Fire Safety Encyclopedia

How to make a mortar for pouring a floor screed. How to make a floor screed solution - theory, practice, examples. How to make cement mortar

Floor screed is most often performed in order to level its surface. In addition, it is performed in the manufacture of underfloor heating, hydro and sound insulation.

The solution can be prepared mechanically or manually. At construction sites, special equipment is used for cooking: pneumatic blowers and mortar pumps.

The quality of the floor (including warm floor) directly depends on the quality of the screed. This work requires careful adherence to all parameters of the technology used. Preparation requires the utmost attention. Currently, there are ready-made compositions on the building materials market for performing underfloor heating screed. But if you want to save money, you can prepare such a solution yourself.

In order to prepare a high-quality solution for underfloor heating screed, it is necessary to thoroughly knead all the necessary components, strictly observing the established proportions.

Components used

Table: constituents and their proportions in various grades of concrete.

  1. Cement. Most often, the brand PC-500D0 is used.
  2. Construction sand. Washed sand of natural moisture is used. The use of river sand is not allowed. The reason is that the shape of the river sand is more regular and round. As a result, due to the absence of irregularities on the surface of the grains of sand, adhesion deteriorates, which can subsequently lead to the destruction of the solution after hardening.
  3. Polypropylene fiber. The material is designed to reduce the plastic shrinkage of the screed, to reduce the drainage of water from the solution. It increases the strength of the screed and increases its service life. If you prepare a solution using this component, then cracks on the finished surface are practically not formed. This is especially important in the manufacture of underfloor heating, as cracks and air voids contribute to overheating.
  4. Plasticizer. Its use promotes better mixing due to a decrease in its viscosity. You can buy it in the building materials market in dry or liquid form. Liquid is directly added to the solution, and dry must first be diluted with water. The use of a plasticizer increases the life of the mortar up to 8-12 hours.
  5. Water.

Quantitative ratio

Table: the effect of additives on the strength and setting time of screeds.

The proportions may vary depending on the purpose of the room where it is laid. If the permeability is very intense, then it should be 3: 1. That is, 1 part of cement is added to 3 parts of sand. In this case, the strength of the screed is guaranteed to you. Do not try to reduce the proportion of sand, this will lead to cracking and rapid destruction of the finished surface. If you plan to fill the floor in a dwelling with a low load, then it is enough to prepare a solution, taking a ratio of sand and cement 4: 1, respectively.

For each cubic m of the finished solution, 600-900 g of fiber is added. The required amount of plasticizer depends on its type and manufacturer. It is usually indicated on the original packaging. Cooking using this technology requires the addition of 15 liters of water for every 50 kg of cement.

Cooking methods

The solution can be prepared both manually and mechanically. Currently, special pneumatic blowers and mortar pumps are used at construction sites. A ready-made working mixture is obtained by adding all the necessary components to the receiving tank and mixing them thoroughly. There are devices that independently conduct electronic dosage of all components. It is enough to enter all the necessary proportions using the control panel and start the mechanism.

Fiber is a polypropylene fiber used for semi-dry floor screed.

If it is necessary to perform a screed for a warm floor in a separate living room of a small area and there is no concrete mixer available, then you can prepare the solution manually. To do this, use a special pallet and a shovel.

At first glance, the proportions of concrete in a floor screed are the lightest that can be. But this is not the case, since proportions are of the utmost importance in work. If you mix the materials incorrectly, then you can easily turn all further fuss into a waste of money and labor. That is why the floor screed in construction is actually the most crucial stage, and its quality will directly affect the quality of the floor in the future.

Why are proportions so important?

In finishing works, there is a certain unspoken rule informing that each new layer applied should be as strong as the previous one, or weaker. But this rule applies more to Western builders, in the post-Soviet space, on the other hand, almost no one has heard of it. But you can always study the characteristics of foreign building materials, test them, so to speak, after which you will clearly see the correctness of this judgment.

The floor covering today is literally teeming with variety: all kinds of tiles, putty, plaster, just eyes run up ... But it is characteristic for them that they are bought ready-made and you, it turns out, will not be able to find out about their strength, about how much cement was added to them during manufacture. Moreover, there are various chemical additives designed to increase the strength of the material. But nevertheless, it is cement that plays the main role in this. When manufactured at the plant, the amount of cement will always be the same, they will not save on this, and the indicated strength will exactly correspond to the actual one.

About the strength of the screed

The compressive strength of the majority of adhesives is indicated on the packaging and amounts to ten 10 MPa. With regard to concrete, the closest to this indicator will be the M 150 grade, in which the MPA is approximately 12.8. In the future, when we deduce the proportions for the concrete solution, we will focus on the "fiftieth" cement. What do we get? And it turns out that the solution will be somewhat stronger than the mentioned glue, and this, as we know, fully corresponds to the law that the next layer should be weaker than the previous one.

Nevertheless, there is one small "but" that can easily cross out everything that we have said. If we calculate the binder, then the basis will be our "four hundredth" cement. In this case, one should take into account the fact that literally every month the solution will lose up to 1/10 of its strength, this is important.

We also add that when drawing up certain proportions, people take ideal conditions, that is, when sand, for example, contains a minimum amount of clay. In no case should you forget about this, since during the manufacturing process, clay tends to envelop a grain of sand, thereby reducing its adhesion, as a result - reduced strength. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to give any specific figures. What to do in this case? It's simple: we increase the percentage of cement in the solution by twenty percent, and also reduce the amount of liquid, of course, if all this is possible.

I would also like to note that the durability of the concrete coating, as well as its quality, depends not so much on the materials used, so much on the correct observance of all the relevant proportions. It is in this way that problems such as moisture, heat or sound insulation, surface leveling, communication systems and much more can be solved. DSP is a mixture of sand and cement, which is often used for floor screed. It is quite easy to prepare them yourself, but for this, we repeat, we must know all the necessary proportions. Figuratively speaking, the numbers in such proportions depend mainly on the planned load on the floor, the higher it is, the more cement should be in the solution (especially for industrial premises and large stores). In addition to all this, there are other factors that affect certain proportions:

factors affecting certain proportions:

  1. First of all, this is such a thing as surface leveling.
  2. Further - raising the floor surface, whether it is planned or not.
  3. Is it necessary to hide all kinds of pipelines, as well as communication systems.
  4. Finally, it is a question of distributing the load across all layers of thermal and sound insulation.

How does cement compare to screed sand

This proportion may be different, it depends mostly on the brand of cement. So:

  • If the solution is "weaving", and the cement is "three hundred", then the proportion will be one to three.
  • For the "three hundredth" cement and the "hundred and fiftieth" mortar, this will already be two to one.
  • Solution "two hundred" and cement "three hundred" should be in the same amount.
  • The "fiftieth" mortar with "four hundredth" cement is three to one.
  • "Dvuhsotka" with the same cement - two to one.
  • But the "three hundredth" solution with the same cement should also be in equal quantities.
  • The "two hundredth" solution with the "five hundredth" cement will be one to three.
  • A solution of "three hundred" with the same cement is already two to one.
  • And, finally, the "two-hundredth" solution with the "six-hundredth" cement is four to one.
  • But already "three hundredth" with the same cement - three to one.

If you plan to screed the floor in a house or apartment, it is recommended to use the "fiftieth" or "two hundredth" solution.

How is a floor screed calculated?

So, next we need to calculate how much and what kind of material we need for the floor screed. To do this, we will take, for example, a room with an area of ​​thirty-five square meters, and the thickness of the screed will be, for example, five centimeters.

It turns out the following calculation: 0.5 multiplied by 35 square meters, it turns out that 1.75 cubic meters of concrete is required. The proportions of sand and cement will be approximately three to one. Thus, we need 0.44 cubic meters of cement for work, and 1.31 cubic meters of sand, respectively.

If we make all the necessary calculations, then we will find out that to screed a room with an area of ​​thirty-five squares, we need a total of 620 kilograms of cement mortar. But that's not all.

Who does not know, remember that in the process of preparing a concrete solution, the mixture has one unpleasant feature - its volume gradually decreases. This can be explained very simply: the aggregate, which has sufficiently small particles, penetrates into the voids of the concrete solution and fills them, hence the decrease in volume. Therefore, if you use one cubic meter of dry mixture, then it will turn out, with good layouts, no more than 0.7 cubic meters of ready-made solution. So if you need to prepare one cubic meter of solution, then you need to take a little more dry matter, with a margin, so to speak.

About the types of filler and their purpose

The aggregate is large, it is used mainly for the production of heavy concrete (we would include gravel, crushed stone, etc.). There is also a fine aggregate that can only be used during the preparation of ordinary concrete. As far as we all know, sand is used in construction almost everywhere, and the preparation of concrete mortar is no exception. Sand is called fine aggregate because its grains of sand are rather miniature. But the sand itself can be fine, medium or even coarse. That's all with that. Actually, already at this stage you have all the necessary data and formulas to calculate the correct proportions. But we don't end there.

What is better for screed floor: DSP or concrete?

This question torments many, which is better, cement-sand mixtures or good old concrete? The practice of experienced builders will answer us. They unanimously say that for a thin layer of screed it is better to use a mixture of sand and cement, but for a thick one (the thickness of which will exceed four centimeters), it is desirable to use traditional concrete, since it will not crack.

But there is one more thing. The fact is that if concrete is mixed with expanded clay, then we will get an excellent heat insulator, and if with crushed stone - but the future coating will be able to withstand simply colossal loads (the whole point is that crushed stone has excellent adhesion to cement).

In addition, concrete should be chosen in a number of other cases:

  1. When the bud mixture is poured directly onto the ground.
  2. When in the end we do get a monolithic base.
  3. And when the surface is leveled in order to make a decorative coating.

Conclusion

What else would you like to add in the end? First of all, this is the fact that even with a minimal set of tools (to which I would include a shovel or, in extreme cases, a scoop, a special measuring container, which will serve as an excellent regular bucket) and a calculator, you can easily calculate the correct proportions and make a cement-sand mixture or traditional concrete in order to fill the floor. Moreover, on the World Wide Web, if you wish, you can find a lot of tables, graphs, electronic calculators, as well as a number of other useful proportioning components, up to reference books. So everything, as they say, is in your hands.

Video - how to prepare a floor screed solution and find the necessary proportions

The leveling of the floor can be carried out with the help of laid structures or by pouring a monolithic screed. The second method allows you to obtain the most durable surface that can withstand furniture rearrangement, flooring and intense abrasion (in reception areas, lobbies, hallways).

The wear resistance and durability of the floor depends on the choice of screed components and the scheme for preparing the solution. Therefore, this article will talk about how and in what proportions to make cement and other types, according to what recipe, composition it is better to prepare and how to apply.

There are two main types of solutions, differing in the nature of the main binder - or.

  • Cement mixtures are versatile and can be used in any type of room, however they tend to shrink and have a long hardening period.
  • Gypsum compositions most often used to create thin, quick-drying screeds that do not shrink, but are sensitive to moisture. The ingredients for preparing gypsum mixes are usually sold ready-to-use and only require mixing with water to achieve the required viscosity and flow properties.

Cement slurries can be prepared independently from the original components or use a pre-mixed and prepackaged mixture. To save money, solutions are often prepared by hand, purchasing the ingredients separately. To obtain a high-quality and durable cement-based screed, you will need:

  • (about 0.5 mm), sifted from debris and small rocks;
  • clean running water;
  • plasticizer for cement screed;
  • reinforcing polymer fiber.

Cement, sand and water are essential components of any cement-sand screed. The addition of plasticizer and fiber improves the performance properties of the surface and increases its durability.

When pouring thin screeds (less than 30 mm), it may be necessary to additionally lay a reinforcing mesh, which excludes the development of cracks during drying and shrinkage.

How to make a floor screed solution, in what proportions, will be described below.

The video below will tell you about the preparation of materials and premises for pouring the floor screed:

Recipe and proportions of floor screed mortar

Among the common compositions, there are cement-sand (sometimes called cement or wet) and semi-dry mixtures-mortars for floor screed.

Cement-sand

Laying a conventional mortar is the simplest, therefore, it is more common in the production of a screed. Such "wet" solutions have the simplest possible composition and do not require the introduction of additional ingredients during preparation. The proportions of the components of the mixture are 1 part of cement to 3-4 parts of sand.

  • The amount of water is selected in such a way that the cobbled lump from the resulting solution, when thrown onto the floor, is deformed, but does not dissolve completely. Initially, the proportion of water is not set, since the moisture content of the sand can vary significantly depending on the batch and storage conditions.
  • To increase the strength of a solid screed, fiber is introduced into its composition in an amount of 0.5 to 1 kg per 1 m 3 of the prepared mixture. The optimum plasticizer content varies and depends on the type of mortar and the manufacturer's recommendations.

Semi-dry

In the case of a semi-dry screed, the floor surface must be further leveled to ensure smoothness. Although the process of laying such mixtures is more complicated, they are in demand due to their practicality. Semi-dry formulations do not lead to leaks to the lower floors and have a shorter setting time.

In the technology of semi-dry mortars, the most widely used materials are based on a cement binder. The ratio of cement: sand in most formulations is 1: 3. Water is added to the solution until it looks like wet sand, which retains its shape when squeezed, but does not release moisture.

In semi-dry mixtures, plasticizers and fiberglass are necessarily added. The amount of plasticizer is different for different brands and manufacturers. The share of fiber is about 0.1% (about 800-900 g per 1 m 3 of the finished solution).

We will talk further about the preparation of cement and other mortars for floor screed with our own hands.

The video below will tell you how to prepare a semi-dry mortar for floor screed:

Cooking process

The mixing and preparation of the mixture is the same for all cement-based formulations. Cooking can be carried out in metal basins or night troughs, although it is much more convenient and practical to use a concrete mixer with a manual or electric drive. How to fill the mixing container:

  • first, sand is poured, which in all variations for floor screed is contained in a much larger amount than other components;
  • after the sand, cement is added to the mixer;
  • in the still dry mixture, a plasticizer (powder) and fiber are introduced.

The dry components of the solution are mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained, into which water is poured in small portions. Thereafter, the plasticizer can be added in the form of a viscous suspension (either a liquid or powder plasticizer should be used). After reaching the required consistency, the mixture is stirred for 3-5 minutes so that the residues of the dry solution on the inner walls of the mixer are saturated with moisture and used as intended.

The selection of components and the process of preparing the mixture are no less important when leveling the floor than the direct process of pouring. Before work, it is advisable to stock up on a concrete mixer and pay attention to the quality of the purchased components. The sand should be free of inclusions and small debris, and the cement should be free of small adhering lumps and seals. Separately, we talk about.

The process of preparing a cement-sand mortar for a floor screed is presented in the video below:

Even in newly commissioned houses, the quality of the floors rarely meets the requirements defined by the relevant standards. Moreover, if the owners have been living in their home for more than a year. It makes no sense to talk about how the condition of the flooring affects the appearance of the entire room.

Finishing always begins with the process of cleaning the surface down to the base material and leveling it as much as possible. There are 2 methods for this - "dry" and "wet". The latter is suitable for any room, regardless of the microclimate in it, the specifics of operation, and implies the preparation of a mixture for the screed from various components.

Any leveling layer must ensure the same density of the mass over the entire area of ​​its laying, the uniformity of pouring the solution and the required strength of the coating after its final drying, and without the appearance of defects in the form of cracks, chips, shells. The specific properties of screeds are primarily determined by the material used as a binder.

Characteristics of solutions

1. Cement

It is on them that individual developers most often choose when deciding what kind of solution is needed for floor screed. They are considered more versatile and have practically no restrictions in their use. However, such mixtures also have drawbacks, which, if the work technology is not followed, turn into big problems.

If the "kneading" is done poorly, then in the process of moisture evaporation, the surface is covered with cracks. This is especially noticeable if the screed is relatively thin (2 - 3 cm). The specificity of laying such layers is that it is necessary to reinforce them. In addition, it takes quite a lot of time to completely dry - from 20 days or more, depending on the thickness and microclimate in the room.

2. Anhydride

Plaster is used as a binder. Such solutions dry out relatively quickly (a day or two) and are characterized by an almost complete absence of shrinkage, which makes them indispensable for laying thin screeds. But they are not used for leveling floors in rooms with above average humidity.

In addition, given the quick setting of such screeds, these compositions have other limitations in installation. They are impractical to use when pouring large areas or thick layers. It is more convenient to work with them in small rooms, especially when there is a shortage of time.

Screed mortar proportions

Since the most popular are mixtures using cement, we will consider the technology for their preparation. It will not be possible to absolutely accurately maintain the fractional ratio of the components during self-mixing, therefore, in practice, they are guided by its approximate density (within 1 600 - 1 800 kg / m 3).

All calculations begin with determining the volume of the screed (the product of its thickness and the pouring area). Based on this, the required weight of the mixture is calculated. But this is without taking into account the filler. Therefore, its mass must be subtracted from the result obtained.

Cement and mortar brands are not the same thing. Because of this, a banal substitution of concepts often occurs. Various grades of binder can be used to prepare the screed mixture.

What to consider

For cement, the date of production is a very important indicator. After six months of storage, it can lose up to 1/3 of its qualities (much depends on the conditions). Therefore, all the above proportions of the solution imply the use of "fresh" products made no more than 3 months ago.

Solution

Cement (kg / m 3)

M300 M400 M500
M100 380 210 250
M150 510 390 330
M200 480 400
M300 600 500

Cement in its pure form is not used for screeds. Its mixture with sand (the so-called sand concrete) is used - 1 to 3. You can bring the average consumption of materials for 1 m 3 - 1,350 kg of sand and 450 kg (9 standard bags) of cement.

Features of the cultivation of dry mixtures

This process differs from the usual preparation of concrete mortar.

  • All components are mixed first. The more carefully this is done, the better the screed will turn out.
  • Water is poured into a separate container. By quantity - about 1/3 of the weight of the binder. If necessary, a plasticizer is also added there.
  • The mixture is poured into the water, but only in parts. After adding the next portion, high-quality mixing is performed. The solution should be of medium thickness. Excessive amount of moisture after it evaporates will lead to screed "subsidence" and cracks.

The solution for a warm floor has its own specifics. Such a screed should solve 2 main tasks - to protect the line from mechanical damage and to ensure the maximum level of heat transfer from the pipes to the room. Therefore, you need to focus on the following (optimal) parameters of the stacked mass:

  • the excess of the layer over the pipes is at least 5 cm;
  • total screed thickness - no more than 15 cm.

To increase the strength of the leveling coating, it is recommended to use the following fillers - granite chips, pebbles or crushed stone of fine fractions.

It is advisable to prepare a solution with expanded clay for screed if it is necessary to make the floors warmer. For example, on the ground floors, especially if there is a basement. Quite often, such a filler is used in order to reduce the load from the screed on the interfloor floors or to insulate the ceiling. For example, in the case of installing a leveling layer in the attic floor.

But at the same time, select the optimal ratio of the components of the mixture, since the introduction of only expanded clay into the composition sharply reduces the strength characteristics of the screed. Therefore, by weight, it should not exceed ½ of the total mass of the solution. In the process of preparing it, you will have to intelligently combine this filler with any other.

Screed price

When self-manufacturing a mixture, it is easy to determine, knowing the cost of materials and their required consumption (depending on the pouring area and layer thickness). But in many cases it is more convenient to work either with ready-made formulations, or to buy a solution. There will be no need to free up space for storing components (sand, cement, crushed stone or something else), and there will not be much dirt. This is especially true when renovating in an apartment or arranging a screed in one of the rooms of the building.

The table shows the approximate prices for the corresponding materials in the Moscow region. It is worth considering that their spread, even for the same type of product, is impressive, since the cost largely depends on the country of origin and the properties of a particular mixture.

Ready-made cement mortars (grade) Price (rub / m 3) Dry mixes

Price (rub / pack)

M100 2 150
M150 2 280 M150 from 105 (50 kg)
M200 2 600 M200 from 145 (40 kg)
M300 from 150 - 545 (50 kg)

Useful Tips

  • When deciding how to prepare a do-it-yourself mortar for floor screed, you need to take into account that the most expensive component is cement. To reduce its consumption and reduce the cost of the leveling layer, the proportion of filler in the mixture should be increased to 55 - 60%.
  • To make the mortar more plastic, PVA can be added to the screed mixture. Approximate consumption of glue is from 5 to 20 l / m 3.
  • When purchasing a ready-made mixture, you should not be guided only by its price. An important indicator is the recommended consumption of the composition per unit area. In some cases, the total cost of purchasing cheap products may exceed the cost of a leveling layer from a more expensive analogue.
  • Experts do not recommend taking solutions of grade below M150 for screed in rooms with high traffic of people.

It is difficult to make a high-quality batch by hand. Therefore, it is advisable to mechanize this process. For example, use an electric drill (with an appropriate butterfly attachment) or a mixer (construction).

In order for the finishing flooring to serve as long and efficiently as possible, before equipping it, it is necessary to properly prepare the base: the surface should not have grooves, protrusions and horizontal drops. The screed allows the fulfillment of the listed requirements.

If desired, you can handle all the necessary measures for pouring the floor screed on your own. However, before starting the work under consideration, it is necessary not only to understand the procedure for preparing the solution, but also to study the nuances of determining its optimal composition, depending on the place of application and other significant parameters.

The process of preparing a floor screed solution is reduced to thorough mixing of certain components in established proportions. The most versatile and often used are cement-based mixtures: they are not afraid of moisture, which allows you to fill in such solutions in any room.

The main disadvantage of cement mortars is the tendency to shrinkage, which has rather high rates. Therefore, if the mortar is poorly mixed and laid in a thin layer, the surface is likely to be covered with cracks. In order to prevent cracking, the screed is performed using a reinforcing mesh. In addition, special strengthening components can be included in the composition of the solution.

The composition of the cement screed for the floor is shown in the following table.

Table. The composition of the floor screed solution

ComponentFunctions
CementIt is the basis of the composition for floor screed. Responsible for the strength and other significant performance characteristics of the fill.
SandAs a rule, thoroughly washed construction sand is used. Serves as a fine placeholder. It is categorically not recommended to use river sand - the screed will be of extremely low quality.
Polypropylene fiberThe use of this component maximizes the quality of the screed. The material helps to reduce the severity of the main disadvantage of cement compositions - plastic shrinkage. In addition, the fiber increases the strength and durability of the screed.
Professional builders strongly recommend the use of polypropylene fiber for the preparation of screeds. Although this will lead to some increase in the cost of work, the surface with almost 100% probability will not be covered with cracks.
PlasticizerPromotes an increase in the plasticity of the finished mixture, which makes it possible to lay the screed with less water and increases the available period of application of the mixture to an average of 8-12 hours.
Water

When choosing the proportions of the mortar for the screed, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the operation of the room in which the finishing work will be carried out. For example, if the floor will be subjected to intense loads and strong mechanical stress, it is recommended to take 1 part of cement and 3 parts of sand to prepare the solution. With this ratio, the screed will be strong and reliable enough.

In general, the composition of the mixture can be adjusted by decreasing or increasing the proportion of one or another component. But it is important to know that with a decrease in the sand content, the strength of the screed will also decrease - such a coating will quickly become covered with cracks, lose its performance and collapse.

The screed may crack if there is too little or too much sand in the mix.

For residential premises with low to medium loads, mortars consisting of 1 part cement and 4 parts sand are usually used. The amount of other components is selected in a practical way until a mixture of normal working density is obtained or in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturers. Such a composition allows you to obtain a fairly high-quality solution for laying screed. At the same time, it is also impossible to add too much sand to the mixture, because because of this, the strength characteristics of the coating will be violated and the fill will quickly collapse.

As for the reinforcing fiber, it is added in an amount of about 0.6-0.9 kg per 1 m3 of the finished solution. The required proportion of the plasticizer should be specified on an individual basis - manufacturers provide this information in the instructions for their products. Water, if you adhere to the given proportions of other components, will need to be added in an amount of about 15 liters for every 50 kg of cement.

In addition to cement screeds, special gypsum solutions are often used. As a rule, they are used to eliminate small irregularities in conditions when there is no time to wait for the complete hardening of the cement screed. Anhydrite mixtures can be laid in a thin layer, and they dry on average in 1-3 days, which greatly facilitates and speeds up the working process. The only limitation: gypsum screeds are not suitable for use in rooms with high air humidity.

If desired, both cement and gypsum compositions can be purchased ready-made, with all the necessary plasticizers and other additives. Often, manufacturers add special modifiers to their mixtures that improve various properties of the screed, for example, increase its fluidity and help facilitate the laying process. However, under any circumstances, you will have to spend more money to buy a ready-made mixture than to purchase the starting components separately and prepare the solution yourself.

The choice of proportions depending on the brand of raw materials and finished composition

When determining the optimal composition of the mortar for the screed, you must, first of all, be guided by the indicator of the brand of cement, as well as the required grade of the finished mortar - the larger the last indicator, the stronger and more durable the screed will be. Information regarding these points is shown in the following table.

Table. Screed mortar proportions

Cement usedMain Ingredient Content
600 1 part of cement, 3 parts of sand300
600 1 part of cement, 4 parts of sand200
500 1 part of cement, 2 parts of sand300
500 1 part of cement, 3 parts of sand200
400 equal proportions of cement and sand300
400 1 part of cement, 3 parts of sand150
300 equal proportions of sand and cement200
300 1 part of cement, 3 parts of sand100

Important! For pouring the screed, it is strongly not recommended to use a solution of a grade lower than M150 - it may not withstand. In most cases, a mixture of the M200 brand is used in home construction.

Calculation and preparation of the solution

When calculating the required amount of mortar for pouring the screed, follow the sequence below:

  • determine the required volume of the building mixture. To do this, measure the floor area and multiply the resulting value by the thickness of the layer to be equipped. For example, your floor area is 30 m2 and you are pouring a screed with a thickness of 7 cm. In this case, you will need: 30x0.07 = 2.1 m3 of mortar;
  • determine the right amount of cement and sand. For example, you prefer a mixture containing 1 part cement and 3 parts sand. In this example, you will need approximately 0.53 m3 of cement and 1.57 m3 of sand. A cubic meter of cement weighs approximately 1.3 tons. Therefore, you will need: 1.3x0.53 = 690 kg of cement.

The above calculation will help you determine the right amount of ingredients for pouring the screed in a particular room.

Having calculated and purchased the required amount of ingredients, proceed to the preparation of the screed solution, remembering that the mixing of dry and liquid components should be carried out in different containers.

The solution is prepared in the following order:

  • cement is mixed with sand according to the selected proportions. Mixing should be as thorough as possible. You can do this manually, but it is better to use special accessories, for example, a drill with an appropriate attachment or a construction mixer;
  • in another clean container, water and the selected plasticizer are mixed. Specify the amount of plasticizer in the manufacturer's instructions. On average, about 190-200 g of plasticizer is consumed per 50 kg of cement. Water is usually added in the amount of 1/3 of the weight of the cement. Reinforcing fiber is added at the request of the user;

    Pour dry components into a container with liquid

The solution is ready. The mixture will be quite viscous. It is more difficult to apply than liquid formulations, but the likelihood of cracking in this case is significantly reduced.

You can start pouring the screed. To prevent the solution from cracking during the drying process, experts recommend regularly wetting the surface with water.

Now you know what is the composition of the floor screed mortar and how to properly prepare the mortar for leveling the base. Follow the recommendations received, observe the provisions of the screed laying technology, and you will get the highest quality, even, monolithic and durable surface.

Happy work!

Video - The composition of the floor screed solution

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