The Brew Cabin

We have dug out a cellar with 6 rooms in it. Had a tanking membrane installed on floor and up walls, this is like a bubble wrap sheet, about 10mm thick counting the bubbles. Question how do you concrete the floor level. Cant bed any bricks to height, or screw batten all round walls, then use notched tamp, as this would pierce the membrane. Done two of these using subcontractos, pumped 11cube in on friday, very wet, looked at it today, not very good. Put felt tip pen marks on plastic walls and rellied on workers to tamp with level and timber.Result full of ridges ond a bit bumpy.Any one any tips, is it just a matter of goodworkmanship with tamp and level, Got two more phases to do.

To ensure a level floor, you should establish screed rails within the floor area, just as we would do when preparing a laying course for block paving. The screed rails guide the level of the tamper or vibroscreed, and then are simply lifted out and floated over when done.

You can set the screed rails on temporary bricks or rebar chairs as you see fit - as long as the screed rails are removed and made good while the concrete is still plastic, it doesn't really matter.

Have you read the Screeding page? I know it's not the obvious place to look when you're trying to finish and float a concrete floor, but the answers are there! :)

Thanks again Tony, great site. My problem (one of them that is ) I am a joiner, I have semi skilled labour, 2 apprentice joiners one labouror and one young brickie.
under the screed rails is A252 mesh, then kingspan insulation, then this bubble wrap tanking material ,its like a bloody soft matress on a bed, everything floating.
I know you have told me what to do , but have patience with me. I have my own Wild engineers level, and know how to use it, its just the soft base that prevents me bedding any thing accurately. The level even floats about on the insulation etc. The floors I looked at on saturday realy gave me a downer

Don't know how thick or thin a screed you need to finish your floor, and I'm guessing that you have laid your concrete slab which isn't at the right height (i.e. it's too thin), or isn't level enough, or smooth enough, or all of the above.

If you now need to apply a levelling screed to bring it to the depth you want, you can lay a thin bonded screed only 6mm using Ronafix as a admixture to the screed and also using Ronafix as a bonding primer to "glue" the screed to the concrete.

If you need to / want to know more, reply via here or call me or my Technical Department on 01279 638 700.

Good Luck.