Finnish plate foundation

The construction of a house begins with the installation of the foundation. The quality of its implementation, stability and strength will affect the life of the building. It is important to choose the right type of foundation for your home. Among its many types, the Finnish slab foundation is popular.

The Finnish stove was invented by Finnish engineers. Plates of relatively small thickness are obtained. They are characterized by durability and good thermal performance. This type of foundation is recommended for buildings where it is planned to equip a floor heating system. This system is widely used in Finland, Sweden, Norway. In these countries, frame-type houses are often built; this foundation can be used not only for frame houses.

The Finnish stove is considered a variation of the Swedish stove and has some differences. It is adapted to the climatic conditions of Russia and was developed taking into account the individual needs of developers in this region. This type of plate differs from the Swedish one in the presence of additional stiffeners around the perimeter, as well as in the peculiarities of laying the insulation.

The Finnish plate is laid over the entire area of the building, while significantly reducing the pressure on the ground. The design is a complete platform for the home. Strongly heaving soils, which are characterized by raising the base during freezing of the soil, are not terrible for such a foundation. Due to the peculiarities of its construction, the load on it from the soil is reduced to a minimum.

Stiffening ribs allow you to increase the height of the section in places where heavy loads are expected. The location of the stiffeners depends on the structure. For example, the larger the dimensions of the building, the more rigid the structure must be made.

To summarize what a Finnish slab is: it is a type of foundation that is installed on various types of soil for building a house in which it is planned to equip a warm floor system. This foundation can be used to build a building without a system of underfloor heating. The outer walls of the future structure are supported by additional stiffeners. A heater is laid on top of the plate, after which a screed is made.

The insulation protects the floor heat from dissipation, since the floor does not directly touch the slab. The screed is made after the underfloor heating system and the sewer pipe system are installed. Therefore, such a foundation is recommended to be made for a building where the design of underfloor heating is provided. Thus, a flat floor with a heating system is created.

The plate has a relatively small thickness, which allows it to be used in places where there is a high level of groundwater. However, when building a foundation, it is necessary to create a drainage system. Most often, it is recommended to create circular drainage and a sand cushion, while these layers should be separated by geotextiles. However, with low groundwater levels, such drainage may not be suitable. Since for the installation of this foundation there is no need to prepare a very deep pit, therefore, all work on preparing for pouring this foundation is minimized.

Design features

The design is a cold circuit. The insulation must be laid on the foundation slab, while the thickness of the insulation must be at least 150 mm. When using insulation, the warm floor on the ground floor does not touch the cold contour of the foundation slab. The warm floor is laid in a reinforced screed, which should be 80 mm.

A feature of the arrangement of this foundation is its quick laying, since the slab is poured in one sitting. However, the cost of this design is greater than other types. When arranging this foundation, it is necessary to use a reinforced screed. Insulated Finnish stove is suitable for the construction of almost any house. It can also be frame-type houses.

You can choose the type of Finnish slab for the foundation in the following cases:

if you need a foundation for a house that needs to be built quickly;
if you need a durable foundation;
if a warm floor system is installed in the house;
if the building will be erected on soil with severe freezing.

Advantages and disadvantages

This foundation has its pros and cons of use, like any other type of foundation.

There are the following advantages of the Finnish stove:

the possibility of creating a high base;
a small amount of earthwork is required, since a deep pit is not needed under the Finnish plate;
high energy efficiency;
subfloor arrangement is not required;
the ability to install a system of underfloor heating;
can be installed on difficult terrain;
suitable for installation with high groundwater level;
the possibility of carrying out a fine finish upon completion of the installation.

The foundation of this type is excellent for the construction of buildings on difficult types of soil. It can be a land with deep freezing of the soil, sandy, swampy and heaving soils.

Main disadvantages:

relatively expensive design;
installation of the Finnish plate can take up to 2 weeks, depending on the characteristics of the soil and the speed of the main work.

Mounting technology

Foundation technology "Finnish plate" includes the following stages of the device:

preparatory work
sand bed installation
installation of a waterproofing layer
mortgage device. Engineering communications are being arranged
slab pouring
creating a layer of insulation
installation of a stove with a system of underfloor heating and the necessary communications.

First, the height difference between the points on the surface where the house will stand is calculated. To do this, you need to use a level. This will help create an accurate house construction project and align the site with the selected point. Next is the marking of the foundation. The top layer of soil is removed from the site (as a rule, it can be useful for creating a garden, since this layer is most often fertile). If the soil is homogeneous, then the settlement of the structure will be uniform and without distortions. One of the hardest types of soil to work with is rocky soil.

You can mark the territory with the help of pegs and fishing line. Pegs must be driven in around the perimeter of the construction site. A line is stretched between the pegs. To create the foundation of the Finnish plate, it is necessary to dig a foundation pit. The depth will depend on the main features of the soil, including the level of freezing and the level of groundwater. However, the Finnish plate does not require a deep pit.

The pit is covered with geotextile, which has a density of 350. The geotextile is covered with crushed stone. The main water pipes and special pipes are being installed along which the electrical cables will go. The design of these communications must be clear and carefully planned, since it will not be possible to change the location later.

Crushed stone is carefully compacted, trenches are pulled out from above, where the main sewer pipes are installed. After a layer of crushed stone is covered with geotextile and sand is poured on it, thus creating a sand cushion. It is important that these layers are separated by geotextiles. The sand layer must be even and its thickness must be at least 20 cm. After that, it is thoroughly compacted. Next, the formwork is built, and the surface is poured with concrete.

This type of foundation, as well as the “Swedish slab” type, is insulated, but unlike the Swedish, the Finnish slab is not insulated on the ground. A layer of insulation is created between the monolithic slab and the screed. After the insulation layer has been installed, the final stage of work is carried out: the creation of a screed with a floor heating system. All necessary pipes are installed: under the underfloor heating system, sewerage dilution. After laying the pipes for the underfloor heating system, the reinforcing mesh is laid. It can be poured with concrete, as well as a semi-dry screed. The recommended screed thickness is up to 10 cm.

Thus, a high foundation is created, which has good insulation with a floor heating system and communications. The big advantage of using a Finnish slab foundation is that immediately after the screed has dried, a fine finish can be carried out.

Finnish plate foundation