cracking levelling compound

[mattysupra]

well you cant lay sand and cement 5mm thick. Way to thin and will fail in no time at all. As for the moister bit, you could just rely on the dpm underlay but it is not a British standard. It is on your back with what you decide. As for your local shops who recommend that a moister test was not need and said use sand an cement. Well this is really really bad advice! Could you email there names and area they are in to me please! ( Think they need a little visit )
If you want to raise floor 10mm and there might be damp you need-
Green bag with either 55 acrylic liquid or 114 latex liquid. ( i would suggest you use acrylic) You also need to fill the mix! Chipping etc (aggregate) added to the compound while mixing, ask your supplier for these when you purchase the compound. Prime the floor with 131 primer.
Or you could use 600 deep section compound.
Remember tho that if there is a moister problem that you will have no product garentee.

 

[theflyingpig]

well . . . i've redone the floor using green bag and 55 acrylic liquid, (after priming with 131), - used aggregate chips on the deep sections . . .

you are right it doesn't flow nearly as well as water based . . . consequently I am going to have to go over some of it again, should I prime what I've already laid with more 131? am very keen to avoid another costly mistake!

thanks again
huey

 

[mattysupra]

yes always prime. If its trowel marks you need to remove you could sand with a brick or use a feather finish compound

 

[theflyingpig]

thanks once again. I did prime, as figured it could do no harm ... so at least got that right . . .layed the next layer this morning and it is a disaster . . not any more level than first, if not worse.

spent 4 hours this afternoon attempting to scrape down high points before it set completely but eventually gave up. this floor has turned into a complete nightmare - 150 quid worth of water based compound that I had to dig out, now 280 quid worth of green bag and 55 liquid that is not level as I see it my choices are now to either dig all out (prob need a breaking hammer this time) and start again, or try and lay water based on top of what I've got - at least I know the water based will find it's own level . . . . but then the floor is going to be too high. starting again (again) is probably better option, but not sure my shattered morale can take it . .. . .

 

[mattysupra]

Sorry i should not laugh, sounds like diy floor levelling is not as easy as it sounds! ....... Im sorry it has not worked out for you.
You see the problem is that while im sat behind a computer trying to tell you how to do it and you being able to get the correct finish are to different things. I find it easy but i also remember when i was a young pup trying to smooth a floor for my first time! It was not easy then! getting a good finish without water based compound is a skill you pick up after time. ( if your reading this and trying to do it yourself then maybe you might consider employing a pro, may work out cheaper in the long run! )

Anyway this is the reason we really need a moister content reading of your floor so we can use good products to smooth a floor! ( water based )
How bad is the floor? Have you tried sanding the floor with a brick? If its not fully set you could also try scrapping trowel marks down with a sharp scrapper. Other than that i think you need a pro to help you out! If you was a bit closer to me i would volunteer to come and show you how to do it etc but your a bit to far away for a 20 minute drive

 

[mattysupra]

sorry! just re read your post and it sounds like you already tried sanding the floor down.

 

[theflyingpig]

hello again, now a couple of days later and I have calmed down a bit!

you are indeed right = it's way harder than it looks, and if I knew that beforehand I might have been tempted to call in the pro's (in saying that I'm not convinced the local people I spoke to would have done a very good job!) . . .

anyhow, I havn't done anything else to it yet - had a couple of lazy days instead! my plan is now to go over it again with water based and sod the ever rising level. its a risk, cos as you know i don't know the moisture content, but other than dig it all out I don't think I've much choice. its pretty bad, well, at least bad enough to make sanding/scraping it possible.

its postponed to next weekend now, wish me luck!

huey

 

[theflyingpig]

well the nightmare continues, actually its gotton worse. I layed water based on top but it can't have been deep enough as it didn't help! I mixed it very precisely but layed it really thinly - about 3mm - to no avail.
The floor is quite simply not good enough to float a floor over so its all going to have to be dug out. I tried with a hammer and chisel this morning - immediatly apparent that getting it up is not going to be easy . . . the compound it totally bonded to the subfloor . . . .

any advice on how to go about removing it? I am in a state of dispair.

 

[mattysupra]

you really not having much fun here are you. The only way to get it back up is with a hammer and chisel, a sharp scrapper, or with a scrabbeling machine. I think you need to get advice off a pro first to see if they can do anything for you. Try the nicf website for a recommended installer ( national institute of floor layers ) All fitters on here have to pass tests etc to become a member. I really think you need the help of a pro as you seem to be going round in circles and costing yourself more and more money. Hope it works out for you in the end tho.

 

[theflyingpig]

thanks again . . . you are right - not having much fun at all!

couple of further questions - whats a scrabbeling machine? and what sort of scraper would remove it? I'm definityly going to get someone in to re-do it but think I'm going to have to remove my mess first . . . . would a breaking hammer tool with chisel bit help? the bolster chisel I tried this morning didn't seem to make a dent.

sometimes turning the clock back is a very appealing idea . . . .

 

[mattysupra]

a scrabbler is a big machine that digs up a selected depth of concrete. A smaller version of what they use to scrap up the tarmac on roads before they resurface it! Not a diy machine and not cheap and very messy! ( judging by the way you have struggled so far i dont think we should let you lose with this machine ) The compounds you used are not designed to come back up and as you laid with the correct primer etc, well its not going to come up easy at all! I think you get a pro in ( from the nicf website ) and tell them what you have done and ask if they can advice you on what they can do. Without seeing what sort off mess you have got yourself into i cant really advice the best method to put it right. They may be able to do something without removing the old stuff if your lucky!

 

[HandyAndy82]

i so so so feel your pain...

 

[Jaffa72]

BREEZER......Are you going to tell HandyAndy82 or can i?

 

[HandyAndy82]

tell me what?