Fiber can be added to floor screeds to greatly increase the surface’s strength and longevity. This easy addition can improve the overall quality of your flooring project by reducing shrinkage and preventing cracks.
Fiber reinforcement is an approachable and reasonably priced technique that is simple to incorporate into the screed mixture. It is particularly helpful in places that require additional resilience or see high traffic.
However, how can one determine how much fiber to use per square meter? To guarantee the best outcomes without wasting materials, the proper amount must be obtained. Let’s examine the advantages and appropriate use of incorporating fiber into your floor screed.
- What is fiber for floor screed
- Why is floor screed made with fiber
- Fiber for screed – types, characteristics, properties
- How to make a screed with fiber – work technology
- Preparing the surface
- We carry out markings
- Preparing the mixture
- Fiber fiber consumption per 1 m 2 screeds
- Making a screed
- Features of screeds for heated floors
- We produce semi-dry screeds with fiber
- Video on the topic
- How much fiber to add to the mixture when installing a semi-dry floor screed?
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What is fiber for floor screed
Composite fibers that rival steel mesh used for reinforcement are used as floor screed fiber. The color of fiber filler is light or gray, and the size of the fibers varies:
- section diameter, which is 0.015-0.025 mm;
- length of reinforcing elements, equal to 0.015-4.5 cm.
The fibers are treated with an oil composition to increase adhesion.
By reducing cracks and enhancing overall integrity, the use of fiber in floor screeds improves strength and durability. The correct amount of fiber must be mixed into the concrete for optimal results. 0.6 to 1.2 kg of fiber are typically required per square meter of floor area. This post describes how to add fiber to your floor screed so that your concrete floors have a durable and strong finish.
Why is floor screed made with fiber
Concrete’s properties necessitate the addition of fiber to strengthen its composition. The safety margin of hardened concrete mass is higher. While it can sustain compressive loads, tensile forces and bending moments cause it to lose structural integrity. An unreinforced cement screed progressively deteriorates during operation.
Using a floor screed with fibers dispersed equally throughout the array, you can:
- increase the strength characteristics of the base;
- reduce shrinkage of the building material;
- increase the service life;
- increase the plasticity of the floor base;
- reduce the duration of the mixture hardening;
- ensure resistance to temperature fluctuations;
- prevent cracking and delamination;
- evenly distribute the load on the concrete base.
The performance characteristics of the screed are enhanced by the addition of fiber filler. Fiber is used for floor screed and offers significant benefits when doing repairs.
Fiber for concrete, mortar, propylene, additive for building mixture 1 kg IRFIX
Fiber for screed – types, characteristics, properties
The following categories apply to fiber used in screed production, based on the components used in its creation:
- metal. The steel filler is characterized by increased resistance to temperature changes, increased safety margin. This allows it to be used in industrial premises, where the strength and durability of concrete is adversely affected by increased loads, vibration and surface abrasion. Steel fibers are susceptible to the effects of high humidity, and also have an increased weight compared to fiber analogs made of other materials;
- basalt. The reinforcing material has a range of advantages – increased resistance to open fire and temperature, resistance to corrosion processes, high humidity, as well as high impact strength. The filler made of basalt threads ensures the integrity of the concrete base even when through cracks occur. These advantages allow the material to be used for pouring floors in buildings erected in seismically active zones, as well as in rooms with increased moisture concentration;
- polypropylene. Synthetic fibers made of polypropylene have reduced weight, are characterized by resistance to aggressive substances. The reinforcing material is a dielectric, which allows it to be safely used both for screeding a heated floor base and as a standard leveling coating. The acceptable price of fiber filler allows it to be used in private construction to solve a wide range of problems – from floor screeds to plastering walls.
Polypropylene fiber for reinforcement 12 mm -10 kg. Several times stronger than fiberglass!
Fiber reinforcement is made from the following materials in addition to the ones mentioned above:
- fiberglass. It is used in facade cladding of buildings and the manufacture of concrete products of complex configuration;
- asbestos thread. The operational properties of the building material allow it to be used only for finishing the facade walls of buildings.
Polypropylene threads are commonly utilized as a substitute for steel filler and basalt fibers in screed reinforcement. Let’s think about the qualities:
- length is 6000-18000 µm;
- cross-sectional size is 10-20 µm;
- ability to withstand tensile loads of 1700-2600 kg/cm2;
- specific gravity does not exceed 900 g/cm2;
- flammability threshold exceeds 300 degrees Celsius;
- elongation at break coefficient is 1.5-2.5.
The characteristics of the substance added to cement or mortar make it possible to strengthen their resistance to strong liquids.
Fiber as a reinforcement 10 kg / 6 mm. fiber made of polypropylene. fiber used in concrete. Fiber for plaster and screed
How to make a screed with fiber – work technology
The steps involved in creating a floor plan with fiber-infused concrete mortar line up with the work flow for building a conventional screed. The following phases are included in the set of activities:
- Bringing the surface to the required conditions.
- Determining the level of the poured solution.
- Preparing the mixture with fiber.
- Pouring the mixture and leveling it.
Let’s get into more detail about how each task stage is carried out.
Preparing the surface
The following tasks must be completed in order to prepare the base surface:
- Removing the existing floor covering.
- Cleaning the surface from construction waste.
- Visual inspection of the base for defects.
- Cutting out detected cracks.
- Cleaning the edges of prepared cavities.
- Abundant moistening of the surface with water.
- Sealing with cement-sand mortar.
- Fine dust removal with a vacuum cleaner.
- Gluing a damping tape along the contour of the walls.
The caliber of surface preparation determines the coating’s strength and longevity.
Reinforcing basalt fiber for concrete
We carry out markings
The thickness of the fiber-filled floor screed is decided by the room’s intended use as well as the variations in base height. Markings must be made before the screed mixture is poured, following the instructions below:
- Determine the areas of the floor with maximum differences.
- Mark the required pouring height on the wall surface.
- Draw a horizontal line corresponding to the thickness of the screed.
- Install beacons on the floor in accordance with the markings.
- Secure the guides on the base with cement mortar.
When working, be mindful of the following details:
- using a laser level will simplify marking the layer thickness;
- the interval between the guides should not exceed the size of the rule;
- the fixing solution for the beacons should harden before the next stage.
Once you’ve finished the tasks for this phase, verify that the guides were installed correctly.
OSCAR strong fiber reinforcing for dry building mixtures (1 kg)
Preparing the mixture
There are several ways to mix a fiber-containing solution for floor screed. Use one of the following techniques to combine the ingredients:
- thoroughly mix Portland cement, fiber filler and fine sand. Dilute the mixture with water, gradually adding it during the mixing process until a uniform consistency of the composition is obtained;
- add fiber threads to the pre-prepared cement milk and mix thoroughly. Gradually add the resulting composition to the prepared cement-sand mixture and mix until smooth;
- prepare a standard concrete solution in a concrete mixer, guided by the required recipe. Add fiber reinforcement to the concrete mixer and mix the solution.
Let’s look at the steps involved in making a cement mortar reinforced with fibers:
- Mix pre-sifted sand and Portland cement in a ratio of 3:1.
- Introduce fiber, the amount of which is 50% of the total volume of the solution.
- Gradually add water at the rate of 0.3–0.4 liters for each kilogram of Portland cement.
- Mix the ingredients evenly until creamy.
It is required to prepare a concrete solution designated M200 in order to guarantee the screed’s strength characteristics. For every cubic meter of concrete, 250 kg of Portland cement are needed for preparation.
Fiber fiber polypropylene. "CEMFIBRA" 600 G (1/10/320) "CEMMIX"
Fiber fiber consumption per 1 m 2 screeds
When adding fiberglass to screed, it’s important to understand the consumption per square meter. It should be kept in mind that the properties of the screed get better as the concentration of polypropylene fiber increases. The formed layer varies in thickness depending on the state of the floor. For this reason, figuring out how much fiber reinforcement there is in each cubic meter of solution is convenient.
The following ratios serve as guidelines for professional builders:
- To increase the mobility of the cement composition and better fill the irregularities, you can add 0.3 kg per cube of the mixture;
- to prevent cracks and increase the strength characteristics of concrete, 0.5-0.6 kg is added per cubic meter of cement mortar;
- the maximum effect can be achieved and the strength of the cement base can be significantly increased by adding 0.8-1.5 kg of fibers per 1 m 3 of the composition.
The recommended proportions are listed on the packaging for floor screed manufactured by the manufacturer. The screed surface may crack if the suggested recipe is exceeded.
Basalt fiber. "CEMFIBRA R" 200 G (1/20/640) "CEMMIX"
Making a screed
The following algorithm is used to perform floor screeding with fiber:
- Pour the cement mortar between the beacons.
- Distribute the mixture evenly with a rule.
- Compact the material using a needle roller.
- Remove the guides after the base has hardened.
- Fill the cavities from the beacons with cement mortar.
While working, keep the following things in mind:
- You should start pouring from the far corner of the room;
- the work must be done in one go;
- the screed must be protected from drafts;
- the surface must be moistened from time to time.
Once the material has solidified, you can move on to apply the finishing coat.
SIKA Microfiber polypropylene for reinforcing solutions SikaFiber PPM-12, 600 g
Features of screeds for heated floors
The process of creating a screed for heated floors has specifics:
Prior to pouring the cement base, the following tasks must be completed in order to stop heat loss:
- lay the heat-insulating material;
- reliably waterproof the base.
Plasticizing agents are required to increase the plasticity of the solution and its resistance to the effects of high temperatures, in addition to reinforcing ingredients.
Polypropylene fiber bases safescreen FPP12 (150 g)
We produce semi-dry screeds with fiber
In a short amount of time, you can form a stable and even concrete base for finishing with semi-dry screed reinforced with fiber. The technology offers the following:
- minimal moistening of the composition;
- plastic fiber reinforcement.
A construction mixer can be used to evenly mix dry ingredients. Order of action:
- Prepare the base.
- Make markings.
- Lay thermal insulation.
- Install and secure beacons.
- Prepare a sand-cement mixture in a ratio of 3:1.
- Add 0.6 kg/m3 of fiber and mix.
- Add a little water until semi-dry.
- Lay the solution in a layer of 3-5 cm and level it.
Sand the surface and trim the expansion joints once it has dried. Apply the final coat a week following the pouring process.
Step | Details |
1. Preparing the mix | Mix the concrete according to the instructions, adding the fiber in the recommended ratio. |
2. Adding fiber | Gradually add the fiber to the mix, ensuring even distribution to prevent clumping. |
3. Mixing thoroughly | Continue mixing until the fiber is evenly dispersed throughout the concrete. |
4. Pouring the screed | Pour the fiber-reinforced concrete onto the floor area, spreading it evenly. |
5. Leveling | Use a screed board or similar tool to level the surface. |
6. Curing | Allow the concrete to cure according to standard practices, keeping it moist if necessary. |
Fiber amount | Typically, 600 grams of fiber is needed per 1 m² of floor screed. |
There are many advantages to using fiber for floor screed, including reduced cracking and increased strength. It increases the floor’s resilience, making it a sensible option for both domestic and business projects. The screed mix’s uniform distribution of fibers helps the floor bear heavy loads and resist deterioration over time.
It’s crucial to take your project’s particular requirements into account as well as the manufacturer’s recommendations when calculating the required amount of fiber. A typical dosage for fiber is between 0.9 and 1.2 kg per square meter. This guarantees peak performance without sacrificing the mix’s feasibility.
For optimal outcomes, thoroughly blend the fiber into the screed to guarantee uniform dispersion. Either a mechanical mixer or manual labor can be used for this. For the fibers to effectively reinforce the screed, prevent weak spots, and improve the overall quality of the floor, proper mixing is essential.
Adding fiber to your floor screed is a simple and efficient method to increase the resilience and lifespan of your flooring. A long-lasting, high-quality finish can be obtained by making sure that all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and that the dosages are followed.