If you want to cover the floor with laminate, tile, carpet or any other finish coating, first you need to make sure of its evenness. The flat floor is the key to “longevity” of any coating. If you neglect this moment, then soon your laminate will begin to creak, linoleum will crack and echo, and the tiles will move away from the surface. In this case, self -leveling mixtures for the floor will help to solve the problem.
Content
The characteristics of the mixtures
Today, manufacturers of building materials offer a wide selection of various self -leveling mixtures for the floor. The mixture itself is a special solution, the composition of which allows it to properly spread along the surface of the draft floor, thereby forming an even and smooth surface.
Self -leveling mixtures have a number of advantages:
- simplicity in operation;
- quick work time;
- ensuring maximum coating strength;
- high level of plasticity;
- long life of the screed;
- frost resistance and, as a result, excellent thermal insulation of the floor;
- economy;
- not dangerous to the health of people and animals.
Self -leveling mixtures are used only in cases of slight curvature of the floor, when it is necessary to raise the level no more than 2 centimeters. If you use them to correct serious drops in height, then this pleasure will cost quite expensive, so large differences are first aligned with cheaper materials.
There are also general rules of use for all mixtures that are extremely important to observe. So, one and a half kilograms of the solution will “close” the square meter of the surface with a layer of 1 mm. The mixture usually goes to the bag to 6.5 liters of water. Some professionals prefer to “do not trifle” and pour the maximum amount of water - 6.5 liters. It is sometimes easier to work with a more liquid solution. The consumption of self -leveling bulk floor is determined based on the quadrature of the surface and the desired thickness of the layer.
Compound
All self -leveling mixtures for the floor can be divided into two main groups in composition:
- cement;
- gypsum.
In addition to these basic components, the mixtures contain limestone or quartz sand crushed into dust. Depending on the purpose of the mixture, the size of the fractions may vary. Also, various plasticizers, moisture -proofs, components for optimal adhesion with the surface, strength amplifiers and substances that make the mixture spread and quickly harden are used to create mixtures.
Cement mixtures
Cement self -leveling mixtures for bulk floor are used to align surfaces in any room. They are convenient in that they allow you to work at any temperature or humidity level. A layer of screed from such a mixture can vary from 2 to 50 mm. The drying rate is quite high and is from 3 to 5 hours, depending on the thickness of the layer.
Naturally, the price of a self -leveling bulk floor from a cement mixture will be higher than from gypsum.
Gypsum mixtures
As it has already become clear, the cost of gypsum mixtures is slightly lower than cement, but this is due to some restrictions on the work. So, gypsum compounds are recommended only in dry rooms. For this reason, they are not suitable for aligning the floor in the bathroom or in the kitchen, since when the liquid gets the gypsum base, it becomes soft, swells and loses its strength. The maximum layer thickness should not exceed 1 centimeter, otherwise such a screed can simply crack.
Pour fill
Preparatory work
Before you start filling the floor, take care of preparatory work - dilute the solution according to the instructions on the packaging and clean the floor surface. In order for the mixture to fall evenly and holds as tightly as possible, it is recommended to remove not only garbage and dust, but also the remains of glue, varnish or paint from the floor.
Dilute the powder from the packaging with the required amount of water and mix thoroughly. This can be done manually or using a construction mixer. Remember that the floors can only be filled with a freshly prepared mixture, so it is better to prepare the floor first, and then prepare the composition for filling. If the mixture is still thickened before the start of work, then again it will not work to dilute it with water, and everything will have to be done again.
Stages of preparatory work:
- After you removed the garbage, carefully examine the floor for the presence of cracks and holes. If there are one, cover them with a diluted mixture with a spatula and wait for complete drying.
- Bright the floor surface to ensure the highest quality adhesion to the self -leveling mixture. To save on a primer, you can use the same mixture to align the floor, diluted less often than necessary for the main fill.
- In the presence of significant irregularities or height changes, level them with any suitable solution. Vetonite 4000 or 5000 is perfect for this purpose.
- When all the cracks are filled up, and the primer is completely dry, you can start filling the floors with a mixture.
Fill the mixture
The necessary tools for work:
- bucket 20 l;
- construction mixer;
- wide spatula;
- narrow spatula;
- needle roller;
- long handle for a roller;
- gloves.
Since the self -leveling bulk floor is fast -hard -harding, the filling must be done as quickly as possible. Ideally, it should take no more than 20 minutes, so if you are not confident in your abilities, or the quadrature of the floor is too large, then it makes sense to divide the process into several stages, making the solution as it moves.
The course of work:
- pour the solution on the floor;
- using a wide spatula, distribute the mixture on the floor surface. To work with hard -to -reach areas in the corners and near the walls, use a narrow spatula;
- put a needle roller on a long handle and roll it the surface of the bulk floor. This is done in order to maximize the layer and release air bubbles from it. If, after the mixture is solidified, air remains inside, then such a floor will not withstand strong loads.
If everything is done according to the instructions, then after a few days you can admire a beautiful hard surface. Often, one bag is intended for one batch, which, along with the water, will take just a 20 liter bucket. Do not knead several buckets of the solution at once, because you may not have time to distribute it on the surface.
In the thinnest place, the thickness of the layer should not be less than 5 mm.
Depending on the thickness of the layer, temperature in the room and moisture level, the drying periods can vary from a couple of days to one and a half to two weeks. Again, the type of mixture (cement/gypsum) plays a significant role. It is recommended to wait a little longer in order to be completely sure that the mixture has frozen, and after that proceed to laying the finish coating.
Errors when filling the floor
Excellent reviews about self -leveling bulk floors, the moderate cost of mixtures and ease of work forces many inexperienced “home” masters to run to the store and buy them to align the floors in their house. But often beginners in this matter make a number of errors that affect the quality and durability of the floor.
Common errors when filling the floor:
- after you have poured the mixture on the floor, immediately help it spread over the surface. Yes, the name contains the word “self -leveling”, but if everything were so simple, it would not be construction, but magic;
- make sure that the mixture takes out to all the corners and joints of the walls, stretching it there with a narrow spatula;
- correctly choose a needle roller- its teeth should be quite long, so that during rollering on the floor it remains not immersed in a mixture of at least 1 mm of each spike. To do this, take into account the thickness of the layer and then buy a roller after that;
- provide the shutters and think through the threshold height so that the mixture does not shimmer over the edge to another room. It will not be superfluous to establish additional fences, especially since the degree of inclination of the floor can affect the level of the mixture in “dangerous” places at the threshold;
- before starting work, make measured in height in the entire room. If in the center of the room there is suddenly a hillock that is not visible now, then after filling the floor it will become an unpleasant surprise.
To make a self -leveling bulk floor with your own hands is quite simple if you clearly follow the instructions. With a successful outcome, such a surface will last for many years, provide excellent sound insulation and protect from the cold in winter.
And finally, we will answer the question that could not help but arise in the reader’s head in the process of acquaintance with the article: “How to align the entire surface, and even get into the corners of the room? From the threshold or what?” In order to move without problems on the surface that has not yet managed to harden, we propose to use special construction boots on the spikes or to construct them on your own.
