Each floor covering is laid on a base that meets specific requirements. As for laminate, the main requirements for the base are rigidity and evenness. Not always even new concrete plates meet such requirements that we can’t even talk about old floors or wooden bases. But thanks to the screed, even the most uneven floor can be prepared for laying laminate flooring. This is the only way you can be sure that the flooring will last a long time.

Requirements for a subfloor under laminate

Before laying laminate flooring, you need to prepare the base. It should be different:

• rigidity and evenness (for every two meters, a height difference of no more than 2 mm is allowed);
• there should be no holes, holes, potholes on the surface of the base;
• small irregularities (up to 2 mm) can be easily eliminated by placing a special backing made of cork or polyethylene foam under the laminated boards;

Important: you cannot use several layers of substrate in the hope of leveling out significant defects in the base.

• the optimal thickness of the screed for laminate is 4 cm (for a relatively flat base, it is permissible to use a smaller layer of self-leveling mixtures);
• if the leveling is carried out using a heat- or sound-insulating material, the mortar layer must be reinforced;
• in some cases, the screed is laid on a layer of insulating material placed on the walls. This is necessary to prevent the concrete from absorbing moisture from the base or premature dehydration of the screed on hygroscopic bases, for example, wood.

Why is it so important to level the floor under the laminate? It's all about the locking connection of the laminated boards. This is the most vulnerable place. When laying the product on an uneven base, the locks quickly wear out and break. When laying boards on an uneven base with your floor covering the following may happen:

• the boards will wear out quickly;
• the ends will begin to stick out;
• under load the floor will creak or pop;
• the joints between individual elements may stick out, causing the floor to become covered with waves;
• will break locking connections and the boards will come apart.

To avoid all these problems, you need a screed under the laminate. It will level the base, give the floor the necessary rigidity, evenly distribute the load, help hide communications and perform the functions of sound and heat insulation.

Choosing a laminate leveling method

To level a concrete or wooden floor, you can use several types of screed:

• cement-sand (connected and not connected to the base, floating);
• dry;
• self-leveling composition;
• semi-dry floor screed.

It is better to level a wooden floor with a floating reinforced layer or do a preliminary leveling with plywood, and then pour in a self-leveling compound.

For cement-sand screed, a solution of a grade of at least 75 is used. Sand and cement are mixed in a ratio of 3:1. The composition should have a thick consistency, so it will be stronger. Using this solution, it is better to level a concrete floor with a height difference of 3 to 5 cm. Sometimes, under the laminate on top of the cement layer, it is necessary to make final leveling using a self-leveling composition.

Ready-made self-leveling mixtures can be used to install screeds with a height of 0.5 to 3 cm. To level the floor under the laminate using the ready-made mixture, you simply need to add water to the dry composition in the proportion indicated on the package. There are rough leveling mixtures, on top of which it is necessary to lay a finishing self-leveling solution, and more expensive universal formulations, which allows you to make both a screed and a smooth one at the same time finishing layer for laying laminate.

If you plan to make a heated floor, then it is better to use a semi-dry screed for leveling. Essentially it's the same cement composition only with less water content. Due to this, the leveling layer is less susceptible to shrinkage and is protected from the formation of cracks and temperature changes.

If the floor structure is unreliable and the unevenness of the base is significant, then it is impossible to make a thick, heavy cement screed. In this case it applies dry leveling. To do this, insulating material is laid on the base, beacons are installed on it and granular backfill is poured. Sheets of plywood, chipboard, OSB or GVL are laid on top and attached to the guide beacons. There is no need to do additional leveling of this floor. It is suitable for laying laminate flooring.

Preparing the base

Before leveling, any foundation must be prepared. To prepare a concrete floor you need to do the following:

1. First, you should clean the base from debris, dust and loose parts of concrete.
2. All cracks and crevices are widened with a grinder, cleaned, primed and sealed with mortar.
3. To perform a bonded screed, the concrete floor must be primed. If you decide to make a floating screed, then you do not need to use a primer.

To prepare a wooden floor for leveling, do the following:

1. All boards and joists are inspected. Rotten and damaged boards are replaced with new ones. Sometimes the joists need to be replaced or strengthened.
2. Wooden base elements must be treated with antiseptics.
3. All cracks on the floor are carefully puttied.
4. The surface is primed with a moisture-resistant compound in two layers.
5. Insulating material (polyethylene film) is laid and placed on the walls.

Cement-sand screed for laminate

To level a concrete floor under a laminate using cement screed, the work is performed in the following sequence:

1. After preparing the base and breaking down the finished floor level, beacons are installed on the walls of the room. They are leveled. Drywall profiles, slats, boards or pipes can be used as beacons. The pitch of the beacons from the wall is 30 cm, between each other - a meter or along the length of the rule.

Tip: beacons can be laid on mortar piles or attached to the base with self-tapping screws. The latter option cannot be used when installing screeds over insulating material.

1. Along the perimeter of the room, a damper tape is attached to the walls, protecting the screed from deformation damage. Its height should be 2 cm greater than the thickness of the screed.
2. The prepared solution is placed between the beacons so that it slightly exceeds their level. Then the mixture is leveled using the beacon rule (see video).
3. Every other day, the beacons are removed from the screed, and their recesses are primed and sealed with fresh mortar, and the surface is rubbed down. The semi-dry screed hardens in 3-4 hours.
4. During the first week, the drying screed must be moistened with water to protect it from drying out. Also, to ensure uniform evaporation of moisture, the surface is covered with plastic film first 4 days.

Video instructions for performing cement leveling for laying laminate:

Self-leveling screed

By using ready-made compositions you can level a wooden or concrete floor for laying laminated boards. Just keep in mind that the unevenness of the base should not exceed 3 cm. The work is carried out in this order:

1. After preparing and priming the concrete base, prepare the mixture by adding water to the dry composition according to the proportion indicated on the packaging. The wooden floor is prepared as indicated above and covered with plastic film.
2. The mixture is poured onto the base and leveled using a needle roller. In principle, beacons are not needed to fill a self-leveling composition, but professionals sometimes perform pouring according to benchmarks (see video).
3. After 3-4 days you can walk on the screed. Make sure the leveling layer is completely dry before laying the laminate. To do this, place and press a paper napkin to the floor surface for a day. If it remains dry, you can lay the flooring.

Video on pouring self-leveling mixture:

Dry screed

To level and prepare very uneven floors and bases on dilapidated floors for laminate installation, it is better to use a dry screed. It is done in this order:

1. Wooden or concrete base cover with plastic film, placing it on the walls of the room. The joints of the film are taped with tape.
2. Then the beacons are installed. It is better to fix the guides on the mortar piles so as not to damage the insulating material. All beacons are set according to level.
3. Granular material is poured between the guides and leveled as a rule. You can use expanded clay sand or small crushed stone (see video).
4. Then sheets of plywood, OSB, gypsum fiber board or chipboard are laid on top. They are attached to the guides using self-tapping screws.
5. This screed is quite smooth, so finishing leveling is not required. The laminate is laid on a special backing made of cork or polyethylene foam.

You will need

• - dry mixture (“Vetonit”, “Osnovit”, etc.);
• - kit construction tools(hammer, trowel, grater, etc.);
• - electric drill with mixing attachment;
• - rule (a long, even strip for leveling the surface);
• - guiding beacons (markers);
• - hydraulic level or flexible hose replacing it;
• - container for diluting the mixture.

Instructions

Prepare the base of the floor for laying the screed. To do this, clean it of loose fragments of concrete, dust and dirt. Putty the cracks and prime the surface with any suitable primer. The result of preparing the base should be a relatively flat and sealed surface. The latter is necessary so that the base does not absorb moisture from the mixture, which can lead to a decrease in the quality of the screed.

Mark the finished floor level on the walls (surface a). To do this, first set the finished floor level point in one place - at the level of the previous floor, at the bottom edge of the doors, or at the floor level in other rooms. Then, using this point as a starting point, use a hydraulic level or flexible hose to establish corresponding points in all corners of the room. Use a cord to connect these points with a straight line on all walls.

From the existing floor level line, measure down in the corners of the room distances equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the laminate and underlay. Connect the resulting points with straight lines. These lines will indicate the level of the screed surface.

Install guide beacons (markers). The distance of the beacons from the wall should be about 200 mm, from each other - 1-2 m. The easiest way to install markers is on piles of thick mortar. The working (top) edge of the markers should be flush with the bottom line on the walls. This is achieved by pressing the markers into the solution or adding solution if the marker drops below the required level. After installing all the beacons, you need to give time (several hours depending on the brand of the solution) for the solution to harden.

Mix the screed solution. Pour the dry mixture into a container, add a strictly defined (according to the instructions) amount of water and mix the mixture with an electric drill with a mixing attachment. The solution must be mixed thoroughly.

Pour the prepared mixture between two guide beacons, level it with a trowel or scraper, ensuring it flows into secluded places under the markers. If necessary, tamp the mixture so that no voids form in it. The final leveling of the screed is carried out using a rule, the lower edge of which slides along the guide beacons during leveling. The hardening time of the screed depends on the brand of dry mixture. In the instructions you can find out all the time parameters - the time when you can step on the screed and the time of full readiness.

Video on the topic

Hard, clean, dry and always level - these are the requirements for the base for installation laminated coating. Unfortunately, despite the numerous efforts of manufacturers, many craftsmen still do not know how necessary it is to level the floor for laminate flooring.

According to the requirements of all manufacturers of hard flooring, including laminate and parquet board, the supporting layer must comply with the conditions of the instructions and SP 29.13330.2011/SNiP 2.03.13-88. In particular, the basis must be:

• Tough and durable. That is, the floor should not bend or collapse under a force of 15 MPa or more.
• Clean - dust-free, free from traces of bitumen, glue, old paint and other coatings, soot, etc.
• Dry. For cement-sand and concrete screeds, the coefficient of residual moisture should not exceed 5%, anhydrite - 1.5%, wood and wood-containing screeds - 12%. If the above indicators are observed, changes in the geometric dimensions of subfloors are minimal. Even with sudden changes in temperature and humidity.
• Smooth and monolithic. Acceptable level unevenness - no more than 2 mm for every 2 meters of surface. The base should be virtually smooth, without pits or tubercles, sagging or cracks.

Checking the evenness of the base.

As practice shows, it is the last condition that is violated most often. Check the evenness of mineral and wooden floors not difficult. It is much more difficult to correct a deficiency. But why level the floor in an apartment, house, office or store under laminate? The answer is simple - for long-lasting coating service. Any defects under the flooring are a source of constant creaking, crunching and crackling, as well as rapid destruction of locks and slabs.

Manufacturers of construction and finishing materials have developed many optimal schemes to eliminate unevenness, dips, drops, distortions, cracks and other foundation defects. Namely:

The advantage of mineral screeds is high compressive and shear strength and improved density. In addition, they can be used in rooms with normal and high humidity in combination with waterproofing materials. The layer thickness varies from 1 to 100 mm, that is, this series is suitable for eliminating and minor irregularities, and significant differences. The disadvantages are a decent mass (with the exception of those based on perlite, etc.), a labor-intensive process and long term drying – from 7 to 28 days.

Prefabricated load-bearing layers allow you to level the floor under the laminate with your own hands in 1-3 days. This is the most convenient and quick way eliminating base defects with a layer of 20 mm. The finished dry screed weighs much less than mineral screed, and the finishing material can be laid immediately, without a technological break of 2-5 weeks. The downside is that this guy rough coating not recommended for wet rooms, and the strength does not exceed 15 MPa.

It would be useful to mention sound insulation. The laminated coating is laid in a “floating” way, that is, without bonding to the base. For this and some other reasons flooring material gives resonance to shock and airborne (sound) noise. Therefore, it is recommended to lay a noise-dissipating or noise-reducing layer of vibroacoustic membranes, elastic polymer boards, fiber mats, frame systems with gypsum fiber board and other similar materials under a solid or prefabricated screed. The range of similar floor products is wide, selection optimal option It's better to trust a specialist.

Leveling a concrete floor

The concrete base is universal. It can be used to work with any existing composition or complex. Therefore, depending on the type of defects, the following alignment techniques are used:

Grinding

If the surface has minor bumps, sagging, or drops, then you can choose the fastest, but dustiest, smoothing method - grinding. To do this, use sandpaper on hand grater or professional grinding machines, often bundled with construction vacuum cleaners.

The units can be rented, but you will have to buy components (abrasive wheels, cup attachments for stone and concrete, a respirator, safety glasses). Or hire specialists with their own equipment.

Partial leveling with repair mixtures

To fill cracks, potholes, local depressions, as well as to create slopes on balconies or terraces, it is not necessary to re-form a thin- or medium-layer screed. Use special compounds called repair compounds. These are dry mixtures based on cement/gypsum binder, ready-made pastes or polymer filling compounds, the main difference of which is the following properties:

• rapid strength gain;
• small processing area or layer thickness;
• short drying time - from 1 hour to 3 days.

When choosing products, keep in mind that the compositions can be universal (for interior and exterior use) and intended exclusively for indoor use. According to the manufacturers, they are suitable for any finishing coat in residential and commercial buildings.

Concrete screed

By screed layer we mean top part subfloor structures on which absolutely any finishing coating can be mounted, from ceramics to laminate. The screed is intended for:

• creating a flat, possibly smooth surface;
• ensuring static and dynamic strength of the structure;
• uniform distribution of deformation loads on underlying layers or supports;
• formation of the required slopes.

Mineral screeds are characterized by the same density of the entire layer and a compressive strength of 150 kg/cm² or more. The surface should not have cracks, sagging, chips or other defects. The thickness varies from 3 to 10 cm depending on specific conditions (type of base base, presence of communications or floor heating systems, type of reinforcement, etc.).

Screed layers are made from:

• industrial dry mixtures. Ready-made pulp and paper packaged in bags of 25-50 kg are convenient to use. They are sealed with water or polymer dispersions.
• cement-sand mortar, made independently. To do this, you will need cement of a grade not lower than M400, fine-grained quartz sand in an approximate proportion of 1:3 (by weight). The composition is added pure water approximately 0.45 or 0.55 liters per 1 kg of binder. The finished mass should be homogeneous, gray, brands at least 150-200.
• concrete. Foam concrete of a category not lower than B3.5 (ρ=600-1000 kg/m³), light masses such as expanded clay concrete, perlite concrete of a class not lower than 5.0 (ρ≥1300 kg/m³), as well as standard concrete of class B15 (corresponds to M200) are used. . Screeds made from cellular and lightweight concrete masses are characterized by porosity and high thermal insulation properties. In contrast, classic concrete gives less shrinkage and a more durable layer.

Mineral floor screed is formed in 5 stages:

The optimal drying time for the screed is at least 28 days, regardless of the thickness of the layer.

Self-leveling floors

They are dry industrial mixtures consisting of binders, fillers, and modifying additives. Available in a wide range and include:

• Thin-layer levelers, working in layers from 0 to 30 mm. They are characterized by a high degree of spreadability and a minimum drying time of up to 5 days;
• Finishing thin- and medium-layer compositions designed to form a smooth and even floor up to 60 mm thick for laying laminate, parquet, linoleum. Drying period – up to 14 days;
• Basic or universal mixtures for primary leveling in a layer of up to 100 mm. They are used both indoors and outdoors. After 14-21 days, the surface is ready for installation of the laminate.

For the weak load-bearing structures Lightweight mixtures are produced in which the quartz filler is replaced with crushed perlite, expanded clay, etc.

It is not difficult to form a floor from self-leveling compounds: the mixture must be mixed with water and, if possible, quickly applied by hand or mechanized way onto the prepared base, lightly level and roll with a needle roller to deaerate.

Rough self-leveling mixtures are often confused with self-leveling decorative floors. The first are dry compositions based on cement or gypsum, the second are polymer (polyurethane, epoxy, methyl methacrylate) liquid or semi-liquid compositions intended for the formation of so-called 3D coatings.

In fact, it is a prefabricated deck made of sheet durable materials, fixed to concrete floor using self-tapping screws or on a frame support. Such designs are irreplaceable if:

• It is necessary to avoid “wet” processes;
• It is necessary to speed up the work;
• It is required to significantly raise the level of the load-bearing layer (adjustable floors) or smooth out differences.

There are many design options. Let's list the main ones:

Bulk

This is a structure, the bottom layer of which is a backfill of expanded clay, expanded perlite mass, quartz or silica sand, fine-grained slag and other inorganic bulk materials with a maximum particle size modulus of 2-5 mm, humidity not more than 1%. Instead of non-metallic filler, you can use slabs of EPS, mineral wool or polystyrene foam (PSB-35 or 50) tightly laid next to each other.

Dry screed on a bulk basis.

The top layer is formed from durable sheets of gypsum fiber board, chipboard, OSB or plywood. It is best to use Knauf-Superfloor with a 50 mm mounting rebate, tongue-and-groove chipboard from QuickDeck, etc.

The minimum thickness of the backfill screed is 40 mm, and the maximum is 100 mm. This type of subfloor is suitable for both slab and beam floors(monolithic, prefabricated, etc.).

Frame

In fact, this is a well-known floor on joists. Installed on a concrete base by level wooden slats or metal profiles at intervals of no more than 40-50 cm, insulation is placed in the “windows” if desired. Sheets of plywood, chipboard and others are fixed on top of the frame similar materials.

Adjustable

The floor is labor-intensive to make, but useful for new construction or renovation. Wooden logs or sheets of plywood rest on threaded fastening and supporting elements screwed into them: post rods, post bolts, anchors, etc. The height position of the supports varies due to the rotation of the bolt around its axis. The level of the rack is fixed with a dowel-nail or a special stop, which does not allow the structure to be adjusted.

The principle of adjustable floor.

Hard

This is the simplest load-bearing layer to make, allowing you to level the concrete base and increase its heat-insulating properties. On a cleaned and primed floor using hardware, " liquid nails"or polymer glue, sheets of plywood, gypsum fiber board, chipboard and other similar materials are fixed in 1-2 layers. Optimal thickness flooring – 12-24 mm.

The choice of method depends on financial opportunities and the condition of the underlying concrete foundation. It is best to invite a specialist who will determine the necessary parameters and offer options for eliminating deficiencies with detailed cost calculations.

How to level a wooden floor

If you plan to install laminated parquet on plank flooring, then you need to check each plank. The floor elements must sit firmly, evenly and tightly to each other. A base that meets these criteria does not require additional preparation.

But if there are noticeable differences, unevenness and other imperfections, then the following technologies are used for leveling:

Any of the above leveling methods allows you to create a smooth, strong and reliable base for the laminate. Of course, the work will require some skills and knowledge, so if you are not confident in your abilities, turn to professionals.

Advice! If you need repairmen, there is a very convenient service for selecting them. Just submit in the form below detailed description work that needs to be done and offers will be sent to your email with prices ranging from construction crews and companies. You can see reviews about each of them and photographs with examples of work. It's FREE and there's no obligation.

How to properly make a screed for laminate flooring?

To install laminate you need careful preparation installation base, which allows for better elimination of all irregularities. the most reliable, it is suitable for surfaces with level differences of up to 60 mm. When preparing the surface, floor screed under laminate can be done dry or “wet” method.

The difference between the two technologies is as follows: when performing a dry screed, all existing uneven surfaces of the base base are covered with a special construction mixture of expanded clay sand (or other dry mixtures). Special gypsum floor slabs are laid on top of the backfill.

• “Wet” (so-called floating) technology involves pouring the mixture directly on the base floor surface. In this case, additional waterproofing or heat-insulating mixtures are most often used.
• The dry method - screeding a floor under a laminate is more appropriate when laying a laminated flooring over floors made of old plank flooring. The old board covering is carefully sanded, which creates a more even base, and the work of laying the screed will not take much time.

Wet screed for laminate flooring

According to the standards, the surface for laying laminate should not have differences of more than 3 mm per meter. When performing a “wet” floor screed under a laminate, today self-leveling building mixtures are often used, which facilitate the entire process of preparing the base. A reinforcing fiberglass mesh is used for leveling. The floor is pouring out in small areas and leveled using a special perforated roller or wide spatula. After drying, the surface is sanded. The next question is: how long does it take for laminate flooring to dry? The drying time of the layer depends on the composition of the dry mixture used and starts from two weeks; laying the laminate begins after the layer has gained more than 50 percent strength.

Dry screed for laminate flooring

The dry method does not require diluting the mixtures with water, which reduces the formation of dust and dirt when installing the subfloor. Floor screed under laminate can be done using different materials. The base is made of gypsum fiber sheets (GVL) laid on a leveling layer of dry backfill. A polyethylene film is laid on the concrete base, and on the old wood covering cover special paper. Next, expanded clay sand is poured and leveled, on which the gypsum plasterboard elements are laid in rows. This ensures a displacement of the end joints of the gypsum fiber boards in adjacent rows from 250 mm. In progress laying GVL The folds of the mating elements are fastened using special screws. Between the rows of gypsum fiber boards, glue is applied to ensure the integrity and tightness of the entire structure. When laying laminate, plywood can be laid on the solid floor.

Durable and high-quality will be the key to long-term operation of the laminate flooring. When performing work, strict adherence to technology is necessary so that there is no need for repair or alteration of the screed later. Our specialists will complete everything in a short time necessary work, which will exclude extra costs Money, nerves and time of the customer.

When buying an apartment in a new building, every owner will certainly want to renovate it. This is due to the fact that new houses are often put into operation without finishing works. In addition, even if your apartment was sold with finishing, its quality can rarely be called decent, so in such a room you have to redo a lot.

In apartments located in houses old building, floor leveling, a pressing issue for their owners. This is due to the fact that in panel houses built several decades ago, under concrete screed laid as insulation mineral wool or other similar insulation material. And over time, under the influence of loads, the cement-sand screed sagged and cracks formed on it.

IN ordinary apartments furniture is most often located along the walls, so the most trampled place is the center of the room. The subsidence of the screed in this place can reach ten centimeters, which makes life in such an apartment uncomfortable, and the floor itself looks ugly. Therefore, in such apartments, as in many new buildings, you also have to level the floor before you start laying the flooring, be it linoleum, parquet, tiles or the now popular laminate.

If the apartment owner has sufficient knowledge and experience, then you can level the floor for laying laminate yourself in just one day. If you doubt your abilities, then it is better to contact a specialized company that will professionally perform screeding under the laminate. But it often happens that after purchasing an apartment, there is no longer enough money to attract specialists to carry out repairs, so you have to figure out a lot on your own. This article will help you better understand the technology of leveling the floor using a screed for laying laminate flooring.

Leveling the floor is the most important part of the work when laying flooring, especially laminate, and this process begins with the installation of a screed.

The screed can perform several quite important functions for your home:

• Level the floor, and you can’t do without it if you want to install flooring and significantly extend its service life.
• Make the base of the floor sufficiently rigid.
• Evenly distribute the load from walking and furniture onto the layers below.
• Disguise communications, pipes, electric wires etc.
• Create sound and heat insulation for your floor.

The screed can be performed several times various materials, for example, expanded clay concrete, lightweight concrete, special self-leveling mixture, gypsum mixture, cement and sand mortar.

If there is a need to save on materials, the screed device can be made from several different layers. For example, the main layer can be made of cement-sand mortar, and upper layer made from a self-leveling mixture, which is excellent for laying laminate flooring.

But, before you start installing the screed, it is necessary to perform a number of preparatory work.

Preparatory work for the screed

Begin preparatory work for installing a screed to free the room from furniture and other objects that will interfere with the process. You must make the room completely empty. Next stage preparation means getting rid of the baseboards; they need to be torn down. The same must be done with old flooring, tiles, linoleum, etc. To install the screed, you need to clear the base of the floor down to the concrete slab.

Then you need to clean the base of the floor from small debris, greasy stains, old putty, paint and dust, it is best to use a vacuum cleaner for this. After the base has been vacuumed, it must be wiped with a damp cloth, this way you will get rid of dust much more effectively.

After cleaning the surface, it is necessary to mark the horizon line of the future screed on the walls of the room. This can be done using water or laser level. Screed level marks should be every two meters, they must be connected by a line using the rule. The thickness of the screed should not be less than three or four centimeters, otherwise it will be too thin and begin to crack.

It is also necessary to check whether the protrusions of the base will be below the horizon of the future screed. To check, you can use a painting cord or fishing line that is stretched from one corner of the room to the other. If the protrusions are small, they must be leveled using a hammer drill.

The next stage of preparing the base is applying a special primer to the surface. deep penetration, for example, brands such as “CERESIT ST-17”, “TM Triora”, “Acryl Grundierung”, “CERESIT MOMENT”, etc. It is these primers that will allow the cement-sand screed to adhere most efficiently to the base. For a room with an area of ​​16-18 square meters About 10 liters of primer will be needed.

It is necessary to lay bitumen or waterproofing tape along the entire perimeter of the walls; this is necessary to create waterproofing of the floor. When performing this work, it is important to take into account that the tape should protrude 15 centimeters from the level of the finished floor.

Then you need to install beacons. To do this, you need to pull the cords, based on the floor level, which will imitate the height of the final floor. It is necessary to place beacons at the height of these cords, which are fixed with cement-sand mortar. The distance between beacons directly depends on the length of the rule used, but, as a rule, average length distance is two meters.

An important stage in installing a screed under a laminate is preparing a cement-sand mortar. For this you will need: 1 part cement, 3 parts sand and water.

How to prepare a solution for screed:

• Take three parts of sand.
• Add one part of cement to the sand.
• Add water to the mixture, stirring constantly until the desired consistency is achieved.

You can make the cement-sand mortar more durable using construction lime paste.

Tools for screed installation:

• A construction mixer, hammer drill or drill with a special attachment for stirring the solution.
• Container for preparing the solution, you can use a bucket with a volume of 15 liters (but you can do without a container, in this case the solution is placed directly on the base of the floor).
• Rule for leveling mortar with a length of 1.5 meters.
• Two spatulas for leveling the mortar and filling holes from beacons, 10 and 40 centimeters wide.
• Metal beacons.
• Brush or roller for applying primer to the base.
• Level.

Ready mixes

To install a screed under a laminate, you can use not only a self-prepared cement-sand mortar, but also special ready-made mixtures sold in construction stores, for example “SM-10”, “SM-11”, “SM-12”, “Tink-10”, etc.

Part ready-made mixtures The screed consists of not only cement and fine purified sand, but also polymer and mineral additives. Using building mixtures, the question of installing a screed in one day becomes simpler.

If the difference in height of the base in the center of the room is 8-10 centimeters, then it can take about 35 bags of construction mixture to create a screed under the laminate.

Screed device for laminate flooring

The installation of the screed begins with the preparation of a cement-sand mortar and its distribution over the entire surface of the floor. In this case, the excess solution is usually leveled according to the level of the beacons. It is worth noting that the solution must be laid starting from the far wall of the room.

About 30 minutes after the solution has been laid on the base, the screed must be rubbed using trowels. This must be done until the surface of the screed becomes smooth and rough.

When installing a screed, it is important to take into account one strict rule - all work must be completed in one day. Extending the work period can significantly reduce the quality of the future screed.

In the next three days after laying the screed, its surface must be moistened with water, this reduces the appearance of cracks. After three days, you can remove the beacons. The holes formed after removing the beacons must be treated with a primer and rubbed with a solution. After this, the screed must be covered with plastic film, on top of which pour sand moistened with water. This structure should be left for 10 days, and as the sand dries, it will need to be moistened.

After ten days, the film with sand must be removed and the screed left for another 15 days to completely dry. Only after 28 days have passed from the date of installation of the screed will it be possible to begin laying the laminate.

The semi-dry screed technology is ideal for preparing the base for laying laminate flooring; it dries faster than cement-sand screed, made using the “wet” method. And the Express Screed company will complete the installation of a semi-dry screed in just one day, regardless of the area of ​​the room.

High-quality and fast installation of semi-dry floor screed
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