020 8531 5656
info@breway.com
How To Cement A Floor
This page will teach you how to cement a floor. When choosing to insert cement-concrete flooring in your new property, there are generally two methods of doing it which are:
- 1) Laying concrete floor with strips
- 2) Laying concrete floor without strips
The first method is recommended for inexperienced builders and/ or complicated ground work. In the first method, the steps are as follows:
1. Laying Concrete Floor with strips
- Step 1) Preparation of the base cement coat consisting of a ratio of 1 part cement to 8 parts fine sand to 16 parts brick blast (brick blast being broken red bricks) or in the case of the base coat having to be poured on top of compacted earth, the base coat will consist of 1 part cement to 4 parts fine sand to 8 parts brick blast. The cement base coat is poured until it has a depth of 100 mm. The cement base layer has been made.
- Step 2) The floor area is divided into suitable panels using strips as a guide. The thickness of the strips should be equal to the thickness of the floor coated with cement i.e. 100 mm. Note that the length of the panels should not exceed 2 metres and that the area of each panel should not exceed 2 square metres to maintain floor pattern consistency.
- Step 3) Next, the cement concrete is poured into the panels and when the panel is full, it is levelled off. The cement middle layer has been made.
- Step 4) A wooden float is used to smooth and even the surface of this newly compacted cement middle layer. (See Fig.1 for what a wooden float looks like.)
Fig.1 Pic of a wooden float
- Step 5) More cement is placed on this compacted middle layer to make the top layer. The top surface is made smooth with a wooden float.
- Step 6) The top layer coat is examined closely to see if it is even and level using a straight edge. Note: Ensure that the strips are not damaged by labourers while laying concrete. Also ensure that the tops of the strips are clearly visible clearly after finishing with the cement slurry.
- Step 7) The new floor is left to dry for at least 10 days.
2. Laying Concrete Floor without Strips
- Step 1) Preparation of the base cement coat consisting of a ratio of 1 part cement to 8 parts fine sand to 16 parts brick blast (brick blast being broken red bricks) or in the case of the base coat having to be poured on top of compacted earth, the base coat will consist of 1 part cement to 4 parts fine sand to 8 parts brick blast. The cement base coat is poured until it has a depth of 100 mm. The cement base layer has been made.
- Step 2) The floor area is divided into suitable panels using screeds as a guide (a screed is a flat board, see fig.2). The thickness of the strips should be equal to the thickness of the floor coated with cement i.e. 100 mm. Note that the length of the panels should not exceed 2 metres and that the area of each panel should not exceed 2 square metres to maintain floor pattern consistency.
Fig. 2) Builder with wooden screed
- Step 3) Next, the cement concrete is poured into the panels and when the panel is full, it is levelled off. The cement middle layer has been made.
- Step 4) A wooden float is used to smooth and even the surface of this newly compacted cement middle layer.
- Step 5) More cement is placed on this compacted middle layer to make the top layer. The top surface is made smooth with a wooden float.
- Step 6) The top layer coat is examined closely to see if it is even and level using a straight edge.
- Step 7) In the next day, the screed is removed.
- Step 8) Any damaged caused by the removal of the screed is repaired.
- Step 9) The panels are cleaned.
- Step 10) Pour cement into any remaining panels. Note: Ensure that the panels are not damaged by labourers while laying concrete. Also ensure that the panels are clearly visible clearly after finishing with the cement slurry.
- Step 7) The new floor is left to dry for at least 10 days.
Tags: how to cement a floor
This article was written by admin