Allocations      20.04.2023

Job Responsibilities of a Production Supervisor. Job description of a production foreman What is the value of a foreman in production

Repair is an important stage for which it is worth thoroughly preparing. Together with us, we will tell you what you definitely need to ask the construction team you hired in order to be calm about the result.

How many objects have already been completed by the brigade?

The success of your repair largely depends on the professionalism of the repair team. But no matter how experienced the craftsmen involved in the repair of your living space are, it does not hurt to find out what guarantees they provide after the work is completed.

In some cases, the qualifications of workers are of great importance: ask if there are highly specialized specialists in the team or all generalists. Are there plumbers, electricians, tilers on the team?

How long will it take to repair?

Needless to say, the answer to it is important: sometimes there are situations when the repair team promises the customer terms that are technologically impossible to meet.

How will the work be paid?

It is desirable to clarify this question in detail. It is best to pay for repairs in stages.

Sometimes, due to unforeseen cases, the repair budget for work and materials may increase, so before starting work, you should find out if it is possible to fix the cost of repairs per square meter.

Is it possible to see the brigade in action?

When choosing a repair team, it is important to see the result of their work live - preferably at the final stage. Only in this way you can objectively assess whether these specialists and the quality of their services are right for you.

Plus, it is always clear from the process how careful the builders are during the work, whether they smoke at the facility, whether they are careful with electrical appliances.

What draft materials are required?

Also, who will buy them? If the brigade is engaged in their purchase, find out how the reporting on the purchased materials will be organized.

I. General provisions

1. The foreman is a full-fledged leader in his production area, organizing the rhythmic fulfillment by the section of the production plan and the obligations of the team according to the given nomenclature on the basis of accelerating the introduction of scientific and technological progress into production, the use of new management methods, the introduction of cost accounting and collective contracting. When masters are included in the enlarged complex brigades, they are entrusted with the leadership of such brigades.

2. The master directly reports to the head of the shop.

3. Persons with higher technical education and work experience in production for at least one year or secondary specialized education and work experience in production for at least three years are appointed to the position of foreman. In the absence of special education, at least five years of work experience in production.

II. Responsibilities

1. Ensuring the fulfillment by the site (team) of planned targets in terms of production volume, range and range of products, a steady increase in labor productivity, the manufacture of high quality products, and a reduction in costs per unit of output (work).

2. Ensuring maximum use of production capacity, full load and proper operation of equipment, productive work of all work areas (teams) throughout the entire shift.

3. Participation in the development of ten-day and monthly production tasks for the site (team) and, in accordance with them, the establishment of tasks for teams and individual workers.

4. Ensuring timely preparation of production with materials, semi-finished products, tools, fixtures, technical documentation, etc. and uniform work of the site (team) in accordance with the established task.

5. Systematic verification of the fulfillment of tasks by teams and individual workers, timely elimination of emerging problems that interfere with the normal course of the production process.

6. Organization of the solution of production and social issues of the activity of the unit (section).

7. Systematic improvement of one's qualifications, at least 1 time in 2-3 years, retraining at advanced training institutes, advanced training courses, etc.

8. Control over the correct and timely execution of primary documents regarding the acceptance and issuance of work (orders, shift assignments, etc.), downtime of workers and equipment, overtime work orders, information on the implementation of the production program.

9. Instructing subordinate workers, providing them with the necessary assistance in mastering production standards and fulfilling production tasks, paying special attention to instructing workers in cases of complexity or responsibility of the work performed, mastering new work.

10. Verification of compliance by workers with established technological processes and termination of work in cases of non-compliance with its established technical processes, specifications, drawings, processing modes, etc.

11. Acceptance of the first part or product made by a worker on equipment that has come out of repair or after adjustment.

12. Revision in the prescribed manner of outdated and underestimated production standards, as well as work standards for which organizational and technical measures have been taken to ensure a reduction in labor costs.

13. Systematic inspection of the condition of equipment and fences, instructing workers and testing their knowledge of safety regulations, industrial sanitation, fire safety and the rules for using personal protective equipment, monitoring compliance with working rules and instructions for labor protection and safety.

14. Ensuring the strictest observance by workers of labor and production discipline, cleanliness and order in the workplace. Control over the timely removal of waste and finished products without blocking aisles and driveways and cluttering workplaces.

15. The development of multi-machine maintenance and the combination of professions, the involvement of workers in participation in the work of production meetings and the discussion of issues related to the fulfillment of the tasks set for the site, the experience of advanced workers and production innovators, etc.

16. Together with the QCD employees, ensuring the high quality of the work performed by the workers, checking the quality of parts in the process of manufacturing parts, assembling units and products, as well as studying the causes of defects and defects, developing and implementing measures to eliminate them.

17. Introduction of cost accounting and collective contracting at the site.

Arrange workers on the site and, with the approval of the head of the shop, release surplus workers, as well as workers who systematically violate production and labor discipline.

2. To present the distinguished workers of the section (team) for bonuses under the current bonus provisions and other types of incentives.

3. Impose disciplinary sanctions in accordance with the established procedure on subordinate employees who violate production or labor discipline, transfer to lower-paid work workers who systematically fail to fulfill through their fault the norms of output (time) or allow poor-quality performance of work and marriage.

4. Do not allow work to be done on faulty equipment and using faulty tools, fixtures and instrumentation, as well as on equipment that does not have guards, interlocks and other safety devices.

5. Do not allow the use in production of materials and semi-finished products that do not meet technical requirements.

6. Do not allow workers who do not know the rules and instructions on safety and labor protection to work.

7. Employ workers within the established limits, place them in their workplaces, submit for approval the categories assigned to them in accordance with the tariff-qualification guide and the sample or test passed.

8. Suspend work on faulty equipment, when using faulty tools, fixtures and instrumentation, as well as when using raw materials that do not meet specifications.

9. Provide holidays to subordinate employees in accordance with the approved schedule.

10. Require timely implementation of the equipment repair plan and measures for safety, labor protection, industrial sanitation and fire protection.

11. Require the management of the workshop to issue monthly and ten-day production targets and other planned quantitative and qualitative indicators in a timely manner.

12. Require the management of the shop to timely provide the site with the necessary materials, raw materials, semi-finished products, tools, fixtures, technical documentation, etc. for the normal course of production.

13. Demand from the senior foreman, and where he is not, from the head of the workshop to make changes to the technological process in cases where it does not provide high productivity and the specified quality of the part or product.

14. Require subordinate employees to comply with orders and instructions on all issues of the production activities of the site.

15. To reward workers for achieving high performance, exemplary work and successful completion of tasks at the expense of the bonus fund allocated to the master.

IV. Responsibility

The foreman of the production site is responsible for the quality and timeliness of the fulfillment of the duties assigned to him by these Regulations.

Other instructions in the section:

Hello my readers!!! Today we will talk about such a leader in production as a site foreman. Let's talk about his job responsibilities and the responsibility that he bears for the workers on the site of the production workshop entrusted to him.

Site foreman. Job responsibilities of the foreman.

The main duty of the master, of course, is the management of the site. Issuing shift assignments to workers, ensuring that everyone uses the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE). During the shift, the site foreman monitors the working staff. That they use safe practices when working on metalworking equipment.

Although the foreman of the production workshop and the engineering and technical worker (ITR), but for example, if you take a technologist of the same workshop or a leader of the parts processed in this area, then their duties are very different. The technologist is the author of the processing technology, and the master is obliged to ensure its implementation by 100%.

In addition, the master is personally responsible for the safety of the parts that are processed on his site, and if a shortage is detected during the next inventory of inventories, he will have to reimburse the entire cost of the missing item.

Watch this to get started video about the master of the site:

What education should have the master of the site.

Nowadays, of course, working for a master can become a specialist who has a specialized secondary education (technical school, college), but now it is desirable to have a higher education 🙂.

The rights of the foreman.

Since the duties of the workshop foreman in production include the implementation of the production plan and at the same time ensuring the safety of personnel (workers), he has the right not to allow them to work in the following cases:

  • Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
  • If the employee has not passed the labor protection knowledge test (or safety briefing)
  • Suspend a worker from a task if his machine is out of order.
  • Require the implementation of various orders for the workshop, site and production (factory).
  • If the worker uses an inoperative control tool to control the parameters of the part.

The working day of the foreman.

In our company, the working day starts at 7:00 and so

6:30 — 7:00

The manager comes around the site and looks at its condition, whether there are any oil or coolant leaks on the equipment, whether the wiring of the machines is working, etc. Issues shift assignments to teams.

7:00 — 7:30

Gathers his workers and gives them a shift task, not forgetting to assess their physical condition (it happens that they come "under the closet" 🙂)

8:00 — 9:00

Operational meeting with the head of the shop. It is attended not only by all the masters but also by representatives of all services of the workshop (mechanic, power engineer, supply manager, head of the planning and dispatching bureau (PDB)). At this meeting, various issues related to production are discussed.

9:00-11:00

Everyone begins to perform the task received, and the master exercises supervisory control over this process.

11:00 — 11:20

Lunch break

11:30 — 13:00

The foreman must make sure that there are no obstacles to the completion of the shift task, if there is any threat to the completion of the task, he must inform the higher authorities about this.

13:00 — 15:00

Checks the implementation of the production plan and knocks out invoices for sending finished parts to other workshops or to assemble units.

15:30 — 16:00

Evening operational meeting with the head of the workshop, where the results of the day's work are summed up and plans for the 2nd shift are outlined.

Of course, you can still write and write a lot about the job responsibilities of the site foreman, and I think if you are interested in the legal side of this issue, you can find the job description for the production shop foreman on the Internet. I did not aim to simply reprint it, I singled out the most important aspects that are related to the work that the foreman of the production workshop performs.

If you have any questions, write in the comments, I will answer with pleasure 🙂 and just chat. EVERYONE BYE!!!

Andrew was with you!

At any public catering enterprise there is a person who is responsible for absolutely all processes occurring in production. There is a big burden on his shoulders, but he fulfills his duties with honor.

The profession of a technologist implies not only hard work, but also unlimited opportunities for introducing new ideas and undertakings, a flight of creative imagination, as well as huge prospects for career growth.

Professional responsibilities

The description of the duties of a technologist will take a lot of lines, since every year more and more new ones are added to them. Previously, there were fewer requirements for catering establishments than today. Therefore, the presence of a technologist on each of them was optional. Recipes have not changed over the years, the introduction of new dishes was practically not carried out. The chefs simply prepared according to the established schemes, and the head of production was engaged in paperwork.

In the modern world, in the conditions of fierce competition, one cannot do without a technologist, since it depends on him how popular a cafe, canteen, restaurant will become popular among consumers, and what income they will bring.

The main responsibilities of a technologist or catering engineer include:

  • development of new dishes and preparation of technological cards for them;
  • scheduling the work of all workshops in production;
  • product quality control;
  • study of the market of public catering services;
  • distribution of responsibilities among staff;
  • study and implementation of new technologies;
  • control of the serviceability of equipment and the availability of the necessary inventory;
  • organizing the supply of raw materials for production;
  • work with documents;
  • control of observance of norms of sanitation and hygiene;
  • organization of banquets and presentations;
  • development of a plan for the reconstruction of production shops.

Education

You can study to be a technologist at a college or technical school. The process can take three to five years. At the same time, initially you need to get the specialty of a cook and pastry chef, and only then you can become a technologist. Without knowledge of recipes, the principle of cooking, training in this profession will be inappropriate. At the end of a special educational institution, the fifth category is assigned. After that, it will be possible to work as a technologist or manager. production in any catering establishment (restaurant, cafe, canteen), as well as in meat processing plants, canning factories, fish processing plants, dairies, shops for the production of semi-finished products.

In addition to the peculiarities of cooking, future technologists and catering engineers study such subjects as:

  • nutritional physiology;
  • microbiology;
  • sanitation and hygiene;
  • overseas service;
  • chemistry (organic, inorganic, analytical and physical colloid);
  • biochemistry;
  • organization of enterprises;
  • processes and devices;
  • equipment;
  • commodity science;
  • management;
  • marketing;
  • fundamentals of economics;
  • standardization and metrology;
  • psychology of business relations.

An engineer-technologist becomes after graduating from a higher educational institution. The amount of knowledge gained in this case will be much larger, but it will also take 5-6 years to master the profession. After graduating from a university, process engineers can not only work in their specialty, but also engage in teaching activities. In addition, they will be glad to see them in laboratories at large plants and factories as research workers.

The curriculum, in addition to the above subjects, includes such disciplines as engineering graphics, heat engineering, electrical engineering, theoretical mechanics. At the end of the educational process, the process engineer receives the title of sixth category cook.

Work and career

Without experience, it will be quite difficult to organize the work of a public catering enterprise. Therefore, even with an education, in a small cafe or restaurant, a specialist first has to show his professional skills by working as a cook. Having shown sufficient initiative and zeal in work in a relatively short time, you can become a chef and technologist in one person. Over time, such a specialist can grow to the manager or director of a company operating in the field of catering.

In large enterprises, a novice process engineer will first have to be an assistant to a more experienced colleague. Then after he proceeds to the independent performance of his immediate duties. Climbing the career ladder, you can become a chief technologist, production manager, deputy director or director of an enterprise.

The main advantage of the work of a technologist is the opportunity to do what you love, while receiving a decent salary. An important fact: you have to deal with learning and improving skills all your life, discovering new horizons and introducing innovative ideas.

Another positive point is the high demand for technicians and process engineers due to the opening of a large number of cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, meat, poultry, and fish processing shops.

Personal qualities

To work in any public catering enterprise, you must have certain personal qualities. A process engineer must have an excellent memory, pronounced creative abilities, and excellent aesthetic taste. Sociability and the ability to find reasonable compromises are needed to maintain a friendly atmosphere in the team. Nevertheless, the technologist and engineer must be as demanding as possible to subordinates. The ability to think quickly and creatively will come in handy in case of force majeure.

An engineer or technologist must have a highly developed sensitivity to the subtlest shades of smell and taste. The ability to visually determine how much a product weighs is highly valued. The presence of organizational skills will allow you to easily establish the flawless work of all shops of a public catering enterprise.

Another main criterion for the professionalism of a process engineer is excellent physical endurance, since in order to achieve good results, he often has to work overtime, stay on his feet or in a sitting position for a long time, stay in rooms with high or low temperatures, as well as in places with high temperatures. humidity. Therefore, people with diseases of the cardiovascular, digestive system, musculoskeletal system and respiratory organs are advised to opt for another specialty. Persons who have a source of chronic infection in the body are strictly prohibited from working at a public catering establishment.

In order to become a true professional in your field, you should give yourself completely to work. You need to exchange experience with colleagues, read articles, follow the latest in the cooking and confectionery industry on the Internet, subscribe to specialized publications, attend exhibitions and professional competitions - then the result will not keep you waiting!


Prefabricated bases perform the same role in floors as mortar or asphalt concrete screeds, that is, they serve as a solid base for pavement. Prefabricated bases allow you to create slopes, form even and smooth surfaces, have good heat and sound insulation. Prefabricated screeds are mainly used in dry and heated rooms of residential and public buildings (institutions, offices, educational institutions). The exclusion of "wet" processes allows you to work at low temperatures, quickly produce structures and immediately lay coatings. Prefabricated bases have their own characteristics: heating of such floors is usually not provided; dry screeds do not have high strength; moisture resistance of most materials is small or moderate; for these reasons, they do not make monolithic floors; among the materials used there are combustible.

Photo 2

Prefabricated base materials that form a solid surface are boards and sheet materials. Plank decking is used for wooden floors or laminated panels, which require edged and unedged boards. Sheet materials are divided into gypsum, cement, wood, combined. Plasterboards include gypsum-fiber sheets (GVL), which are easy to attach and can be sanded, gypsum boards are not suitable for prefabricated screeds, they have a surface cardboard layer that gives strength to the material and can be broken during grinding or operation. GVL are conventional and moisture resistant (for screeds in wet areas). The GVL size is usually: length 2.5 m, width 1.2 m, thickness 10 or 12.5 mm, special floor sheets are produced with dimensions of 1.2 m in length, 0.6 m in width and 20 mm thick. Gypsum moisture resistant sheets are suitable for most surfaces: wood, laminate, ceramic tiles, linoleum, carpets. There are three main types of cement sheets: cement-fiber (asbestos-cement and fiber-cement), cement-bonded and cement, reinforced with fiberglass mesh. Cement fiber sheets are reinforced throughout, while the mesh is glued only to the outer surfaces. Reinforcing fibers in composition are made from asbestos, alkali-resistant glass or polymers (for example, polypropylene). The dimensions of the sheets vary considerably, as a rule, the length is from 1 to 3 m, the width is from 0.9 to 1.5 m, and the thickness is 6-10 mm. Cement boards are suitable for cold and damp rooms (unheated attics and basements, showers, swimming pools), they can be used outdoors (terraces, balconies), the boards serve as a base for cement screeds or mortar coatings (ceramic tiles, natural stone). Wooden sheet materials consist of veneer or waste wood pressed or glued together with synthetic adhesives, this includes particle boards and fibreboards, as well as plywood. Plywood, usually in the form of a square with a side of 1525 mm and a thickness of 4 to 24 mm, can be sanded and unsanded, with a front layer of veneer of different grades. For screeds, you can use low-grade plywood, as it is hidden by the floor covering. Chipboards are divided into two types - chipboard (chipboard) and oriented chipboard (OSB), the latter has good moisture resistance, OSB sheet size is 2440x1220 mm, 8-22 mm thick; Chipboard 2750x1830, thickness 16-22 mm. Ordinary fiberboards can only be used in dry rooms, water is very dangerous for them, moisture-resistant material comes to us from abroad. Depending on the density, medium-density (MDF) and high-density (HDF) boards are distinguished, the names of which came from abroad, on our market there are also solid boards (DVP-T) produced by the Russian industry. DVP-T boards have a size of 2650x1220 mm and a thickness of 3.2 mm, MDF boards are 2440-3050 mm long, 1220-2070 mm wide and 2.5-30 mm thick. All wood-based materials are used indoors or outdoors under the protection of awnings (only moisture-resistant plywood and OSB), since regular wetting spoils even the most moisture-resistant sheets. Mortar screeds and coatings with a layer of mortars (ceramic tiles, natural stone) cannot be laid on sheets of wood. Combined materials are finished products consisting of a heat-insulating layer and a coating of sheet materials, for example, gypsum boards with a glued layer of mineral fiber or polystyrene foam boards.

Photo 3

Prefabricated bases are made on the ground, ceilings, beams and other screeds. Weak, swelling, bulk and subsidence soils are removed or strengthened. The soil is compacted using loose materials (crushed stone, sand) and concrete preparation is made, which is the underlying layer. A waterproofing film, polymer membranes or bituminous deposited materials are laid on the concrete preparation. The heat-insulating layer can be made of bulk materials (expanded clay, perlite, foam glass) or slab (polystyrene foam, mineral fiber or fiberglass plates). The second method of preparation is the installation of brick or concrete columns on the ground, waterproofing and vibration-insulating pads are laid on the column, and logs (edge ​​boards treated with fire protection) are placed on top.

Photo 4

Only thermal insulation is done on the floors, waterproofing is necessary in wet rooms, as well as for the purpose of vapor barrier on wooden floors or over cold basements. Adjustable logs can be installed on the ceiling, which are leveled with screws or ordinary logs with spacers and adding heat and sound insulation. The preparation of the beams is the simplest, logs are laid on them for alignment or they simply put gaskets (hydro and sound insulating), thermal insulation is laid in the gaps between the beams. Mortar and asphalt screeds can serve as the basis for dry screeds, in which case the preparation is the same as for floors.

Photo 5. Prefabricated base from combined panels.

All work on the installation of prefabricated screeds is carried out in dry rooms at a temperature not lower than +8 ºС, outdoor work (cement slabs) is carried out in the absence of precipitation and relative humidity of not more than 60%. Loose thermal insulation should ensure alignment, it is applied with a layer of at least 20 mm, in order to achieve high-quality sound insulation, the layer thickness is increased. The insulation value is calculated for each material (expanded clay, perlite, foam glass, slag pumice, etc.), an acceptable result is obtained with a layer thickness of 40-50 mm. The maximum thickness of the leveling backfill can be 100-150 mm. Bulk materials are leveled by the rule to the level set using the level.

Photo 6. Mineral fiber expansion joint.

Plate and roll insulation is laid dry in the intervals between communications (if any). It is necessary to eliminate the gaps between the insulation and pipes, for this they are wrapped with heat-insulating pipes, fiberglass mats or covered with perlite sand. Gaps can cause deflection of the bases, especially if the coating is thin (linoleum, carpet) and there will be constant pressure on these areas (from the legs of furniture or equipment). The insulation is laid in one or more layers, depending on the estimated thickness.

Photo 7. Thermal insulation of the attic floor on a waterproofing film. The joints of the waterproofing are glued with tape.

Sheets can be laid in a single layer and fastened to logs, mortar screeds, asphalt concrete, boardwalks or beams. Before fixing the sheets on the logs, calculate the required thickness of the material and the step between the logs, since thin-layer sheets may not withstand the loads. Throughout the junction of the prefabricated base with walls, columns, foundations for equipment, an edge tape made of elastic material (polyethylene foam, expanded polystyrene, mineral wool) is installed, which is a compensating seam. The material is pre-cut to size (with construction knives, angle grinders, circular saws, etc.) so that a tight joint is formed. Sheets to wood (logs, beams and boardwalks) are fixed on self-tapping screws, to metal (beams) - on self-tapping screws or bolts, to screeds - on an adhesive layer and dowels with screws. The joints between the sheets are sealed with putty.

Photo 8. Leveling loose insulation with a rail.

In two layers, the sheets are fixed when laying on the heat-insulating layer, this allows you to create a strong and even flooring. The first layer is laid dry without gaps, then glue is applied to the sheets and new sheets are fixed on top in such a way that the joints overlap, that is, with dressing of the seams, it is impossible to achieve strength without this. Between themselves, the sheets are fastened with self-tapping screws, the joints of the upper layer are puttied.

Photo 9. Backfilling with perlite sand of communications between rigid plates of polystyrene foam insulation

Combined panels, which combine the coating and the heat-insulating layer, are much easier to install, dry backfill is placed on it to level the base, then the panels are cut to size and fit butt-to-butt (they are prefabricated with a shift of the coating layers to ensure a snug fit), they are immediately fixed with screws, the joint is cleaned and puttied.

Photo 10. Joint of combined panels.

The finished prefabricated base may require additional grinding at the joints or on the surface, if a thin layer coating (linoleum) is to be applied, grinders are used for this. Prefabricated screeds from cement sheets can be used as intermediate if necessary to make a screed from mortars, for example, floors on the ground on posts, on beams or boardwalks.

  • December 24th, 2015 03:12 pm

The technology for arranging mortar screeds differs from each other, let's start studying with concrete ones. Concrete screed processes resemble a simplified device of monolithic concrete floors (article - ). Work begins with the preparation of a concrete mixture, in small volumes (up to 4-5 m 3) or with low demand (up to 1500 m 3 per month) it is done right on the construction site from components (cement, aggregates, additives) using concrete mixing plants of different capacities (0.5-20 m 3 per hour), for large objects, a one-time volume of more than 5 m 3 or the need to obtain a well-dosed mixture with a small total volume (20-100 m 3) - it is produced at a concrete plant (in the form of a dry mix for remote construction sites or special needs, or in the form of ready-mixed concrete). Dry concrete mixes necessarily contain a fraction of coarse aggregate, ranging in size from 5 to 20 mm. They are packaged in bags and sent by conventional trucks to the construction site, where they are used to repair concrete structures, seal joints, they are rarely used as a screed mortar. Ready-mixed concrete is transported in mixer trucks (rarely in other vehicles, such as dump trucks), this provides sufficient protection from the sun and precipitation, ensures high-quality mixing and no leaks. If the transportation distance is long, then a dry mix can be loaded into the mixer truck, and mixing water can be added at the facility. The finished mixture brought to the facility is fed directly into the structure or reloaded into containers - tubs, bunkers. The concrete mixture can be fed directly from the transport using chutes or feeders, including those equipped with vibrators, so that the mixture comes out quickly and without sticking. Unloading can be performed into the tank of a concrete pump, which immediately starts pumping the mixture into the structure, as well as onto specially equipped conveyors. For temporary storage and subsequent movement, the mixture is fed into buckets and bunkers, which can be moved by cranes (to upper floors or remote places), or the contents can be pumped out of them by concrete pumps.

Photo 2. Laying the concrete mix on the floor using a concrete pump truck.

Dry cement-sand and gypsum mixtures of all kinds are delivered from the factory directly to the warehouse of the facility. For extremely small volumes of work (up to 0.5 m 3), the mixtures are mixed with water and mixed with a hand-held electric tool, the solution is supplied from mixing containers (buckets, cans, bunkers) manually. Volumes of 0.5-3 m 3 per hour are mixed using stationary mortar mixers, the work is done nearby, so the finished solution is thrown with shovels or transported in wheelbarrows. Volumes of more than 3 m 3 per hour require additional mechanization of labor, bunkers are placed next to the mixers from which the mortar pumps the finished mixture is pumped through pipes into the structure. For maximum efficiency, specialized mortar stations are installed into which the dry mixture is poured and water is poured.

Photo 3. Supply of concrete mix by wheelbarrows.

Before laying concrete and cement-sand (thickness from 25 mm) screeds, preparatory work is carried out, which includes formwork, expansion joints and reinforcement. Formwork (wooden, metal) is installed with large areas of screeds, differences in levels, for these purposes the surface is divided into “cards”, which have a rectangular (square) shape, the dimensions of the “cards” are set by the project, they are usually placed so that they coincide with expansion joints. Seams are divided into three types: insulating, shrinkage, structural. Insulating ones are arranged along the entire line of contact of the screed with walls, columns, depressions, protruding foundations, for this they arrange a gasket made of heat-insulating elastic material (mineral fiber boards, polystyrene foam, polyethylene foam). Shrinkage seams are combined, as a rule, with the borders of the "cards", they are necessary to obtain shrinkage cracks in the right place. Structural joints are special joints that are located in a building or structure to compensate for thermal expansion, and can also be installed in places where concreting is interrupted. In the formwork, the marks, dimensions, verticality, absence of cracks are checked, the reinforcement is examined for the quality of the assembly of the frame or the laying of the grids, the reliability of fastening, the compliance of the sections and location with the design values. Metal fittings must be clean and free from flaking rust.

Photo 4. An insulating seam of polyethylene foam along the wall.

Thin-layer cement-sand screeds (0.5-25 mm thick) poured indoors may not require formwork or reinforcement, however, it is necessary to make insulating joints and provide structural joints. For gypsum screeds, reinforcement is usually not required, since the gypsum stone increases in volume, compensating for shrinkage, otherwise the preparation is similar.

Photo 5. Formwork and reinforcement with steel mesh when installing screeds for small structures (platforms, foundations for equipment, etc.).

All "thick", that is, requiring forced alignment, mixtures for screeds are laid on "beacons". "Beacons" make mortar or inventory (wooden, metal), these are individual columns or strips of mortar, metal rack profiles or wooden bars and boards (edged or planed). With the help of a level, a horizontal mark of the top of the screed is determined, under which a solution or an inventory “beacon” is knocked out, points and stripes are placed all over so that the finished mixture can be leveled with a rail or a rule.

Photo 6. Inventory metal beacons mounted on mortar strips. Reinforcement with steel mesh.

Self-leveling mixtures for screeds (these are cement-sand or gypsum mixtures, usually thin-layer, up to 25 mm thick) do not need to install “beacons” (portable adjustable “beacons” are installed for the convenience of level control), they spread over the floor on their own and require simple smoothing .

Photo 7. Pouring a self-leveling mixture onto the floors using a mortar pump. Portable "beacons" are installed on the floor.

The concrete mixture for screeds is placed in ready-made "cards" or simply in the room with a layer 1-2 cm above the design height, as a rule, the mixture is upset and leveled, for this purpose it is better to use a vibrating screed, which speeds up the lowering and removes excess air from the concrete that got during mixing and transportation. Freshly laid concrete is not processed if the installation of asphalt concrete or monolithic cement floors is expected in the future. Concrete processing for other coatings consists in smoothing the surface with trowels or hand tools (trowels, trowels, trowels), so you can get a fairly even and smooth screed surface on which you can arrange a coating (ceramic tiles, plank floors on logs). For demanding coatings (monolithic polymer floors), the concrete screed is ground with disc or drum grinders.

Photo 8. Leveling the concrete mix with a vibrating screed.

Cement-sand and gypsum mixtures that require leveling are laid in the same way as concrete ones, for leveling in small areas they use the rule, in large areas - with a vibrating screed. These screeds form smoother surfaces even without grout, since there is no large aggregate in them, and plasticizers are included in the composition. If the difference in the resulting surface is too large for the installation of particularly capricious coatings (linoleum, polymer-based monolithic floors, glued board floors), then the surface is ground with large and small grinders (as for concrete).

Photo 9. Grinding the screed with a disc grinder.

Self-levelling compounds are simply poured onto the surface until the desired design level is reached, the surface is smoothed by hand, the leveled mortar is rolled with needle rollers, which remove excess entrained air. After hardening, such a screed does not require any processing and is ready for the installation of any, even the most demanding to the base, coatings.

  • December 23rd, 2015 01:31 am


In previous articles, an overview of screeds from the point of view of chemistry and physics of properties is given, the main components are described. Links are provided here:

Screeds are a floor element that serves as a rigid base for coatings. Mortar screeds create durable, monolithic surfaces. The main advantages are: weather, moisture and frost resistance (except for gypsum); the ability to obtain a coating of almost perfect smoothness (self-leveling screeds); very high strength (concrete screeds); any layer thickness (from 0.5 mm for self-levelling to 200 mm or more for concrete); fire safety. The disadvantages of mortar screeds are: long curing (except for gypsum); labor intensity and the need for mechanization (mortar mixers, mortar pumps), high weight (even for lightweight concrete and gypsum mortars); dustiness; low heat and noise insulation (gypsum and lightweight concrete screeds are slightly better); require care and proper application (dosage of water and additives when mixing the mixture, vibration during laying, moisturizing during hardening). Screeds should not be left uncoated, since the solutions used for them are not sufficiently wear-resistant, therefore, work on the coating device is carried out as soon as technologically possible.

Photo 2. Components of the floor in front of the screed device: waterproofing (blue membrane), cables and pipelines, thermal insulation (white sheets of polystyrene foam), heat-reflecting waterproofing film (foil polyethylene with a mesh pattern).

Screeds from solutions by composition are concrete, cement-sand and gypsum. The binders are cement, gypsum and, in part, additives (polymers, active mineral additives), which envelop the remaining components of the solution (aggregates, a number of additives), as well as reinforcement (if any) and “glue” artificial stone from them.

Concrete screed is a mixture of cements, coarse and fine aggregates, as well as additives. Concrete screeds - thick-layer, from 15 mm to almost unlimited thickness, the most durable and strong, can be reinforced. They are made on site from selected materials (eg cement, sand, gravel) or delivered ready-made from factories. Best suited for floors on the ground, engineering structures (tanks, roads).

Photo 3. The arrangement of the underlying sandy layer.

Cement-sand screed consists of cement, fine aggregate (usually sand, less often limestone or other types of natural stone) and additives. This is the most versatile screed, can have a thickness of 0.5 to 100 mm, moderately strong and durable, it can be reinforced. Usually made from pre-mixed dry mixes on site, much less often handcrafted or shipped from the factory. It is used for laying on prefabricated reinforced concrete floors or decks (made of steel or cement sheets).

Photo 4. Construction of an underlying layer of sand and gravel.

Gypsum screed contains gypsum or gypsum cement binder, fine aggregates and additives. Pure gypsum is not waterproof and needs the addition of water repellents (additives that increase water resistance). These screeds do not crack (gypsum has the ability to expand in volume), so gypsum mortars can be laid with large differences without the risk of stone destruction. The layer thickness can be from 5 to 100 mm, reinforcement is not required. The disadvantage of gypsum stone is its low strength, the solutions harden very quickly. The labor intensity of the work is high, the material is supplied only in the form of dry mixes, which are prepared on site and must be quickly put into action, the mechanization of the process is difficult (the viability period of a gypsum mortar is short compared to cement mortar). A gypsum screed is laid like a cement screed, on ceilings and floorings.

Photo 5. Waterproofing device from a rolled polyethylene membrane.

Before installing a concrete screed, weak, bulk, subsidence and swelling soils are removed, if they are of considerable thickness, then compaction may be a more effective solution. Crushed stone is sunk into the ground or a sand cushion is made, this is the underlying layer of the floors (more about the layers here: ). The underlying layer is compacted, flexible and elastic waterproofing is laid on it (polyethylene or polypropylene films, polymer membranes that are sewn into panels with hot air or glued with butyl tape sealants), a layer of insulation is placed on top (sometimes loose, but more often sheet - extruded polystyrene foam, mineral wool boards ), the thickness of the heat insulator is set by calculation.

Photo 6. Laying thermal insulation on the floors. The slabs are cut to size and placed in the gaps between the communications, around the pipes are backfilled with perlite sand.

Preparation of floors includes felling of concrete sagging, cutting off protruding reinforcement, cleaning from dust, grease and bitumen. Cracks are expanded (deepened and expanded) and sealed with repair mixtures. Waterproofing and heat and sound insulation are not mandatory layers for this type of preparation. Water protection is arranged on a cleaned and leveled surface (articles on materials and construction processes here: And ), if the differences are large, then they are poured with a solution, after the insulation device, a heater is placed on top.

Photo 7. Reinforcement of the screed with steel mesh.

Reinforcement is used in the construction of concrete and cement-sand screeds. It can be a spatial reinforcement cage or just a steel mesh, it all depends on the nature of the loads and is calculated by engineers during design. Galvanized grids and fittings of large sections are best used for floors exposed to moisture or containing aggressive liquids (chlorides, acids, alkalis), ordinary steel will fit in dry rooms. The role of reinforcement in screed solutions can be transferred to fibers (most often polymeric, for example, polypropylene, nylon), which are classified as inert mineral additives and are poured into a dry mix or concrete mixer truck. Note that the fibers do not save the screed from cracking if the mortar is not used correctly (violation of the layer thickness, mixing water volume, absence of expansion joints, insufficient moisture, etc.), and their use is especially beneficial for increasing the impact strength of the screeds (for example, in areas industrial enterprises).

Photo 8. Heated floors (heating pipes on reflective insulation). State of readiness before pouring mortar screed.

Communications can be located in the floors: pipelines for water supply, sewerage, heating, power supply. Heated screed designs use electric heating cables or pipes made of plastic (rarely copper). Cables and pipes are fixed in three main ways: to a reinforcing mesh, to a profiled tape or to plastic embossed sheets. Fastening to the grid is combined with reinforcement, profiled tape is used in thin-layer screeds, sheets speed up the installation of pipelines, while the screed is reinforced as needed.

  • December 19th, 2015 01:45 am


Floors with synthetic-based coatings are often called "bulk", which reflects only their ability to spread well, which, in truth, is inherent in any solution, you just need to add the necessary components (plasticizers). In the previous article, examples of polymer-cement bulk mixtures were even given. The scope of both types of coatings is public (sports purposes, shopping centers, airports, shops) and industrial (warehouses, workshops, car washes) buildings. It is extremely rare that such coatings are found in residential buildings, usually as part of specific projects (“concrete house”, designer kitchens, etc.). Synthetic-based floors are thin-layered, strong, wear-resistant, quick-drying, water- and chemical-resistant, non-slip and do not emit dust. There were some drawbacks here, such floors are expensive, very demanding on the bases (evenness, cleanliness, temperature, humidity), contain volatile organic solvents.

Photo 2. Epoxy-based monolithic floors with a decorative additive (chips).

In synthetic-based monolithic floors, the binder is epoxy, polyurethane or methyl methacrylic resins; stone chips, chips, and flocks are used to create decorative floors. Additionally, the composition includes solvents, pigments (dyes), plasticizers. In addition to the coating itself, the system of "bulk" floors includes auxiliary materials: primers, fillers, varnishes. All compositions must have the same binder, it is impossible to mix materials from different manufacturers and with different binders, the floors will be damaged (delaminations, cracks, stains, stains, etc. will occur). The thickness of the finished floor layer is from 2 to 7 mm, the thicker the upper decorative and protective coating, the longer the floors will last (usually 30-60 years). Finished self-leveling floors are highly resistant to sunlight, fats, water, alkalis.

Photo 3. Polyurethane-based monolithic floors.

Self-leveling synthetic floors are suitable only for concrete and cement-sand screed, use on other grounds is undesirable, even if the manufacturer indicates such possibilities. Old cement (concrete) bases must have sufficient strength, not have delaminations and not crumble. The exfoliated screed is removed, the place is refilled, the existing cracks are filled with cement-polymer repair mixtures. A heavily contaminated or loose layer is milled and ground; old coatings are dismantled, layers (glue) of small thickness are polished. After grinding, the cement base is dedusted with a vacuum cleaner.

Photo 4. Drawing of monolithic floors on an epoxy basis.

New bases must be dry and clean, concrete or screed must gain strength. Dirt and dust are carefully removed, otherwise it will break the adhesion and the floors will crack. The base is ground with disc grinders, the differences on the surface should not exceed 2 mm on a two-meter rail. After processing, dust removal is done, if poorly cleaned areas are found, then grinding is repeated.

Photo 5. Seal cracks in a concrete base.

The prepared base is primed over the entire area using rollers or pneumatic sprayers, it must be primed carefully, if necessary, it is repeated after interlayer drying. Such a requirement is caused by the obligatory overlapping of concrete pores so that subsequent layers adhere to the entire surface area, errors in this work lead to a quick failure of the floors (cracks, delaminations). Well-primed concrete becomes evenly shiny. All work with self-leveling floor materials is carried out in clean safety shoes (needle shoes). If irregularities are observed on the surface, then they are puttied with stainless steel facade spatulas with a flat and smooth blade. As soon as the putty dries, you can proceed to the device of the intermediate layer (this layer may be absent), for which a primer is applied to the surface and covered with a thin layer of sand. Again, you need to wait until the layer dries, after about 12 hours, the excess sand is brushed off and the first layer of decorative and protective composition is applied so that it covers all the sand. In work, they take a break for 1-2 days, the pouring zones are determined, the places of expansion joints must be preserved on the future coating. The decorative and protective composition is mixed with a hardener and poured onto the base, leveling is done using a doctor blade (trowel) or a notched trowel. After spontaneous smoothing of the surface (after about 10 minutes), the layer is carefully rolled with a spiked roller to eliminate entrained air from the spilled solution. Now it's time to apply decorative elements (if any), they are scattered evenly over the surface of the still liquid layer.

Photo 6. Leveling the polyurethane solution of self-leveling floors.

After 2-3 days after the installation of the coating, the turn of the final treatment comes, the surface is applied in 2 layers of varnish with the same binder as other elements of the self-leveling floor. Lacquer application is not necessary, but it can be used to change the gloss of the floor and protect decorative sprinkles (chips, flocks).

Photo 7. Attaching a decorative strip to the floor when making a monolithic floor pattern.

The implementation of monolithic mosaic floors (pictured in the title of the entry) on a synthetic basis has its own differences. A decorative and protective layer mixed with a large filler is applied to the primed floors, it is leveled and allowed to dry. The floors then need to be sanded in several steps to get a nice polished floor. For the manufacture of drawings, markings are made on a primed base, the borders of the drawing are a non-ferrous metal tape, which is attached to the surface with an adhesive method or piece fasteners, the prepared mixture is placed in cells with a slight excess, all solutions are applied in turn, and grinding is done only after the drawing has completely dried. .

  • December 18th, 2015 06:30 am


Monolithic floors are called floors with concrete, mosaic and cement-sand coatings. These are durable, wear-resistant floors designed for public (shops, institutions, shopping centers) and industrial (warehouses, workshops, car services) buildings. Various additives for mortars change the properties of coatings, improving their strength, workability, wear resistance, increasing hydrophobicity, reducing curing time, water consumption, dustiness and changing other indicators. The floors are easy to maintain, can be washed with water and detergents.

Photo 2. Terrazzo mosaic floors.

Cement-based monolithic floors contain a binder in the form of various types of Portland cement (fast-hardening, sulfate-resistant, white, non-shrinking, etc.), sand and natural stone (in the form of crushed stone, gravel or crumbs) are used as fillers. In addition to these main components, the composition includes dyes, water repellents, plasticizers, polymer solutions, reinforcing fibers, antifreeze additives and other components. You can use complex additives, this simplifies the work, since the dosage of one composition is easier to make than 3-4, but there is also an inconvenience, the properties of such a comprehensive additive are standardized and it is impossible to obtain monolithic floors with individual characteristics, that is, if necessary, improve only water resistance and plasticize the mixture (to make it fluid and non-separable) will have to be purchased and mixed into the solution with individual additives. Reinforcement of monolithic floors is necessary at increased loads (vehicle traffic, warehouses of metal structures, reinforced concrete products, etc.), it is performed with meshes of reinforcement with a rod diameter of 5-16 mm and a cell from 100x100 to 150x150 mm, the choice of reinforcement is made only on the basis of engineering calculations . If high dynamic loads act on the floor (falling of heavy equipment, products), fiber (glass, polymer, steel fibers) is introduced into the mortar instead of reinforcement to increase the impact strength and resistance to tensile bending.

Photo 3. Concrete monolithic coating.

Monolithic floors are arranged on the ground or floors. Settling, swelling, vegetative and bulk soils are removed, if they form a significant thickness, then they must be strengthened and compacted. Bulk materials (sand, crushed stone or gravel) are laid on the ground, which are also compacted. The thickness of the pillow can vary depending on many conditions (freezing of the soil, the presence or absence of heating in the building, the level of groundwater, etc.) and is 0.2-1.0 m. » concrete, concrete preparation is poured onto the sand. Waterproofing on “skinny” concrete is made of polyethylene film or polymer membranes; in addition, bituminous materials can be glued onto the concrete preparation. Thermal insulation for monolithic floors must be selected by calculations, since from significant pressure it can lose its shape and the floors will crack. Modern extruded polystyrene foam boards have sufficient strength to withstand even high loads.

Photo 4. Installation of a concrete floor along the lighthouses.

Preparation of floors includes felling of sags, cleaning of concrete from dust, sealing of cracks and sinks. Cracks must be widened and filled with mortar (polymer cement or tension cement). If there are differences of more than 3 cm on the floor, then they are leveled using a layer of concrete preparation. Waterproofing is made of polymer membranes, films, bituminous roll materials. Heat and sound insulation is chosen by calculation.

Photo 5. Grouting concrete with a paddle machine.

If the floors of the premises have a significant area (more than 30 m2), then laying should be carried out with “cards”, for this the room is divided into strips 3-6 meters wide or squares ranging in size from 4x4 to 12x12 meters. Formwork boards are installed at the borders of the "cards". Reinforcing cages are knitted in place if necessary. Concrete and mortar are delivered from factories or made in construction conditions (when calculating the parameters individually), additives are mixed with mixing water or injected directly into a truck mixer. The solution is supplied from a car or with the help of a concrete pump, the solution is leveled with vibrating screeds or a rule along the beacons. The vibrating screed is moved over the entire surface of the freshly laid mixture, which settles and is leveled, if the level of concrete or mortar has dropped below the slat, then a solution is added to this place in the required amount. Beacons are installed in advance from a hard solution, the level of the top of the beacons is set using a level, after the solution has set, pouring begins, the mixture is leveled with the rule to the level of the beacons, while it is compacted with vibrators so that shells do not form, air bubbles and concrete come out (cement-sand mortar) became tighter. Laying the mixture is not carried out into adjacent strips or squares immediately, they make a gap that is filled no earlier than a day later, otherwise cracking is possible.

Photo 6. Polymer-cement coating device.

After completion of the laying and leveling process, the surface is treated with disc-blade trowels. A technological break is made, which depends on the temperature and humidity conditions, the properties of the cement and the introduced additives. As soon as the coating has gained initial strength (after 3-7 hours), rough grouting is started. The junctions with other floor coverings, columns, walls, pits, openings are processed earlier, since in these places the mortar hardens faster, to perform the work, grouting is carried out by edge smoothing machines with a freely rotating circle. Coarse grouting is carried out with a disc or floating blades. When using a dry hardener (topping), it is scattered over the surface in an even layer, during the initial application, 2/3 of the entire volume must be distributed. After moisture has been absorbed (determined by the darkening of the surface), the first rough grouting is started with a concrete smoothing machine with a disc or floating blades. Immediately after completion, the remaining third of the topping is applied so that it has time to soak in moisture and the grouting work is repeated again. The final processing is carried out by the finishing blades of the trowel, when traces of a person with a depth of about 1 mm remain on the concrete or mortar.

Photo 7. Grinding a monolithic floor.

There is a slight difference in the grout in the manufacture of mosaic floors ("terrazzo"). First, the coating must be sanded to a depth until the filler grains are exposed (approximately 3-5 mm), then medium-grain and final grinding is done. The grinding process is carried out when the coating reaches the strength at which the aggregate does not crumble.

Coatings without hardeners should be strengthened, for this the dried surface is ground (if it has not already been done), dusted with a vacuum cleaner and a layer of polyurethane or epoxy composition is applied in several layers with intermediate drying.

Photo 8. Strengthening the concrete floor.

A mandatory procedure for the installation of monolithic floors is the installation of expansion joints. There are three main types: insulating, shrinkage and construction joints. Insulating suit along walls, columns and foundations for equipment, they exclude the transfer of deformations from building structures. This is done by laying insulating materials along the building structures before pouring the mixture. Shrinkage joints prevent cracking of the floors in an unpredictable direction, for this, before grinding, cuts are made in the floors to a depth of 1/3 of the coating along the borders of the “maps” in the form of squares no larger than 6x6 m. Shrinkage cracks appear in the places of cuts, the main floor area remains intact . Structural joints are installed during breaks in concreting (for example, at the end of a shift), it is advisable to position them so that they coincide with shrinkage joints. The cut seams must be sealed, as chipping of the edges and entry of dirt, water and aggressive substances into the seam can occur. The seam is cleaned of dust and dirt by blowing with compressed air, brushing or sandblasting, then it is filled with a sealing compound (usually based on polyurethane, which are quite strong and elastic).

Finished floors can be washed, if necessary, cracks are eliminated with repair polymer-cement mixtures, the surface is restored by grinding and coating with protective compounds (based on polyurethane and epoxy resins). Monolithic floors serve for a long time and can be repeatedly repaired, the service life is from 20 to 50 years.

  • December 17th, 2015 01:44 am


Ceramic tiles are one of the most ancient and widespread materials to this day. Ceramic tile coverings consist of piece materials laid with small gaps, they have high wear resistance, various sizes and patterns, are stable in a humid environment, do not require additional processing, are non-flammable, easy to clean, do not produce dust. The disadvantages are the difficulty of repair, the slipperiness of the coating, the “wet” laying process, high noise, “cold” from the floor. The material is used in buildings of all purposes.

Photo 2. Clinker tile coating in a car service.

Ceramic tiles are made from clay and additives that improve performance, lower sintering temperatures, make molding easier, and so on. Tiles are produced in several ways: semi-dry, plastic and slip, it depends on the purpose of the finished product and the method of preparing clay raw materials. Tiles can be glazed and unglazed, of the unglazed ones recently the most famous are: 1) products called "porcelain stoneware", made by semi-dry pressing and firing a mixture of clay, feldspars and low-iron additives; 2) terracotta, these are natural clay tiles with or without color additives; 3) clinker tiles, which have a composition close to terracotta, but are fired until refractory clays are completely sintered, which gives a very dense waterproof shard, for example, metlakh tiles. There are three types of glazed tiles: 1) pressure glazed tiles are obtained by joint pressing of clay mass and glaze, followed by firing, the glaze layer on such a tile is large and it is the most common and cheapest type of floor tiles; 2) majolica - has a porous shard and is necessarily covered with glaze; 3) glazed porcelain stoneware. Glazing is carried out before firing, by spraying onto molded products. Floor tiles must have high strength, low porosity and low water absorption, which explains their increased cost compared to facing (for walls). Unglazed tiles should be recognized as the most environmentally friendly, primarily terracotta and clinker without additives of dyes, they are absolutely harmless and have a natural composition. The sizes of tiles vary widely, there are mosaic products with a length and width of 15 to 50 mm and a thickness of 6-8 mm, ordinary tiles with a length and width of 50 to 600 mm, a thickness of 8-12 mm and large-sized tiles with dimensions over 600 mm and 12-15 mm thick. Usually tiles are produced rectangular, including square. Products of non-standard sizes and shapes are widely found, including on order. Mosaic tiles are glued onto a fiberglass mesh and released in small carpets, approximately 300x300 mm. The reverse side of the tiles is embossed to improve adhesion to the layer. The front surface can be of several types: polished, matte, glossy, embossed, smooth, non-slip, raw. The glazing can be multi-colored (imitates the pattern of parquet, marble and much more), the tiles can be colored throughout the thickness by introducing a dye into the clay mixture or retain their natural clay color (various shades of red). The ends of the tiles are made with a blockage (rounded chamfer) or without it (edged).

Photo 3. Floor covering with terracotta tiles.

Ceramic tiles are laid on solid and durable bases: mortar screeds and prefabricated bases. Screeds must be made of cement-sand mortar or self-leveling mixtures on the floor or underlying layers on the ground, the surface difference is allowed no more than 4 mm along the length of a two-meter rail. If you want to create a slope, then it is done using a screed, it is forbidden to make slopes by changing the thickness of the layer, this increases the risk of peeling tiles, the formation of empty seams and splitting products. Prefabricated bases are made of cement or gypsum-fiber boards, it is impossible to use wood products (plywood) or its waste (chipboards, fiberboards).

Photo 4. Ceramic tile coating device.

Before laying, the bases are prepared, cleaned of dust, grease, the protrusions on the screed are cut down, the irregularities are straightened with repair or self-leveling mortars. The leveled screed is primed over the entire area, the tiles are sorted by size, shape and pattern. There is controversy over whether tiles should be soaked before starting work, as ceramics absorb moisture from the mortar layer well, which should reduce strength. Markings are applied to the dried base, tiles can be laid with any pattern: “seam to seam”, side by side, Christmas tree, diagonally. A variety of patterns can compete with piece parquet, the only inconvenience is that when cutting tiles, the end does not turn out to be perfectly smooth (baked clay and glaze are chipped off even on good stone-cutting machines), so the pattern should be made from solid tiles, and trimming should be sent to inconspicuous places, for example, to the walls where the plinth will be installed. The laying of tiles is carried out along beacons or cords, they start work from the corner opposite to the exit from the room, since it is impossible to walk on a freshly laid coating (the solution does not have sufficient strength and the tiles will shift), although there may be some differences, for a complex pattern, you can make a special beacon row and keep stacking from him. The interlayer for tiles is cement or polymer-based adhesives, they are applied to the surface and distributed with a trowel with a tooth of 8-14 mm, the solution can also be applied to the tile, especially if the base is not even enough (cement-sand screed). The tile is lowered onto the base, taking into account the seam (the width of the seam is chosen arbitrarily within 1-3 mm, the only requirement is the same size on the entire coating), pressed, leveled and upset by tapping with a rubber hammer, a cord or rail is used to control the plane. For ease of use, plastic crosses are used to accurately control the width of the seam, this is especially helpful on large areas and for beginner tilers.

Photo 5. Figured cutting of tiles before laying.

Mosaic carpets are laid in a slightly different way. The adhesive layer is made thinner, the solution is not applied to the mosaic. The seams between carpets should be equal to the distance between individual tiles. Alignment of individual tiles is not done, the carpet is rolled with a special elastic roller as a whole or upset with a wide rail.

Photo 6. Grouting floor tiles with a rubber spatula.

The laid tile should lie for several days to acquire a layer of strength, after which you can start grouting. The seams are cleaned and dust-free, then moistened with water. Grout mixtures are made on a cement or polymer (epoxy) basis, the former are diluted with water, the latter are mixed with a hardener. The finished mixture is rubbed into the seams with vigorous movements, the cement mortar, after the start of setting, is washed with water and smoothed in the seams, and the polymer grout is left to harden and processed after about a day. After grouting, skirting boards, overhead decorative thresholds and other elements are installed. During the service life (15-50 years), the floors require simple maintenance, dry or wet cleaning. Special anti-slip compounds and polishes have been developed that create a protective layer on the surface, but they are not mandatory for use, but simply improve the properties of the coating.

  • December 16th, 2015 , 12:12 am

  • December 13th, 2015 , 12:40 am


Parquet board is a compromise between piece parquet and plank floors. On the one hand, the covering of the boards is made of precious wood, on the other hand, the work is carried out quickly, the material is less demanding on the evenness of the bases. Parquet boards appeared in the middle XX century, as a cheap alternative to piece parquet, they are suitable for residential buildings, as they do not withstand intense wear. The parquet board takes its toll due to the appearance (reminiscent of piece parquet); not prone to warping due to its design; fast commissioning time; full factory readiness; good sound insulation; small amount of dust. As disadvantages, combustibility and instability to moisture, characteristic of all wood products, can be cited; short service life (15-25 years depending on the thickness of the valuable layer).

The parquet board is made from waste wood, synthetic glue and thin planks of precious wood. Usually the base of a parquet board consists of wooden slats of coniferous species (pine, spruce), which are glued together with moisture-resistant glue (usually, this is phenol-formaldehyde glue, which does not allow us to talk about the environmental friendliness of the material). Thin planks of natural wood of various species (oak, beech, ash, etc.) are glued onto the surface of such a blank, most often they have a longitudinal direction, which does not allow you to get amazing patterns of piece parquet (the article and photo can be seen on the page). It turns out a very economical and cheap material, since individual slats are small in size, and the slats serve as waste. The parquet board gives good savings in forest resources, the product is made from materials that, under other conditions, would be ruthlessly rejected and thrown away. The length of the boards is 1200-3000 mm, the width is 120-210 mm, the thickness is 12-22 mm, the valuable layer is 1-4 mm. The front side is sanded and processed with paints and varnishes to get a decorative pattern or imitate exotic wood (natural wenge, merbau and doussia are very expensive, so beech is easier to paint). The most expensive products are covered with real exotic species, a thick layer of valuable wood and wide planks, the so-called single-strip parquet boards. If the thickness of the planks is more than 2 mm, then such a board can be sanded once or twice, treated with protective compounds and continued to be used. All parquet boards have a groove and a comb, some connections are made according to the “lock” type, such coatings are laid dry and can be easily disassembled.

Photo 2. Laying a parquet board dry on a layer of pressed cork chips

Mortar screeds, prefabricated bases and floorings are suitable for laying parquet boards. It is impossible to lay a parquet board directly on the logs, they are too thin. Screeds are poured over the ceilings from cement-sand or self-leveling mixtures; waterproofing, heat and sound insulation can be used as intermediate layers. Prefabricated bases are arranged along the ceilings, sheet materials (gypsum-fiber, fibreboard, chipboard, plywood) are laid on a layer of loose or slab insulation. Flooring from boards or sheet materials is made along logs, beams, screeds. Logs - wooden boards or bars treated with an antiseptic composition, they are laid on floors, beams and posts on the ground. You can read more about the bases for wooden coatings in the article.

There are three ways of laying a parquet board: on glue, on piece fasteners and dry. The parquet board before laying is sorted by size, quality of the front surface, it is allowed to use only a dry board. Marking is carried out on the floor, the boards can be laid longitudinally to the light or diagonally. The dry method is the easiest and fastest, but for this you can only use boards with a special shape of the groove and ridge, which is called the "castle". The base before laying is cleaned of dust and dirt, irregularities in the mortar screeds must be repaired with repair or self-leveling mixtures. It is advisable to prime the dried screeds, this strengthens the surface layer and reduces dust emission. A layer, foamed polypropylene or polyethylene rolls, pressed cork chips, fiberboards, etc. are laid on the prepared bases. The seams of the interlayer are glued with adhesive tape, as a replacement, double-sided adhesive tape is applied to the base, the interlayer is rolled to it. Parquet boards are laid on the prepared surface, with the long side along the light (that is, perpendicular to the window, to hide the longitudinal joints), the ridges are inserted into the groove and they are securely fixed.

Photo 3

Laying parquet boards on piece fasteners is possible only on prefabricated bases and floorings. This view resembles the assembly of ordinary plank floors. Floorings and prefabricated bases, as a rule, are quite even, but if necessary they are cycled. Laying starts from one of the walls with a small gap to compensate for the expansion of the material. Nails are hammered into the grooves or screws are twisted so that the head of the fastener is completely recessed. After fixing, a new board is inserted into the grooves, the boards are pulled together and the process is repeated.

Laying on glue is available on all types of bases, for this, an adhesive solution is poured onto the surface and leveled with a notched trowel. The board is laid on glue, trimmed, on sheet bases you can additionally use piece fasteners (this is not necessary, but it helps to avoid peeling the board during temperature and humidity deformations). The subsequent board is laid side by side on the glue, rallied, the glue that has come out is removed.

Photo 4. Laying a parquet board on glue. Along the wall there are wedges for the gap and clamps for rallying the board.

Additional finishing for a parquet board is not provided, except in rare cases when raw boards are bought. Laying must be carried out carefully so that there are no gaps between the individual boards, such places are difficult to fix, the putty will crumble from the joints, and acrylic sealants have low wear resistance. Grinding machines are used to repair and finish the raw front layer, each grinding is completed by dedusting, for this the surface is vacuumed, wet cleaning of wood cannot be done (the dust from grinding is so fine that it clogs pores, sticks together, and after drying it peels off together with a protective and decorative coating or produces small irregularities). Stains and paints and varnishes are applied to the cleaned surface in one or more layers. After the surfaces have dried, work is being done on the installation of skirting boards, fillets and other elements. Plank floors). The main advantage of riveting is the ability to create unique coating patterns from one or more types of wood. The durability of parquet corresponds to approximately 50 years of operation. The disadvantage common to all wood materials is combustibility and rotting with variable moisture (water itself does not cause serious damage to wood, the tree is better preserved in water than in air, moisture leads to the growth of fungi and warping). Block parquet is environmentally friendly (nowadays it is incredibly fashionable), has a unique appearance, can be restored many times without loss of properties, has good sound and heat insulation, is maintainable, dust-free. A feature of piece parquet is the complexity of manufacturing, medium-high price tag, the need for smooth bases. Parquet floors are found in residential and public (museums, institutions, educational institutions, theaters, etc.) buildings, they are laid in rooms with a dry regime.

Photo 2. Direct laying of apple staves.

Rivets are made entirely from solid wood, all types of splicing and gluing automatically make the material look like piece parquet (panel parquet, sheet parquet, parquet board, mosaic parquet). The classic material for staves is oak wood, although they can be made from any species, such as birch, alder, maple, ash. The choice of oak is justified by its high hardness and durability, it resists decay well. In addition to the usual wood species for us, there are exotic species (dussia, olive tree, rosewood, etc.). The overall dimensions of the rivets are: length 200-450 mm, width 30-80 mm, thickness 14-22 mm. The smaller the riveting in size, the lower its value, and hence the cost, in addition, the grade of wood affects the cost. Previously, several forms of rivets were produced, now there is only one left - with a groove and a ridge, it can only be laid on smooth bases made of boards or wood-based panels.

Photo 3

The bases on which the floors of piece parquet are arranged can be as follows: soil, ceilings, beams. Floors on the ground are arranged in the same way as for plank floors (the link to the article was above), brick or concrete columns are made of moisture-resistant materials. Waterproofing is placed on the column (required, since brick and concrete eagerly absorb water and will help moisten the wood), soundproofing (an optional element) and logs (through wooden spacers).

Photo 4. Drawing of a parquet "carpet" from two types of wood: pear, cherry.

Edged boards are called lags, less often bars treated with a fire-retardant composition. The thickness of the boards is 25-50 mm, the width is 80-120 mm, the bars are taken square, usually 50x50 mm. Bars are used in rooms where the thickness of the floor does not allow the use of the board. The step between the lags is 400-800 mm, the rule is simple, the larger the step, the thicker the lags. The laying direction does not matter, as sheet materials are laid on top. The first log is installed at a distance of 20-30 mm from the wall, the next ones are placed after 1.5-2.0 m, when a plane is formed, intermediate logs can be laid. Upon completion of the work, the logs are fastened to the base or to each other.

Photo 5. Drawing of a parquet "rhombus" from three types of wood: pear, acacia (the darkest), maple (the lightest).

Overlapping work is carried out in several ways: installing a log directly on the ceiling, adjustable logs, a mortar screed device, boardwalks or a prefabricated base. Logs on the floor can be leveled with sand, slag, expanded clay and other bulk materials that play the role of sound or heat insulation. Adjustable logs are made at the construction site from boards or bars by inserting threaded connections with screws into them, this allows you to set the desired height by rotating the screw. Mortar screeds are made from a cement-sand mixture along beacons (underlying layers: overlap, hydro or thermal insulation) or self-leveling mixtures. Floorings are bases made of edged boards with gaps (up to 5 mm) along the logs, they are rarely used, only for better preparation for sheet materials. Prefabricated bases for piece parquet are made of sheet materials (plywood, chipboard, gypsum fiber and cement sheets) located on a heat and sound insulating layer (loose or from plates).

Photo 6. Drawing of a parquet "French tree" with a frieze and layout

Flooring from sheet wood materials is immediately arranged along the beams, less often it is required to install logs to even out especially large differences. The space between the beams is filled with heat and sound insulating materials, if necessary. Waterproofing should be laid on metal or concrete beams, vibration-insulating pads can be used for all types of beams.

Photo 7

Ultimately, sheet wood materials (particle boards or plywood) are fixed to logs, screeds, boardwalks or beams, which are the final stage of preparation for piece parquet flooring. Fastening is carried out with self-tapping screws or nails, screws have an advantage, since they are much more difficult to pull out. The fact is that the forces arising in the wood (when wet, loaded) tend to separate the fixed elements, that is, to pull out the fasteners.

Photo 8. Riveting the rivets.

Laying strip parquet on a wooden base begins with cleaning, checking the levelness of the base and leveling. All dust is removed with vacuum cleaners, grease stains are removed with a solvent. If the differences in height between the sheet materials are large enough, then they are sharpened, if they are insignificant (up to 1 mm), they are ground. After leveling, the axes are marked, a lot of drawings are arranged from piece parquet (straight, “carpet”, “tree”, “French tree”, with a frieze, with a vein, “straight square”, “unfolded square”, “rhombus”, artistic and etc.), which require their own layout of lighthouse rows. Rivets are sorted by size, shape, type of wood, only dry material is used. An adhesive solution is poured onto the floor surface, it is smoothed with a notched trowel, the installation of the first rivets (the most important) is carried out along the cord. Work starts from the windows, the riveting is put on glue, leveled and nailed (1.8-2.0 mm in diameter and 40 mm long) into the end and longitudinal grooves. Subsequent rivets are inserted into the grooves of the previously installed ones and fixed. For coverings with an underground or along logs, ventilation products are arranged, this improves air exchange processes and stabilizes the humidity of the floors, which has a positive effect on their durability.

Photo 9. Putty parquet flooring.

The finished parquet flooring needs to be trimmed, it is better to refuse a solid blade, this removes a significant thickness of the rivets. Floors can be scraped in separate places where there are noticeable differences. Irregularities and cracks in the floors are sealed with wood putty. The surface is polished using parquet-grinders of a disk or drum type, depending on the evenness of the parquet, a sanding paper with the most suitable grain size is used (the rougher the surface, the larger the grain). In hard-to-reach places, small electric belt-type grinders are used. The final stage is the treatment with stains and paints and varnishes. Stains are compounds for giving an additional effect, such as aged wood. Tinting paints are rarely used, as they partially cover the wood pattern. The so-called "oils" for the floor - these are semi-natural drying oils based on vegetable oils, are a modern trend, such processing is considered "environmentally friendly" and natural, although synthetic resins are present in the composition. "Oils" should be applied once a year or a little less often. Floor varnishes based on alkyd, acrylic and urethane resins are considered the most stable coating, they last 10-15 years, they are applied in 3-5 layers. After processing is completed, skirting boards, fillets, decorative ventilation grilles and other finishing details are installed.