Why does cement screed crack and how to avoid it

When making rough work to create a floor covering, it is often necessary to make a cement screed. The most important thing is that it be strong, because further finishing work on laying the flooring depends on it. If the screed is of poor quality, then the material laid on the floor will quickly become unusable. Consider possible errors that can lead to cracking and destruction of the base.

Causes of cracking

It is important to understand that preventing a problem is much more effective than eliminating its consequences. Consider the most common mistakes made during the implementation of the screed:

• Violation of the technology of mixing the solution. Some people, for greater convenience, pour excess water. It is much easier to work with such a solution, but after it hardens, the surface may become covered with cracks;
• Violation of the technology of laying on certain types of surfaces. When mounting the screed on expanded polystyrene or expanded clay, additional reinforcement should be made in the form of reinforcement. If this is not done, then the basis will be fragile, due to the softness of the insulation material. In the future, this will necessarily lead to the formation of cracks and destruction of the screed;
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• Size Failure. When screeding on hard surfaces, the layer thickness should not be lower than 30 mm. And when laying on soft surfaces, at least 50 mm;
• Violation of screed drying technology. At first, after pouring the mortar, you should not ventilate the room, as this will contribute to faster drying, and, accordingly, the formation of cracks. When working in hot weather, periodically water the floor to prevent quick drying;
• They didn’t use a film - if you have a porous screed that absorbs a lot of water, you should cover it with a vapor barrier film;
• You should not walk on a freshly flooded screed. Exposure the flooded floor should only be on the third day. And then, to walk on it you must use the board, so the load will be distributed over the area;
• Shrinkage of the house is a fairly well-known fact that in the first year, the cocked building undergoes the shrinkage process. During this period, it is not recommended to perform work on the filling of the floor screed.

Do not make the above errors, and then your screed will not crack and will be very strong.