Warm floor is a special system thatprovides heating and comfort in the house. The basis of such a system is the installation of special electric heating cables or pipes with a heat carrier, which are filled with cement screed after checking the functionality.
Scheme for installation of electric underfloor heating.It is not that difficult, but it is necessary to strictly observe all the features of this process, choose a high-quality mixture for pouring. Most often, ordinary cement mortar is used, it is laid out in 2 layers - rough preparatory and finishing, which is poured after the installation of the system and its connection.
Screeds for warm floor
Before pouring the heated floor, it is necessaryimmediately decide how many layers are needed. Everything depends on the condition of the base. Sometimes it is necessary to provide a rough screed. The thickness of such a layer is only up to 5 cm, the pouring itself is necessary to level the surface, make it suitable for installing a heating system.
Scheme of a warm floor with a concrete screed.The second fill layer is called finishing. It is a thicker screed, which is poured directly onto the installed heating system and is the base for laying the floor covering. The thickness of this layer is greater, it can reach 10 cm, but it is necessary to pay attention to the choice of the mixture and how the heat will be distributed. Usually, manufacturers of underfloor heating systems give recommendations on the thickness of the screed, since a layer that is too thin or thick will poorly conduct and retain heat. In the first case, the system can be accidentally damaged. You can use a regular concrete mix for pouring or use a semi-dry one, which is distinguished by its quality. It is more practical and convenient. It requires much less water, and the hardening speed is fast. The strength of the resulting fill is high. The composition of the semi-dry screed includes not only concrete and screenings, but also fiber, polymers, which make the work simple and fast. The laying process is no different from the usual one, the mixture is distributed over the surface in the same way, leveled. Beacons and markings are used for the work, and the walls around the perimeter must be finished with damper tape. Return to contents</a>Rough fill and its features
Tie schemes.To fill the floor with your own hands, you first need to do a rough finish, i.e. fill with the first leveling layer. This will make the floor not only smooth and suitable for installing a heating system, but also provide the necessary conditions for its rigidity. Before starting the rough fill, it is necessary to plaster the walls around the perimeter, install a special damper tape. The fill is done with a layer of 5 cm maximum, but the floor should be perfectly smooth. For this, markings and special beacons are used. You can immediately carry out work on insulating the base and its waterproofing, here everything depends on the characteristics of the base floor. For pouring, an ordinary cement-sand mixture is used, but you can buy special semi-dry screeds in stores, which have excellent qualities. Return to the table of contents</a>
Concrete for finishing
The final filling of the heated floor is carried out,when the system is checked, and for a water floor it is also necessary to fill it with a coolant. During finishing pouring, special temperature gaps are provided, but this is only required for large rooms. The seam is not so difficult to make, it is only necessary to cut grooves to a depth of 3-4 cm. This can be done with a diamond disk. Penofol - foamed polyethylene - is placed in the resulting slot, after which the seam is sealed with a silicone-based sealant from above. Finish pouring of the warm floor is carried out with a concrete mixture, it must meet all density requirements. It is important to choose the right concrete grade for the work, in this case only M150-300 is suitable. In this case, M150 is used for residential premises, and M300 - for industrial ones.
Devices for floor screeding.Many people believe that additives for the mixture will help increase strength and improve characteristics, but in fact, such ingredients are not always needed to fill a warm floor. You can do without them, this will save on the installation of the screed, but will not affect the quality in any way. Filling can also be done with a cement-sand composition, but this is not the best option. For finishing pouring, it is best to use special concrete with fine screenings, it turns out to be much stronger and more durable, the floor does not crack after drying. To fill the floor, you need to use special compositions for preparing the mixture:
You can use ready-made mixtures, whichsold dry, you just need to add water. A construction mixer is used for mixing, the composition itself includes plasticizers to facilitate mixing. Return to contents</a>
Filling conditions for the floor
Filling of water heated floors.For a warm floor, the pouring is carried out in compliance with certain conditions that have a certain impact on the quality. For the rough first pouring, the screed thickness should be up to 5 cm. This is quite enough to ensure the floor is leveled and the required strength of the heating system itself. For a clean finishing pouring, the thickness can already be completely different, usually it is 5-10 cm. The parameters depend on the purpose of the room. For example, 5-7 cm is enough for residential premises, but for industrial facilities, where the loads on the system will be large, a pouring thickness of 10 cm is required. When performing such work, it is necessary to remember that for a warm floor, it is important to properly distribute heat, accumulate it, i.e. preserve it for quite a long time. Too thin a layer is unfavorable. By saving on concrete mortar, you can only get high heating costs, since such a floor will not hold heat well, the system will have to be turned on much more often, and the energy consumption for heating it will increase. It is also impossible to make a too thick layer of fill, as it will take more time to heat up, and the surface itself will not warm up as well. Experts for underfloor heating advise to adhere to the optimal value of 5-8 cm. It is important not to forget about external conditions during work. For example, the temperature should only be positive. In no case should you start filling at sub-zero temperatures, even if you plan to use additives and other additives. Return to contents</a>When is it not possible to perform screeding?
Scheme of a warm floor with a system of fastening brackets.When working on installing a warm floor, you need to carefully monitor that all stages are followed in the order that is necessary. You cannot start pouring the floor surface in the following cases:
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General conclusions on the warm floor
To properly fill the heated floor, you need to follow these simple rules:
Schemes for laying underfloor heating.
For pouring underfloor heating you can usevarious cement-based mixtures. This can be a ready-made dry mixture that is simply diluted with water, a solution that is mixed independently from the necessary ingredients (cement, sand, gravel, etc.). You can use special semi-dry screeds that are of high quality. When using the filler, it is necessary to strictly follow all the requirements and stages, pay attention to maintaining proportions.
