The Sequence Of Installation Of The Self-leveling Floor

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Concept
• Set of tools
• Mix selection
• Preparation for work
• Exposing lighthouses
• Stirring the solution
• Installation of self-leveling floor
• Possible mistakes

Not everyone knows how to properly self-leveling floor should be arranged so that it has all the qualities and positive features. New construction technologies are developing and become known to everyone. As for self-leveling floors, a lot will depend on how accurately the work technology is followed. Having carefully studied it, we can conclude that there is nothing special, it is enough to perform all types of work at a high level at each stage.

Concept

Self-leveling floors are considered a topcoat. No seams are formed after pouring. It can be laid on absolutely any surface, for example, tiles, concrete, cement and sand screed. Even wooden boards can act as a base. There are several types of self-leveling floors, which differ in composition and components:

1. Epoxy.
2. Polyurethane.
3. Cement-acrylic.
4. Methyl methacrylate.

5. Epoxy-urethane.

   

Among all types of flooring, the most optimal is polyurethane. This is based on characteristics, which include a high level of thermal conductivity, the resulting surface has a low weight, which does not exert any pressure on the base. In addition, the appearance attracts the eye of everyone who has entered such a coating. If desired, you can choose any option from the color scheme to match the interior of the entire room.

Set of tools

First, you need to worry about yourself. During the mixing of the mixture and until it is completely dry, the poured self-leveling floor releases a huge amount of harmful substances. This suggests the need to buy protective clothing. In addition, it will not be superfluous to wear a respirator and special gloves for work.

Fill tools include:

• Containers of the appropriate size.

  

• Drill with a mixer.
• Needle roller.
• Spatula.
• Construction vacuum cleaner at the initial stage.
• Mock treads with spikes of appropriate length.

A specific list of tools required to perform flooring work will be selected depending on the current situation and installation.

Mix selection

In order for the self-leveling floor to be made with high quality, the instructions must be observed from the very beginning to the end of the work. Of no small importance is the selected mixture, the quality of which will determine the quality of the finished surface. It should be noted that all work should be done as quickly as possible so that the finished solution does not dry out and does not lose its flow property.

There are four main types of mixtures:

1. Epoxy. Possess hardness after hardening, are very durable. Such self-leveling floors can be cleaned with various chemicals, and can be treated with alkalis. Despite the excellent resistance to external loads, such surfaces are not sufficiently elastic, which can be attributed to negative qualities.
2. Polyurethane. They are unlikely to find significant disadvantages, since such floors are able to withstand not only external loads, but also various chemicals. For this reason, they are most often used in medical institutions or similar workshops. Polyurethane mixtures are suitable for warehouses with high vibration levels.
3. Methyl methacrylate. Of course, in the end, such floor mixes will not be able to demonstrate excellent strength qualities, but they are completely environmentally friendly. In addition, they can be used in rooms where the air temperature ranges from -70 to +150 degrees. During the installation process, certain experience and skills will be required to perform such a floor at a decent level.

4. Cement-acrylic. The composition of such mixtures includes not only cement, but also a polyacrylic copolymer. They can be arranged in rooms with high humidity levels. The final base also has an anti-slip effect with a matte finish.

   

Each specific option and its application will depend on the room where the base is located. To get the ideal self-leveling floors, the pouring technology should begin with the choice of the mixture, giving preference to proven companies.

Preparation for work

The basic rule when preparing the floor for pouring is cleanliness and order. The base should be cleaned as much as possible from foreign debris and even dust. It will not be superfluous to use a construction vacuum cleaner capable of collecting all the little things that can affect the final quality of self-leveling floors.

Next, you should evaluate the height difference in the room where the work is carried out. For this, the highest point of the floor and the lowest is determined. The smaller value is subtracted from the larger value, and we get the desired result. This is what will affect the establishment of the thickness of the self-leveling floor.

It is very important that the substrate has a sufficient moisture level. There is a good way for this: a film is placed on the surface meter by meter, its central part rises slightly, and the edges are pressed with a load. Then you should pay attention to some of the nuances:

• There was fogging bubbles after a day - you should postpone the filling of the floor.
• Drops began to appear only after 3-4 days - the surface should be properly primed.
• After 5-7 days, no moisture formed on the film - you can safely start all work with a stirred solution.

It is of course ideal to remove the entire old floor to avoid possible difficulties. After that, construction waste is removed. Existing cracks, depressions, it is best to seal up with mortar so that the consumption of the self-leveling floor is minimal.

A water level is used to determine the curvature of the base. More and more often, a laser level is used, however, its cost is very high. It is worth noting that a self-leveling floor can be arranged to fill the voids in the screed.

In order for the solution to have good adhesion to the floor surface, the latter should be primed. Sometimes this is done even in several layers. This method avoids the formation of mold and various fungi during operation. Wait until the primer is completely dry. Then you can arrange a damper tape around the perimeter of the room, as well as around the existing geometric protrusions.

When pouring on a wooden base, it must be treated with water-repellent agents. This will keep the water in solution rather than being absorbed into the base. It is not uncommon for a screed to be made under a self-leveling floor. Most often this happens with large differences in altitude. Each of the moments includes the necessary items in the underfloor preparation device.

Exposing lighthouses

If someone does not know how to make a floor screed with their own hands, then it is best to seek help from specialists. They will help to complete everything as quickly as possible and at a lower cost. When installing the sub-floor, the stage of placing the beacons is very important. It should be noted that they differ markedly from the usual classic beacon profiles. Here, bench mark beacons are used, resembling tripods, on which there are level marks. It is according to these marks that the floor is poured.

You can of course refuse to use them. In this case, a line is simply drawn along the perimeter of the wall, which serves as a guide during pouring. True, this can only be done by professionals who have performed such work more than once. So you should purchase benchmark beacons and carry out installation with their help.

After the end of the work, the lighthouses are removed. At the same time, no damage to the surface occurs due to the qualities and characteristics of the products. The solution itself will flow without problems into the places where the beacons were previously located.

Stirring the solution

The composition of any mixture for a self-leveling floor includes various components and additives that allow you to get one or another result in the end. In this case, the properties of ready-made solutions will have different qualities that improve the base to the required limit. In certain situations, dyes may also be included in the mixture. This is done when adjusting the floor to the interior of the room in which the pouring takes place.

In addition, the mixture contains volatile substances after contact with water. For this reason, after mixing the mortar, the contractor has no more than 40 minutes to use everything for installation. Otherwise, the solution will begin to turn to stone and nothing of high quality will work. When you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to use such a service as turnkey floor filling.

A well-chosen solution will allow you to get an answer on how to properly make a floor screed. The ready-made composition for pouring should resemble sour cream in consistency. There are some exceptions to this, but few people talk about them and use them in their work.

For mixing the mixture, special containers of such a volume are used, which will be enough for all rooms at once. After all, there should not be any breaks in the pouring so that the surface is of high quality and durable. This does not apply to the implementation of a self-leveling floor on a self-leveling, when it is required to level the base to the required limit.

Installation of self-leveling floor

No difficulties should arise with the finished solution. It remains only to pour it onto the surface and level it. The surface becomes even on its own. But not all experts trust this, but they are used to using a rule or a spatula in their work to give the solution the ability to distribute evenly over the floor.

The mixture is poured in strips parallel to each other. In the process of distributing the solution over the surface, air bubbles form in it. They also occur during mixing. If you leave everything as it is, then after drying, bubbles will appear on the surface, which will definitely not add attractiveness. We'll have to repair the floors in the room. To avoid this, use a needle roller. The length of the needles should not be less than the thickness of the entire filling layer. They walk across the square.

There are several options for performing floor pouring. In addition to stripes, islands and separate sections are used, which are subsequently connected to each other. But this is a more costly option. If there is no knowledge of how to properly fill the self-leveling floor, then a proven method is used in the work. Compliance with the technology of the self-leveling floor allows you to get a decent result under any conditions. It also helps to get an answer on how to level the floor in a panel house. Only in appearance it resembles a flat surface. But if you get down to work, the differences will be huge.

If you follow all these instructions, you can learn how to make a self-leveling floor with your own hands in stages. Each point requires attention. Any small detail at first glance can subsequently affect the surface quality.

Possible mistakes

To know how to properly fill the self-leveling floor in an apartment, you need to pay attention to some tips from experts:

1. It is necessary to assist the mixture in spreading. She may not reach the corner on her own, since it is poured somewhat far from it. In this case, a spatula will help correct the problem. Only then is the self-leveling floor screed performed efficiently.
2. Correct selection of needle roller. The needles should be at least 1-2mm larger than the fill layer. Otherwise, the mixture will move along the surface.
3. Install self-leveling floors only after all heights in the room have been measured. You can face a problem when there is a bump in the central part of the room that will go unnoticed. After installing the screed, it will stick out and create a whole bunch of problems.

All this suggests that when filling the floor, the instructions must be followed strictly. Before installation, especially a novice builder should study it. This will remove many disadvantages in the end.

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