In any structure, special attention is paid to the creation of a warm and reliable floor. Using a styrofoam floor for screed, you can easily solve this problem.
Styrofoam for flooring under the screed
Providing comfortable living conditions and the desired coziness in any structure is achieved in various ways, to which the thermal insulation is considered to be foam. Most often this method of insulation is used for premises located on the first floors of high-rise buildings or in private households that need to increase the heat level of the floor covering.
Advantages of using foam
Polyfoam is considered to be the most effective insulation material. Its cost is available to any consumer and is characterized by a large number of positive indicators.
Fig.2 Dense foam is the most preferred for floor insulation under the screed
- Heat preservation .
Polyfoam has excellent heat preservation properties, since it has a low thermal conductivity. This is ensured by the structure of the material, which consists of specific granules having an air layer acting according to the thermos principle.
- Sound Absorption .
Polyfoam, as a building material, is distinguished by excellent indicators of sound insulation. For this reason, the use of polystyrene ensures the absorption of sounds, both from the outside and from the inside. He perfectly copes with vibration and such sounds as: noise of motor transport, loud music.
- Safe effects from exposure to open flame and high temperature .
The foam base is made of a material that has self-extinguishing properties. During fire situations, this material does not burn for long, while during the combustion, substances similar to the burning tree are released.
Fig.3 Correct floor construction
- Long service life .
Quality foam has a long service life. This is due to the fact that the technology of its production and raw materials have no tendency to shrinkage and decay.
All of the above properties characterize polystyrene, as a universal building material, ideally suited for the warming of any structure. This material perfectly protects both from summer heat and from winter cold.
Its use and application are quite simple, since the foam has a low weight and does not require special tools for processing.
Use of foam for floor screed
Polyfoam, like any other insulation material, requires installation and additional building materials during installation.
Polystyrene floor screed is always used in conjunction with:
- mounting foam;
- with glue solutions;
- with self-leveling mortars and screed solutions;
- construction tools.
At the outset, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work, which consists in leveling the floor covering with the help of special leveling mortars or a conventional mortar of concrete. Usually the thickness of the initial( rough) layer varies within 3 - 5 centimeters.
Fig.4 Leveling of the floor surface
After the initial leveling layer has completely dried, the waterproofing layer( special films) is laid. This is necessary to prevent the penetration of moisture and condensation. After all, when wet, the foam plastic loses its properties of heat and sound insulation.
Fig.5 Stacking the foam on the aligned and prepared surface
Next, the foam is laid under the final leveling and fixing of the floor surface. This procedure provides for a simple laying of the selected polystyrene plates over the entire surface. To do this, use a special styrofoam foam having the necessary density and thickness of 5 centimeters.
It should be noted that the higher the thickness index, the better the final result.
In order to avoid a reduction in the efficiency of the technology used, sheets of expanded polystyrene should be placed very tightly. If there are crevices when laying, they must be filled with a mounting foam.
After completing this robot, reinforce the outer layer, which is carried out using a small screed( thickness 1.5 - 5 cm) and reinforcing mesh laid on top of it. This basic installation work is almost complete.
The final step in this technology is to fill the last layer, which is made from a building concrete mix. The laying layer should be in the range of 5 to 6 centimeters.
Further construction works are possible only after complete drying of the concrete, which in this case can guarantee the technological strength of the surface.
Recommendations of specialists in the implementation of floor covering with the use of foam
During the execution of work, it is necessary to take into account specific technological aspects and recommendations.
What thickness and where is the foam used
The thickness of the foam under the screed in multi-storey and single-storey houses is not the same. So, the lower the insulated floor covering to the foundation line, the thicker the used foam should be. In structures of more than one floor, foam can be used, which has a thickness of 5 cm.
Fig.6 Stacking the foam on the prepared surface in a small room
Location of the foam in the screed
The location of the foam during laying may be different. For example, it can be laid between a concrete screed and a finishing layer( finishing floor) made of boards or tiles. It is also possible to lay foam between the layer of waterproofing and the final layer of screed. This option is best used for finishing the floor with ceramic tiles or natural stone tiles.
Reinforcement layer
For this stage of work, only a high-quality and certified mesh should be used, which serves as a support base for the distribution of external load.
Fig.7 Reinforcement - increasing the strength of the floor
With foam, you can provide excellent thermal insulation of the room, which will reduce the cost of energy consumption.
What gives the floor insulation with polystyrene?
Implementation of all recommendations on the technology of laying foam plastic floor under the screed provides:
- increasing the level of sound insulation;
- reduction of heat losses;
- constant temperature in rooms.
Costs for performing work
Many doubt the need to use this technology in repair work. However, the analysis of the reduction in the expenditure on energy costs shows that this technology will reduce the financial press from year to year for owners and residents of houses.
This technology as well as possible contributes to the establishment of comfort and coziness, as the main indicators of quality and practical evaluation of any room.
The main indicator of financial costs for the implementation of the whole range of works is the cost per square meter of area, which usually range from 60-130 US dollars.
