How to choose a self-leveling floor 2

07-03-2018

Useful

The use of construction technologies called “self-leveling floor” implies the formation of a perfectly flat floor surface from materials containing, in their basis, special self-leveling compounds. The advantages of such technologies include the possibility of forming a so-called "glass floor", i.e., a perfectly flat surface having a uniform structure. Today, the Russian market is represented by a large number of types of self-leveling floors, each of which is distinguished by its originality and attracts a potential buyer with certain characteristics.

The data provided in our article will help you figure out how to choose a self-leveling floor for an apartment and give your preference to the option that fully meets your needs.

Existing species

Among the variety of known types of self-leveling floor coverings the following types of them stand out:

floors based on cement-acrylic composition;
epoxy coatings;
mixtures with the addition of methyl methacrylate.

Let us consider in more detail all of these types of self-leveling floors, taking into account their advantages and disadvantages.

Cement-acrylic composition

The initial mixture for the preparation of such a floor includes cement, a special mineral filler (which is most often used fine sand), as well as polyacrylic copolymer. According to its characteristics, this material is very close to concrete and is used, as a rule, for leveling a concrete monolithic floor or as a screed. The advantages of this type of coating include:

the possibility of forming a thick layer of the liquid layer at a time (up to 1 cm), which allows you to overlap significant differences in level and eliminates the need for careful alignment of the base before pouring it;
relatively low cost of the source material, which allows its use in large volumes (for the purpose of pouring surfaces with large irregularities, for example).

The disadvantages of this material include its considerable weight and high labor intensity of all operations performed during the construction of the floor.

This type of self-leveling floors is most often used when preparing the surface for flooring of such famous flooring as linoleum or carpet.

Epoxy mixture

When looking for the optimal solution about which self-leveling floor to choose for your apartment, you should pay attention to the coating, which is based on epoxy resin used in conjunction with a particular filler.

Such floors are allowed to be poured directly onto a concrete, metal or wooden substrate, which significantly expands the scope of application of leveling compounds.

The advantages of this class of self-leveling floors are:

solidity, providing high resistance to shock damaging effects. In addition, the surface of such a coating practically does not wear out during long-term operation;
chemical inertness to preserve the structure of the coating in any kind of aggressive media;
high moisture resistance;
decorative appeal.

For those who would like to choose one or another color of the flooring, the use of this composition will be the most optimal solution. A wide range of colors helps turn epoxy-based floors into beautiful decorative coatings.

The disadvantage of such structures is their low plasticity, fraught with the destruction of the monolith at the slightest displacement of the sex base. As a result, self-leveling decorative floors of this type can be equipped only with an absolutely rigid base.

Methyl methacrylate blends

Such compositions contain in their basis the so-called methyl methacrylate resins, providing high versatility of the coating. Thus, depending on the quantitative ratio of various third-party additives to the base components, it is possible to obtain building mixtures with a wide range of technical characteristics. When changing this ratio, such parameters of the self-leveling floor as its plasticity, strength, and resistance to aggressive media vary.

One should not lose sight of the fact that different manufacturers can, at their discretion, change the set of additives used, which directly affects the properties of the future coating.

Regarding the advantages of floors based on methyl methacrylate mixtures, we can say the following:

Additives provide finished coatings with a high level of heat resistance, thanks to which the latter are able to withstand sudden temperature fluctuations. This property allows you to combine them with "warm floors", as well as use in open spaces (on loggias, for example).
In addition, temperature independence in a certain way affects the process of pouring floors from methyl methacrylate.
Preparation of the coating does not need any special mode, since such mixtures quickly set and quickly polymerize well at sub-zero temperatures.

The ability for rapid polymerization can be attributed to the disadvantages of these types of floor coverings, the arrangement of which will require high skill from the performer.

Self-leveling floors are among the most effective methods of forming final (finishing) coatings, so that their use is a guarantee of obtaining a perfectly flat and fairly attractive surface.

The types of sexual constructions we have considered (sometimes called “liquid linoleum”) attract many users not only with their excellent performance characteristics, but also with the originality of their design. The choice of which depends entirely on your preferences.

Video

Brief description of self-leveling floors: