Which Floor Screed Option Is Optimal For Leveling In A New Building

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

Screed selection
The cost
Preparatory activities
Floor laying technology
Floating screed device
Professional advice

Floor screed in a new building has its own characteristics. But first of all, it is necessary to make the floor even for subsequent flooring. Leveling the floor in a new building can be carried out in various options, which everyone must choose independently. It is important to purchase the necessary material and equipment so as not to be distracted during the work.

Screed selection

When the screed is performed, the floor not only becomes even, but also more durable, reliable, and the heat and sound insulation qualities increase. The same applies to the moment when it is required to hide all possible communications located on the floor surface. Based on these parameters, a suitable option for the screed is also selected, a specific technology is selected, which are distinguished by three main ones:

Adjustable floors. For its manufacture, plywood sheets are used, as well as supports. The latter are necessary in order to set the height of the future floor, that is, to determine the distance from the base to the plywood sheet.
The use of dry backfills, on top of which sheets are placed - special plates.
Dilution of specialized mixtures with water. Thus, a cement-sand screed or gypsum is obtained.

floor screed in a new building

It is the third technology for flooring in a new building that is most popular. This is due solely to the fact that all the material is constantly available for purchase, the technology is familiar to everyone for a long time, and the cost is very acceptable. But this can be more called a habit, and not the best option. As for the price, then you should add the cost of delivery of all materials not only to the entrance, but also to the apartment, all loading and unloading operations. This adds a decent amount to the total. There may be times when the thickness of the floor becomes very large for proper leveling. In this case, one cannot do without expanded clay, which is spilled with "milk" from cement. But in the end, a thin cement screed is still made, the thickness of which is about 3-4 cm.

If you want to minimize noise in the apartment, their spread throughout all rooms, then the option of adjustable floors will come in handy. But it will be necessary to lay a layer of noise insulation, to make reinforcement using a metal mesh.

A dry screed will cost a little more. But if you look at the final result, then you can immediately discard all other possible options. The overlap pressure is minimal, the work is carried out instantly and without dirt. And besides, such a material has high sound insulation, heat and sound insulation properties.

Which floor screed is better in a new building, one should proceed from the fact that it meets all the requirements and quality parameters. Only in this case you will get a flat floor on which absolutely any floor covering can be laid without any problems.

The cost

It is worth dwelling in some detail on the cost of a screed device in a new building. The costs are significant, even due to the fact that a lot of effort is applied to bring the floor level to the required parameter. Consumables prices are also constantly rising. You can choose two options - wet and dry. If we take the same thickness, for example 6 cm, then for a "wet" screed we will need 150 rubles for each square meter for the average price of a cement-sand mixture. But here it is worth adding the cost of the work, which is about 400 rubles.

"Dry" screed includes not only a mixture, but also sheets of gypsum fiber board, self-tapping screws, glue, and a waterproofing layer. All this will cost about 550 rubles for each square of the area. Labor force is paid additionally in the region of 350 rubles. In total, it turns out that the costs for the second option will be almost twice as high as in the "wet" option. True, all the positive features and ease of installation work cover all these points. In any case, everyone is trying to find a way and option for how to level the floor in a new building at a cheaper price.

Preparatory activities

Let's stop our eyes on the dry version of floor leveling. Do-it-yourself floor screed in a new building is much easier, and you do not have to wait about two weeks until it dries to proceed to the next stage. After all, everyone wants to do everything as quickly as possible and quickly move into their own home.

In order for the technology to start working, all measures for cleaning the base should be completed. If there is minor debris and dust, then a construction vacuum cleaner will come in handy, which will remove all this without any problems. Existing cracks and holes should be repaired as much as possible. In some cases, it will be necessary to expand them in order for the result to be more effective. For embedding, cement mortar is most often used.

For the element of the "rough" floor, sheet material is purchased, which can be gypsum fiber, drywall, plywood. It all depends on the room itself and its characteristics. Which one is better? The consumer himself has the right to make the final choice. The OP 135 system of the German manufacturer Knauf is effective. A dry prefabricated floor is obtained without voids, while having excellent heat and sound insulation properties. Application is directed to sheets of GVLV, which are moisture resistant.

There is one nuance here, which is that the slabs seem to be visually very even, but in reality everything is completely different. When cutting them, a huge amount of dust is emitted, which also negatively affects the work. During the leveling process, the thickness of the floor should be monitored. If it is minimal and within 3-4 cm, then one layer of the plates used is enough. But with a greater thickness, it is better to take two layers. This will make the entire structure more durable and reliable.

Floor laying technology

After buying an apartment in a new building, you need to think about how to make a high-quality floor by completing the foundation using technology. It is not rational to employ specialists here, since it will require almost twice as much costs. The main thing here is to have at least some idea of the work being done and to know some of the subtleties. Then everything will work out great. Some do not even know how to make a floor screed in a new building. First of all, collect in one place not only material, but also the necessary tools. If we take the "wet" option, then pouring the floor in a new building with our own hands will cost much less, although we should proceed from what we want to get in the end. The preparatory measures in any case are carried out in exactly the same way.

When the base is prepared, do it yourself dry screed in stages. In the future, we proceed to the construction of a waterproofing layer, where polyethylene film is most often used. It should go 60 mm higher along the walls than the future floor. Soundproofing tape or mineral wool is laid along the perimeter of the floor.

We must not forget about the guides for dry screed. They will serve as the starting point for the entire floor level. For everything to be done really well, it will not be superfluous to use a laser level. Beacons and landmarks for the height of the floor are set along it throughout the room where the work is being carried out.

The dry mixture is backfilled along the guides. It should be distributed evenly and without gaps. It will not be superfluous to tamp lightly over the entire area of the room. This will fill in all possible voids. It is this layer that will be the main one for the future floor. So you should make an effort to get a decent result. The fraction of any used backfill material should not exceed 5 mm, and in some cases, much less. Some people prefer to use expanded polystyrene sheets as well. True, it depends on the evenness of the base itself. Laying of subsequent sheet materials is carried out in the direction from the entrance. However, here the opinions of experts differ. Do-it-yourself dry floor leveling is performed in the shortest possible time and is much cheaper if you do not involve specialists.

In some cases, to impart reliability to the entire structure, two layers of sheets are made. They are connected to each other with self-tapping screws and with PVA glue. The most important thing is that during the installation process, the backfill from the dry mixture remains at the original level and does not move anywhere. In this situation, you cannot stamp on it, and if there is such a need, then put sheets of at least 50 * 50 cm in size.

Floating screed device

Floating dry screed is performed in cases where there are specific qualities of the premises, which include high humidity, temperature drops, organization of a "warm" floor, and so on. It also has its own technology, which includes several very important stages:

In addition to the usual removal of dirt at the initial stage, it would be wise to wash the floor in order to identify all existing defects, treat it with antiseptics (to reduce the likelihood of mold and mildew).
When installing a floating screed along the thermal insulation, two horizontal lines are drawn along the perimeter of the room.

Floor screed in a new building

The second will be needed for the DSP, and the first for the location of the insulation layer. In this case, the alignment will be of better quality.
Depending on the room where the work is carried out, the material for waterproofing is also selected. The cheapest option is plastic wrap. Membrane waterproofing is suitable in bathrooms as well as in the kitchen. Instead, you can take bitumen mastic, which lubricates the base of the floor and walls.
A damper tape is attached horizontally along the upper marked line. Its cost is not high and you can always find it in stores.
Increase the sound insulation of polystyrene foam plates that are laid on the floor. Instead, you can fill it with a dry mixture in the form of expanded clay.
The point of reinforcement is important. As a material, you can take a finished mesh made of plastic or metal.

floor screed in a new building

Reinforcing bar is used as an alternative. To increase reliability, the layer of reinforcement used should be located in the central part of our "pie". In this case, wooden blocks of the required size are used as a stop. If the room is large in area, then beacons should be set up, since ordinary horizontal lines will not be enough. They are cemented on the base, but the main thing is not to damage all the placed layers. All beacons should be evenly spaced across the area and at the same level.

If a "wet" screed is used, then after pouring it should be covered with plastic wrap. Drying will occur evenly over the entire area and, most importantly, evenly. But this screed option will only take time.

Professional advice

do-it-yourself dry floor screed can be performed at any temperature conditions. But if we are talking about floating floors, then it is best to choose a room temperature, and so that the humidity is minimal. There is a nuance regarding floating floors, that during its installation, you cannot use various adhesives, screws, nails and other materials. At the same time, the prefabricated panels themselves must lie in another room with similar temperature parameters for a certain time. The skirting boards for the floating floor are installed only after about 6 hours after the basic installation work on the foundation. In this case, a dry screed is much easier, since it does not impose any special requirements on itself and is carried out as quickly as possible without the involvement of outside forces.