How To Fill The Screed Over Floor Slabs

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

Concept
Types of screeds
Preparatory activities
Soundproofing
Installation of beacons
Pouring process
Laying dry screed
Tips from experts

When carrying out major repairs in any room, they very often resort to choosing a floor screed instead of the old one. This is due to the fact that it is not always possible to find a flat base on which the flooring is laid, even in new buildings or houses with a history. As for the device of the floor screed, that is, the intermediate layer between the floor slab and the coating, in panel houses, then there are some peculiarities that you should familiarize yourself with before starting the whole process. Otherwise, problems may begin not only with neighbors, but also with management companies.

Concept

In a panel house, the floor screed, regardless of which option is chosen, is created to strengthen the base. With all this, the leveling of floors in a panel house is very high quality. If everything is done with high quality and in compliance with technology, then flooring is done quickly and easily. In addition to this, the duration of the operational period of the material used in the work increases.

Screeds are also performed in panel houses with the aim of not wasting all repairs in the rest of the apartment in vain. The smoothness and evenness of the floor catches the eye of everyone who enters the room. If on your own it is not possible to carry out a floor screed in a panel house, then it is best to contact specialists who, at an affordable cost, will perform the entire volume of work in a short time.

When making a screed, one must not forget about the sound insulation layer. After all, it is precisely for panel houses that neighbors are inherently audible not only from the upper floors, but also from the lower ones. In order to feel calm and comfortable in the apartment, you should think about this layer when installing a floor screed.

Types of screeds

All floor leveling options have different purposes. Some contribute to the formation of a warm floor system, and some act already as a finishing base. Everything will depend on the specific situation and the desire to make a flat floor in accordance with all the requirements and rules. Screeds are divided into the following types:

Cement and sand.
Self-leveling mixtures.
Dry screeds.
Combined.

screed in a panel house

The most common option is considered to be a cement-sand screed. It is perfect for leveling the subfloor in a panel house, when the difference between low and high points does not exceed 40 mm. But even in this case, you should pay attention to the floor slabs, in what condition they are, what kind of load they can withstand.

Common components such as sand, cement and others are suitable as materials for this type of screed. The mixture itself can be prepared with the addition of expanded clay to lighten the whole "pie". In this case, the load on floor slabs in a panel house will be significantly reduced. Read more about expanded clay screed.

At present, technologies have made it possible to use various polymer components in a cement-sand screed. The focus is on polypropylene fiber. It replaces the reinforcement mesh or other reinforcement options, which also reduces the entire mortar, and, consequently, the pressure on the floor. All these points are very important for a panel house, since the design does not always allow creating serious loads on the base during operation.

Most often, self-leveling mixtures are used in panel houses. With their help, a solid floor screed is created. The height differences that such a structure can hide is from 20 to 40 mm. The installation of the screed is very simple and convenient. It does not require special knowledge and serious requirements in terms of experience. In this case, it is very important to arrange a waterproofing layer, after which the screed is being poured.

It is worth paying attention to the new popular method of semi-dry screed, that this technology of screed device in a panel house is very fast and requires the use of special equipment. Its cost is high, for this reason it is best to use a contract. Only with technology will the maximum result in terms of surface quality and strength be achieved. The drying time of a semi-dry screed, in comparison with a cement-sand screed, is reduced by about 2-3 times.

Preparatory activities

Particular attention should be paid to the cement-sand screed, as it is especially popular among those living in panel houses. To begin with, a number of preparatory measures should be taken, which include not only cleaning the base from debris and dirt, removing dust with a construction vacuum cleaner, but also installing a waterproofing layer. It can be used as a polyethylene film.

If there are large mortar protrusions between the floor slabs, they should be cut, if possible, in order to reduce the subsequent thickness of the entire fill. Mounting loops are subject to cutting.

When the preparation is completed, it is necessary to carry out high-quality marking along the base, marking the zero level and the level of filling the future screed. All measurements should be made carefully and accurately, since the evenness of the concrete floor, as well as the thickness of the grout, will depend on them. In this situation, it is worth paying attention to the fact that not every panel house will be able to create a large load on the floor. Especially when it comes to old buildings. Before starting work, you should clear everything to the ground and, if possible, assess the condition.

Soundproofing

The main problem for a panel house is a lot of noise from neighbors. When installing a floor screed, you should think about this and arrange an additional noise-insulating layer, which will reduce the level of noise entering the apartment through various sources.

Before leveling panel floors, you should think about high-quality sound insulation. In its capacity, various components and materials can be used, which are presented in the assortment on the construction market. It can be a mineral wool board with a thickness of 50 to 100 mm. At the same time, they will have a different density per cubic meter.

Additionally, sound insulation from existing communications can be arranged. If floating floors are arranged, then the Shumanet-100C type is usually used. It is performed in two layers on different sides of the water supply or other pipe. When the installation of self-leveling floors in an apartment is performed, then one of the layers must not be forgotten, which is provided by the technology for obtaining a flat floor for a panel house. But it is worth deciding when it is possible to fill the self-leveling floor, what conditions must be observed and the requirements for the base must be met.

We must not forget about the waterproofing layer on top of the soundproofing. In addition, it should be noted that in addition to heating pipes, additional sound-insulating materials must be installed on the ceiling. Here the Shumostop-C2 type would be an excellent option.

If you do not deviate from the recommendations of the manufacturer and specialists with vast experience in this area, then in the end everything will turn out to be of high quality. Virtually no noise will come from the floors below. But even the slightest inaccuracies and errors will lead to the appearance of sounds.

Installation of beacons

When performing a cement-sand screed to level the subfloor, consider the location of the beacons. Initially, it is worth choosing their specific version, which will play a completely different function depending on different conditions. Before finding out what is the best way to make a screed in an apartment, beacons are bought and installed.

The location of the beacons should be such that the rule easily passes along them when leveling the solution. This suggests that beacons should be installed at a distance from each other in rows less than the length of the rule by about 15-20 cm. In addition, the landmarks should be located at a distance of 30 cm from the walls in the room and strictly in level. It is on the quality of this stage that the filling of the floor with a sand-cement mixture will depend. Everything will come from lighthouses. If the technology is followed, then the floor screed in the panel house will be of high quality. In any case, you should pay attention to the thickness, which should not exceed the permissible limits. Under certain circumstances, it is generally possible to use expanded clay or its analogs to reduce the total mass of the future screed.

Pouring process

How the floor screed in the apartment is performed depends on the financial situation. There is a huge amount of materials.

You can prepare the solution for pouring the floor in parts on your own or purchase ready-made mixtures with all the necessary components, in which it will be enough to add only a certain amount of water.

But many people have a question about whether it is possible to fill the floor in parts. This can be done, but it is best to distribute the solution throughout the room in one go. When starting work, it will not be superfluous to wet the surface of the solution in contact with the subsequent pouring or treat it with agents to increase the level of adhesion. In this case, the adhesion will be the best, and therefore, the strong will be necessary.

The flooring scheme will depend on the specific option, as well as the experience. In any case and at any time you can invite specialists until everything is ruined. They will be able to bring everything to its logical conclusion.

What to do after screed the floor in the apartment? Here it remains only to wait for the complete drying of the solution. But in the process, measures should be taken to care for the floor screed so that it dries evenly without errors. To do this, the surface is covered with plastic wrap and pre-wetted for several days. It is very important to create the same temperature and humidity conditions in the room until it is completely dry.

Drafts or low temperatures are not allowed. Even high temperatures can only lead to premature drying of the screed and incomplete setting of the mortar mass.

All this suggests that it is not enough just to fill the screed. It is very important to closely monitor its maturation. After a few days, you can walk on the surface, but it is forbidden to create loads and exert mechanical stress. All subsequent work, including the flooring of the floor covering in the panel house, can be performed only after the solution has completely dried. For a cement-sand screed, this period is usually up to 1 month. It all depends on the components and the mixture used in the work.

Laying dry screed

You cannot ignore the dry screed, which is most often performed using Knauf technology. There are no difficulties in the installation process, the main thing is the sequence of all actions. After the preparatory measures and the creation of a layer of waterproofing on the surface, you can backfill the bulk material. It can be absolutely any component intended for these purposes. Expanded clay is most often used.

After backfilling, flooring of special slabs should be performed, which may also differ from each other in terms of components. Plates are often based on gypsum, which has the necessary functions and properties.

To connect the plates to each other and attach them to the base, use a special construction glue. Self-tapping screws can remain on the surface if the technology is not followed, which will immediately be noticeable during finishing. Clay does not create such negative qualities. The surface becomes perfectly flat.

This method of flooring in panel houses reduces the time required to carry out work to flooring or other finishing. Floor leveling is done very quickly and does not pose any particular problems for beginners.

Tips from experts

There should be no questions about whether it is possible to fill the floors in a panel house. It is simply necessary to do this, if you wish, to create a flat surface and subsequently perform high-quality flooring. But at the same time, you should adhere to the requirements, the main of which are the thickness of the screed and the load on the floor.

It is very important to properly prepare the base before starting work. The final result will depend on this. If we move away from the technology of creating a flat surface, regardless of the chosen option of the screed, then the consequences will not be long in coming.

We'll have to dismantle the coating again and disassemble the screed.

Priming the base before pouring the screed will increase the adhesion of the mortar. The number of layers will depend on the evenness of the floor in the room. Subsequent coats can only be applied when the previous one has dried. Any cracks, gouges and other damage to the substrate should be removed prior to applying the primer.

The level of the screed will determine the water level. From the "zero level" all other measurements and calculations of the marking in the room take place. The process is very responsible, like any other in the technology used.

If there are even small doubts about the quality of work on your own, it is best to seek help from construction crews. For a certain amount, depending on the volume and type of work, they will create a really flat floor in a panel house.