Creating A Beautiful 3D Self-leveling Floor Yourself - But Is It Needed In The Apartment

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

The main stages of work on the device of self-leveling floors
Preparatory stage
Application of a base coat of polymer coating
The final stage of the self-leveling floor device

A distinctive feature of modern building technologies lies in the fact that for the most part a lot depends not only on the deep knowledge of specialists in building technologies, but also on the accuracy of those who create unforgettable 3D interior solutions.

Today, the technology of self-leveling floor has become even closer and more accessible, because the main components of the materials of this method of flooring have a ready-made form in the form of gels and mastics, and their use remains only a matter of the owner's desire to carefully study how to use all the components. The average cost starts from 6000 rubles per 1 m ². Thus, the device of a self-leveling floor with your own hands has become a very real thing.

The main stages of work on the device of self-leveling floors

The implementation of a work plan for self-leveling floors in a separate small room, for example, one of the rooms of a standard apartment, has some features and requirements for the performers to know and follow all the technological methods and strictly follow the sequence of actions.

Conventionally, the entire volume of work on the installation of self-leveling floors can be divided:

preparatory stage - preparation of materials, freeing up the area, assessing the condition of the rough screed;
the stage of laying communications - assessing the possibility of laying the "warm floor" system, calculating the installation and choosing the type of system;
the main stage of work is the device of a finishing screed, its preparation for the application of a polymer coating, the formation of a pattern or laying of a print, application of a topcoat;
the final stage - processing of the surface layer, varnishing.

Such a somewhat schematic disclosure of the entire sequence of works will allow, as detailed as possible, to reveal the features of each stage, and at the same time pay attention to all the subtleties of each stage.

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The composition of some components of the formulations contains aggressive substances, the effect of which on the body causes allergic reactions, which is why, before starting work, it is imperative to read the instructions for use and apply skin, eye and respiratory protection.

Preparatory stage

Before pouring the self-leveling floor, about 70% of all labor costs will have to be exactly at the preparatory stage of work. It is from how correctly the foundation is made that the final result will depend.

The rough floor, which is, as a rule, a cement-sand screed on the expanded clay bulk layer of thermal insulation, has a lot of disadvantages and is very far from ideal:

the surface has numerous cracks;
the level does not correspond to the horizontal position, there are distortions;
in some places there are sagging, deflections and screeds.

The best way to solve the problem once and for all is to refill the resin base.

The new screed must meet certain requirements:

minimum height - 4 cm with mesh reinforcement, 6 cm without reinforcement, 10 cm or more when laying heating pipes;
the horizontal surface should have a slope of no more than 1 mm by 1.5 meters;
the surface should not have deflections, especially when filling is carried out with a liquid cement-sand mortar without special additives that increase the fluidity of the solution;
the composition should be uniform, without foreign inclusions and clots.

In addition, to continue the work, it is necessary to ensure that the screed is dry, for grinding the surface, the permissible humidity should not be higher than 10%, and for applying the base layer, the humidity should be even less - 4-5%.

Drying of the screed should take place at the same, without temperature drops, since work with a self-leveling floor is provided as the application of a polymer coating that does not allow moisture to pass through, in which excess moisture in the concrete screed simply does not allow the polymer to stick to the concrete surface properly.

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Grinding and polishing of the concrete surface of the screed involves grouting the screed with an abrasive wheel or grinding with a grinding stone in order to obtain an almost perfectly flat surface, without flaws and cracks.

Before applying the base coat, you should not only vacuum off all dust, but also treat the screed with a deep penetration primer in order to create a hard top layer with a hard surface that provides excellent adhesion.

Application of a base coat of polymer coating

Conventionally, the device of self-leveling 3D floors can be represented in the form of a multi-layer cake - at the bottom, on a concrete screed, a polymer layer of base mastic. Its role is the formation of a hard and at the same time even foundation. A layer of a decorative pattern can be applied both in the form of a pattern with the help of paints, and with the help of a painted fabric, on which an image is applied on special equipment. On top, there is a polymer transparent or colored epoxy mastic. It creates a rigid protective covering of the pattern or itself forms the color scheme of the floor. The topmost layer of such a cake is a protective polymer varnish, on the one hand, protecting the image, and on the other, forming a glossy look, reflecting all the glare and rays falling on it.

Checking the readiness of the base, for applying the base polymer layer is done quite simply, in the room in which it is planned to pour the self-leveling floor onto the prepared surface, a polyethylene, colorless film measuring 1 by 1 meter is glued, the edges of which are tightly pressed with tape. After 24 hours, if no condensation drops have formed on the lower surface, then you can continue to work, if the surface is covered with condensate, you will have to wait.

The base layer is applied to the entire surface with a spatula, and then, in order to go through the gluing process as best as possible, it is rolled several times with a needle roller. The peculiarity of using this composition of polymer mastic is that the surface temperature is stable, fluctuations during the first 2-3 days are no more than 5 degrees Celsius. It is considered optimal when the temperature was about 15-20 degrees. The polymer composition of the self-leveling floor covering, like any other composition, the thickness of which is 2-3 mm, should be evenly distributed over the surface. For certain types of formulations for which it is recommended to use an additional filler, it is recommended to use only the recommended formulation, in the proportions and formulation indicated by the manufacturer.

To improve adhesion to a concrete screed, many manufacturers recommend, in addition to preparing the floor with a primer, they recommend using a special primer that improves the structure and actually attracts the base polymer composition. Another important point on how to properly fill the self-leveling floor is the timing. For various components of the formulations, it is recommended to use a specific polymerization time, from 1 hour to 1-2 days.

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The final stage of the self-leveling floor device

Drying the base coat, which has established a solid and even base, allows you to continue working with the image layer. Today, most often, to form the most popular 3D floor pattern, they use a satin base, on which an image is applied using a large-format printer. A mastic or special glue is applied to the base layer treated with a primer, most often this is a top composition, which, after installing a satin cloth, covers the entire surface and forms a top layer 2-3 mm thick. Just like the base layer, it is distributed over the floor surface using a spatula and a special roller, only in this case rolling is carried out more carefully so as not to damage the fabric.

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Thus, the thickness of the screed of a self-leveling 3D floor of two layers reaches 4-6 mm, this figure is quite enough to ensure the rigidity of the coating and withstand the pressure of the furniture in the room.

After the final drying of the top layer of the polymer composition, it is required to carefully close all the windows, and to prevent dust from entering the room, such precautions are primarily due to the fact that varnishing does not tolerate a dusty room.

After the varnish has completely dried, before using the self-leveling floor, it is recommended, according to the recommendations of individual manufacturers, to treat the floor with a special recommended antistatic compound.

The main disadvantages of 3D self-leveling floors are that during operation the floors are highly susceptible to scratches and you cannot walk on them in shoes, otherwise there will be scratches. The floor is quite slippery for use in the bathroom and apartment.

There are also reliable technologies for covering 3D floors, but the cost becomes several times more expensive.