The article tells step by step for novice builders how to make a floor screed correctly, as well as how to make a screed solution - the correct proportions of sand, water and cement. The main purpose of the screed - leveling the floor surface for subsequent laying on it of traditional floor coverings - linoleum, tiles, parquet, laminate boards, etc. All of these materials are good for interior decoration - they are easy to install, very attractive and aesthetic in appearance, as well as affordable and durable. But they all have one significant drawback - the installation of these materials should be carried out on a perfectly flat floor filled with concrete. This task is performed by the screed.
Before starting work, you need to find the so-called highest point (others call "zero level"). The easiest and most popular way to do this is to use a water or laser level. In any room, a mark is placed on an arbitrary wall and a convenient height, which, using a level, is transferred in the corners to all walls of the house (apartment). After the labels are transferred, they are connected with a horizontal line. Further, in arbitrary places (usually at the corners), the distance between the existing floor and the drawn lines is measured. The place in which this distance will be the smallest in the whole house (apartment) is called the highest point, and all further work will be carried out from this place.
Preparing the surface for pouring
The next stage of work will be the preparation of the surface on which the screed will be poured. The floor surface must be thoroughly cleaned and swept; weak, flaking or cracked areas must be cleaned and removed. It is advisable to prime the clean prepared surface with cement "milk" - this will provide better adhesion of the old base to the screed.
The preparation of the base is completed, and you can proceed with the installation of beacons - guides along which the screed will be poured. These guides should be located parallel to each other at a distance so that the rule-rail used to level the mortar to be poured can freely reach them. It is necessary to expose the beacons from the highest point, and the thickness of the screed in this place should not be less than four centimeters - a thinner layer may crack. The guides must be exactly level with each other and firmly fixed with plaster mortar.
Before starting the process of pouring the screed solution, it is imperative to fix the expansion tape along the walls. The drying screed slightly increases in size and may swell or crack, and the expansion tape will prevent it from doing such meanness.
Filling the screed
That's all, the preparatory work is over, and you can start the most basic work. Screed grout It is made from sand, cement and water, and various additives can be used to make it plastic (which can be successfully replaced with shampoo or other soap solution). If the work is carried out at subzero temperatures, a special liquid is added to the mixed solution - "anti-freeze".
How to make a floor screed solution
The screed must be mixed using a concrete mixer in proportions of 1 to 3: that is, 3 kg of sand (quartz) and 1 kg of cement (a concrete grade can be taken M200 or 250, or a maximum of M300), plus 0.45-0.55 liters of water per 1 kg of cement. The amount of water cannot be determined in advance, since it is not initially known what kind of sand moisture will be used in the solution. In any case, it should not be very thick or very liquid. The resulting solution is poured in parts between the exposed beacons and pulled together by the rule until a flat surface is obtained.
The poured screed should dry out to the point where you can walk on it and not leave traces (well, or leave a little). This usually happens the next day.
After the screed has dried, it is necessary to get the guides, and the traces remaining from them pour over fresh solution. After all this, the screed is slightly moistened with water and rubbed with a special polisher, which can be purchased at almost any hardware store. It is advisable to cover the finished screed with a plastic wrap so that it remains damp as long as possible - so it will gain even greater strength.
