Increasingly popular among residentsA relatively new technology of laying floors and floor coverings, called floating floors, is becoming popular in apartment buildings. Its peculiarity is that the actual floor layer is not connected to the base and walls of the room.
Self-leveling floors are very populardue to its impact resistance and relative cheapness. This provides it with a number of advantages over a conventional concrete screed subfloor for flooring:
When installing a floating floor in an apartmentSound insulation indicators for household and impact noise increase by 50% compared to a concrete screed laid on the floor between floors. The effect is achieved thanks to a layer of porous materials placed between the walls, the floor and the floor itself. Maintenance of floating coverings is no different from regular apartment cleaning.
Preparatory work and necessary materials
Floor screed diagram.Preparing the base for a floating floor involves leveling the surface of the floor slabs to a height difference of no more than 2 mm over a distance of 2 m. You can check for a difference and measure its size using a 2 m long building level, laying it on the surface of the slab. If necessary, the base is leveled by applying a thin layer of screed until the desired indicators are achieved. Individual defects (cracks, bulges, potholes, etc.) are determined using a long, even strip, which is placed on the surface and the presence of a gap between it and the base is used to judge the presence of irregularities. After detection, the depressions are filled with cement-sand mortar, and the bulges are removed with a grinder. Such careful preparation is especially necessary when installing prefabricated floors. An insufficiently leveled base leads to deformations of the floor covering and its premature wear. To install a floating floor with your own hands, you need to prepare materials and tools:
Scheme of the screed pouring process.
- cement and sand for solution preparation;
- heat-insulating material (mineral wool, expanded clay, expanded polystyrene, roll cork or penoizol);
- steam or moisture insulating material;
- damping (compensating) tape;
- substrate for the finish coat;
- coating (laminate, cork, etc.);
- plinth;
- construction level;
- rule;
- a container for mixing concrete or a concrete mixer;
- wooden kiyank, hammer, measuring tools.
When choosing a dry installation method, materials forIt is advisable to keep the base and coating in the conditions of the room where the repair will be carried out for 3-4 days. During installation, it is recommended to maintain the temperature at about 15-20°C and carry out work at low air humidity. Return to contents</a>
Floating floor installation technology in various ways
The installation can be done in several waysmethods. Depending on the layers that make up the floating floor pie, dry and concrete screeds, prefabricated and cork versions are distinguished. The general principles of installation and placement of layers are approximately the same. Return to contents</a>Wooden or cork option To makeDo-it-yourself floating floor made of wood materials (laminate, parquet, board, etc.) and cork, requires a minimum amount of materials and time for installation. Elements of laminate or parquet flooring are laid on a thin substrate such as penoizol or pressed roll cork 2-5 mm thick. The connection of the flooring parts is made using the tongue-and-groove method with glue.
Cork flooring installation diagram.In a more complex version of such a floor, a construction waterproofing film or polyethylene should be laid over the thermal insulation so that its edges slightly overlap the surface of the walls. Chipboard, plywood or similar sheet material is laid over the insulation, creating a strong, even base for the finishing coating. After this, proceed to laying laminate boards or cork panels, leaving gaps between the edges of the first board and the wall of at least 10 mm. To maintain the gap when laying the next rows, several wedges-spacers of the appropriate thickness are inserted between the wall and the first board. You can use a damper tape, gluing it to the wall for fixation. The installation of the starting board near the doorway is carried out as follows:
Such measures allow for a careful combinationthe outermost board with the door frame and the wall near the opening. The next row is laid, applying glue to the top of the ridge and the bottom of the groove. When joining the elements, you need to lightly tap the outer side of the board or cork panel with a wooden mallet or hammer through a spacer made of a board so as not to damage the edge of the element. Excess glue should be removed immediately with a damp sponge or rag. Return to the table of contents</a>Dry screed for floating floor The method of laying using bulk materials increases the heat and sound insulation properties of the structure. The installation stages are as follows:
Dry floor screed diagram.
It should be noted that the layerssheet material must be laid with an offset relative to each other so that the joints between the slabs of the lower and upper layers do not coincide. Return to contents</a>Floating floor with concrete screed This optionSuitable for rooms with a high load on the floor covering or conditions with high humidity (garage, bathroom, etc.). To prevent water leaks to the neighbors below, before laying the concrete floating floor, a layer of waterproofing is placed on the base with an overlap of the material on the walls. A heat-insulating layer of polystyrene foam or mineral wool is placed on top of it, which is covered with a second waterproofing layer. A damper tape is attached to the walls and they proceed to the installation of a concrete screed:
After pouring, the screed must be completely hardened.To do this, leave it for 5-7 days, occasionally wetting the surface with water. Any coating can be laid on the concrete screed, depending on the purpose of the room. A decorative plinth is fixed on top of the coating along the perimeter of the room. A general requirement for a floating floor of any type is the presence of a gap between it, the base and the walls. It is the lack of connection between these elements that gives soundproofing properties and prevents deformation during thermal expansion and shrinkage of the building.</ ul>
