Levelling compound worries

[spakka]

Hello uk.d-i-y

I've Googled quite a few old levelling compound posts in this group, but none are exactly the same situation.

I've got an asphalt floor which undulates a bit. I want to put a laminate floor down, so I've tried to level it.

First I got it really clean, then covered it with a couple of layers of dilute PVA adhesive which I let dry. I've poured Wickes Levelling Compound over about 15 sq m of it and quickly spread it with a trowel.

(I see now that other posters have recommended against using this on anything except clean, almost flat concrete).

Well, I mixed it to exactly the right dilution, stirred it mechanically till it was very smooth (but not airy) and used it within minutes. Immediately it hit the floor, the suspended grey concretey bit separated from the clear brownish bit. I managed to trowel the grey stuff around a bit, but it's dried to a swirly mess of distinct grey, light brown and white regions (although it is flatter).

My questions:

What did I do wrong, and how can I avoid it next time?

Is there some reagent which will help removing the stuff without harming the asphalt?

Or can I just do the rest of the room, put down the laminate floor and forget about it?

Many thanks.

[Mark S.]

It's the Wickes compound that's at fault it's crap!!! :-)

I've done my living room and kitchen having never used it before and have used three different brands due to never managing to find the same for sale when I wanted it.

B&Q own brand is ok, Evostick's is brilliant (expensive). The last bag I got from Wickes is total rubbish. It doesn't mix as easily and it seperates when you tip it on the floor. The water seperates off it and the solids settle quicker than the "filler" which I assume is some kind of sand. Results in a very poor surface, white/powdery in places, grey in others and in my case is the only batch that cracked when drying so I'm going to have to take it up and redo it.

I pva'd the floor the same way as the rest, mixed it the same and put it down the same and after using a few bags it the only conclusion I could come to and now your experience tells me the same?

Mark S.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I used Ardex stuff - not cheap, not bad.

The problem with the self levelling is that unless you pour tons very quickly, it doesn't. It does smooth tho.

[David]

In article , The Natural Philosopher writes

snipped

These materials have never self levelled, they only self smooth, having worked for a manufacturer of such material we would never state that the material self levelled, its the wrong term.

[Richard Savage]

Agree regarding Wickes' £10/25Kg stuff. I bought this in preference to £30/25Kg latex based version from a tiling shop 'cos I reckoned that they were having a laugh charging 3 times the price for stuff I could get from Wickes'. Yep, but the laugh was on me. Next visit to my builders merchants had me moaning about useless self levelling compounds. Bod at the counter pipes up with 'I lay floors for a living and always use the latex stuuf 'cos the water based one is rubbish'. Need I say more?

All I wanted was a level pad to stand my freezer on!

Richard :-(

[spakka]

That's reassuring, and annoying.

I'll try B&Q next, if I ever get this Wickes crap off.

Care to share how you're going to take it up? I'm scraping it off now with a cold chisel and getting rather vexed.

Thanks.

[Richard Savage]

My Wickes' stuff lifted off with very little encouragement from a spade.

Richard

[spakka]

Nope. Think I PVA'd it a little too well for my own good.

Thanks anyway.

[David]

In article , Richard Savage writes

I assume they mean the packs that come with a liquid latex Its not the latex, its the cheap end of the market that makes the difference, you can buy expensive 'water based' ones which will be just as good, they use powder polymers rather than a liquid polymer. The industrial self smoothing compounds are all powder polymer based and are put through continuous mixers so you couldn't add a extra liquid even if you wanted to

[Mark S.]

The bits I need to do are in what is technically the pantry. I think from the hollow sound it makes it'll just come off with a poke from a stick. :-)

I wouldn't fancy trying to take any off that was set even halfway decent. Get a SDS drill and flat chisel ?

Then come help with the half a wall of what was loose plaster until I found the bit they'd patched with what feels like plastic padding about three foot square... ;-)

Mark S.

[spakka]

Hmm. I'm going to chisel off all the brown and white bits - I have a horrible suspicion they'll turn into cruchy powder as soon as the last plank of floor is laid.

The grey stuff looks pretty concretey to me, so unless it turns out to be bird shit it's probably safe to leave there for the next attempt at levelling.

That'll be the Wickes Self-Verticalling Plaster Substitute.

[stefek.zaba]

Ha! I do believe you've found one of our Natural Philosopher's previous houses (hice). Can't keep away from the Cataloy, that one ;-)

[Mark S.]

I cringe everytime I see it suggested same as that no nails stuff for skirting boards etc. ;-)

Mark S.

[Witchy]

I used that no-nails stuff for beading on the last laminate floor I put down and the stuff I didn't nail down as well is off already! Almost as good as 'superglue' that should really be called 'quite crap glue, actually'.....

-- cheers,

witchy/binarydinosaurs

[The Natural Philosopher]

Possibly. If it wasn't for the expense I'd use car body filler over chicken wire to build the whole ruddy house.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Why? If it moves. glue it. If it needs to come off, smash it.

[stuart noble]

AFAIK latex doesn't come as a powder. All these screeds are "water based" but I would guess the ones without the liquid additive are PVA based because that IS available as a powder. IME SBR/latex/styrene-butadene co-polymer, whatever you want to call it, is vastly superior to PVA in terms of water resistance and is good for screeds because it doesn't thicken the mortar. Overkill for most applications though.

[David]

In article , stuart noble >you wanted to

There are many more powder polymers than pva Stuart, its a huge business and as I said all industrial self smoothers are powder based, its only single pack stuff that would use a liquid polymer, we're about 10 yrs past that in the technology at a guess.