Pros and cons of plastering after screed
When carrying out work on filling the floor with cement-sand mortar and decorating the walls with plaster, the following sequence of actions is observed:
- if necessary, old plaster is removed;
- the surface of the walls and floor is treated with a primer;
- if necessary, waterproofing the base;
- a damper tape is fastened around the perimeter of the room;
- if necessary, lay a heater;
- pour in a rough screed;
- the surface of the finished base is closed with plastic wrap and left for 5-7 days to gain sufficient strength;
- after a week, the film is replaced with thick cardboard and proceed to plastering the walls;
- cardboard is removed after finishing plastering.
In the process of performing work on filling the floor and decorating the walls with stucco, the positive and negative moments of this sequence are found.
The advantages of performing plastering after screed:
- a ready-made floor base allows precise marking on the walls for gating channels for electrical wiring, and installing sockets and switches. It will not be possible to measure the same distance from an unaligned screed - after finishing work, differences in height will be noticeable;
- from a flat and hard surface it is easier to collect fallen fragments of a stucco mortar. This saves material;
- the screed drying speed allows you to start other work in 2-3 days, and until the finishers finish plastering and the electricians lay the wiring, the screed will fully gain the necessary strength, it will be possible to lay the finish coating on it;
- in some cases, electricians can route electrical wiring prior to wall decoration. Traces of work will be successfully masked during the plastering of the surface, respectively, do not have to do double work;
- the leveled surface of the floor allows plumbers to mount heating and water supplies before plastering.
The disadvantages of the initial leveling of the floor with a screed before plastering include:
- if the plastering work is started too early, before the screed is sufficiently strong, dents and scratches from the goats or the step-ladder may appear on the floor surface.
And if mechanized plaster
It is determined that first, floor screed or wall plastering, in the case when plastering works are performed mechanically, it is necessary according to the same algorithm as with manual wall plastering. There are no differences between manual and mechanical surface treatment. A general comparison of manual and mechanized plaster we carried out here.
Advantages and disadvantages of screed after plastering
If during the repair work it was decided that the plaster is to be done forward, the following positive and negative points should be taken into account.
The advantages of pouring screed after plastering include:
- If you start plastering before screed pouring, you will not have to protect the finished foundation from falling excess plaster mortar. Preparatory measures are not required.
The disadvantages of work before filling the screed include:
- the plaster solution needs time to dry (7-8 days). If you begin to fill earlier, the integrity of the plaster may be impaired.
Recommendations for choosing one or another option
After studying the pros and cons of both options, the owner can decide for himself what to do in the apartment before screeding the floor or plastering the walls. But before making a final decision, you need to list cases when you still need to put the screed first:
- If work is carried out in a room with unpaved floors. On the first floors of individual buildings before finishing, unexposed earthen platforms may remain. If you start to plaster before pouring screed, the soil will quickly turn into dirty porridge. In addition, it will be impossible to pick up fragments of the stucco mortar from the ground, which will lead to a large consumption of material.
- If necessary, raise the floor level from 50 to 200 mm. To plaster the walls at this height, you will need a large volume of mortar, and therefore it is reasonable to start with the installation of the floor. In order not to increase the load on the floor, the floor level is raised with the help of filling materials. To continue the work, backfill must be poured with concrete so that workers can move on a solid surface.
What first, floor screed or wall plaster? When determining the sequence of work, you need to pay attention to the following:
- adhering to a clear rule of finishing from top to bottom is only when organizing finishing work. When roughing, choose the most suitable option;
- Adherents of the method of laying electrical wires in the main walls should be reminded that such work is prohibited by SNiP. Gates for electrical communications can be arranged only on the already plastered walls. As a result, the thickness of the strobes will be 60-80 mm, of which only half will be on the load-bearing wall;
- Do not install door frames immediately after laying the screed before plastering the walls. During work with plaster mortar in the room, increased humidity forms, which will remain for 7-10 days. With this humidity, wood elements can become deformed;
- preliminary filling of the screed slightly reduces the time for subsequent work. You can walk on a new screed after two days. Within three days, concrete gains 30% strength, which allows you to install objects weighing up to 100 kg on it, which means that finishers can already begin the next work. After 10 days, the foundation will be able to withstand any load, and after a month the concrete is gaining full power and the laminate can be laid on it;
- the installation of a damper tape around the perimeter of the room when filling the screed does not interfere with further plastering. When laying flooring, the tape is hidden under the baseboard.
Given these points, we can conclude that pouring screeds at first does not interfere with the following types of work and does not significantly delay the repair time. During a period of downtime, when the screed is gaining the necessary strength, you can always do other work. In most cases, it is more convenient to fill in the screed first of all, but this sequence is not the norm, the work can be done as convenient for the owners of the apartment.