If you plan to change the floor covering in your office or home, then before you choose linoleum, parquet or laminate, you really need to check the height differences on the floor. Practically all modern floor coverings are very critical to an even surface condition of the floor. In the event that under the old floor covering you have found protrusions, cracks, hillocks and elevations, then a new floor covering will repeat all these shortcomings.
Beacons for floor leveling
There is no question of any aesthetic appeal in this case. In addition, uneven flooring can cause premature wear of the floor covering, the slabs or linoleum will break, rub off, cracks and tears will form. For the same reason, it is not recommended to lay the floor covering on the construction screed, which, as a rule, is made very badly.
Basic floor alignment methods
There are several basic ways to level the floor, bringing it to a perfectly flat state. Depending on the baseline conditions, the following can be used:
- dry;
- is semi-dry;
- wet screed types.
Accordingly, mixtures are used with the addition of water, or dry formulations.
Lighthouse - the key to the flat floor
In order to proceed to leveling the floor before laying the floor covering, you first need to check the existing height difference and set special beacons to indicate a flat surface. Guided by the exposed beacons, you will be able to calculate the required amount of roughing and finishing leveling.
First stage: Zero level
To plan the laying of screed, you must set the so-called zero level. The most modern way to determine and designate it is to use a laser level, on the basis of which indications are made on the walls of the room. Ideally, the marks placed along the laser beam are subsequently connected by a solid line.
The minimum height distance to which you need to retreat from the highest point of the floor is 30 millimeters.
Setting the zero level
You can connect the risks posed on the basis of laser beam readings using a pencil and cord. Based on the pencil drawn line, beacons will be exposed to calculate and perform an equalizing floor screed. However, when using a laser level, you can simply draw a solid line along the walls, focusing on the beam.
Leveling with the laser level
Second stage: Profile beacons
Profile beacons for leveling the floor should be installed at a distance of about 20-30 centimeters from the wall. First, mark the location of the lighthouses on the floor. This can be done with ordinary chalk.
Installation of profile beacons
There is a way to indicate the required floor level with screws. They are twisted on a grid marked on the floor, focusing on a laser beam. Each screw is screwed to the required depth, after which the screw heads are joined together by strong threads. Directly under the threads are laid "slides" from the fixing solution, and only then on these "slides" is placed the profile, the upper edge of which must coincide with the tensioned threads.
screw-type floor lights based on screws. Third stage: intermediate beacons
A "rule" is used to level the screed. Depending on the length of this tool, the distance between profiles that play the role of beacons is calculated. It should be 10-15 centimeters shorter than the length of the "rule", so that the tool slides along the facets of the beacons, not falling inwards. Usually beacons are placed parallel to each other and one of the walls of the room.
Installation of intermediate beacons
Fourth stage: alignment of
guides To facilitate the setting of beacons at a level that matches strained threads, solid objects such as tiles or wooden bars can be placed under them.
Carefully refer to the selection of the material of such pads. When using a "wet" screed, liners made of moisture absorbing materials can deform and disrupt the horizontal position of the profile used as a beacon. However, when using dry screeds, the hydroscopic nature of the pads does not play a special role and even cardboard sheets can be used for this purpose. To prevent sagging and deformation of the profile used as a beacon, place the pads at a short distance from each other, about 30 centimeters.
Algorithm for setting beacons for a dry screed
When using a "dry" screed on a floor surface, a dry loose substance is spread and leveled. One of the most popular materials for such a screed is expanded clay( read the article about the screed floor with expanded clay).When organizing a dry draft, the beacons can be made from a wide range of materials. Subsequently, they will remain in the layer of the screed, its dry matter. In this case, the height of the beacons should not exceed the height of the applied screed. Note that with a dry screed, its minimum height should not exceed 3 centimeters. It is better to use in this case beacons from a strong profile, preventing their deformation when placing a dry loose substance screed.
We will remind, that at the organization of a coupler in them the waterproofing layer can be laid. Proceeding from this, the use of screws to attach beacons to the surface may not be appropriate, since the sharp ends of the screws may violate the waterproofing.
For the organization of a dry screed, we recommend that you use as a beacon a U-shaped profile, which must be laid on the layer of waterproofing with sharp ends up. Since the minimum height of the screed is 3 centimeters, the profile height should correspond to this indicator.
Floor screed using claydite
The space between the beacons and the internal surface of the profile is filled with dry loose substance, the back side of it is supported by waterproofing without damaging it. Just like when installing a wet screed - the distance between the beacons should be more than the length of the "rule".Moving the "rule", you remove excess material and expose an even surface of the floor.
It is possible to use a more massive profile in the organization of a dry screed, for example, used in the construction of plasterboard partitions. In some ways, such beacons resemble lags made of wood that fit into the construction of a wooden floor. The device of a wooden floor implies the installation of lag beacons at a closer distance, about 40 centimeters from each other. The gypsum-fiber sheet can subsequently be laid on these lighthouses.
Also, as with a wet screed, the profile used as a beacon is fixed to the floor surface with a fixing solution, for example gypsum. This approach, unlike the use of cement-lime fixation, allows a short period of time to proceed with the continuation of the work.
After drying the fixing gypsum mortar, you can begin to apply the screed. To strengthen the strength of the profiles used as beacons, you can use them in pairs, by inserting one into the other.
