LEVELLING COMPOUNDS TALK OF THE LEVEL Andre Hunt, from sealant and finishing


group SD Sealants, reflects on the problems his tiling team has encountered with levelling compounds and how such issues can be solved.


One of the most frequent problems we run in to as a tiling provider is poor levelling. On fast moving sites, in both housing and commercial projects, it’s often expected that work will be needed to even out the floors before we tile. Although uneven levelling is certainly a problem, it’s given us a great deal of experience with choosing compounds and we can now say with confidence which products we’d come back to time and time again.


Let’s start with the root cause. We can put uneven levelling down to a few different factors.


Most commonly, issues with levelling are due to ground works. Sometimes the people who are pouring it may be inexperienced and there’s a lot of pressure to get things done quickly with modern build programs, so things can be rushed.


Not only that, but there are so many types of screeding systems out there that it’s easy to find yourself unfamiliar with some of the systems being used.


Of course, these issues can cause a myriad of problems when trying to lay tiles, especially with the modern, large- format tiles that are popular now. On national house build specifications, customers can pick tiles up to 800x800 in size, and we also come across a lot of tiles in a 600x600 format with a very rectified edge, both of which need a 100% flat substrate.


On top of this, we are finding with some of the smaller house builds that it’s becoming more and more common to use electric underfloor heating systems in wetrooms that need to have latex applied, as these are now very competitively priced for consumers.


With fast moving builds, it’s important for tiling experts to use a system that is something of a one-stop shop for all of these eventualities. Finding a levelling compound which is fast and accurate isn’t easy, but we’ve put together some words of wisdom for anybody looking to tackle the same levelling issues that we face:


• For floors that have underfloor heating, find a levelling compound that includes Fibre Strand Technology (FST). The consistency and smoothness of FST mean that the powders are easier to mix and are simpler and faster to trowel and apply.


• For good depth application, we’d recommend something with a wide application range. A lot of


— 16 — WHETHER IT’S UNDERFLOOR


HEATING OR YOUR LARGER-THAN- AVERAGE TILE, CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRODUCT IS VITAL.


products require two or three attempts to lose all imperfections, but something like BAL Level Max can be used from 3mm right up to 80mm bed depth in a single application.


• Find a product that is quick-drying. Check that the compound you’re using can be walked on in three hours and tiled on in four, as this ensures fast-track project completion.


• It’s best to bring a product that is advertised as flexible, so that it can be used for smoothing over undertile heating mats, cables and over integral wet underfloor heating systems at the same time, rather than using more than one compound for the same job.


At SD Sealants, we frequently run into levelling issues but, by following these points, we’ve been able to drastically improve the speed and accuracy of correcting the problem. Whether it’s underfloor heating or your larger- than-average tile, choosing the right product is vital.


www.sdsealants.co.uk www.tomorrowstileandstone.co.uk


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