Self-leveling floor pouring screed. Self-leveling screed yourself - it's easy

Major renovation Any living space begins with renovating the floor. An old concrete floor is usually a depressing sight. Height changes, potholes, chips, cracks... You cannot lay a new coating on such a base. How to fix this?

The traditional solution is a cement-sand screed. It has a number of significant disadvantages: high consumption material, leveling it is very difficult without skills and experience; hardening of concrete takes at least a month. It is much easier and faster to use a modern self-leveling screed - you can start finishing the next day.

Self-leveling screed is a method of leveling the floor, which involves the use of a special mixture. It contains not only the main substance (cement, gypsum) and binder (sand), but also glue and plasticizers, thanks to which the mixture becomes much more plastic than ordinary concrete. It acquires the ability to independently fill in the defects of the main coating and spread over the entire area of ​​the room. If necessary, it can be supplemented with pigments and become a decorative coating.

IN different conditions operation, one of several types of self-leveling mixtures can be used. The choice must be made based on the following factors:

• indoor humidity;
• likelihood of direct contact with moisture;
• Is the floor required to be resistant to aggressive chemicals?
• whether a decorative covering will be laid on top of the screed;
• type of base;
• the need to give the floor additional properties - noise absorption, thermal insulation, anti-slip.

There are not many types of mixtures for screed - it will not be difficult to choose. They are classified based on the variety of constituent components:

• Cement. The cheapest and weakest option, most often used as a primer. If you need to create a full-fledged screed, it is better to supplement the cement with acrylic. In this case, it will be durable, frost-resistant and undemanding to the properties of the base. However, like ordinary concrete, cement strainer It will take several weeks to gain strength.
• Plaster. It is stronger than cement, does not require preliminary leveling of the base, and conducts heat well. Eco-friendly. It can be of any thickness and is perfect for underfloor heating systems. The base must be dry, since gypsum absorbs moisture very well.
• Epoxy. The screed is durable and resistant to chemicals, but does not withstand abrasion. May crack when hit with heavy objects.
• Polyurethane. Best suited for industrial and commercial premises. Resistant to all types mechanical impact, changes in temperature, humidity. Long service life. The main disadvantages are demands on the condition of the foundation and high cost.

Pros and cons of this alignment method

Self-leveling screed has many advantages:

• Easy to use. The dry mixture just needs to be diluted with water, stirred and poured onto the floor. It will spread on its own and create a perfectly flat and smooth surface.
• Fast drying. You can walk on the screed within a few hours after pouring; it gains full strength in just a day.
• High strength, resistance to the most different types influences.
• No shrinkage.
• Minimum screed thickness – 5 mm.

It also has disadvantages:

• The base must be prepared - cracks sealed, dust and debris removed, surface dried.
• It is very difficult to remove a failed screed.
• Relatively high cost.
• Toxicity. Plasticizers can release chemical compounds harmful to health into the air, so during drying the room should be well ventilated, and work must be done with the mandatory use of personal protective equipment.

Characteristics, manufacturers, approximate price

One of the main properties of the screed in question is the smoothness of the resulting surface. It is ensured by the use of fillers having dimensions of no more than 260 microns. They are bound by plaster or cement. Additional properties - elasticity, fluidity, ability to adhere to the base - are imparted by various plasticizers. They can be polymers or minerals. The exact composition depends on the manufacturer of the mixture, and specifications materials.

When choosing, you need to pay attention to the range of permissible screed thicknesses (for example, 3-60 mm), the time of initial strength gain, the possibility of use for outdoor work, strength (indicated in MPa).

Today's market for self-leveling mixtures is represented by the following manufacturers:

• Knauf(Knauf) is the undoubted leader. The basis of the product is high-strength gypsum mixtures with the addition of fine quartz sand, improving performance characteristics screeds – adhesion to the subfloor, abrasion resistance. Price - approximately 220 rubles. per package 20 kg.
• Vetonit. Mixtures based on cement and limestone can be used to create finishing floor. Screed thickness – up to 5 mm. High strength and wear resistance. The initial strength gain takes only 3 hours. Consumption – 1.5 kg/m 2 /mm screed. Price - 360 rub. per bag 25 kg.
• Ceresit. Ceresit mixtures are suitable for making screeds on any base and under any finishing coating. Suitable for heated floors. A dry base is required. Screed thickness – up to 60 mm. Fast drying. Price - 400 rub. per bag 25 kg.
• Bolars. The mixtures differ in that with their use it is possible to create a heat and sound insulating screed. Price - 300 rub. for 25 kg.

Calculation of material quantity

You can calculate the required amount of mixture using the consumption information provided by the manufacturer. The mass of the mixture required to form a screed 1 mm thick is indicated. For example, if the packaging indicates a consumption of 1.5 kg per m2, then to form a screed 5 mm thick in a room of 10 m2 you will need 1.5 * 10 * 5 = 75 kg of the mixture, or three bags.

Such a calculation will be fair only in ideal conditions– when the base of the floor does not have height differences. If the surface has depressions even after rough leveling, you should add a little mixture. Additionally, you need to take into account the volume of materials such as insulation and reinforcing mesh, if used.

Work order

Leveling the floor using this method is carried out in several stages:

1. Preparing the base. Cracks need to be repaired, the floor dried and cleaned. Then the primer is applied in two layers.
2. Preparation of the solution. The mixture must be diluted in accordance with the recipe specified by the manufacturer on the packaging of the material. In order for the mixture to be of high quality, it is necessary to maintain the room temperature within 15-30 degrees. You need to stir the poured mixture quickly, without lumps, so this should not be done manually, but using a drill with a spatula attachment.
3. The finished mixture is poured onto the floor surface. You should start from the far corner of the room, gradually moving towards the exit. If necessary, you can walk on wet screed using paintshoes - special shoes with spikes.
4. You need to go over the entire area with a needle roller to remove any air bubbles that have formed.
5. Then all that remains is to wait for the screed to gain strength. It is not recommended to overdry it, so you should protect the floor from exposure to sunlight, heat sources, and drafts.

If a self-leveling screed is formed in large room, you don’t need to make a lot of mixture at once. It will dry out very quickly, and the unused material will have to be thrown away. If there is no assistant, you can work alone in sections - the screed does not shrink, so areas drying at different speeds will not differ in height.

In the following video you can clearly see how to work with such a mixture with your own hands:

How long does it take to dry?

Depending on the manufacturer and brand of the mixture, the initial strength gain may take 3-8 hours. After this period it will be possible to walk on the screed. You can apply the decorative coating in 1-2 days. The screed will reach its maximum strength (indicated on the packaging in MPa) in 28 days.

In contact with

To ensure that when laying the floor the material lays tightly and without gaps, it is used self-leveling screed. It fills all the cracks and imperfections, providing a perfectly smooth surface. However, to obtain such a result, you should take into account some nuances when laying the bulk base. When laying parquet, tiles or laminate, a high-quality, even base is of paramount importance. One of the most popular self-leveling fillings today is self-leveling floor. It has established itself as an inexpensive universal way to get a perfectly smooth base under further work with expensive materials.

General characteristics of self-leveling screed.

IN composition of the self-leveling screed includes modernized dry mixtures with the addition of special chemical admixtures. This gives the solution the necessary elasticity and ensures easy filling of the floor surface with the mixture. At the same time, to work with self-leveling screed, standard tools that can be purchased at every hardware store are sufficient. Filling a self-leveling screed does not require special skills; a beginner amateur who has minimal skills and knows how to work with construction tools can easily cope with this task.

Can be used in any room where level differences are up to 30 mm. It is intended for final leveling of floor surfaces, as in residential buildings, and public institutions.

Provides ideal quality installation of various floor coverings. And this, in turn, increases the service life of the flooring material several times. Parquet, laminate or other material laid on a perfectly flat base has no gaps, which prevents it from moving away from the base. Self-leveling screed technology is quite simple and does not require the participation of highly qualified specialists. All the work can be done with your own hands. It is enough to follow a few rules and stick to established recommendations professionals.

Self-leveling flooring has a number of advantages:

• the operational period of the floor covering increases several times;
• self-leveling screed is easy to apply;
• perfectly ugly surface;
• low cost of bulk mixtures.

It is these qualities that make it possible to widely use poured floors for arranging private properties and public buildings.

Procedure for working with self-leveling floor.

Preparation of materials and necessary tools

Any construction process begins with the preparation of working equipment, materials and auxiliaries. For a self-leveling screed you will need:

• primer;
• dry mixture;
• container for mixing components;
• drill;
• roller for applying primer;
• needle roller to remove air bubbles from the mixture.

In the case where the self-leveling screed is poured onto an epoxy base, highly specialized polymer materials are used. The modern market offers a huge selection of various polymer fillers, the cost of which is determined by a wide price range.

Compositions of epoxy self-leveling floors.

Preparing the base for pouring.

Quality of self-leveling floor largely depends on careful preparation surfaces. The main preparation criteria are that the surface must be perfectly clean, dry and durable. It is necessary to eliminate deep flaws, chips and other construction defects using putty, and thoroughly clean the floor of debris and dust. To ensure reliable adhesion between the floor and the base of the filling mixture, the surface is treated with a special primer.

Self-leveling floor tends to change in volume upon drying. Therefore, you should avoid sticking the filling mixture to the walls. To do this, a special edge tape is glued along the perimeter of the room to the bottom of the wall. This prevents the screed base from cracking when drying.

To prepare the bulk mixture All components are poured into a clean container and filled with the specified amount of water. Using a special mixer, which can be used as a drill with a special attachment, mixing is carried out until a homogeneous solution of the required creamy consistency is obtained.

Waterproofing of self-leveling screed.

With the help of waterproofing, the screed provides additional resistance to the destructive effects of precipitation, protects it from cracking and provides additional stability during operation. Waterproofing is carried out on the surface before pouring the self-leveling floor.

Self-leveling floor application technology.

In order for the self-leveling floor to have the most even surface possible, the time between new portions of the solution should be minimized. To do this, it is better to fill the floor, working with a partner, who will mix a new portion of the solution as needed. This will avoid joints between sections self-leveling surface, making it smooth from beginning to end of the room.

Self-leveling floor technology.

Subsequent work can be carried out following the recommendations of the mixture manufacturer. Approximate period hardening of self-leveling floor lasts about a day, after which you can start painting or priming. However, if the manufacturer specified a period a little longer, it should be maintained to avoid coating defects.

The subsequent laying of the finishing floor covering can be carried out no earlier than two weeks later, when the screed has completely dried and shrinks. As a covering, you can use not only traditional laminate, tiles or parquet. The modern construction industry offers new polymer flooring products, and even three-dimensional floors. Special coloring compounds are also widely used, which the modern market offers in a wide range.

Unlike a concrete structure, a self-leveling floor screed does not need any beacons when pouring and leveling the surface after hardening. Only one category of dry mixtures has self-leveling properties - self-leveling flooring.

For screeds under flooring Usually they use a budget mineral self-leveling floor based on gypsum and cement.

On initial stage an individual developer needs to decide on the terminology:

• V regulatory documentation SP screed is the layer under the floor covering;
• it is necessary for making slopes (bath, shower), camouflage engineering systems(electrical, underfloor heating pipes, cold water, hot water, heating or sewerage), insulation and sound insulation, leveling floor slabs or providing rigidity over a wooden subfloor;
• A self-leveling screed is made only from a self-leveling floor with gypsum or cement binder.

Budget gypsum self-leveling mixture.

Self-leveling self-leveling floors are chosen by individual developers because of the ease of making screeds (no need for beacons, drying time is much less than that of concrete).

To ensure that a self-leveling screed with your own hands lasts longer, when choosing a self-leveling floor, you should be guided by the table below:

Unlike concrete screeds a structure made from self-leveling mixtures can be brought to zero and not be reinforced.

Self-leveling screed technology

Due to the short life of the self-leveling floor solution, the preparation of the base must be completely completed before preparing the mixture. The volume was pre-calculated, bags of dry mixture were prepared in the required quantity and opened in the adjacent room.

If necessary, insulation, reinforcing mesh and the contours of a water-heated floor are installed. One room is filled at one time; the needle roller and paint pads must be prepared in advance.

Preparatory work

In order for self-leveling mixtures to have the resource declared by the manufacturer, it is necessary to prepare the base and determine the thickness of the layer. To do this, you must perform several operations in strict sequence:

To screed a self-leveling floor on a plank flooring of a subfloor, lining paper is spread on the surface with an overlap of strips of at least 8 cm.

The main problem during repair/redevelopment is the presence of partitions or false panels made of gypsum plasterboard:

• on the one hand, they are prohibited from being supported by ties;
• on the other hand, drywall loses strength when absorbing moisture, which is inevitably present in rooms with wet processes.

The frame of the partition from the profile is assembled before making the screed.

Therefore, it is recommended to build a frame from a galvanized profile for the false panel or partition as a whole. Sheathe it only in the lower level with gypsum board strips 20–30 cm high, install the remaining part of the drywall after the screed has completely dried.

Preparing the mixture

To eliminate errors self-production self-leveling mixture has instructions for use on the packaging. Recommended to use large containers, inside which a bag of self-leveling floor will fit, taking into account required quantity whole water.

After adding the mixture to the water, initial mixing and settling (usually 5 - 15 minutes), the self-leveling floor is stirred again with a mixer.

Attention: If the volume of water is indicated incorrectly (found in little-known brands), it is necessary to calculate the proportions experimentally, ensuring a spreadability of 1:3. In this case, the solution from the cap of a 1.5 liter bottle poured onto glass should be three times the corresponding container size.

Surface application

Begin pouring the self-leveling mixture prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions at the corner farthest from the door. Despite the fact that the solution spreads well under the influence of gravitational forces to a horizontal level, it is necessary to additionally level the thickness of the layer with a squeegee, spatula or rule.

Distribution of the mixture over the base.

Since the viability of the mixture is quite low, you should not delay applying it to the surface. Benchmark beacons are transferred to new areas after preliminary leveling of the solution, so they do not need to be purchased in large quantities.

Removing air

When mixing, a self-leveling floor inevitably dissolves air, which must be removed after leveling the mixture over the surface of the base. Otherwise, remaining bubbles will reduce the performance of the screed.

The operation is carried out with your own hands using a needle roller, which evenly rolls over the entire poured surface of the structure. To walk on the liquid solution, paint shoes are used, attached with straps to the master's shoes.

Removing air with a roller.

When using the contact pouring method, the adhesion strength of the self-leveling self-leveling floor to the base should be more than 1.5 MPa. If the packaging indicates a lower value, you should not buy such a product. If the screed is made on a separating layer, the developer must pay attention to another characteristic of the dry mixture - compressive strength. According to the standards SP 29.13330, this parameter for the screed must be higher than 20 MPa.

Thus, when choosing a self-leveling floor for a self-leveling screed, it is necessary to take into account the amount of work, type finishing coating, purpose and humidity inside the room. Such materials are specially created to reduce labor costs and qualifications home handyman. Therefore, all work can be done on your own.

Advice! If you need repairmen, there is a very convenient service for selecting them. Just submit in the form below detailed description work that needs to be done and you will receive offers with prices from construction teams and companies by email. You can see reviews about each of them and photographs with examples of work. It's FREE and there's no obligation.

Using self-leveling floor technology, you can create a perfectly flat surface, which will then serve as a finishing coating for laying parquet, tiles, laminate, carpet, etc. At the same time, the self-leveling floor itself can be easily applied to almost any hard surface: wood, concrete, stone base.

Next, we’ll take a closer look at how to pour a self-leveling floor onto a cement-sand screed that’s painted. oil paint. Initially, we have a fairly flat surface with permissible height differences of no more than 1 centimeter.

Main works:

1. Preparing the base
2. Prepare the filling mixture
3. Lay the self-leveling floor

Let's look at the main processes in more detail.

1. Preparatory work.

Clean the surface.

This stage must be approached with special responsibility, since the result obtained can affect all work in the future. It is worth noting that if there are obvious irregularities on the surface, then there is a high probability that the bulk mixture itself will not cover all the imperfections. Therefore, in order to avoid such circumstances, all irregularities should be smoothed out as much as possible. Also, the filling of the floor can be negatively affected by the presence of chemicals and greasy stains. If they are not eliminated, then in the future the composition of the self-leveling floor may be damaged: various cracks and chips will appear.

To remove various debris and all kinds of stains, it is acceptable to use a regular vacuum cleaner followed by wet cleaning of the room. Particular attention should be paid to exfoliating weak points. If they are found, restore the damaged areas by sealing the defects with cement mortar.

The result should be a smooth, clean surface.

Apply a primer layer.

To create deep adhesion, you need to prime. There are no special requirements for the soil mixture, so you can choose any one you like from those on sale today. As an example, it is recommended to choose a soil-concrete contact that allows you to give the floor the desired roughness. The primer should be applied with a brush or roller.

2. Prepare the working mixture.

Before starting work, be sure to read the instructions and how to use the mixture.

Prepare the container big size and pour water into it. On average, you need to pour 5-6 liters of water per 20 kg of mixture. Then pour in the dry mixture. To thoroughly mix and create a homogeneous mass, use construction mixer or a special attachment for an electric drill. Be sure to follow the proportions, as too much water will make the resulting mass too liquid. This may reduce mechanical strength future gender.

Important: the prepared mixture is used within the first 20 minutes. Therefore, do not stir the mixture in large portions. It’s better to dilute a little during the first batch and practice styling.

When preparing the mixture, remember that you need to dilute it with water. room temperature, since in hot water the mixture will set faster.

3. Pouring the self-leveling floor.

To complete the work you will need an ordinary spatula and a needle roller. Using a spatula, the finished mixture is applied to the surface base and rolled out with a roller. At the same time, the roller needles will remove the formed air bubbles.

Spread the mixture from the far corner of the room. At the same time, make sure that it is distributed evenly (in narrow stripes). Then use a spatula to fill in any uneven areas. Finally, smooth the self-leveling floor with a needle roller to ensure a perfectly smooth surface. After applying and treating the first strip, proceed to the next until the entire floor surface is covered. The self-leveling floor dries within 10 hours. But it can be used only after 3 days from the moment of applying the mixture.

Let's visually examine two types of flooring - semi-dry and wet (liquid) made using the usual method for subsequent laying of the finishing coating (tiles, porcelain stoneware, laminate, linoleum). The main causes of cracks are described on this page. Screed with cracks The photo of the screed with cracks was borrowed from the forum of finishers “City of Masters”.

Disadvantages of “liquid screed” - low strength, high shrinkage and numerous cracks

This is what a regular one looks like wet screed. The photo clearly shows shrinkage cracks caused by an excessive amount of moisture in the cement mortar, the strength of such a screed does not meet the standards for subsequent laying of the finishing coating; when walking or loading in the area of ​​the seams, individual pieces may move, you can feel the deflection and bending of the screed, a dull sound, and buckling. When such a surface is fully exploited and laying tiles or linoleum on it is not permissible, it risks dismantling the flooring that serves as a “clean floor”

A screed made using the semi-dry screed method, reinforced not with a steel mesh, but with fiber fiber, looks completely different, has a smooth surface, is resistant to compression and tearing, and has good adhesive properties to the surface when laying floor coverings.

The work in these photographs was carried out by our company at the construction site of the MIPT IT Technopark

The technology of such a screed differs from the usual one in the amount of water used in making the mortar, which is only sufficient to hydrate the cement. Also, the semi-dry screed is laid on a separating film, the film cuts it off from the overlap, preventing rapid absorption of moisture from the solution into the ceiling and adhesion of the solution to the base, which gives a floating effect, i.e. the screed is non-contact and does not have adhesion to the base, the only requirement which is prohibited from being neglected when laying on polyethylene film, the thickness of the screed must be at least 40 mm. You can read how we make such a floor surface