What is an excavation floor? Can I make a bulk floor with my own hands and how? These issues often arise in those who are planning repairs and are looking for rational ways to implement it.
Bulk floor
When starting to repair the room, special attention is always paid to the materials. The most in demand are those that can be used without the involvement of specialists, as well as those that are easy to install and affordable.
The world of modern building materials is so diverse that for the implementation of any solution and a wide variety of needs, there are always a lot of offers.
Manufacturers are so interested in satisfying their customers that they constantly improve and offer more convenient, optimal and rational versions of materials every day.
One of such solutions for floor installation was the release of dry screed , the laying technology of which is simple and accessible to anyone who has decided to make a loose floor with their own hands.
What is the bulk floor, how to choose materials, what tools will be needed for this and how to equip the floor - the answers to these questions are presented below.
What is a bulk floor and what is its advantage?
The term "bulk floor" refers to the use of a modern material - a dry screed.
The basis of the bulk of the floor is expanded clay, i.e.in translation from the Greek language "burnt clay".Claydite, as is known, does not contain harmful impurities, is chemically inert, has many suitable properties for creating comfort in the room.
Advantages provided by the bulk floor
Bulk floor has perfect characteristics, so recently its popularity is steadily increasing.
A great advantage is the absence of wet processes when installing this floor. It is not necessary to produce the drying of the floor, which means that the overall period of repair is also reduced. In addition, the amount of contaminants decreases.
The use of a dry screed does not interfere with the main cycle of finishing works. And, once the installation of the bulk floor is completed, the rest of the work is completely renewed.
Dry screed is a material that belongs to the middle price segment. Its cost is slightly higher than the cost of the concrete solution. But, it should be borne in mind that these costs will be compensated for excessively by the simplicity and speed of installation.
Another advantage for those who independently perform repair work is the absence of the need for leveling the surface and the possibility to immediately proceed to laying the finishing flooring.
In the strength of the floor, made a dry screed, too, no doubt. After all, the sheets are laid on the screed, which serve as a load distributor for the occupied area, so point impact on dry material is excluded, and the mounting technology makes it possible to create a rigid base.
To date, the bulk of the floor has become the simplest and most rational option, which will withstand any family budget.
Instruction for the development of the bulk floor
This floor, despite a number of indisputable advantages, there is one "but" - it does not suit the bathroom or shower room, because it is impossible to allow moisture penetration under it. It is necessary to take this into account when starting the installation.
Before work, it is worth to familiarize yourself with the mounting technology, prepare all the necessary tools and, of course, materials.
The general schematic representation of the design of the bulk floor is shown in the figure.
Fig.2 Scheme of installation of a bulk floor
Preparation of tools and materials for installation of a bulk floor
For the installation of a bulk floor, the following tools will be needed:
- tape measure( you can use a folding meter);
- electric jigsaw( for cutting slabs, beams);
- rule;
- screwdriver;
- wood screws;
- simple pencil( for marking on the cutting places, level);
- knife.
The necessary, in this case, supplies, are:
- mixture for dry screed;
- plates( GVL, particleboard or asbestos cement);
- beacons( wooden beams, metal profiles);
- material for waterproofing( polyethylene film, ruberoid);
- heater( slab penoplex);
- mounting foam;
- Scotch tape;
- damper belt;
- sealant.
Step-by-step procedure for laying the bulk floor
- Preparation of the foundation.
First of all, the floor is prepared in the room for subsequent repair work. Dismantled outdated flooring. If chips or cracks are found on a concrete base, then fixing foam or mastic can be used to seal them. Then the surface is dust-free and completely cleaned from third-party debris.
- Create an insulating layer.
Before the installation of a dry screed, taking into account its fear of moisture, waterproofing works are carried out.
A vapor barrier film is applied to the concrete substrate;layer of polyethylene. Strips of film are laid out slightly "overlap" and must be glued together with paint tape.
Fig.
In cases where the overlap is made of wood, a ruberoid is used instead of the film.
If the total height of the room allows, a layer of penoplex( or foam) is often laid over the film. This is an additional heat-insulating layer, which does not need additional fixing( the plates are just laid out "in butt").
The places of contact of the future screed with the wall are pasted with a special tape( for example, damper).
- Determining the height of the backfill.
After this, it is necessary to set the zero level in the room. Excellent if you can use a laser level gauge. If not, then the maximum possible level of backfilling is determined by measuring, based on the height of the room. The perimeter of the room is made appropriate marks. The distance from the floor to the mark is determined by the required height of the filling( not less than 5 cm).
- Setting beacons.
Before starting to fill the dry screed, it is necessary to install guide beacons on the floor of the room and secure them. As beacons, you can apply either a wooden beam or a metal profile( if the profile is n-shaped, then it is placed only with edges upwards).
The first beacon is installed at a distance of 20 - 25 cm from the wall. The direction in which the beacons are located does not matter. The main thing is that the distance between them is not less than the length of the rule.
Fig.3 Installation of beacons for dry screed
- Backfilling of dry screed.
On the prepared surface the necessary volume of loose material for screed( claydite or expanded clay sifting with sand) is poured out and compacted with a board.
Fig.4 Backfilling of dry material
The screed layer needs to be aligned, for which the beacons need to be guided by the rule. At this level, you can see where the material should be poured, and where to remove the surplus rule. The process of backfilling and leveling of loose material is carried out between all beacons, while the beacons themselves are not dismantled.
Fig.5 Leveling the dry screed with the
- rule Laying the boards on a dry screed.
The last stage of installation of the bulk floor is laying on the screed of plates, which can be used as gypsum fiber sheets( GVL).Gypsum and cellulose gypsum sheets are produced with reinforcement and impregnation with a special composition with a water repellent effect.
Asbestos-cement slabs and chipboard( chipboards) are often used. You can choose for this job and thick plywood.
The plates are fastened together with screws in wood using a screwdriver.
Some manufacturers' plates have special grooves for bonding. This is very convenient, then the grooves are glued together with special glue, and then they are also fastened with screws.
At this stage, the bulk of the floor is considered fully assembled and you can proceed to the finish.
Fig.6
slabs are laid on the screed. Before the finish, the edges of the damper tape and polyethylene are removed with a knife.
Fig.7 Removing excess
The final step is to install the
finishing flooring. After 24 hours after the installation of the loose floor and the installation of the slabs covering it, you can proceed to the final finishing of the floor. As an option for further coating, any of the following options can be used:
- parquet board or parquet;
- laminate;
- linoleum;
- ceramic or marble tiles;
- carpet.
Bulk floor is also suitable for equipping the "warm floor" system.
Type of finishing - an individual choice, which is made based on personal tastes and needs.
