We pour the self-leveling floor under the parquet. Do I need to prepare the floor for parquet boards? Step-by-step technology for installing parquet on a finished screed

Most construction processes require quality preparatory work to achieve an excellent final result. Often, it is the preparatory stage of a particular operation that accounts for the lion’s share of working time and labor costs. And you should not neglect the thorough preparation. One of these demanding preparation operations is laying flooring made of parquet boards, laminate or block parquet. Technology of laying parquet boards. Often, to create a base of sufficient quality, a self-leveling floor under parquet is used.

Self-leveling floors for various types of parquet

Manufacturers of various types of parquet strongly recommend that the base be carefully leveled.

Parquet board and laminate

In the case of using parquet boards or laminate as a finishing floor covering differences in the base should not exceed 2 mm per meter. In case of failure to comply with the requirements, manufacturers do not assume responsibility or warranty obligations.

Work to level the subfloor to meet the specified requirements may seem to some to be unreasonably expensive and lengthen the repair time. In an attempt to save time and money, ways to level out unevenness by using a thicker underlay are being explored. Why are manufacturers so categorical in their requirements? This is due to the design of the board itself - a locking connection. If there are unevenness on the base, this can lead to the formation of cracks and even breakage of the locks.

In order to obtain a base with the required parameters, use liquid flooring under parquet boards or laminate flooring;

Solid wood or block parquet flooring

In the case of a floor covering made of solid boards or block parquet, a layer of plywood is used as a base, which is laid on the screed - “drilled” with self-tapping screws. If differences form at the joints of plywood sheets, then the plywood requires sanding.

In order to reduce the unevenness of the laid plywood, it is advisable to level the screed with self-leveling mixtures.

Important! It is not worth laying parquet and plank floors directly on the self-leveling floor, without a layer of plywood, if you do not want cracks to appear on the coating in the very first winter after the start of the heating season.

Sometimes quite significant - on a covering made of solid boards made of exotic wood - up to 4 mm, with a board width of 120 mm. This is due to different coefficients of expansion between the concrete base and the wood covering due to temperature and humidity.

How to properly perform leveling work?

The technology for laying parquet boards on self-leveling floors is as follows:

1. Before carrying out work on leveling the base, measurements of the floor are taken using a level. To do this, you need to have a level at least a meter long or a smaller level and a long straight rod. You can use the plaster rule.
2. In the room where it is intended to fill with self-leveling mixtures, a level or a strip with a level is laid on the floor in different directions. The more measurements you take, the clearer the picture of floor unevenness you will get. Mark areas of depressions and convexities indicating deviation.
3. After taking measurements, it is necessary to evaluate which leveler needs to be purchased and what quantity. If the differences are insignificant, then it is worth using the mixture for finishing leveling.

Tip: For dry rooms, you can use gypsum-based levelers; for wet rooms, cement-based ones are better suited. According to the instructions, the mixture is diluted, poured onto the primed floor and leveled using a special needle roller - a squeegee. The mixture, especially in a thin layer, quickly loses mobility, so pouring and leveling work should be done quickly. It is better to work with an assistant. The entire floor area in the room intended for self-leveling flooring must be filled at once.

1. Laying parquet boards on self-leveling floors is carried out no earlier than a week later. But you should focus not on the timing, but on the moisture content of the screed. How long it takes for a self-leveling floor under a parquet board to dry depends on the time of year, temperature and humidity in the room. You can check the moisture content of the screed without special instruments as follows. At the thickest point, tape a piece of plastic film to the floor surface.

Advice: If the next day there are droplets of water on the film or at least the square of the floor under the film is darker, then the humidity of the screed is still above the permissible values. Instead of film, you can use a rubber mat.

1. After the screed has completely dried, you can carry out the next stage of work: laying parquet boards or laminate flooring or laying plywood under block parquet or solid boards.

Self-leveling floor over parquet

If you have an old parquet floor, but you are not satisfied with its condition, then you can, of course, install a self-leveling floor on the parquet for subsequent laying of laminate or new parquet boards. But in most cases, this will lead to the need for immediate repairs. And you most likely won’t get the desired savings in time, money or effort spent. The base on which the self-leveling floor is poured must be strong. And if the strips of old parquet “walk”, this will certainly lead to cracking of the thin-layer coating of the self-leveling floor.

You can cast a reinforced concrete screed on top of the old parquet. But it would be more correct to dismantle the old flooring. If the old parquet lay on wooden joists, then in order to level the base and raise the floor level without overloading the floor with a thick concrete screed and without incurring unnecessary expenses, it is better to make a dry expanded clay screed and lay it in two layers of gypsum sheets.

Flooring is an important process in any renovation. No finishing floor covering can be used without leveling the base. The choice of screed is influenced by many factors and each room has its own technology selected individually. To carry out floor repair work in a short time, to optimize repair costs, dry floor screed is a suitable option. Let's look at how to do it with your own hands using an example.

Dry floor screed (filled floor) is one of the most effective modern construction technologies. It has been actively and successfully used in repair work for the last decade. Suitable for all types of premises - from residential buildings to administrative buildings. It does not cause any complaints as a floor base; if necessary, it can be easily dismantled.

In our case, one living room with an area of ​​12 square meters was being renovated. m. of a Stalinist house built in the 50s, located above non-residential premises. The old parquet floor needed replacing.

The renovation period was minimal, the budget was limited by financial savings, we used our own skills and abilities to complete the work, in addition to everything we wanted to minimize the amount of garbage, since the renovation had already been completed in other rooms, including the bathroom. From these criteria, a dry floor screed (other names: bulk floor screed, dry bulk floor, superfloor) from the famous German company Knauf was selected.

Advantages of Knauf dry floor screed

Among the advantages that distinguish the technological process, the manufacturer of the dry floor Knauf declared:

• ease of preparation;
• high installation speed;
• light load on load-bearing floors, which is especially important for old housing stock;
• absence of so-called “wet” processes.

A high degree of heat, noise and sound insulation due to expanded clay and dense gypsum fiber sheet made it possible to make the finished floor warm and not transmitting any noise from the outside.

Utility lines were not installed in the floor, although this possibility was indicated by the manufacturer.

In total, laying the floor took three and a half days with a daily 5-6 hour load on my own.

The process of installing a floor can be divided into two stages:

1. Preparatory.
2. Industrial.

Preparatory stage

Removing old flooring, determining the area of ​​the surface to be repaired, ordering materials.

The old parquet floor and its subfloor were removed. After dismantling, the floor surface was completely cleaned of boards, chips, nails, other fastenings of the old parquet and dust.

To estimate the materials, the area of ​​the room and the height of the proposed backfill were taken into account. Using these parameters, you can also make calculations using online calculators, which are offered by many companies on the Internet.

Tools and materials

The following materials were used to perform dry screed:

• polyethylene film;
• dry expanded clay backfill “Kompevit” (expanded clay sand of fraction from 1 mm to 4 mm);
• GVLV Knauf prefabricated floor element with a rebate along the perimeter of the sheet (element size 1250 x 650 x 20 mm (length x width x thickness), rebate width of the bottom layer - 48 mm, top - 50 mm, useful area - 0.75 m2, weight - 18 kg, GOST R 51829-2001);
• self-tapping screws for GVL Knauf;
• universal PVA glue;
• guides – square steel profile 20 x 20 mm, length 3 m – 2 pieces.

Everything was purchased from one company. As a result, the remainder of the materials amounted to 1 floor element and a bag of expanded clay backfill, which were considered a reserve in case of risk.

You can use expanded clay backfill or expanded clay sand from other manufacturers, for example, the same Knauf. A profile for plasterboard can be used as guides.

When laying a dry floor, it is necessary to determine the thickness of the layer of expanded clay chips to be filled; its level should be at least 2 cm and no more than 10 cm. In our case, the difference was from 2 cm to 4 cm.

For maximum accuracy in calculating the height of the finished floor, it is important to know at this stage what the finishing coating will be like.

The following materials were used for the finishing floor covering:

• Kahrs parquet board (Chers, Sweden) with a locking joint 14 mm thick;
• Tuplex substrate (Tuplex, Finland).

Tools for laying parquet boards:

• level;
• roulette;
• screwdriver;
• rule;
• masking tape;
• square ruler;
• jigsaw

Production stage of dry screed

Laying the base base - film and expanded clay backfill

A polyethylene film is laid on the prepared floor surface with an overlap on the walls in such a way that the overlap will extend beyond the edges of the screed. For convenience, you can secure it with masking tape. Using Knauf technology, an edge strip is installed around the perimeter.

Beacons are set according to the level - two smooth metal guides. To ensure the accuracy of the backfill level, control marks are made on the walls. Dry expanded clay backfill is poured between the guide beacons and leveled according to the beacon rule. After removing the beacons from the screed, a furrow remains in their place, which becomes level as the floor is installed. It is more convenient to do this with a small scoop, pouring a little expanded clay directly into the recess and leveling it with a spatula.

Joining prefabricated floor elements

The floor elements are laid on the resulting surface in a row with staggered end seams. The spread should be at least ¼ of the slab of the previous row. This technique is necessary to ensure the rigidity of the floor, the absence of cracks and deformation. Laying is done from left to right. The next row begins from the sawn-off part of the slab.

It is worth noting that the mass of one prefabricated floor element is 18 kg; it is important to take this large weight into account when calculating your own strength both during delivery/loading/unloading and during work.

Dry floor installation.

When laying the floor elements on the seams, PVA glue is applied, then the slabs are twisted together with self-tapping screws in increments of at least 10 cm. The edge tape and the remaining film overlap are cut off. If the edge tape was not used, then the gap formed between the walls is filled with polyurethane foam or sealant. This completes the dry floor installation process.

Laying Kahrs parquet boards

Kahrs oak parquet board was used as a decorative covering. Since the finishing coating was hard and was laid on a special “Tuplex” underlay, there was no need to putty the seams between the joints and the screw heads of the dry floor.

The underlay between the base base and the finishing floor covering not only protects the parquet board due to the ventilated space under the parquet, but also an additional layer of leveling and sound insulation.

When using the “Tuplex” backing, it is important to lay it down correctly - only with the logo down. Due to the lower porous layer of the substrate, good ventilation is ensured, and residual moisture evaporates from the gaps at the edges of the room. The top layer is moisture-proof and reliably protects the parquet board from deformation.

The choice of Kahrs parquet boards was due to the simple floating installation method and quick installation time.

The main purpose of the screed is to level the surface on which the floor is laid. According to decades-old manufacturing technology, the slabs that serve as bases for floors in mass-produced houses are made smooth only on one side - the one that will become the ceiling of the lower apartment. The side that is supposed to become the floor is always uneven, with bumps and depressions, and often the ends of metal reinforcement rods stick out from it. In addition, differences in floor level in an apartment often reach 10 cm. Even a non-specialist understands that no quality coating can be laid on such a surface.

Floor screed for parquet can be produced in various ways; for example, consider several options:

Self-leveling floor
In European technology, special self-leveling mixtures are used for the production of screeds - the so-called self-leveling floors. A layer of expanded polystyrene is often placed under these mixtures for additional noise and heat insulation, and a polymer film is laid on top for additional waterproofing. This floor dries much faster than a regular screed (in about 10-15 days), depending on the thickness of the screed. You can lay tiles, laminate and carpets directly on the self-leveling floor. To lay block parquet, a layer of plywood is required. In addition, the self-leveling floor layer has a very small thickness (from 25 mm), which is especially convenient in apartments with low ceilings. The excellent qualities of this floor have made it very popular with a small difference in height in the room.

Combined option
In this option, a second layer of European self-leveling mixtures is placed on the primary screed - a concrete mixture. Waterproofing made of rubber or bitumen mastic is applied to such a double screed, and, of course, plywood is applied to it. Parquet, laminate or carpeting are, in turn, laid on plywood. Naturally, plywood is not needed for ceramic tiles. Such a floor will cost much more, but its performance properties will be much higher.

Dry floor screed for parquet
It consists of slabs of gypsum-containing substance with a waterproofing coating, which are laid on dry backfill or polystyrene. In this case, dry backfill has a leveling function. The slabs are laid overlapping each other to cover all joints and provide the necessary rigidity. This type of screed has significant advantages. First, it does not require drying. You can lay the flooring without waiting 30 days, as in the case of using traditional mixtures, but the very next day. Secondly, it is much lighter than traditional concrete mixtures. Now, with an optimal screed thickness of 3 to 7 cm, from 60 to 140 kg of mixture have to be laid per square meter. Agree, this is a very serious load on the floors and load-bearing walls of the house: for an apartment with a total area of ​​100 square meters. m, you will need to lay at least seven tons of concrete mixture. The disadvantage of dry floor screed is the fear of moisture and leaks.

The concrete screed is the basis of the floor, which will subsequently serve as the final floor (parquet or parquet boards, linoleum, laminate, carpet, etc.). To make a concrete screed, a solution is used, which, after drying, turns into a very reliable foundation for the floor.

Before considering all the intricacies of floor screed technology, you should dwell on what exactly it is. So, a screed is a special mixture that, when frozen, becomes a hard surface of a given strength, and its purpose is to level the upper surface of the floors.

What types of screeds are there?

Distinguish dry And wet. The principle is simple - dry material is used as the main filler, on top of which sheet material is fixed.

Wet screed is a mixture of sand and cement in the required proportions. In other words, we are talking about the most ordinary concrete mixture, and that’s the whole trick. Manufacturers claim that special secret additives are added to the screed so that it forms a more durable surface.

There are also dry mixtures on sale, prepared in advance in the required proportions, including especially miraculous self-leveling compounds.

Types of “wet” screeds

The floor screed device can generally be divided into four main types, based on the type of surface, the characteristics of its preparation and the formation of the final screed layer:

Knitted tie. It is considered the most common option for apartments where screeds are made on top of floor slabs.

With a layer of waterproofing. Such a screed is also needed in the kitchen, since these rooms always have high humidity, and there is also a possibility that there will be a large volume of water on the floor. In this case, a layer of screed is formed on top of the laid waterproofing material.

Screed with waterproofing

With a layer of thermal insulation. This layer is required by default when laying the screed on the ground. If necessary, it can be used in houses and apartments for the purpose of fencing from the basement or other rooms that are not heated.

Screed with thermal insulation

With final self-leveling coating. After completing the main screed, in this case, a thin layer is used, which will independently provide you with a perfectly flat surface, which is necessary, in particular, for leveling the floor under linoleum or materials that are sensitive to any irregularities, even minor ones. are also formed using a more liquid solution, which itself will be distributed over the entire surface under gravity.

What are the secrets of the technology?

The most important thing for laying concrete floor screed is that the surface must be perfectly clean and dry. It is worth noting that achieving this is often quite difficult, since you have to deal with holes of bizarre shapes, protruding reinforcement and traces of stirring the cement mortar. However, it is important to understand: the surface simply needs to be cleaned.

Requires thorough surface priming

The second prerequisite for a high-quality floor screed is the application of a special primer to the floor. This is done in order to:

• provide the floor surface with a water-repellent effect, which is provided by special primers. When applied, such a primer forms a continuous thin film, and it does not require an additional layer of waterproofing;
• ensure better wettability and contact of surfaces, that is, achieve maximum adhesion of the screed to the surface.

Applying primer

The third principle of floor screed technology is waiting for final drying. This will take at least 45 days. If you are in a hurry and do not allow the wet screed to dry thoroughly, then, for example, the parquet floor will subsequently very quickly become unusable.

And finally, the last stage is the actual installation of the flooring. This may be, depending on the design of the structure, flooring made of synthetic material or plywood. If this is the case, then installation is carried out using special adhesives, mixtures and mastics directly on the screed.

Screed technology

I must say that it scares many people. However, in itself it is quite simple. The most difficult thing in this matter is calculating the required volume of a mixture of sand and cement. In addition, it is necessary to correctly install the beacons so that the surface is level. In some construction teams, this operation is carried out by auxiliary workers, since mixing the solution, pouring it on the floor and then leveling the floor according to the installed beacons is not a very difficult task. And you can study and perform it yourself.

Surface waterproofing

So, first you need to assess the condition of the surface on which you plan to lay the solution. If your old screed is in good condition, then it is better to lay a self-leveling floor on it, but if it is cracked and crumbling, then it should be eliminated. If the floor is poured in the basement, then you need to remove the top layer of soil by about 20 millimeters, create a sand cushion and then compact it.

Determining the level of the top of the screed

Once the base has been brought to an excellent base, the highest point of the floor should be determined. It is more convenient to do this with a water level, or better yet, with a laser level. But what to do if the difference in levels in different rooms reaches, for example, 80 millimeters? Is it necessary to bring the surface of the entire apartment to the same level? Of course, this is competent and professional, but on the other hand, the result will be an overconsumption of material. The lowest places in this case are possible. If the levels differ insignificantly, they are easily hidden with the help of decorative thresholds.

We attach the guide beacons

When installed at different levels, “zero” is set with the usual level, and beacons are placed from this point. They are guides that are designed to level the floor at the same level. You can make them from wood yourself or purchase special guides. This will be even more convenient, since it is quite difficult to find an absolutely flat wooden beam. Beacons are available in heights of 6 or 10 millimeters.

Beacons installed

Working with beacons

• several beacons are set to a width slightly smaller than the width of the rule that will later be used to level the surface;
• Using a level, a uniform height is established for all beacons. For this purpose, linings of bricks and tiles are laid under them, placing them at a distance of approximately 270 millimeters from each other;
• the lighthouse is fixed to the site using the same mortar that is used to fill the floor.

The beacons have frozen - you can start screeding the floor. It is advisable to first prime the surface or moisten it with water - this will ensure better adhesion.

Important!
Pay attention to the joints - if there are cracks, they need to be repaired.

Floor mortar is usually made from cement and construction sand. Keep the proportion 1:3. And keep in mind that the sand must be construction grade sand. For maximum mixing efficiency, use a mixer or small concrete mixer. It is important to understand that the strength of the finished screed will directly depend on how uniform the mixture is. In those places where the concentration of cement is higher, cracks always form, and where there is more sand, the screed crumbles.

Mixing the solution

Mix the mixture and pour it into a bucket of water - take about 1.7 liters for 10 kilograms of dry mixture. Moreover, note that it is the mixture that needs to be poured into the water, and not vice versa. Next, the mixture is stirred for another five minutes, after which it should sit for another five minutes, and then quickly mix again. Your solution is ready.

Let's get started with the process:

• the mixture is kneaded and dumped near the wall, which is located opposite the entrance;
• using a trowel, the mixture must be leveled;
• As a rule, the mixture is concentrated along the beacons. It is not at all necessary to pull it strictly towards yourself; it is advisable to even slightly turn it to the right and left.

While you are screeding, someone else should already be preparing a new volume of the mixture.

Finished screed surface

After about a day, you can already walk on the finished screed. But inside it has not yet frozen enough to begin finishing work. The surface of the screed sometimes needs to be moistened - this will ensure that the solution sets evenly.

If screed thickness is more 5 centimeters, it is necessary to use reinforcing mesh.

It is spread over the entire floor surface area. There are also various plasticizing additives that can improve the setting of cement. Such solutions are poured into water before preparing the concrete.

In addition, you can increase the rate of hardening of the mixture by increasing the temperature in the room. Heat guns are often used for this. But under no circumstances should it be installed in a room where work is still being carried out, since in this case the surface may crack, because the temperature in the place where the gun is installed and in the far corner of the room will be different, therefore, the mixture will harden unevenly. Technology .

If you pay attention to all construction work, follow the instructions and take into account all the important nuances, especially regarding the quality of the solution, you will get a reliable concrete floor screed that will not crack and will serve for a long time.

The parquet floor is beautiful, neat and impeccable. Walking on it is a pleasure, but everything about its installation evokes completely different feelings. The prospect of pouring screed is especially frightening, because parquet boards require a perfectly flat base. And if we also take into account the fact that modern floor coverings have very high quality characteristics, then preparing the floor for parquet boards may take an indefinite period due to increased requirements for the base. This article will discuss how to properly prepare the floor for laying parquet and parquet boards, what requirements apply to the base, and what techniques specialists use to level the floor.

The preparatory stage in any business is crucial. Laying parquet is no exception

Leveling the base with a concrete screed

In general, the process of leveling the base using a concrete screed consists of several stages:

1. zero level setting
2. display of beacons
3. pouring the screed
4. leveling the base with a rule

However, even such painstaking work will not be enough if you decide to decorate your home with parquet boards. A concrete screed can only partially level out the main differences in height, which at this stage can range from 1 to 7 cm. That is why the next step on the path to an ideal floor will be pouring a self-leveling mixture. Whether it is concrete or any other mixture is not important, the main thing is to reduce the size of the differences to a minimum.

Leveling a concrete screed with a self-leveling mixture is an excellent way to create an even surface

After the top layer has dried, it is necessary to lay sheets of moisture-resistant plywood, which will make the floor warmer and protect the parquet from moisture.

Of course, you can lay parquet boards directly on concrete, excluding pouring self-leveling mixture and laying plywood from the list of works, but such carelessness can lead to sad consequences, which you can observe in municipal housing. In such apartments, the parquet is glued directly onto the concrete using mastic. As a result, within a year the dies begin to loosen, creak and fall out of their sockets.

Don't forget about waterproofing. Thus, you will have a four-layer base: concrete screed, bentonite, waterproofing, moisture-resistant plywood.

Raised floors as an ideal base for parquet boards

There are two options for raised floors:

1. design in the form of adjustable logs
2. construction on adjustable plywood

In the first case, planed bars with threaded through holes are used to screw bolts into them, which will later become a support for the logs. These bolts can be adjusted in height, choosing the level that suits your apartment.

Due to the fact that the logs do not come into contact with the base of the concrete floor, the space under them is ventilated, creating comfortable conditions for long-term use of the parquet. As a result of such floor leveling, everyone benefits: the parquet lasts longer, you live better, because the indoor temperature and the floor temperature will have the same values.

Leveling the base of the floor using raised floors along the joists is a quick and sure way to give the floor the desired characteristics

In addition, raised floors on adjustable joists have several more advantages:

• They are easy to assemble - just unscrew or tighten the bolts
• with them it is easy to change the height of the floor, creating interesting design solutions, for example, podiums for a bed or dining area
• with them you don’t have to be afraid of water-related emergencies, because if moisture gets under the floor, the parquet will not suffer from it in any way
• Various communications can be carried out under the joists.

The second option is suitable for those apartments in which the ceiling height is low enough to install raised floors on adjustable joists. The design on adjustable plywood eliminates the use of joists, which means that the maximum height of the raised floor from the top point of the base will be no more than 3 cm.

In this case, special plastic bushings are used, the threads of which are located inside. They are inserted into holes pre-drilled in the plywood, and then plastic stand-up bolts are secured into them. The plywood is rigidly fixed through bolts to the base of the floor with metal dowels, and its alignment occurs by rotating the bolts with a wrench.

With plywood, leveling the base is a quick process

When the first layer of plywood is laid completely and brought to perfection, you need to lay the second one. Sheets of plywood of the second layer are laid apart from the first in order to completely cover all the joints. The plywood must be secured with self-tapping screws.

Advantages of raised floors:

• quick installation
• no dirt or dust
• saving money
• high sound and heat insulating characteristics
• reliability - floor warranty for 50 years or more
• possibility to increase floor height
• reducing the load on floors
• significant extension of the service life of the finishing coating

With a concrete screed, everything is more complicated: it doesn’t take long to pour it, but it takes a long time to level it, and even longer to wait for it to dry. The time frame for installing parquet boards, if the base is leveled using a screed, can be delayed by a whole month, because concrete dries for at least 28 days.

Which method of preparing the floor for parquet you choose is up to you, but remember that parquet boards like the base underneath to be perfectly level and perfectly smooth.