Screed disaster
Discussion
dickymint said:
PS. As I've just shown this to Wifey (fabrication manager at Mandarin Stone). "He's gonna have to raise the patio door a couple of inches by the time that's level" 
My guys are half way through laying 100m of Dijon Tumbled Limestone outside at my house.Its looks great but it's all in the prep.
As others have said, the chap is out of his depth. Now I have been out of the game for a good many years but, our chap/s always stated that the mix should 'just hold together when squeezed into a ball' so to complain it was 'too dry' is an excuse for being an incompetent (has he never heard of sprinkling water on it).
It's bloody annoying when you pay good money for a job and get crap, I've had a load of work done at home recently and am sick and tired of calling the builders back out to point out that the pipework looks like it's been fitted by a schoolboy (compression fittings ffs), flooring that isn't flat, skirting with gaps you could get your fingers into, etc. They can do it right but for some reason just don't, or at least not the first time, they get there eventually.
As building work goes it's not actually the hardest if you use "levelling strips"..........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOxFe46SMcI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOxFe46SMcI
2 things:-
1. If it's meant to be a screed it should be sand and cement and as dry as possible to prevent shrinkage, but that looks like concrete.
2 An acceptable standard is what the NHBC requires for new houses and I quote
FLOORS
1.2 - S8 Floors shall be built to
appropriate tolerances
Items to be taken into account include:
(a) level of floor
Maximum 4mm out of level per metre
for floors up to 6m across, and maximum
25mm overall in any other case.
Your floor its totally unacceptable, and I understand that you don't want to but you must tell him to take it up and do it again.
1. If it's meant to be a screed it should be sand and cement and as dry as possible to prevent shrinkage, but that looks like concrete.
2 An acceptable standard is what the NHBC requires for new houses and I quote
FLOORS
1.2 - S8 Floors shall be built to
appropriate tolerances
Items to be taken into account include:
(a) level of floor
Maximum 4mm out of level per metre
for floors up to 6m across, and maximum
25mm overall in any other case.
Your floor its totally unacceptable, and I understand that you don't want to but you must tell him to take it up and do it again.
That is not concrete and regular building sand and cement is not what is used.
Sharp sand/grit is used and should clump into a ball when mixed with a little water.
At a guess, i would say he was panicking to get it down as he hadn't asked for a retarder in the mix to give him time to do it properly.
So, how far out of level is it across and down the room?
And if you are having electric UFH, the insulations boards would need to be fitted to the screed, may laid, and then covered again with self levelling compound.
This could add another 20mm on top of that, and then you will have tiles and adhesive.
At least you wont have a trip hazard going through the patio doors.
Sharp sand/grit is used and should clump into a ball when mixed with a little water.
At a guess, i would say he was panicking to get it down as he hadn't asked for a retarder in the mix to give him time to do it properly.
So, how far out of level is it across and down the room?
And if you are having electric UFH, the insulations boards would need to be fitted to the screed, may laid, and then covered again with self levelling compound.
This could add another 20mm on top of that, and then you will have tiles and adhesive.
At least you wont have a trip hazard going through the patio doors.
Edited by Alucidnation on Saturday 1st October 12:46
Edited by Alucidnation on Saturday 1st October 12:46
Edited by Alucidnation on Saturday 1st October 12:49
Jesus f ing christ that you tube video is proof of diy disaster.
I failed to watch it all as i could`nt stop laughing.
The original screed attempt was indeed atrocious but should have been reedeemable with self levelling compuond but unfortunately seems to have been very badly applied.
A case of biting the bullet and digging it up unfortunately
I failed to watch it all as i could`nt stop laughing.
The original screed attempt was indeed atrocious but should have been reedeemable with self levelling compuond but unfortunately seems to have been very badly applied.
A case of biting the bullet and digging it up unfortunately
As others have said, that is f
king awful and he is trying to bodge it to an acceptable level at the lowest cost to him. Rip it up and start again is the only way you're going to get that right.
Ceramic tiles on screed, UFH is notoriously difficult to get right because of the tolerances required, so anything less than perfect isn't worth considering.
Irrelevant to this, but have you got a decoupling membrane going down?
king awful and he is trying to bodge it to an acceptable level at the lowest cost to him. Rip it up and start again is the only way you're going to get that right.Ceramic tiles on screed, UFH is notoriously difficult to get right because of the tolerances required, so anything less than perfect isn't worth considering.
Irrelevant to this, but have you got a decoupling membrane going down?
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