chicken wire mesh in screed??

[Moonraker]

Hi guys

and I'm merely a fleeting visitor to this Forum, which I found after Googling my query and saw it had some good posts about screeds.

I've had to have most of the rubbish mid-1970s pipes under my kitchen floor replaced and I now have 5 metres of trenches between 100mm and 150mm wide. I intend to use a fast-drying screed mortar, and a friend who project manages largish construction work has advised that I include chicken wire mesh to provide support for what will be about 40mm (in one stretch just 25mm) of screed above the lagged pipes. I guess that 13mm mesh would be suitable, but I'm wondering how co-operative it will be! I have visions of a curvy 600mm strip flexing up and down and me pressing it into position and hoping that the weight of the mortar will keep it down. I also see that PP fibres can be added to the mortar to strengthen the screed but I suspect that as a layman I may have trouble sourcing these locally in the small quantity that I shall need. (I live in Reading.)

I'll be making a point of tamping the mortar around and under the pipes and in due course will be laying vinyl tiles.

Any thoughts on the desirability of using mesh? Indeed, any thoughts at all?

And don't hesitate to suggest that I may be better off getting a professional in, but the job is a very small one and I do wonder if some tradesmen will be that clued up about what should be done.

Thanks.

Moonraker

 

[White Room]

Hi and welcome.....chicken was used many years ago when putting an insulation below the screed, just help with any movement and gives it some support.

The fibres you talk of most builder merchants sell it and if you do go ahead with using it sprinkle some of the fibres into your mixing water so it disperses easier and mixes better with your screed.

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

HI Moonraker wire mesh is a bit out of date these days mate ,use PPF you can pick them up in packets to suite your mix size from any good builders merchants

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

Beat me to it Mark ,lol

 

[Dougs Third Go]

what about using either Weber Floor Flex or Tilemaster Levelflex? they'll do 50mm in one hit.

 

[Moonraker]

Thanks guys, that's helpful,and I'll check out Doug's suggestions.

It's been suggested to me that chicken wire mesh might eventually rust.

(I started to "make good" the upheaval in my kitchen today and checked the lagging on the pipe run that hadn't been replaced; it was rotten on top, so I'm chipping away at more screed - not worth hiring a breaker - in the hope that it gets better sooner than later; there's 2 metres to go! Guess it's better to get everything right now for the sake of time and some swearing.)

Moonraker

 

[Colour Republic]

you be careful with that lagging! it has been tested for asbestos right?????

How old is the house and what colour is the lagging?

 

[nybor62]

chicken wire not used that method for donkey years

 

[Ajax123]

Too thin for ordinary screed. Use a sbr screed or bettervstill Use a thick section levelling compound

 

[micko]

Your first post is not to clear to me but do not cover copper pipe in screed without giving them some protection otherwise they will rot. Use denso tape or lagging to cover them.

 

[Moonraker]

The house was built in 1976 and the lagging was probably light brown "horsehair" (?); most of it has rotted away and in some areas only the mesh remains, and sometimes not even that. The plumber slid horsehair (?) tubing over the new pipework, and I'm aware of the debate about its efficacy.

I gather that denso tape is awkward to work with, the more so where there's not much room to play with it.

The dehumidifier is being taken away this Friday and I'm about to decide on what to fill the trenches with, and I shall be following up your various suggestions. Thanks again.

(The good news is that an insurance assessor visited yesterday to inspect the hall carpet, a square foot of which was affected by the damp, and he's recommending that I get new carpeting for the hall, stairs and landing, as the 37-year-old original is all of the same pattern and there's some guideline about replacing all carpet uninterrupted by a door.)


Moonraker

 

[Mark S]

Try Mapegrout SV, purposed made shrinkaged control grout, or Mapegrout Fast set, from Mapei UK
They also do Mapefer tp protect pipes before grouting in.
Mark S

 

[micko]

Concrete reacts with copper and rots it away, if it were a new pipe I would use denso, with pipe that is all ready there as long as you cover it with something you should be OK.

 

[AMtek]

I once took up a bathroom floor that had been tiled straight on to chipboard but they had laid chicken wire onto the floor before adhesive. There was no sign of movement damage on the tiles and they were an absolute pig to get up!

 

[Ajax123]

I once took up a bathroom floor that had been tiled straight on to chipboard but they had laid chicken wire onto the floor before adhesive. There was no sign of movement damage on the tiles and they were an absolute pig to get up!

Excellent...