How and what to make a basement floor from? Floor in the basement. Pit waterproofing, drainage, floor filling and wall construction, basement and floor waterproofing, insulation Flooring for the basement of a residential building

I recently bought myself a home. The former owner turned out to be a decent person and immediately warned me that the boards from which the floor above the basement was made were rotten from time and dampness and required urgent replacement. He was probably afraid that one day I might fall through there. The basement itself was located in the house under the kitchen and had the following dimensions: width - 2.4 m, length - 2.3 m. The inside was lined with brick and coated with a layer of clay.
The floor above it lay on two wooden beams and consisted of boards with chipboard slabs laid on top of them. It was made crookedly and deteriorated to such an extent that walking on it was really dangerous. All the wood was damaged by wood-boring beetles, and some of the chipboards became damp and friable.
At first, I expected to simply replace the boards on it, but then, after slowly thinking it over, I decided to make a metal frame and fill it with concrete. Firstly, there will always be dampness in the basement, no matter how you look at it, which means that new boards, given the current quality of the wood, will definitely not be enough for a long time, and secondly, if we are going to do it, then it will be done reliably, once and for all, and what could happen stronger than reinforced concrete?

Removing the old floor
The first step was to remove the chipboard, and then the boards. Using a nail puller, a hammer and a crowbar, I managed to do it in three hours. There were no problems with the slabs, but disassembling the boards took more time: they were nailed to the beams with huge nails, so they came off with great difficulty. After the wooden floor covering was completely removed, I had to remove a decent layer of earth (one bayonet) along the entire perimeter near the walls with a shovel in order to remove all existing unevenness and level the surface. This matter took the rest of the day. The next morning there was welding work to be done.

Frame making
I did not spare any metal to make the frame. Perhaps he used it even more than necessary, but only in order not to install additional support pillars inside the cellar, which would reduce its free space. The design was based on thick-walled pipes (? 61 mm, wall thickness 5 mm), which I didn’t even have to buy. The fact is that previously heating was made from them in the house. It looked terrible and bulky, so it was only natural that I removed all this iron from the rooms, replacing it with modern heating devices. And the pipes, as you can see, were useful for the basement.

First, I evenly distributed four powerful three-meter pipes, which are load-bearing beams, above the cellar pit (every 80 cm). Then, having aligned them exactly to the level, he began welding them together. To do this, I needed pipes of a smaller diameter (? 32 mm - 12 m) and thick fittings (? 12 mm - 40 m). First of all, I welded 15 jumpers between the beams, after which I strengthened the entire structure with reinforcing rods welded to them from below. The result is a very reliable metal frame.

Separately, I would like to dwell on the manufacture of the frame framing the entrance to the basement. I made it from a 40/20 mm profile pipe in the shape of a rectangle (length - 70 cm, width - 50 cm). What should you pay attention to here? Firstly, all the corners of the frame must be perfectly straight, the dimensions of the sides must be strictly consistent, otherwise the lid will not fit into it tightly, and it will leak out of the cellar. Secondly, it should be welded in such a way that it is at the same height as the beam pipes, which are also beacons.

The cover itself was also made by me from a profile pipe (40/20 mm) and a thick piece of plywood, securely connected to its metal base with self-tapping screws. The limiter for the lid, preventing the possibility of it falling into the basement, was a corner welded to the underside of the framing frame. That day I worked with welding from the heart: from early morning until late at night, but still finished the job. I burned almost two packs of electrodes alone, and inhaled acrid smoke - terrible! (the pipes were covered in paint).

Installation of formwork
The metal frame was ready, but now I had to solve a new problem - installing the formwork above the cellar. Various options for its manufacture were considered, but in the end my choice fell on chipboard slabs that were removed from the old floor. Why? Firstly, it was easier and faster to cover the large space above the pit with them, and secondly, thanks to the slabs, there were practically no gaps where liquid concrete could spill. I attached them to the frame from the bottom with thick binding wire: first I drilled holes in the chipboard with a drill, then threaded the wire through them, after which I screwed it tightly to the reinforcement with pliers. It turned out to be reliable, but given the heaviness of the concrete, I put several temporary supports underneath just in case.

Working with concrete is a serious challenge, especially if you need to concrete 12 m in one day? with a layer thickness of 10 cm. For this reason, I called a friend to help, having previously prepared everything necessary for this task: gravel screening, cement, a mixing trough, shovels, buckets, rule. We distributed ourselves like this: we mixed the concrete together (in a ratio of 1/5), then one brought it in buckets to the pouring site and poured it out, and the other leveled the finished mixture using a three-meter rule, pressing it tightly against the beacons and making frequent oscillating movements to the sides.

The two of us worked on the hunt. Having started working at eight o'clock in the morning, by lunchtime we had already finished pouring. The result was pleasing. The floor came out smooth, and the whole room was immediately transformed. Two days later, when it was already possible to walk on the concrete, I took an old car wheel and, making circular movements on the floor surface, removed small irregularities from it. Now all that remained was to wait until the concrete dried completely.

Final chord
A week passed and I started finishing work. First of all, I liberally painted the dry concrete surface with primer. But not for beauty, no, but to reduce the amount of dust that inevitably forms when walking. When the paint had dried, I put a waterproofing film on the floor to prevent moisture from penetrating from the concrete into the linoleum. After that, as you may have guessed, linoleum was laid, but not simple, but thick, insulated, with an abrasion-resistant surface that is not afraid of even dragging on it. It’s an expensive pleasure (the price per linear meter is about 2 thousand rubles), but, believe me, it’s worth the money spent.

I trimmed the entrance to the basement and the lid itself with a decorative metal corner. It turned out neatly and beautifully: under the corner we managed to hide the unevenly cut edges of the linoleum, and besides, it pressed them tightly to the surface. I made the handle for the lid not an ordinary one, but a removable one so that it would not interfere with walking. To do this, I drilled the lid in the center, screwed a metal plate on its back side, to which I spot welded a regular nut. I made a special key for it, which is a small twig with a thread and a knob at the end.

Basement space is often small, so homeowners think about how to design the flooring so that it takes up as little area as possible.

This is especially important in a cramped garage, where you need to place both equipment for the car and household supplies in a small room. Therefore, many take the simplest route and make the floor in the basement unpaved.

Features of basements

If the house is located on dry ground, the cost of arranging the ground floor is 2-4 times lower than in conditions of high groundwater levels and soil saturated with moisture. The choice of floor installation option directly depends on the construction conditions on the site.

If a basement and a cellar are being built at the same time, it is wiser to choose a strip foundation, since it will provide many advantages when arranging the interior space of the basement: reliable walls that prevent the penetration of wind and water, delimiting the room into separate zones, similar to the arrangement of rooms in the house.

If the floor structure in the basement will be built on joists, a sufficient depression in the ground must be provided in advance. It should be 30 cm more than for an earthen floor. In addition to protection from moisture, the floor must adequately withstand soil pressure. Therefore, in old houses in the basement, additional reinforcement is required with walls, which are supports located every 3-4 m.

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Basement flooring options

concrete;
floor on the ground;
on joists;
monolithic slab.

In the latter case, the floor is the most reliable. It is installed at the initial stage of construction when laying the foundation. If the crowbar is installed on a USHP (insulated Swedish plate), then the floor will be more comfortable, since it represents its upper part.

Concrete coating is made in cases where the groundwater level is high on the site and the most reliable protection is required.

If the house has a basement, this option is also preferable. Concrete can be poured directly onto the ground or onto a sand and gravel bed. The second option is the most reliable if the site has highly heaving soil: wet clay or loam.

Floors on joists are installed in those houses where there is no fear of flooding with groundwater or where there is high-quality drainage. Wooden flooring can be done in garages where there is a sufficiently deep basement. An earthen floor is relevant in situations where saving space or money is a decisive factor. If the soil on the site is subsiding, the best option would be to install a reinforced concrete floor of such a thickness that it can stably maintain its shape during soil movements.

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How to make a concrete floor in a basement

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Tools and materials you will need:

Concrete mixer. If it is not possible to use this technique, concrete can be mixed manually and the floor can be cast in small sections. The work is labor-intensive and time-consuming, but it can be done in small areas.
Shovels.
Containers for carrying concrete.
Tools for leveling cement-sand mortar: trowel and grater. The floor will need to be sanded if you plan to lay linoleum or other flooring on it. If wooden flooring is subsequently installed on joists, leveling will not be required.
Grinder equipped with a disc for working on concrete and stone.
The materials you will need are cement grade M 400, sand from a quarry, medium crushed stone, and water.

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Stages of pouring a concrete floor in the basement

The bottom of the pit intended for the construction of a basement is leveled using a hydraulic level. The soil will be compacted using a vibrating plate or manually.
Prepare a base of sand 10-15 cm thick. It is thoroughly compacted, but before that, watered.
Crushed stone or gravel is poured onto the sand. This pillow will also need to be well compacted.
Next is the installation of the waterproofing layer. Most often, dense polyethylene or roofing felt is used for this purpose. The sheets of these materials must be laid with an overlap of 10-15 cm and must extend onto the basement walls by 20-30 cm. In the corners, polyethylene or roofing felt is carefully folded, forming a right angle, and fixed with a stapler.
Then they begin laying thermal insulation materials. It is not recommended to use materials based on fiberglass, stone or other wool for flooring. These insulation materials absorb moisture very well, which will inevitably be in the basement even with the highest quality waterproofing. It will penetrate into the insulation from the air and settle in it in the form of condensation. Soon such material will become unusable, regardless of how it was made: in the form of slabs or rolls.
To install a thermal insulation layer on a concrete floor, foam plastic with a density of at least C25 and a thickness of 5 cm is used. The sheets are laid as closely as possible to each other, the gaps between them are filled with polyurethane foam.
Particular attention is paid to the gaps between the foam and the basement walls and its corners. In these places, polyurethane foam is not used, but a so-called technological gap or expansion joint is left. It is needed so that during soil heaving the insulation and floor covering do not deform. In most cases, it is enough to leave a gap 1.5-2 cm wide.

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Concrete pouring process

If you plan to set up a gym or workshop in the basement, where heavy machines or sports equipment will be located, the floor should be reinforced with a thickness of at least 10 cm. If the room has a low traffic intensity and it will serve as a warehouse for agricultural products, a concrete thickness of 5 cm is sufficient. In this case, no reinforcement is required.
In order to make an armored belt, meshes are made from smooth reinforcement with a thickness of 5-6 mm. Metal rods are tied together with binding wire or welded.
The cement-sand mortar is prepared as follows: take 3 parts of sand sifted through a sieve with large cells and 1 part of cement grade M 400. The ingredients are mixed in a concrete mixer. You can add small stones, or better - screening. Its amount should not exceed 15% of the total volume of the solution. Then water is added in small portions. When the composition reaches the required viscosity and plasticity, the concrete is placed in buckets or other containers and poured onto the reinforcing layer.
Concrete is poured gradually, evenly leveling the solution over the entire floor area. In order to accurately maintain the height of the layer, beacons are installed. At the same time, do not forget about alignment.
After the concrete has matured, grinding begins. But before this, it is recommended to perform expansion joints. Using a grinder and a disk, cut the floor through the stone so that the distance between the seams is from 4 to 6 m. These slots will prevent cracking of the concrete.

It is quite difficult to arrange the floor in the cellar yourself, since for this you need to know many different nuances. Professional craftsmen who have been involved in such buildings and their arrangement for a long time have relevant experience and, of course, their own secrets, acquired over years of practical work.

Of course, any owner of a private property sooner or later comes to the conclusion that a cellar in the house is necessary, especially if there is a vegetable garden on the property. Stocking up for the winter will not hurt any family; there is no need to run to the store for pickles, jams and compotes. And you can set aside a corner in the basement for vegetables, as they say - everything is at hand. But in order for all these products to be safe throughout the long winter season, the cellar must be dry, ventilated and have a certain temperature.

So that the work is not in vain, and you do not have to dig a new cellar, you need to choose the right place for its construction, and it will depend primarily on how high the groundwater is located.

Cellars are installed under a house, a garage, or separately from all buildings. On the one hand, a basement under the house is much more convenient than a separate option, for the reasons that it does not take up space on the site, and in the winter cold you do not need to leave the house to get groceries.

But, on the other hand, when you start digging a cellar under a building, you can get to the groundwater, and this can damage the foundation and walls of a house or garage, which can lead to their deformation, cracking, and even collapse of the structure.

Of course it is possible, as a last resort make a backfill of sand and clay and work on waterproofing, but this also does not guarantee that after a certain time the water will not wash away such a “cushion” and begin to penetrate into the basement.

Therefore, if a decision is made to build an underground storage facility under any building, you need to find out exactly at what depth the waters lie in a given area.

If the cellar is built separately, then the place should be chosen, if possible, on a hill, where groundwater runs deep and wastewater does not stagnate.

How to determine the depth of groundwater?

The groundwater level must be determined in the spring, when it rises to its maximum during massive snow melting. This can be done by looking into nearby wells or wells or by turning to traditional methods.

When choosing a place for a basement or digging a well, craftsmen paid attention to the plants that grow in a certain place.

If moisture-loving plants grow there, such as horsetail, reeds or horse sorrel, then it is better to dig a well in this place.
If even plants that are unpretentious to humidity levels wither away in not very hot summers, then this place is perfect for constructing a cellar.

There is another ancient method that experts use to determine the presence of water. To carry out this experiment you will need a piece of wool and a fresh chicken egg. A small plot of land where you plan to dig a cellar needs to be cleared of the turf layer and an egg and wool should be placed, then covered with a clay pot.

In the morning, when the sun rises, you need to check whether the objects are still dry or covered with dew:

If they are wet, you cannot dig a cellar here - the water is close to the surface;

If the egg is dry and the wool is wet, the water is deep enough;

If the objects are dry, the water is very deep and you can safely start working.

Pit

Once a location has been chosen, you can begin digging a pit. Its depth must be calculated taking into account the fact that the floor will need to be raised by at least 50 cm, so you will have to go deeper by at least three meters.

The pit will have to be dug manually so as not to disturb the integrity and structure of the soil that will be around the pit. Earthmoving machines can dig a pit quickly, but not accurately. When opening, the verticality and integrity of the walls should be maintained as much as possible.

After the hole is dug, you should immediately start preparing the area for the floor.

Floor installation

The first thing that needs to be done in the pit is the floor. If there is no danger of groundwater penetration, then the floor is installed in almost the same way as in a house on the ground. But, if you want to be on the safe side, then install a drainage system that will help remove unwanted moisture. Installing drainage, of course, is a troublesome task, but once it’s done, you won’t have to pump water out of the basement and re-waterproof it.

Drainage in the cellar

Internal drainage in the basement can be done when installing the floor, or it can be done in the finished basement if dampness begins to appear there. But in the latter case, you will have to work much more, since, apparently, there will be a need to dismantle certain sections of the floor in order to lay drainage pipes. Therefore, it is better to think about the possibility of this problem occurring in advance, even if it seems that there is no danger.

To ensure that the entire drainage structure does not fall apart or crumble, a strip foundation is made, which is raised to the height of the future floor. To achieve this, the following activities are carried out.

A trench is dug along the perimeter of the pit, 50 ÷ 70 cm deep, twice as wide as the future wall.

A 10 cm sand cushion is laid at the bottom of the trench, then compacted well.
Crushed stone is poured on top of it in a layer of 10–15 cm, and also compacted.
Next, a waterproofing film is laid; it should extend half a meter from the trench on each side, since further above the ground, formwork will need to be installed.
A rough concrete solution consisting of cement and gravel is poured onto the film - this layer should be 10÷12 cm. It is left to gain strength for 6÷7 days.

After the laid layer has hardened, a reinforcement cage is installed in the trench.
When the frame is installed, formwork is installed on top of the soil, on both sides of the trench, then the film is spread over it. In the place where the collection container will be installed, before pouring into the formwork, a pipe is installed through and through to which the drainage system will be connected.
Next, concrete solution is poured into the trench layer by layer. Each layer should be 15÷20 cm. After each pour, the solution should be thoroughly compacted. This is necessary in order to remove air voids from the solution. Each layer must set before the next one is poured.

After 5-7 days, the formwork is removed, and a layer of clay is made around the foundation, pouring water over it and compacting it.

When the foundation is ready, you can move on to installing drainage.

Within the foundation, a sand cushion 10-15 cm thick is poured under the basement walls and compacted.
Along the walls or under the entire floor area, depressions are made in the sand in the form of trenches, running parallel to the short wall of the future room and to each other.
If in an already built basement the ceiling is high enough and you can painlessly raise the floor surface by 40-50 cm, then you will not have to dismantle individual sections of the existing covering - sand can be poured directly onto it. The sand cushion is calculated in such a way that the thickness of the pipe laid in it at the top and bottom is at least 10-15 cm.
Geofiber is spread on the sand, with the expectation of making a depression in the surface for laying pipes. Crushed stone is laid on the geotextile in a layer of 15-20 cm, also supporting the recesses.
A drainage system is installed on top of the crushed stone layer. The pipes are laid in the holes made, with the holes facing down. All pipes are discharged into a collection well, from which one outlet pipe emerges. The diagram clearly shows the design of the drainage system.
Another layer of crushed stone of the same thickness as below is poured on top of the pipes, leveled and covered with a layer of geotextile.

Having completed the installation of all layers of the drainage system, it will be possible to make a screed on top of them.

Pouring the rough screed

If all these procedures were carried out in a pit dug for the future basement, and the walls will be erected only after the screed has been installed, then the following steps are carried out:

An expanded clay layer is poured onto the laid geotextile, the thickness of which should be about 10 cm;

A polyethylene film is laid on top of the expanded clay;

A reinforcing mesh is laid on the film and beacons are installed to level the floor;

The last stage is pouring and leveling the concrete using the rule. Calculate so that the surface of the screed is level with the foundation.

After the concrete floor has hardened, walls are erected along the foundation. It would be best to first attach waterproofing material to the walls of the pit.

If a large gap has formed between the wall of the basement and the pit (and this most often happens), it must be filled with clay as the walls are built, moistening it and compacting it.

When the walls are raised, the joints between the wall and the floor need to be waterproof from the inside.

Waterproofing

There are several options for this process. types of materials that act on the surface in different ways, but they are all used to achieve the same goal - to protect the floors and walls of the basement from moisture.

Coating waterproofing

To waterproof the basement from the inside (especially for the joints of walls and floor surfaces), different types of coating waterproofing are used.

1. One of them is a composition consisting of polymers and bitumen mastic, which makes this mixture plastic and therefore easy to apply. This composite composition is sometimes called liquid rubber. It is sold in stores under the name “Elastomix” or “Elastopaz”.

The convenience of these mastics lies in the fact that they do not require heating before application to the surface, and also do not emit harmful heavy fumes, therefore they are ideally suited for waterproofing enclosed spaces.

The waterproofing process takes place in three stages:

The surface is cleaned of dust and debris.

Then the floor surface and all joints are carefully primed with a special “Groove Primer” primer for liquid rubber. This solution must be mixed well before use and applied to the surface with a brush.

First, the corner joints and seams between the wall and the floor are coated with the composition, and then the entire surface of the floor and walls is coated. The primer should be well absorbed into the surface and dry - this will take 4-5 hours.

After this, they proceed to applying liquid rubber using a spray bottle or brush. It is necessary that every corner is covered with the composition. The coating also begins with corners and joints, and then the entire primed surface is covered with the mixture.

"Elastomix" has a thicker consistency, so it is applied with a spatula.

2. Another means for film waterproofing is liquid glass. This material is similar in the process of applying it to the surface with liquid rubber, but differs in that once it hardens, it does not allow not only moisture, but also air masses to pass through.

It is quite possible to carry out waterproofing work yourself, and this can be considered a positive factor.

Another method of waterproofing that is available using this material is plastering work on the walls of the cellar with the addition of liquid glass to the cement mortar.

Waterproofing work using liquid glass is considered the fastest and most affordable method, which is why it is used quite often.

Penetrating surface protection

Penetrating compounds begin to work, falling on concrete and penetrating into the structure of the material. The composition crystallizes, closing all pores and creating additional bonds in the crystal structure. Such solutions protect the room from moisture penetration, but allow the structure to “breathe”. It is necessary to take into account one more positive property of this composition - if it is applied to the surface in several layers, it can saturate the material to a very significant depth.

Layers of such protective solutions are applied no earlier than 2 hours after applying the previous one. The stages of applying penetrating solutions do not differ from the film type of waterproofing.

One of the most popular penetrating waterproofers is "Crystallizol".

Roll materials

Due to its affordability, roofing felt is most often used for waterproofing work. But, compared to modern coating or penetrating materials, to date it is not so relevant, as it has a number of significant drawbacks. Working with this material requires a lot of time, since it must be glued to bitumen mastic, which takes a long time to dry, and at the same time does not always give the desired results.

Work using roofing material is carried out as follows:

The floor surface is well cleaned of debris;

Then, bitumen mastic is applied to the surface. It must be taken into account that the entire surface of the floor and walls 15-20 cm must be completely covered;

Next comes the laying of roofing felt sheets. This is a rather complex process in which two people must participate - one heats up the mastic applied to the floor and the lower surface of the rolled material with a burner, and the second applies and levels the roofing material;

The second sheet must be overlapped with the first by 12-15 cm; the joint distance must be additionally coated with mastic. This is repeated until the entire floor is covered with roofing felt. In the same way, that part of the roofing felt that extends 15-20 cm onto the lower part of the wall is glued.

Now that the waterproofing is completely ready, you can complete the arrangement of the floor by pouring a small leveling screed with appropriate reinforcement. If desired, it will be absolutely easy to lay tiles or make another covering, for example, from boards. However, some owners prefer to leave just a concrete floor or even cover it with a compacted layer of clay-sand mixture.

Video: work on waterproofing the floor in the cellar

When starting to build a cellar, you need to very carefully study all the processes from beginning to end, since each of them determines how reliable and durable the building will be. If there are doubts that you can cope with this task on your own, then it is better not to experiment, but to invite a specialist to carry out this work.

Many developers have a question about how to make a floor in the basement of a house so that it serves not only as a solid foundation, but also as a reliable barrier to the penetration of moisture from the ground.

If in residential premises the main thing is a flat plane, then in the basement the floor is exposed to multiple influences - soil pressure, the influence of groundwater.

Key points to pay attention to when installing a floor

So, you have a private house that already has a roof, and precipitation does not get inside. You can start working in the basement; all of them can be divided into several stages, each of which is important and affects the final result.

Preparatory activities

This can include a number of actions:

First you need to determine the depth of groundwater, the list of further work will depend on this. The higher it is, the more complex the work will be.
Next you need to determine the height of the future basement, usually a height of 2-2.2 meters is enough. But, if the groundwater is too close, the height can be reduced, this can greatly simplify the work.
It is necessary to calculate the approximate volume of necessary materials and provide for how the soil will be removed from the pit.
A very important point is the device of high-quality, the atmosphere in the room depends on this, and even if your floor does not allow water to pass through from the ground, it will still be damp due to internal condensation.

Excavation

If the hole has not been dug in advance, there will be a fairly significant amount of work to carry or transport soil. At this stage, a couple of assistants will not hurt.

The pit configuration is selected based on the desired size:

It should be taken into account that walls will be erected or poured from concrete on the side and will occupy a certain space.
The floor requires even more attention, since it requires a cushion of sand and crushed stone, a layer of thermal insulation material, as well as a screed, the thickness of which should be at least 5 cm, but it is better to make it a little thicker for reliability.

Preparing the base

At this stage you need to do the following operations:

The level is checked and, if necessary, excess soil is removed. If you decide to make a clay castle, then the layer of material should be about 10 cm.
Next, you should make a drainage layer, which consists of 5-10 cm of crushed stone and 10-20 cm of sand or gravel. The base must be carefully compacted and leveled.
Next you need, there are many ways, but the simplest is a special, very durable film. This is a thick material that you can walk on. In addition, it is quite durable and retains its properties for many years.
A layer of thermal insulation with a layer of at least 5 cm is laid on the protected base. The most common and proven option is sheets of expanded polystyrene; you can use extruded polystyrene, which is even stronger. It is laid directly on the oilcloth.

Advice!
It is best to sprinkle oilcloth with thin concrete - this is a mixture with a low cement content, which will absorb excess moisture when pouring the screed.

At the next stage, either another layer of waterproofing is laid, or a reinforcement mesh with a wire thickness of at least 3 mm is immediately laid.
Next, the screed is poured; before this, you can place the beacons on the solution. Its thickness should be at least 5 cm, but 8-10 cm is better.

At this point, the floor installation work can be considered completed. But it is still worth considering some other factors, the observance of which will allow the work to be carried out with maximum quality.

Features of technology when working on flooring

To prevent your screed from cracking or delaminating, you should follow a few simple technological requirements:

Under no circumstances should water get on the surface of the screed; at a minimum, it will leave streaks and can also cause the material to peel off.
If the size of the room exceeds 6 meters, it is necessary to make an expansion joint, which is designed to prevent cracking of the screed. The work is carried out using a diamond disc; it can also be carried out on a freshly hardened base.
Concrete ripening at a temperature of 21 degrees and above occurs within 5 days. If the temperature is lower, this process takes from a week to 10 days.
As you know, the base can be used no earlier than 3 weeks after pouring. This is exactly the period required for the material to achieve optimal strength characteristics.
To speed up the maturation of concrete and provide it with the best strength on the floor, it is recommended to lay burlap, which must be periodically moistened or watered on the floor (which is not very recommended in a basement).

How to rationally organize work on screed installation

In order for the work to proceed as quickly and accurately as possible, all work should be done rationally:

If you're doing it yourself, make sure you have all the necessary materials purchased before you start, otherwise you'll have to crawl out of your basement and go shopping, which will make the job much slower and more difficult.
You should bring sand in advance and install the concrete mixer as conveniently as possible for work. If you don’t have one, you can rent it for the day - the price per day is low. But if you have inconsistencies, you will have to keep the equipment longer than necessary and overpay.
As you know, during work you need to move along the floor, so you need to fill the screed first along the walls, then fill the farthest side and gradually move towards the exit.
If there are lumps in the solution, they must be broken up with a shovel or spatula. Using a spatula, you can distribute the solution, and using the rule, the plane is leveled.
All surface imperfections can be corrected within about an hour, after which the concrete will begin to set and you can ruin the surface.

Advice!
It is better to supply the solution to the basement not in buckets - it is too heavy.
It is much easier to make a chute out of wood and cover it with oilcloth - feeding will be noticeably simplified.

Additional waterproofing of the floor in cases where groundwater is too high

We looked at how to fill the floor in the basement of a house so that it is durable and reliably protects from moisture. But if the groundwater level is above the floor level, then it will penetrate even through high-quality waterproofing. In this case, it is necessary to carry out additional protection: it is necessary to treat with a penetrating composition.

This type of composition penetrates into the structure and clogs all the pores, crystallizing at the bottom. For high-quality work, it is necessary that the instructions are strictly followed, otherwise the benefit from the processing will be low.

Conclusion

The floor is moldy. The video in this article will clearly show some of the features of working on a screed.

How about at home, so that it is ergonomic and has reliable protection against moisture penetration from the ground? After all, the foundation of the building is constantly exposed to soil pressure and the influence of groundwater. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the arrangement of the floor of the lowest floor.

There are several ways to construct a basement foundation. The following options are mainly used:

concreting;
adobe floor on the ground;
foundation on joists;
monolithic “Swedish pie”.

Concreting the floor can be done directly on the ground, but it would be better to add a layer of gravel or sand. This option will increase reliability in areas with clay and loamy soil.

Clay floors are laid on the ground. The advantage of clay is its availability, heat and waterproofing. This method also saves the height of the room very well, which is an important factor for the basement.

The floor is covered with joists if the site is on well-drained soil, or a high-quality drainage system has been installed around the perimeter of the house.

A monolithic “Swedish pie” is a monolithic slab consisting of foam plastic in the bottom layer and a built-in heated floor in the top layer. This type is suitable for water-saturated areas with elevated groundwater. Performed at the stage of constructing the foundation and installing the drainage system. In this case, the foundation of the house will be the most reliable, moisture-proof and warm.

Concrete floor installation

Before you begin arranging a concrete floor, you need to find out for which rooms and in what cases it is necessary and possible to concrete the base. Concreting is advisable for the following purposes:

heated;
with a basement residential floor;
special purposes: workshop, boiler room, garage;
cellar for vegetables and preservation;
with excessive moisture content in the underground.

The concrete floor of the basement of a private house has the following advantages:

Concreting and mandatory waterproofing of the basement allows you to place a sauna, a recreation area, a garage, and a boiler room in the room.
concreting reduces moisture content and extends the service life of the entire structure;
the sanitary conditions of the premises are improved;
Concreting prevents the appearance of insects and rodents, as well as fungus and mold.

The foundation walls are constantly exposed to groundwater pressure, so the iron reinforcement is destroyed by constant exposure to moisture. A concrete basement floor can create an additional barrier to moisture penetration.

Important!
In a heated basement, the lack of a concrete base can lead to the destruction of the foundation structure, which will entail time-consuming and expensive major repairs.

An unheated basement, which is used only for storing food supplies, is not concreted.

Tools and materials to perform the work:

concrete mixer;
vibrating plate;
shovels and sump shovels;
bucket for concrete composition;
trowels and grout;
Bulgarian;
cement m-400;
pebbles, sand;
medium-fraction crushed stone;
water;
polyethylene, thickness 300 microns;
plastic supports for reinforcing mesh;
reinforcing mesh made of 3mm rod, with a cell size of 3-5 cm;
knitting wire 3mm thick;
lighthouses;
damper tape.

Concreting stages

The construction of a concrete floor in the basement significantly increases the operation of all building structures.

You can carry out concreting yourself, following the step-by-step installation instructions:

Dig up the soil by 30-40 cm, level it and compact it using a vibrating plate.
Make a pillow from a layer of clay 7-10 cm high and a layer of pebbles with sand 7-10 cm high. Compact thoroughly.
Lay construction film overlapping the walls to a height of 8 cm.
Place reinforcing mesh on the supports. It is necessary to join the strips overlapping one cell, tying them with knitting wire.
Install the beacons using a level at a distance of 30mm from the reinforcing mesh. The distance between beacons is calculated based on the length of the rule and is 20% of its length.
Glue the damper tape directly to the wall, first bending the polyethylene.

Important!
If the length of the wall exceeds 7 m or the basement is L- or U-shaped, expansion joints must be installed. Before pouring concrete onto the reinforcing mesh, it is necessary to install wooden formwork to form rectangles of equal size. After the screed has dried, the formwork is dismantled and the seams are filled with damping material.

Prepare concrete. Proportions for cement mortar: 1 part cement: 3 parts sand: 5 parts gravel, water. All ingredients are gradually added to the concrete mixer and mixed thoroughly. It is not recommended to mix the solution by hand with a shovel, as the mixture may turn out to be of poor quality.
Pour concrete mortar onto the reinforcement, leveling it according to the beacons.
As soon as the cement begins to set, it is necessary to remove the beacons, having previously laid a sheet of plywood, chipboard or boards so that the surface is not damaged and no traces of the sole remain. Fill the resulting holes with cement-sand mortar.
Cover the concrete floor with polyethylene and wait for ripening. The density of concrete is gained within 28 days.

Floor screed is an effective method of getting rid of excess moisture and musty “basement” smell. Also a pleasant advantage is the availability of all materials, low price and the ability to carry out installation work yourself.

Concrete basement base with integration into the floor screed

Arrangement of adobe floor on the ground

The main advantage of a ground floor is its thermal insulation.

If all the installation work is done efficiently, it will also serve as a good waterproofer.

Materials for work:

shovel;
buckets;
expanded clay or pebbles;
chips or gravel with a fraction of up to 40mm;
medium-grained sand;
clay;
finishing coating: linoleum; OSB or chipboard boards, plywood; porcelain stoneware or ceramic tiles.

Important!
Open soils allow the moisture in them to penetrate into the basement, creating the necessary atmospheric conditions for storing food supplies.

The heated room forms convection, creating a pump effect that evaporates moisture. These evaporations dry out the surface, and the ground absorbs excess moisture. A kind of fluid cycle is formed.

Stages of work on installing an adobe floor:

Prepare the bottom by digging up the soil to 40 cm and compact it with a vibrating plate or roller.
Fill with expanded clay up to 10cm high. This layer will serve as thermal insulation.
Mix the pebbles with clay and lay out the resulting mixture up to 17 cm high. Compact the layer conscientiously.
Let the first tier dry.
Pour a very thin layer of cement-sand mixture, further strengthening the embankment of crushed stone. Let it dry.
Cover the second layer of crushed stone up to 10 cm high, carefully tamping the surface. Dry.
Continue laying the mixture of clay and wood chips, reducing the layer height by 1.5-2 times to the desired floor height.
Let the cake dry completely. Secure with a liquid clay solution or lime-clay solution.
In areas with high groundwater levels, we lay a waterproofing layer of roofing felt, bitumen mastic, and concrete screed.
Lay down the finishing coat.

Clay floor mortar

Laying out the floor using joists

The floor in the basement should be equipped with joists in areas with good water permeability. Otherwise, the wooden structure may be susceptible to rotting.

Materials for installing floors in the basement of a house using joists:

wooden beams with a diameter of 15 cm;
tongue and groove boards 5cm wide;
antiseptic;
roofing felt;
nails 7cm long;
hammer.

Stages of floor construction using joists:

All wood must be treated with an antiseptic, paying special attention to joints and ends.
The boards are measured to be 2-3 cm shorter than the length of the room. Cut the required number of pieces.
At the location of the lag, 2 layers of roofing felt are laid.
Logs are installed at a distance of up to 3 meters.
A floor of tongue-and-groove boards is laid on top of the joists, driving each next one into the grooves of the previous one.
Nails should be driven in at a slight angle.

Floor joists

Monolithic slab

The features of the monolithic “Swedish slab” include thermal insulation of the foundation and base on the sides and bottom. The base is a carefully compacted layer of sand, cement and pebbles or other drainage material. A slab reinforced with a twelve-millimeter rod and with built-in heated floor communications is laid on top.

Advantages of the Swedish stove:

thermal insulation material;
communications are built into the slab, which significantly speeds up and simplifies installation;
no additional screeding or leveling of the surface is required;
a twenty-centimeter layer of insulation retains heat remarkably well, reducing home heating costs;
No special equipment is required, the work can be done independently.

Tools and materials for arranging a monolithic floor:

monolithic slabs;
gravel, crushed stone sand;
vibrating plate or garden roller;
concrete;
putty;
primer;
final facing coating.

Stages of installation of a monolithic slab:

Prepare a pit 50 cm high.
Fill with gravel, slag or expanded clay, sprinkle sand on top, thoroughly compacting it with a vibrating plate or garden roller.
Installation of drainage layer and communication pipes.
Repeated layer of gravel with sand, carefully compacted.
Lay 2 layers of extruded polystyrene foam to insulate the room. The total height of the heat insulator is 20 cm.
Reinforcement with twelve-millimeter rod.
Laying pipes for “warm floors”.
Pouring a concrete slab, 10cm high. Dry thoroughly.
Puttying cracks after beacons, primer.
Facing with finishing materials.

The floor in the basement of the house is equipped and ready for use. How to mount it is an individual choice for everyone. It is important to remember that a significant depth of the basement leads to excessive moisture. Therefore, waterproofing should be done carefully.

In low underground areas, it is enough to install vents in the corners of the perimeter. Basements usually have windows, so natural ventilation will be sufficient.

Insulated Swedish stove