object there’ll be different expansions and this can cause hairline cracking. Putting a 10mm soft foam perimeter barrier around everything it can help stop this from happening.
The temperature of the room is critical too. The room you’re working in needs to be above 8C but below 25C. High humidity in a room means the flooring compound won’t dry very quickly. Open up a window or a door slightly to help ventilate the room. You need some air change in the room but you don’t want them open so wide that you get a ripple effect on the flooring compound.
My top tip is to put a couple of used empty bags in the doorway to wipe your feet on once you’ve finished the room otherwise, you’ll end up walking material all through the building, on the paths and in your van.
One of the common mistakes people make is that they get so excited about starting a job that they don’t prepare properly. One minute they are happily pumping flooring compound and the next they’re stuck in a corner screaming for a bucket to put the hose in. Make sure you understand the geography of the building you’re working on before you start.
CARRYING OUT A FLOW TEST Another mistake people tend to make is they’ll set up the machine to run, make the relevant checks and then think they never have to do another flow test. However, what they have to understand is that the machine will wear and tear slightly throughout the operation.
To ensure materials are mixed correctly, a flow ring measurement is essential both before and during a screed application. A flow test should be carried out every tonne or 15 minutes, whichever comes first, for the first hour and then every 20 minutes if results are stable.
The most critical point of any screed installation is the last square metre because it’s the last thing you do when you’re tired and trying to complete the job and leave – it’s also often the first metre the customer sees. It is the most important point of any floor because if your customer sees a terrible finish in that last metre they’re going to be very critical of the rest of the floor. If that’s in good order, then the chances are everything else will be.
www.uk.weber
FOR PERFECT SCREEDS
Kerakoll has just relaunched Keracem Eco, its hydraulic binder for high-performance screeds and heat-radiant slabs.
When mixed with sand, this popular product produces screeds that are compatible with any type of finished flooring including hardwood, resilient materials, PVC, carpets, ceramic tiles and natural stone. Since it was first launched in 2005, tens of millions of bags have been produced which have been used to lay hundreds of millions of metres squared of screeds and it is now sold in over 62 countries throughout the world.
It is a normal setting, rapid drying product with improved workability and a pot life of up to three hours making life easier when laying, and the high-performance cements included minimise the amount of the product needed to bind the screed. The product is ready for foot traffic after approximately eight hours, tiling after only 24 hours and laying of LVT, sheet vinyl and hardwood floors after five days, allowing fast completion of the site.
Keracem Eco’s high levels of performance are made possible by an optimised water/cement ratio and the fact that it compensates for hygrometric shrinkage reducing the formation of surface cracks. The binder also compacts easily giving the finished screed excellent thermal conductivity and making it ideal for use with radiant heating and cooling systems.
Finally, in common with all Kerakoll products, it has been developed to be as eco-friendly as possible whilst still offering exceptional performance values. The hydraulic binder is classified as GEV Emicode EC1 R Plus meaning that it has very low VOC emissions and it can be recycled as an inert mineral material at the end of its life reducing its environmental impact.
https://www.kerakoll.com/en/
The Tilemaster Adhesives – Kerakoll Group team offer technical advice and support both during the specification process and on-site, please contact them to discuss your project.
www.kerakoll.co.uk twitter.com/TContractFloors SUBFLOOR PREPARATION | 47
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
