Self-leveling floor screed - is a workable process, which any, not even a professional, could be desired. It is very easy to prove.
Self-leveling floor screed
The floor is the most exploited part of any room, therefore it is most susceptible to wear and often requires repair. Sex must be without flaws and distortions, because it keeps the whole interior.
Modern floor coverings set. For example, the floor can be covered with exquisite or strict laminate, original ceramics or beautiful linoleum.
In any case, before you start installing any finish flooring, the floor should be properly prepared, namely - align.
Self-leveling floor screed, concept
To date, the best basis for any floor covering is a self-leveling screed, i.e.modern building mix.
The most important feature of such mixtures is the ability to spread evenly over the entire required surface, ie to spread around the entire perimeter of the room, creating a perfect surface, perfectly smooth and flawless, suitable for any finish coating.
The self-leveling screed consists of dry construction mortars and special chemical impurities.
Today, the choice of such mixtures is quite wide, many manufacturers are engaged in their production, so with the acquisition of a dry mixture of self-leveling floor screed there will be no problems.
The main advantages of this type of screed are : ease of use, high speed of work, availability of materials.
The main thing is to clearly observe all the stages of the technology described below, as well as the recommendations of the manufacturer on each package( the amount of mixture per unit area, ratio with water, storage conditions).
Before buying any dry mixtures that will be needed for repair, be sure to pay attention to the expiration date, as well as the absence of damage to the packaging. These indicators are very important for obtaining a strong and durable floor basis.
Preparing the surface of the floor for the screed
Of course, before you start installing a new floor in the room, you need to conduct a preparatory work that will later help create a perfectly flat surface.
To begin with, it is necessary to completely dismantle the entire old coating, i.e.parquet, linoleum, boards.
Then, it is mandatory to check if there are any drops at the base. This is done using a level gauge. The size of the differences will help to clearly determine which kind of alignment will be applied in this case.
In cases where the differences are significant, chipped and even pits appeared on the surface, the "rough" leveling of the surface is necessarily carried out( in another, it is called "rough").
So, if there is a need for rough alignment, then special construction mixes of a denser composition, for example, cement mortar, are used for it. With it, surface drops of up to 6 cm are eliminated. How to prepare it is described below.
Fig.2 Rough surface leveling of the
If the surface has swings up to 1 cm, i.e.it is more even, then to leveling "finish"( in other words - "clean"), you can proceed immediately. Such small differences are easily eliminated by liquid building compounds, namely self-leveling screeds.
In the case when the surface is relatively flat, but there is a small single defect, for example, one chip, then a denser mortar mix( the same cement mortar) is removed and allowed to dry completely.
Prepared surface must be cleaned of dust, sand and any small debris. At home, the vacuum cleaner is great for this.
Now, when the surface is clean and dry, it must necessarily be primed with a special primer solution. This will further enhance the adhesion of the applied mixture and base. If the surface contains a large number of pores, then it should be primed twice.
Specialists recommend using a primer of the same manufacturer as the selected dry mix of self-leveling floor screed( hereinafter "self-leveling floor") to obtain a stronger and more reliable base.
Preparation of cement mortar
For the preparation of cement mortar, components in dry form( cement with sand in the ratio 1: 3) are first mixed in containers( for example, pellets).
Cement enough to choose brands M200, or M300, higher grades( correspondingly, more expensive), in this case it is not rational to apply.
Fig.3 All that is needed to mix the cement mortar
Then the resulting mixture is diluted with water, thoroughly mixing with a spatula, to prevent lumps, bring it to the desired consistency( the solution should be "like sour cream", but not too liquid).
The resulting cement mortar is first embedded in deep chips and pits, and then applied to the surface and leveled with the rule under the level.
Only after the "rough" floor has dried, go to the primer and "clean" leveling.
Manual for the application of self-leveling screed
Attention: liquid self-leveling screed can only be applied to clean floor after complete drying of the embedded defects, rough coat, primer.
Tools that will be needed for the application of the screed
In order to perform work on the application of a self-leveling screed on the floor, it will be necessary to prepare certain tools and appropriate tools:
- container for mixing the solution( bucket, pelvis);
- drill;
- mixer( or special drill bit);
- level gauge;
- roller with needle structure;
- dry mix "self-leveling floor"( selected manufacturer);
- self-adhesive edge band;
- personal protective equipment for eyes and hands.
Directive for direct application of the screed
Before starting work on the entire perimeter of the room( in the lower part of the walls), a special edge band should be glued. This will help to avoid bonding the screed to the wall and protect against the appearance of cracks.
Fig.4 Pasting walls with edge band
It is worth paying attention to the air temperature in the room. It is not desirable that it is below + 150 ° C.
Next, proceed to prepare the main solution.
For this, the selected dry mixture of "self-leveling floor" in a specially prepared container must be diluted with water. It is important to strictly observe the proportions of water and mixture, which are specified by the manufacturer on the package.
When preparing the mortar, thorough mixing is mandatory. The solution should be homogeneous and without lumps. To achieve this effect with mixing, you can mixer( or drill with a special mixer-mixer).
Fig.5 Mixing of liquid screed
The resulting solution should be poured on the surface as evenly as possible. It is necessary to take into account the area for which the packing of the dry mix is calculated.
Begin filling the floor with a solution from the far corner of the room, gradually moving to the exit. The solution is recommended to be applied in approximately 40 cm sections.
Fig.6 Filling of surface areas with a liquid screed
Filling the solution on the surface, it is immediately distributed over the area, and then very carefully rolled the floor with a special roller that has a needle texture. The use of such a roller is necessary to eliminate air bubbles and increase the strength and lifetime of the screed.
Fig.7 Leveling the self-leveling screed over the surface of the
Attention: in no case can you stop the fill, the room should be filled completely in one day! Therefore, it is necessary to calculate in advance the amount and the necessary time for filling.
The filled screed is left until it dries completely. This takes at least 24 hours.
Only when the floor screed has dried completely, the surface has become smooth and smooth, you can proceed to the next stage of floor repair - installing the selected floor covering.
Thus, if you carefully read the fairly simple technology of doing this work and follow the recommendations of the manufacturers of materials, then the self-leveling floor screed with your own hands is a real workable process that anyone can cope with. And for this it is not necessary to have a special education or a huge work experience. Sex guaranteed to last a long time!
