The appearance of Knauf floors in the construction industry can really be considered a huge step of modern progress. Bulk floors of this brand have already managed to acquire millions of fans, it is very easy to pack and use, although it is hardly possible to call this material cheap. Nevertheless, with him you will save a lot of time and energy.
bulk floors Knauf
Features of the Knauf flooring
This dry screed is a kind of cocktail created with panels of gypsum fiber. This mixture is laid on a special waterproofing film, which, in turn, is lapped( about twenty centimeters) and "climbs" on walls of centimeters by five. Truly, the invention of a dry screed has become the property of construction and finishing works, after all, the most important thing is time. But this does not mean that if the floor fits quickly, then its quality deteriorates.
The process of laying the floor of the Knauf
You may be wondering why this name is - the bulk floor of Knauf? It's simple: when the surface is leveled, GWL sheets, manufactured by the German company Knauf, are placed on it. For their fastening, self-tapping screws and mounting glue are used. In general, the company produces not only floors, in its assortment - a lot of building materials and other components of the highest quality.
When is it advisable to use the bulk floor of Knauf?
Of course, it is not always profitable to lay the bulk of the floor, it is expensive, although it more than compensates for the cost of durability. So, to use Knauf is recommended in the following cases:
- If a new flooring is not being laid, but a reconstruction or repair is carried out in one of the old buildings. This is explained by the fact that in the arsenal of Knauf's characteristics there is a significant reduction in all load-bearing structures, and so on.
- If it is a question of wooden floors between floors in which to you it decided to establish an electronic warm floor.
- In addition, the bulk of the floor is recommended to use if the laying of flooring you need in record time.
- Finally, its use is advisable in the winter, because at low temperatures, as we know, it is almost impossible to make a traditional screed from the DSP.
bulk laying technology The first stage: backfilling of a dry screed
A dry screed purchased in the store is covered on the perimeter of the future floor, it is necessary to orientate at the pre-installed beacons. When the surface is finally leveled, it does not need to be deformed, that is, you can not walk on it. So that you can move, we take the following measures: to the place where you plan to work, you need to build a pathway from GVL sheets( you can use for this trimming, but their size should be at least 50 to 50 centimeters).It can be both a solid path, and a kind of islets, the main thing is to not damage the surface of the screed. Next we proceed directly to the installation of GWL.
Scheme of floor screed Knauf
The second stage: mount the bulk floor Knauf
Begin to lay the sheets should be as distantly as possible from the entrance to the room. When the first sheet of Knauf is laid, next to it is laid already the second. This should be done closely, so that the gaps between the plates do not exceed one millimeter. All joints between them are filled with glue, especially careful care should be taken to ensure that the screed is not damaged in the process. Self-tapping screws are also used for mounting strength.
So, the first row of plates is laid. Then proceed to the second. To begin with, you can use the edge of the plate, which is left from the first row, but it is extremely important that its dimensions are not less than one-fourth of the one-piece plate. In case the walls in the room are even, the gypsum plates must also fit snugly against them, not only to each other. If the walls are uneven, then there is a gap of about one centimeter between them and the plates, which is then filled with a mounting foam.
Regarding the direction of the sheets, for each specific room it is determined individually. After the work is completed, the joints between the elements are ground and covered with putty.
The third stage: the thickness of the dry screed
Now let's talk about the minimum thickness that should be at the bulk floor Knauf. In general, it should be four centimeters. In other words, the thickness of the plate - and a centimeter, and the thickness of the dry backfill should also be two centimeters. This should be taken into account, especially if all the calculations you do yourself. Moreover, there can be also an additional floor covering, for example, the same laminate can be as 0.8, and 1.2 centimeters.
You should also know that Knauf's floor may have slight shrinkage. It often does not exceed two centimeters, but all the same, if you plan to make stacking in several rooms at once, then to the interior crossings should be treated with due attention.
Floor installation technology
Other stages of work. Waterproofing
The waterproofing layer plays one of the main functions when laying the bulk of the floor, since it will mainly depend on it for the period of further operation. Why, you ask? Everything is very simple: bulk floors literally are afraid of moisture, because it is from it that their plates swell and, consequently, the face of the floor will deteriorate significantly. Therefore, a layer of film for waterproofing should be installed under the dry backfilling layer. This will protect the floor from the negative impact of moisture, which in any case is accumulated in the inter-storey.
Sound insulation
It is also recommended to take care of the sound insulation device. It allows not only to avoid the formation of sound bridges, but also prevents further deformation of the flooring during thermal expansion. In order to establish sound insulation between the walls and slabs of gypsum leaves a slight gap( about ten centimeters), where subsequently the thermal insulation material will be placed.
As such a material can be used ordinary tape made of foam rubber with a thickness of one centimeter and a width, of course, ten centimeters. They are sold in the form of self-adhesive tapes, as well as in the form of conventional ones, which are fixed with an adhesive tape.
Floor acoustic insulation
Under which material is Knauf installed?
Bulk floor of this brand can be stacked for a variety of materials, among which:
- Already mentioned linoleum.
- Laminate.
- Ceramic tiles.
- Parquet.
- Carpet and others.
In the end, we add that the dry screed, despite the seemingly high cost, will last longer than the traditional wet, which also creates a lot of problems during operation. In general, Kaufmann's bulk floors are one of the best solutions.
