Calculation of the mixture on the floor screed

Probably, it will not be news for anyone that a perfectly flat surface is required for laying the finishing coating, which is created by pouring mortar and leveling it. In order not to overpay for it, you must first calculate the mixture for the floor screed, which we will discuss in this article.

Choosing a brand of cement

Before making calculations, you need to decide on the choice of material, because manufacturers recommend different brands for use in certain areas.

Experts recommend to adhere to the following rules:

1. The first thing you need to take into account when choosing - this is what kind of finishing coating will be used on the floor. For example, for porcelain stoneware, the screed must be made of the highest quality cement or mixture.
2. The second nuance - permeability. For example, the material used for public institutions is not suitable for pouring floors in a residential apartment.

Note! As a rule, coming to the store you can ask the seller about the purpose of the mixture or read the recommendations on the package.

For general information, you can give options in which areas you can use a certain type of cement.

• M200 - more suitable for residential premises and apartments.
• M300 - better to use in stores and office spaces.
• M400 is a material with increased hardness, it is used in areas with high traffic and high load on the coating.

Mix preparation option

There are no special tricks, everything is quite simple and does not take much time.

1. A certain amount of water is poured into the prepared container.
2. After that, dry mix or cement with sand is poured (the recommended proportion is 1: 4).
3. All components are mixed using a drill with a special nozzle.
4. The finished mixture is left for a few minutes, after which it must be mixed again before pouring.

Note! In order for the mixture to turn out to be of better quality, the sand must be used sifted.

Formula calculation

With the choice of material, everything is clear, but just before you prepare the mixture for floor screed, you need to make the calculations of the required amount. First of all, this affects the fill area and its height.

Take, for example, a room in 40 m? with the required layer height of 0.05 m. The formula for the calculation is as follows: 40 m? multiplied by the height of 0.05 m, and it turns out 2 m? mixes.

Note! When calculating, keep in mind that the mixture is kneaded according to a 4: 1 ratio (sand: cement).

By adhering to this formula, it is possible to calculate the mixture consumption for any room.

Fill technology

With the calculation and preparation of the mixture, everything is clear, now we need to talk about the rules of work. There are no difficulties in this process, the main thing is to adhere to the technology and, for reliability, perform work with a partner.

• You need to start with a thorough cleaning of the surface, removing dirt and dust.
• Then marking of future coating thickness marks is carried out. 

Note! Remember, in the place where the height difference will not allow you to perform a coupler thicker than 8 mm, it must be processed. Because with a smaller pouring thickness, the screed will crumble.

• Further beacons are mounted, which can be used as guides.
• After there is an installation of intermediate elements. To do this, between the base profile is stretched nylon thread.
• The last step is to check the joints of the floor with the walls. If there are cracks, then they need to be sealed with plaster.
• Before pouring, the surface must be moistened with water so that the screed will not peel off when it dries.

Note! In some cases, priming is carried out.

• The solution is poured from the far corner of the room and aligned with the rule according to the established beacons.

Fill recommendations

• Level the screed with smooth movements from the walls to the center.
• So that before pouring the mixture there are no breaks, it is better if one person conducts leveling, and another person mixes the solution.
• When the entire surface is filled, it must be covered with film. This is necessary so that dust does not fall on the wet screed.
• The next day, after filling the floor, the lighthouses are removed, and traces of them are removed by pouring a portion of the mortar and grouting it with a special trowel.

If you correctly perform the calculations of the mixture, you can save your money and energy on the work on pouring the floor.

Video

This video shows how to make a sand-concrete screed, the consumption of which depends on the thickness of the fill: