During construction work or during the operation of the floor covering there are flaws that must be eliminated in the future. Faced with the need to take measures in the event of uneven ground, we have to consider options and look for the most suitable for the method of installation and financial capabilities. For experienced craftsmen and beginners, the Knauf dry floor is recommended, which has shortcomings, but they are so insignificant that this method is increasingly preferred.
Do you have to level the floor? Dry screed is a great solution!
The modern construction market is rich in materials that can cope with the problems that have arisen. For leveling the floor , professional masters use different methods, using new products that help to correct defects in the coating even for a novice in the field of repair. Weather conditions are not always possible to perform work with liquid mixtures, requiring compliance with the temperature regime and a sufficient margin of time for the base to dry.
Increasingly, the attention of builders is attracted by the opportunity to use dry mixes as a worthy alternative, including the Knauf dry floor, which guarantees a short repair of flooring without unnecessary financial costs at a qualitatively high level. This material can be used regardless of the season.
Opt for Knauf products? A reasonable decision, but ...
To achieve a perfectly flat surface, customers choose the Knauf dry floor. This prefabricated German manufacturer is the only one in the world where wet processes are excluded. It allows you to use the coating on the second day, and not on the 28th, as with a concrete screed. What does the foundation consist of?
This is a prefabricated floor from:
- gypsum-fiber sheets glued together and shifted at the edges by 5 cm, which forms a fold intended for assembly of the structure;
- fine-grained expanded clay for falling asleep bumps ("Knauf");
- layer of vapor and moisture insulating PVC film;
- sometimes for strength, an intermediate layer of gypsum plasterboard sheets is laid on expanded clay and under the Knauf floor elements.
A rough floor created using a dry mixture will last for a long time only if all the stages of installation are observed and the preparatory stage of the work is carried out correctly. The building material is used in enclosed spaces with good ventilation, eliminating moisture from entering the structure.
Dry floor "Knauf": shortcomings and recommendations
The undoubted advantage of the bulk foundation is the reduction in time spent on leveling the surface, but not every room is suitable for such an option for organizing a rough coating. Attention should be paid to the use of the material, because in addition to its advantages, the Knauf dry floor has disadvantages that are undesirable to ignore. Easily absorbing moisture, the mixture becomes unusable. It is necessary to listen to the recommendations of specialists:
1. It is strictly forbidden to lay the floor in damp basements, in basement floors, where there is an increased level of humidity. It is not recommended to use this coating in bathrooms, bathrooms - this can lead to undesirable consequences, fraught with new repairs and financial costs.
2. Dry screed is appropriate in domestic premises with low traffic. Bulky massive furniture in the room is undesirable. The base in a private house, apartment, quiet office is ideal for leveling with the help of German products.
3. The minimum height of the bulk layer should not be less than 6 cm, and better - 8-10 cm. This condition is not always acceptable in a room with low ceilings. This aspect must be taken into account by the owners, because this is the height of only the rough coating, and the presence of decorative is also assumed.
4. If moisture gets on the dry floor, the only way out in this situation is to dismantle the coating. But the appearance of fatal mold is possible in case of violation of the technology of laying the foundation.
5. The disadvantage is the cost of Knauf products as a bulk screed, because for many owners it is unacceptable. But this is a moot point, because one should take into account the absence of dirt and long waiting times until the base dries, as with "wet" work.
Preparatory stage: do not miss important trifles
The correct device of the dry floor “Knauf” is carried out exactly following the technology. Responsibly it is worth approaching the preparation of the foundation for the bulk floor. To do this, the old coating is dismantled, the surface is cleaned of dirt, debris, dust. Existing cracks must be sealed with cement mortar, which must dry. For vapor and waterproofing, a polyethylene film is laid. Without this protective coating, there is a risk of exposing the dry mixture to undesirable moisture.
It is better to overlap the film, and its edges are led onto the walls to the marked level, determining the height where the floor structure ends. The overlap should be at least 20 cm. Care should be taken to firmly fix the film. An edge tape is laid between the screed and the PVC film, the width of which corresponds to the height of the bulk layer.
Dry flooring technology "Knauf"
Having prepared the coating, it is necessary to install beacons along which expanded clay aggregate is pulled together and leveled. Reiki are attached to the floor. Having made marks of the height of the future coating, set the profile. You can pull the thread or fishing line at the height of the lighthouses. The lath is fixed along the room from the door to the window, and the fishing line is across the room, from wall to wall.
We scatter the mixture in heaps, but not the whole, but only to the width of the rule by which the strip is aligned. The “Knauf” dry floor is poured, the installation of which is carried out sequentially, in several squares, because it is necessary to cover the rammed mixture with GVL sheets so as not to walk along the leveled layer. The inner fold is pre-cut from the side adjacent to the wall.
Expanded clay is poured in parts and immediately pulled together by lighthouses. When applying a second sheet, the joints are coated with glue. The installation of the plates is carried out according to the principle of brickwork, so in the next row the number of whole sheets is determined, and the panel remaining from the trim will need to start the next strip. As you move the props and profile are removed, and the resulting voids fall asleep.
Masters Tips
Knauf dry floors do not require special professional skills when laying. The feedback from the masters about the design is positive, but it is necessary to follow the technology and follow their recommendations in order to avoid mistakes.
- Profiles are mounted at a distance not exceeding one and a half meters.
- Work is carried out with a respirator.
- The laying of plates starts from the door so as not to disturb the surface structure when leaving the room.
- To clean the joints during installation, use a paint brush, which brush away the dust formed from expanded clay.
- Joints are glued with PVA glue.
Opinion of owners who preferred a dry floor
When installing a draft foundation, the Knauf dry floor is increasingly used, the disadvantages of which fade before its advantages, noted by the builders.
Holders of housing, where the products of a manufacturer from Germany were used to level the base, note:
· This is the fastest way to eliminate differences and irregularities;
· A beginner can cope with styling, you just need to follow the instructions;
· Communications are easily masked;
· Work is carried out cleanly, without dirt and at any time of the year;
· Flooring does not creak, does not deform over time, give coolness in summer, and warm in winter;
· Tiles, carpet, laminate, parquet board or linoleum are laid on the created structure;
· The coating has excellent soundproofing properties.