SMOOTH OPERATOR
Mark Prizeman, Technical Services Manager Sika Flooring and Refurbishment, offers a step-by-step guide to successful self-levelling installations.
A Health and Safety Executive study revealed around 1,300 work-related injuries were reported between 2015 and 2016 in the food and drink industries. Of these, it’s estimated at least 25% were caused by uneven surfaces. Level flooring is therefore essential in heavily-industrialised areas involving high levels of footfall and machinery usage.
Without the need for rigorous effort, Sika’s self-levelling cementitious compounds can quickly even-out a large floor. Once the product is mixed with water according to its data sheet, it is simply poured over the floor’s uneven substrate. With a thinner consistency than other types of cement screed, the mixed compound will comfortably fill a surface’s uneven areas.
Sika underlayment offers a smooth, hardwearing solution to a range of flooring substrates. The ease with which Sika’s
36 | SCREEDS, RESINS & COATINGS
self-levelling cementitious compound is mixed and applied enables wide-ranging surface coverage and a high-quality performance. Flat surfaces are comfortably achieved – even in thin layers – with little tension, stress and shrinkage during curing. A rapid-hardening version of the system is available.
DOING THE GROUNDWORK Firstly, it is important to remember that a levelled floor can never be stronger than its substrate. As such, a tensile test needs to be undertaken. This is achieved by adhering a steel dolly to the surface, isolating it and then pulling it off using a tensile tester, ensuring a minimum value of 1.5N/mm2
. The
compressive strength of a subfloor must have a value greater than 25N/mm2
secured and have permanent dryness in its lifetime.
www.tomorrowscontractfloors.com . The substrate’s dimensional stability must be
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