Screed floor with expanded clay

Among the technologies that are used in the production of floor installation in dwellings, there are several. One of the most common is the production of concrete screed. This option is great as a base for any floor covering.

Note! The concrete mix has a very significant weight, and if the planned thickness of the screed is more than 10 cm, then the load exerted on the ceiling may exceed the allowable one.

The way out of this situation is a floor screed with expanded clay, which not only significantly reduces the overall weight of the coating, but also has a number of other positive properties.

When to apply

For the most complete understanding of the essence of the process, it is necessary to say a few words about when it is recommended to resort to its implementation.

• As mentioned above, the tie with expanded clay is carried out when the total layer of the proposed tie is more than 10 cm. The weight reduction of the tie due to expanded clay is due to the peculiarities of its structure. For its manufacture, special clay is used, which, when roasting, acquires porosity.

• Also with the help of screed with expanded clay, you can solve the issue of sound insulation of the room, thanks to the same porosity of the material.

• Another reason for the manufacture of such a screed is the installation of a heated floor system.

• It should be said that the placement under the screed of other communications also serves as a reason to think about expanded clay screed.

Speaking about the expanded clay floor screed, you need to add a few words about the expanded clay, as the material. It is meant that on sale it is possible to meet its three main types. Differences due to the size of the fractions. It is possible to distinguish expanded clay sand, gravel and crushed stone. To achieve the best properties of the screed, it is recommended to use their mixture, although in some cases only one is suitable. It should be remembered that as the particle size decreases, the coating weight will increase.

The process of making screed

Like most of the work, floor screed with claydite can be entrusted to specialists, and you can do it yourself. In general, the process in question is not technologically complex, however, it requires known labor costs.

1. The first thing to do before starting work, in addition to purchasing the necessary materials, is to prepare the surface. If there is an old coating, then it must be dismantled, and in the case of new buildings, the surface intended for the screed must be leveled and cleaned as much as possible from debris and other contaminants.
2. Next, you need to determine and mark the level of the future sex. It is most convenient to do this with a laser level. As a guide can serve as the lower part of the doorway. It should be borne in mind that in most cases the screed serves as the basis for any floor covering that has a certain thickness.
3. The next step is the installation of waterproofing. For this purpose, various rolled materials from ruberoid to thick polyethylene are used. At the same time, it must be remembered that the strips of material must overlap at least 15–20 cm. The joints should be additionally glued with tape.
4. Now it is possible to proceed to the installation of so-called beacons - guides, with the help of which a coupler will be held. For these purposes, it is convenient to use metal profile rails. They must be installed on special mounds that need to be made from thick sand-cement mortar.
5. When the beacons are made, you can pour a layer of expanded clay. The material evenly crumbles over the entire surface, assumed to be a screed, after which it needs to be leveled. The thickness of the expanded clay layer should not reach 2–3 cm to the level of lighthouses.
6. Then, in order to improve the adhesion with the coupler, the expanded clay is poured with a liquid solution of sand and cement mixed in a ratio of 1–3 and diluted with water to a liquid consistency. The resulting solution of claydite is watered over the entire surface, after which it must be left for a day for the mixture to solidify.
7. Then you can proceed to the production of the screed. For this it is necessary to prepare a cement-sand mortar. You can either mix the cement with sand in a ratio of 1–3, or use a ready-made mixture, which must be diluted with water and mixed thoroughly until a smooth consistency of sour cream is obtained. The resulting solution needs to fill the space between two adjacent laths - beacons, after which, using a special rule, which can be used, for example, a metal pipe, the surface will be screed.
8. After the production of screed over the entire surface of the floor, it must be left to dry the solution. Depending on the temperature conditions and humidity, this time may vary, but on average it is about a month. It is worth mentioning that when the solution hardens so that it will be possible to walk on it, the beacons are removed, and the remaining space from them is filled with a solution.
9. A month later, when the screed completely hardens, you can lay the floor covering. On this floor screed with expanded clay can be considered complete.

It is worth saying that the above works can be carried out in a slightly different way. To do this, at the stage of mixing the solution in it enter the clay in equal proportions. If necessary, you can add water to ensure that all components, especially expanded clay, are well soaked. The resulting mixture is evenly distributed between the beacons, and is made tie.

Note! It is advisable to use a concrete mix based on haydite only when the thickness of the intended screed is no more than 10 cm.

Among other things, you can also find special mixes with expanded clay for the production of self-leveling floors. In the case of their use, the mixture is simply diluted with water in accordance with the instructions, after which a screed is produced, over which the leveling mixture is poured.

You can also mention the method, which is sometimes called the method of dry screed. To do this, finely divided clay is selected, which is uniformly poured on the surface and compacted. Gypsum fiber sheets are installed on top of such a screed, and any floor covering can already be mounted on it.

Rules of work

It is worth saying that no matter what method of performing work on the floor screed with expanded clay will be selected, there are certain rules that must be observed.

• The thicker the screed layer, the larger the fraction of the material should be.

• If we are talking about holding screed on the first floor of a city apartment or in a private house, then a layer of waterproofing is required.

• To achieve the best quality characteristics of the base, it is recommended to use claydite mixture with different size fractions. This will achieve the optimum ratio of weight and density of the coating.

• When carrying out work, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the thicker the claydite layer is, the better the thermal and noise insulation of the floor will be, but the coating will be less durable. If the clay is part of the mixture itself, which is made screed, it is optimal when the clay is 50% of the total mass of the solution.

• To achieve the best indicators of the strength of the screed, you can add special plasticizers that will prevent the formation of cracks over time.

Video

This video shows how a floor screed with expanded clay was made in the kitchen: