The appearance of Knauf flooring in the construction industry can truly be considered a huge step in modern progress. Loose floors of this brand have already acquired millions of fans, because they are very easy to install and use, although this material can hardly be called cheap. However, with it you will save a lot of time and effort.
Knauf loose floors
Features of Knauf loose floor
This dry screed is a kind of cocktail created using gypsum fiber panels. This mixture is laid on a special waterproofing film, which, in turn, is overlapped (by about twenty centimeters) and “crawls out” on the walls by five centimeters. Truly, the invention of dry screed became the property of the construction industry. finishing works, because this saves the most important thing - time. But this does not mean that if the floor is laid quickly, its quality will deteriorate.
Knauf floor installation process
You may be wondering why the name Knauf loose floor? It's simple: when the surface is leveled, gypsum fiber sheets manufactured by the German company Knauf are placed on it. Self-tapping screws and mounting adhesive are used to secure them. In general, the company produces not only flooring; its product range includes a lot building materials and other components of the highest quality.
When is it advisable to use Knauf loose flooring?
Of course, it is not always profitable to lay a loose floor; it is expensive, although it more than pays for itself with its durability. So, it is recommended to use Knauf in the following cases:
- If the creeping is not new flooring, but reconstruction or repair is being carried out in one of the old buildings. This is explained by the fact that in the arsenal of Knauf characteristics there is a significant reduction in all bearing structures, that's why it is so.
- If we're talking about about wooden floors between floors in which you decide to install electronic heated floors.
- In addition, it is recommended to use loose flooring if you need to lay the flooring in record time.
- Finally, its use is advisable in winter, because when low temperatures, as we know, it is almost impossible to make a traditional screed from DSP.
Bulk floor laying technology
First stage: backfilling with dry screed
Dry screed, purchased in a store, is poured around the perimeter of the future floor, while you need to focus on the pre-installed beacons. When the surface is finally leveled, it does not need to be subjected to deformation, that is, you cannot walk on it. So that you can move around, we are taking the following measures: to the place where you plan to work, it is necessary to lay some kind of path from gypsum fiber board sheets (you can use scraps for this, but their dimensions must be at least 50 by 50 centimeters). This can be either a continuous path or a kind of island, the main thing is that the surface of the screed is not damaged. Next, we proceed directly to the installation of gypsum fiber boards.
Knauf floor screed diagram
Second stage: installing the Knauf loose floor
You should start laying the sheets as far away from the entrance to the room as possible. When the first Knauf sheet is laid, the second one is laid next to it. This must be done closely, so that the gaps between the plates do not exceed one millimeter. All joints between them are sealed with glue; special care must be taken to ensure that the screed is not damaged in the process. For added strength, self-tapping screws are also used during installation.
So, the first row of slabs has been laid. Next, let's move on to the second one. To begin with, you can use a piece of slab that remains from the first row, but it is extremely important that its dimensions are no less than one-fourth of the whole slab. If the walls in the room are smooth, the gypsum fiber boards should also fit tightly to them, not only to each other. If the walls are uneven, then a gap of about one centimeter remains between them and the slabs, which is subsequently filled with polyurethane foam.
Regarding the direction of the sheets, it is determined individually for each specific room. After the work is completed, the joints between the elements are sanded and covered with putty.
It is recommended that all work be carried out by at least two people. The thing is that one such slab weighs approximately seventeen kilograms, which is why it will be extremely difficult to hold it with outstretched arms for a long time. When laying, the joints should move in the same way as when laying bricks.
Third stage: dry screed thickness
Now let's talk about the minimum thickness that a Knauf loose floor should have. In general, it should be four centimeters. In other words, the thickness of the slab is a centimeter, and the thickness of the dry backfill should also be two centimeters. This should be taken into account, especially if you do all the calculations yourself. Moreover, there may also be an additional floor covering, for example, the same laminate can be either 0.8 or 1.2 centimeters.
You should also be aware that Knauf flooring may experience slight shrinkage. It often does not exceed two centimeters, but still, if you plan to install it in several rooms at once, then you should pay due attention to interroom transitions.
Floor installation technology
Other stages of work. Waterproofing
The waterproofing layer plays one of the main functions when laying a screed floor, since the life of further operation will mainly depend on it. Why, you ask? Everything is very simple: loose floors are literally afraid of moisture, because it is from this that their slabs swell and, therefore, the front covering of the floor will significantly deteriorate. Therefore, a layer of film for waterproofing should be installed under the layer of dry backfill. This will protect the floor from the negative effects of moisture, which in any case accumulates in the interfloor space.
Important! Before installation begins vapor barrier film, you must first treat the base of the floor. To do this, we seal all the holes and cracks in it with alabaster, which, as you know, hardens quite quickly. If there are wires running around the perimeter, then they also need to be wrapped in corrugation and pressed as much as possible to the base. Let us remind you that the expanded clay layer should be at least two centimeters, remember this.
Sound insulation
It is also recommended to take care of the sound insulation device. It not only avoids the formation of sound bridges, but also prevents further deformation of the flooring during thermal expansion. In order to install sound insulation, we leave a small gap (about ten centimeters) between the walls and the gypsum board slabs, where the heat-insulating material will subsequently be placed.
An ordinary foam rubber tape with a thickness of one centimeter and a width of, of course, ten centimeters can be used as such material. They are sold in the form of self-adhesive tapes, as well as in the form of regular ones, which are secured with mounting tape.
Soundproofing the floor
What material is Knauf installed under?
The loose floor of this brand can be laid under whole line materials, including:
- Already mentioned linoleum.
- Laminate.
- Ceramic tile.
- Parquet.
- Carpet and others.
As a result, we add that a dry screed, despite its apparent high cost, will last longer in the future than a traditional wet screed, which will also create a lot of problems during operation. In general, Kaufman loose floors are one of the best solutions.
Video - Knauf floor installation technology
Review: Knauf Dry Fasteners for Prestressed Flooring - Quick and Easy Styling
pros:
Simplicity and ease of installation, good sound insulation
flaws:
Not detected
This filling is sold in 40 liter bags (about 25 kg). The cost of the bag is 234 rubles.
From the back of the bag you can experience the ultra-thin Knauf styling technology.
Some of the expanded clay is visible inside the bag.
The dry sediment is poured onto a previously cleaned surface covered with plastic film (at least 100 microns thick).
And it is leveled on a flat surface. Since the width of the room is small (2.5 m), then on one side of the room and on the other side the profiles are fixed at the same level, making charging even.
Another profile is used in gutter profiles, which are used as a seam.
This is what looks like dry clay filling the Knauf.
Once leveled there should be no wobble, fall or gravel.
Once the entire surface of the room is level, you can move on to expanded clay using GVL (Knauf Super Thin Board) islands.
Area 14 sq.
It took 15 bags of dry filling. Due to large differences in soil, the maximum thickness of the latch was 5 cm, and the smallest thickness was 3 cm. A m with a layer thickness of 4 cm consumes 40 liters. (that is, one bag of dry tail).
To level the floor level, a dry clay bowl was chosen and sound insulation was increased (from noisy neighbors below). Before installation, the old screed was completely removed!
Laying and leveling the expanded clay fill took place in one evening, if they were not professionals, but also for the first time.
To summarize, I would like to emphasize that the tasks have been fully achieved. Two months later, they found no downsides.
Knauf loose floors technology and instructions!
Disadvantages of Knauf dry floor screed
Dry floor screed Knauf is a prefabricated floor with GVL sheet elements on fine-grained expanded clay Compavit, and is one of the fastest ways to level floors, but it has its drawbacks.
In some situations, this floor leveling technology is used, for example, when minor repairs are being made.
When should you use a Knauf screed?
It is considered an almost ideal solution for a residential apartment, especially if you need to level separate rooms, while dry Knauf floors completely eliminate wet processes (moisture is the main destroyer of bulk floors), you will not need a lot of time before laying the floor covering; as soon as the dry floor is laid, you can immediately lay laminate or carpet.
With a dry Knauf floor you can level out any unevenness and differences in the base.
This dry screed technology can be used under the following coatings: parquet board, tiles, laminate, carpet, linoleum, however, under piece linoleum or parquet you will have to place additional sheets of small format on the screws on top of the dry floor, and the seams must be taped construction glue PVA or something similar.
Leveling the floor with a dry Knauf screed can save your time.
Repairing uneven floors by laying screed is done at the very end of the preparatory work, before you start gluing wallpaper and installing doors.
Thanks to this technology, noise suppression of 60 dB occurs if the backfill is made with a layer thickness of at least 6 centimeters. In addition, this screed is the fastest of all in terms of the time it takes to lay finishing layer no waiting for drying.
Dry screed Knauf today is the first in terms of speed, provided that it is installed using a mechanized method, for example, an apartment with an area of 100 square meters completed in less than a day.
Dry screed Knauf is a prefabricated base made of gypsum fiber boards GVL sizes 60*60 cm, which is placed on expanded clay sand (expanded clay compavit fr 0.5mm).
Up to 9 centimeters of backfill, the floor screed can be installed without the use of an additional small-format sheet. If you plan to lay carpet or linoleum as the final floor covering, then using a small-format sheet will be useful for any expanded clay backfill, as well as in cases where the room carries increased mechanical load and traffic.
If the installation of the GVL floor screed exceeds the permissible limit, it is allowed to place under the backfill lightweight material from a range of polystyrene foam, mineral wool or other strong and lightweight material to fill the excess void.
Disadvantages of screeds
The main disadvantage of Knauf loose flooring is moisture.
This floor leveling technology is strictly prohibited from being used in unheated rooms on the ground and basement floors, as well as in rooms with high humidity.
So, if renovations are being done in an apartment, then in the bathroom and restroom, it is recommended to carry out leveling using a ready-made dry mixture “sand concrete” m300 or laying several layers of waterproofing. It is also important to take into account that the dry gypsum fiber board floor carries only household loads, so you should not count on installation in rooms with high mechanical loads and traffic.
The main area of use of Knauf dry screed technology is premises in private houses, apartments and office premises.
There are not as many disadvantages of using Knauf dry screed as there are advantages, but they should still be identified:
First of all, this is the price. Not to say that dry screed from Knauf is inexpensive construction work– still, its cost cannot be defined as low.
Regarding the disadvantages, it should also be noted that the screed has a fairly large height, so it will not be appropriate to use this technology in every room - sometimes the ceiling height simply does not allow this.
Thus, the disadvantages of Knauf dry flooring compared to cement ones are: incompatibility with moisture, cost, height.
At the same time, the positive aspects include: quick and clean work, lack of dirt, little noise insulation and relative warmth of the coating.
If the floor is damaged by a small leak of water into the floor structure, mold will form under the floor covering.
In such a situation, there is only one way out - dismantling the entire floor covering and installing a new floor.
Therefore, if you are faced with a choice of what you should give your preference to, pay attention to dry floor screed from Knauf. Of course, factors such as your desire, the height of the room, the amount you are counting on, and reviews of home craftsmen are taken into account.
However, the decisive criterion, as a rule, is still the price.
KNAUF-superpol - soil made from gypsum leaves. (U).
Knauf has developed a very interesting technology Knauf OP 13 for the construction of foundations for floor finishing. The essence can be called a “dry screed”.
Soil bases Knauf OP 13 - general information
Knauf OP 13 floor bases are empty, simply assembled dry prefabricated structures intended for installation in residential and public buildings, as well as offices and auxiliary facilities of production facilities:
— with non-standard requirements for floor sound insulation;
— covers the insulation requirements for 03/23/2003 SNP: sound insulation in the room (Rw) 56 dB and indices below the impact noise level (Lnw) up to 47 dB;
— In conditions that exclude “wet” processes in finishing work;
- to level the floor area and (or) raise the soil, as well as to protect technical networks by overlapping dry ones; — if necessary, reduce the load on the soil;
- under compression and low temperatures (up to +5 ° C) during the finishing period.
Reasons for sex Knauf OP 13 can be located on both concrete and wooden overlays. Prefabricated floor coverings OP 13 are used in buildings:
— with a non-aggressive environment, weak and moderate intensity of mechanical influences in accordance with SNiP 2.03.13-88;
- with dry, normal and wet cracks in accordance with SNiP 23-02-2003;
— without restrictions on structural systems and types, level of responsibility, degree of fire resistance and number of floors of buildings, climatic and engineering-geological conditions of construction.
Use of the ground floor Knauf OP 13 This is also permitted in premises with high humidity(bathrooms, showers, etc.) if a waterproofing device is installed. The Knauf OP 13 floor surface is suitable for all types floor coverings. Heated floors are recommended on the floor surface.
The Knauf OP 13 prefabricated foundation system includes two varieties: OP 131 and OP 135, which differ depending on the degree of completion of the screed parts that must be installed under construction conditions.
OG 131 floor elements for leveling the floor (VC), and in OD 135 they are assembled in the built-in conditions of two small sheets of water-resistant plasterboard (GVLV)
Let's look at the system in more detail Knauf OP 131 (Knauf-Superpole)
Knauf-superpol technology (Knauf OP 131)
The basis of this technology is floor elements(EP) Knauf-superpop leaves made of gypsum fibers (UGV) size 1500 x 500 x 20 mm.
It consists of two 10mm gypsum fiber leaves glued together with a projection in a motion that creates wrinkles (locks). Wrinkled floor is glued special glue and is attached together with special screws, on which a layer of ordinary sheets of gypsum fibers is applied on top.
Warm floors and Knauf-superpol
The thermophysical properties of plaster fibers make it possible to use them in the construction of heated floors.
KNAUF OP 131 device on a concrete base
In preparation concrete base it is necessary to clean the surface and record the distance between the plates, as well as cracks between the floor and walls, cement mortar class M500.
When the cracks are closed, perform a final “cleaning” of the surface. If specific place small (5 mm) in splash or grain - Floors are coordinated using an interlayer such as corrugated cardboard, fiberboard insulating material it.d.
To fill local unevenness (up to 20 mm), it is recommended to use a “repair” mixture, for example “Vetonit 4000”. In large inequalities (above 20 mm) or at different levels clay is used. Its layer may have different thickness, for example, to raise the level of the floor, but the main purpose of the filler is for the surface.
If the floor is insulated with expanded polystyrene, the surface of the substrate must be leveled using whales or sand-cement mixing.
After preparing the surface, the floor is covered with polyethylene foil 0.2 mm thick with overlapping adjacent sheets of at least 200 mm.
This provides a good vapor barrier.
NB:WITH wooden base
instead of film, parchment paper, paraffin or corrugated paper and modern universal vapor barrier barriers, such as "Yutafol N.", "Svetofol", etc.
On the wall, the edge of the foil should be located approximately 20 mm above the level of the mounting surface. floor - either 20mm polystyrene foam or rock wool or 30mm glass wool or sludge, plus the thickness of two plasterboard sheets (2 x 10mm) - you "put on" the form.
As a result, the soil level rises 40-50 mm from the base slab. (Picture 1)
Rice. 1. KNAUF 131 plasterboard floor structures (GVP):
1. base; 2. flags; 3. Flooring flooring; fourth
Waterproofing; 5. Dry filling; sixthFloor element Knauf-superpol; 7. Border belt.
IMPORTANT!!! To avoid deformation of the floating floor and improve sound insulation properties, the possibility of contact of the panels with the wall should be excluded. For this purpose, the contour covering along the circumferential wall is 10 mm thick and 10 cm wide, cut from mineral wool (edges) A or soft polymer based on strips of at least 8 mm thick.
The belt absorbs noise and serves as a replacement seam without walk panels or cracks. Sawing GVL sheets depending on the actual dimensions of the space, taking into account the distance on the lane.
External insulation
If the heater is infill, simply pour it onto the floor and level it on a stand on light bulbs (such as mounting brackets) that are installed from a level that starts at the wall opposite the entrance.
If the thickness exceeds 50 mm and the location of the surroundings is up to the monolithic floor, the charge must be compressed.
Heating plate
If it is polystyrene foam, mineral wool or glass wool, beautifully cut it into small plates. When laying, make sure that the plates adhere to each other. When laying expanded polystyrene, the formation of a gap between the plates should be removed.
We put the Knauf in our hands - instructions
Folding sheets Gwalan Fibers (GWL) Knauf
Placing the first layers of Knauf sheet made of gypsum fibers removing a maximum of 1mm at the door joints to maintain the surface of the final filler. When installing a screed with opposite side doors at the back you need to take care that the "path" moves from the sheets.
If you are using thermal insulation boards, the laying should start from the opposite wall. Mobile connections must be at least 200 mm.
The first layer of Knauf Gwalan Foam Sheets (GWL) is then carefully coated with adhesive.
The adhesive should be used sequentially (separately) under each layer of Layer 2, avoiding any skips. Average consumption glue is 400 g/m².
Laying sheets of the second layer it passes through the first layer at intervals of no more than 1 mm, covering the transverse joints of the first layer with its plane.
The joints must be at least 250 mm (a quarter of the entire layer of the first layer should be laid from the corner and half from the wall). The glue that comes from the seams can be removed with a spatula.
In addition, the assembly of each sheet of the 2nd layer (in the form of stacking) is carried out using special screws for a length of plaster fibers from 19 to 30 mm and a leaf thickness of 10 mm and a length of 23 to 30 mm, a plate thickness of 12 mm (inclination no more than 300 mm),
Screws must be protected from corrosion.
IMPORTANT!!!General dry wall (GKL) screws attaching gypsum (GVL) sheets - PROHIBITED.
The GVL screw has a double thread and a self-closing device allowing it to penetrate 12mm into the sheet from a single barrier. Very often, under the influence of work loads, sparking occurs on the screws on the GCR to which the GVL floor elements are attached.
Installation of Knauf-superpol elements
Installation of floor elements leads from the door wall.
In floor elements adjacent to walls, it is interrupted in the interface area. Each new line begins by cutting the installation at the last element of the previous line, which eliminates waste and allows the movement of end connections in adjacent rows (at least 250 mm).
IMPORTANT!!! Joints with cut wrinkles are not allowed.
Before installing the floor elements, glue "Polaks", PVA or "Systemkleber" applies to the wrinkles of the elements already attached to it.
When laying is carried out, the fastening elements of adjacent elements are fastened with special screws to a length GVL of 19 to 30 mm in increments of no more than 300 mm.
Ready-made soil elements KNAUF-superpol overlapping at the top of the small format GVL 1500 x 1000 (1200) x 10 (12) mm or sheets of ordinary GVL sheets, which is less convenient.
In all cases, the gaps and mounting screws are sealed with a "Fugenfyuller GW" or "Uniflot" kit, then the stems are removed from the edge of the edging and foil.
The second layer of plasterboard plates should then be filled with any coating for highly absorbent substrates.
IMPORTANT: If necessary, the Knauf installation floor is installed in a damp room (bathroom), a waterproofing tape (“Flehendihtband” “Knauf”) and waterproofing of the floor covering (“Flehendiht”) will be installed on the floor.
Technical characteristics of KNAUF OP 131MetricsValues Minimum thickness structures 35 mm thickness 100 mm Maximum structural strength of at least 10 MPa, thermal conductivity of the screed 0.22-0.41 W/m2 ° increased air insulation index up to 4.2 dB noise reduction in the impact sound index at 18-22 dB
Composition of the whole KNAUF systems OP 131NamingEd.Ch.M.Kol-in per m2 Floor element 1 (ES) 1.0 2 m2 whale glue kg 0.05 3 polyethylene sheet 4 1.15 m2 Knauf Fugen HS filler (Fugenfyuller HS) 0.15 kg up to 5 Knauf thread castings.
12 6 Border of the edge of the tape. m * 7 Dry rear “Compavit” ** l 15 ***
*depending on the circumference of the space.
**according to client needs.
*** for a layer 15 mm thick per 1 m2. m.
Technical characteristics of the Knauf-superpol floor elementMetricsValues Dimensions, mm Weight 1500x500x20 1200x600x20 elements width about 18 kg wrinkles, mm - bottom layer - upper layer 48 50 useful element surface m2 0.75 thermal conductivity, W/m ° C with heat absorption coefficient from 0.22 to 0.36, W/mK not more than 6.2 Surface hardness not less than 20 MPa surface water absorption in kg/m2, no more than 1.0 Vapor permeability, mg / m h 0.12 Pa specific effective actions natural radionuclides, Bq / kg not even packaging 370 packaging 70 elements (52.5 m2)
Fire performance characteristics of the Krauf-superpol floor componentMetricsValues Flammability group GOST 30.244-94 vehicles G1 Flammability according to GOST 30.402-96 group B1 smoke generating ability from GOST 12.1.044-89 Vehicle D1 toxicity GOST 12.1.044-89 Flame flame group GOST R 51032-97 WG1
Buy Knauf-superpol floor elements >>>
Are you interested in Knauf dry floor screed? See our website for proper backfilling technology.
Find out how to do the installation yourself. You can also post reviews here.
Dry screed Knauf - fast and technologically advanced
Elements
To install the floor we will need:
- GVL for flooring, moisture-resistant 1200x600x20mm Knauf superfloor;
- Dry expanded clay backfill;
- Profile for dry screed (beacons);
- Damper tape;
- PVA glue.
Laying damper tape
First of all, we will need to lay a damper tape around the entire perimeter of the room.
Can be attached to any in an accessible way, for example, glue it or simply fill it with a small amount of expanded clay.
Installing profiles
Do-it-yourself dry Knauf floors video
We select the distance between profiles depending on the length of the rule.
Backfilling the screed with dry expanded clay sand
Pour the dry mixture between the profiles.
Pulling the tie
There is a complete analogy with a concrete floor screed. Using the rule, we stretch the expanded clay along the beacons; this technology allows us to obtain a flat surface of the screed.
Laying GVL moisture-resistant 1200x600x20mm Knauf superfloor elements
Knauf slabs, made of moisture-resistant GVL with dimensions of 1200x600x20mm, are laid on top of the backfill and distribute the load.
The slabs consist of two elements with mutual displacement in two perpendicular directions and the formation of folds. Seams are needed for a stronger connection and transfer of load between adjacent elements.
We start laying from the corner of the room:
Applying glue
Before installing the second slab, apply glue to the seam of the first slab; you can use PVA.
Knauf technology involves displacement of the seams, therefore, installation of the second row will need to start from half GVL sheet.
Installation of finishing layer
After finishing laying the gypsum fiber boards, you can begin installing the finishing layer.
Pros and cons of dry floor screed technology from Knauf
I think that it would be more correct to compare with a concrete floor screed.
Advantages:
- Light weight, which is especially important for wooden floors
- Speed of installation and low labor intensity
- No wet processes
- No need for special equipment such as a concrete mixer
- Expanded clay screed has thermal insulation properties
Flaws:
- Higher cost
- Probability of bursting under constant loads
- Lower heat capacity (for heated floors)
- Low thermal conductivity.
If you plan to have a heated floor, you will have to use expensive aluminum plates for additional thermal conductivity.
Regarding the first point of shortcomings.
In general, dry floor screed made using technology can withstand 600 kg/meter. But for example when working washing machine, under it there is a possibility of destruction of expanded clay stone and shedding, with subsequent sagging of the gypsum plasterboard.
If weight is not critical and you need a warm floor, then I would recommend this technology for a warm floor made of plasterboard.
The appearance of Knauf flooring on the market was a real breakthrough in the field of construction. Knauf loose floors, easy to install, have already been loved by hundreds of users. And although it is impossible to call the material cheap, reviews from professionals say that with such a base you will save a lot of effort and time.
Features of bulk floor
Dry screed is a kind of cocktail created using panel-type elements made of gypsum fiber. GVL is laid on a special waterproofing film, overlapped with ends of at least 20 cm. The protection also extends onto the walls by about 6-7 cm. Installation of a dry screed saves time, allowing you to do without a wet cement-sand mixture and all the manipulations associated with it . And the main advantage of Knauf is the high strength and quality of the material. The name Knauf bulk floor means that after leveling the surface, gypsum fiber board slabs are laid on it, fastening them using assembly adhesive or self-tapping screws.
Where and when to use loose dry floors?
Whether or not to use a super-floor is up to the user, but there are cases when Knauf slabs 1200x600x22 mm are the best alternative to any choice:
- When reconstructing an old floor covering without replacing the old base. The advantages of the slab are its low weight, which significantly lightens the load on all load-bearing elements and quick installation, allowing you to cope with the work without using additional force.
- If you plan to install a heated electronic floor in a building with wooden floors.
- In cases where installation is necessary in record time, GVL slabs and Knauf loose flooring are the best solution.
- Prefabricated slabs are ideal for arranging floors in the cold season, when installing a traditional screed is not possible.
View material characteristics and select the best prices on the product, as well as get acquainted with the nuances of the work, the video will help.
Technological process of laying bulk floor
It is important to pay attention to the stages of work so that the elements are in their place and you do not have to redo the whole work again:
- Backfilling with dry screed. The material purchased in the store must be poured along the perimeter of the floor area, focusing on the level of pre-installed beacons. Afterwards, you should level the surface using a lath and under no circumstances subject the even floor to deformation. Knauf will show you how to pour out and level dry screed in a video tutorial. Although reviews from professionals say that no difficulties are expected in the process. But in order to walk on the screed, it is better to lay sheets of gypsum fiber board (trimmings are also possible), and then the actual installation of the gypsum board will begin.
- Installation of Knauf bulk floor. Laying of gypsum fiber board elements begins from the place furthest from the entrance to the room. As soon as the first sheet is laid, the second and third are immediately laid. This is done as tightly as possible, the gaps between the elements should not be more than 1mm.
- After installation, all small joints must be sealed with glue.
Important! The screed must not be damaged under any circumstances. To make the installation as strong as possible, you should use self-tapping screws.
- After the first row of slabs has been laid, begin laying the second row. To start building a row, you can use a piece of slab (in the case of cutting an element), but only if the size of the slab is not less than a quarter of a whole one;
- With smooth walls, installation is carried out without serious gaps, but in case of unevenness, the remaining gaps are foamed with polyurethane foam.
- The direction of laying out elements is determined individually. After completion of the work, the joints must be sanded and straightened with putty.
Advice! It is better to do the work in pairs; the weight of one gypsum slab is approximately 17 kg, and it is difficult to hold it with outstretched arms. When working with the material, the joints shift, as when laying brick.
Dry screed thickness - stage three
The minimum thickness of the Knauf bulk floor, as recommended by reviews from professionals, should be at least 4-5 cm. It turns out that the thickness of the backfill is added to the thickness of the sheet (2 cm), also 2-3 cm. Parameters should be taken into account in case of carrying out the work with your own hands. The final floor covering (laminate, tiles) also needs to be taken into account.
Knauf floors require slight shrinkage, approximately 1.5-2 cm, so when installing dry screed in several rooms, you need to take into account the interroom transitions.
Waterproofing, sound insulation
All bulk floors are afraid of moisture: swelling, deformation and then uneven subsidence - all this can be avoided by installing a waterproofing layer of ordinary polyethylene of good thickness. A layer is laid under a dry screed. It is especially important to comply with the condition if the building’s floors are wooden. Sealing cracks and holes with alabaster, pressing wires to the base are the initial work, after which you can lay waterproofing. All the nuances of the preparatory work can be seen in the video.
It’s a good idea to take care of a soundproofing layer to prevent floor deformation. To do this, you need to leave a small gap between the gvl and the wall, where any soundproofing material (mineral wool or foam tape on a self-adhesive basis).
What can a superfloor be installed under?
Knauf bulk material assumes any final finish:
- Linoleum;
- Laminate;
- Ceramic tiles;
- Parquet;
- Carpet;
- Solid wood, veneer.
Super-floor Knauf is not cheap, but such a dry screed is much easier to install and is not much inferior in characteristics to a cement-sand screed. As a result, the user receives high performance characteristics elements and speed and ease of installation.
Advantages of modular slabs:
- Evenness of the base which can withstand a distributed load of 500 kg/m2, a point load of 200 kg/m2;
- High fire-resistant qualities. Floating floors are ideal for residential, domestic and industrial premises;
- Hypoallergenic. Due to the fact that gypsum board sheets and dry screed are made from natural material, the elements are recommended for installation in kindergartens, hospitals and other premises where high standards for the quality of floors are required;
- Not susceptible to deformation. Such characteristics make it possible to avoid squeaks and broken elements during operation. The super-floor will remain intact even under everyday intense loads;
- Thermal and sound insulating properties. Laying Knauf flooring requires only waterproofing, without layers of heat and sound insulating material on the base. Sound insulation, as indicated above, is only required on wall panels;
- Extremely short work time. The construction of the floors is so simple that you can handle them yourself, without spending a single extra day on drying or maturing the composition. At the same time, a Knauf floating or modular floor is ready for use immediately after laying out and filling the joints;
- Easy to install. Thanks to the small format of the elements, floor installation can be carried out in different rooms without loss of quality and level;
- No “wet” work. This quality is especially important if the superfloor is laid out in apartments with old supports, where the device wet screed impossible due to the dilapidation of logs and ceilings.
Flaws:
- Superfloor has reduced moisture resistance. The installation of a dry screed is impossible without a layer of waterproofing. The Knauf device is also not recommended in rooms with constant aggressive humid environment. Ingress of moisture will require opening the slab, long-term drying of the filler, or complete replacement elements.
- Dust when working with expanded clay fractions. This can be easily avoided by performing installation and filling in respirators;
- High cost compared to other materials.
The disadvantages that super sex has are minimal. The final price of the work, according to professionals, is not much higher than laying a wet screed. But the time it takes for the floor to be ready (immediately after the elements are laid) makes us consider Knauf products an ideal solution for practical owners.
Knauf floor elements are a truly practical and convenient system for leveling the floor. They are designed to create the ideal base for any coating. These elements can be used for almost any type of flooring, in addition, they can improve the thermal and sound insulation of rooms.
This type of flooring is designed to create a subfloor with normal humidity and dry conditions. Can also be used in rooms with high level humidity: bathroom, kitchen. In addition, they are perfect for both reinforced concrete and wooden floors.
Manufacturing materials
Knauf floor elements are the result of the latest developments, representing a combination of structural elements that are used to create a seamless floor surface. They are produced by gluing 2 hydrophobic gypsum fiber sheets, which gives the floor high strength and resistance to various types mechanical impact.
Pros and cons of technology
If we compare the technology of laying dry screed and traditional screed, we can immediately name the main pros gender Knauf:
- deadlines, because dry screeding is done in 1-2 days, which does not slow down the repair process;
- lack of dirt due to lack of wet technologies;
- simplicity of the process;
- no special equipment required;
- easy to hide communications;
- good thermal and sound insulation;
- comparative lightness of the screed, which can even be placed on a wooden base;
- the result is a coating of high strength and perfectly smooth;
- You can lay any topcoat immediately after finishing the work.
From shortcomings The following floor elements can be noted:
- Instability to moisture. This technology cannot be used for basements and ground floors and unheated rooms. In addition, you should not install this floor in a room with high humidity.
- Great height. This drawback can interfere if the room does not have the ability to raise the floor.
- Price. The Knauf floor element is more expensive than its analogues.
At this stage, one of the highest quality and simplest ways preparation The base for laying the decorative covering is a loose floor or a prefabricated dry floor screed.
It consists of the following parts:
- A floor element that creates an even, rigid layer on which any finish can be laid.
- Dry backfill is a leveling layer that will tightly fill all the unevenness in the slabs.
- Edge tape - to suppress impact noise.
- GVL screws are a fastening element.
- PVA glue is necessary for gluing EP sheets together.
- Vapor barrier - to protect dry backfill from steam from the lower floors.
Installation technology for Knauf floor elements
If the concrete base is already ready, then you can begin the process installation Paul Knauf. First you need to cover the floor surface with plastic film, the thickness of which is at least 200 microns. This vapor and water insulator will protect the floor surface from negative influences wet steam, penetrating from the lower floor. This will increase the time frame operation material.
Next, along the entire perimeter of the room at the junction of the walls and floor, you need to lay edge material. This is a good sound insulator, a lifesaver if you have noisy neighbors. After this, the preparation stage is considered complete.
Now you need to fill in the insulation expanded clay. They need to fill the entire area of the room. But it is important that the thickness of the heat insulation layer is at least 2 cm. If this is not taken into account, then in the future the floor may begin to sag.
Bulk material will lie unevenly on the floor, so it is important to level out. To do this, metal guides are placed on it, which are aligned at the same level of the horizontal plane. For this purpose, a building level and rule will be required. According to the guides, they usually pull towards themselves, thereby leveling the expanded clay.
After that the turn is coming direct installation GVL slabs Knauf floor elements are glued together with offset two sheets of gypsum fiber. The result is folds that will play the role of locking joints.
The first sheet is placed in corner premises, and the edge of the fold is treated with glue. The second sheet must be attached to it so that the folds are connected, and a reliable and durable joint is obtained. But such a connection is considered fragile, for this reason screws are used for additional fastening. They are placed along the line of folds at a distance of 5 cm. In this case, the plates will not diverge, and cracks will not form.
Now all that remains is trim protruding edge of the edge tape, and also make finishing floor surface. Of course, it is not recommended to paint such a coating, but you can put linoleum, laminate, tiles or something like that on it.
As you can see, Knauf floor elements are truly good option for those who want to finish quickly renovation work and do not mess with dirt and dust from cement.
Knauf superfloor, produced by Knauf, is correctly called a prefabricated floor base. It is also called dry screed Knauf. The dry screed kit includes a special bedding and floor elements. Elements of gender are two standard sheet GVL (10 mm), glued to each other with a diagonal offset of 5 cm. The thickness of the floor element is 20 mm. This offset creates a locking connection along the edges of the sheet, which allows you to lay the sheets overlapping (see photo). The locking connection allows you to maintain the same thickness of the entire resulting base.
Purpose of dry screed
Knauf superfloor is designed for leveling the floor, without mixing mortar and laying cement-sand screed. Any finishing coating can be laid on a dry screed, including floor heating systems. Usually the sheets are laid in one layer.
The photo shows a polystyrene underfloor heating system mounted on a dry screed.
Knauf superfloor - necessary material
For dry screed Knauf Superfloor you need the following material.
- Additive (in bags of 25 kg);
- GVL sheets (Floor element, Knauf supersheet);
- Polyethylene film for vapor/moisture insulation of dry screed;
- Edge tape for damper connection between screed and wall;
- Glue for gluing joint locks;
- Screws 3.9×19, type TN for fixing plate joints.
Dry screed tool
Prepare the following tool for dry screeding:
- Electric jigsaw for cutting gypsum fiber boards;
- The building rule is 2-3 meters long, depending on the width of the room;
- A set of screwdrivers or a screwdriver;
- Metal spatula for sealing seams between sheets;
- Devices for attaching damper tape to the wall. If the wall is wooden, then you need a construction stapler; if the wall is concrete or plastered, then you need construction tape;
- A laser level wouldn't hurt.
Knauf superfloor installation - stages of work
Moisture protection
The basic, uneven floor is partially repaired (if necessary). Cracks are sealed and chips are removed. The screed level is marked.
Next, the base floor is covered with plastic film to protect the Knauf screed from moisture. Polyethylene is placed on the wall at a depth of 20 cm. An edge strip made of porous material is fixed along the perimeter of the wall. The edge tape is attached over the polyethylene.
Backfill
A layer of dry screed is poured onto the floor. First, a thin layer is poured, which is visually leveled along the horizon. Beacons are laid on this layer. For this screed it is better to take for beacons square pipes. The beacons are laid on the first layer of bedding and leveled according to the building level or laser beam.
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Laying floor elements
Elements of Knauf superfloor dry screed are laid from the wall farthest from the entrance, from right to left (sometimes vice versa). At the first row of sheets, the lock is cut off from the edge of the sheet facing the wall.
The sheet locks are coated with adhesive mastic and fastened with 3.9 × 19 screws, or simply self-tapping screws with fine threads (TN type).
The evenness of laying sheets is controlled by the building level.
During the installation process, they are removed, the previously laid beacons and the furrows from them are filled with backfill.
Note: It is important to lay the dry screed sheets in an offset manner, as in brickwork. To do this, the remainder of the last sheet of the row is laid first in the next row. This installation is similar to laying laminate flooring.
Preparing dry screed for finishing
To carry out finishing work on the screed, the seams between the sheets must be puttied with KNAUF Uniflot putty or KNAUF Fugen GV. Before puttying, the seams are primed. After the putty has dried in the seams, they are cleaned with emery cloth, the surface is removed from dust and the entire dry screed is primed completely. Now it is ready for finishing work: laying tiles, laying linoleum or carpet. You can also lay a heated floor made of thermal mats or a warm infrared floor film on a dry screed.
Note: If you are planning to lay tiles or porcelain stoneware on a dry screed, then you do not need to putty the seams. It is enough to prime the entire surface of the dry screed with a deep penetration primer.
Preface. Many people want to install a Knauf superfloor with their own hands in a room or on a balcony. Floors using this technology are light, unlike concrete floors In addition, they are warm and reliable. When installing a superfloor, less dirt is generated than when self-leveling floors. We will analyze the construction of Knauf floor elements on our own and show video instructions for installing dry floors at the end of the material from professionals.
4. Laying floor elements
The main rule when installing floor elements is not to move the sheet along the backfill. You just need to place the sheet on top of the expanded clay backfill and secure it. Although this is not so easy to do, since one sheet weighs about 17 kg. Doing the work together will make it much easier to lay the subfloor. On all sheets running along the walls, the fold is removed.
5. Fastening sheets with screws and glue
The sheets are laid on the floor with the seam offset, similar to brickwork or facade insulation with foam plastic. The floor element consists of two glued together gypsum fiber sheet, so there remains a field for attaching the sheet with self-tapping screws. Each sheet of Knauf flooring is fastened along the entire perimeter with wood screws every 10-15 cm. For greater strength, the manufacturer recommends gluing the seams with PVA.
Features of Knauf superfloor technology
Dry screed Knauf superfloor is faster than concrete screed. This is a prefabricated system that significantly reduces the labor intensity of leveling and insulating the floor. Knauf floors significantly reduce the load on the floors, as they distribute the weight; in addition, the expanded clay layer significantly increases the thermal insulation of the premises. Typically, floor elements are laid on top of expanded clay filling with a fine fraction of up to 5 mm.
Laying floor elements is quite simple, but requires some skill. This technology has many subtleties; following the manufacturer’s instructions will give excellent results. To install a superfloor yourself, watch a video lesson from professional builders and study the process in detail. You should not rush into this matter in order to end up with perfectly smooth and warm floors in your house.