What materials are not allowed to be placed on an uneven screed

Sometimes when repairing the floor in the apartment there is an unpleasant situation.

Materials have been prepared for laying the new floor, the old floor has been dismantled and it turns out that its base (screed) is uneven.

Can a new floor be mounted on such a foundation?

Ceramic tile

In this case, the answer to the question is unequivocal - no, no, and no. Nobody wants to feel the wavy floor with their feet every day, and understand that it was worth making a little effort to avoid this. Therefore, laying a new floor will have to be postponed until a new screed is completed. For its installation there is no need to dismantle the old one, the new one is poured directly onto the existing base. Only in this case you will get a beautiful floor with smooth neat seams that will delight you for many years.

Laminate

It would seem that when laying the laminate, small protruding irregularities can be neglected. But no. Assuming a similar situation, the laid lamellas will unevenly perceive the load, bend, diverge at the seams and creak. In some cases, even damage to the locks securing the panels may occur. Therefore, the laminate is also not allowed to be laid on an uneven screed. In addition, when installing a floor covering from a laminate, the slope of the floor is checked. Slope irregularities can be no more than 2 mm per 1 linear meter. To fix the unevenness of the base, plywood sheets are laid under the laminated coating.

Parquet and parquet board

Given that these materials are not affordable, it is worth paying special attention to the quality of work, including the condition of the screed. When laying these types of floor coverings on bumps, the same problems can arise as when laying a laminate - creaking, seams diverging, deformation of panels.

Linoleum

You can take a chance and lay linoleum on an uneven screed with bulges and cracks, relying on its thickness or a foam polyethylene substrate. But keep in mind - in its original form, linoleum does not lie for long. After some time, all the irregularities will begin to appear through the coating, and the coating will penetrate into the slots of the screed. Therefore, the risk in this case is not justified, and it is better to perform a new cement screed, or level the floor with a plywood base, as is the case with a laminate.

Probably, irregularities can be neglected only when installing the floor with lags, which were done in our apartments before. But now this method is a thing of the past, and modern coatings require a responsible attitude to all stages of their construction.