will act on the surface of the base. Therefore, the quality of materials put forward certain requirements.
Also, if we build a garage with our own hands, you need to choose non-combustible coatings. In the garage there are always various flammable substances. When ignited, the floor should not support this process. It must also be resistant to chemically active substances. The paint, oil or gasoline that has fallen on the base is eaten into the structure of the material. Therefore, it should not lose its strength characteristics due to similar influences.
It is also worth noting that the floor in the garage should not collapse under the influence of both moisture and too dry air. Material characteristics should allow periodic cleaning. Also, the floor must be durable.
Some garage owners pay great attention to the aesthetics of flooring. After all, the garage often becomes a place of friendly gatherings, relaxation. Therefore, the floor should fulfill not only a practical function, but also be beautiful enough. For this, special decorative ceramic tiles are used. It should have a high rate of strength. The tile allows you to further strengthen the base of the garage. When calculating the estimate, this fact must be taken into account.
Most car owners simply prefer to pour concrete over the base. Cement-based floors are classic. No other materials have been invented so far that would surpass it in terms of performance and affordable price.
Alternative option
There are different options for the floor in the garage. An alternative to concrete can be self-leveling or bulk mixtures. They cost an order of magnitude more expensive than a cement screed. However, with the help of such materials it is possible to achieve high aesthetic indicators of the foundation, as well as unique performance characteristics.
There are several varieties of such compounds. When choosing how to cover a concrete floor in a garage or just a prepared foundation, you need to consider the options presented below. One of the possible types of coatings for a garage is an epoxy compound. It contains resins and quartz sand in its structure.
Epoxy compounds allow you to create a solid, resistant to mechanical, chemical and thermal influences. It will not be covered with scratches and cracks. The coating is waterproof, so it is used even when equipping garages on soils with a close occurrence at the surface of the groundwater.
Another possible option is polyurethane bulk floors. This is a fairly flexible coating, which is characterized by a long service life. It is impossible to split the surface of polyurethane (which cannot be said about epoxy varieties). This type of flooring is used in cold regions where there are severe frosts.
You can also fill the floor with methyl methacrylate. This is the most expensive type of material. It can be poured even in severe frost. The surface created from methyl methacrylate is durable and strong. Moreover, it is quite elastic. The mixture dries quickly, which complicates the work with it. This option is not suitable for self-priming.
Related materials
Considering how to cover a concrete floor in a garage, it is worth saying a few words about the materials that are often used during this process. Often the floor is set up directly on the ground. Therefore, to create a solid foundation, it will be necessary to purchase a sufficient amount of additional materials.
First of all, gravel is needed. It should be fine-grained. Also, claydite can be used instead of crushed stone. This material will allow you to equip a warmed garage. Crushed stone or expanded clay are mandatory when arranging the screed. They fall asleep on the ground to create a cushion pad.
Also, to create a foundation for a garage with your own hands, you will need to purchase fittings. It can be a finished metal mesh. You can assemble it from separate rods and a special wire for fixing. Instead of reinforcement, special profiles made of galvanized steel can be used. They are subsequently used to install beacons.
Be sure to get a waterproofing film. It can be roofing material, thick polyethylene or other special materials. For screed, you need to prepare cement of a brand of at least M300, sand and gravel. You can add a plasticizer to the composition. It will improve the pouring and drying process of the screed. She will properly gain strength.
A concrete mixer, spatula and shovel should be prepared from tools. You will also need a rule and a level. To trim the edges of the inspection pit, you need to purchase corners. Its walls can be laid out with bricks.
Construction of a viewing hole
Before you fill the floor in the garage with your own hands, you need to equip a viewing hole. The foundation pit must be dug at the stage of creating the foundation. In this case, you can dig not manually, but using special earthmoving equipment.
The walls of the recess will need to be strengthened. For this, concrete mortar or brick is used. First, the bottom must be compacted and carefully leveled. Then, gravel is laid on a surface of 4 cm on the surface. To level the backfill, you must first install the columns with marks along the perimeter of the recess. They must be 1 m behind each other.
After gravel, a layer of sand is poured and compacted. It should be 10 cm thick. Next, waterproofing material is distributed along the bottom and walls. Using a special adhesive tape, individual pieces of film are hermetically connected. She is lapped.
After that, a reinforcing mesh in 2 layers is installed along the walls and floor of the pit. One layer is adjacent to the waterproofing, and the second is at a distance of 8 cm from it. After that, fill the floor of the inspection hole. To do this, use a solution of cement, gravel and sand. The thickness of the screed here should be about 8-9 cm. The layer is leveled and left to dry completely. After that, formwork is made of boards and the walls are poured. The form is collected in layers. The first of them should be no more than 50 cm. To keep the boards, spacers are installed between them. When the layer is filled, the formwork is increased by another 50 cm.
The formwork should rise above the pit to the same level to which the floor will be poured directly in the garage.
Screed base preparation
After arranging the pit, you need to start creating the foundation for the garage. Do it yourself with a series of actions. Previously, the soil in the garage must be removed to a depth of about 35 cm. It is carried out of the room. The surface is quality compacted. Further, a layer of gravel is distributed on the surface. It is rammed. Sand is poured on top. Layers should be perfectly even. The total height of the gravel-sand cushion should be about 10 cm. On top of the sand lay another layer of gravel or (even better) expanded clay.
Waterproofing is laid out on the leveled surface. It should go to the walls of the room for 15-20 cm. On top of the waterproofing, a mesh of reinforcement is laid. It is fixed with brackets. Beacons are installed above the grid. To do this, use a special solution that dries quickly, or welding. Beacons must be compared with the height of the curb of the viewing hole. Sometimes in such rooms make a slight bias. It is only 1-2º. The slope is towards the goal.
Pouring concrete
How to pour concrete in the garage floor? This is a responsible job. You need to complete all the steps correctly. Otherwise, the concrete will not be strong. To do this, use a thick solution. It includes a lot of gravel. In this case, the base will be strong, able to withstand large mechanical loads.
It is best to order finished cement in production. Special equipment will deliver it to the specified address. Next, cement will be poured onto the prepared site. This approach can greatly simplify the work on pouring screeds. When the mixture reaches the prepared site, the garage owner evens the layer with a shovel. Next, the rule must be on the lighthouses. This will create a perfectly flat surface.
If the garage is spacious enough, it will be impossible to fill it all at once. The base in this case is divided into several sections. They are poured in series.
Some owners decide to make a cement mortar on their own. This will require a concrete mixer. The solution consists of the following components:
- sand - 3 parts;
- cement - 1 part;
- gravel - 3 parts.
Dry components are laid in a concrete mixer. Water is gradually added here. The mixture should resemble thick sour cream in consistency. If the filling is carried out manually, the floor area must be divided into squares using formwork. Each of them is poured separately. To deliver cement to the place of laying, you need a metal wheelbarrow.
This method of pouring requires more time and effort. The thickness of the screed should be at least 6 cm. It is better that this figure is 10 cm. In the process of leveling the screed, you need to periodically pierce it with a shovel. This will prevent the formation of voids. If you add a plasticizer to the composition, the screed will be laid easier. Air pockets will not appear in this case.
When the screed is flooded, it is left to dry. After 7 days it will be possible to move on the surface of concrete.
Fill completion
When the main screed is ready, you can smooth the surface completely. To do this, you need to purchase a special cement self-leveling mortar. It includes cement, sand and special building glue. How to fill a self-leveling bulk floor? To do this, read the manufacturer's instructions on the packaging.
When the mixture is ready, it is poured with a thin layer on the surface of the dried screed. This work can be carried out a month after pouring the rough foundation. The solution will take the necessary shape on its own. But he still needs help. In order to keep the surface smooth and free of air bubbles in the thickness of the mortar, a needle roller passes several times through a freshly flooded self-leveling mixture. This will allow you to evenly distribute the composition on the surface.
The presence of voids in the thickness of the hardened mortar significantly reduces the strength of the coating. Therefore, the quality of the final result depends on the correct execution of the fill. Knowing the basic construction rules of how to fill a self-leveling self-leveling floor, you can independently create a durable coating.
Some recommendations
There are several recommendations on how to pour concrete into the garage floor. If the owner of the garage floods the floor in a similar structure, then it would be desirable to create a concrete platform in front of the gate. This will allow you to simply leave and drop into the garage.
It is also worth considering that over time, the cement coating undergoes abrasion and mechanical wear. Abrasive dust appears on its surface . To extend the life of the floor, it is covered with ceramic tiles or simply painted. This prevents the development of adverse processes. Such actions will also simplify the cleaning process. Before painting, the surface is primed.
Instead of paint, you can treat the floor with a special composition on a silicate composition. It is called sealer. The substance will penetrate the pores, causing certain chemical reactions. The strength of the floor in this case will increase by 1.5-2 times. Dust will not form on the surface. The floor will acquire water-repellent qualities. When considering how to make a concrete floor in a garage, all the subtleties of this process need to be considered in detail. This will create a strong, durable base in the garage.
Features of bulk floors
If you want to fill the floor in the garage with the help of special bulk compositions, you need to consider the features of this process. There are several recommendations on how to do the job correctly and inexpensively. You will need to create a coating of 2 layers. The bottom layer will consist of a concrete screed. Its thickness can be quite large (10-15 cm). The procedure for pouring it is exactly the same as when arranging a concrete floor. On the prepared base, 1-4 mm of the coating will be poured.
How to pour?
To fill the floor in the garage with an epoxy, polymer composition, you need to prepare a perfectly flat base. The screed is polished and dust removed. The mixture is poured onto the base and leveled with a needle roller. If the layer is very thin, apply a brush. This is a simple job that even a layman can handle. In the manufacture of the pouring mixture, the requirements of the manufacturer's instructions must be strictly followed.
Having considered how to fill the floor in the garage, you can create a strong, beautiful and durable foundation with your own hands. It will last for many years, will not collapse under the influence of adverse factors.