How NOT to Self Level a Floor! Prepping for hardwood flooring | Building Small Ep. 6
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- In this video I share my adventures in self leveling compound. After a few failed attempts I finally come up with a good technique to level my very un-level concrete slab in preparation for glue down engineered hardwood flooring. It was a lot of hard work but in the end we had a perfectly flat and level floor. Thanks for watching!
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Self leveling projects are about ten times harder than most you tube videos will make them out to be, this is a great video to have a real idea of what you're actually getting into, tons of variables and manpower needed, this is one of the best videos out there because of the honesty
it takes a big person to admit their errors. thanks for sharing! costly mistakes can be valuable lessons...
Starting a project like this with no experience is just like paying dues to an apprenticeship class, it costs time and money but in the end you gain the experience same as a pro. This applies to all things in construction and you can achieve professional level results if you approach it like a learning tool and be willing to undo your mistakes and repeat the process over. Grinding down your first mistake was , in the long run, the right thing to do and is part of " paying dues " to gain a professional result. Job well done , you should be proud of the accomplishment.
Thanks much for the video. You know, the BEST DIY VIDEOS are ones where mistakes or oversights have been made. These become "tips and cautionary tales" where the viewers can beware, and prevent making the same mistakes. All the "perfect" videos on CZcams don't prepare you for what could go wrong, but seeing how you discovered the heat issue, and hot versus cold water use, has us now aware of what to do. And it kind of releases us from the fear of making mistakes because mistakes happen, and they can be fixed. Congrats on completing your project and thanks again for sharing! A very valuable 'how to' video.
14:18 - The dog drinking the floor leveler. 😂
Thank you for helping my sanity. I just poured a bag of self leveler yesterday in my 6 x 8 shower. Apparently from the time carrying it from outside down to the bathroom, and then finding out that there were spots within the mix that were not mixed up enough ,and fixing that, it must’ve started setting up too fast. When I poured it out, it was like dealing with mud instead of water. I knew there was no way I would get it level. So I quickly scraped it back up and put it back in the bucket I took it out of. I now have a solid 40 pound bucket, and a great lesson learned. Next attempt I will mix within the bathroom, use cold water, and be prepared to poor immediately.
This is what i always teach my kids, if you fail the first time, don't give up, instead find a better solution. great job. Now I will not start on self leveling :))
I have done self leveling many times. I found what worked for me was to dry screed first. I marked out with 'H" for high and "L" for low int he spots required. Poured the compound in smaller batches as it is easier to control in all the "L's" and it did what it was meant to do, self level. The high spots where just ground to level. I had a learning curve as well but way cheaper as dozens of bags can get expensive. Floor coloring not uniform but your laying over it anyhow. He stuck with it and it turned out nice..
You have make sure you at least watch from minute 4:50 ... super hilarious, I laughed like a hyena... I can appreciate the honesty, we've all been there and have had to learn some hard lessons, you took it graciously!
I had a similar experience using leveling compound in my kitchen. My kitchen floor is still not level but is now a half inch higher than the dining room floor. I put a floating laminate floor over it and just pretend that everything is fine. :'(
Nothing to see here
These videos are actually what a DIY-er needs, so kuddos for this!
Wow, the before process is probably EXACTLY the way I would have gone about doing this. I may have even gotten impatient and ended up with the same kind of concrete, especially if I was working against time and freaking out. Thank you so so much for this honest video.
Way to recover, and the end result is top-flight! Everybody pays their dues, and I thank you for an honest video that shows you paying yours. Your honesty will hopefully save a lot of people a lot of time and money.
Thanks for your honesty! It really is good to have somebody showing that my fear of tackling this is NOT unfounded.
Thank you btw for adding this valuable footage we can share when our customers say the other company didn't bid $800 for floor leveling. until now ive always just had to say yes because they hadn't planned on doing it which is even worst. BTW the indoor air temp likely wasn't hurting you 1/2 as bad as the hot water in your hose was and not using a mixing drill on low speed. the faster you whip it the faster the reaction begins. Great content though!!
I believe your biggest mistake is using the quick set leveler. It is on principal one of the easiest parts of the whole masonry to self level the floor. For such a big project you would need 2 guys but still it can be done with 1 guy. basically all you gotta do is mix down to the percentage ratio (it usually says 5 or 6L for a whole bag) so you take precisely that much water mix it in for precise amount of minutes it says on the bag and you just pour and that's it. Take a trowel to push it a bit and you pour another and another and another filling the room with liquid and letting the liquid thanks to the gravity level ITSELF.
You should not level it yourself. It levels on its own but the problem is as I checked the bag it is a quick set leveler which means it is for small jobs or multiple people big project jobs as there should be about 5 or 6 of them 3 mixing the bags 2 pouring and spreading as those very quickly become unworkable while the general AND quality ones takes about 20-30 minutes before they slightly harden and become unworkable but on principle you should pour take 5 minutes to not even smear but just slightly nudge the liquid until it stops moving on its own which stops fairly quickly and you go in mix another pour in and repeat and by the time you're done whole room should be still very much in liquid form as the liquid is still moving around filling in the dips and setting in.
I always steer clear of the quick sets on anything as I am not highly skilled because with the quick sets you need to know your shit down to the motion of your body as the rhythm is not set by you but by the mix and if you don't know what you are suppose to be doing that's it games over.
This looks to me exactly right. The 'RS' in that bag label means 'Rapid Set,' which is what you want if you're a pro, but if you're feeling your way through a new process it gives you no margin for error. There will be people who look at this and say, "This is harder than you think, which is why you need a pro." But my main takeaway is: don't use the products and process designed for pros, which have tuned their skills for speed and efficiency. Set yourself up with a more forgiving system to work with, because you know you'll be slow and inefficient.
Happily, Mapei makes self-leveler that takes much longer to cure, and gives you a lot more time to work. You need to give it a good 24-48 hours before you walk on it, which is why the pros might avoid it, but it's a better DIY option when you're in your learning curve.
When it comes to self leveling compound you have to add the proper amount of water. You also have to have a lot of help so there's a lot of buckets ready it needs to be as monolithic as possible. Good job is not giving up guy.
Dude, you have my admiration and respect! Thanks so much for sharing everything that you did! I am thinking about buying a property that needs to have this done and I appreciate the pitfalls that you shared as well as the successes! Yes, I am SURE you saved a ton of money because like you said, you'd need to pay two or three people to do this and after hiring a contractor a few years back, I'm also SURE they would be in no hurry to get it done. Again, Thank You Sir!
I watched you video. I do hardwood floors for a living. I level floors all the time. I use tapcons every 2 or 3 feet to give me a height to pour to. It works well. We charge $75 a bag to level. So you can compare your cost,to what we charge in South Florida. It is definitely a hard thing to do. There's a learning curve. I made some of the same mistakes you made early in my career.
That's a much better job than I've see many so-called pros do. That's why I've done almost all my home concrete jobs myself. I had over 15 years as a concrete mason, but I can still make mistakes. Admitting to mistakes is the first step to self-improvement.
The money-saving makes me happy, too! ;)
Love your honesty. I’ve been in the flooring game 7 years now and still make mistakes, not many but time and pressure can do that to ya.
In saying that I’ve met carpet layers that have been at it 20 years plus but have no clue how to level a floor. Amazing but true here in Australia.
Fkn Australia is the worst bro. "Building boom" many apprentices have been used as cheap labour by large builders. They never actually learned much technical skills. Now there is a shortage of technically sound professional guys. Good luck everybody!!!
Anyone who has done any amount of contracting knows this feeling, and it's sickening when it's happening to you at a time you can't adjust. I feel for you, but I admire you for sharing your experience.
Videos with mistakes after lots of prep but honest evaluation are so valuable. Thanks for posting it.
This is the video I needed. Learn from others mistakes, do it yourself, make the same mistake, repeat
Dude, I feel for you. Respect for having a go 👏
You can use tabs, which you can get from a specialty flooring place so you dont have to use the laser level technique.
They stick to the floor and they have a measuring stick on them. You place these around, set your laser near the floor, then mark the tabs individually and then you pour around the tabs. Voila, perfectly level, you keep pouring until all the tabs are buried to the right height on the marking stick and then you let it dry. The tabs then break off after.
Saves the trouble, its easy to do and its very precise.
Also not sure which brand you used but UZIN makes some really good self leveling compounds. Then you can fix/feather the edge with UZIN 886 or 888 if you have a small curb and your pour wasnt the entire area.
GOod luck next time!
Tabs? You mean spacers?
Finally a video that shows how it really works, had the same problem with my bathroom. Doing the kitchen in a few weeks. Brilliant ideas and so many good lessons , thanks.
Thanks! Good luck!
Thank you, thank you for being shamelessly honest. This is the reality of DIY projects and the reason it's going to cost me so much less in time, frustration, and supplies to hire a professional.
The main thing here is you did not quit! I do not know you, But if you were my son i would be so proud of you!
I had the same thing happen to me and it nearly cost my sanity. I have been trying to build the courage to approach my floors again. I think your video is just what I needed to see. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing. I'm about to start on a flooring project. Seeing the mistakes is almost better than seeing the 'success'. Appreciate your efforts. You're right, what else do we have to do during the COVID lock downs. lol.
Thanks for posting man. Dust shroud is worth every penny if you are doing this inside. A grinder will fill your room with dust in no time
With the extent of this project. I would have taken out the stove and dishwasher to have a uniform surface. I guess its just my OCD. Awesome job!
no, It's called foresight. what happens when you want to replace your dishwasher and the Floor level is too high to remove the old one? Are you going to call your cabinet guy to redo your whole cabinets just to replace your dishwasher just because you didn't remove it the first time?
Thank you so much for sharing your failures rather than just your successes! It's actually so much more useful for people trying to learn seeing what mistakes to avoid and how things can go wrong so that our projects can (hopefully) go smoother!
Thumbs up for sharing a real life experience, had a realatable one.
Have year's of concrete experience but floor leveler is a different beast.
Hired the wife to help with a master bath on the 3rd floor with a number of obstacles..
It was a humbling experience and a lesson learned.
Don't use a float to feather, use a steal trowel, no matter how hard you think you can push yourself anything over a patch requires prep and help.
The first time I used this was for a marble floor in an upstairs bathroom. It went pretty smoothly if you read the instructions on the bag.
5 minutes seems like a long time to mix, but it's pretty important. Then wait and mix again. It helps if you have someone mixing while you're pouring. Two people mixing is better.
In the same boat you are in. My SLU was proud in some areas, low spots in others. It just sets up too fast
They need to make an SLU that sets up in an hour instead of 20 mins. Bought the same Dewalt grinder, shroud and wheel as you. Your method here works the best. Good work
Great video. Thank you for your time and effort to make it and share it with the world.Greetings from Croatia.
I did my first one last night, cool evening, and just pouring a little out a time and on hands and knees with a trowel to push it into the corners, just mixing 10kg at a time and it worked great but my room was a lot smaller than yours. Im really pleased with the outcome. I think if you never done it before, do small mixes at a time and get someone to mix while you pour and level. i didnt have a spike roller but wish i had one as it would have made it easier.
Great video. I've been doing construction for quite a while. I've used self leveler probably once a year or so, never as big a space as your were dealing with but... You appear to have learned everything I did in 14 years, in one project. Granted, CZcams has come a long way but kudos brother, excellent work and way to shorten the curve. It has a lot to do with giving a shit, and you obviously do.
Well, I loved it. Many of the DYI projects I watch, I've done, but for some reason I can't watch enough. I feel like "you never know". I found self leveling cement difficult as well. You can learn something new, re-remember something old or just enjoy seeing work done. Your humility and dead pan style helped a lot. Kudos
Thanks for posting this. I admire anyone who insists on doing a job on their own and is not afraid to try something new. CZcams sure does help with the "mysteries". Sometimes learning about anothers mistakes is better than learning the "proper way" to do something. I like both actually. I watched quite a few videos on self-leveling and this is the first one I came across that mentioned temperature. Also, there are not too many contractors that will openly admit to screwing one of their jobs. I'm sure most can appreciate that "pros" who do this for a living can't teach the one time do-it-yourselfer how to do it just like them. Experience goes a long way thats for sure. I would be prone to believe true self-leveling compound would have the vidcosity very close to water. Wouldn't it be nice if that were the case.
The biggest mistake being made here, pouring to thin and slow. DO NOT cover a large area when dumping the buckets. Empty the buckets quickly, followed by pin rolling, while a second person mixes as fast as possible. Also, get those buckets poured waaay faster. You should be mixing and pouring as fast as you can without splshing on the walls! No time to stand around. The spiked roller should continue to be moving until no visible movement is detected. If the roller is pushing a wave your rolling to fast. It is not for "moving" material, but to break surface tension, allowing the material to continue flowing to PERFECT level. If you are using a trowel or screed, your doing it wrong. This isn't patch or concrete. This floor would have taken me and one man mixing, less than 45 mins to pour and roll. (After preping)
Ideally, have 2 people mixing to avoid extended wait time between pours. This keeps the material thick (deep) enough to flow quickly. Have ALL your water at hand. You can fill a large garbage can and have a measuring bucket ready to go. THE FASTER THE BETTER!!!!
If the house flexs this won't crack ?
@@samuelbermudez2971 If the house "flexes" everything will crack. Houses don't flex.
@@honestlyforreal6304 damn forgot teacher is here . No fear 😅
@@samuelbermudez2971 Well, I am an expert on the topic. Perhaps you're intending to ask about expansion.? If you decide to poor a floor yourself or hire someone, it is quite important to create a space at the perimeter. The foam serves that purpose. The mistake here was using caulk, and pouring tight to the wall.
@@honestlyforreal6304 ohhh nooo I know what you mean
The best part of the video is the lessons you learned from the processing. Many of the similar videos only show their "perfections".
Great video and good for you to share. I have managed to mess up a few floors of my own. You sharing this will prepare others for what's ahead. Site and temp conditions and following the manufacturers directions to the letter make for success or failure. Overworking these products creates a nightmare. If you never try it again use an acrylic floor leveller which has a slower set up time and gives you a wet edge longer. The finished floor looked great we learn from our mistakes.
Appreciate the video, it’s not always fun or easy.
While the concerns in this video are legit (especially the temperature!), I am a flooring installer and I did this so many times but I never went to such extremes! The idea is to start on the low spots, mix it liquid, and work yourself to high areas. If you need to pour anything more than 1/2 inch thick at a time (or the max thickness marked on the bag!), you should do multiple pours! If you are using straight edges and forms to do this, why not use something else (defeats the purpose of using self leveling!)? It would be so much cheaper ($60/bag self leveling vs $5-$15/bag anything else)!
I totally agree, was looking for a comment like this. I use a similar straight edge method with tile thinset. Much cheaper and you can actually slope it if you need the floor to be just flat and not exactly level.
So true, or grind the hi spots if posible and than fill up the low spots.
water the floor first (yes even when it is primered!)
or even better use te techn.in video while pouring the floor and non of this would be needed.
16:11
Well he did title the video "what NOT to do", he wasn't suggesting it should be done this way. He lost hundreds of dollars and days of his time! He screwed up and he knew it, but he shared this anyway for others to learn from his mistakes. Not for professionals to berate him!
What purpose does it actually serve to ask him "why didn't you..." after the fact? That's essentially asking "why didn't you just do it right the first time", it's unnecessarily condescending and judgmental. Why is a professional even watching a DIY video anyway??
@@lblincoe2094 How did the commenter “berate” the original video? Aren’t you the one who’s really being “unnecessarily condescending and judgmental”? CZcams can do with more professionals, and less Karens.
Just made a mess of my kitchen floor last weekend. Wish I would have seen this video before I did it, unfortunately I only watched ones which showed how well this stuff worked. Now getting quotes for someone to come in and grind it flat.
Sorry to hear that. Same thing happened to me. Looked soooo easy for everyone else
Thank you for the video! Just botched up a floor in my house yesterday afternoon for similar reasons. Outside temperature was a bit high and I burnt my drill after mixing the 4th bag. Hand mixing was painfully slow and not lump free. I should have used a little bit more water and working in pairs with one guy operating the mixer is definitely a great idea.
It probably would've been better to stop when I saw it's going south and Google your video.
Next I'll have to get a floor grinder and grind the high spots down. I'm planning to pour over without taking down too much material.
LOL! Your experience was very similar to mine when I tried to level a 600 sq ft room. First attempt I tried to do it without help in the summer and after the first couple buckets knew it wasn't working because it was setting faster than I could pour it out. Spent a bunch of money and time grinding down that mistake. Second attempt using ice water and a helper went better but still some high and low spots. Then decided to try a patch approach where I alternatvely ground and leveled specific spots but it's still not level enough. Every patch I fix reveals other spots that then need leveling. I figured I would have to just pay someone to do it right but your video is encouraging me to make one more try at it.
I haven’t even finished watching this video yet, but I’m already cracking up at less that 6 minutes in. Way to keep it real man!
I learned alot about how to do it from your video. I just put in laminate flooring a few years back so I wasn't as worried about being perfectly level. Good job on sticking with it until you got it done.
I’m doing my first levelling project, and I felt like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. I’m confident however that the glue process will hide quite a few blemishes. With the glue trowel being a foot long, that will help hide any low points between high point a foot apart.
Getting ready to do mine. Hot tip to use a long pole with paint roller on it minus paint sleeve if you don't have a spiked roller...read directions so you buy correct drying times....Good Luck fellow warriors!
At least you tried. I have made many mistakes but learnt a lot from them,
Ahhh, the magic of skreeding! Don't worry man, I learned the hard way too years ago
I like the look of the primed concrete by itself.
Thank you for your video. I, too, learned a lot from your efforts. In the long run, your job turned out quite well!
Omg! This is the best argument for an xtra 10% of water if i ever saw one!
I feel you bro. That music @5:22 was hilarious. Thanks for sharing. You’re a poet.
I actually choked up.
Yup, and yeah what everyone else has commented. You should fortunate to be able to literally pay for your mistakes. I know you just saved me hours of labor and frustration. Thank you very much!
thanks for being honest about how self leveling can ve tricky. I converted a bedroom to an office and screwed up the self leveling and then put vinyl flooring... i did a crappy job that i will one day fix. i wish i would have seen your video earlier.
If at first you fail, go buy more tools😄I feel your pain young man, been there done that, respect for your honesty
I love n experienced here self-levelling compounds is what it says on the bag self-levelling you don't have to work it you are over working it!
Wow, that was tough to watch. Not because of you, but because it brought back memories of all too many DIY struggles I have gone through with home improvement. Us men can be a stubborn breed. I am totally impressed with how you went to the effort to grind it down, then build all of the rail systems. I don't know if I would have been that patient. Good on ya!
I feel your pain man, so much for the self levelling aspect. Thanks for sharing your experience so others can be more prepared.
I’m glad you pushed through it and never gave up man thanks for the heads up brother
I am surprised nobody has pointed out the obvious. There are RS and ES versions of the product. If you are not an expert, it totally makes sense to go with the ES version which gives you a lot more time to work with and level it.
Agreed completely but good luck finding the ES. I live in Colorado and you pretty much have to special order ES from ACE and they charge $100 per bag due to weight in shipping. HD told me they cannot get it. I cannot find any intel on why HD sells only a quick setting product to DIYers - that’s idiotic! Any DIYer would trade more working time for a product that sets overnight. I’ve never even seen ES in a CZcams video which tells you it’s hard to find. I’m trying Laticrete Level Flow for my next project which is supposed to have a longer working time
Awesome determination. A lot of people would have gave up. You learn more when things go wrong then when it’s easy. Good job
Good for you for sticking with it
I think you did a brilliant job mate ! I did my kitchen years ago with SLC and I drilled and set screws in the concrete floor and levelled em then just poured flush to head of screws . Not easy on your own mixing etc
Once everything is said and done, it'll either be hard as hell or impossible to take the dishwasher and stove out if they ever need to be replaced or repaired.
Thank you for posting your project it’s actually quite helpful to me for my floor leveling I’m ready to tackle.
"so vast" que sad music-ROFL! Seeing the mistakes is so much better than seeing it perfect the first time. Thank you!
It's not just me then, my cella floor has caused me no end of frustration. Spent a fortune on KA Slury, then 2 attempts of self level, even put laminate down 15m2. Took laminate back up twice. Floor still not level. I have no experience so on You Tube university lol. Spent more money on the floor than anything & still not right. Thank you for sharing, same dog as mine they good supervisors.
I always mix 100 lbs at a time. The larger the batches the less ripples you get. Coldest water possible. Comes out like loose cake batter. Work fast. Knock down each pour with trowel to give it help. When next pour hits last pour it starts to activate quicker. Dam up heat ducts and caulk big cracks or you will find it leaking through everywhere.
I am not alone facing such problem after watching your video. The supplier tutorial video seems to easy. I fellow every step carefully and even get weight and measure every compound and water needed and yet it still fail.
Good job. I thought long and hard about using self leveling compound but in the end decided not to and to just patch the few low spots. We have an OSB subfloor and I put down a floating floor so I didn't have to go to the same tolerance that you did. Man, what a pain...
Wtf is a floating floor
@@DjSuperK Laminate flooring is called floating it is not glued down it snaps together and the trim around the edge hold it down and allows it to expand and contract. Same with snap together wood flooring. Only major difference is the guy making the video can rent a machine and refinish his flooring where the floating one will be replaced after it looks no good.
New approach - ring a trades person
Great idea.
But he saved so much money! If you dont count all the money spent on wasted materials and all the tools he needed to get the job done 😭🤣👌
if you can find one that's honest and for a small job. We have been getting estimates for 400sq' area and they prices are all over the place. One guy even said he might have to raise the french doors .... still looking
Hahaha! I really appreciate your candor in your learning mistakes! After watching the first go round seeing all the equipment you purchased was hysterical! I admire that you hung in there and got it done! I don’t think you even realize that the way you narrated this video so calm and open about how bad things went was very cool and entertaining! I could feel my blood pressure lowering as I would have been quite different in the same situation.
Respect for this video man!!! Liked it, laughed, respect for sharing a failed attempt!!
Self leveling compound? Just mix it with water and let it down the floor, use a spiked roller for the bubbles. Sounds great, everybody can do that.
I fall for that trap, too.
I had the same experience as you, in my small bathroom 2x2m. I wanted to level my flloor because i had an unevenness up to 5mm in the corners. I spent some days for looking videos how to do and read the manuels etc, bought the complete equipment and the most recommendet self leveling compound. I have made the prework. I have mixed the compound exatly like it was written, temperatur everything was adjusted and double checked. When I let it down to the floor, everything went smooth. After work the floor was like a flat mirror, I was absolutely happy.
The next day in the morning I sprang out of my bed an ran direktly to check my floor. It was a nightmare, the surface was not flat. I had a big hump in the middle and the difference from high to low was now more than 10mm.
Fortunately, the extra material on the floor was not a problem. So I grinded the floor and leveld it again. This time I used tile adhesive and a ruler. Before I startet, I leveled guides on the floor. The outcome was 100%, less than 1mm unevenness. Next time i will do it the same way.
Great video. We all learn best by doing and making mistakes. Thanks for sharing something we all can relate too. Nice job!
I think you're making a mistake not pulling the base-cabinets and dishwasher out of the kitchen. Once you raise the floor-level with the soupy cement and the thickness of the hardwood flooring you'll never be able to remove the dishwasher out for repairs and the kick-space will become too short for your feet to comfortably fit in under the cabinets. You should have removed the cabinets and dishwasher, spread your leveling cement there and after it set up, installed a plywood base the same thickness as your wood flooring. (Speaking from sad experience 2 times.)
production quality is a 10 outa 10 great job on the video
You had all the tools except a gauge rake. They come in adjustable design or serrated. This is used to pull your self levelling to a set thickness. Thereafter quickly spike roll to remove the bubbles. I've been laying flooring for over 30 years and if one doesn't understand the timing of SL it can really turn on you.
Lastly its best to pregrind the high spots or fill low spots. BUT doorways and entrances are your points to determine thickness. P.s. don't ever pour less than 3mm.
Because it cracks?
@@benhelmuth9129 100% correct.
I'm doing a small basement bathroom soon. Loved your tips for sealing the perimeter. Thanks!
I always bring my dog too work he is the best inspector! great advice thanks :)
I’m sure the roller takes the air bubbles out from when the mix is done to.I had our counsel lay a floor in my kitchen without one and there were air bubbles dentitions all over the place.they just poured it down and left it. Got on their horses and rode off into the sunset
That fade to black at 3:33. I felt that.
a floor that large need like 8 people 2 pourers and 6 mixers because you want the to have almost all the mix you will need ready but since there is some working pour time having alot of mix being made fast
you dont need 8 ppl lol.. come on man
@@lang1892 to me more realistic you should have 1 person per 4sq ft this is how you know you can have the job done before it sets up. smaller crews have done larger jobs but its a basic rule of thumb for non industry pros.
I have 900sq ft to level. I was planing on do it my self but after watching your video, probably I’m going to draft my brothers to help me. Thanks.
You need at least 3 people, one mixing nonstop, one walking and pouring and one screeding. Once you start you need to be FAST.
That’s definitely a new way to put down self leveling.
Ouch, did the same thing in our bathroom, a much smaller space though. Had to pour a new batch on top. Your final result looks great btw :) Subscribed!
But why are you putting glue under your hardwood floor? Never seen that before.
My experience exactly. _"Self leveling"_ is one of the most brazen marketing lies I have ever seen. Self level my ass - if you are not a trained specialist, you have no chance of achieving even just the closest thing to "true level". After my own extremely disappointing attempts, I had a professional apply this stuff for me - and I _still_ had to patch up individual spots afterwards.
selfleveling should SELF level.
i tryed warm water for plastering years ago to speed up the proces,it worked so well that i never tryed that again!,lol.
we live and we learn.
It was mentioned elsewhere, not enough manpower. On something that size, I'd want at least 4 buckets and 4 people. One person would be cleaning buckets and refiling with water. Another person mixing, another person running buckets in and out of the house.
Most I've ever done is 6 bags, so your job size would make me loose sleep. Yours was a calcium based material. I've only used concrete based products. I'm sure their are more user friendly products out there. I love UZIN 170 Level star. Not cheap, but flows really nice.
Yes, and cold water is your best friend. With self-leveling products the screen isn't really necessary. The product should flow flat on its own.
Since you have to work fast the last thing you need to know is how much you're applying. If you have lines on the wall, that would immediately tell you if you're getting the thickness desired.
Thanks for the honest experience. It helps everyone that watches your video.
Always, always remove the appliances before attempting a job like this. Otherwise it’s nearly impossible to slide the dishwasher out from under the counter when it needs repair or replacing. It makes moving the refrigerator and stove very difficult later.
When the dramatic music kicked in I about lost it 😆
Sad violin song had me laughing so hard