Can I Nail Through Floor Leveling Compound

This section is by RBC Mortgages

Mike Holmes: Cocky-levelling concrete is a great choice to prepare a floor — but here's why it's not a DIY choice

There are many products with many unlike processes; done wrong, it can be costly

Feb 26, 2016 • February 26, 2016 • iii minute read • Join the conversation

The Holmes Group

Terminal calendar week a homeowner asked me nigh self-levelling cement. They were thinking well-nigh pulling up the old tile in their dwelling house and installing new tile, merely their floor has some dips and slopes, so they wanted to use self-levelling cement to even those out.

Self-levelling cement can be a good culling for levelling these issues without having to set the entire structure of the floor. I dear information technology because you tin cascade it one day and walk over information technology the next. But make no error: it's not a one-solution-fits-all.

Self-levelling cement might seem like an easy job simply information technology's very like shooting fish in a barrel to screw up if you lot don't know what you're doing — and believe me, this is 1 task you do not want to screw up. Not simply is the product expensive, fixing it if you lot see issues tin can also exist very labour intensive, which means more money.

Is it DIY? If it's a small patch, mayhap — but I would always recommend hiring a pro. It will price you simply, equally always, you become what you lot pay for.

A DIY self-levelling cement task might look good for a few months, perchance even a couple years. Merely if it'due south not done properly, somewhen it can start to crack. If your floors move or bounciness, that cement tin crack, also. A pro can tell you if this product is the all-time solution or if you're improve off addressing and fixing the construction below.

Plus, in that location are many cocky-levelling cement products, from many different manufacturers, and each of them has its ain set of processes and instructions to ensure it gets done right, and these must be followed precisely.

This tin can be a tricky product to work with. It takes plenty of knowledge and experience. Such variables equally weather (heat, rain, moisture, etc.) can affect the end consequence. Likewise, taking into consideration how long the self-levelling cement is mixed for, at what speed, how properly it'southward mixed, awarding time, how long information technology sits, how it cures, how much water is added, how much aggregate or bonding agent is added tin all make or break your project.

The No. 1 rule is to always follow the manufacturer'southward instructions. This is crucial.

Even if a shop representative or tradesperson recommends a sure type of self-levelling cement for your projection, you yet need to practise your ain research and read the packaging, because even but one slight difference can modify everything.

For example, you must know what substrate it'south going to be practical to and what flooring is existence installed over height of information technology. Some self-levellers can be nailed through, others you can't. So if you're installing hardwood floor over top, you will need a self-levelling cement that you lot can nail through.

There are many self-levelling cement products, from many dissimilar manufacturers, and each of them has its own ready of processes and instructions to ensure information technology gets done right

Also, some products can have tiles installed on top, others crave a decoupling membrane on the substrate earlier the cement can be poured. Some require a primer, others don't; sometimes the primer needs to be dry out, other times it needs to be sticky or more liquid, and so on. Different self-levelling products must be mixed to different (and very specific) consistencies. So you run into, it all depends on the production.

Yous as well need to know exactly how much levelling you lot require for your project. Do you need to bring up the floor ane inch, an inch and a one-half, two inches? This volition impact the type of self-levelling cement product needed.

If a business firm is 100 years old and during that time the floor has dipped or sagged, a self-leveller could be a skillful alternative if the floors aren't moving. They might take dipped because of time or wear and tear merely they're not constantly moving. A self-levelling cement can give you that polish, straight surface you need, but I would first get an engineer to come in and check the load on the flooring structure below information technology to make sure it can back up the cement'south actress weight — and specially if you're installing something heavy like tile over top.

Self-levelling cement tin exist a skillful alternative if it doesn't brand sense to level out the flooring and set its structure, either because of budget constraints, structure limitations and/or timing. But it takes a real pro to do information technology right.

Lookout Mike Holmes in his series, Holmes Makes It Correct, on HGTV. For more information, visit makeitright.ca.