How to screed a floor with a gradient

[HarryM]

I have a room approx 3.5m x 3.5m. There is an opening to the kitchen at one end, and a door to the hall at the other. But these are at different levels, the hall end being 10-15mm lower than the kitchen end.

A dpc and concrete base is already laid, and I now need to lay the screed. I understand that if the room was level the technique would be to screed it in strips, i.e., using short lengths of screed batons levelled across one end, then the screed levelled between the batons, the batons then removed and the slots filled in, and then move down the room to lay the batons for the next strip. But how do you tackle it with a gradient?

Any advise will be welcomed.

 

[jbonding]

i take it you dont want a step? exactly as you just explained it but have your screed battons on a gradient (use a string line to find the gradient) and work the same way

 

[HarryM]

Thanks jbonding

Just to clarify - would you screed in strips across the gradient, or do you mean following the gradient, i.e., running each strip from the high end to the low end?

One of the problems I have is the layout of the room. The opening to the kitchen is in one corner but along the side of the room with the gradient, and the screed there should be exactly level with the kitchen floor. The kitchen floor has the same gradient, so it's the ideal place to start screeding. But the door at the other is in the centre, and that is where the screeding would have to finish.

 

[HarryM]

I am thinking of dividing the floor into 5 strips running width-wise across the room, i.e., the first strip along the high end and the last along the low end. Then screed each strip using 4 battens each about 700mm long.

Would there be any problems if I set out all the battens for the whole floor first? Using dollops of screed mix to support the ends, level them and get the gradient correct, and then let the mix set hard before starting screeding?

Sorry to keep on posting about this, buit the reason I'm so keen to get this right is because a builder has already laid the screed once, but because of poor workmanship it had to be taken up. I want to make sure it gets done right this time.