Hello,
Brief overview: we are building a single-family house (bungalow on a slab-on-grade) with underfloor heating, all managed by a general contractor. This week, the screed was poured, as far as I can tell: floating cement screed. All edges were equipped with edge insulation strips, without any additional expansion joints.
Furthermore, it seems that a notched cut has been made in each door opening. As I understand it, these are so-called weak points designed to deliberately prevent unwanted cracking of the screed as it dries. I cannot tell whether any dowels have also been installed in these transitions to prevent vertical displacement if the screed were to break at these points, but: once the screed has dried, can these notched cuts be sealed with resin or similar and safely tiled over? Would this mean that the entire screed surface in the house—since it contains no other expansion joints—can be covered with flooring in one continuous piece?
In the large living room, an additional notched cut (which does not seem to be an expansion joint) appears to have been made due to the extensive area. I was also able to see that the heating pipes have been protected with sleeves at the door openings. However, at the location of the additional notched cut in the living room, no protective sleeve was installed over the heating pipes (which run at 90° to the cut). What could happen here?
The guest bathroom could not be covered with screed because the shower channel was installed incorrectly. Now, at the door in the poured screed, three dowels (material unknown) are sticking out, presumably as preparation for connecting the screed later in the guest bathroom. The general contractor told me that when the screed is poured, it will be about 5mm (0.2 inches) lower than the other screed in the house, with the difference being compensated by some kind of mat that can then be tiled over:
a) How can such a late-applied screed properly dry if it’s tiled immediately afterwards and the rest of the house is already finished?
b) Wouldn’t the screed crack immediately because the underfloor heating doesn’t warm up slowly but is already at operating temperature?
Complicating matters, we changed the guest bathroom door from inward-opening to outward-opening. The already poured screed therefore has no notched cut under the door leaf, and the door threshold consists of the existing screed. Since the threshold and the guest bathroom floor are to be tiled as one, what must be considered here:
a) Is an additional notched cut required under the door leaf because the threshold will be tiled but the hallway leading to the bathroom will be covered with vinyl flooring?
b) Should the threshold be tiled and grouted separately in general, since there is a transition on the inside to the still missing screed, or can this doweled joint be tiled over without issues?
Many thanks
Brief overview: we are building a single-family house (bungalow on a slab-on-grade) with underfloor heating, all managed by a general contractor. This week, the screed was poured, as far as I can tell: floating cement screed. All edges were equipped with edge insulation strips, without any additional expansion joints.
Furthermore, it seems that a notched cut has been made in each door opening. As I understand it, these are so-called weak points designed to deliberately prevent unwanted cracking of the screed as it dries. I cannot tell whether any dowels have also been installed in these transitions to prevent vertical displacement if the screed were to break at these points, but: once the screed has dried, can these notched cuts be sealed with resin or similar and safely tiled over? Would this mean that the entire screed surface in the house—since it contains no other expansion joints—can be covered with flooring in one continuous piece?
In the large living room, an additional notched cut (which does not seem to be an expansion joint) appears to have been made due to the extensive area. I was also able to see that the heating pipes have been protected with sleeves at the door openings. However, at the location of the additional notched cut in the living room, no protective sleeve was installed over the heating pipes (which run at 90° to the cut). What could happen here?
The guest bathroom could not be covered with screed because the shower channel was installed incorrectly. Now, at the door in the poured screed, three dowels (material unknown) are sticking out, presumably as preparation for connecting the screed later in the guest bathroom. The general contractor told me that when the screed is poured, it will be about 5mm (0.2 inches) lower than the other screed in the house, with the difference being compensated by some kind of mat that can then be tiled over:
a) How can such a late-applied screed properly dry if it’s tiled immediately afterwards and the rest of the house is already finished?
b) Wouldn’t the screed crack immediately because the underfloor heating doesn’t warm up slowly but is already at operating temperature?
Complicating matters, we changed the guest bathroom door from inward-opening to outward-opening. The already poured screed therefore has no notched cut under the door leaf, and the door threshold consists of the existing screed. Since the threshold and the guest bathroom floor are to be tiled as one, what must be considered here:
a) Is an additional notched cut required under the door leaf because the threshold will be tiled but the hallway leading to the bathroom will be covered with vinyl flooring?
b) Should the threshold be tiled and grouted separately in general, since there is a transition on the inside to the still missing screed, or can this doweled joint be tiled over without issues?
Many thanks
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