Peskobeton - advantages, scope, subtlety of screed

This building material has now won a fairly substantial part of the market. It can be purchased or make sand concrete. In this article we will present the opinion of our specialists on the issue of how good this material is and in what areas in construction it is most profitable to use it.

What is the composition

Classically, dry sand concrete mix presented on the modern market is formed from 3 main components. This is, first of all, Portland cement plus sand of various fraction serves as a filler. Also, various additives are necessarily present, the composition of which is determined depending on the purpose and operating conditions of the poured array.

Important: now the quality of this material is regulated by GOST 7473-94. Marking indicates, above all, the rate of solidification, it is also possible to determine which fraction of sand was used in the filler. The brands from M150 to M500 are produced, the most demanded in this line in terms of price / quality ratio is the brand of sand concrete M300.

Material advantages

Since this mixture contains components with a fine fraction, the final product is dense and homogeneous.

• This is one of the few materials that, under certain conditions, does not require additional reinforcement.
• Peskobetonnaya mixture, created in the factory, contains anti-shrink additives, as a result, the shrinkage ratio of the solution is close to zero.
• There is a wide range of high-quality domestic blends on the market of our country, the price of which compares favorably with foreign competitors.
• Detailed instructions for use are on each package, in addition, with a strong desire, this mixture can be prepared with your own hands.
• In the trade network there are many varieties of this material, depending on the presence in the composition of certain additives, you can choose a mixture with high frost resistance, elasticity, or other desired characteristics.

Scope of use

This composition received the widest recognition when pouring a concrete screed.

Instructions for the production of work is so simple that this type of casting is used everywhere, both by professionals and amateurs.

• On this mortar perfectly lay brickwork.
• With it, they often connect or, as experts say, monolithic reinforced structures.
• Some types of foundation preferably fill this mixture. Peskobeton for the foundation is selected with high density and frost resistance.

The details of the arrangement screed

As mentioned earlier, most often the mixture is used to fill a concrete screed in rooms for various purposes, so we will talk about the characteristics of the mixture, based on this direction.

Preparation and markup

Often the screed is settled on the already prepared concrete base. As a rule, these are reinforced concrete floor slabs or rough concrete screed.

The base must be prepared in advance, the garbage is removed, and it is advisable to knock loose loose layers.

Tip: if the base has significant differences in height, we advise them to pre-level the concrete brand M200 - M300. Since in this case the consumption of sand concrete per 1 m2 will be excessively high and the cost of pouring will be high.

• After harvesting, you need to apply 2 layers of deep penetration to the base, it is advisable to take the soil with waterproofing characteristics. When the ground is dry, the perimeter of the room, as well as all the joints and cracks need to be smeared with sealing mastic, this is especially important for high-rise buildings. A compensatory damping tape is mounted along the perimeter.
• The most convenient way to do the markup using a laser level, but if it is not there, then it is quite possible to do with a liquid level that works as communicating vessels.
• The laser level will immediately highlight the desired horizon, if the horizon hits the liquid level, then at first it is better to draw a horizontal line at a height convenient for your growth. After that, with the help of a ruler and roulette, the horizontal line is lowered to the desired level.

How much will the mixture

When the average fill thickness is known, it will be useful to calculate the sand concrete, but experts recommend, even if it seems to you that all the calculations are correct, it is better to take the material with a margin of about 10%.

• Naturally, each company producing this mixture has its own instructions, but on average, the consumption of sand concrete per square meter is approximately 20 kg with a fill thickness of 1 cm. From here, by simple arithmetic, you can derive the total amount of material.

Important: if we are talking about the foundation, then it is better to know how many bags of sand concrete are in a cube. Packaging can be in bags from 20 to 100 kg, but it is important to remember that the filling 1m? solution will need about 750kg of dry mix.

• Also in the calculations it should be noted that the minimum thickness of the screed at the highest point of the base should not be less than 7 mm.

Installation of beacons

Beacons are metal T-shaped strips that are installed for easy installation of the screed.

• Many people advise you to immediately put the beacons on the cement-sand mortar or alabaster cakes, but it is more convenient to first make holes in the floor, insert dowels and screw the screws in or out by turning them horizontally. After this, the beacon is fixed with a solution.
• The average distance between beacons should be 100 - 150 mm of the rule already used. The bar is fixed in 300 mm increments. After the solution is ready, it is laid out between the lighthouses and, based on the rule, level the tie plate.

Let's talk about the solution

The question of how to breed sandstone is not idle. Of great importance is the amount of water in the solution.

Most often it is about 160 - 180g per kilogram of the mixture.

• The fact is that the cement will take as much water as needed, the remaining volume will remain in the solution and after drying will leave behind micro-voids, which will reduce all the characteristics of the monolith by an order of magnitude..

• With a significant thickness of the screed, the mass must be reinforced from the inside, it can be a metal mesh or fiberglass mesh. But now when pouring a thin screed or underfloor heating, sandblast with fiberglass is used. Such a mixture reinforces itself.

Tip: a fiber-reinforced mixture is better to take the factory one, since when self-prepared there is a high probability of a mistake in the proportions, this will cause the screed to crumble.

• In view of the fact that this composition is a cement-sand mixture, many risk cooking it with their own hands, sometimes quite successfully.. In fact, the classic proportions of sand concrete is 1: 3, but here the quality of the components and the mixing technology are of great importance.
• For the preparation of this mixture is used Portland cement. For private construction, the brand M300 - M500 is taken. There is also the M600 brand, but its price is high, plus such high performance is simply superfluous. For screeds, usually taken M400 or M500.
• Sand is recommended to use clean, sifted, without admixture of clay. According to GOST 8736-93, the size of the grains of sand should be in the range of 0.3 - 0.5 mm. In some cases, when arranging the screeds of more than 30 mm in thickness, embeddings of granite chips into the sand are allowed. This significantly increases the frost resistance and the level of abrasion of the monolith.

• If, as a rule, everything is clear with sand and cement, then the amount and composition of additives most often become a stumbling block.. There is a rather large assortment of this product on the market, but when buying several types we advise you to pay attention to their compatibility. Or immediately take a complex supplement.
• Many craftsmen are trying to use available tools to improve the desired characteristics.. So as not to add an excessive amount of water, the fluidity and density of sand concrete, can be increased with the help of detergent for dishes.
• It is assumed that PVA glue will increase the elasticity and speed of setting, and liquid potash glass is added during the installation of structures in wet rooms. The amount of additives should not exceed 2% of the total amount of cement. But we do not vouch for the quality of these recipes, so if you are afraid to make a mistake, buy a finished product.

Tip: when preparing a solution, do not hope that you can evenly mix the composition manually. Better use a concrete mixer or a mixing nozzle. And do not forget that these compounds should be developed within 2 hours.

On the video in this article you can see some of the subtleties of installation.

Conclusion

В завершении стоит еще раз отметить, что пескобетон является достаточно универсальной смесью. Но, несмотря на выверенную технологию и качественные присадки, специалисты не рекомендуют приступать к финишной облицовке поверхности ранее 28 суток с момента заливки (читайте также статью «Что такое пескобетон: основные понятия и особенности»).