DSP on the floor: laying along joists, wooden gypsum board and video, dry screed with your own hands, thickness of the warm floor. GVL for floors: features of correct installation Attaching gypsum fiber boards to floorboards

The construction industry has undergone significant changes recently. New materials and advanced technologies have appeared. This equally affected the execution of floor installation work. Since 2000, such technology as dry floor screed from German company Knauf. It is now widely used in residential multi-storey buildings, cottage-type houses and in various office establishments. The main advantage of dry floor screed GVL is the speed of installation. It can be installed in one day and is immediately ready for use, unlike cement screed, which requires 28 days to completely harden. Also important is the complete absence of water during installation and fairly low dust formation.

Types of floor screeds and their features

During construction or renovation important element is the installation of a durable rough covering of the screed, on which it will then be laid decorative coating such as laminate, parquet, linoleum or ceramic floor tiles. Today there are several types of screeds. This is a classic cement or concrete screed, it is applied wet. There is also a semi-dry screed using minimum quantity water. There is a so-called self-leveling floor, which serves to level the surface of the subfloor. And finally, a type such as, which is mounted from GVL slabs over a layer of expanded clay backfill without the use of water.

Tools and materials

For high-quality execution Work on installing a bulk floor made of expanded clay and gypsum plaster sheets will require the necessary set of tools:

• tape measure and marker;
• laser level;
• usual high-quality construction level;
• perforator;
• screwdriver with attachments;
• jigsaw;
• drywall knife;
• square or metal ruler;
• roughing plane for edges;
• construction stapler;
• guides for beacons made of aluminum or galvanized profiles;
• rule or leveling rod;
• bucket and shovel;
• vacuum cleaner;

To install a dry gypsum fiber floor, you will need materials that must be purchased in advance and delivered to the site. For the screed you will need:

• polyethylene film 80 microns thick for vapor barrier;
• edge tape 100 mm wide;
• PVA glue;
• self-tapping screws for drywall 19 mm long;
• expanded clay backfill Compevit with granule sizes of 1-4 mm;
• sheets of dry Knauf screed;
• putty Knauf

Quantity required material calculated based on the floor area of ​​the room and the thickness of the backfill. Anyone can easily perform all these calculations for their apartment themselves, knowing the length and width of the rooms and the corridor. It is worth noting that the material must be purchased with a small margin, based on the fact that during the installation process there will necessarily be cuttings of slabs and the thickness of the screed at different points may differ.

Dry screed technology

The technology for laying Knauf loose flooring is quite simple, but even it requires sufficient experience and skills. Therefore, in order to get the job done quickly, efficiently and without spoiling expensive material, it is better to contact qualified specialists. The contact details of such craftsmen can always be found in construction supermarkets or on specialized websites, and customer reviews can also be found there.

The entire process of installing a dry screed can be divided into several stages:

• preparatory stage;
• marking;
• vapor barrier device;
• expanded clay backfill device;
• installation of sheets of dry Knauf screed.

Let's take a closer look at each stage separately.

Preparatory stage of work

Before starting work on the screed, it is necessary to dismantle the old existing floor covering - it can be parquet, wooden floor, old tiles. If this is an overlap, it is necessary to repair large dents and holes with mortar or putty. After the solution has dried, it is necessary to vacuum the floor surface, remove all construction debris, and in some cases it is necessary to prime the surface. By this time, all materials must be purchased and delivered to the site. After this, you can begin installing a vapor barrier.

Marking

Before installing a bulk screed, you first need to measure all the rooms using laser level with horizontal plane marks applied to all walls of the rooms. In this case, it will be easy to determine the difference in base levels in different rooms. Usually it does not exceed two or three cm. However, if a significant difference in elevation is detected, then this must be taken into account when filling in a layer of expanded clay sand insulation. After measuring all the rooms, you can finally determine the thickness of the backfill and, therefore, its quantity in each room or room.

Installation of expanded clay insulation

After completing all the preparatory operations, they begin to install a vapor barrier made of polyethylene film. For this purpose, a film with a thickness of 80 microns is used. Lay it so that the film extends 10 cm onto the walls. When using film size less area rooms, it is laid with an overlap of 150 mm and all joints are taped. The vapor barrier will not allow moisture to penetrate through the ceiling and damage the structure of the dry screed. All work must be carried out at a temperature not lower than 10 degrees Celsius and a base humidity of not more than 65%. After installing a vapor barrier around the perimeter of the room, an edge strip 100 mm wide is attached to the walls. It can be secured with a construction stapler.

The next stage is the installation of expanded clay insulation. The best example For this purpose, dry backfill for prefabricated floors Compevit, which has been certified by Knauf, is used. Until recently, this was the only backfill that met all the requirements. However, now other backfills have begun to be produced, including backfill from the Knauf company. Expanded clay insulation Compevit is characterized by high quality in granulation composition, as well as the absence of dust, which is very important indicator when working in residential areas. The thickness of the insulation layer can be from 20 to 100 mm. Usually this is determined at the very beginning and the volume of purchased material is calculated based on this thickness and area.

After installing a vapor barrier and installing an edge strip, they begin backfilling dry expanded clay for prefabricated floors, and roughly determine how much needs to be poured into a particular room. Next, it is necessary to compact and level the surface of the insulation, ensuring the required thickness.

Leveling the insulation surface

Surface leveling is carried out using two beacon guides and one leveling rod. The guides are placed parallel to each other at the width of the leveling rail. The guides are installed on a layer of expanded clay, and the installation level is checked along the entire length using laser level. In this case, the installation accuracy should be as high as possible. After the guides are set, expanded clay backfill is poured between them. Using a leveling rod or rule, the level of expanded clay is leveled to the level of the guides. At the same time, if necessary, add the missing or remove excess expanded clay. After the strip between the guides is aligned, they are rearranged further and the process is repeated. The result should be a smooth surface of the insulation.

Installation of GVL slabs from Knauf

The next stage is the actual laying of the dry screed slabs. The sizes of gypsum board sheets for dry floors are: 1500x800x12.5 mm; 1200x600x20 mm; 2500x1200x12 mm, other sizes available. Typically, gypsum fiber boards are made by gluing two gypsum fiber boards together. Installation of slabs usually begins from the doorway from left to right. In the first slab adjacent to the wall, cut out the outermost joining quarter with a jigsaw. The second plate is laid on the first after coating the joint quarter with PVA glue. The third and fourth are laid in the same way. All sides that are adjacent to the walls are cut off from the connecting quarters. The last slab in the first row is cut to the remaining size. The second row begins with the cut tiles remaining from the first row. This achieves maximum savings, and the seams of adjacent rows are shifted by at least 250 mm. After laying three rows, all connecting joints are fastened with self-tapping screws using a screwdriver with a pitch of about 300 mm.

The self-tapping screws are screwed strictly vertically with a slight recess of the head by about 1 mm. If the screw goes in at an angle, you must unscrew it and screw in a new one next to it.

After all the slabs are laid and secured with self-tapping screws, remove dust and debris using a vacuum cleaner. Depending on the type of finishing decorative coating, such as linoleum or carpet, all joints and recesses from self-tapping screws are sealed with Knauf putty. After this, it is advisable to let the screed dry for about a day and you can begin to finish the floor. You can use a knife to cut off the protruding edges of the plastic film and edging tape around the perimeter of the room.

Positive and negative qualities of dry screed

Dry screed Knauf has become very popular due to its obvious advantages, which include the following:

• laying the screed is carried out without water in a completely dry way, which allows it to be carried out in residential buildings, without fear of leakage to the lower floors;
• the speed of installation of a Knauf bulk floor is the highest compared to other types of screeds;
• after installing the dry screed, you can begin laying the decorative floor covering almost immediately;
• the weight of a dry gypsum plasterboard floor screed is significantly less than a similar cement screed;
• work on installing a dry gypsum plasterboard floor can be carried out at any time of the year;
• Knauf bulk floor has high thermal insulation and sound insulation characteristics;
• the design of the dry screed allows you to hide various engineering Communication and underfloor heating elements;
• Considering that laying a Knauf loose floor does not require special qualifications, all work can be performed by anyone who knows how to use power tools.

Despite the large number of advantages, Knauf loose flooring has disadvantages that can be found among customer reviews:

• dry prefabricated Knauf floors do not like humidity very much, and can become deformed in case of flooding, this applies to the corridor next to the bathroom;
• It is not recommended to install such a floor in damp rooms, bathrooms, toilets;
• a high-quality gypsum board is expensive, so such a screed cannot be called cheap;
• if the screed is installed in low rooms, then structurally it steals up to 100 mm from the height of the room.

Cost of dry screed Knauf

The cost of a Knauf loose floor is determined by calculating the number of materials taking into account their price, and adding the cost of labor. The price of a screed with a thickness of about 80 mm will be approximately $15-16 per square meter. Of these, $9-10 is the cost of materials, the rest is the wages of hired workers. Nowadays websites have built-in tools for calculating the cost of materials.

The rapidity of progress concerns all areas of life, but it is especially noticeable in construction market. Here, not even a month goes by without innovation. Innovations have significantly changed and simplified technological processes all stages of construction, making life easier for both professionals and beginners. Thanks to the application advanced technologies labor-intensive processes in the construction, reconstruction and repair of buildings, such as brickwork or the installation of a concrete floor, are replaced by new, simpler ones. Great way quality and fast device floor covering - making a dry screed from GVL sheets. The work is carried out in comfortable conditions, without dirt and dust, with minimal costs labor.

GVL – getting acquainted with the material

Conventional drywall on large construction sites and during local repair work is increasingly replacing sheet material of a new generation - GVL (gypsum fiber sheet). It consists of polished slabs made of ordinary gypsum, but reinforced with reinforcement. For this purpose, fluff pulp is used - a product of waste paper processing. During the manufacturing process, boards marked GVLV are impregnated with hydrophobic compounds. A feature of gypsum fiber sheets that distinguishes them favorably from plasterboard is the absence of a cardboard shell, uniformity of structure, which gives the material high strength characteristics. The technology, in its principle, is very similar.

Gypsum fiber for floors: pros and cons

Gypsum fiber sheets are used for covering any surfaces in apartments, private houses, public buildings. Using GVL, you can quickly and conveniently finish walls and ceilings. They are much better suited for installing subfloors under flooring than plasterboard or fiberboard. Gypsum boards with moisture-resistant properties declared by the manufacturer, when water gets on their surface, they quickly collapse and warp. In addition, gypsum plasterboard is quite fragile; with strong targeted impacts, it can split.

Gypsum fiber boards behave completely differently under similar conditions. They differ:

• fire resistance- gypsum does not burn, the maximum damage that fire can cause to it is charring of the surface;
• strength- reinforcement gives brittle gypsum hardness sufficient for the use of gypsum plasterboard as a floor covering;
• moisture resistance- water does not penetrate the pores of GVLV (moisture-resistant) boards due to treatment with water-repellent impregnation;
• low thermal conductivity- this indicator makes GV sheets an ideal material for laying on the floor; they perform the function of insulation;
• resistance to impact low temperatures - unlike drywall, which can withstand only four cycles of freezing and defrosting, gypsum fiber board can withstand as many as 15 such cycles.

A small fly in the ointment in a huge barrel of honey - the cost of the material is quite high compared to drywall, however, it is justified by its advantages.

Selecting high-quality gypsum fiber sheets for flooring

How to choose the right GVL for a specific room? First of all, pay attention to the price and manufacturer. Well-known companies maintain their brand and do not release obviously low-quality products. Low cost signals low quality due to the use of low-quality components or defects in the production process. By trying to save on material, you can lose much more time and money later when defective slabs fail before their stated service life.

When installing floors in rooms with high humidity - kitchens, bathrooms, baths, saunas, choose special moisture-resistant GVLV slabs. For other rooms, ordinary gypsum fiber sheets are sufficient. Between single-layer gypsum fiber boards of standard or small format sizes and sheets consisting of two layers, the latter are often chosen for flooring. They are made of two plates glued together offset and forming a locking system. This material is especially easy to install. It is from this that the so-called “dry” screed is usually made.

Advantages of dry screed

Though concrete covering and is one of the most reliable, but any master, having once laid a floor from GVL sheets, is unlikely to want to tinker with it next time concrete mortar for the construction of a monolith. Moreover, gypsum fiber has high hardness and is perfect for laying subfloors. They do not bend or creak and are suitable for laying any floor covering.

Installing gypsum fiber sheets is a real pleasure, especially for professional builders. Amateurs getting down to business for the first time can also easily cope with this dust-free work.

The material is easy to cut, thanks to light weight easy to install. Utilities are placed under dry floors and laid cable mats for installing a “warm floor” system.

Dry screed base

The basis for laying GVL sheets is both a concrete coating and a wooden floor. Before starting installation, standard base preparation is required:

• concrete screed– the surface is leveled, cracks are filled with mortar, and if necessary, rough grinding is performed;
• lean concrete - more cheap option grounds;
• wooden floor - repair of failed joists is carried out, the gaps between the floorboards are sealed with special putty.

Special attention When installing floors, pay attention to the horizontal surface. At all stages of work, from leveling the base to installing the finished floor, control is carried out using a building level or level.

Laying gypsum fiber board: 7 simple steps

1. The finished base is covered waterproofing material . For concrete screed, use polyethylene film 0.2 mm thick. Glassine is laid on wooden floors. The edges of the waterproofing are placed over the walls, the joints are sealed with construction tape.
2. Edge tape is glued along the perimeter of the walls– a strip of polystyrene 10 cm wide, 1 cm thick. This measure helps prevent swelling and cracking of gypsum fiber boards.
3. The entire surface of the base is covered with amorphous insulation to a thickness of at least 2 cm– expanded clay, perlite or coarse river sand. Perform leveling it building rule. So that you can move around on the leveled insulation without fear of damaging the horizontality of the bedding, several “islands” are arranged.
4. From the wall opposite the door, begin the installation of the first layer of gypsum fiber boards. The folds are treated with PVA glue; additionally, the material is fastened with self-tapping screws in increments of 20-30 cm, depending on its size.
5. The entire surface of the mounted sheets is treated with glue, and the next layer is laid on them. The second layer must be laid in the direction opposite to the first, so that the material is spaced apart.
6. Putty seals the joints between the slabs, as well as locations for installing self-tapping screws. Cut off the protruding part of the edge tape and waterproofing material.
7. Laying the finished floor – wooden boards, parquet, tiles, laminate, linoleum, PVC tiles. The coating is ready for use immediately after installation.

Floor is much more than just a surface that each of us comes into contact with every day. From the point of view of professionals, gender - complex design, consisting of a rough base, a leveling layer and a finishing coat. Forming a leveling layer is a labor-intensive task, the quality of which determines the final result. And if previously the most common option for creating a screed was considered to be the “wet” method, which, by the way, had many disadvantages, today a gypsum plaster floor acts as an advantageous alternative.

What is gvl?

Gfl (gypsum fiber sheets) is a finishing material made from reinforced gypsum and fluffed cellulose. Features of the raw material are homogeneous structure and high density. This combination has many advantages compared to plasterboard and fiberboard. In terms of moisture resistance and environmental friendliness, gypsum plasterboard has no equal, which is why dry gypsum plasterboard floors are used in modern construction more often.

GVL demonstrates excellent heat-saving and sound-proofing characteristics and is the best substrate for carpet, laminate, and linoleum. Let's install a "warm floor" system. Due to the fact that the installation of gypsum fiber floors is carried out according to the “dry” principle, you save time, effort and money.

Advantages of gypsum fiber sheets

GVL sheets for flooring have numerous advantages, which explain the increased interest in this material.

• strength. A high concentration of cellulose, acting as a reliable binding element, makes the sheets strong and durable;
• fire safety. Gypsum fiber is resistant to fire - when exposed to fire, only upper layer. However, it does not catch fire, but chars;
• versatility. You can lay the gypsum board on a wooden floor or on reinforced concrete structures, and then cover it with parquet boards, porcelain stoneware, laminate or linoleum;

• ease of installation. Laying is done in the shortest possible time. In addition, the work will take place without unnecessary dust and dirt;
• It’s easy to hide utility lines under the sheets;
• low weight facilitates transportation and installation;
• GVL floors do not creak, do not knock, do not sag and are able to withstand heavy loads.

Technical specifications

Gypsum fiber sheets are presented in 2 variations: simple and moisture resistant. Simple ones are optimal for interior decoration rooms with a normal level of humidity, and moisture resistant will become profitable solution where a hydrophobic layer is needed (in kitchens, bathrooms, toilets).

Besides this, there is another distinction. Depending on the size, there are standard and small-format gvl. The former are used not only for arranging the floor, but also for forming partitions, leveling walls, and creating a variety of architectural elements. Dimensions 1200x1500 mm. The second ones are 2 sheets with intersecting central axes, which are shifted in vector directions. This is how a simple lock system- folded. Such gvl for the floor have dimensions of 1500x500 or 1200x600.

Concerning technical characteristics, then they are:

• weight - no more than 18 kg;
• width - up to 50 mm, length - 1.5 m, thickness - up to 20 mm;
• usable area - up to 75 sq.m;
• hardness - from 20 MPa;
• thermal conductivity - up to 0.36 W/m.

It is easy to transport gvl - the material is packaged and delivered to its destination on special pallets. It is recommended to store the sheets in a room with low humidity, and cut them in a horizontal position on a flat surface.

Types of dry gypsum plasterboard screed

• base prefabricated 2 cm high. Recommended if the base is insulated and does not have significant differences in height;
• rough floors covered with foam plastic (2-3 cm). The best option if there are uneven areas and the need for insulation;
• prefabricated floor on polystyrene slabs laid on a layer of expanded clay 2 cm thick. This scheme is good for floors with significant differences in height.

Separately, I would like to dwell on a prefabricated screed, which includes several layers:

• steam and waterproofing layers that separate the floor “pie” floors;

It is important!
If the floors are made of reinforced concrete, then polyethylene film acts as a layer, but if a wooden floor is laid, then glassine is used.

• compensation and soundproofing gasket. The edge tape is secured with screws or glued. Tapes are produced from various materials: from basalt wool, isolona, ​​foam film;
• leveling layer;
• GVL slabs laid in 2 layers and tightened with self-tapping screws.

Installation of gypsum fiber floors

Work begins with standard surface preparation. The subfloor is repaired and sanded if necessary. If the base is wooden, then check the reliability of the joists and the horizontal position of all structural components.

Small irregularities can be eliminated using a repair solution that fills cracks and crevices. For leveling depressions larger than 20 mm, use fine expanded clay. Next, waterproofing is laid on the subfloor. For a concrete floor, polyethylene 0.2 mm thick, overlapped, is suitable; for a wooden floor, vapor-permeable materials (glassine, waxed or corrugated paper) are suitable.

Insulating tape is glued along the contour of the floor mineral wool or polystyrene 1 cm thick and 0.1 m wide.

It is important!
Insulating tape is necessary to prevent swelling and cracking of gypsum board sheets.

Then the gypsum fiber is cut, taking into account the edge gaps, and insulation is poured. It is better if it is fine-grained expanded clay, quarry or river sand. The amorphous insulation is aligned according to the marks marked using a level meter. The minimum backfill thickness is 20 mm.

The resulting layers are insulated with glass wool or polystyrene, cut into small blocks. GVL slabs are mounted on top of the “pie”, and the gap between the gypsum fiber components should not exceed 1 mm.

If the installation starts from the wall opposite the door, then in order not to injure the insulating layer of the slabs, you should build some kind of “islands” for movement. It is recommended to start installation of the gypsum plasterboard leveling system from the opposite wall.

After the first layer of screed has been laid, the gypsum board sheets are covered with PVA dispersion or adhesive mastic. A second layer of dry screed is laid on top.

It is important!
The elements of the second layer are mounted perpendicular to the elements of the first.

To connect large-format sheets (in addition to glue), self-tapping screws (30 cm pitch) are used. Small-format sheets are smeared around the perimeter with glue and also fastened with self-tapping screws, but in increments of 20 cm. Please note that fasteners intended for simple drywall not suitable, screws with self-countersinking device and double thread are required.

There is no need to worry about the large consumption of small-format material, because... the trimmings obtained in the mate area are transferred to the next row. The installation of the gypsum board on the floor is completed; all that remains is to seal the joints and places where the screws are installed with putty, and remove the remnants of the protruding edge tape and waterproofing.

Some installation features

Sheets are trimmed only after the last row has been laid. In other words, at the wall opposite the one from which the work began. This will allow you to achieve at least a 25 cm spread in each layer, which is the main condition high-quality styling. In the first layer, the width between the seams should not exceed 2 mm.

Double dry floors, glued together in production, are similar in installation principle to small-format slabs. With the help of folds on which glue is applied, the gvl is joined. The folds extending onto the walls are cut off, and the slabs are tightened with fasteners.

• cut gvl is better on a hard surface using a hacksaw or construction knife;
• when cutting, take into account edge clearances insulating tape;
• if it is necessary to create shaped holes, make punctures in the tiles and use round cutters;
• The joints of the sheets must be treated with a primer. To reinforce the edges, serpyanka (sticky fiberglass mesh) is most often used. The putty is applied in 2 layers.

GVL flooring is a great opportunity to get perfect flat surface, on which you can easily lay any finishing material. It doesn’t matter whether it’s tiles, parquet or parquet - an impeccable result is guaranteed, because GVL slabs, without a doubt, will cope with the task of arranging a subfloor better than other materials! It remains to be seen in practice!

Did you know that drywall is used for sheathing? frame structures has its own analogue, which can be used when installing flooring - a special gypsum fiber sheet (GVL) for the floor? The composition of this finishing material includes pressed gypsum, reinforced with dissolved cellulose with the addition of various technological “additives” that increase the strength and moisture resistance of the product.

Note that such a sheet has one feature that makes it easy to distinguish it from its plasterboard counterpart: it has a homogeneous structure with the absence of a cardboard shell. Today we will try to talk about this material in more detail - we will look at the main characteristics of its types, give advice on their use, and also talk about the nuances and features of the technology for laying gypsum fiber board floors.

Types of GVL slabs

Durable and environmentally friendly gypsum fiber is produced in the form of rectangular slabs with straight (PC) and folded (FC) edges. Specialists from KNAUF, a constant leader in the production of high-quality finishing materials– there are two types of gypsum fiber boards with different performance properties that determine their scope of application:

• Standard GVL board has high strength, hardness and fire safety. Can be used for finishing industrial and residential premises with normal humidity levels. Available in the form of rectangular sheets 2500 long, 1200 wide and 10 or 12.5 mm thick.
• Moisture-resistant GVLV board is a material treated with special hydrophobic substances with high moisture resistance. Used in rooms with high humidity: baths, showers, toilets or kitchens. Suitable for finishing attics, basements and garages. Available in both regular (2500x1200x10 or 12.5 mm) and small-format versions 1200x1200x10 mm for more convenient installation.

The KNAUF company produces special type GVL is a floor element (EP) “KNAUF-superfloor”, made by gluing two mutually offset sheets of GVLV 1200x600x10 mm. The edges of the product have folds 50 mm wide, its total thickness is 20 mm. The advantage of the EP slab is that it is completely ready for installation in the KNAUF prefabricated floor substructure.

Sheet characteristics

In addition to hardness and strength, which is achieved due to the high concentration of the reinforcing element - cellulose, the material has a lot of other positive characteristics:

• Possibility of use in any type of interior decoration - GVL slabs are used for flooring, installation interior partitions, wall and ceiling cladding.
• Humidity control - the structure of the material allows you to dry the room by absorbing excess moisture, and also “give” it back when the air becomes drier.
• High viscosity - the product is easy to install and does not crack or crumble during processing.
• Low thermal conductivity – excellent thermal insulation properties material allow it to be used as a reliable insulation. This property is most in demand when using gypsum fiber board sheets for laying floors.
• Non-flammability - gypsum fiber is used as fire protection buildings and building structures. In the event of a fire, the material can prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent rooms and limit its access to important communications.
• Light weight - lightweight (about 18 kg) gypsum fiber boards do not create serious additional load on load-bearing floors, their transportation and installation are not particularly difficult.
• Opportunity laying GVL on a wooden floor or concrete base– work on installing the floor covering is carried out in a fairly short term. You can lay carpet on the finished surface, parquet board, linoleum, laminate or tile.
• Frost resistance - gypsum fiber boards can withstand repeated freezing and thawing, which allows them to be used in cold unheated rooms: garages, garden or country houses.

Features of using GVL for flooring

Today, most craftsmen prefer the dry method of leveling the floor. Unlike “wet” screed, this method avoids the following problems:

• use additional materials(concrete, sand, cement, gravel);
• education large quantity construction waste and dirt;
• time spent waiting for the cement mortar to dry.

Leveling the surface in this way is not only easier, but also much faster - after laying the gypsum fiber board on the floor, you can immediately begin its final finishing.

Note that the application modern materials For finishing cladding the floor requires the arrangement of a reliable and absolutely level base. Naturally, not all coatings can boast excellent heat and sound insulation characteristics, so a screed made of gypsum fiber sheets will be the best option.

It should be added that for carpet, linoleum or laminate, these sheets can serve as a backing.

Installation of gypsum fiber boards

Installation of gypsum fiber board floors can be carried out on any base - you just need to take into account some features of the installation technology. If the premises are presented for thermal insulation increased requirements, then the gypsum fiber will have to be reinforced with other materials, for example, expanded polystyrene boards.

The structure of the gypsum fiber board allows the installation of a “warm floor” system on its surface. However, it should be remembered that the use of thick gypsum fiber board floor elements in this case is not recommended - ordinary sheets with a thickness of 10 mm are quite suitable.

Hidden gasket of various engineering systems is another an undeniable advantage dry screed.

Preparing the base

Before starting installation activities, you should prepare the base by insulating it and installing guides. When leveling floors in residential premises, expanded clay with a granule “caliber” of no more than 50 mm can be used as insulation. Under the insulating layer it is necessary to lay waterproofing - PET film, roofing felt or glassine.

Guides from wooden beam, which need to be mounted on the surface of the base of GVL floors, will perform two functions at once:

• a reference point that determines the level of insulation backfill;
• lathing for laying and fastening gypsum fiber boards.

After filling the expanded clay, it must be leveled using a rule, leaning on the guides, and carefully compacted, paying special attention to the corners of the room.

Installation process in stages

The process of installing a dry screed is a labor-intensive and responsible undertaking that must be carried out in several stages in a certain sequence:

1. We lay along the wall near the floor mounting tape, which will absorb impact noise and compensate for deformation from load and temperature fluctuations.
2. We lay the first layer of gypsum fiber board for the floor, installing the sheets from the corner closest to the entrance door to the room. We fasten the slabs to the sheathing using self-tapping screws of the required length.
3. Apply to finished surface adhesive composition and install the second layer of slabs, laying them “in a staggered manner” with an offset of 250–300 mm. For reliability, it can also be attached to the sheathing using longer screws.

We have already talked about ready-made floor elements in the form of sheets, which are glued with an offset, forming folds for a more reliable connection. If you care about the strength of the floor and want to simplify its installation, then this is just your choice. The only remark is that this material is somewhat more expensive than its standard counterparts.

Nuances in the work of laying gypsum fiber boards

During the installation of dry screed, several nuances arise that need to be given the closest attention:

• Make sure that the width of the gaps between the plates does not exceed 2 mm. Before laying the finishing coating of linoleum or carpet, you will need to putty both the seams and the screw heads.
• Remove excess adhesive solution, do not let it accumulate in the seams and against the walls.
• At the end of the work, apply a layer of primer to the surface of the new floor, which can “combine” with the applied adhesive composition.
• If the installation of GVL floors includes ready-made panels, cut off the folds from those edges that will be adjacent to the main floors and strengthen the edges of the sheets to the guides using self-tapping screws.
• When installing a “warm floor” system, you should lay additional layer insulation made of polystyrene foam boards - they will prevent heat loss through the base of the floor.

In conclusion, I would like to note that today’s approach to repair requires the use of modern materials and the application of new technologies. We believe that the installation of screeds using gypsum fiber board for floors fully meets this rule. Most professionals prefer this method of surface leveling, rightfully considering it the simplest, fastest and least expensive. What do you think about this?

One of the most important stages During floor finishing, a leveling layer is formed. Long time The most acceptable way to level floors was to lay sheets of chipboard, fiberboard or fiberboard and a wooden floor. Today appeared on the market new material, characterized by ease of installation and high performance characteristics. These are gypsum fiber sheets or gypsum fiber boards that can be laid on the floor surface for leveling.

What is gypsum fiber sheet?

GVL are slabs made from reinforced gypsum and fluff pulp. Thanks to a special manufacturing technology, the material has a homogeneous structure and high density. It is these characteristics that provide gypsum fiber with advantages over plasterboard, chipboard and fiberboard.

Gypsum fiber board can be regular or moisture resistant (GVLV), which allows this material to be used for finishing any premises.

The increasing interest in this recently appeared material can be explained by numerous advantages, including:

• High strength. Cellulose reliably binds and holds the gypsum;
• Fire safety. Unlike wood-based panels (chipboard and DSP), gypsum fiber does not catch fire, but chars;
• Versatility. GVL can be laid on almost any base, and finishing make it with parquet, tiles, laminate or carpet;
• Easy to install. Installation of the leveling layer is carried out quickly, without unnecessary waste, debris and noise. On average, it will take 1-2 days to install a leveling layer of gypsum fiber boards.

In addition to the listed advantages, one can also note the high sound insulation of the material and its ability to retain heat well. A floor made of gypsum fiber boards, unlike chipboard and fiberboard, will not creak or knock, and will not deform when temperature conditions change.

Details about all the advantages of this material explained in the following video:

As you can see from the video, GVL really has many advantages. But gypsum fiber does not have many disadvantages, and the most significant is its relatively high cost.

Preparing the base

In the case where gypsum fiber sheets will be laid on a wooden floor, careful preliminary preparation grounds. Similar preparation is carried out when laying any sheet materials(Chipboard, DSP and so on).

First, the condition of the floor is assessed. To do this, you need to remove the boards and inspect the entire structure.

Most often, GVLV are affected by rot. Regardless of the type of rot, the affected areas become softer. You can check the condition of the wood as follows: drive an awl into a place that differs in structure or color. If the instrument enters easily, the area is affected. Small fragments are removed; in case of significant damage, the structural element is completely replaced. Next, all wooden parts must be treated with an antiseptic composition.

Depending on what kind of finishing coating will be used, additional installation of joists may be necessary. The next stage of floor preparation work is to check them building level and alignment. In some cases, unevenness can be corrected by adjusting the joists: the excess is removed with a plane, and wedges are installed or bricks are placed to raise the floors.

Leveling the surface of the floor boards is carried out in the same way as with laying fiberboard. First, you need to deepen all protruding heads of nails or screws. Then the surface is checked with a level, and all convexities are removed with a plane or grinder. The cracks and chips are sealed with putty. Fine expanded clay can be poured into depressions more than 2 cm deep.

Stages of laying gypsum fiber sheets

To the prepared wooden base should be laid vapor permeable material. This can be glassine or waxed paper. To avoid deformation of GVL slabs during operation, insulating tape is used. It is made of mineral wool or polystyrene and has a thickness of 10 mm and a height of 10 cm. The tape is glued along the entire perimeter of the room. Upon completion of work, the protruding tape can be removed.

After graduation preparatory work proceed directly to laying GVLV slabs. Markings are applied to the sheets taking into account the gap for the insulating tape and, if necessary, cut. To avoid damaging the slab during cutting, it is recommended to place it in a horizontal position on a flat surface. Cut the material with a hacksaw or construction knife. Shaped holes are made using round cutters.

The gypsum fiber should be laid on an adhesive mixture and then secured with self-tapping screws. The fasteners are screwed along the perimeter of the slab, recessing the caps 2-3 mm into the material. The distance between the screws for fastening large-format sheets should be 30-35 cm, and for small-format sheets - 20 cm. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of screws. Laying gypsum fiber should be done using double-threaded screws and a self-countersinking device.

An important point is also correct placement sheets on the floor. The joints of the gypsum fiber boards should not coincide with the joints of the floor covering. It is advisable to place the slabs at an angle of 45 degrees to the boards. In rows they should also be offset relative to each other. The same applies to laying a two-layer coating: the elements of the top layer are placed perpendicular to the elements of the bottom, and the distance between the seams of both rows should not be less than 20 cm.

You can learn how to properly lay gypsum fiber boards on the floor from the following video:

This video material talks about two-layer floor covering made from special sheets. Laying them is much more convenient due to the presence of a special fold for the lining.

As a rule, to create a durable coating, it is enough to lay gypsum fiber boards in one layer, but if it is necessary to strengthen the base, it is recommended to use just such double sheets.

What you should pay attention to?

Unlike the installation of other sheet materials (chipboard, fiberboard, plywood), laying gypsum fiber has its own characteristics. In order for the dry screed to be of high quality, it is necessary to pay attention to and check the following nuances:

• The width of the gaps between adjacent sheets should not exceed 2 mm, and all screw heads should be recessed deep enough into the plaster to avoid damage to the finish coating;
• Residues of adhesive protruding onto the surface after installation must be removed; the composition should not accumulate inside the joints and on the sides adjacent to the walls;
• The extreme folds in two-layer sheets are cut off.

Final work

The last step is correct processing the resulting surface. All joints and places where screws are attached are sealed with a special gypsum putty. Additionally, reinforcing tape should be laid and pressed over the joints. If fiberboard is laid on a wooden floor, then it is necessary to use wood putty.