Hello,
I have a project where I need to apply a 10-15mm thick layer of leveling compound over 75 sqm. The problem is that I'm doing this alone.
The substrate is chipboard, and I will be using Finja's fiber-reinforced leveling compound.
I've calculated that I need to mix about 2000 kg of dry leveling compound, which feels quite overwhelming for one person. Possibly, I can get one extra person to help with this. Anyway, I wanted to hear your thoughts on the best approach?
I'm thinking of either buying a 100-liter barrel in which I mix about 10 bags at a time. Pour out the compound and then mix 10 bags again and so on.
Another idea I have is to divide the entire floor area into zones using partition strips and fill the zones individually. However, then there's the issue of it easily becoming uneven between the zones.
Anyway, I wanted to hear from you if this is even feasible and if so, what's the best approach?
I have a project where I need to apply a 10-15mm thick layer of leveling compound over 75 sqm. The problem is that I'm doing this alone.
The substrate is chipboard, and I will be using Finja's fiber-reinforced leveling compound.
I've calculated that I need to mix about 2000 kg of dry leveling compound, which feels quite overwhelming for one person. Possibly, I can get one extra person to help with this. Anyway, I wanted to hear your thoughts on the best approach?
I'm thinking of either buying a 100-liter barrel in which I mix about 10 bags at a time. Pour out the compound and then mix 10 bags again and so on.
Another idea I have is to divide the entire floor area into zones using partition strips and fill the zones individually. However, then there's the issue of it easily becoming uneven between the zones.
Anyway, I wanted to hear from you if this is even feasible and if so, what's the best approach?
If you mix about 80 liters, you have about 8 minutes to get it where you want it to be. How much have you previously floated? Generally speaking, I would advise you not to do the work. But if you like DIY. Are you going to put parquet on everything afterward?
I would set up closure strips so you have sections of 20m². Then you remove the strip and break the transition. It will be good enough for parquet. Don't forget to seal really well. And have several tubes of cheap latex on hand in case it starts to leak.
I would set up closure strips so you have sections of 20m². Then you remove the strip and break the transition. It will be good enough for parquet. Don't forget to seal really well. And have several tubes of cheap latex on hand in case it starts to leak.
My experience is limited to a project of about 5 sqm before, so this is a huge step beyond that level. I feel like this is way too big for me - but wanted to hear quickly if I was missing any pro tips that could simplify this.A atomlab said:
I have asked for some quotes for this work, hopefully, they won't be completely unreasonable!
Hand mixing 2 tons is not something you do in a jiffy. I remember we had some kind of barrel on a cart where you could mix around 4 bags. But now we're talking about 80 bags, it takes a while. If you're using stop strips, I would dot them to get it okay in the end. But that's how I think.S Sman1 said:
Get someone with a pump truck, it's worth it.
The neighbor has had a flooring company and he, myself, my wife, and usually a friend have done one room at a time on the ground floor, totaling 105m2 and 20mm thick. It works, but it's quite tiresome and time-critical to get it right. For the upper floor, I called the neighbor's former colleague, and the same area took 75 minutes in total, including cleaning the machine.
Additionally, I paid 67:- per bag for Weber 140 fiber-reinforced including shipping through him when the local Beijer, after some negotiation, would charge 99:- (199:- list price) plus shipping 2000:-
He drove 50 km each way and wanted 1500:- for the job and travel...
Black and buddy price yes, but I paid 5k because it felt more right.
The neighbor has had a flooring company and he, myself, my wife, and usually a friend have done one room at a time on the ground floor, totaling 105m2 and 20mm thick. It works, but it's quite tiresome and time-critical to get it right. For the upper floor, I called the neighbor's former colleague, and the same area took 75 minutes in total, including cleaning the machine.
Additionally, I paid 67:- per bag for Weber 140 fiber-reinforced including shipping through him when the local Beijer, after some negotiation, would charge 99:- (199:- list price) plus shipping 2000:-
He drove 50 km each way and wanted 1500:- for the job and travel...
Black and buddy price yes, but I paid 5k because it felt more right.
The largest I've done on my own was about 10m2 once, it was extremely stressful, yet I had prepped with a lot of barrels of ready-mixed mortar and pre-measured water. Then I mixed two barrels/bags at a time with a mixer. You need some time to level out in between rounds. It felt like it was the maximum you can handle entirely on your own. I would never attempt to do anything larger by myself.
There are self-levelling compound carts that make it easier. https://www.ramirent.se/hyra/byggma...tong-och-bruksblandare/mixervagn-hippo-807445 You can mix a few bags while distributing. I built myself such a cart for a basement project. I don't remember the measurements now, but maybe 20-30m2. 75m2 sounds tough.
/Höghus
/Höghus
I have plastered 1 ton by myself, but then it was several spaces done simultaneously. I have also plastered an entire cabin of maybe 70-90 square meters by myself, but then it was 3-5mm.
If you're going to plaster that thick, such a large area, and do it yourself, I think you might run into problems...
If I were doing it myself, I would start by priming, setting levels for the finished surface, sectioning into grids, plastering one section, moving to the next, and pulling the band, etc. But I would stay one to three mm below the finished surface, and after it dries, prime again and then apply a filler for 0-10mm across the entire surface and use a spiked roller.
The first round isn't that crucial, if it dries you can work a little on the seams so it blends as well as possible. You can almost fill the first section completely, then take the adjacent area and fill a bit, finish the first section, and then go back to section 2.
The risk with thin plastering is that you might "copy" the underlying surface, so the top layer also gets dips, but with a spiked roller, the right plaster, and a bit of pace, it should become smooth.
If you're going to plaster that thick, such a large area, and do it yourself, I think you might run into problems...
If I were doing it myself, I would start by priming, setting levels for the finished surface, sectioning into grids, plastering one section, moving to the next, and pulling the band, etc. But I would stay one to three mm below the finished surface, and after it dries, prime again and then apply a filler for 0-10mm across the entire surface and use a spiked roller.
The first round isn't that crucial, if it dries you can work a little on the seams so it blends as well as possible. You can almost fill the first section completely, then take the adjacent area and fill a bit, finish the first section, and then go back to section 2.
The risk with thin plastering is that you might "copy" the underlying surface, so the top layer also gets dips, but with a spiked roller, the right plaster, and a bit of pace, it should become smooth.