Step-by-step instructions: how to evenly fill a floor with concrete without beacons?

It can be difficult to pour concrete evenly, particularly if you want a level, smooth surface without the need for beacons. Achieving a perfect finish is crucial for both aesthetics and functionality, regardless of whether you’re building from scratch or remodeling an existing space. Fortunately, you can achieve professional-quality results on your own if you have the appropriate methods and resources.

We’ll walk you through the entire process of pouring a concrete floor without the use of conventional beacons in this guide. Everything from surface preparation and concrete mixing to leveling and finishing methods will be covered. You can guarantee a level and long-lasting concrete floor that will endure by adhering to these instructions.

Without any prior experience? Not a problem. Because of their simplicity and clarity, our instructions are suitable for both novices and do-it-yourselfers. With perseverance and meticulous attention to detail, you’ll be able to approach this project with assurance and effectiveness. Together, let’s get your flooring project off to a great start!

Step	Description
1	Prepare the surface by cleaning and removing debris.
2	Install formwork around the area to contain the concrete.
3	Mix the concrete according to the manufacturer"s instructions.
4	Pour the concrete starting from the farthest corner.
5	Use a rake or shovel to spread the concrete evenly.
6	Use a screed board to level the concrete by pulling it across the surface.
7	Smooth the surface with a bull float for a uniform finish.
8	Allow the concrete to cure as per the recommended time.
9	Finish with a trowel if needed for a smooth texture.

Is it possible?

While beacons are necessary for the most part when laying the concrete mixture during the construction of a screed, they are not necessary in the following scenarios:

• In the case of a semi-dry concrete screed, which is supplied to the mounting mark by a pump in finished form, after mixing, with fiber fiber, after which it is distributed over the area of ​​the room and smoothed with a paddle smoother using a laser level.
• If the screed is laid in a small technical room – in a storage room or utility room, the area of ​​which does not exceed 2 – 4 m2 .
• If, instead of beacons, a flange is provided from high-quality boards on which elevation marks are applied, and the screed material itself has a mobility of at least P3, which contributes to the automatic distribution of the composition under the influence of gravitational forces.
• If the thickness of the screed does not exceed the minimum allowable for a given structural element of 30 mm.
• In the case when the concrete screed is poured like a draft floor, after which it is implied by the device of a duplicate structure from self -leveling high -strength liquid mixtures.

Prior to pouring a screed devoid of beacons, you should accurately assess how feasible it is to build such a structure by analyzing the room’s space-planning parameters and the design specifications for the subfloor’s future element.

What types of screeds can be made?

Made of concrete, floor screeds of any kind can be filled in rooms for a variety of uses without the need for beacons:

• Semi-dry screeds are almost always poured without beacons in rooms of any size.
• Wet screeds, provided they are thin, have mobility of at least P3, or if there is a leveling structure after installing a concrete subfloor.
• If the screed contains complex reinforcement from several types of mesh, and the beacons cannot be mounted and fixed for technological reasons.
• If, for technological reasons, the screed structure must remain unbroken, and the beacons cut through it along its entire length, which significantly reduces the tightness and violates the integrity of the entire structure.

In other situations, the mandatory use of galvanized steel or cement-sand beacons is advised when a traditional wet screed with mobility P2 – P3 is poured in regular residential or public premises and the thickness of this structural element exceeds 50 mm.

Which ones are not allowed and why?

In addition to the fact that certain kinds of concrete screeds can be installed without beacons, the following kinds of leveling structures forbid the removal of these leveling components:

• Wet screed in residential, office or other public premises, provided that their area exceeds 6 m2 .
• The thickness of the wet screed is 50 mm or more.
• The screed is placed on top of the insulation, pipe or cable communications laid in the subfloor structure.
• Laminate, block parquet, linoleum, carpet or other types of finishing coatings that do not require the installation of leveling adhesive compositions, as for porcelain tiles, should be laid on top of the hardened screed.
• Wet screed is made of concrete with a degree of slack from P2 to P3.
• If reinforcement of the screed is not intended, and the beacons do not interfere with the strengthening of the structure in any way.

It is advisable to order in advance or independently develop a working design that outlines all requirements, performs static and dynamic calculations, and displays the necessary floor components in the finished residential or public premises in order to avoid making mistakes when choosing the necessary and correct technology for pouring concrete screeds.

Requirements for structures

Regardless of the type of premises, the following design, technological, and functional requirements apply to all concrete screeds that are poured without beacons:

1. Thickness of the erected structure:
2. The minimum permissible thickness of a wet screed without beacons is 30 mm.
3. The minimum thickness of a semi-dry screed cannot be less than 50 mm.
4. The maximum permissible thickness of a screed without beacons, poured from ordinary heavy concrete, is 50 mm for extended rooms with an area of ​​4 to 10 – 12 m2, or from 60 to 80 mm, provided that this structure is installed in rooms with an area of ​​​​less than 4 m2 .
5. The maximum permissible thickness of semi-dry screed, arranged in one layer, is 100 – 120 mm.
6. The mechanical strength of the screed must exactly correspond to the operational requirements for the room.
7. During the process of hardening and strengthening of the structural element of the subfloor without beacons, shrinkage cracks should not form with an opening width exceeding the permissible values ​​​​according to SP.
8. The surface of the poured screed after curing must be flat, without deviations in the area of ​​the room by more than 1 – 2 mm, provided there are no special project requirements.
9. The screed must be continuous between expansion joints and other technological elements that imply the formation of gaps in a single monolithic structure.
10. Concrete grades for frost resistance and water resistance must be no lower than design data or regulatory requirements.
11. If necessary, the concrete screed must contain structural or local reinforcement with mesh or fiberglass.
12. The concrete screed must have maximum abrasion characteristics, the smallest possible number and dimensions of pores, and the upper plane of the structure must not contain chips, delaminations, non-vibrated areas, cavities or other traces of mechanical defects.

It is advised to order concrete only from specialized businesses in order to meet all of the above requirements and provide the necessary mechanical and physical qualities for the screed concrete. This entails adding plasticizers, antifreeze, and modifying additives, thoroughly mixing the composition, and precisely dosing all high-quality components, such as fine and coarse aggregates and binding ingredients.

Pouring materials

It is necessary to have the following consumable and basic materials on hand in order to pour concrete screeds without beacons in residential or public areas:

• Cement – hydraulically astringent, brand in strength not lower than M400, which significantly increases the bearing capacity, reliability and durability of the structure.
• Fine aggregate – quartz quarry or washed river sand with a granulometric composition of up to 2 – 3 mm.
• If necessary, if the project provides for this requirement – granite crushed stone, as a large aggregate, with a fraction of 5 to 15 mm.
• Clean tap water at room temperature, in the amount necessary for hydration of binders and achieving the required level of plasticity of concrete.
• Plasticizers, antifreeze additives, modifying ingredients and water repellents – providing improvement of the physical and mechanical parameters of concrete, increasing its elasticity and promoting rapid gain in strength of the material without the formation of shrinkage cracks.
• Masonry mesh made of metal rods, individual reinforcing bars, composite reinforcing elements or fiberglass, to increase the load-bearing capacity of the poured structure and improve its tensile or flexural performance.
• Board for flanging and applying elevation marks when installing wet screeds without beacons in extended rooms.
• Cement for ironing the screed after setting.
• High-strength repair compounds based on shrinkage-free cement, in case small defects form on the surface of the concrete screed.

Modifying additives, cement, and fine aggregate (quartz sand and fiber) are also needed for semi-dry concrete floor screeds without beacons. However, these structures are typically built with the help of experts and specialized tools, which allows the dosing of these materials to be done automatically and the materials themselves to be provided as part of the pre-ordered service for the installation of the entire structure.

When buying materials, it’s important to keep track of when they were made because certain parts, like cement or modifying additives, have their own expiration date and become useless after that, making it difficult or impossible to use them for the intended purpose.

Creation Tools

The following set of tools, along with electrical equipment, is needed to create a screed from concrete or cement-sand mortar in residential or public spaces. This does not include installing galvanized or other beacons to level the elevation:

1. To take measurements premises and control of elevation, marking:
2. Laser rangefinder.
3. Construction tape with a steel sheet no less than 3 m long.
4. Joiner"s metal corner with orthogonal edges.
5. Laser level for height control.
6. Permanent marker for applying elevation marks to all vertical structures adjacent to the ceiling.
7. For mixing and installationsemi-dry screeds:
8. Complete plastering station with functions for heating inert materials, vibrating sieves for crushing lumps of main ingredients, a mixer and a feeding screw device.
9. Pulse-action vacuum pump for supplying ready-made semi-dry concrete mixture to the desired elevation of the installation horizon.
10. Diffuser located at the mounting mark, designed to receive and distribute semi-dry screed material over the room area.
11. Paddle smoother for leveling the laid semi-dry concrete mixture in a room and for achieving the design elevation, without the use of leveling beacons.
12. For cooking wet screeds:
13. Electric mixer with a receiving hopper with a volume of 100 – 150 l.
14. Scoops for dosing dry ingredients into the mixer hopper before mixing.
15. Industrial scales with divisions up to 100 g to ensure precise dosing of dry concrete components.
16. Measuring container for dosing water, plasticizers and liquid modifying additives.
17. If necessary, a set of sieves with different cell dimensions for breaking up lumps of cement and sifting sand until the required particle size distribution is achieved.
18. For pouring wet screeds:
19. Stretcher, wheelbarrow or buckets for transporting concrete to the laying site.
20. Trowel for initial smoothing of the mixture after installation.
21. A rule of at least 2 m in length for smoothing the concrete mixture during placement nozzle.
22. A deep vibrator or vibrating screed that ensures compaction of a cement-sand or concrete mixture with uniform distribution of plastic material over the entire area of ​​the room.
23. Graters for smoothing screed without beacons after the start of setting.

When building concrete screeds, all equipment used for the job needs to be of the highest caliber, completely functional, contaminant-free, and compliant with safety standards.

Pie designs

The following additional layers are provided in addition to the mandatory ones that must be followed when building a screed without beacons. These layers are part of the structural element’s cake composition.

• Floor slab, compacted base soil, or other supporting structure, pioneer concrete floor screed.
• Leveling screed, if defects predominate on the main supporting structure, or it cannot be used as a basis for gluing waterproofing, laying insulation – up to 30 mm.
• Coating and pasting waterproofing made of mastic or “Technoelast” – 5 mm.
• Insulation – slabs of extruded polystyrene foam with a thickness of 50 mm, with mandatory ligation of the end parts “into a lock” and foaming of installation joints.
• Reinforcement of a structure with road mesh with a rod diameter from 4 mm to 5 mm, mesh from 50 x 50 mm to 100 x 100 mm – up to 10 mm.
• Pouring concrete on a wet or semi-dry floor screed – from 30 to 50 mm (for wet), from 50 to 100 – 120 mm (for semi-dry).
• Ironing of the screed with cement or other compounds – up to 5 mm.
• Installation of a self-leveling floor (if it is necessary to level out defects and achieve a perfectly flat plane) – up to 10 – 15 mm.
• The design of the finish finish coating is from 10 mm (depending on the category of material and its installation technology, the presence of adhesive compositions).

The project’s space-planning solutions, which assume adherence to the clean floor mark in the premises without the creation of steps and thresholds between adjacent used spaces, also determine the overall thickness of the pie in addition to the design requirements.

To guarantee a smooth, level surface when pouring concrete evenly on a floor without the use of beacons, a methodical approach is necessary. You can follow these easy, step-by-step instructions to help you through the entire process, from properly leveling and pouring the concrete to preparing the floor and mixing it. You can ensure the longevity of your concrete floor and attain a professional-quality finish by adhering to these instructions, which also help you avoid common pitfalls.

DIY creation procedure

Since semi-dry screed is nearly always poured by an outside installation company, the property owner’s involvement is typically not necessary when carrying out this work.

Simultaneously, if pouring a wet screed without beacons is required, you may complete the entire task yourself, provided that the aforementioned supplies and equipment are available and that the technological map is strictly followed.

• Measurements are taken in the room, height elevations and dimensions of defects in the base for the screed are determined.
• Markings are applied to the walls along the entire perimeter of the room using permanent paints, indicating the elevation of the top of the future concrete screed.
• If necessary. a cement-sand mortar is mixed and a leveling screed is performed in case of defects in the base, as well as to create a reliable basis for the installation of hydro- and thermal insulation.
• After polymerization and strengthening of the leveling screed, according to the floor units reflected in the detailed design, adhesive and coating waterproofing is installed, and heat-insulating boards made of extruded polystyrene foam are laid, followed by caulking of the installation gaps with foam.
• On top of rigid slabs of polystyrene insulation, mounting spacer stands made of plastic are placed to reinforce the future screed.
• A mesh is laid on the spacer pads to reinforce the concrete structure of the future screed.
• The dry ingredients of the future concrete screed – cement, sand, crushed stone – are placed in the mixer, pre-dosed on the scales.
• Dry ingredients are mixed in the mixer hopper until a uniform composition is achieved, having a single gray tint.
• After mixing, without stopping the mixer motor, water is dosed into the dry mixture, no more than 1 – 2 liters at a time.
• After reaching the required consistency of concrete and hydration of all cement particles, plasticizers, modifying and antifreeze additives are added to the mixture, in a total amount of no more than 2-3%.
• Stirring continues for another 1 – 2 minutes,
• The finished solution is poured into a container for transportation and supplied to the installation horizon
• Time is waited for the laid wet mixture to be leveled evenly under its own weight.
• The deep vibrator is turned on, the concrete mixture is compacted, and air bubbles are removed from the liquid concrete.
• If necessary, the procedure is repeated until the top mark of the freshly poured mixture reaches the markings on the walls.
• The master levels the surface of the screed with trowels and a long aluminum rule.
• The structure is left alone until setting begins.
• After the setting is complete, local repair of defects will be required, as well as maintenance of the concrete, for successful gain of the design strength.

Following the pouring and leveling process, the screed needs to polymerize and strengthen. This can take anywhere from 7 to 15 days, if the pie is up to 50 mm thick, and up to 3 to 4 weeks if the device is part of a high-power structure.

It is not advised to carry out any additional work until the moisture in the concrete has totally evaporated, as this may lead to the growth of mold and an early loss of the finished concrete structure’s performance qualities.

Care after

This structural element needs to be cared for immediately following pouring and the completion of the setting of the concrete screed without beacons, which will take six to twenty-four hours. Care must be taken, following a series of detailed instructions and accounting for several subtleties.

• The next day after the freshly laid concrete has finished setting, it will be necessary to create favorable conditions for hardening of the structure – elevated temperature, absence of draft and high level of humidity, since cement is a hydraulic binder and hardens only at such temperature and humidity parameters of the internal air.
• Every day for a week after laying the concrete, it may be necessary to spray the screed surface gaining strength with water, which will reduce the risk of hairline shrinkage cracks.
• If shrinkage cracks form, it will be necessary to reinforce the structure with cement laitance or dry cement and grout with floats or a grinder.
• At the final stage, when the design strength should already be achieved, it is recommended to check the class of concrete with a sclerometer or other non-destructive methods.

Should any flaws be found on the exterior of a concrete screed that was built without beacons, the repair composition must be mixed right away in order to remove any cavities, cracks, delaminations, or chips. This will ensure that the completed floor structure will function flawlessly and for a long time to come.

Difficulties and errors

Beginners risk making several serious mistakes and running into numerous obstacles when attempting to install a concrete screed without beacons with their hands. These missteps could have irreversible effects or even require a total reconstruction of the recently poured structure. The most frequent errors, along with potential solutions, are listed below to lessen the likelihood of making them:

• Insufficiently thorough processing and leveling of the base or span structure – a thin concrete screed without beacons will quickly sag, crack and begin to collapse immediately after gaining strength.
• The choice of low-quality materials for constructing a concrete screed without beacons – in case of insufficient amount of cement, or the purchase of binding ingredients of grade M300 and lower, the required strength of the finished structural element will not be achieved.
• Lack of mesh for screed reinforcement – through cracks will appear in the structure, and the screed will practically not bend.
• The absence of fiber fiber in the structure of the screed means that after gaining strength, concrete will begin to delaminate and crumble within the first months of operation.
• Preparation of a concrete mixture that is too mobile – despite the rapid leveling of the composition under the influence of gravitational forces, in the process of moisture evaporation, holes form on the screed plane, which will require the installation of a self-leveling floor and will entail increased costs.
• Neglecting the rules for caring for concrete after it is laid – there is a risk that the material will not be able to gain its design strength, which will lead to disruption of the operation of the finished structure.

Before beginning any work, you should absolutely watch a number of training videos and master classes from experts who frequently share their real-world experience with other Internet users in the public domain. This will help you completely eliminate the chance of making mistakes.

Advantages and disadvantages

In residential or public buildings, a concrete screed without beacons is frequently installed as a load-bearing or enclosing structure, if the working design permits it. popularity of the design as a result of its many unquestionable benefits:

• Reduced material costs for installing a finished subfloor structure.
• The minimum number of installation operations leads to a reduction in the time required for all screed construction work.
• There is no need to wait for binders to harden to fix beacons.
• The design of the screed is monolithic, unbreakable, due to the fact that it is not cut to the full depth by rack beacons.
• Easy screed reinforcement, without the need to trim the mesh.
• The design is optimal for small spaces.
• Considering that the structure is leveled under its own weight, deep vibration of concrete leads to an increase in its quality and the removal of all air bubbles, reducing the porosity coefficient.

Despite all the benefits, a lot of contractors and property owners still install beacons because a concrete screed without these guides has a lot of drawbacks.

• Most often, the screed hardens with a violation of the horizontal plane, which requires the installation of a self-leveling floor.
• It is not allowed to install a wet structural element to a height of more than 50 mm.
• There are many design, technological and functional limitations.
• Increased professionalism of the craftsman is required to achieve the expected quality of the surface of the material after pouring concrete and gaining strength.
• Concrete requires special care to avoid causing defects or irreparable defects.
• Despite the solidity of the structure, according to technological requirements, when pouring screed in large areas, every 5 – 6 meters, expansion joints are required, which leads to bypass installation of limiters, which are often galvanized rack leveling beacons.

Therefore, it is imperative that you become familiar with the detailed design drawings, review all of the functional and technological requirements for a given room, and confirm that building such a structure is permitted and won’t cause operational issues before installing a screed without beacons.

Average expenses

The basic ingredients and installation costs of a wet or semi-dry screed without beacons are roughly the same, irrespective of supplier, due to its standard design. Thus, the property owner must budget for the following required and unanticipated costs when building this structure:

1. Factory-made ready-made dry formulations, widely available:
2. Ready-made high-strength sand concrete mixture brand M300 – 120 – 150 rubles. for 40 kg.
3. Ready-made high-strength sand concrete mixture grade M400 – 160 – 180 rubles. for 40 kg.
4. Sand concrete ready-made specialized mixture brand M500 – from 210 rubles. for 40 kg and above.
5. Portland cement strength grades M400 – M500 – 450 – 850 RUR. for 1 bag 50 kg.
6. Dripped and fine aggregate for concrete – inert materials (sand and crushed stone):
7. Quarry sand based on quartz components, large or medium-sized, as well as purified river inert material, which is dried until the required design humidity is achieved – from 2150 – 2600 / 2700 – 3300 rubles. per 1 m 3 .
8. Crushed stone based on natural granite, with sharp, unrounded edges, granulometric composition 15 – 20 mm – from 4800 – 6500 rubles. per 1 m 3 .
9. Synthetic, or natural mineral modifying or plasticizing additives for a concrete mixture, significantly increasing its physical and mechanical properties and accelerating hardening under different conditions:
10. Antifreeze ingredients up to -5 – 18 o C – 400 – 600 rubles. for 10 l.
11. Plasticizers for stretching the maximum setting period of a viscous hydraulic substance, both before and after laying it in accordance with the working design and technological map – 300 – 500 rubles. for 10 l.
12. Modifying ingredients for viscous concrete with various synthetic additives – 300 – 600 rubles. for 10 l.
13. Epoxy resins with a two -component composition – a viscous adhesive composition and hardener, contributing to the minimization of the porosity coefficient and, as a result, increase the water -repellent properties of the structure of stone material – 200 – 450 rubles. for 5 l.
14. Methyl acrylates and other additional ingredients based on various active synthetic additives with different states of aggregation, penetrating action – 80 – 170 rubles. for 1 l.
15. Water repellents that envelop the entire surface area of ​​concrete screed that has gained strength with a colorless and moisture-proof membrane with an increased degree of elasticity – from 3000 – 6150 rubles. for 20 l.
16. Reinforcing masonry or road steel mesh:
17. Road metal mesh d5 – d7 A500s, mesh 100 x 100 mm – 400 – 750 rub. for 1 m 2, are presented for sale in the form of ready-made welded meshes with various overall dimensions of the orthogonal cell, in accordance with the requirements of current standards.
18. Masonry mesh made of steel wires d3 – d4 A500s, with a square 50 x 50 mm or 50 x 100 mm – 150 – 250 rubles. for 1 m 2, are widely available both in cards and in rolls, in accordance with the requirements of current regulations
19. Waterproofing compounds, vapor barrier, effective thermal insulation:
20. Vapor barrier film materials – 1.35 – 2.15 thousand. rub. for 50 – 100 m 2, as a rule, produced in rolls.
21. Bituminous or elastic waterproof polymer waterproofing film – 1.65 – 5.55 thousand. rub. for 6.0 – 30 m2 . The final price is fixed by the manufacturer, determined by the characteristics of the chemical composition, physical and mechanical characteristics of the material.
22. Thermal insulation made of extruded polystyrene foam, in the form of plates with high density starters, with designed end elements for durable interlocking – 4.5 – 7.9 thousand. rub. per 1 m 3 .

The facility’s location, the intricacy of the logistics, the height of the installation horizon, the overall amount of work, the room area, the climate, the season, and other direct and indirect factors can all have a small impact on the prices listed above.

An estimate is used to calculate the total cost of building a screed devoid of beacons in rooms of different classifications. In addition to the current basic retail prices, this document considers increasing or decreasing coefficients based on the previously mentioned factors.

Although it may seem difficult, filling a floor with concrete without the need for beacons is completely doable with the appropriate strategy. You can make sure that the surface is even and smooth and meets your needs by following a methodical process.

Make sure the base is clean and well-compacted before beginning the full preparation of the space. It is important to mix concrete to the proper consistency because it influences how easy it is to spread and level. To ensure an even distribution, you can guide the concrete into place with a long board or straightedge.

When it comes to leveling, patience is essential. Take your time and approach the surface methodically to smooth it out. In order to quickly address any problems, like cracks or uneven areas, it is imperative to keep an eye on the drying process. Over time, using the right curing methods will help keep the concrete’s integrity intact.

You can achieve a perfectly level concrete floor without the need for beacons by carefully following these steps. This technique is accessible to both professionals and do-it-yourselfers because it streamlines the process and uses less materials.

Video on the topic

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