The construction of a private house is a rather lengthy process that requires a certain amount of time and effort. Many owners of suburban areas want to save money on construction by doing some of the work with their own hands. To figure out how to make wooden floors in a private house, you should take care of the preparation of materials, as well as the choice of the necessary tools.
Choice of floor design
Before starting work, you should choose the type of floor structure. Among the most common are the following varieties:
- single;
- double;
- concrete floor.
The choice of a specific structure is based on the characteristics of the building in which the floor will be laid. The main factor influencing such a decision is the nature of the operation of the house. When choosing a single design, it should be borne in mind that it is only suitable for summer houses or summer cottages. The device of such a floor in a house with year-round living is unacceptable.
In this case, the boardwalk is simply laid on the joists. The thermal insulation of such a floor is very low. For the construction of such bases, it is not necessary to prepare a lot of material. Work on the installation of a single floor is carried out quickly enough.
If you decide to build a capital private house in which you can live at any time, you should start building a double floor. This design is more insulated than the single version. The main layers of such a floor are rough and top coat. Layers of hydro and thermal insulation are placed between them. Such a floor device is able to protect the entire structure of the house from destruction.
Often, the rough layer of a double floor in a country house is made of unedged boards. Finishing is done from grooved boards. All stages of work can be carried out independently. Thermal insulation is usually made of expanded clay.
Another option for creating a floor in a private house is a concrete base. Such structures are carried out by pouring a concrete screed. If you follow all the requirements when creating such such a floor, it will turn out to be durable and durable. It can also be finished with any coating.
Laying wood floor
Wooden floor for covering in private houses is chosen quite often. This is due to its environmental friendliness. Many people want a quality wood finish. Such floors have a number of significant advantages.
With careful processing, wood flooring can last for decades without changing its appearance and physical characteristics. In addition, wood floors have high thermal insulation properties. They create coziness in the house. In addition, the installation of wooden flooring is done by hand. For work, you will need to prepare a standard set of tools.
Before making a floor in a private house, you should take care of the choice of the type of wood. It should be selected in accordance with the type of structure. The floor is arranged in several layers. It must contain heat and waterproofing. The subfloor acts as an air gap. Due to it, wooden elements will not be exposed to moisture. They will not develop mold or mildew.
The floor covering is constantly subjected to mechanical stress during operation. That is why the wood that will be selected for the floor must have good technical characteristics. Dry the boards before covering. The moisture content of the wooden elements should not exceed 12%.
It is also worth visually inspecting the elements of the future floor. There should be no chips or cracks on them. Otherwise, it may affect the quality of the coating. Also, before laying, wooden elements are treated with antiseptics and fire retardants. This will extend the life of such products.
Installation of a wooden floor is carried out in the following sequence:
- First, you should determine the location of the supports. In place of the harvested fertile soil, gravel should be poured. Sand is poured on top. This is how the pillow is made. Each layer should be tamped down carefully. The ends of the support pillars are wrapped in a waterproofing material. Usually, roofing material is used for this purpose.
- After that, the beams should be laid. And they are attached to the supports using corners and self-tapping screws. The floors in a country house should be carefully insulated. Professional builders recommend laying plywood sheets before installing the insulation. Mineral wool is usually used as insulation material.
- When the insulation layer is installed, you can start making the rough flooring. Boards should be chosen so that they fit snugly together. Self-tapping screws are used to connect them to the beams. About 1.5 cm is left between the subfloor and the walls. Such gaps allow eliminating distortions of the structure during thermal expansion.
- A vapor barrier is laid on top of the subfloor. It is usually 200 microns thick. The joints of the canvas are glued with construction tape. The edges of the vapor barrier are placed on the walls to a height of 20 cm. After laying the film, you should start laying the topcoat.
For the final floor, use solid wood boards. Plywood sheets can also be used. They are much easier to fix. However, their appearance is poor. For this reason, it is best to choose tongue-and-groove boards. Plywood can be covered with various decorative finishes. Plank floors are usually varnished. This allows you to protect the coating from various influences. Also, thanks to the use of varnish, you can emphasize the aesthetic properties of a wooden floor. You can build a warm floor with your own hands in the case of a concrete screed.
Concrete floor
The creation of a concrete base requires some preparation. First, the site on which it is planned to create the floor must be cleaned of debris. You also need to remove the topsoil. The ground must be compacted. Gravel is poured on top. The concrete floor structure should be insulated. The gravel layer is covered with sand. Once it is tamped down, you can lay down the plastic wrap. It will become a reliable waterproofing.
Then the work is carried out according to the standard scheme. Reinforcement rods are placed on the waterproofing layer and concrete mortar is poured. In this case, the concrete screed is performed similarly to the one that is equipped in the apartment. To make the floor even, you need to set up beacons. As soon as the concrete is dry, they should be removed. The solution is leveled using a rule. The work is carried out from the wall towards the doorway.
In the process of pouring concrete, it is better to do the work according to certain rules. For example, the mixture must be fresh. Also, in the process of its preparation, cement of a certain brand is used. It must be at least M300. In addition, water and sand screening are added to the solution. Plasticizers increase the strength of the concrete.
If the screed is made more than 5 cm, reinforcement should be installed. For this purpose, a ready-made mesh is usually purchased. It is laid on a waterproofing film. When creating a floor heating system in a country house, the use of plasticizers and reinforcement is mandatory.
As soon as the concrete gains strength, you can pull out the beacons and fill the resulting voids with concrete mortar. It takes about a month for the concrete to fully harden. Underfloor heating in a private house will require laying heating elements either during the screed or after its construction.
Drying the floor is carried out according to certain rules. The base should be covered with plastic wrap. The concrete must be wetted for three days. If there is a floor heating system in the screed, it is forbidden to turn it on until the solution has completely hardened. Otherwise, the floor will crack.
Fine finishing
Installing the topcoat is easy enough. The decorative elements are assembled independently. The choice of finishes depends on the tastes of the owner of the house. It is also worth considering the features of the operation of the floor.
There are several options. The most common of these is boardwalk. In this case, the finishing floor does not need to be additionally covered. When choosing this option, a rather beautiful and practical coating is obtained. In addition, floorboards will last more than a dozen years if properly processed. They are usually impregnated with special compounds and varnished. This protects the floor from dirt and various chemicals.
The concrete floor in a country house is usually made taking into account the laying of the topcoat. Parquet is usually chosen for its finishing. However, such a floor will be quite expensive. It is characterized by high environmental friendliness and excellent thermal insulation. It is impractical to carry out a parquet floor in a country house, because permanent residence is not planned in it. However, for a capital structure, such a coverage will be optimal.
Among other materials for the floor, it is worth highlighting carpet, laminate, tiles and linoleum. Laminate is laid in the living room and bedrooms. Linoleum is only suitable for flooring in the hallway and kitchen. The tiles are also used for flooring in the kitchen and hallway. Carpet should also be used for the bedroom.
The variety of modern colors and materials for floor decoration allows you to choose the most optimal coating option for yourself. Floors with different patterns look very nice. Natural stone and wood look impressive.
conclusions
To figure out which types of flooring are more suitable for a private house, you should know the features of the operation of the building. For example, for a country house, you do not need to equip the floor in several layers. It also does not need to be insulated. Such buildings are used only in the warm season. Also, flooring in a private house is usually performed using wood. Such material has a low price, and is also easy and quick to assemble.
For capital buildings, you will have to equip a more complex structure. In this case, a wooden floor should have several layers, including waterproofing and thermal insulation. Before installing such a floor, you must carefully prepare. You will also have to pick up quality materials. Before deciding what type of flooring to make in a private house, you should familiarize yourself with the features of each type of floor.
The concrete base is carried out in stages. It is chosen only when it is necessary to create a reliable and durable floor.
Any person who is thinking of building a house, among the naturally arising questions, arises and such - how to make the floor in the house? This is one of the most important points, since not only the warmth in the premises, but also the durability of the entire structure will depend on the quality of the work performed and the chosen method. Therefore, before choosing the type of future floor, you need to carefully think over and calculate everything.
Both in a wooden and a brick house, the floors of the first floor can be made in different ways, and much in this choice will depend on the height of the building's basement. So the floor can be arranged with:
Concrete screed made in an already built house or before the walls were erected;
Lag and floor beams with plank or plywood flooring;
Dry screed of the required thickness;
Complex construction, when a wooden covering or dry screed is laid on a concrete base.
In addition, you need to know that the screed can be made in different ways, taking into account what kind of decorative coating will fit on top of it, as well as whether any work will be carried out on its additional insulation. Therefore, all options must be considered.
Pouring the screed on the ground before the walls are erected
Such a foundation is made immediately after the strip foundation hardens. Such a screed is designed so that the floor will be insulated in the future, otherwise it will remain cold, which means that the house will have an uncomfortable temperature.
The convenience of installing a concrete base in this case lies in freedom of action. When the walls have not yet been raised, you can freely level the soil inside the frozen foundation and bring the material for filling the pillows under the screed. In addition, you can order a ready-made solution at a company that manufactures and delivers building materials, and it will be possible to bring it to the right place, pour it in and distribute it without any problems. This will save you from lengthy and laborious work on the independent production of large volumes of concrete.
Another advantage of this approach to filling the screed can be considered a good strengthening of the foundation and further convenience in the construction of walls.
- The work is carried out in stages, and the first of them consists in leveling and, if necessary, removing excess soil. It is removed to be replaced by cushions of sand and rubble.
- At the site of the future screed, the soil is carefully compacted.
- A sand pillow is poured on top, which will serve as a kind of waterproofing... Every 10 cm of the thickness of the sand is moistened and well compacted before the next layer is poured.
- Crushed stone laid on the sand will give the screed strength. The thickness of the layer will depend on the height of the foundation, and in general, the screed must rise to the level of the basement.
- Next, a reinforcing mesh with cells of 100 × 100 mm is placed on the tamped and leveled crushed stone.
- After reinforcement, concrete mortar is poured. Since the concrete base will be further insulated, and the floors, in most cases, will rise on logs, then the mortar does not need to be thinned - it can consist of cement and gravel. For the same reason, excessively high requirements are not imposed on careful leveling of the surface, although the "cleaner" the resulting base is, the easier the further stages of work will go.
- To make the concrete layer strong, in the process of hardening, starting from the second day after pouring, it is moistened with water.
When the base is ready, you can erect the walls and deal with the roofing, and further work on the day and the insulation of the real floor is carried out after the installation of windows and doors.
Video: pouring a concrete subfloor before erecting walls
Screed to the ground in an already built house
If the house is built, and the flooring is left as the last finishing stage before finishing the walls, the base for the screed is prepared in a slightly different way.
- The first action is performed in the same way as in the first case - the soil is leveled and compacted.
- Next comes a very important point - this is the installation of waterproofing. In this case, it is best to use roofing material. It will protect the screed from moisture, and therefore the walls.
Waterproofing is also made from ordinary polyethylene, but you only need to choose a material that has a large thickness. But this is not the best option, since from interaction with cements, the plastic film becomes fragile over time, and the waterproofing will not be highly reliable.
In any case, the waterproofing must be airtight, therefore the sheets are laid with an overlap of 10-15 cm and glued together - polyethylene - with adhesive tape, and roofing material with bitumen mastic, heating it with a gas burner.
Sheets of material are lifted onto the walls and secured. The waterproofing layer should be raised to a height just above the future screed.
It is not recommended to cut the waterproofing material in the corners - it must be carefully folded and also secured.
- After the waterproofing is arranged, the preparation for pouring the screed can be carried out in different ways:
The most popular backfill option is expanded clay of the largest fraction. If the underground is deep enough and thermal insulation is carried out with expanded clay, it is laid in layers. Additional waterproofing layers can be placed between the layers.
Another method of backfilling may be an option similar to that used for laying before the walls are erected. Cushions of sand and gravel are placed on the waterproofing, their thickness will depend on the height of the basement walls. On top of these compacted layers, a polyethylene film is laid, on top of which expanded clay is poured, which plays the role of insulation.
- After filling and compaction of all layers, the reinforcing grid is fixed. A screed solution is laid on it. It can be a rough rough screed, which is made from cement and gravel, but from above it will need to be leveled with a fine concrete, thinner mortar.
- If there are not so many layers, and the entire backfill consists only of expanded clay, then it will only be enough to cleanly fill with concrete and align it with the installed beacons.
Wooden floor on logs
Usually, a plank floor is laid in a wooden house, but if desired, it can also be made of a brick or panel structure. Again, there are several options for installing a wooden floor on logs.
1. The basis for the wooden flooring is sometimes made immediately upon completion of work on the foundation.
- Floor beams are laid on the foundation, having previously covered several layers of roofing material under them and treated the end of the log or massive bar with protective antiseptic and waterproofing agents. The beams should lie at a distance of 1-1, 5 meters apart.
- Further, logs will be fixed on them, on which the rough floor is then arranged, and floorboards are nailed.
This option can be used if the rooms in the house are not designed to be too wide. Another way might be so-called, "Floating floor".
2. The design features of the "floating" floor are that the floor beams are not supported by the foundation walls, but by brick or concrete pillars that are installed on the ground in the underground space.
- The posts are set at a distance of 1-1, 5 meters apart. For them, they dig holes in size based on the perimeter of the pillars, adding 7-10 cm to it.
- The bottom of the holes is strengthened with a rammer and cushions made of gravel and sand. Then waterproofing is laid and a brick column is laid out. Its height can be different, depending on the depth of the underground. All posts must be aligned to the same horizontal level.
- When the masonry solution is thoroughly dry, roofing material waterproofing is laid on top of the columns. Bearing beams or logs will be fixed on them. Further, in the same way as in the first version, they arrange a rough and a finishing floor. In addition, insulation can be carried out.
- The subfloor is made of boards, which are fixed on the lower side of the log. Boards can be tightly fitted to each other or fixed at a distance. The first option is named in the event that a small fraction of insulation is poured into the cells. The second is suitable for laying mats of mineral wool or foam.
- Before laying the insulation on the subfloor, the boards are covered with a vapor barrier material.
- Insulation is laid on it, which, in turn, is also covered with a vapor barrier film, and only then plywood or boards are fixed.
3. The next way to lay boards or plywood on the joists is a structure based on a concrete screed.
- On the concrete base, markings are made for the correct placement of the log. Bars are laid out along the lines. They can be fixed directly to the concrete, or they can be raised to the required height using special supporting elements - adjustable racks. In either case, the logs are aligned at the same horizontal level in the longitudinal and transverse directions.
- After installing the log, the floor is usually insulated with mineral wool, expanded clay, expanded polystyrene or other modern materials.
- Insulation on top is covered with a vapor barrier membrane. At the final stage, plywood sheets or boards are covered.
Video: an example of flooring on wooden logs
Using a dry screed
With the help of a dry screed, you can make floors both on the ground and on a concrete base. Installation of a dry screed floor is quite simple and done quickly enough.
- If the underground soil is raised high enough, then, having made it reliable, you can immediately fill it with fine expanded clay. However, in order to avoid subsidence of the floor in any emergency (for example, when flooding during the abundant melting of snow), it is strongly recommended to precede this process by pouring a rough screed with reinforcement.
- An expanded clay composition for a dry screed is scattered onto the prepared surface and pre-leveled.
- Then set in the poured material beacons - guides made of galvanized metal profiles. They are set on a level, at a distance of 80-100 cm from each other. You do not need to fix them, since after leveling the screed, the beacons are removed from it.
- After leveling the entire floor (you can carry out this work in sections), lay on the leveled and tamped layer gypsum fiber plates.
- On special gypsum fiber board - sheets for dry screed, there are areas for their locking connection to each other. Glue is applied to them, and the panels are connected, twisted with self-tapping screws, forming a solid canvas. Any decorative coating can then be laid on such a surface.
"Dry screed" will be an excellent base for any floor finish
The article provided only a brief overview of some of the existing types of flooring in the house. Having learned how this can be done and choosing the most optimal, it is worthwhile to study in detail the technology of its installation and strictly follow the sequence of stages and follow all the recommendations. If you do everything correctly, then, even without experience in arranging the floor, you can do this work yourself.
To build a private house, you have to work hard, and all the processes performed require significant costs.
In an effort to save money, some carry out part of the work on their own, so the question arises, how to make a floor in a private house without calling for help from construction crews?
Anyone who has all the necessary materials, the right tools and certain knowledge can do such work.
Varieties of floors
Diagram of the device of a single and double plank floor Before starting work, you should decide what structure the main coating will have.
Among the most popular types, it is necessary to highlight the following types of floors:
- single;
- double;
- concrete.
The choice of each of them is due to the design features of the building in which future installation is planned, and the conditions for further operation.
Features of the device floors
Single floors are only recommended for summer cottages
A single floor is, as a rule, a fairly simple structure, which does not require a lot of materials and time to complete. The board is fixed directly to the logs with nails.
The disadvantage of such a plank floor is its limited use. This coating is used most often only in the country, or in small houses and fully performs only the function of keeping the weight of all objects and people inside the room, in conjunction with moderate cheapness.
In a room where year-round living is planned, such designs are used less and less.
Double floors consist of a fine and a rough screed and are thermally insulated A double floor is a structure suitable for installation in a room in which people will be all year round. What to make the floor from to keep it warm even when it's cold outside?
Such a structure consists of two layers: a rough and a finishing screed. Waterproofing and heat-insulating materials are placed between them. They perfectly protect not only the floor from destruction, but also the whole house from blowing and dampness.
Floor arrangement diagram The rough coating is made from unedged boards, and the finishing one is made from grooved boards. All the processes that the construction of a floor in a private house needs can be done by hand.
Concrete flooring is a common floor screed. For its implementation, first, preparatory work is carried out to dismantle the old coating and place the guides, then a waterproofing layer is laid and a solution is made, which is used to fill the prepared area.
In order for the floor to be of high quality and ready for further finishing work, it should be given the necessary time to set.
Concrete consumption table for a flooded floor.
Single wood floor device
The instructions below will allow you to understand the question of how to properly make the floor in a private house, subject to the order of all actions.
- The device of a single floor will be carried out on pillars, which, as a rule, are mounted during the construction of the main structure. At the same time, the interval between the pillars should be maintained at a level of 80 cm. Subsequently, beams with a thickness of 10 cm are laid on each of the supports.
- On top of this structure, we lay a grid of logs, which should be 5x5 cm in cross section.If the board prepared for overlap has a 3 cm cross section, then the distance between the logs should be maintained at 50 cm.Place the system under the level using special wedges and fix it firmly with nails.
- A sub-floor made of unedged boards is laid on this structure with your own hands, and a floor covering is laid on top of this layer, as a rule, linoleum or laminate.
For such floors, thermal insulation does not play a big role, since they are built for temporary or auxiliary buildings.
However, when placed in residential buildings, before laying the subfloor, the space between the logs should be filled with sheets of polystyrene or expanded polystyrene. Low cost and speed of construction are positive properties.
Double wood floor
The device of this design is somewhat more complicated. It includes in its composition, along with the rough screed, layers of steam, heat and water protection with a tier of finishing coating located on top. The last layer is usually grooved board.
How to build a floor to keep it cool in summer and provide a pleasant microclimate in winter? For more information on the correct floor device, see this video:
All processes can be done by hand, if you follow the step-by-step instructions:
When placing the boards, it should be borne in mind that an air pocket of at least 2-3 cm should remain between the vapor barrier and the layer of finishing boards.
For good ventilation in the air pocket, special through holes should be made, which must be covered with a decorative crate.
Concrete floor
Initially, markings are made for the manufacture of such a coating. To do this, you should use a laser level, which will exactly help to establish the marks along which the threads will subsequently be pulled.
Calculation and tools
Concrete floor device To carry out all the processes, you must have:
- vibratory rammer;
- roofing material;
- small expanded clay;
- durable polyethylene film;
- foam plates;
- reinforced mesh;
- alcohol or laser level;
- reiki.
Only when making a solid, perfectly flat concrete floor can you hope for a high-quality arrangement of the floor covering.
Concrete floor device
Before you make the floors in a private house, you need to read the instructions that will help you make all the processes in strict accordance with the rules and regulations:
- Initially, the base of the surface is prepared on which the concrete floor will be made. For this, a rough base is prepared, which can be made from interlayers of broken brick or crushed stone using M100 concrete.
- The next stage involves the installation of a waterproofing layer. It is very practical in this case to use roofing material.
- After that, you need to take care of thermal insulation. You can use expanded clay or foam plates for this purpose. In the middle lane, it is advisable to place both of these layers at the same time, starting with the foam.
- It is most advisable to place a small wooden crate on top of the laid layers, followed by laying a chain-link mesh.
- On top of the erected frame, starting from the corner farthest from the entrance, a smooth pouring of concrete begins with simultaneous leveling with the rule along the marked beacon lines. The filling is carried out in one pass.
- The finishing stage is the leveling of the top layer with liquid cement mortar or a special self-leveling compound. For information on how to properly fill the sub-floor, see this video:
To successfully complete the tasks of pouring the floor, you should follow the attached instructions and purchase high-quality consumables and fixtures.
When choosing a floor covering in a private house, the climatic conditions of the region, layout features and the purpose of the premises are taken into account. Types of floors: concrete, dry screed, wooden. Unlike an apartment, a cottage does not require a permit for the installation of a warm water base. For its installation, calculations should be made, pipes should be laid and connected to the heating system. The heated substrate makes it possible to save on heating costs.
What is the best coverage?
One of the stages of building a house is flooring. When choosing its design, they take into account the operating conditions, materials, financial capabilities of the owner, and the interior. You can make floors in a private house:
- wooden;
- concrete;
- with a dry screed base;
- warm.
Wooden bases are popular due to the environmental friendliness and availability of the material. They keep warm well, are pleasant to the touch. Easy to clean, repaired, have a beautiful appearance, do not require finishing. They are often arranged on the ground floor as the coldest.
The single plank floor has a simple structure: the timber is attached directly to the joists. The main disadvantage of such a coating is its limited use, it is laid in summer cottages, in summer houses with seasonal living, non-residential premises. For a house in which it is planned to live year-round, they arrange a double wooden floor, consisting of a base, a rough and a finishing coating. The disadvantage of a tree is susceptibility to decay, fungi and pests. To protect against them, the material is treated with special means.
Concrete flooring is popular for its low cost. You can do it yourself if you know the basics and have construction experience. One of their disadvantages is that it takes a lot of time to dry the screed. The concrete is cold, so the base should be insulated. At the final stage, the installation of the floor covering is required. Depending on the purpose of the room, it can be tiles, laminate, linoleum, carpet.
A dry screed is mounted faster, makes it possible to create additional thermal insulation, put any floor covering on top.
Underfloor heating is popular due to its efficiency and high efficiency. They save on heating costs. They can be used as the main heating source or combined with radiators. The cheapest to operate is a base with a water heat carrier, heated with a gas boiler. The version with electric heating is thinner than with water heating, it is easier to install, quickly turns on and off, and is more conveniently regulated.
Wood flooring
In order for the floor in a private house to serve for many years, it is necessary to select high-quality wood. The flooring is subjected to significant mechanical stress, so timber is chosen with high technological characteristics. It must be well dried, with a moisture content of no more than 12%. Deformations, cracks and chips on the surface are unacceptable. Experts recommend using conifers: cedar, pine, fir, larch.
To protect against fungus and pests, the tree is covered with an antiseptic, to increase fire safety, it is treated with a fire retardant.
The floor device includes logs, subfloor, rough and finish coating, heat and waterproofing. The underfloor acts as an air gap that prevents moisture accumulation. Without it, the tree will quickly fall into disrepair.
Installation consists of the following stages:
- 1. First, install the support pillars. They can be brick, foam blocks, etc.
- 2. Then the fertile soil layer is removed, gravel is poured, a cushion of sand is placed on top. Each layer is carefully compacted.
- 3. At the next stage, waterproofing is laid, fixed at the ends of the support pillars (roofing material is used).
- 4. Further, with the help of metal corners, the lags from the edged bar are fixed.
- 5. The space between the beams is filled with a heat insulator. Experts recommend using mineral wool.
- 6. After the insulation is laid, a rough covering is mounted on the support bar. The boards are placed tightly to each other so that there are no gaps. They are attached to the lags with self-tapping screws.
- 7. Along the perimeter between the walls and the flooring, leave an air gap of 1.5 cm for ventilation, as well as to protect the walls from expansion of the floorboards when they dry.
- 8. A vapor barrier made of polyethylene film is laid on the sub-surface. The joints of the strips are additionally secured with tape. The edges are wrapped around the walls (about 20 cm).
- 9. When the vapor barrier layer is fixed, a finishing coating of boards, parquet, cork is mounted.
The wooden floor can have a concrete base. So that there are no differences in height, it is done using a self-leveling mixture. Then they lay a waterproofing layer, mark the floor under the logs, mount the studs for their fastening. Beams are laid with a step of at least 60 cm, having previously drilled holes in them for fastening material. The free space is filled with insulation. A finishing floor or plywood is placed on top, on which a decorative coating is laid.
How to make a concrete screed correctly?
The device of the concrete floor is carried out in stages. The base is being prepared: garbage, plants are removed, the top layer of soil is removed. Then the markup is done. It is more convenient to use a laser level for this. It is installed at the bottom of the doorway and marks are drawn on the walls that define the line of the future floor. To measure the level in the center of the room, nails are hammered into the walls, according to the markings and twine is pulled.
Next, gravel filling is done. The pegs are installed so that they are 10 cm below the future level of the cement screed. They begin to pour gravel from the wall opposite the door. When the area is completely covered to the height of the pegs, the pegs are removed. A sand cushion is placed on top of the gravel. Both layers are well compacted.
At the next stage, waterproofing is made of polyethylene with a thickness of at least 250 microns. It is necessary to protect against moisture. The film is laid so that its edges go to the walls by 10-15 cm, above the cement screed. All seams of polyethylene strips are connected with construction tape, proceed to filling.
Using the level, beacons are set from wooden slats in increments of 1-1.5 m. The top edge of the rail should touch the taut twine. After installing the beacons, the ropes are removed. For a concrete screed, only fresh mortar is taken, which is prepared from cement of a grade not lower than M300, sand and water. To make the concrete stronger, plasticizers are added. If its thickness exceeds 5 cm, reinforcement is performed.
Before pouring, a special mesh or reinforcement is laid on the waterproofing layer. Concreting is started from the far wall, pouring in the space between the first two battens. Then, using the rule, the solution is leveled, the excess is removed. When the concrete has set a little, the slats are removed. The resulting voids are filled with mortar and leveled with a plaster float.
After filling the cracks, the concrete is covered with plastic wrap and left to dry for 3-4 weeks. Experts recommend removing the polyethylene and moisturizing the coating during drying at intervals of several days. This procedure will allow it not to crack and gain maximum strength.
Laminate, linoleum, ceramic tiles, cork are laid on the concrete screed.
Secrets of underfloor heating
Warm water floor is gaining more and more popularity. It can serve as the basis for heating or maintain a comfortable living environment. It depends on the general heat loss, the climate in the area, and the design features of a private house. They are not suitable for wood flooring, as wood does not conduct heat well. The best option is a cement screed. A water-heated concrete floor is used for the first, basement floors, if the base is a sand cushion.
Do-it-yourself installation of underfloor heating begins with the preparation of the base, it should be even without indentations and protrusions. The permissible difference is 5 mm. If the defects in height or depth exceed 1-2 cm, a leveling layer of fine gravel with a grain size of no more than 5 mm is poured.
Underfloor heating is carried out using two methods: a snail and a spiral. With the 1st option, the entire surface is evenly warmed up. The coil provides better heating in colder areas. Therefore, the first hot branches are mounted in this zone. According to the drawing of the laying scheme, the required pipe length is calculated.
For underfloor heating, only a one-piece pipe is used. If the area of the room is large, several heating circuits are mounted, each of which should not exceed 100 m, so that there is enough pressure for the circulation of the coolant.
It is better to use metal-plastic pipes with a diameter of 16 mm. For thermal insulation, an insulation with a thickness of at least 5 cm is laid on the base.If the ground is the ground, or there is a cold room below, the insulation layer is made 10 cm.To reduce heat loss, a metallized film is laid over the heat insulator, which serves as a reflective screen. It also requires protection, so polyethylene (75-100 microns) is laid on top. The strips of the film are overlapped, fastening the seams with construction tape.
The pipes are fixed with fasteners: metal mesh, strips, plastic brackets. The filling is carried out after the installation has been completed, the connection to the manifolds has been made, and the system is filled with a coolant at a pressure of 4 bar. A damper tape is laid along the perimeter to compensate for expansion, to insulate the floor from the walls, to eliminate cold bridges through which heat is lost.
Before concreting, a reinforcing mesh is mounted on top of the pipes, if strips and brackets were used as fasteners. A concrete screed is made from 5 to 10 cm, there should be at least 3 cm of mortar above the pipe. With insufficient thickness, surface cracking is possible, with an excess, heat loss is inevitable. While the concrete is setting, it is covered with plastic wrap to maintain normal humidity. The screed hardens completely for 28 days.
Dry screed - an alternative to cement coating
A floor based on a dry screed is installed faster than wood or concrete. It is important to select high-quality bulk material: slags, silica, perlite or quartz sand, fine-grained expanded clay.
If the mixture is properly distributed over the area, it almost does not shrink, it is a good heat and sound insulator. Such bases, with good performance, will last a long time.
Phased installation begins with a waterproofing device made of polyethylene film. The material is laid with an overlap of 10-15 cm on the walls. Then beacons are installed, which will serve as a guide for alignment. The dry mixture is poured onto the substrate and distributed evenly over the surface using a rule. So that the mass does not crumble, wooden partitions are installed at a distance of 60-80 cm.
On top of the dry screed, sheet materials are laid: plywood, boards of moisture-resistant GWP, etc. In order for the surface to be flat, it is important to correctly lay the first sheet using a level, and then the rest, focusing on it. Installation begins from the door, moving along the wall, so as not to disturb the evenness of the fill. At the same time, the plates are not pressed into the poured mixture, they are carefully moved along the surface. The horizontality is checked by the building level. The areas to be covered are well compacted in front of the flooring, especially in places of significant stress.
Gypsum-fiber boards are connected using folds located on them. Finished sheets are laid on the mixture, shifting each next half, as when laying a brick, to increase stability. To make the flooring more durable, a second is arranged on top of the first layer, and its sheets should lie perpendicular to the lower ones. The upper and lower layers are held together with glue and self-tapping screws. The fasteners are screwed in under load, the role of which is played by the weight of the master who stands on the top sheet. On doorways, the material does not join, the canvas should be in both rooms.
After installation, the joints and the heads of the self-tapping screws are putty to level the surface. Before finishing, a waterproofing material, for example, a sealant, is applied along the perimeter of the room in the places where the coating adheres to the walls. In the bathroom, before decorative finishing, the slabs are covered with a coating waterproofing.
During the construction or renovation of a private house, the owner is forced to look for answers to many questions - what materials to use when erecting walls and finishing, by what methods to carry out construction work, how to protect the building from the inside and outside from negative influences, etc. Among them is the problem flooring - how and from what to make it. One of the most popular options at the moment is a concrete floor in a private house. And how to equip it in two main options - on the ground and on the floors - you will learn in this article.
Let's start by looking at the advantages and disadvantages of using concrete when creating flooring in private construction. The advantages of a floor made of this material are as follows.
Also, every owner of a private house should be aware of some of the disadvantages associated with the use of a concrete floor.
Tools you need to DIY your concrete floor
Before proceeding with the step-by-step instructions for arranging a concrete mortar coating, we present a list of tools that the wizard will need to complete this work.
Table. Concrete floor in a country house - tools for work.
| Tool name | What is it used for |
|---|---|
| Mixing of concrete from the main components. |
| Leveling soil, sand and gravel, mixing concrete, excavating the ground for a floor pit on the ground floor. |
| Storage and transport of cement and other concrete components. |
| Compaction of the soil, as well as cushions of sand and gravel to create a reliable support for the concrete slab. |
| Controlling the position of the beacons, applying markings before starting work on the arrangement of the concrete floor. |
| Smoothness and evenness of the newly formed concrete screed. |
| Working with small volumes of mortar, primary leveling of concrete for floor screed. |
| Elimination of small cavities with air in the thickness of the uncured concrete screed. |
| Transportation of sand, cement and other bulk building materials. |
| Cleaning the set concrete from the "cement milk". |
electric concrete mixer
Important! When working with large floors, it is more advisable not to mix all the concrete yourself, but to order it together with a truck with a mixer - saving time will cover the increase in costs.
DIY concrete floor on the ground - step by step instructions
When arranging the floor on the first floors of private houses, one of the most popular options today is to create a concrete pavement directly on the ground, without laying any floors. To begin with, consider the conditions under which such work should be done. Next, let's move on to describing the main stages of creating a concrete floor on the ground.
Concrete flooring on the ground
Concrete pavement, equipped on the ground, consists of several layers of different materials, each of which performs a specific task. The first layer is the soil itself. It must be dry and well packed. On top of it, cushions of sand and gravel are poured - they are necessary for additional leveling of the surface and distribution of point loads over the area. Also, these layers help to weaken the influence of soil heaving, which manifests itself with a change in temperature. In some cases, when creating a simplified concrete floor, only sand is poured over the ground, without a gravel pad.
Important! It should be understood that a concrete floor on the ground is allowed to be performed only if certain conditions are met - the groundwater level should be located at a depth of 4-5 m or more, and the ground should not be waterlogged. Also, various movements and heaving of the soil at the construction site should be minimal, otherwise such a coating will quickly become unusable.
Further, if a large load on the floor is assumed, a rough concrete pavement is placed. On top of it is placed a film for steam and waterproofing, insulation. The latter, as a rule, is played by extruded high-density polystyrene foam. On top of them, a fine concrete screed with a thickness of 30-50 mm or more is created, reinforced with a reinforcing mesh.
vibratory rammer
Preparation and measurement
After purchasing materials and missing tools, it is necessary to prepare the construction site. First, clear it of debris that will interfere with work - stones, vegetation, pieces of brick and other unnecessary things. Further, if the walls have already been erected, mark the bottom point of the doorway in the room - this is the level of your future floor. If necessary, adjust for the thickness of the parquet, tile or linoleum topcoat.
Now you need to draw a solid line around the perimeter of the room, indicating the level of the concrete screed. For convenience, first make it at a height of 1 m from the lower edge of the doorway, and then repeat this pattern below - where the floor will end on the ground. After that, use a shovel to extract the earth to the depth of all layers of the covering you are creating.
Compaction of the soil, adding a layer of sand and insulation
Now, from the preparation, we will move on to a step-by-step description of the arrangement of all layers of the concrete floor on the ground.
Step 1. Level the soil with a shovel and rake so that it lies more or less evenly over the area. Remove stones from it if you see.
Step 2. Compact the soil in the place where the concrete floor will be built. Most often, a manual rammer is used for this - with this tool they walk around the surface with a "snake", evenly tapping on the ground with effort. Repeat this step two or three times as necessary.
Important! In the absence of a factory-made manual rammer, it can be made independently from scrap materials located on the site. For this, both a piece of log with a manual one and a metal profile with a fairly heavy and thick steel sheet will fit.
Step 3. Prepare the sand for backfill. To create a cushion for a concrete screed, use high-quality material with a minimum amount of foreign inclusions. Pour sand into the area where the floor will be constructed and distribute it evenly over the area. The minimum permissible layer thickness is 10 cm.
Step 4. Spread the sand more evenly over the area using a rake.
Step 5. As in the case of soil compaction, take a manual or mechanical rammer and walk in a "snake" across the entire area of the future floor.
Step 6. Pour water over the sand to make it denser and tamp it down even better.
Step 7. Walk again with the rammer over the entire area of the sand cushion. If necessary, repeat this operation until there are no deepened footprints on the sand - only in this state will it be compacted enough for a concrete screed.
Advice! For the best condition of the sand cushion after tamping, level it horizontally using a rule or just a fairly flat wooden plank.
Step 8. Place polyethylene or any other suitable film on the sand cushion to create a layer of vapor and waterproofing. "Adjacent" film segments are connected to each other with an overlap, which should be at least 5-10 cm - thus, the probability of moisture or water vapor penetration through this layer from the ground to the concrete screed is reduced.
Advice! If the arrangement of the concrete floor on the ground is carried out with walls not yet erected and there is a strong wind on the site, then temporarily protect the film from blowing off with boards or other objects.
Step 9. Lay a layer of insulation on top of the vapor and waterproofing insulation, for which use high density polystyrene foam. As a rule, working with it is not very difficult - individual panels can be easily fitted to each other. If necessary, they can be cut with an ordinary utility knife with a retractable blade. When laying insulation, remember that the rows of slabs are joined according to the same principle as bricks with a laminate - the transverse seams should not be on the same line.
Pouring concrete pavement
After creating the auxiliary floor layers, we will proceed to a step-by-step description of the arrangement of the most important part of the structure - the concrete screed.
Step 1. Prepare and mount a reinforcing mesh over the insulation. Using plastic supports, lift it slightly so that it remains in the lower half of the concrete layer - the reinforcement will take on the tensile loads of a concrete slab on an elastic base made of insulation and a sand cushion.
Step 2. Mix a cement mortar thick enough to secure the beacons. They can be made from regular steel or aluminum profiles, cut to the width of the room. Each beacon is fixed at several points, each of which is a small amount of a dense solution. The spacing between beacons must be less than the length of the rule. The optimal figure is 70 cm.
Step 3. Wait for the cement mortar holding the beacons to dry.
Step 4. Mix concrete, its grade must be at least M150. At the same time, try to minimize the amount of water used - this way you will achieve high quality material and a small number of cracks and microcracks formed during solidification. It will not be superfluous to add special plasticizers when mixing concrete into the mixer, which can be purchased at any major hardware store.
Important! Some masters, mixing concrete, use liquid detergent as a budget substitute for specialized plasticizers.
Step 5. Place the mixed concrete between the beacons and make the initial leveling with a trowel. Then take the rule and form as flat a surface as possible, corresponding to the level of the lighthouses. Work on small areas of concrete. After completing with one of them, repeat the same steps - lay out the material, level it with a trowel and finally bring the surface to a smooth state using the rule.
Step 6. Cover the concrete with plastic wrap to protect it from drying out too quickly - otherwise, there is an increased risk of a large number of micro-cracks or cracks, but quite large ones. In some cases it is allowed to moisten the concrete screed with a little water. Wait until the mixture gains strength and hardens, and then apply a layer of self-leveling self-leveling floor - this will give you a perfectly flat surface suitable for any type of finish.
Important! With an excessively large amount of water in the concrete, it, going outside, washes out some of the cement. As it dries, it remains on the surface in the form of a light-colored crust, also known as laitance. It must be cleaned off, otherwise the coating under it will have less strength and durability than it should.
Video - DIY floors on the ground
Video - Floating floor screed. Types of solutions, filling methods, nuances and subtleties
Floating screed on the interfloor overlap in a private house - differences from the floor on the ground
In the process of its creation, the concrete screed on the interfloor floors does not differ significantly from what was described in the previous section of the article. But at the same time, there are several nuances that you need to be aware of.
When creating a concrete floor in your cottage yourself, remember that only strict adherence to technologies and standards will provide you with a reliable and strong coating that will be able to last for more than a dozen years.