The first stage of any finishing is preparing the working surface. This work is especially responsible. After all, to effectively lay tiles, for example, you need a perfectly flat surface.
Many continue to work the old fashioned way - using crooked walls or floors as a basis. In this case, a straight plane is achieved through various layers of tile adhesive. And sometimes it's justified. However, preliminary leveling of the base provides undeniable advantages:
1. Absolute absence of voids under the tiles;
2.Multifold acceleration of the installation process;
3. Stabilization of work quality.
Before you begin leveling the floor, it must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt, dust and grease, and then primed. Of course, the primer must be allowed to dry.
Advice:
A very reliable primer is PVA glue diluted with water. It should be applied to the floor by simply pouring puddles and dispersing them with a wide spatula.
It is necessary to mention that ideal surface leveling can only be achieved by installing a cement-sand screed and installing beacons.However, as a rule, the screed is not made less than two centimeters thick, otherwise it will be unreliable. And this means the inevitability of the appearance of an unpleasant step. In addition, if the surface is not too curved, then there is no need to pour screed at all.
Advice:
It is believed that tiles should be glued exclusively according to their level. However, this is far from the case, and with a minimal deviation you can completely forget about it. By the way, visual leveling of the floor, as a rule, leads to an almost ideal result in this regard.
In addition, the use of self-leveling mixtures is also not recommended. After all, they are leveled with a needle roller, which repeats all the bumps and depressions on the surface. Sometimes, after such alignment, you grab your head. Although this method is quite suitable for linoleum, and sometimes for laminate.
The most reliable tool is the plaster rule. And the longer it is, the higher the quality of work will be. Thanks to it, the layer of mixture used during leveling will be minimal. And in many places it is practically zero. This work is called alignment according to the rule, and its meaning is to align the depressions with the bumps (zeros).
Advice:
As practice shows, the most successful mixture for leveling the floor is cement-based tile adhesive. It is durable and has excellent adhesion. And its elasticity allows for the application of the thinnest layers. But to speed up the setting, you need to add a handful of any gypsum mixture to it. In addition, the presence of gypsum makes the mixture non-shrinkable. The main thing is not to overdo it, as this will weaken the solution. The consistency should be like thick kefir.
This is achieved by the following actions:
1. In the starting corner of the room, pour a strip of the mixture about 30 centimeters long and 30 centimeters wide.Of course, the approximate thickness of the layer must already be kept in mind;
Advice:
Before pouring, it is necessary to “shoot” the surface with a rule and mark the bumps, thereby understanding the thickness of the layers.
2.Then the rule is to pull this puddle in a pre-selected direction. Having stretched the mixture to the place where it is necessary to pour more, the rule is turned around and led in the opposite direction;
3. Having repeated the previous procedure a couple of times and eliminating as many voids and cavities as possible, add more mixtures using the same method;
Advice:
There is no need to be afraid of scratches and small shells. They are eliminated with a second layer. And in general, to install tiles, the surface should not be smooth, but even.
4. Having passed from wall to wall, you need to move to the side as far as the length of the plaster rule allows. And repeat the previous process;
5. Having leveled the entire room in one direction, you need to let the mixture set. With the correct ratio of components, it sets within an hour;
After which everything is repeated again, only the direction of movement is taken perpendicular to the previous one;
Working in a small and non-polygonal room, these two layers of mixture are poured and leveled in just a couple of hours, taking into account the setting time;
Advice:
Before laying tiles, floors must dry to gain strength. Twelve hours is usually enough. Further processing consists only of scraping off various sagging and “burrs” from the surface. This is done with a wide spatula without much effort.
As a rule, two passes in perpendicular directions are sufficient. But to improve the result, you can stretch the floors again. Especially if the base surface was quite uneven.
Advice:
Many people try to prime everything. However, the most effective technology for installing tiles eliminates the need to prime the prepared surface.
