Special Producers of levelling agent which thicknesses can we apply in one treatment and what about the drying time ?

USE AS AN END LAYER IS POSSIBLE, BUT THERE IS A BUT

INDUSTRIAL LOOK WITHOUT FITTING A FLOOR COVERING IS GAINING IN POPULARITY

Stephan Berckmans (Lecol)

‘It’s all about reducing drying times and increasing layer thicknesses.’

Lecol, which is part of its parent enterprise Maiburg, is a specialist amongst other things in levelling compounds. Just as with its lacquers, panel materials, impregnation oils, and abrasives, one element completely dominates its own philosophy: in everything that the company does, the impact on the environment and the health of the products take centre stage, so only those products which stand out are given a Maigreen label.

Amongst levelling compounds, Stephan Berckmans (Lecol Belgium) refers immediately to the cement-bound and low-stress product Z610 from WAKOL, which covers in one layer. Z610 can boast such an Maigreen label and is both solventless and low in emissions.

‘This is a very good flowing levelling compound which you can use for a rapid and superrigid end result. With a maximum thickness of 5mm, the substrate can be walked on after just six hours or is ready for fitting any type of flooring. An absolute plus point is that you can apply very thick layers all at once,’ Mr Berckmans explains. ‘In terms of health, you have to consider mainly the amount of dust emitted during mixing. This has been reduced by no less than 90%, something which is good not only for user health, but also for the cleanliness of the work place. For that matter, you can go to layer thicknesses of 20mm if you don’t use quartz sand and 30mm if you do. Such a thickness is already a lot, but if you need more, you can equally well fit a screed. I should also mention Z680 for the project market. At project level you can go to a maximum of 10mm thick and you also have very little dust. The project market usually levels with grey compounds.’

‘It’s worth noting that this levelling compound can be lacquered over, that it’s no longer necessary to sandpaper after pouring all at once if you fit parquet on top, and that due to its great bend strength and compression strength it can also be used perfectly well as a main floor, and therefore a top floor. We note that this is already being done regularly; indeed, it suits the popular industrial look. One more point about sandpapering: if we’re talking about soft floors, this will obviously be necessary.’

Lifespan isn’t an issue

When we ask about the lifespan, our interviewee looks rather surprised: ‘The lifespan? Actually, you just have to say: for as long as the floor covering is there. If you use it without a floor covering, you apply a new lacquer from time to time and that definitely good for ten years in a project setting, but virtually twice that for homes.’

Obviously, we also want to know about market trends. What are the biggest factors?

‘Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s all about reducing drying times and increasing layer thicknesses. At the moment, we’re purely at 20mm, extended to 30mm, and, finally, that has to suffice. In my opinion, we might well be able to add another 10mm in the near future. The technology is there, it’s just a question of being able to sell it for an acceptable price.’

‘I’d like to say a little more about the question of “dustless”. It should be said quite clearly that we’ll never achieve a state of completely dustless, as even the slightest move in a house creates dust. What is certainly true is that we have reduced the quantity of dust vastly, so a cloud of dust is something long gone. Moreover, we even have a special dust suction tool to fit to the edge of the bucket, so the little remaining dust is literally sucked away!’

We’ve outlined the function of a levelling compound on various occasions. You use a leveller on the floor in order to level the substrate, and then you fit a new floor covering. However, what we haven’t yet covered is the (relatively) new trend of using a levelling floor simply as a finishing floor.

Using a levelling compound as a finishing floor is clearly a hype, and you can also read about that in the interview with our guest speaker. In that interview you read that the trend is not only towards (virtually) dust-free work and ever shorter drying times, but that there’s an undeniable trend towards no flooring on top. We note from the interview with the guest speaker that this is far from being an insurmountable problem, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to bear a number of things in mind.

Make it flat and smooth

With a levelling compound, you should remember firstly that this is a layer which gets particularly hard and adheres strongly to a base once it is applied. After that, it is possible to finish with a new floor covering. That can be parquet, but also much thinner floors such as laminate, vinyl, or cork.

If you want to use the levelling compound as a finishing floor, you have to consider a number of things and, in particular, you mustn’t forget that there are a number of steps to be respected. Firstly, you have to clean the substrate completely and it has to be compression resistant and tensile. After that, you fill in any potentially deeper cracks or holes with a filler and provide adequate ventilation in the room because you have to avoid air holes in the levelling compound at all costs.

Then, you consider using an adhesion primer before you apply the levelling compound to the substrate (this can be highly versatile and ranges from concrete and tiles even to wood). You also make sure that you don’t make the levelling floor too thick. As regards the thickness, we advise you to read the maker’s instructions, since the dimensions given vary. However, what is usually repeated is that you think of a thickness of 1 to 2mm, with an average drying time of one day per millimetre of thickness (here, too, the figures vary, so check what the maker says). Finally, you also apply a special coating to the levelling compound to make the surface durable. The result should be a floor with an industrial and flat appearance, usually in a grey concrete shade. You can change the shade of that grey by adding pigmentation powder.

Risks

The end result might already look sturdy, but several sources do warn that not everything that glitters is gold. They point out that levelling is meant primarily to make a substrate flat and that there are a number of risks involved in using a levelling compound as the end layer. The first thing to note is possible crack formation. It seems that a cement-based levelling compound can be susceptible to cracks. Moreover, there’s also the possibility of stains. And so, it is vital to pay special attention during the fitting because any possible irregularity can remain visible, even after the finish with a coating. Finally, you must make sure that the levelling floor is completely flat. What you certainly want to avoid, for instance, are stains from used tools or, even worse, little ‘craters’. We’ll leave the question open as to whether or not it’s a good idea to use a levelling floor as a top layer. That has to be decided individually with each fitting. What we can say for sure is that it does involve some element of risk and that, if you want to play safe, you can also opt for a real cast floor based on resin, with a choice of polyurethane, epoxy, or acrylate. This has the advantages not only of being low maintenance, but also it is guaranteed to be crack-free and it comes in a range of finishes.

Some specialists

Bona

The Bona range includes 3 levelling agents and 1 repair mortar. These products are suitable for floor heating and have low emissions (Emicode EC1 Plus). Bona H600 Cement-bound, acrylic polymer reinforced levelling compound. Self-levelling – Fitting can start after 12 hours. Compatible with primers Bona D510, D520, or Bona R590. Fill unevenness and bigger holes with Bona H610. For use on: ∫ mosaic, engineered, multilayer, and solid parquet ∫ Also on elastic floors, textile floors, and solid cork tiles ∫ Layer thickness: 1-20mm. Bona H605 Calcium sulphate levelling compound: Based on Alpha hemihydrate. Yields flat and absorbent bases ready for floors to be fitted. Self-levelling – Low tension. Compatible with primers Bona D510, D520, or Bona R590. For use on: ∫ elastic floors ∫ Textile flooring ∫ Also for parquet glued with Bona silane adhesives ∫ Layer thickness: 1-20mm Bona H660 Cement levelling compound. Like Bona H600, but takes a little longer to dry. Treat the base with a suitable primer, such as Bona D510, D520, or Bona R590. Fill unevenness and bigger holes with Bona H610. For use on: ∫ mosaic, engineered, multilayer, and solid parquet ∫ Also on elastic floors, textile floors, and solid cork tiles ∫ Layer thickness: 1-20mm Bona H610 Cement-bound repair mortar: A fast-setting and fast-drying waterproof mortar for indoor repairs. Bases should be treated with primer Bona D510, D520, or R590. Application: ∫ Ideal for filling holes and cracks in covering floors ∫ Repairs and renovates concrete stairs and risers ∫ Repairs and renovates sand-cement screeds and concrete floors ∫ Repairs around pipes, doors, and window frames ∫ Layer thickness: no limit.

Chimiver

RASOCHIM TOP is a grey powder for internal use consisting of special cements with rapid hydration, with graded silica sand, resins and special additives. RASOCHIM TOP can be used only indoor. RASOCHIM TOP mixed with water becomes smooth, fluid and easy to apply with high bonding strength and fast-drying. It can be laid down up to 20 mm thicknesses onto cement subfloor, concrete, tiles, marble etc. RASOCHIM TOP after drying has high compressive and flexural strength, no shrinkage, cracking or crazing. RASOCHIM TOP is resistance to caster base chair. In accordance with European EN13813 it is classified CT-C35-F7- B2,0. Also suitable for heated subfloors.

RIGO Verffabriek

SKYLT Sealer

RIGO Verffabriek investigated the demand for a suitable finish for self-levelling concrete floors with an industrial look. In addition to a seamless appearance and a high degree of water resistance, a finish should also retain the matte look of the self-levelling concrete layer. The masters of lacquer crafting at RIGO Verffabriek looked for and found a way to retain the untreated appearance of finished surfaces over 15 years ago: SKYLT. SKYLT protects the treated surface and strengthens its original appearance. With a SKYLT finish, wood keeps its pure, wooden appearance. Thanks to the introduction of SKYLT Sealer, this untreated look can now also be applied to mineral surfaces. SKYLT Sealer #5030 is a functional primer that negates the hydrophilic qualities of the mineral surface through a thick, high-build coating that initially discolours the surface. With a second coat of SKYLT Sealer, the protective layer is practically waterproof. Once sealed, the surface can be finished seamlessly and without any issues with two coats of SKYLT Original, resulting in the desired, untreated appearance. The discolouration will disappear without a trace. SKYLT Sealer is also highly suitable as a finish for walls. SKYLT Sealer has been available at wholesalers since 19 October 2020.

Lecol

Is it possible to work on a levelled floor after just two hours? Yes, it certainly is! It’s possible with the new rapid-flowing levelling agent WAKOL Z610, the queen of all levelling agents. This yields a super sleek end result rapidly. Really unprecedented! The substrate can be walked on after two hours and is ready for fitting any floor covering (wooden floors, PVC/vinyl, cork, linoleum, rubber, carpet, etc) with a maximum thickness of 5mm after six hours. You can also apply very thick layers in one go. The flow of this product really is unique in terms of beauty. It yields a beautifully flat and sleek end result. Is health a priority for you? This solventless levelling agent has 90% less dust when mixed with water, so there’s hardly any dust on the floor or in the worker’s lungs! That’s a lot healthier! You also keep the work area clean. This puts a smile on everyone’s face, especially with private house renovations. In partnership with the finish specialist Loba, Wakol has also developed the connected systems. For WAKOL Z 610 Levelling Agent (dustless), we therefore offer a system for lacquering a levelling agent with a matt lacquer. Firstly, you apply the Lobadur® Factory Base primer, then the Lobadur® Factory Style matt lacquer with a high anti-slip value. This enables us to respond in an excellent manner, for instance, to the current trend of cast floors and concrete ciré floors. By lacquering a levelling agent, you can also approximate to the looks of these types of floor simply and economically.