Dismantling cement-sand screed: instructions on dismantling and its subtleties
Any renovation usually begins with preparing the premises, namely: dismantling old finishes, as well as unreliable structures.One of the preparatory stages is dismantling the screed that has lost its operational properties.
Despite the complexity of the process, you can perform this operation yourself using special tools. Agree, this will allow you to save a lot of money, which you can spend on purchasing quality materials for repairs.
The rest of the article will present the step-by-step process of dismantling the old cement-sand screed, including the specifics of the preparatory work. Based on the information presented below, you can quickly disassemble the screed, without the help of professionals.
The content of the article:
What is a screed?
Floor screed is an intermediate layer no more than 4-5 cm thick, connecting the reinforced concrete base and the finishing floor covering. The structure can be monolithic (cement-sand mixture) or composite (several layers of gypsum cement).
A high-quality screed performs several important functions:
- levels the base and creates the necessary slopes;
- takes the load of supporting structures;
- protects floors from external influences;
- allows you to raise the floor level to the required height.
In order to obtain maximum strength, the cement-sand structure is reinforced with a metal mesh, since it is subject to shrinkage.
Functionality floor screed, its strength and thermal insulation depend on the quality of its composition.
Unlike a composite structure, a monolithic screed is not very strong, so it is not so difficult to remove it. In this case, it is important not to overdo it, so as not to damage the load-bearing walls and not punch a hole in them.
Repair or dismantling?
Over time, the floor covering loses its performance characteristics: the cement composition begins to crumble, peel and crack. At this stage, it is important to decide whether it is worth restoring the screed or whether it is better to disassemble it.
Often homeowners prefer the second option, since dismantling is much cheaper than restoration.
There are several nuances that will help you decide to dismantle the screed:
- The floor level needs to be lowered.
- The floors of the lower rooms are too flimsy.
- Repair of communications and pipes under the screed is required.
- The installed screed was made of low-quality cement.
Restoring the screed only makes sense if it was installed relatively recently, but for certain reasons began to crack.
There is no point in repairing the “starter” coating from the 50s, since the degree of damage is too great. It will be cheaper to dismantle the coating yourself.
The procedure for dismantling a concrete screed can be complete or partial, depending on the purpose of dismantling the coating and the degree of its damage.
Most often, disassembly is carried out by diamond cutting, for which you will have to prepare special electrical appliances.
Tools and protective equipment
You can dismantle the screed in an apartment with your own hands quite easily if you have the necessary equipment with you. But first of all, for garbage removal you should stock up on bags made of durable material.
So, prepare the following tools in advance:
- devices for diamond cutting and drilling;
- hammer drill, jackhammer, circular saw;
- seam cutters with diamond discs;
- crowbar, sledgehammer, chisels and hammer.
Electrical devices allow you to remove the main part of the screed in the shortest possible time. As for tools for manual coating dismantling, they are used only in places without electricity or with a small amount of work.
Of course, the process is quite slow and noisy, but it can still be used as an auxiliary.
Since dismantling a screed is not only a labor-intensive process, but also a “dusty” one, before starting disassembly, the contractor needs to provide himself with proper protection.
You should purchase protective equipment in advance: respirators, safety glasses, headphones, gloves, overalls and helmets. So, during the work you do not have to worry about your safety.
Do-it-yourself screed dismantling
The procedure for dismantling the rough floor covering is carried out in several stages. To begin with, you need to make a special hole in the screed from which dismantling will take place. This can be done using any of the tools listed above.
Next, the screed is divided into separate fragments using the impact method. The final stage - the largest parts are torn off from the base and taken out of the room.
The most effective ways to dismantle a floor screed are to work using:
- hammer drill and jackhammer;
- diamond blade for cutting concrete layer;
- special drill for drilling screed.
If the subfloor is laid on a layer of crushed stone, then it is better to remove the covering along with it. Since broken concrete is picked up with a shovel, it will be much easier to slide it over a smooth surface than over a rough layer of crushed stone.
The correct choice of jackhammer power depends on the thickness of the floor screed that is subject to destruction. By the way, do not forget about protecting enclosing structures (walls, windows, doors) from damage from concrete fragments.
Should be disabled in advance electricity on the panel, and also shut off the water supply to all pipelines.
Method No. 1 - using impact devices
You can start disassembling the screed from any corner, punching a hole to the very base. You should carefully chip off a few centimeters at a time so that the hole gradually expands. Once you have finished crushing the intended fragment, remove the debris and continue working.
In this case, the best tool is a jackhammer. If such a tool is not available, then you can use a hammer drill with a special chisel. Before starting dismantling, do not forget to turn on the shock function.
For fast and high-quality work, the power of a conventional hammer drill will be enough.By the way, manufacturers of such equipment recommend working for no more than 20 minutes, after which letting the device rest for about the same time.
Do not forget that working with impact equipment is, to put it mildly, “noisy,” so in the case of an apartment building, it is important to warn neighbors in advance about the upcoming repairs. If you agree on the repair time, then there should be no problems in the future.
Method No. 2 - cutting concrete with a special circle
Dismantling a concrete coating using a conventional metal circle is impossible. You will have to purchase a diamond-coated wheel designed specifically for concrete. Unlike a hammer drill, diamond cutting has a moderate noise level, which means it will not disturb the residents of the house.
Before starting work, cut lines should be marked on the floor surface. It is better to cut the concrete into squares of about 0.5 square meters so that you can carefully lift them one by one. Don't forget to wear safety glasses and a respirator, because when working with an angle grinder there will be a lot of small fragments and dust.
Also open all the windows in the room to create a strong draft. This will help get rid of dust faster without waiting for it to settle.
If the procedure is carried out dry, it must be stopped periodically. This is required to ensure that the tool does not overheat.
The best option is to cut concrete with the circular saw cooled.To do this, it is enough to spray water onto the furrow and disc using a regular spray bottle, provided that there is no power source nearby.
Method No. 3 - dismantling the screed with a diamond drill
A standard hammer drill cannot always cope with such a volume of work, so it is better to find an alternative - a diamond drill. Use it to make many holes in the concrete, and then use a pick to knock out the areas with the largest number of holes along the edges.
Like any other tool, a hammer drill can overheat, which can significantly slow down dismantling. To prevent this from happening, you can purchase or rent another hammer drill to alternate between them while working.
Since this procedure is still not as fast as cutting with a diamond wheel, in this case it is better to enlist the help of a friend who will clear the area behind you.
Regardless of the power tool chosen, this method of dismantling will still be more effective and faster than destroying the cement coating with a crowbar and a hammer.
If you have a hammer drill or jackhammer in your arsenal of tools, then disassembling the cement-sand screed will cost you almost free.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
You can learn how to dismantle the old layer of cement-concrete screed with your own hands from the following video:
This video shows the process of removing concrete coating on a loggia using a jackhammer:
Using the instructions presented in this article, you can remove the cement-sand screed yourself.There are several options for dismantling a subfloor, which differ only in the type of tool used during the disassembly process. By choosing any of the presented methods, you can quickly dismantle the concrete screed without hiring workers.
If you have experience in dismantling cement-sand screed, you can share your impressions with our readers. Tell us what difficulties you encountered in the process of dismantling the subfloor by leaving a comment below the article.
