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How floors are arranged on the ground: the basics

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The floor on the ground is a monolithic concrete screed, poured inside the perimeter of the foundation on a rammed base. In simple words, a concrete floor lying on the ground. This is a good and budget solution for private housing construction. Let's consider how the floor is arranged on the ground and what its elements consist of: the base, the underlying layer, foundation and waterproofing, insulation, screed.

Base (ground)

Any concrete work, be it a foundation, a garden path or a regular screed, begins with the preparation of the base. First of all, you need to remove the fertile layer - this is 20-30 cm of the surface.

The fertile layer is not a stable base - it is loose and contains organic matter that will rot and shrink over time. It is necessary to get to the reliable, continental soil under the fertile layer.

Backfill (underlayment)

The sub-base serves as an interlayer between the soil and the screed. It stabilizes the base and makes it possible to adjust the floor height. And also communications are carried out in the underlying layer - sewerage, water supply. For bedding, a foundation is made in the future.

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Backfilling is performed from sand, crushed stone, sand and gravel mixture, broken building materials and, in some cases, from structural expanded clay. The main requirements for the material for bedding: the ability to compact well; do not sink; do not change properties at high humidity. The thickness of the bedding is recommended to be at least 15 and not more than 60 cm.

Rough screed or foundation

The screed is made of lean concrete. To explain the name "skinny", it can be said more simply - this is a solution where the amount of cement is reduced and the volumes of crushed stone and sand are increased. The recommended thickness of the concrete is 5–7 cm. Waterproofing is necessarily performed on the rough screed - it neutralizes the rise of capillary moisture from the soil.

Many consider the foundation as a waste of time and effort, but its presence in the structure is justified, especially in areas with high groundwater. It is impossible to make high-quality waterproofing without a rough screed. The most reliable waterproofing is considered to be fused, and in the absence of a footing, it will simply have nowhere to fuse.

You can do without a rough screed, but for this it is necessary to lay waterproofing on the backfill. A thick film is suitable as waterproofing, which is laid in two layers and overlaps the walls. If the bedding is made of crushed stone, there is a risk that the film will break and in this case it is better to install a strong polyethylene membrane.

Thermal insulation

Insulation is laid on the waterproofing. Common thermal insulation options are extruded polystyrene (EPS); foam plastic (PPS); mineral wool; expanded clay. Each of these materials has its own characteristics that must be taken into account when installing the floor on the ground.

When laying PPP, it is worth considering - bituminous materials destroy it and this requires additional insulation, which is used as a polyethylene film. Mineral wool absorbs moisture and during concreting it is necessary to protect this material from contact with the mortar. Expanded clay has lower thermal insulation properties compared to other materials. EPS and PPS seams must be foamed or sealed with tape to exclude cold bridges.

Screed

A reinforced screed with concrete grade not lower than B15 is poured onto the insulation layer. The recommended layer is 60–80 mm. Reinforcement is recommended to be carried out with a welded mesh with a cell of 50 mm and a rod thickness of 3 mm. Before pouring, a damper tape must be installed, which will protect the walls from linear expansion of the concrete. And also in the screed you can lay a water-heated floor. The option with a reinforcing mesh in this case will be the best, since it is more convenient to fix the tubes to it.

But here there are no very precise recommendations, and each developer makes reinforcement and screed based on the future operational loads that the floor will bear. For example, not every floor on the ground will withstand brick partitions or a staircase - for these purposes, you need to make local reinforcement from reinforcement and increase the floor layer to 12–20 cm. These recommendations are given for a residential building, and not for any other kind of premises.

When the screed is poured, you can proceed to the finishing.

How did you make the floor on the ground and what can you add to this material? Write in the comments!

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Read also:

  • How to turn an apartment into a smart home: personal experience.
  • In search of a universal insulation: what it should be.

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