Modern repair, high-quality and durable, it is difficult to imagine without a very flat floor. It doesn't matter if the laminate, natural wood or linoleum becomes the topcoat. It is important to level the floor, make it smooth, horizontal, even. A special mixture for leveling floors facilitates this work. Compositions are available for any topcoat.
Main types
In order for parquet, tile, laminate and all other floors to serve for a long time and reliably, so that cracks do not form, it is recommended to level the floors with a building composition before laying the finish (decorative) coating.
A mixture for
leveling floors can be only two types: cement and gypsum. Cement is suitable for all rooms (dry or wet). Its thickness cannot exceed 50 mm, so cement levelers dry quickly. If a thicker leveling layer is required, you will have to take gypsum. Gypsum
mixture for leveling floors allows you to arrange a bulk layer with a thickness of 100 mm. Gypsum is much cheaper than cement, but it dries longer.
But its main drawback is different: gypsum mixture for leveling the floor can be used only in absolutely dry rooms. The slightest humidity will begin to destroy the bulk gypsum layer. Therefore, very often in houses with different levels of humidity in the premises, different self-leveling bulk coatings are chosen. In kitchens, bathrooms, toilets use cement, and in rooms - gypsum mixture to level the floor.
Mixtures for leveling a wooden floor
Plaster or cement is just the basis of self-leveling compounds. Depending on the topcoat, they add special substances that enhance the adhesion of materials, for wooden floors special compositions are needed. Plaster and cement are low-plastic materials, they stick poorly to wood, and the water used to shut these compounds can damage wooden floors. Therefore, substances that increase adhesion are mandatory added to the mixture for leveling floors from wood. It can be fiber, fibrous materials, etc. The longer the filler fibers, the more reliable the floor. However, if it is planned to make the fill more than a centimeter thick, it will have to be reinforced with a reinforced mesh. Using levelers allows you to simultaneously turn the floor almost into a mirror and insulate it.
How to calculate the right amount of mixture
When calculating the consumption of a mixture for leveling the floor, you should consider:
• To enhance adhesion, part of the mixture will have to be used for priming the base. Usually on average per square meter it takes up to a quarter kilogram of the mixture.
• If you arrange a bulk floor with a thickness of a millimeter, then you need about half a kilogram of the finished mixture per meter. However, depending on the thickness of the floor and the condition of the base, the flow rate may increase.
When constructing floors with a thickness of a millimeter, an average liter of mixture per square meter is needed. To calculate the final flow rate, you need to multiply the density (for example, 1.3) by the volume. In this example, the flow rate of the mixture will be 1.3 kg.
Polyurethane impregnations or special residues with a lot of quartz sand will help to reduce the cost .