Materials And Tools Used In The Installation Of The Self-leveling Floor

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

• Base for the floor
• Materials used
• Materials for 3d floors
• 3d drawing composition
• Tools
• Choice of capacity
• Needle roller
• Shoe attachments
• Equipment application
• Expert advice

Construction organizations have long chosen self-leveling floors, which are only gaining popularity among customers. With their help, it turns out to achieve an excellent result in terms of the quality and strength of the base, while spending a minimum amount of time and effort. But most of the success will depend on the materials used, the choice of the appropriate manufacturer. Each self-leveling flooring materials are somewhat different. Everything will depend on the main component of the mixture and the additives present in the composition.

Base for the floor

The basis of a mixture for a self-leveling floor can be cement, various polymers, as well as epoxy resins. In addition to cement, the material will contain various components, such as plasticizers. The latter are used to make the finished solution more elastic and able to evenly spread independently. In addition to this plasticizer, they help to reduce the cost of the finished building mixture. The scope of such self-leveling floors is industrial facilities, as well as commercial premises.

The most reliable and highly durable are polymer self-leveling floors. The composition of the mixture includes polyurethane, which makes the ready-made solution universal in use. Due to this component, the mixture presents excellent characteristics and properties for the future solution.

Better quality is characteristic of epoxy self-leveling floors, which, due to the composition, have a slightly higher cost among other possible options. Each type of self-leveling floor has its own disadvantages. But in most cases they are associated with poor-quality installation work and non-compliance with mixing conditions, proportions.

Materials used

The initial steps when pouring self-leveling floors are high-quality preparation of the base. Already here you should worry about buying the necessary materials. First of all, we are talking about a primer. There is one very good rule - you need to choose those materials for pouring the floor that correspond to one manufacturer.

This allows you to get the same quality at all stages of the work. Each manufacturer can even recommend what and with what to combine to get a decent result. These tips are worth listening to. It is based on experimental tests, which have shown an excellent combination of materials with each other. At the same time, forum advisers do everything by typing, whether they succeed or not.

We must not forget about waterproofing. A damper tape is used for the floor screed, so that the filling after hardening does not crack when expanding under the influence of temperature changes. In some cases, depending on the prevailing situation, a reinforced floor screed can be used in the work. Some say that you can do without it. But if a base layer is arranged, then the mesh will only be strengthened and will give the subsequent layer an excellent foundation. The most popular floor screed tape is made of nylon.

In order for the topcoat to acquire a certain color, components such as concentrates and masterbatches of the corresponding color should be added to the solution while mixing.

Polymeric mastic can be purchased as waterproofing. After the base layer of the self-leveling floor has dried, even minor surface cracks may be visible.

To eliminate this, special glue is used in the work. In this case, the finishing coat will become perfectly even and will not give errors during operation.

As a result, every effort should be made for a long service life of the poured floor. An excellent material here is varnish, which covers the entire surface. It protects the floor from mechanical stress, and also gives it a shiny look.

Materials for 3d floors

You might think that completely different materials are used for 3d floors, a different tape for self-leveling floors. But they are not much different from each other. True, two large groups can be distinguished:

1. Used in the coating itself. This is primarily a mixture. For 3d floors, the best choice is a two-component polymer (tinted or transparent) based on polyurethane or epoxy. With its help, the solution necessary for pouring the floor is prepared. You can choose from about 12 colors of various polymers, which will suit the interior of the room in which the work is done.

2. Necessary to complete the work. Here, mainly tools are distinguished (rollers, paint shoes, squeegee, rule, etc.).

   

Chips, paintings, wallpaper, glitter, coins, etc. are used as additional materials for 3d floors. They contribute to the decoration of the surface that almost no one paid attention to before. Reinforcement of the floor screed will be necessary in this case, if the base for the floor has errors in height, differences, potholes and other defects.

3d drawing composition

Particular attention is paid to drawing when arranging 3d floors. The more popular ones are printed drawings on a photo printer (landscapes, own photos, wildlife, etc.). They will correspond to the area that is filled in the room. When installing a screed in a production or commercial space, the logos of companies, peculiar symbols, hieroglyphs, images, letters, etc. are popular. Also find their application in studio apartments. The picture can be drawn independently, to order. In this case, everything will depend on the shades and the number of colors in it. You will have to purchase either two paints for a black-and-white image or a whole set for a color one.

The area will not play a role in the construction of 3d floors. The materials for him will be completely identical. There may be additions that depend on the final drawing, the technique of its implementation. At the same time, the starting coverage cannot do without beacons, levels, levels. If a damper tape is arranged and needed, the bulk floor will be of a higher quality. It will not change its appearance over time.

When pouring the floor, the damper tape must be installed for the reason that it helps to compensate for surface changes from movements of the building that cannot be avoided.

Tools

There is a minimum set of tools that are used to install a self-leveling floor in any room. It includes:

• Floor leveling rollers (padding polyester, needle).
• Raklya.

• Spatula with teeth.

  

• Suitable container size.
• Level.
• For safety, gloves, respirator, wet shoes.
• A drill with a mixer for mixing the solution.
• Grinder if necessary.
• Lighthouses, depending on the type of self-leveling floor.

Each of them plays a certain role in the installation of the self-leveling floor, is responsible for a certain stage of work. You should familiarize yourself with them in more detail in order to have an idea and make a quality choice when visiting a hardware store.

Choice of capacity

The size of the working bucket or drum should be as large as possible. A solution is mixed in it, which should not only be enough for the entire working room, but also for even distribution of the components of the mixture among themselves, when mixed with water. As a result, a homogeneous flowing mass should be obtained.

The volume of the container is usually selected so that a bag of the mixture (weight 25 kg) and the corresponding amount of water can be added to it at one time. By design, a bucket, basin or barrel should be selected so that the solution can be easily mixed without splashing, that is, it is better deep than wide.

It is worth noting that metal containers are much more expensive than plastic ones, while being heavy in weight, which leads to some problems when filling. For this reason, the best option is a plastic bucket or basin, which has all the positive qualities.

Needle roller

The roller itself can be fixed on absolutely any handle, including lengthwise. The choice of the final product will depend on the contractor. Its main purpose is to remove air bubbles from the solution after pouring.

A needle roller for self-leveling floors cannot be used if the mortar starts to set. We can only damage the surface. So everything should be done instantly and without wasting time. For this reason, experts recommend working with partners: 1 - kneads, 2 - levels, 3 - rolls.

Handles are made of two sections that are independent of each other. If desired, with one movement, you can double its length or vice versa. Everything will depend on the need for filling. Roller work can be done throughout the room, while being in one place - in the center.

It is worth noting that there is another roller for self-leveling floor - when applied to the prepared surface with a primer for better adhesion. He must have the appropriate pile - not less than 1.2-1.5 cm. In this case, everything will be done efficiently and quickly. The mortar will be able to reliably bond to the substrate after pouring.

So it is very important to know which floor leveling roller to choose. Everything will depend on the thickness of the self-leveling floor layer, the required properties and characteristics.

Shoe attachments

These devices are otherwise called "cats". A few spikes will be enough on the sole to move through the newly poured solution. They are fixed on the shoes in which the person works, and allow moving along the surface of the tie without damaging it. Their cost is on average 1000 rubles.

It is possible to independently perform such nozzles with a single execution of the self-leveling floor. There should be two blanks - for each leg. The material is moisture resistant plywood. Self-tapping screws or furniture screws are screwed into them, which will be at hand. Fixation to the shoes is carried out using tape, which can be very easily peeled off if necessary. Any material for the attachments is selected that can withstand the performer's loads and moisture from the solution.

Equipment application

It is not always possible to quickly and efficiently perform a self-leveling floor. Appropriate equipment is also used in the work. In this case, the area of the room should be at least 100 m ². Among the special equipment are:

1. Angle grinder.
2. Industrial vacuum cleaner.
3. Mosaic grinder.

In this case, you will still need a drill with a mixer for mixing the solution, as well as various accessories for workers: gloves, a respirator, knee pads, and so on. It should be noted that safety measures must always be observed when working with self-leveling floors. The mixtures in the finished solution emit a huge amount of harmful substances until they dry completely. Despite the short time for the surface to harden (several hours), this entire interval should be protected from vapors so as not to get poisoned.

Expert advice

Not everyone knows about whether it is necessary to reinforce the floor screed in the apartment. But experts do not rely on the superior quality of the ready-made solution for self-leveling floors and advise, especially with large differences in height over the area, to reinforce the self-leveling floor. This helps to improve the quality of the solidified solution, giving it strength and reliability. But how to reinforce the floor screed in the apartment? For this, there are enough tools used in construction: reinforcing mesh, nylon, adding special components to the solution when mixing it.

Not only careful preparation, but also the selected material (quality, manufacturer, recommendations) influences the final result. At the same time, you can not spare any funds if you need a durable self-leveling floor.

You should never refuse the advice and advice of specialists. They will definitely not tell you bad things, having a lot of practical experience.

Video:

Video:

Video:

Video: