Screed flooring with expanded clay - ways and technology of work

Floor tie with expanded clay with own hands

It is impossible to imagine a quality repair without an irreproachably flat floor - a pledge of the subsequent technically correct laying of the coating. In turn, with gross errors of builders and significant differences in the levels of the lower surfaces, it is difficult to install door structures and gypsum boards, and also require a variety of tricks in wall finishing. How to create a flat surface and get rid of possible errors? The answer to this question will be a floor screed with expanded clay, which allows achieving not only perfect alignment, but also an increase in insulation characteristics. Expanded clay reduces sound vibrations and perfectly protects against heat loss, which allows you to reduce costs in the winter season and do without air conditioning - in the summer.

Already made floor screed

The floor screed with expanded clay is the most rational under the following conditions:

1. floor level difference in the room exceeding 10 cm,
2. - reinforced concrete or concrete slabs lying in the floor for laying the floor,
3. floor covering that does not allow roughing defectsfloor, from which its appearance and quality suffers( floating floors of natural materials, ceramic tiles, parquet or even practical linoleum),
4. installation of infrared or electric heating system,
5. the need to reduce the flow of cement mortar,
6. increasing sound insulation,
7. placement of communications in the lower floor overlap.

Screed with expanded clay perfectly combines lightness and strength. Expanded clay granules, gravel, sand and their aggregate minimizes the load on the floors. Due to the low specific weight of the material, the floor adequately withstands the static and dynamic load, so that for many years of intensive operation, its quality does not suffer at all.

Priority of expanded clay is determined by the specifics of its production. Its material is a fusible finely dispersed clay, foamed in a special way, subjected to high-temperature roasting. The result of it is the production of light facets, having a strong outer shell, which does not allow moisture. Low thermal conductivity and excellent thermal insulation qualities are due to the presence of cavities and air bubbles. By the way, they also explain the low specific weight.

Claydite photo

According to the criteria of fractional size and the presence of acute-angled elements, expanded clay is represented by:

- sand, particles up to 5mm, obtained after sifted calcined amorphous mass,

- gravel with its rounded and oval particles up to 40 mm in diameter,

- crushed stone with angular particles up to 40 mm in diameter.

A fractional mixture is frequently used for this screed, due to which the insulation-leveling layer increases its density. And since usually the expanded clay layer covers the filling floor, gypsum-fiber sheets or other material for leveling, the size and configuration of the particles are not at all important. However, to minimize the weight of the structure, do not use expanded clay sand, since if the density of the material is increased, the weight also increases. But in some cases, for example, when piece parquet is laid, it requires exceptionally fine fractional material.

The figure shows the process of leveling the floor with expanded clay sand

If you have to deal with the most difficult area, it is better to use expanded clay sand as the most minor shrinkage.

In modern construction, repair and restoration work, three ways are used:

• , by leveling and warming the floor using claydite and cement-sand mortar,
• by installing a filler floor with claydite aggregate,
• with a dry screed with expanded clay.

Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Leveling and warming the floor using claydite and cement-sand mortar.

Leveling and warming of the floor using claydite and cement-sand mortar.

To align the rough floor, you can contact the construction and repair organization, and you can, without waiting for experts, to perform this simple but time-consuming process yourself, having purchased the necessary amount of materials. For this, it is important to correctly calculate the costs, based on the data given in the instructions by the manufacturer. Knowing the technical information about the material and the area of ​​the floor to be leveled, it is easy to calculate the demand for the material and make an estimate.

Floor leveling traditionally begins with the dismantling of the flooring and preparation of the treated area. The floor is dismantled to the ground, and then the construction debris is removed. Carefully clean the holes in the floor, and the cables and wires contained in it are wrapped in polyethylene. Places of docking polyethylene insulation tightly wrapped with tape, protecting them from hitting crumbs, dust or mortar.

The next stage is the waterproofing of the base, which is also applicable for the laying of liquid floors. Here you can use a special mastic, but, as a rule, apply polyethylene film, insula or hydroisol. With the

1. waterproofing materials, a damper layer between the wall and the screed is created, the
2. prevents the adhesion of the mortar to the building materials, often leading to cracking of the cementitious screed upon drying,
3. reduces the transmission of sound waves from the screed to the bulkheads and load-bearing structures.

Without waterproofing it is impossible to do without, if it is necessary to cover the screed with thermal insulation, arrange parquet, process the floors that contact the basement. Laying of roll thermal insulation materials is 15 cm higher than the marked level of the screed. After the work on the floor covering has been completed, the materials are cut at the level of the upper plane.

At the last stage beacons are exposed - the land alignment guidelines are on the same level. For this uel, you can use ordinary screws or special metal devices T-shaped, specially designed for the arrangement of screed. Correct grinding is easily done with an inexpensive laser level or, at worst, an elementary homemade hydro level made of a transparent hose. Beacons are exposed in accordance with the marks left on the walls in the process of performing markings.

Screed with expanded clay is poured in two ways:

- first there is filling, tamping and leveling of expanded clay aggregate, the surface of which should not reach the level of the floor marked with beacons. The distance from the layer of expanded clay to the marks should not be more than 2 cm. Then the entire area to be treated is filled with cement "milk", which fixes the expanded clay granules. Once they have hardened, you can pour them with cement mortar, including sifted sand and cement marking M-4.To eliminate errors with proportions, you can use a ready-made mix for screed;

- first the expanded clay is introduced into the solution, mixing it with a construction mixer. To make it more convenient to apply the mixture, the floor with the help of beacons is divided into segments that are consistently processed. The laid claydite mixture is leveled by the adaptation-rule, and cement is added to the places of formation of pits and puddles.

But in any case, the floor screed is carried out, starting with any of the walls and moving towards the door opening. And both methods are suitable to arrange a rough floor for any floor covering.

Installation of a floor with the use of expanded clay aggregate.

With the help of self-leveling floors, it is possible to form a perfectly flat surface due to the composition's ability to spontaneously level off. Completely this floor hardens a maximum of a week, which is twice or three times faster than the previous method. Currently, the ready-made mixture with expanded clay for the device of the bulk floor is sold, including in its composition additives that improve the characteristics of the construction of the floor. In the absence of the finished composition, the screed begins with a uniform distribution of expanded clay throughout the area. Laying the expanded clay on a dry substrate, waterproofing is not necessary. Tamped and aligned as in the previous method, the material is covered with a polyethylene film or a new insulation. Everything is poured with a solution, from which the excess air is driven out with a needle roller.

Dry screed with expanded clay.

This screed is the fastest, cheapest and practical. Works on it include the following stages:

1. marking of the future floor height,
2. laying of the waterproofing layer on the base,
3. fixing the defimer film around the perimeter of the treated floor,
4. backfilling, compacting and leveling of the expanded clay layer,
5. mounting over the claydite of gypsum-fiber sheets, processing of the butt joints with PVC glue and fixing the elements with self-tapping screws.

Conducted with the support of technological requirements and building standards of work allow you to serve the floor for a long time, under it communication systems and floor covering. This floor for a long time will not need cosmetic and major repairs.

Video - expanded floor screed