floor screed with expanded clay with their hands

One of the basic requirements for any housing, whether it's your own house or apartment - warm , comfortable climate in it .And only heating the issue can not be solved.Whatever powerful standalone boiler or central heating radiators, without reliable insulation desired result space to reach.

To housing become immune to the vagaries of weather both winter and summer , should be warmed almost all its elements - walls, ceiling, windows and doors.But sex is always given increased attention - especially it is important for owners own houses and residents of lower floors, which are located under the apartments unheated premises.The cold floor in winter - this feeling of constant discomfort, direct path to diseases of people living there, and plus to this - constant huge loss of heat energy, which invariably affect the family budget.How to solve this problem?The options are many, and one of the most effective - floor screed with expanded clay with their hands.

Why choose concrete block, what kinds of ties with it are used, how complicated they are independent execution - that these issues the subject of this publication.

Basic properties of expanded clay

Even though that in DIY stores presented a lot of modern insulating materials based on mineral or synthetic, expanded clay remains extremely popular material due its versatility, environmental friendliness and excellent performance.

What is it like to this material.It is produced by a special processing technology specially selected clays. Raw passes through the stages of drying, grinding, thorough cleaning of impurities and residues of organic matter - it is very important to get really high-quality expanded clay.

then prepared clay is diluted to the desired consistency, and from the resulting mass in special drums form of pellets, which are subjected to high-temperature roasting (about 1100 ÷ 1200 degrees).Such a sharp thermal "kick" promotes effect piroplastiki - explosively gas separation (for through water vapor and thermal decomposition products of some raw material components) followed by rapid solidification to produce a solid porous structure.

On leaving the production line granules obtained red-brown or yellowish-red color with a fused outer crust which prevents to a certain degree of penetration of expanded clay in its porous moisture.

As can be seen, in the manufacture of expanded clay does not use any chemical additives, and if the manufacturer applies the really high-quality natural raw materials , without the addition of industrial waste (eg slag), the material turns out absolutely clean with environmental point of view.

addition, concrete block still has a number of positive qualities:

• material for through the porous structure, has excellent insulation qualities.Its thermal conductivity coefficient, depending on the grade, in the range of 0.07 to 0.16 W / m × ° C .
• However material differs sufficiently high mechanical resistance - depending on the density, it is in the range from 0.6 MPa to 5,5 .

brand expanded clay on the bulk density	Keremzit highest quality	Keramzit first category of quality
	Brand strength	Tensile strength, MPa, min	Brand strength	Tensile strength, MPa, min
M250	P35	0.8	P25	0.6
M300	P50	1	P35	0.8
M350	P75	1.5	P50	1
M400	P75	1.8	P50	1.2
M450	P100	2.1	P75	1.5
M500	P125	2.5	P75	1.8
M550	P150	3.3	P100	2.1
M600	P150	3.5	P125	2.5
M700	P200	4.5	P150	3.3
M800	P250	5.5	P200	4.5

M - grade bulk density.For example, the M450 corresponds to 450 kg / m³

• Keramzit is absolutely combustible material.When exposed to flame it does not emit any toxic substances that can harm the human body.
• material is not a breeding ground for microbial life forms.In addition, expanded clay becomes an insurmountable obstacle for rodents.
• addition to the high insulating properties, not to mention the ability of expanded clay to noise reduction - it becomes an excellent soundproofing material.
• Claydite, despite on that still absorbs moisture, it is absolutely not subject to decay processes.
• material is not afraid to temperature changes in a very wide range - from the quality of its insulation that does not change.
• Plus listed - material benefits significantly in its value in many modern insulation - he available in almost all to average consumers.

sale in expanded clay comes in various forms.As a rule, enterprises main type of production is coarse gravel with granules of 20 to 40 mm.When sorting eliminated smaller fraction - so get expanded clay gravel with grains from 5 to 10 mm.Smaller waste and disintegrated granules are crushed to produce expanded clay sand (0 ÷ 5 mm) or sand-gravel mixtures (0 ÷ 10 mm ) . All these varieties of material, nevertheless , find their widespread use in construction in one capacity or another.However, the physical and performance characteristics they have somewhat different.

Options	clay gravel 20 ÷ 40 mm	Expanded clay gravel 5 ÷ 10 mm	Expanded clay sand or sand and crushed stone mix 0 ÷ 10 mm
Bulk density kg / m³	240 ÷ 450	400 ÷ 500 500 ÷	800
Thermal conductivity, W / m × ° C	0,07 ÷ 0,09	0,09 ÷ 0,11	0,12 ÷ 0,16
Water absorption,% by volume	10 ÷ 15	15 ÷ 20	no more than 25
weight loss,%with cycles of freezing (at standard grade of frost resistance F15)	no more than 8	no more than 8	not regulated

Obviously, than qualitatively expanded clay, than more of his faction, the lower the bulk density andhigher insulation capacity.However, the use of large granules in some cases, impossible on the specifics of the technology, the device of floors - this will be discussed below.

Sometimes can find statements that creates a concrete block certain background radiation. can be answered is that if the material produced by the company with the exact ripening state standards, it is absolutely safe, and its specific activity efficiency ( Aeff ) should be in the range 200 ÷ 240 Bq / kg, permissible sanitary norms in the 370 Bq/ kg.But if the material is purchased absolutely no known origin - show caution does not prevent.In any case, you should always ask the seller how now released concrete block, and whether it required a certificate of quality.

What are floor screed with expanded clay

These physical properties of expanded clay makes it at times indispensable for screeds floors.

• In private construction, when the floor in a country house developing are right on the ground, this material general no competition - it will allow to raise the level and to the necessary, and to give proper thermal insulation from the cold coming from the bottom.
• Likewise come if you want to insulate the floor, ground which is a reinforced concrete slab, under which no heated space.
• screed using expanded clay becomes reliable soundproof barrier, if the bottom, for example, is a constant source of noise.
• At high differential levels of expanded clay base surface enables very substantial savings on building materials - thick screed with expanded clay is incomparably cheaper than pure concrete.In addition, the preparation and pouring process takes much less time.
• Due to the fact that the material is easy , screed with expanded clay will not have too high load on the floor slab.
• Under such a tie is quite possible to accommodate electrical engineering and communication.
• very widely used expanded clay-concrete ties in the regeneration of "warm floor".They are not only reliable basis for the layout of contours pipes or heating cables, but also an effective thermal insulation pad, without which most warm floors do simply can not.

Do you want to build in the room « warm floor"?

It will be effective only if all the requirements for the thermal insulation of its base surface.

Read more about the technologies laying warm floors, water or electrical , read the special publications of our portal.

drawbacks have ties with expanded clay bit.

• first concerns, mainly , those ties, which are arranged according to the classical "wet" technology.It is that the regeneration of the floor covering level significantly rises - typically at least 100 mm.It is clear that not all the rooms is possible simply for reasons of lack of height ceilings.

• second drawback inherent in sex with so-called "dry screed» with expanded clay.Unfortunately, such coatings do not differ resistance to water - shed water, if she managed to get in the thick layer of expanded clay, by itself does not come from there, and to eliminate this "hotbed of humidity», have to resort to dismantle.

Now move on to consideration of the basic technological techniques for creating floor screed with expanded clay with their hands.As already mentioned, there are two main approaches - fill "wet" with certain variations in the sequence of work, and the filling of the "dry burdensome" followed by sheeting on top of the sheet material.

screed with expanded clay "wet» way

This method is applicable, the year along with a large surface leveling height required to give semi additional sound - and insulation quality is not at the same time avoidingtoo high load on the floor slab.Well he suitable for device insulated floor on the ground (with the proviso that already poured concrete foundation with the primary insulating layer, as is also widely used by the same concrete block).

Schematically "wet" screed with expanded clay can portray following way .

1 - floor slab or screed on rough ground.

2 - wall space.

3 - waterproofing layer.Expanded clay, as was seen - quite hygroscopic material, and that it does not absorb moisture, capillary coming from the ground or in the form of vapor - the premises of the bottom layer hydro - vapor barrier is a prerequisite.

4 - elastic damping tape, which according to modern technologies applicable to most views of ties.It compensates for thermal expansion of the resulting concrete slab, avoiding its deformation and destruction.

5 - a layer of expanded clay, not less than 50 mm thick, and if the floor insulation is required the first floor or in a private home, the minimum thickness is 100 mm.

6 - beacon system, predetermining the level produced by gender.On scheme clearly not shown, along with beacons often the system still keeps and reinforcement of the upper tie.

7 - cement-sand screed, which will be the basis for the further laying topcoat or underfloor heating systems.

now - specifically to the technology of laying this tie.

Prepare floor surface

Any screed should uglazhivatsya on a carefully prepared surface.No excuses about that all equal layers of expanded clay concrete and hide all the flaws , absolutely unjustified .Defects base, left at the beginning of the work, can then occur already in the ready-finished floor covering.

• First of all, the surface condition is checked.If on the floor - an old tie, then you must make sure that it is stable, without peeling, sections of concrete erosion degradation, and its crumbling etc .A general, as the planned insulation of the floor is thick enough layer of expanded clay, the wisest decision bude get rid of the old ties, dismantling her to the ground.

This work is certainly not the most pleasant and easy , but armed with a hammer, the owner will decide several problems at once.Debris endure just that it did not interfere with further operations.

• After a thorough cleaning of debris is opened to inspect the surface carefully.If it has a slit width of 1 mm, they should be butcher for subsequent filling of the repair composition.In case of oiled areas, they are cleaned to bare cement .
• then all areas which require repair, dedusted and processed primer deep penetration, to achieve the desired adhesion with the repair composition.