How to level the concrete floors in the apartment with your own hands

Repair of each room begins with the floor. Smooth floor is not only an aesthetic type of flooring, but also the prevention of injuries. Rickety furniture on a curved surface can simply collapse, thereby causing no small harm to a person. This implies a number of rules and specifics for leveling the floor surface.

Leveling the floor in an apartment, garage, etc.

Concrete floors are characterized by increased strength and durability, resistance to gasoline, acids and solvents, endurance to mechanical damage, moisture and temperature conditions. For these reasons, they are suitable for use not only in residential premises, but also in a garage, a barn, a bathhouse and other household premises.

Concrete in the apartment, as a rule, is a rough material and serves as the basis for further warming and laying of all kinds of coatings. The rest of the buildings usually leave bare concrete floors, sometimes ceramic tiles are laid on top.

When upgrading the floor in the garage, it should be borne in mind that the coating must be at least 10 cm thick to support the weight of the car. And also to prevent alignment on one wall to prevent inclined surfaces and further accumulation of moisture.

To extend the service life, such floors are treated with special compounds, the so-called toppings. The action algorithm is suitable for a typical cement-sand screed.

The reverse situation is in the bath, when the concrete base is performed at an angle of 10^about for better drainage of water.

Types of screeds

There are several ways to level the coating applicable to each room. These include: dry screed, semi-dry screed, cement-sand screed, self-leveling mixture.

The choice of material and leveling method is based on the difference in floor height and the finish floor coating. If the floor level in different parts of the room differs by more than 3 cm, then coarse cement mortars are used.

When the base is more or less even, but mottled with cracks, it is more advisable to opt for self-leveling mixtures.

Advantages and disadvantages of screeds

Dry screed

One of the easiest ways to align, which is not even a professional to handle. Her advantages:

• Cost saving - costs less than its competitors.
• Saving of working time on the installation process, and also does not require additional drying time.
• Insulates the living space, therefore it is mainly suitable for use in an apartment or residential building.
• It has soundproofing properties.
• Does not require solution preparation.
• The installation process can be carried out in parts, unlike competitors, when the process affects the entire space of the room.
• Possible communications are easier laid.

This type of leveling is equally suitable for reinforced concrete and wooden floors. Materials for dry screed: expanded clay, polystyrene foam, quartz sand.

Cement and sand screed

Or the so-called wet screed - a classic method of leveling surfaces, which has proven itself among many builders. A fairly time-consuming process that requires additional skills and tools. As a result, a sturdy, perfectly flat surface for the topcoat.

The secret of a durable floor is pouring concrete mortar to a thickness of at least 3 cm.

There are also disadvantages, for example, a concrete floor - a dust-forming coating, it is impossible to remove various stains and oils from it. But these problems occur more often in non-residential premises, as in an apartment on a reinforced concrete base lay finish coatings.

Semi-dry screed

A distinctive feature of such a material, in comparison with the wet method, is the reduced amount of liquid used in the solution.

This caused a difference in technology and casting, and also brought some positive qualities:

• Increased material density. Due to the absence of excess moisture, there is no excess evaporation, as a result - less voids, cavities and pores are formed. The result is high strength.
• The shrinkage process is abolished.
• At times, the setting time is reduced.
• Less dirt and dampness at the work site.

Self-leveling mixture

Equal mixture or bulk floors, different names of one group of modern means for finishing floor leveling. They are a fluid solution, which spills on the floor, forms an even horizontal surface.

The advantages of this material are:

• Short drying time - the top coating can be laid already after 10 - 12 hours after pouring.
• The possibility of spontaneous spreading.
• Small layer thickness - suitable for use in rooms with low ceilings.

A self-leveling mixture is used with floor differences of not more than 3 cm, otherwise such a base may crack.

It is worth noting that such mixtures necessarily require topcoat, due to low strength.

The disadvantage of this alignment method is that the work must be carried out quickly, because the solution tends to dry quickly.

Leveling the floor for different coatings

Based on the recommendations, an alignment method should be individually selected for each floor.

Laminate

With differences of more than 3 mm, an even and aesthetic laminate coating will never work. Even the use of a special soft substrate will not help. To level the base under the laminate floor, any of the above methods is suitable, the main condition is to obtain a perfectly smooth surface.

Linoleum

Less capricious material is linoleum. When laying it, the smoothness of the surface is not so much important. Any protruding element can tear soft material. In noticeable irregularities, linoleum will lie down smoothly, bringing with it only an unaesthetic look.

You can level the floor under linoleum using any available method.

Ceramic tile

To install the floor tiles, a cement-sand base is necessary, with preliminary laying of the waterproofing layer. Use of a semi-dry coupler is allowed. At the same time, the surface is further leveled by tiled glue. The basic principle of operation is the absence of gender differences.

Under any of the light coatings, large surface drops can be leveled using plywood sheets mounted on logs. Especially this method is used to raise the floor level.

Necessary materials and tools

For fruitful work, it is worth stocking up the following list of tools and materials, which may vary depending on the type of alignment selected:

• Portland cement brand 400D20, M500.
• Sifted building sand.
• Filtered water.
• Synthetic fiber.
• Dry mix for self-leveling.
• Bulk ingredient for dry screed.
• Building beacons. They can be metal, plaster or made in the form of a stretched thread.
• Building level. Many progressive builders today use the laser level.
• Capacity for mixing the solution. It is more convenient and more expedient to use a concrete mixer.
• Mixer for the preparation of the solution.
• Rule, trowel, all kinds of spatulas, rollers and other accessories for alignment.

DIY floor leveling technology

Each type of floor leveling is characterized by its own technology. The first step for everyone is preparing the subfloor, cleaning and removing the old flooring, repairing possible cracks and shabby areas.

Detailed step by step instructions

Dry way:

1. Primer on concrete surfaces to increase the strength of the substrate.
2. Laying a plastic film with an overlap of 20 cm for waterproofing. Sheets of film are fastened with tape. Along the walls of the room there are allowances for hem 15 cm, then they are sealed with a damper tape.
3. In the absence of leveling experience, the installation of U-shaped profile metal beacons is recommended.
4. Pouring into the obtained granular mixture cells. Layer thickness - 5 - 7 cm. It is leveled by the rule.
5. Flooring sheet material. Here can be used plywood, fiberboard, particleboard, drywall. At the same time, the joints of the material are glued with PVA glue and tightened with self-tapping screws.

Cement-sand method:

1. Primer and surface drying.
2. Laying waterproofing material.
3. Installation of beacons. Work is done using a level. As lighthouses, metal profiles, pipes, boards, timber are used - they are fixed on a dried mortar at a distance of not more than 1 m from each other.
4. Reinforcement with metal reinforcement or reinforcing mesh.
5. Filling the solution, gradually from the far edge of the room, and quickly leveling the rule. It is necessary to move not only along the lighthouses, but also in circular motions for a strong compaction of the material. Do not delay the process of pouring a cement-sand layer, in order to avoid the formation of "cold seams".
6. Cutting shrink joints every 3 m is recommended to prevent cracks in the finished screed.
7. Wetting with water during the drying process. The first time in a day, then on the second day and then for a week.

If on the second day it is already possible to walk on the screed, then the beacons are removed from it and the gaps obtained are filled with concrete mortar. Such a base for the floor is covered with a film to prevent quick drying and cracking. Continue repair work is allowed only after complete drying after 1 month.

For a semi-dry method, as a waterproofing, you can use polyethylene, roofing material hydroisol. The production technology is similar to a cement-sand screed with a slight difference: instead of a concrete mortar, a semi-dry mixture is used, and it is laid in two layers.

The first layer is densely compacted, the second layer is leveled with a rule and then ground. After a day, 3 mm wide expansion joints are cut on the finished screed. The coating is covered with a film for a period of a week.

Self-leveling mix application

For convenience, using a construction mixer, a mortar is prepared for pouring according to the instructions on the package. The solution is quickly poured onto a primed surface and leveled with a spatula or a special roller in order to expel air bubbles.

Hardening of the solution occurs within half an hour, however, at least 3 days must pass before it completely dries.

Tips & Tricks

To prepare a reliable solution of a cement-sand screed, the following is used: cement of the M500 brand, sifted sand without any contaminants, water. Water is added at the rate of 1 liter per 1 kg of cement.

It is allowed to use ready-mixed building mixtures for pouring - M150, M200, M400. The larger the number in the abbreviation of the name, the stronger the base.

To properly prepare a semi-dry mixture, you will need cement, sand and water and the addition of fiber fibers. The fibers in this case in the best way replace the reinforcing mesh:

1. Cement and sand are mixed dry in a ratio of 1: 3.
2. A mixture of water with fiber fibers is added portionwise, amounting to 80 g per screed layer of 1 m² and 1 cm thick.
3. Mixing continues until the texture of the sandy loam, i.e. resemble clay sand, when squeezed by hand, no water should be released from the lump.

Solving such an important issue in repair, it is worthwhile to competently consider the choice of materials and the leveling method, taking into account humidity and temperature conditions in the room, the slope of the base, as well as the estimated operational load on floor.