Leveling the floor: features of the choice of material. What method is better to level the floors Stages of leveling the floor

When carrying out repairs in an apartment or a private house, it is sometimes necessary to level the floor. Inexperienced builders and home craftsmen have many questions on this topic. In order not to incur material losses and save your time, you should follow the recommendations from experienced craftsmen. Strict adherence to technology and the correct selection of materials will ensure the best result.

Floor leveling is a preparatory process before laying decorative material. The curved floor interferes with the quality of the finishing work. For example, if you lay a laminate on an uneven base, then later the panels will diverge at the seams, crack and sag. If there are no irregularities on the floor surface, but there are horizontal deviations, then furniture on solid legs will stagger. Before it is necessary to carry out preparatory work in order to consume less glue in the future. Before starting work, you need to have knowledge of how to level the floor and what materials to use for this.

- allows you to create a solid and reliable base in the apartment for laminate, tile or linoleum. On the screed, you can apply any type of flooring.

Depending on how well the work will be done, the quality of laying the finishing coating depends.

If, after the screed has dried, depressions appear on its surface as a result of subsidence of the cement-sand mortar, then you can additionally trim the surface with self-leveling mixtures.

- if the floor in the apartment is fairly even, but has slight indentations or horizontal deviations, then this method is well suited to eliminate all shortcomings. This leveling method is very convenient, does not require much labor and is done very quickly.

– there are no wet processes in this floor leveling method. The uneven base is leveled with expanded clay of fine fraction, on which special gypsum-fiber sheets are laid. This method allows you to eliminate global irregularities. Its advantage is that expanded clay is a very light material, so you can create any layer and raise the floor level to any height.

Alignment with lags - wooden blocks are used to create an even base for finishing material. This method eliminates the horizontal deviation of the surface. Using this option, it is possible to lay a heater in the space between the bars. This is true in private houses and apartments on the ground floor.

- allows you to create an even and stable base for a decorative coating. Laminate and linoleum fit perfectly on plywood. Below will be instructions: how to level a wooden floor using this method.

Before starting work, you need to prepare the base. Irrelevant floor covering is completely removed. Cracks and seams between floor slabs are covered with mortar. After it dries, you need to prime the surface of the floor with a primer.

It is best to apply "concrete contact". This composition will ensure good adhesion of the screed to the base. In addition, this tool has waterproofing properties, and this will protect the ceiling of the neighbors who live below from getting wet. A sealing tape must be attached along the perimeter of the walls, which will compensate for microscopic deformations of the walls and screed. To better understand how to level the floor with a screed, we will describe the stages of work.

Using a level, marks are applied to the walls, which determine the horizontality of the screed. Thus, it becomes clear how thick the screed will be. To install beacons, a dowel with a screw is inserted into the floor slab, which will determine the height of the beacon and serve as a stop for it. To do this, a hole is drilled in the slab with a diameter and depth that matches the size of the dowel.

A second dowel with a screw is installed at the opposite wall. The heads of these screws should be at the same level horizontally. Putting the beacon on the screw heads, and placing a hydraulic level on it, you can control the horizon.

Along the lines of passage of the beacons, additional stops are installed every 60 cm.

At the next stage, all the stops are mounted on which the beacons will be installed. In the place where the lighthouse will be located, it is necessary to lay the solution. Then take the beacon and push it all the way, for this the rule is applied. Next, the following beacons are installed in the same way.

At the lighthouses, a solution is laid and distributed between them using the rule.

After the solution dries, the beacons are pulled out. The recesses that remain after the beacons are sealed with mortar and overwritten these places so that there are no irregularities. On this, the manufacture of the screed is completed. After the mortar has dried, finishing work can be carried out, for example, laying a laminate or other decorative coating.

In order to level the floor with your own hands using this method, you must carefully prepare the base. There should be no depressions and potholes on the surface, so all defects must be eliminated with a cement-sand mortar. According to the technology, it is necessary to treat the surface with a primer.

Bulk floors are sold in the form of a dry mix, which is diluted with water.

The proportions indicated on the package must be strictly observed. You can close the mixture in a container using a perforator and a mixing nozzle. When mixing the composition, it is necessary to eliminate all lumps and then pour the leveling layer.

When the first portion of the self-leveling floor is on the surface of the base, it must be carefully processed with a toothed roller.

This tool will eliminate air bubbles and evenly distribute the composition over the surface. The second and subsequent portions of the self-leveling floor are made and processed according to the same principle.

After the mixture has dried, you can proceed to the next stage of finishing work. A laminate or tile is laid on such a surface. Any cork or parquet boards will neatly lie on such a flat base. The surface of the self-leveling floor does not collapse and does not lose its strength, so this leveling method is very popular.

Note - the thickness of the self-leveling floor should not be more than 2 cm.

Leveling the floor with your own hands with a dry screed is quite easy. To do this, you need to study the technology and gradually follow the following instructions. It is worth noting that before making a dry screed, it is necessary to completely clean the surface of the base on which the new coating will be placed. At the first stage of work, waterproofing of the floor is made. To do this, use a film that is laid with an overlap of 15 cm.

The waterproofing will prevent the passage of vapors that could dampen the expanded clay used as backfill. A sealant is laid along the perimeter of the walls.

Expanded clay of fine fraction is distributed over the surface of the waterproofing. Lighthouses are deepened into the expanded clay layer. As them, you can use a ceiling profile for drywall.

To create a single backfill plane, using the level, set the beacons on the horizon and align it with the rule. After that, proceed to the installation of dry screed sheets. They have special edges with which docking is made. Laying is carried out from the corner beforehand, cutting off the edges that are near the wall.

When laying, the edges are treated with glue and scrolled with screws, which must be deepened by 1 mm. After completion of the work, a smooth and clean base is obtained, on which you can lay linoleum or lay a laminate.

This method is very common. A person who does not know how to level a wooden floor under a laminate or other material can read this instruction and do the work on their own.

As a log, bars with a cross section of 50–50 mm are used, which must be treated with an antiseptic. At the preparatory stages of work, the old floor covering should be removed and all debris removed. Logs can be mounted on corners or adjustable stands.

For both methods, the production technology is the same. It consists in creating a single plane with the help of bars, which is covered with plywood or floorboard. Therefore, any home master who does not yet know how to level a wooden floor can use one of these methods. He only needs to level the two extreme logs at opposite walls. Then pull the nylon threads between them and mount the rest of the logs.

Note - the distance between the lags should be no more than 1 meter.

In order to qualitatively lay the laminate in your apartment, you need to have information on how to level the floor with plywood. On such warping, the laminate fits perfectly. Installation begins with the installation of bars with devices with which the plane is leveled. They are special screws, by rotating which you can get a perfectly flat surface.

After installing all the bars, proceed to laying plywood. It is necessary to control that the edge of the sheet material falls on the center of the bar. In this case, it will be possible to lay another sheet of plywood on a bar and screw it. Plywood is fixed with wood screws in 20 cm increments.

Note - the length of the screws that fasten the plywood to the bars is determined by the thickness of the sheet material. The screw should go into the bar by 2.5 cm. If the plywood is 20 mm thick, then the self-tapping screw should be 45 mm.

Knowing how to level the floor, using these methods, you can choose one, the most optimal one and put it into practice. You should strictly observe the technology, carefully carry out the preparatory work, and then the floor will be smooth and beautiful.

Video

In today's video you will learn how to properly level the floor.
Thanks to this material, you will receive a lot of useful information.

Photo source: knigastroitelya.ru, 24arthouse.rf

The leveled floor can transform any apartment, making it more modern and cozy. You can think about leveling the flooring by deciding to lay a laminate, linoleum, carpet or lay tiles. These materials require the ideal condition of the rough coating. No matter how frightening beginners in the repair business are, this procedure can level the floor in almost any way possible. The main thing is to follow the instructions exactly, accuracy and patience.

There are many methods for correcting a floor covering, including: installing a dry or wet screed, using a self-levelling compound, constructing a wooden covering on logs, etc. The choice of work method depends on several factors:

• the level of defective flooring;
• base material;
• ceiling heights (i.e. how many cm you can "steal" without making the room uncomfortable).

The floor is considered almost flat if, when measuring its surface with a level, you get fluctuations in the height of the surface up to 5 mm. In such cases, you can sleep peacefully, your floor is almost perfect, the only thing that makes sense to use is acrylic sealant.

When the errors of the main coating are small (up to 3 cm) or there are separate recesses in the concrete field, a self-leveling mixture is used. With irregularities of 2-6 cm, the best option is a wet screed or laying a coating on the logs. In the modern market you will find a wide range of building materials, so you can easily get everything you need.

Regardless of the subflooring and the method of corrective work chosen, the first thing to do is to determine how uneven your floor is. To do this, you will need a level, preferably a laser one.

Measure the deviation of the floor from the horizon at the corners and in the middle of the room, write down the readings. Then mark the zero line of the future flooring: draw it along all the walls of the room or stretch the thread along the room. In the second case, be careful, the rope must be pulled very tightly, because if it sags somewhere, the line will already be uneven.

Next, you need to install beacons. For this purpose, you can use drywall guides or metal profiles, which are placed with sharp edges up. Beacons are laid out on the floor in increments of 0.5-0.8 m. They must be installed along the zero line; for this, even thin plywood or board is placed on the guides. Now, to check if the beacons are really standing correctly, put a level on the plywood.

Also, all ends of the plywood must match the zero line. To align the guides, you can put pieces of drywall, plywood or boards under them. Then the beacons can be screwed to the floor with screws using a perforator.

There are three main methods to make concrete pavement even: dry screed, mortar or self-leveling mortar. But first of all, you need to prepare a rough foundation:

• clean the floor surface from debris and dust;
• remove large delaminations;
• be sure to prime the rough surface;
• seal cracks, pits and other defects with a dry mixture.

This method allows you to level the concrete base with irregularities up to 6 cm, and prepare it for linoleum, laminate or tile laying.

The device of a wet screed is a complex and time-consuming process. The main stages of work are described below.

This method is used only with errors in the level of a concrete or wooden floor up to 3 cm. The self-leveling mixture allows you to easily and quickly make the coating perfectly smooth. Such a solution is made from a dry powder, which is sold in packs of 25 kg. The mixture is diluted with water, the amount of which is indicated on the pack by a specific manufacturer.

Please note that the finished solution must be applied within 15-60 minutes, depending on the brand of the mixture.

The floor hardens in 30 minutes, and complete drying occurs within 72 hours, unlike concrete, which cannot be walked on for another 3 weeks.

To prepare the wood flooring, hammer in any loose boards, sand the floor, and coat any cracks with a thickly mixed mixture. Then treat the base with a waterproof primer.

In order for the filling to be of high quality, it is necessary to take into account some features.

1. The solution must be mixed strictly according to the instructions, its temperature must be above 10 degrees.
2. The mixture should be diluted immediately before pouring, while be sure to calculate the solidification time of the solution.
3. Prepare water in advance and keep it handy as the liquid is added gradually and the mixture thickens very quickly.
4. To level the floor in a room with a large area, you should divide the room into squares.
5. Self-leveling mortar is prepared using a mixer.
6. The finished solution is poured onto the floor in small parts and leveled with a rule. These actions must be done at the same time, so you will need outside help.
7. During operation and until the mixture is completely dry, the temperature in the room must be stable (above 5 degrees). Also make sure that there are no drafts in the room, otherwise the self-leveling floor may crack.
8. Further repair work can be carried out only 3-4 days after the correction of the floor with a self-leveling liquid.
9. After applying this method, the floor will “rise” by 2-3 cm.

The described method is one of the simplest and fastest, but its significant drawback is a rather high price.

You can level a wooden floor, depending on its condition, by repairing or scraping the old coating, as well as using plywood sheets, putty, self-leveling mixture.

First of all, you need to determine how good your floor is. To do this, remove one board and examine its reverse side and log. In cases where the board has begun to rot or is damaged by insects, you will have to replace the damaged panels or re-lay the floor. If the board is dry, such drastic measures are not needed. Next, you should measure the degree of deviation of the surface from the horizon.

If you decide to repair the old floor, it should first be dismantled. Logs, if they are not strong enough, must be strengthened with bars. Defective boards are replaced with new, good ones - they are turned over with the unworn side up. Then the floor is cycled.

The problem is that sometimes it is very difficult to dismantle the old coating. Especially, the owners of "Khrushchev" often face such a problem. In such cases, the floor is not dismantled, but its individual elements are changed, loosened boards are simply nailed.

Tsiklevka

To use this method, you will need a scraper. When working, be sure to wear headphones, a respirator and tight gloves.

1. Free the room where the work will take place from all interior items, including curtains, carpets, paintings.
2. Remove pins and nails driven into the floor that could damage the machine.
3. Start looping from the corner, while moving in a snake.
4. After removing the first layer, you need to putty all the recesses and cracks. The second scraping is carried out after the putty has completely dried. Manually processed places where it is difficult to get close to the machine.

Dry screed for leveling timber or concrete foundations

This method is suitable for leveling concrete and wood surfaces with a strong deviation from the horizon line. At the same time, it is much simpler than pouring a rough base with a cement-sand mixture, since it does not require the installation of reinforcement, preparation of a mortar and waiting for the surface to dry.

Dry screed is also used in cases where there is a need to hide communications in the floor. In addition, the granular material is also a heat insulator. A dry screed is quite easy to make even for one person, who does not even have experience in repair work.

As a dry bulk material, you can take sand or expanded clay.

For work you will need: a shovel, a rule, a level, a screwdriver, a jigsaw, a knife, a pencil, a tape measure, a wooden board for compacting bulk material.

Stages of work

1. A layer of waterproofing is laid on a clean and dry subfloor with an overlap on the walls to a zero level, and fixed there with adhesive tape. For this purpose, suitable polyethylene film, swollen polyethylene. If the base is wooden, it is better to use parchment or roofing felt. In cases where one sheet of material is not enough to cover the entire surface, the strips overlap each other (20–30 cm) and are glued together with adhesive tape.
2. Expanded clay or sand is poured on the insulation layer, while the minimum thickness of the dry screed is 5 cm.
3. Then the granular mixture must be compacted with a long board.
4. Align the screed by placing the rule on a guide profile or board, and removing excess dry material.
5. GVL or chipboard sheets are laid on an even layer of expanded clay.

Correction of a wooden or concrete surface with plywood

This is the easiest and most affordable way to level a concrete or old wooden floor without dismantling the old coating.

To cover concrete with plywood, you should make sure that the humidity in the room does not exceed the norm. To do this, attach a piece of cellophane film to the stove for 72 hours. If, after a specified period, condensate does not appear on the inside of the polyethylene, you can safely level the concrete coating with plywood.

It is possible to lay this material directly on a concrete or wooden floor if the level of unevenness is less than 1 cm.

Plywood must first be impregnated with an antiseptic and cut into squares of a convenient size. If you notice that one of the sheets of material is delaminating, it must be replaced.

Concrete is prepared as above, then covered with a layer of waterproofing, it is desirable to use inflated polyethylene, which also acts as a shock absorber.

The wooden base must be cleaned of debris and dust. Vapor barrier in such cases is not used, so as not to speed up the process of decay of the subfloor. If any board loosens or holds together, hammer it with nails. Then the surface must be primed and puttied with acrylic sealant.

After careful preparation of the rough coating, it is permissible to proceed with the installation of plywood with a thickness of more than 1.5 cm. Plywood sheets are screwed to the wooden base.

Such material is attached to concrete with dowels using a perforator or fixed with a special adhesive mastic. The adhesive is applied to the concrete with a notched trowel. The plywood can then be floored.

Another option for installing plywood is used when the height of the coating fluctuates even more than 5 cm. In such cases, logs are constructed on which plywood sheets are fixed.

Logs are dry wooden blocks, which must be impregnated with a special anti-rotting liquid before installation. They are laid perpendicular to the window opening at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other. In places of irregularities, pieces of wood are placed under the bars. Between them it is necessary to lay linoleum or foamed polyethylene. Logs must be laid, retreating 2 cm from the walls, so that the floor does not deform in the future.

If you have a concrete floor, do not forget about waterproofing before creating the structure.

Free space can be filled with thermal insulation: basalt insulation or mineral wool. Although the air cushion itself is a way to insulate the floor. Sheets of plywood are screwed to the top of the joists.

As you can see, there are many ways to level the floor available to the layman. Choose the most suitable for you and you can transgress.

Video - How to level the floor with your own hands

To date, leveling the floor with your own hands using a screed is the best solution. This is due to the fact that the process itself is quite simple, does not require special tools, knowledge and skills. And there are other ways too.

You just need to follow the instructions that we will provide you with, we will describe in detail the process of arranging the floors in various ways.

Classification and various methods of screed

Leveling the floor in an apartment with a screed is very simple, but there are several types of floors, so their classification was created:

Simple coupler

Actually a simple screed, which is made from concrete and impurities to increase its volume, in order to save money. But such savings do not affect strength and durability.

national team

The process of creating such a coating is very different from the standard, because many consider it a special variety, but still it remains the same screed.

floating

It is produced according to the same principle as a standard screed, but a floating layer is poured on top, which significantly increases strength and improves adhesion processes.

monolithic

It is the most durable and highest quality option. The whole mixture is poured in one layer, forming a purely cementitious surface without impurities and additives that weaken the material. As a result, you get almost natural natural stone as your floor.

To make a screed of sand and cement, you need to follow the following step-by-step instructions:

1. Cleaning and priming of the base surface.
2. Using a laser or water level, find the highest and lowest point in the room. They will serve as a guide. From the highest place, make a mark on the nearest wall about 4-5 centimeters, this will be the level of the future floor.
3. We mix cement with sand in a large container, in the proportion of 1 part of cement to 4 parts of sand. To do this, we use a special mixer or nozzle for a perforator.
4. We install beacons on self-tapping screws, which we screw in half a meter increments around the entire perimeter of the room. Then we display them in such a way that each beacon is strictly level relative to the starting mark and each other.
5. We fix the screws with our mixture along the entire length, and wait for them to harden.
6. After that, we begin to actively knead the concrete, and pour it between the beacons.
7. You can spread the mixture using the rule by which we evenly distribute the concrete over the area.
8. After the whole room is covered with a new surface, we wait two days for its complete hardening and you can move around on the new floor without any problems.

As you can see, the process is not too complicated, but still requires some care from you.

Bulk mixtures

Now you will learn how to level the floor in the apartment with the help of a self-leveling mixture, which itself will be installed in the desired position. First, let's analyze what a bulk mixture is - this is a substrate that is diluted with water, in the proportion that is indicated on the package and, pouring over the area, begins to level itself to an ideal horizontal level.

Complete drying occurs in the same way as with a floor screed; for confident movement on the surface, it is enough to wait about twenty hours.

The process of installing a self-leveling floor

Equipping the floor with such a mixture is much easier than using a screed, since you do not need to look for the maximum and minimum points, set beacons, wait until they harden and other unnecessary actions. You just need to completely clean the surface of the entire room from dust and dirt, prime and pour the necessary amount of self-leveling mixture on the old floor.

The layer thickness should not exceed 3.5 cm. When performing work on pouring the solution, you need to remember that the self-leveling floor “gets up” very quickly.

After that, using the same rule or a wooden mop, distribute it evenly over the area. After a few hours, the mixture should straighten out on its own and form a flat surface, after which it will completely harden in a day.

GVL or dry leveling

Gypsum fiber sheets are a modern method of leveling floors, which helps to level the floor with any difference very quickly and without a drop of water. They are great for high-rise buildings where there is a risk of flooding neighbors in the process of pouring watery mixtures.

For laying on the floor, it is advisable to choose a waterproof gypsum-fiber sheet (GVLV) - it is resistant to high humidity.

GVL installation process

Installation takes place in the following steps:

1. Complete cleaning of the surface from the old coating.
2. Primer.
3. Installation of a compensating tape that compensates for the expansion and contraction of sheets.
4. Gluing sheets to the tape with glue.
5. Finishing the seams with glue residue or any putty.

Laying plywood floor

If you prefer to use natural finishes, then plywood is exactly what you need. It is made from natural wood, which is glued into a single denser and thicker sheet with natural adhesives without the admixture of toxic materials.

Plywood comes in a variety of thicknesses and strengths to suit your needs. A floor made of such material is light, durable, and absolutely even if everything is done according to the instructions, which tells how to level the surface and adhering to all requirements.

The process begins with the installation of beacons, which are self-tapping screws located over the entire surface at a certain height.

Mounting process

Now we will tell you how to level the floor under linoleum, laminate, tile or any other material using plywood yourself. The whole process is very simple and takes place according to the following technology:

1. First, we determine the highest and lowest points in the room. To do this, use a laser or water level, they will help to carry out the marking as accurately and very quickly as possible. We mark the indicated points around the entire perimeter of the room.
2. Then we mark the lines where the point support elements will be installed to adjust the level of the future floor.
3. In increments of fifty centimeters, we distribute the support pillars along the marked lines.
4. After all the supports are installed, set them according to the level, so that each one is exactly relative to the first exposed support.
5. Then we fasten the bars to the supports along the entire room.
6. We screw transverse bars on top of the longitudinal bars, which will serve as a support for plywood sheets. The bars must be screwed in increments of thirty, forty centimeters.
7. We install sheets of plywood on top of our frame and fasten them with self-tapping screws or nail them.

To effectively cut plywood while saving material, effort and time, lay the sheets on the floor BEFORE installing the joists

Joints between plywood sheets can be covered with glue, sealant or resin to prevent moisture from penetrating from under the floor.

Which floor is faster and more profitable

If you decide to make yourself a flat floor for linoleum laminate or tiles, but still wondered which one would be more profitable and faster to do, then you have come to the right place, we will help you with this issue. First you need to separate the two concepts of fast and cheap, they are incompatible in this matter. First of all, let's disassemble the floor, which can be leveled quickly.

The screed and self-leveling floor will dry more than stock, while the wooden floor is built in one day, after which you can immediately continue working on it. So in this matter, of course, the fastest way will be the construction of a wooden floor under plywood linoleum.

If you want to save money, then leveling the floor according to the screed principle will be the best solution for you. Since sand and cement have the lowest cost compared to self-levelling compounds and wood, this floor will be the most beneficial for you. So, if you want to level the floor under linoleum and save money at the same time, then the floor screed is for you.

Modern floor coverings delight the eye with design and interesting texture. But for any of them, whether it is a laminate, linoleum or parquet board, the subfloor must be absolutely flat, without drops and waves. If there are height differences, cracks or other defects on the concrete screed, then before laying the final floor, it is necessary to repair and level the base. Let's try to figure out how to level the concrete floor quickly, correctly and efficiently.

First of all, it is necessary to carefully analyze the quality of the concrete floor. With the help of the level, measuring work is carried out and irregularities are determined. To do this, use a water level or a laser level-axis builder. The last device allows you to create the most even horizontal plane.

The laser axis builder will automatically align, and in the “horizon” mode will create a flat, strictly horizontal plane

After that, armed with a tape measure or a long ruler, you need to measure the room around the perimeter and determine the minimum distance between the floor and the horizon. This will be the zero point of the new floor. In a panel house, measurements are carried out only along the perimeter, since the reinforced concrete panel used as a ceiling is quite even. In a private house, significant differences are possible.

After measuring the floor and determining the zero point, they begin to eliminate the existing irregularities.

Alignment methods

The turn has come to choose a way to level the concrete floor. Technologically, there are several ways to level the concrete floor. Depending on the existing differences and the required height of the build-up, do-it-yourself floor leveling can be done in three ways:

• cement-sand screed;
• dry screed;
• self leveling compound.

For work you will need:

• water and laser level;
• rule longer than 1.5 meters;

Equation of the mixture by the rule

• a set of spatulas;
• squeegee;
• electric drill;
• nozzle for stirring the solution;
• bucket;
• screed beacons.

Depending on the chosen laying method, you will need a mixture for preparing a solution or a set of individual components.

cement screed

Most often, home craftsmen use a cement-pecha screed. To prepare the mixture, cement and sand are taken in a ratio of 1: 3. For floor screed, it is better to take cement of a grade of at least 400.

Leveling the concrete floor with this method is carried out in stages. It is important to observe not only the technology, but also the procedure:

This leveling method allows you to eliminate differences up to 5 cm high.

Dry screed

This method allows you to level the floors in the apartment in a short time.

Dry screed organization scheme

The procedure is as follows:

Laying thick plywood sheets

Important! It is necessary to provide compensation gaps between the floor covering and the wall, which will prevent further deformation of the floor when humidity changes.

1. The seams between the sheets are puttied or filled with sealant.

At each stage of leveling the floor in this way, measurements of the horizontal level are carried out. This completes the installation of the screed, and you can start laying the finish coat without long waiting.

This installation method has a number of significant advantages:

• no need to mix the screed mortar;
• such a screed has a relatively low price;
• to perform the work, low labor costs will be required, and it is possible to do the work alone;
• installation can be carried out at the right pace and in parts;
• additional floor insulation is carried out due to a layer of bulk material;
• it is possible to quickly and conveniently lay engineering communications;
• if necessary, the project can be completed as soon as possible.

Self-leveling compounds

Such mixtures appeared on the building materials market not so long ago, but immediately won the love of consumers. This leveling method makes it quite easy to get a completely flat floor surface. Such a coating is sometimes called liquid linoleum. The floor after applying the self-leveling mixture can be used as a base for the finishing coat, and as an independent coating that does not need additional finishing.

Filling the floor with self-levelling compound

The self-levelling compound is mixed according to the instructions on the package. After dilution, a solution of the consistency of liquid sour cream is obtained, which, when applied, spreads and forms a smooth surface that does not have irregularities.

Should be taken into account! The differences in the floor on which the self-leveling mixture is used should not be more than 2 cm. Otherwise, financial costs increase sharply and the drying time of the surface increases.

Steps for laying self-levelling floors:

When using this leveling method, it is necessary to fill the entire floor surface in the room at once.

The solution is mixed in improvised utensils (basin or bucket) with a construction mixer or a special nozzle dressed on a drill. The kneading is done at low speed. The mixture should be homogeneous, without seals and lumps.

Should be taken into account! All self-levelling mortars, regardless of the type of mixture used, harden very quickly, so you should not prepare a large portion of the mortar. The solution should be as much as you can pour in a short time at a time. The flow time of the mixture is from 20 to 60 minutes, depending on the brand of solution.

The mixture begins to be poured from the opposite wall to the entrance. To speed up the process of spreading the solution, a squeegee is used. Possible bubbles and excess air are removed from the solution with a special spiked roller. When performing work, monitor the air temperature in the room. It should be at least 5 degrees Celsius. The drying time of the self-leveling mixture is about an hour, but it is better to wait for the complete hardening of the surface for 2-3 days. Until the mixture has completely dried over the entire thickness, it is impossible to start finishing work. Small bumps that may occur are sanded with sandpaper or a stone.

Optimum level concrete floor

Leveling the floor with your own hands is quite a feasible task for a home master. You can, of course, entrust this work to professional builders, but this will significantly increase the cost of the floor. To avoid unnecessary costs, we advise you to study our recommendations and perform this procedure yourself. You can see more interesting and useful tips in the video below.

Video: we fill the floor with our own hands

The largest load in any room takes on the floor surface. Preparation for laying a new or replacing a failed floor covering is an important stage in the repair work. It is from the strength and stability of the base that its durability and reliability will depend.

Each type of material has its own requirements for the condition of the rough base, and if small irregularities in the base for laying tiles can be compensated for with a thick layer of tile adhesive, and it is enough for thick-based linoleum not to have serious damage under the canvas, then more stringent requirements are imposed on the base for parquet board and laminate. requirements.

In this case, the permissible deviation of the horizontal plane on two linear meters should not exceed 2-3 mm. To identify such defects allows measurements using the building level. And if there is a need to level the base for mounting decorative material for the floor, then this can be done in more than one way.

Regardless of the material that will serve as the new floor covering, the concrete base must be level and free from significant damage.

Preparing for work on leveling the rough base begins with a thorough inspection of the surface. If no serious deviations in the horizontal level are found, but pits, cracks and bumps are present, you will need a grinder to level the protruding places and a cement-sand mortar and a trowel to repair the damage.

The only option to correct major height differences found during the examination would be to apply a cement screed to the floor.

For the manufacture of cement screed, you must first prepare the necessary material and tools. Tool List quite simple and usually most of it is in the household of every home master:

shovel;

· Master OK;

level (laser or conventional, building);

container for the solution;

· a hammer;

rule.

You will also need to purchase material according to the following list:

cement not lower than grade 150;

Fine crushed stone;

· damper tape;

metal profile or rail for beacons;

· polyethylene film.

On sale there are several types of mixtures for screeding - gypsum, expanded clay or ready-made self-leveling compounds. But the simplest and most economical way to level the floor is still the combination of sand and cement in a ratio of 1 to 3. High-quality high-grade cement allows you to create a reliable foundation, and you can further enhance its strength by adding plasticizers in the form of lime or tile adhesive.

The entire process of leveling the floor with a cement-sand screed consists of several stages.

The old floor covering is dismantled, and the surface is examined for defects. Align the protruding areas with a grinding or milling machine. Eliminate potholes and cracks, with special attention to the joints of the floor with the walls. In these places, damage is especially serious due to the natural deformation of the structure.

The rough floor is thoroughly cleaned of debris and dust and must be covered with several layers of primer, using special compounds for porous surfaces. Each subsequent layer of soil is applied after the previous one has completely dried.

A damper tape is laid around the perimeter of the room. This material is designed to seal cracks at the joints of plates and walls, compensate for deformations due to changes in temperature and humidity, and protects the screed from damage during the drying process. The tape is laid along the bottom of the room so that it goes to the wall, and part captures the floor. If subsequently the plinth does not close the protruding edge of the tape, it is cut off with a sharp knife.

A prerequisite for the implementation of a cement screed is the waterproofing of the base. Carrying out these works prevents the penetration of excess moisture into the concrete, protects the lower floor from liquid leakage during construction work, and also ensures the required level of humidity and the quality of the screed itself.

Waterproofing can be liquid, made of bitumen or a bitumen-polymer mixture, or made from ready-made plaster compositions diluted with water. But the most affordable and reliable method is laying thick rolled polyethylene on the base. The canvases are distributed on the surface with an overlap of 8-10 cm and the joints are fixed with adhesive tape. A so-called “pillow” of fine-grained gravel or sand is laid on top of the waterproofing layer, which will not allow the screed monolith to sag and form cracks.

Determine the required layer thickness for the future screed. Its minimum height should not be less than 3 cm, a thinner layer will crack and begin to crumble. In this work, it will be more convenient to use a laser level, with which the position of the beam is marked on the walls with a pencil. The marks made are interconnected by a solid line, which will indicate the ideal horizontal level and serve as a guide for pouring concrete.

Before starting to pour the solution, it is necessary to install beacons, the upper edge of which must coincide with the level of the marks made in advance on the walls. For their manufacture, ordinary rails or metal profiles are suitable. Beacons are fixed to the base with concrete or gypsum mortar or not too thick plaster mixture, at a distance of about one and a half meters. It should be noted that this gap should be slightly less than the length of the rule that will be used to level the solution. This will allow you to freely manipulate the tool in the future.

When installing each new beacon, the correct installation of the next is checked against the position of the first, and then a strong twine is pulled between them.

The cement-sand mortar is prepared in such a way that by the beginning of the pouring it is infused for 1 hour. Work begins from the far corner of the room, opposite the door. The area from which the pouring will begin is abundantly moistened with water, using a wide brush for this. The solution is laid out on the base with a shovel and the layer is leveled with a construction trowel, referring to the level marked by the beacons. The final evenness of the concrete layer is given by the rule.

The screed is performed in successive strips, moving towards the door.

The finished surface of the screed is covered with plastic wrap. This will contribute to the most uniform evaporation of moisture from the solution. After 12 hours, the initial setting of the concrete will occur, the film is removed and the screed is sprayed with water to prevent the formation of cracks in the cement layer. These actions are repeated for 3 days, until the solution has completely hardened, after which it will be necessary to treat the surface irregularities with a spatula and a wooden grater until it is completely homogeneous. Then the floor is again covered with a film and an even layer of wet sand is distributed on top, which is left for 10-12 days, regularly moistened with water.

Leveling the floor with a log

The long and rather laborious process of cement screeding can be avoided by using the old and proven method of leveling the floor along the logs. This option is economical and has additional advantages in the form of improved thermal and noise insulation, and the free space between the joists not only allows you to conveniently lay the necessary communications, but also provides good ventilation, which is especially important when laying floor coverings containing wood.

This method is successfully used in rooms that do not allow creating a lot of pressure on the floors. This is characteristic of cement screed, the thickness of which can damage partitions in old houses.

Required material and tools

When preparing the floor device on the logs, special attention should be paid to the material. The wooden beam for the manufacture of logs must be well dried and must be treated with preparations to prevent the appearance of microorganisms. For this purpose, an antiseptic is usually used, but the usual processing of engine oil also gives a good effect of protection against fungus and mold. The cross section of the timber is usually chosen from 50x100 to 100x50 mm, but in rooms with low ceilings, material with a section of 50x50 can also be used so as not to reduce the already small vertical space.

The device of the floor along the logs can be made using plywood, chipboard or cement chipboard. The first two options have weaknesses due to insufficient strength and low resistance to moisture. Recently, DSP boards have been more often used to level the floor.

In addition to the ability to completely resist moisture, which makes them suitable for use in the bathroom and in the kitchen, they have a number of other advantages. At a fairly reasonable price, this material is very durable, non-flammable, not affected by microorganisms, and during processing it is easy to cut, drill and install, without breaking or crumbling.

In general, to level the floor with a log, you will need:

a wooden bar;

antiseptic or waste oil;

Plywood, chipboard or DSP;

grinder or hacksaw with a small tooth;

· waterproofing material;

a heater;

Nylon cord or fishing line;

ruler, pencil

dowel-nails;

· self-tapping screws;

· grinder;

Leveling putty.

Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare and clean the concrete base from debris, and lay a waterproofing layer on the surface. When installing the lag, you should very strictly adhere to the horizontal level. The first supports from the beam are attached to two opposite walls and a nylon cord or fishing line is pulled in between.

For cement-bonded particle boards, the optimal distance between the lags should be kept within 45-50 cm. Then, with the same gap, a transverse crate is mounted using self-tapping screws or dowel-nails. Then a heater is laid, which can be used as foam or mineral wool.

DSP sheets are easily cut with a conventional hacksaw, but it will be more convenient to separate the parts with a grinder. Fastening to a wooden beam is carried out with self-tapping screws, and the flooring is made with a mandatory run-up at the seams. The gaps between the sheets are closed with a leveling putty, which is sanded after drying. Additional moisture insulation of the surface can be given by processing with a special primer composition.