Most of our homes, if not all, have concrete flooring but not all houses have perfect and smooth leveled flooring. You could be one of many homeowners who discover that the concrete floor of the house is uneven. For example, you may have observed that when your child drops a marble on your floor, it rolls to one side instead of staying in its original position, or one of your friends or visitors may have remarked that although your concrete floors are attractive to look at, they are not level. The first things thatcome into one’s mind arehow to fix that unleveled concrete floor leveller Queensland and the cost of redoing or fixing that floor.But hey, don’t start to worry if your concrete floors aren’t perfectly level, there is an easy remedy in the market known as floor leveling.
What are the Causes of Uneven Concrete Floors?
Concrete floors can become uneven over time due to many things. One obvious reason for unleveled concrete floorsare just due to poor construction – i.e. use of sub-standard concrete flooring materials, unqualified construction workers, and the owner’s lack of attention to detail. Laying out concrete floors is not a simple job, there is a lot that goes into making any kind of structure and if the house owner’s philosophy opts for a cost-cutting measure instead of quality work and choose not to deal with a professional and experienced building construction team, chances are things will get overlooked and the final product will suffer.
Uneven floors can also be a result of timewornstructures of old houses / buildings. Unleveled flooring can be a result of soil movement or extra moisture of the soil under the concrete flooring, which can result in the cracking of floors or tiles.
But whatever the cause of your uneven concrete flooring, it is important to let a professional inspect your flooring to determine the real cause before deciding your next steps.
What is the Construction Material that can be used in Floor Leveling?
A construction material that can be used in floor leveling is called a floor leveler. A floor leveler is a modified polymer / modified cement-based material that is applied over the existing floor surface to create a level that is smooth and even surface. A floor leveler is typically used in the construction of new homes or when floor leveling is required in existing homes.
If you want to level out your floors without removing the current flooring, a floor leveler is a fantastic solution. Floor levelers can easily create smooth, flat, and even surfaces within a day. It can dry really quickly and offers greater compressive strength. It is also a cost-effective solution, and it is much less expensive than replacing the entire floor.
What are the Types of Self-Levelling Compounds?
There are two common types of floor levelers, an acrylic type and a water-based type.Acrylic-based floor-leveling compounds require that you mix the cement powder with acrylic polymer liquid, the amount of which depends on the manufacturer’s instructions, while water-based levelers, the most common type of leveler, the cement powder is just added to water and becomes a compound which can be spread on your floor.
One of the advantages of the acrylic-based floor leveler over the water-based variety is that the acrylic-based compounds are more elastic, stick better to the concrete subfloor, and resist abrasion but the downside is that acrylic-based floor levelers require more time to dry because they contain a polymer. Water-based floor levelers,on the other hand, are much more popular because it is much quicker to dry and much easier to use than acrylic-based compound.
If this is your first time using a self-levelling compound, it is recommendedto use the second type of floor leveler compound as it is much easier to mix and work with.
What are the Recommended Steps in Laying a Self-leveling Floor Compound?
- Emptying and Cleaning the Floor
The first step in leveling the concrete floor is to remove everything out of the room –i.e. furniture, appliances, and other movable pieces in the room. After that, make sure the surface is dust-free by giving it a thorough sweep, using brooms,ora vacuum cleaner.
- Filling Small and Large Cracks in the Floor
If there are any small or large cracks in your concrete floor, it should be first repaired with a filler and sealer before a primer can be applied. Before commencing any further work it is important to let the filler and sealer dry before continuing on with the prep work.
- Applying the Primer
Once the floor has been prepped, it is time to apply the primer over the entire surface of the floor. Failure to use the product recommended primer before applying the floor leveler compound may result in installation failure. Primer retains moisture within the self-leveling underlayment to allow proper curing.
Once the floor primer has been thoroughly applied, it must be left to dry as per the curing time recommended by the manufacturer’s instruction guide.
- Mixing and Applying the Floor Leveler Compound
Once the primer is completely dried, it is time to apply the floor leveler compound. Using a bucket, mix the floor leveler compound as per the manufacturer’s instructions.It is important to only mix floor leveler compound that will be enough to make the required number of screed lines. Donot mix too much floor leveling compound as it has a limited period during which the compound is pourable and spreadable.
- Letting the Concrete FloorLeveler Dry
After the concrete floor levelercompound has been spread on the entire floor, let it dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Most concrete floor leveling compounds especially water-based floor leveler compoundsdry quickly, so they can be walked on after hours of applying it, drying fully may take after 24 hours or more.
It is important to remember that the drying time of your floor leveling compound may depend on the temperature and humidity of your place of work. Make sure to check the type of floor levelling compound you’re using and read the manufacturer’s instructions before trying to walk on the finished construction.