How long is a piece of string?

[Weatherlawyer]

And how much sand and cement do I need to make enough self leveling compound for a floor of 235 sq ft?

I'm guessing 4 bags of sand to 1 of cement with half a gallon of PVA but I really have no idea.

[OG]

A friend measured all the pieces of string he came across for a while and the average length was 53.4 cm.

He did not measure balls of string, skeins of wool, lengths of rope, threads, yarns, twine.

[Clot]

Why knot?

[OG]

Just not re corded

[NT]

deceide on the thickness, convert to feet, calculate total volume. Decide your mix ratio and divide total volume into eg 75% and 25%. Go back next day to get more cos you miscalculated.

NT

[Bruce]

There are multiple strands to this story.

[Weatherlawyer]

You are as dim as the other shit for brains posting to this thread.

Whilst I have to accept the majority of people on here don't know an awful lot, the idea being they may learn something, I find it deplorable that your attempt at humour also conveys you have nothing better to do than reply to a thread you can't add to, stay up late to do it and show the whole world the level of your ignorance in the process.

If you ever get tired of being you, you will be a lot older.

[Me Here]

String length is easy... Works for *all* lengths..........

It is twice as long as half the distance from each end ..

Simples !

[ericp]

He got tied up and forgot.

[John Rumm]

This is going to be one of those threads....

[John Rumm]

Charmless knob... and you wonder why you don't get constructive answers!

Let alone not even providing the basic information like how far out of level the floor is, and what sort of finish you currently have so that one would have at least a chance of estimating the volume required.

With your posting history, that's ironic really.

For the benefit of anyone else, finishing that sort of area (i.e.

15'x15'6" approx) would typically take 125kg of latex levelling compound. That assumes a thickness between 3 to 6 mm over a ribbed concrete substrate. Any holes deeper than 10mm can be patched first with levelling compound and sharp sand mix.

If you want to do it with a sand and cement screed then you will need significantly more since you won't be able to go that thin.

[Jim K]

you're being way too generous today John ;>))

I would have left him dangling by his own thread...

Cheers Jim K

[Tim Watts]

Weatherlawyer wibbled on Wednesday 23 June 2010 04:37

You get the advice you pay for. Being rude isn't going to persuade those who do know to be helpful.

Anyway, in the spirit of being helpful:

Forget the sand/cement. You won't be making anything useful with that, unless you are "levelling" 2" or more depth, which I'd call rescreeding.

It will fall off[1], has no levelling properties whatsoever and will dry out faster than you can work it.

[1] Unless it is mixed with SBR and a full SBR screeding regime is followed, (google this group for details, it's been posted a few times). Then you'll be limited to 10mm min and it still won't self level. But it's useful for patching deep bits and it won't fall off.

John's suggested latex. But get a good one, some are rubbish.

I'll suggest my favourite which is F Ball Stopgap 300 HD. At 3mm application I agree with John, you're in the 5-6 bags territory.

You'll need to follow the regime in the data sheet to the letter, which is mostly about mixing it right and priming the floor with green neoprene stuff. That buys you one thing over regular latex in that the floor doesn't then suck the water out of the compound so once it is spread to approximately the right thickness and has wetted the substrate, the use of a spiked roller will remove air and assist it in *actually* levelling. Needs help at 3mm, at 6+ mm it will actually do a "mill pond" for you if you keep it agitated - one of the few true self levellers.

Google for F Ball - they have an excellent website with excellent data sheets and vids. York Flooring Supplies sell it on the internet at good prices.

Your problem will be handling that quantity. You have 25 minutes +/- bugger all from starting to mix to walking away.

I did 5 bags over a similar area with 2 60l mega buckets, biggest SDS whisk (which still left the odd lump - plaster mixer is better when I borrowed one).

3 bags in one bucket in one half of the room, the other 2-3 in the other bucket. have the guaging water measured in and ready. Have the bags slit and ready. Do not waste your valuable 25 minutes with any faffing at all. Get at least one other person to help, you will not do that alone in one hit[2].

Mix bucket 1 for the few minutes required. Mix number 2 similarly.

Remove tools. Tip buckets over in situ.

Scrape out, throw out (assistant now starts hosing them off). You now work the liquid as fast as you can until everything is wetted, then get to work with the spiked roller. Do this all over and again until you are at 20 minutes from starting. Now walk backwards rollering your footprints out.

Finish the washing off outside, have a lunch break then in 90 minutes walk onto and admire your perfect floor :)

[2] If you are alone, then you'll have to do it in sections, installing a batten across the room as a dam. Aim to work 2 bags at a time, so probbaly 1/3rds in your case.

HTH

Tim

[Bruce]

You need to resist with every fibre of your being.

[The Natural Philosopher]

give him enough to hang himself I say.

[Clot]

Oh dear, the wrong side of bed? Review your post. It did invite a lighthearted response in the absence sufficient detail and the title!

[OG]

Wire you continuing this?

[Weatherlawyer]

Posted at about the fastet time I was expecting?

[A.Lee]

No, you are the 'shit for brains'. How can anyone give an answer if you have only given an area size. The answer given was correct, 'go and decide on your thickness'. Though maybe he meant how thick YOU are, rather then the thickness of the floor. Alan.

[Jim K]

go on ask us another! - this is fun ;>))))

Jim K