If you want to cover the floor with laminate, tile, carpet or any other finishing coating, first you need to make sure of it. Smooth floor - the pledge of "long-life" of any coating. If you neglect this moment, then in a short time your laminate will begin to creak, the linoleum cracks and erased, and the tiles will go away from the surface. In this case, self-leveling mixtures for the floor will solve the problem.
Content
Characteristics of mixtures
Today, building materials manufacturers offer a wide selection of different self-leveling floor mixtures. The mixture itself is a special solution, the composition of which allows it to separate it on the surface of the draft floor, thereby forming a smooth and smooth surface.
Self-leveling mixtures have a number of benefits:
- easy to operate;
- quick deadlines;
- ensuring maximum coating strength;
- high level of plasticity;
- long service life of the screed;
- frost resistance and, as a result, excellent heat insulation;
- efficiency;
- not dangerous to the health of people and animals.
Self-leveling mixtures are used only in cases of insignificant floor curvature, when it is necessary to lift the level no more than 2 centimeters. If you use them for correcting serious height drops, this pleasure will cost quite expensive, so the big differences are aligned at first with cheaper materials.
There are also general rules for use for all mixtures that are extremely important to follow. So, a half kilogram of the solution "will close" the square meter of the surface with a layer of 1 mm. A mixture bag usually takes up to 6.5 liters of water. Some professionals prefer "not to fine" and pour the maximum amount of water - 6.5 liters. With a more liquid solution, it is sometimes easier to work. The flow rate of self-leveling bulk sex is determined based on the surface square and the desired layer thickness.
Composition
All self-leveling gender mixtures can be divided into two main groups in composition:
- cement;
- gypsum.
In addition to these basic components, the limestone or quartz sand is present in the mixtures. Depending on the purpose of the mixture, the size of fractions may differ. Also, for the creation of mixtures, various plasticizers are used, moisture protection substances, components for optimal adhesion with the surface, strength and substance amplifiers, forcing the mixture to spread and quickly solidify.
Cement mixes
Cemental self-leveling mixtures for bulk sex are used to align surfaces in any rooms. They are convenient to operate at any temperature or humidity level. The screed layer of such a mixture may vary from 2 to 50 mm. Drying speed is quite high and ranges from 3 to 5 hours depending on the thickness of the layer.
Naturally, the price of self-leveling bulk sex from the cement mixture will be higher than from the gypsum.
Gypsum mixes
As it has already become clear, the cost of gypsum mixtures is slightly lower than cement, but this is due to some restrictions in the work. So, the gypsum compositions are recommended only to be used in dry rooms. For this reason, they are not suitable for alignment of the floor in the bathroom or in the kitchen, since when liquid enters the liquid, the gypsum base becomes soft, swells and loses its strength. The maximum thickness of the layer should not exceed 1 centimeter, otherwise such a screed may simply crack.
Pole
Preparatory work
Before you begin to fill the floor, deal with the preparatory work - divert the solution according to the instructions on the package and clean the floor surface. To make the mixture smoothly and kept most closely, it is recommended to remove not only trash and dust, but also the remnants of glue, varnish or paint from the floor.
Divide the powder from the packaging with the necessary amount of water and mix thoroughly. This can be done manually or with the help of a building mixer. Remember that it is possible to fill the floors only with a freshly prepared mixture, so it's better to prepare the floor first, and then prepare the composition for the fill. If the mixture still thickened before the start of work, then it would not work out again to dilute it, and it will have to do everything again.
Stages of preparatory work:
- After you removed the garbage, carefully inspect the floor for the presence of slots and holes. If any, you have a diluted mixture with a spatula and wait for complete drying.
- Start the floor surface to ensure the highest quality grip with a self-leveling mixture. To save on the primer, you can use the same mixture for alignment of the floor, diluted less often than necessary for the main fill.
- If there are essential irregularities or height drops, align them with any suitable solution. For this purpose, a resident of 4000 or 5000 is perfect.
- When all the cracks are embedded, and the primer dried completely, you can start the pouring of the floors with a mixture.
Pouring mixes
Required tools for work:
- bucket 20 l;
- construction mixer;
- wide spatula;
- narrow spatula;
- needle roller;
- long handle for roller;
- gloves.
Since the self-evaporation bulk floor is rapidly hardening, the fill must be made as quickly as possible. Ideally, it should take no more than 20 minutes, so if you are not confident in your abilities, or the floor quadrature is too big, that is, it makes sense to split the process into several stages, making the solution as it is promoted.
Progress:
- pour the solution to the floor;
- with a wide spatula, dispense the mixture on the floor surface. To work with hard-to-reach areas in the corners and walls, use a narrow spatula;
- snap the needle roller on a long handle and ride them the surface of the filling floor. This is done in order to maximize the layer and release air bubbles from it. If, after the mixture is frozen inside the air will remain, then such a floor will not withstand heavy loads.
If you do everything according to the instructions, after a few days later you can admire the beautiful solid surface. Often, one bag is intended for one kneading, which along with water will take just a 20 liter bucket. You should not knee a few buckets of the solution at once, because you may not have time to distribute it on the surface.
In the thinner, the layer thickness should not be less than 5 mm.
Depending on the layer thickness, temperature in the room and the humidity level, the drying time can vary from the pair-triple days to one and a half or two weeks. Again, a significant role plays the type of mixture (cement / plaster). It is recommended to wait a little longer to completely be sure that the mixture was frozen, and after that it starts to lay the finish coating.
Errors when filling the floor
Lovely reviews about self-leveling bulk floors, the moderate cost of mixtures and simplicity of work make many inexperienced "home" masters run to the store and buy them to align the floors in their home. But often beginners in this case allow a number of errors that affect the quality and durability of the floor.
Common fault errors:
- after you poured the mixture to the floor, immediately help her spread over the surface. Yes, in the title there is the word "self-leveling", but if everything was so simple, it would not be a construction, but magic;
- take care that the mixture has taken to all corners and walls of the walls, stretching it out there with a narrow spatula;
- correctly choose needle roller, its teeth should be rather long, so that during the rolling on the floor remained not immersed in the mixture at least 1 mm of each spike. To do this, we must take into account the thickness of the layer and after that buy a roller;
- provide dampers and think over the height of the threshold so that the mixture does not run through the edge into another room. Establish additional fences will not be superfluous, especially since the degree of inclination of the floor may affect the level of the mixture in the "dangerous" places at the threshold;
- before starting work, make measurements in the altitude throughout the room. If the center of the room will suddenly be a tubercle, which is not visible now, then after filling the floor, he will become an unpleasant surprise.
Make a self-leveling bulk floor with your own hands is quite simple if you clearly follow the instructions. With a successful outcome, this surface will last for many years, will provide excellent sound insulation and protects from the cold in winter.
And finally, they will answer the question that could not not be born in the head at the reader in the process of exploring the article: "How to level the entire surface, and even get into the corners of the room? From the threshold?". In order to move around without any problems, we offer to take advantage of special construction ships on spikes or construct them yourself.
