- Ease
- Time
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This article is about how to screed a floor. There are certain cases in which either the concrete floor is not level or you want to cover some wires and cable, and the best solution is to pour a thick layer of cement screed. Pouring screed is also a must when using an under-heating system, so pay attention to our diy step by step guide, to understand the basic techniques. The screed coat should be around 2” / 5 cm thick, but you can adjust it to your needs (it should always be thicker than 1” – 2.5 cm). If you find it too expensive to use self-leveling screed, then you will have to make a semi-dry mix of 1 parts cement with 3 part sharp sand (grade A).
1. If you choose to do this job by yourself, we recommend you to ask a friend to help you, as you also need to mix the cement screed before leveling the floor. Consequently, even if you rent or buy a power mixer, you need another person to prepare and transport the cement screed, while you level it with a straight edge and a margin trowel.
2. If the concrete floor is relatively level, then you can use an easier method to pour the screed in a professional manner. Consequently, you have to lay 2×2 wooden screeds every 3′ (1 m), making sure they are perfectly level one with other. Then pour the cement screed and level the floor with a straight edge along the wooden screeds. Last but not least, remove the wooden screeds and pour cement in the holes. Level the floor by using the aluminum straight edge.
3. Pouring flooring screed is not the easiest diy project, therefore you have to weight the advantages and disadvantages of doing it by yourself. A qualified builder will charge you about 500 dollars for the job, according to the surface of the room. Nevertheless, you can reduce the cost but in the same time to avoid the hard work by ordering the screed from your local cement mixing company. It will be pricier than mixing it by yourself, but they will deliver it to your home and use a pomp to pour it on the floor. In addition, they will strengthen the screed by adding several additives and other compounds.
4. If you want to install vinyl flooring, then the surface must be perfect. Therefore, you could try another approach: fill the visible imperfections (cracks, holes) by using a mix of 3 parts sand and 1 part cement and let the concrete to dry out for at least a day. Next, you should mix self-leveling screed with water (read carefully the instructions on the bag) and pour it on the floor, starting with the farthest corner. In order to spread it across the surface, you have to use a trowel and then the screed will find the perfect level by itself. After it dries out, if you aren’t satisfied with the results , you can pour another thin layer of self-leveling compound.
In order to screed a floor, you need the following:
Materials:
- sand
- cement
- water
- self leveling screed (optional)
Tools:
- safety gloves, glasses
- measuring tape, carpentry pencil, l-square, spirit level and water level
- straight edge – to level the surface
- margin trowel – to spread the cement screed
- concrete mixer – to mix the cement screed
- construction buckets or wheelbarrow to transport the cement screed
Tips:
- make sure you draw level mark lines on the walls, before screeding the floor
Time
- 4 hours, 100 sq ft (10 m2), two persons
Screeding a floor
Floor screeding
The easiest method to screed your concrete floor is to use 2×2 wooden screeds (or 3×3, 4×4 if you need a thicker layer of screed). Therefore, you have to lay the screeds on the floor, every 3′ and you should use a spirit level to make sure they are perfectly aligned. In order to secure them into position, you could use screws and an electric screwdriver.
Next, pour cement screed between the wooden boards and level it with a straight edge. Push firmly the straight edge and pull it along the screeds.
Concrete floor
On the other hand you can screed the floor traditionally. First, you have to clean thoroughly the concrete floor, by using a brush, otherwise the cement screed won’t adhere to it. Make sure you remove completely the dust and other residues. Afterwards, you have to sprinkle water all over the surface as to enhance the bond of the screed with the concrete flooring.
Check the pipes and cables that will be buried in the screed layer, as it is the last chance to fix any possible issues. Make sure the pipes aren’t leaking and that the electric cables are perfectly isolated.
Mixing cement screed
Next, you have to mix the screed by using a power mixer. If you cannot afford buying one or you just don’t need it, you can always rent it for one day at a decent price. Nonetheless, you also have the option of mixing the screed by hand, but it will take longer and you won’t get the same quality.
In order to mix screed, you have to add 1 part cement to 3-4 parts sand. Pour the compounds in the mixer and add gradually water. Remember that the screed doesn’t need to be very moist (as regular concrete) but semi-dry. Make sure there are no lumps in the mix.
Floor screeding
Next you have to draw the mark lines around the walls of your room. Therefore, you can use either a water level or a laser level to determine the level around the corners of the room.
Next, you have to join the marks by using caulk line. It is essential to mark the maximum level of the cement screed on the walls, otherwise you won’t be able to get the job done in a professional manner.
Screeding floor
As we have already said, make sure you draw perfectly level lines along the walls of the room, representing the top edge of the screed layer.
Work with patience and with great care, as this step is essential for your project. The critical aspect is to make sure the screed will be perfectly level over the whole surface.
Floor screeding
How to screed a floor
Next, start pouring the cement screed along the walls of your room. Taking into account that we won’t be using self-leveling screed (as it would be too expensive), we need to use our imagination as to level it.
Therefore, we will build plumb screeds along the walls (and maybe one in the middle if the room is wider than 8′ ). Afterwards, we will fill the whole area with cement screed and level the floor with a straight edge, along the built screeds.
Spreading screed with a margin trowel
After you have poured the cement screed on the floor, you have to spread it by using a margin trowel. A margin trowel is a very handy tool and we recommend you to use it.
In addition, you should notice in the image, the right consistency of the cement screed. Therefore, you should not add too much water in the mix, otherwise it will be impossible to work with it.
Making sure the screed is level
Use the large straight edge to level the screed along the walls of the room. In order to obtain a proper floor, you have to make sure that the guidance “screeds” will be perfectly level.
Working with an aluminum straight edge is not difficult, just hold it firmly and move it forward and backward, until you level the surface. Generally speaking, the screed layer must be at least 1” (2.5 cm) thick, as to cover the pipes and the cables. Nevertheless, you can make the screed layer even more thicker, as to fit with your needs.
Puring screed on floor
In this image you can see the process from a different angle, as to understand better the techniques. In order to make sure the “screeds” are level, you should put a spirit level on the aluminum straight edge.
Work with patience, making sure the screed is level and that it covers the wires and the pipes.
Leveling screed
After you have built the screeds, as level as possible, you have to fill the rest of the surface with cement. Therefore, work with patience and spread the screed as evenly as possible.
In order to level the floor, you have to move the straight edge several times, forward and backward, along the screeds until you are satisfied with the result. It there are void gaps in the surface, you have to add more screed and then level it again with the straight edge.
Screeding a floor
Last but not least, we have to show you how to finish the screed floor. If you want to obtain a better finish for your flooring, you can use a polyurethane float. Therefore, use circular moves all over the surface as to obtain a professional look and sprinkle water if necessary.
Remember that you have to let the screed dry out for a couple of days, before walking on it. This aspect is essential, as the cement screed isn’t very dense and you might damage it.
Thank you for reading our article on screeding a floor, and we recommend you to check the rest of our projects. Do not forget to share our articles with your friends, by using the social media widgets.
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