Do-it-yourself concrete floor screed. What is a floor screed made of: materials and technologies

06.03.2020

The floor screed is the part of the base that is located between the ceiling and the finishing coating. Without it, it is impossible to make the floors perfectly even - such that even the most demanding installation conditions can be laid on them without fear. finishing material. You can’t do without it when building a house and even during the overhaul, but how to make a floor screed is a very difficult question for many. Let's try to figure out how to create it with your own hands.

The screed is not only a structural element of the floor, responsible for its leveling. It performs other equally important functions - for example, it takes over and redistributes all the loads experienced by the floor covering. But still, the most important function of the screed is precisely the alignment of the base. It is necessary in order to lay the floor covering without problems and correctly, some types of which are quite demanding on the evenness of the subfloor. For example, ceramic tile, parquet and other materials will quickly become unusable if they are used lying on an uneven floor. They will begin to break and collapse, and when moving along the coating, it will emit an unpleasant creak.

Another function that the screed performs is increasing the heat, sound and waterproofing properties of floors. Also, due to it, it is easy to raise the level of the base to the required level if necessary.

What is the screed?

The floor screed can be divided according to several criteria into different kinds. For example, depending on the manufacturing method, it can be dry, wet, combined.

Table. The main types of screeds.

View	Description and characteristics
	This option is made without the use of heavy mortars. The technology is used to level floors with very large height differences (up to 11 cm), as well as in rooms where floors cannot experience significant load. In this case, a dry screed can be laid along the logs and be made of plywood or chipboard, or it can be made of sheets of gypsum fiber, which is laid on expanded clay bedding. The thickness of the screed can be quite large. Dry screed is easy to perform, does not require drying after production, is very light, does not exert a load on the floors and foundation of the building.
	This screed can also be called concrete or cement. The most familiar and most commonly used way of leveling and raising the floor. As a rule, it is used for the initial stage of leveling floors or subfloors. It is made on the basis of cement with the addition of fillers, it is laid in a layer of 3 cm or more. Difficult to work with, takes a long time to dry, but very strong and durable. Unfortunately, it exerts significant non-overlapping pressure due to its considerable weight, and therefore cannot be applied to all types of buildings. For 1 sq.m. accounts for at least 100-120 kg of mortar - the mass is quite impressive.
	This type of screed combines the main advantages and, in some way, the technology of wet and self-leveling screeds.
	This method is good because there is no need to use beacons and somehow monitor the evenness of the finished base. The fact is that special mixtures are used for manufacturing, which tend to self-level on the surface of the subfloor. Such compounds are quite expensive, and they can be filled with floors with irregularities up to 2 cm. Often, due to this method, you can additionally level the usual cement screed.

Also screeds are divided into different types depending on the number of layers. Thus, they are single layer(poured immediately at a time to the required thickness) and multilayer. The latter have the so-called rough and finish surfaces. As a rule, the rough base has a thickness of 2 cm or more, and the finishing one - 3-20 mm.

According to the type of connection with overlappings, screeds can be divided into solid and floating. The first has a reliable connection with the draft base, the second has no hitch with anything. For installation, hydro- and heat-insulating materials are used.

What can be used to create a screed?

Depending on the type of screed, they can be made of various materials. So, to create a wet screed, cement, water and sand are used. Cement in this case acts as a binding material, and sand becomes a filler. To improve the quality of building mixtures, various components can be added to them that improve strength and reduce drying time.

On a note! To prepare such a mixture, it is necessary to mix 1 part of cement with 3 parts of sand. The required amount of water is added to them. This is a fairly economical option.

To create a wet screed, ready-made sand concrete sold in stores can also be used. Its main disadvantage is the high shrinkage rate. Because of this, the thickness of the screed layer cannot be less than 3 cm, otherwise it will quickly become covered with cracks.

Advice! To reduce the risk of cracking of the screed, fiber fibers are added to the raw composition, or layers of reinforcing mesh are laid on the rough base.

Gypsum-based mixtures are used for wooden floors. This material can be laid in a thin layer, as it practically does not shrink. Drying time is also attractive - only 1-2 days. The only exception in terms of the use of such formulations is high humidity in the premises.

Self-levelling or usually used for the final leveling of conventional wet screed. The reason is the rather high cost of the material. Such a composition is used for leveling floors with an unevenness of 2-7 mm.

For the manufacture, sheet materials such as drywall will be required, as well as expanded clay of medium and fine fractions for backfilling the base. The joints of individual sheets of material are treated with adhesives.

How to make a floor screed

Work on the installation of floor screed invariably raises questions from beginners. Below are instructions for creating a dry, wet and semi-dry screed. However, no matter which option is chosen by the masters, in any case, before starting work, it is important to prepare a rough foundation.

Features of the preparation of the base

To begin with, if the house was not built from scratch, you will need to get rid of the old floor finish. Moreover, you will have to remove the old screed up to the overlap. It is especially important to repair any flaws on the base. It can be cracks, chips, any gaps. All this must be sealed with a sealant or cement composition after preliminary priming in order to avoid too much consumption of mixtures (relative to a wet screed) and to increase the adhesion of the compositions to the base.

Preparing the base for the screed - photo

On a note! Sometimes a new screed is poured directly on top of the old one, but this is only acceptable if the previous version of the base is strong enough. However, only an experienced specialist will be able to assess the condition of the old screed. Sometimes it is even enough to use just self-leveling compounds to make the old base perfectly even.

You can clean the floor from the old screed using a jackhammer. Further, the base is cleared of construction waste, which is placed in strong bags and taken to a landfill.

Small protrusions on the old screed can be removed with a grinder. After preparation, it is important to prime the base in order to increase adhesion.

Making a wet screed

Step 1. Everything is prepared first necessary tools and materials. it building level, slats that will act as beacons, self-tapping screws and dowels, building mixtures, sand and cement, as a rule, a perforator.

Reading time ≈ 10 minutes

If you decide to renovate your old floor, you will have to deal with preparation and. These processes include without fail a concrete screed of the floor surface. After all, linoleum, laminate, carpet or parquet must be laid only on a prepared flat surface. We will take a closer look at how to make a floor screed yourself, and also get acquainted with the advice of professionals.

What is a floor screed? It is a rough concrete floor covering, a professional flooring, and also the most versatile way to level the surface. In other words, this is an intermediate layer between the finishing floor and the base for laying the subsequent decorative layer. After a concrete screed, flooring of any floor covering is possible. You also have the option of installing underfloor heating as well as sound and waterproofing. The floor screed technology is rather complicated, and the process is time-consuming. However, subject to clear instructions and patience, a beginner will cope with the work.

Why do you need a concrete screed:

Perfect surface leveling.
Strength and rigidity of the future flooring.
Giving the floor the necessary slope.
Correction of irregularities on the floor.
Possibility to hide engineering communications.
To the premises technical purpose is the finish coat.

Types of floor screeds

According to the method of adhesion, its composition and method of flooring, there are various types of floor screeds. Each of them is suitable for a specific floor covering and differs functionality. How to make a screed with your own hands, consider in the video below.

According to the method of engagement

By installation method

According to the composition of the material

According to its purpose

Screed leveling type. It is used to solve such problems as: eliminating bumps and hills, correcting the slope of the floor, giving the surface the desired height.
Leveling and heat-insulating type. In addition to leveling tasks, it is able to solve the problems of installing thermal insulation in a room. Do-it-yourself floor screed with thermal insulation is shown in this video.

It is impossible to say which type of screed is better. When choosing, you should always calculate the load on the floor during operation, the level of humidity and temperature in the room, as well as indications for the environmental friendliness of the materials used.

Experts also advise taking into account the following nuances:

If the house does not have an overlap on the floor of the first floor, you will have to lay a dense and massive screed. For this, an embankment of crushed stone or expanded clay up to 10 centimeters thick is used, after which the floor is poured with a cement-sand mortar.
If the ceiling in the house on the ground floor is in good condition, then it is not recommended to load the floor surface. It is better to use a sand-cement screed with a layer of 2.5 to 3 centimeters. In all other cases, both in private and multi-storey buildings, it is advised to make a thin screed to avoid unnecessary load on the floor.
If there is an old level screed on the floor, and only small irregularities are noticeable, then in this case it is recommended to use a self-leveling mixture. The mixture is applied in a thin layer, after which the final floor covering can be laid.

preparatory work

All measures for preparing the floor for screed and further laying the floor covering can be divided into several stages: basic preparation, installation of thermal insulation, installation of waterproofing, laying of reinforcing mesh, installation additional structures. Let's consider each stage separately.

Floor screed technology

The process of do-it-yourself floor screed in the apartment is as follows:

Remember that you can not accelerate the drying of the applied cement or concrete mortar. So you can ruin the floor, and the work will need to be done again.

The floor screed technology has its own nuances and difficulties. However, if you follow the instructions and recommendations, even a beginner will cope with the work.

When making floors in a private house with your own hands, it is important to ensure level ground by them. Many floor coverings are sensitive to elevation changes, and the quality of the existing subfloor leaves much to be desired. In this case, a do-it-yourself floor screed will be an excellent solution to the problem. It is not a difficult task to make it, it is only important to carry out the device in accordance with the technology. In this case, the rough screed is not completed after pouring. Depending on the material for manufacturing, work is provided for its drying and curing.

Before you start work, you should figure out why to make a screed in a private house. Its filling is required for various types of materials: tiles, parquet, laminate, linoleum and others. The device allows you to level the base for laying the floor and thereby increase its service life and improve its appearance.

In addition to this function, a rough screed in a private house performs several other purposes, which include:

It is worth doing it to increase the strength of the floors and increase their resistance to mechanical damage. This is especially true when it is required to put a coating on wooden structures. They are not resistant to moisture and are easily damaged. The screed allows you to make an additional barrier to water and provide a reliable base for tiles in wet areas.
The screed device allows you to increase the thermal absorption of the floor. Without the use of a layer in a monolithic design, it is impossible to imagine the installation of an underfloor heating system in a private house. Filling allows you to protect pipes from damage and excessive load, so it must be done.
If necessary, make slopes in the ceiling can not do without a cement screed. This option allows you to necessary work without major financial outlay concrete mix reasonably affordable.

The screed levels the warping for laying the floor, thereby increasing its service life.

Do-it-yourself floor screed, made in a private house, allows you to ensure that the fine finish is laid on a flat, solid and reliable base that can withstand not only such light materials as parquet, laminate, linoleum, but even ceramic tiles.

Varieties of screeds

To do high-quality work, you need to choose the best option among the materials offered on the construction market. A mixture for screed for tiles or other coatings can be of several types:

concrete;
cement-sand;
magnesite;
gypsum (for the manufacture of dry screeds);
epoxy;
anhydride;
mosaic;
asphalt;
self-leveling cement with the addition of special modifiers and plasticizers.

Almost all of the materials listed are wet pouring technology. For dry, only one mixture is used - gypsum, you can also use expanded clay. It is convenient to do a dry screed when there are time limits. Full-fledged concrete or cement will require a large number of drying time and curing. Wet construction will dry for approximately 4 weeks, exact dates depend on the temperature and humidity conditions in the room.

Not all of the above options can be done indoors. Some of them are suitable only for external use. Most often, if it is required to fill the floor in the house under the tiles or if another fine finish is used, a concrete or cement-sand mixture is chosen, they are characterized by attractive cost and availability.

Several types of materials are sometimes used as part of the floor. The bottom layer is laid with those compositions in which a larger aggregate. As an additional thermal insulation and sound insulation, a heater is laid under a layer of concrete or other composition.

Cost calculation

It is important to purchase the required amount of material and calculate the costs before starting work. This will avoid unpleasant surprises during the production process. From the experience of specialists, it is believed that for every 7-8 square meters the room takes about 10 bags of dry mix. These figures are based on average consumption. The actual depends on the complexity of the surface, the size of the irregularities.

To increase the strength of the structure, a reinforcing mesh is additionally laid in it. For the floor, a diameter of 3-4 mm is sufficient. The cell width is assigned 50 by 50 or 100 by 100 mm. The mesh is laid before concreting begins. It is especially relevant when laying heat-insulating inclusions under the filling layer. Under the action of a load, this material can be crushed, reduce its characteristics, and also lead to a violation of the evenness of the floor. Instead of metal, polymer products can be used. It is important not to forget to include the cost of reinforcing mesh and heat insulator in the list of expenses.

Can be done for different rooms various materials. In those that are used for household needs, there is no need to pay special attention to the type of coverage and increase the cost of it. Here, a do-it-yourself floor screed is made from cheaper materials. When making floors in rooms, you need to worry about increased evenness, so you should not save.

Work instructions

To make a floor that will last for many years, it is necessary to follow the technology of work. Filling is carried out along the beacons to ensure the greatest evenness. The order of work is as follows:

The main stages of installation and pouring the mixture, part 1

The main stages of installation and pouring the mixture, part 2

Cleaning the floor surface from construction debris, various contaminants, grease.
The next stage is priming, which allows you to increase the adhesion characteristics of concrete to the surface. The primer fills all small cracks, chips and depressions.
Before starting work, check temperature regime in room. It is best to work at a temperature of 10-25 degrees Celsius. There should be no drafts, windows and doors should be tightly closed.
Next, lay the waterproofing layer. Polyethylene film is most often used as a protective material. This option is available and economical. To ensure a higher reliability of protection against moisture, special waterproofing membranes are used.
Temporary insulation should be made at the junction of walls and screed to prevent the penetration of cement laitance into the structure.
For filling accuracy, it is necessary to beat off the zero level. Work is being carried out on lighthouses to ensure high precision. Installation of guides is carried out before pouring.
The mixture is laid on aligned beacons. This must be done in one go so that the whole structure works as a whole.
After completion of the work, it is required to give time for the concrete to harden and gain strength (2-3 weeks). During this period, it is recommended to moisten the surface with water to prevent shrinkage cracks.

Laying the screed along the beacons allows you to provide an even and solid base for the finishing floor.

The long-awaited master class on do-it-yourself floor screeding from a professional builder Yuri Voedilo (10 years of work at various construction sites and on euro-repairs).

All accompanying photos are made by Yuri himself. And so Yuri writes:

Today I will write about how to make a floor screed, on which we will lay tiles a little later. The floor is one of the most important parts of our house, which constantly bears the load, so it must be durable, even, warm, and even beautiful. And so we will consider the process of work in stages. The screed procedure is the same for both a private house and an apartment.

Stage 1. Horizontal marking.

Let's start with the fact that the floor should be horizontally flat over the entire area of the room, which means you need to knock out the so-called zeros. To do this, use the water level (a long transparent hose filled with water about a centimeter thick). On the wall, in absolutely any corner of the room, we put an arbitrary mark at a height of 50 centimeters.

We attach a hose to it so that the water level is at our mark, and transfer the other end of the hose to the opposite wall and mark the second mark with a pencil there at the height of the water level. Usually, such marks (zeros) are placed only in the corners, but I advise you to put them in the middle of the wall for confidence and further simplicity of the floor screed.

For more information about installing beacons and a hydraulic level for floor screed at.

It is necessary to clean the room from debris and small irregularities that can damage the waterproofing, which will definitely need to be laid!!!

Stage 2. Laying waterproofing.

After cleaning, we move on to waterproofing. At this facility, we used roofing material, but a plastic film may well be suitable, which must be taken tightly, otherwise, while you are pouring the screed, you will wipe it with your feet. We lay the roofing felt or film on the floor so that there is an influx of ten to fifteen centimeters on the wall along the edges. If in a room, as in our case, the heating pipes run along the floor, and not along the wall, then we lay the insulation under the pipes, since when laid on top of the pipes, it will not lie tightly and can break through! And the overlap between the strips must be done, at least five centimeters. If possible, although not necessary, the seams can be taped. special mixture"PRIMER" based on bituminous resin.

Stage 3. Installation of beacons for the correct floor screed.

Special beacons are often used to fill the floor, but practice has shown that it is best to use the ud profile, which builders use when installing partitions from drywall sheets. Firstly, the profile is stronger, so it will not bend under the rule when leveling the screed. Secondly, it is more economical, because after the floor is poured and it sets, the ud profile can be pulled out of the still not completely dry screed and used further in the work. For example, to fill the screed in other rooms. But with a lighthouse, this is no longer possible.

Using scraps of polystyrene foam, bricks or other improvised bedding materials, we begin to expose profiles (beacons). The main thing is that the bedding should be moisture-resistant and solid, so that the beacons lie on them without sinking, and do not get wet during pouring with concrete. Using the zeros on the walls, we find the highest point of the old floor in the room, that is, the size from the floor to the mark is smaller than the size from the floor to the mark in the other corners.

We determine the thickness of the screed, but you need to take into account the height of the door sills. We look so that the floor turns out to be one and a half centimeters below the threshold, which will later be occupied by the thickness of the tile with glue, which means that the lighthouse should be 1.5 centimeters lower from the door threshold.

We begin to expose the lighthouse (profile), placing bedding of different thicknesses under it. We do it in such a way that the size from zero (our marks on the wall) to the upper plane of the lighthouse is exactly the same size. We do the same with each beacon. The width of the space between the beacons should be 20 cm less than the length of your rule (this is necessary so that you can easily compare the level of whether the beacons are correctly set by applying a level on them). The rule is a level 2000-2500 mm long. If you don’t have this, then any board is quite suitable, the main condition is that it be even and not sag! After that, you can put a normal level on it and see if the beacons are evenly set.

After all the beacons have already been placed on our bedding, make sure once again that they are horizontal over the entire plane, shifting the level, both along and across the room, onto the beacons. If everything is in order, then proceed to the next step.

Stage 4. Fixing beacons.

We begin to prepare a cement mortar in a ratio of 1: 3 (one part of cement and three sand) to a creamy density. To which I personally would advise adding PERLFIX drywall adhesive. Not much at all, three hundred grams per half bucket. Then the solution will set faster, within half an hour, which means that it is possible to start before pouring earlier. But it is necessary to split the solution no more than half a 10-liter bucket, otherwise you simply will not have time to use it until it has frozen. We coat the sides with the prepared mixture of bedding and wait until everyone grabs.

Stage 5. Filling the floor.

Using a concrete mixer (and if not, then read on), we beat the solution in the proportion of one bucket of cement (grade M-400), three buckets of sand and three buckets of crushed stone. It is better to use quarry sand, for greater strength, but river sand is also quite suitable. First, pour water, then pour cement, then sand, mix everything well and only then add crushed stone.

If you do not have a concrete mixer and the ability to get it, then you can hammer the solution, for example, in old bath or similar container. You can mix the solution with a shovel or, better, a garden glander. At the same time, observing the same proportions and sequence as when hammering into concrete mixers.

It is necessary to start pouring from the farthest corner of the room, gradually moving with your back to the exit. We pour out the solution, so that it is slightly higher than our beacons. We put a bay of 50 centimeters directly on the lighthouses as a rule (across the lighthouses) and begin to rake the solution, fidgeting with the rule to the left to the right.

Tip: After we fill the whole room, in hot and dry weather, I advise you to moisten the screed with water once a day, lightly spraying the surface so that cracks do not form on it.

Stage 6. Completion of work.

The next day, after the screed has partially dried, the profile must be pulled out, gently lifting it up, otherwise later, when the cement has finally set, you simply won’t pull it out. And cover the furrows that appear in their place with a solution using a construction trowel (trowel). After complete drying, it will be possible to proceed with laying the floor tiles. That's all. Do-it-yourself floor screed!

We also recommend you:

The implementation of the screed is a time-consuming procedure, so most people prefer to invite for its implementation. But still, for some, the preferred option is to do-it-yourself floor screed.

To begin with, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the key stages of the work, study a little theory.

Two things are required: the correct preparation of the solution, ingenuity and dexterity when installing beacons.

Functional purpose of the screed

If we take construction apartment buildings, then to separate one floor from another, floor slabs are used, which at the same time serve as a ceiling for the lower apartment, and for the upper one, respectively, as a floor.

Do-it-yourself floor screed

For their further full operation, costly finishing is necessary. In the case of the ceiling, the situation is simple, the modern market for ceiling finishes offers a lot of affordable options, in the case of the floor, everything is somewhat difficult.

floor coverings produced in large quantities, but ordinary stove neither parquet, nor tile, nor laminate, nor linoleum, nor any other floor material can be laid.

The main function of the screeds is to level the base. They must be strong enough to withstand heavy loads.

Regardless of the production method, the screed is one of the main elements of the floor pie and is intended:

for alignment;
providing rigidity and strengthening the strength characteristics of the surface;
to increase thermal absorption;
to perform slopes on floors, in the process of laying the finishing floor covering.

Types and characteristics

Choosing the right material

Features of a certain type to a large extent depend on the material from which it is made. Screeds used in residential premises are:

concrete;
cement-sand.

As Supplies lightweight and lightweight concretes (cellular, expanded clay, etc.) are used. In some cases, reinforcing substances are added to them - polypropylene fibers.

There are also the following types:

magnesite (xylolite);
dry (gypsum);
epoxy;
anhydrite;
asphalt (cast asphalt);
mosaic (terrazzo).

In this area, the innovative technology of self-leveling floors has recently become widespread, and more precisely, then we are talking about a screed based on ready-made packaged mixtures created according to unique recipes. All of them contain - sand, cement, plasticizers, aggregates.

In certain cases, in order to properly do the job, a combination of mixtures is allowed. That is, when applying the lower, underlying layer, a mixture with a larger aggregate is used, and the upper leveling layer is used with a fine one.

Important! When choosing a mixture, in order to avoid acquiring a fake, it is necessary to study the material well. A high-quality mixture is distinguished by a pure gray color without redness, and the presence of lumps in it is also unacceptable.

concrete screed can be laid directly on the slab itself, or on top of a heat-insulating or soundproofing material(a combination of them is also allowed). In the first case, it is called "hard", and in the second - "floating". The landlord decides which type to give preference to. Experts will advise if there are neighbors from below, then you need to use soundproofing material, and if there is a basement below, then a heat insulator.

Our step-by-step instruction intended to illustrate the main points.

First you need to prepare the base. The surface is thoroughly cleaned of debris, it is worth getting rid of flaking pieces of concrete or dust. Then priming work is carried out and all existing cracks and cracks are sealed with thick cement mortar.

In the room where the work will be performed, the temperature should be within -10 + 25 0 C. In addition, drafts must be avoided, so doors and windows must be kept closed.

If the plans include the organization of hydro or thermal insulation, then it's time to lay the appropriate materials on the primed surface. At the same time, it is necessary to take care of temporary waterproofing of walls and partitions, in order to prevent them from absorbing moisture from the screed. To perform such a manipulation, a strip of roofing material is quite suitable, which is glued along the lower edge of the enclosing structures so that its upper edge is 15-20 centimeters higher than the top of the created screed.

We beat off the zero level

It will serve as the starting point for all subsequent work. This stage requires the utmost concentration and accuracy, since the evenness of the floor surface, as well as the amount of materials that will eventually be consumed, depend on its correctness.

To facilitate the process, it is best to use a laser level. This tool is characterized by maximum accuracy in comparison with the outdated hydraulic level. After the first mark is made, notches are made on other walls of the room, which are eventually connected using a construction chop. The result was a line around the perimeter of the entire room, its accuracy is characterized by its relation to the horizon line, and not to the base of the floors.

Using a tape measure, the distance from the outlined line to the floor is measured and its highest point is found. All subsequent calculations will be based on the parameters of this point and, as a result, beacons will be installed.

The thickness of the screed must be at least 3 centimeters (otherwise it will crack). Given this, it is now possible to calculate the cubic capacity of the solution using the formula: layer thickness multiplied by the width and length of the room (in meters).

Monolithic filler (wet) screed

Before starting the laying process itself, it is necessary to install beacons, which are guides installed along the horizon. Today, it is very inexpensive to purchase ready-made beacon profiles made of metal, they are the most the best option.

Correctly install beacons

It is better to seat beacons on plaster, this will allow you to perform this important, but routine work as soon as possible. And the correctness of their installation should be controlled using a bubble level.

To mix the mortar, ideally, you should use a small concrete mixer. It has been proven by practical experience that the resulting mixture will be of much better quality than when kneading by hand. If there is none, then kneading is done in a 30-40 liter container by hand. Especially for beginners, you need to remember that in order for the screed to be of truly high quality, you need to spend the prepared solution within 1.5-2 hours. It is during this time period that concrete is characterized by the best technological qualities.

You can choose one of two subspecies of the subfloor:

concrete, characterized by the use of coarse-grained components (stones, small pebbles, large gravel) as a filler;
cement-sand variety, which is caused by first preparing a dry mixture of cement, quartz sand in a ratio of 1: 4. In this case, the use of Portland cement M 400 is shown. Water should be poured in such an amount that the resulting solution has a pasty consistency, that is, it does not spread.

It is always necessary to start pouring from the far corner of the room. To level the poured mortar, an aluminum rule is used, which is carefully pulled between two adjacent rows of beacons. It is necessary to ensure that the rule is pressed tightly and removes excess mortar exclusively along the upper edge of the beacons.

You need to start from the far corner

The first strip is placed along the wall near the zero level, while it is necessary to take into account the minimum thickness and a gap of 2-3 centimeters from it. The remaining rows are sequentially superimposed one after another, and the step is determined in the process. Ultimately, such consistent actions will lead to the fact that the subfloor will be flooded.

During the first 7-10 days, the flooded surface is wetted with water. This is necessary for the correct passage of the process of crystallization of the molecular lattice of the formed concrete stone. In addition, in no case should it be forced to speed up the process of curing the solution, since this will adversely affect its strength.

Complete hardening of the mixture based on cement-binder occurs not earlier than after 28 days. Before this period, it is not recommended to apply a top coat.

Evaluation of the quality of the completed screed

An experienced professional will determine the quality of the work done, what is called “by eye”. If theoretical knowledge and practical skills in this matter are not enough, then it is necessary to perform the following measures:

Visual inspection - the screed should look uniform and have an even gray color.
We apply the rule (about 2 meters long) to identify gaps. In the event that the size does not exceed 4 millimeters, then you can be sure that everything is done correctly.
We check the hardness. By means of a hammer, a series of blows are applied tangentially, if everything is done with high quality, then the trace of such a mechanical effect will be almost imperceptible.

Correctly determine the consumption of materials

In order to check the correctness of your own calculations regarding the consumption of materials, you should refer to the opinion of specialists. According to their unanimous opinion, to perform the screed, it is necessary to take material at the rate of 10 bags of the finished mixture per 7-8 square meters of area. As for the tools, they are all characterized by a general construction purpose and require very low cost.

Properly made do-it-yourself screed

Is it possible to save?

There is no secret here. When performing a subfloor on the ground, less expensive materials are used. But to give the surface an ideal look, a more expensive finishing mixture is used. Also, the amount of costs depends on whether reinforcement was performed. Although it is worth recalling that the use in the production process metal mesh repeatedly increases the strength characteristics, durability.

Screed device: video tutorials

Important parameters affecting the cost of work is the type of screed being performed. For example, in wooden houses or baths it is unacceptable to pour concrete mortar directly on wooden beams, they must first be replaced with metal ones, and the base must be reinforced. As a more economical option, a foam concrete screed is used, but it is never laid on the ground, and besides, its surface must be covered with a protective layer at the final stage.