Recently, warm floors have been 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 provide the optimal microclimate. In order for the underfloor heating to be effective, installation technology must be followed. An important stage is the installation of the upper protective layer. What is the best way to fill in a warm water floor? Consider the article.
Options
What solution to fill the warm floor? Today, there are several fill options. It:
- Concrete screed.
- Semi-dry screed.
- Self-leveling floor.
Which species is most relevant? Consider the features of each coating.
Concrete screed
This is a classic option for filling the floor. As for the price of bulk floors per square meter, the cost will be approximately 300 - 700 rubles. However, it is worth remembering that such a coating will constantly undergo large temperature extremes. Therefore, it must be as durable as possible. This parameter depends on the filler. Screening is used instead of sand. The result is a high-quality concrete mortar for screed. According to the requirements, this composition must contain:
- Cement M300.
- Screening with a fraction of 3 to 5 millimeters.
- Plasticizers.
Thanks 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 upon heating, such a surface will become covered with cracks. As for plasticizers, they are needed so that the screed does not crumble during temperature extremes. By the way, using 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 part cement.
- 6 parts of dropout.
- 350 milliliters of plasticizer per cement bag.
- Water (added until a homogeneous pasty mixture is obtained).
In the event that a large area is poured (over 40 square meters), experts recommend adding fiber to the composition. This component allows the mixture to be better distributed on the surface. Also, in the presence of fiber, you can not lay the reinforcing mesh.
Is it possible to fill a warm floor with a bulk floor? Experts give a positive answer. If you follow all the rules and recommendations, the result will be a strong and durable screed. Also, we get uniform heating of the entire surface.
Concrete Disadvantages
But before pouring a warm floor with such a composition, you need to know the shortcomings. These include:
- The big weight of the floor.
- Long drying time.
Therefore, if it is necessary to fill the floor in a short time, it is worth considering other options.
Semi-dry screed
What are its features? The main difference of this species is less water. At the same time, fiber is necessarily included in the composition, as well as polymer additives. On the market, both ready-made options and compositions for self-cooking are sold.
What is included in the composition:
- 1 part of cement grade M400.
- 3 parts sifted coarse sand.
- 500 grams of fiber per cubic meter of mixture.
As for water, it is added in a small volume. In this case, all components are constantly mixed. How to find out that there is enough water in the composition? To do this, draw a little solution in the hand and squeeze it strongly. It is not permissible for water to flow out of the mixture after compression. This means that it is too much. Also, you can not use a composition that crumbles during compression. This indicates an insufficient concentration of water. Ideally, such a composition should hold its shape well when squeezed and not smear palm.
Pros and cons of dry mixes
What are the advantages of such a screed? Among the significant advantages, it is worth noting the drying speed. Due to less water, the composition takes on a solid form much faster. Also, this coating is more resistant to temperature fluctuations. High strength, virtually no shrinkage. Material does not crack.
But the cons are also present. So, the material has less ductility. Therefore, when creating a solution, you need to make more efforts.
Also, due to the low ductility, 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 against moisture.
Self-leveling mixes
According to their characteristics, these mixtures are similar to the first cement-sand mixture. However, the benefits of such formulations are greater. So, self-leveling mixtures are more plastic. When laying do not need to be carefully leveled. This composition perfectly spreads under its own weight. The material dries much faster.
Also note that these mixtures are divided into two types:
How to fill the warm floor? The first type is used for pouring a warm floor. The second is applied to ordinary floors with a thin layer. Before pouring a warm floor, you need to decide on the choice of coarse compounds. There are differences here. They can be cement or gypsum based. But, as experts say, both types are great for warm floors in the room. As for the cost, the price of one square meter will cost 800 rubles.
It is important not only to choose the type of screed correctly, but also to know how to fill it. The slightest error leads to the destruction of the coating and the appearance of cracks. Further we will consider how warm floors are poured in a house with different compositions.
Using concrete screed
Prior to pouring on the surface, laying of the reinforcing layer and waterproofing should be completed. Also, before this operation, a damper tape is attached around the perimeter of the room. Next, you can begin to fill. For this operation, we need to prepare:
- Dry gypsum.
- Level.
- The rule.
- Kelmu (construction spatula).
- Metal profile for guides.
In the next step, according to the instructions, a solution of gypsum is kneaded. Using a trowel, the composition is laid out in small portions along the wall at a distance of 20 centimeters. Guides are placed on the solution. It is important to set them in level. The distance between the beacons should be from 150 to 180 centimeters. Since gypsum dries quickly, it is not necessary to lay out beacons throughout the room. Experts recommend this in several steps.
Next, prepare a concrete solution. To do this, dry components, 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. Otherwise, pouring is prohibited. When the pressure in the pipes corresponds to the norm, you need to pour the solution between the guides and, using the rule, distribute it gently on the surface. It is important not to step on the pipes. The pouring 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 the use of a contour tape with a T-shaped profile. Its dimensions are standard: thickness - 1 centimeter, height and width - 10 centimeters. Such tapes are produced 2 meters long. To ensure that the screed does not crack during thermal expansion, expansion joints must be provided. Additionally, in places of pipe joints, it is necessary to close the corrugation.
When the floor is poured, the screed is covered on top with polyethylene. You need to wait until the composition dries. After 24 hours, remove the beacons. The recesses are sealed with mortar. Then the surface is covered again with a film. Periodically it is recommended to wet the floor with water. So we eliminate the appearance of cracks. When the humidity level drops to 5 percent and the screed gets the desired strength, the finish coating is laid.
Application of dry screed
The installation of this screed is also carried out after the installation of the warm floor. All pipes are securely fastened around the perimeter, 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-shaped beacons.
- The rule.
- Fiberglass.
- Trowel.
- Container for mixing the mixture.
The installation work itself is practically no different from the previous version. So, on the surface of the floor you need to put up the beacons and level them horizontally. After which a solution is prepared with the desired consistency. 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 layer of material above the pipes. This parameter should not be less than 3 centimeters. In this case, the mixture is carefully leveled and laid as tightly as possible. It happens that under the rule recesses are formed. To remove them, you need to add a certain amount of mortar and level the surface again.
After laying, wait 30 minutes until the screed dries a little. Then proceed to grout. The trowel can not only level the floor, but also tamp the screed.
note
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 be no more than 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 required rule to follow.
Self-leveling compound
Before pouring an electric warm floor with such a composition, you need to carefully fix all the heating elements, as well as remove all excess from the surface. If it is a water floor, pressure is created in the pipes. In this case, the installation of the guides is not performed. Then 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 with a thickness of at least 3 centimeters. To distribute the self-leveling compound in a good quality, it is recommended to use a wide spatula.
What next?
After that, using 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, the floor is covered with a film and wait for the complete drying of the material. In this case, direct sunlight should be excluded, as well as any air flows. Otherwise, the material will dry unevenly, which will lead to deformation.
Conclusion
So, we found out how and with what they fill the warm floor. As you can see, there are only a few options. Many people use a semi-dry screed, since less time is spent on pouring and a rather strong design is obtained. But if you want to save money, you can use a concrete bulk floor. The price of bulk floors per square meter is from 300 to 700 rubles. However, there is a significant minus - you have to wait a long time until it is completely dry.