Laying of Flooring

Everyone can apply epoxy or self-leveling coating on the floor, but not everyone can do it well. If you are just starting this business, you need two things - detailed information about the products and technology, and the right equipment. You can get the first one from our website and / or by contacting our consultants. As for the equipment, it can be rented (when it comes to one-time laying of epoxy flooring) or purchased (if you are going to turn this activity into a profitable business). Let's see what exactly is needed for the flooring to be laid correctly and to achieve the desired result.

Floor leveling machines

The substrate on which the self-leveling, epoxy coating will be applied must be smooth and with a contact surface so that it can penetrate and adhere firmly to it. This ensures the stability and proper leveling of the epoxy floor.

Existing grooves on the base are removed, in the most common case (especially in private homes) with a disc sander with sandpaper. It is an extremely useful helper in removing the glossy film on the existing, old floor (tiles, lacquer coating on wooden floors, etc.) before applying the epoxy self-leveling coating. If you want to finish the joint between the walls and the floor, you may need to remove the irregularities by hand - with a wire brush, spatula, and sometimes a chisel.

The mechanized variant is the level removal machine, which is widely used in industrial sites and outdoor work. Depending on the object being worked on and the thickness of the grooves, a machine with a diamond head can also be used. It is also used to remove a layer of adhesive or a final layer unsuitable for epoxy coating purposes.

Substrate cleaning tools

The base on which the self-leveling epoxy coating will be applied must be as smooth as possible, which automatically means clean. Any unwanted particles that are missed can form on the final epoxy under irregularities, bubbles or even pores. For this purpose, the base is cleaned first with a vacuum cleaner so that even the smallest particles can be removed, and then with water. For the water cleaning cycle you can use either a hose with a gun and floor brushes, or a vacuum cleaner for wet suction, or a professional water jet.As the humidity of the floor must be within strict limits (for concrete, for example, up to 4%, for air - no more than 60%), and a temperature between 18-30 ° C, it is sometimes necessary to include fans and heaters for drying of space. Quality cleaning takes on average between 40 and 50% of the time for laying self-leveling flooring, but it saves a lot of trouble in the future - for example, peeling epoxy due to poor adhesion to dusty floors.

If everything went smoothly during the cleaning and no irregularities and large cracks were noticed on the base, the primer is applied. However, in case serious defects in the substrate have become visible after the dust has been sucked out, they must first be adequately treated - plastered, smoothed, filled.

Clothing and equipment

Convenience during work should not be overlooked. When laying a self-leveling epoxy floor requires fast, but also creativity. Proper personal equipment of the worker with the coating helps for both. The most important are besides the gloves and the mask for the nose and mouth, the knees and the pads for the shoes with spikes. The latter can play a bad joke on you and if they are not the right size and type, you can slip on the epoxy with them.

Tools for laying self-leveling floor covering

The already cleaned and smooth floor is ready for the real job - laying the self-leveling epoxy coating. With the help of paint tape, an edging is placed at the lower end of the walls, which will not allow unwanted staining and will facilitate the work of laying the epoxy coating. The application of the priming base is done with rollers, and in the corners - with a brush. Then the components of the self-leveling coating are mixed with the drill.It is performed in accordance with the instructions for consistency and proportion. The finished mixture is poured in different areas on the floor, if the room is large - this is done in stages. It is smoothed with a trowel, rubber spatula or roller - depending on the specific epoxy floor covering that is used. In some cases, a thin final protective layer is applied, and a microfiber mop can be used for this operation.

List of equipment and tools for laying epoxy flooring:

  • Disc floor sander
  • Diamond head grinding machine
  • Level removal machine (concrete)
  • Concrete milling machine (for industrial sites)
  • Vacuum cleaner for dry and wet suction
  • Brushes and hose with a gun
  • Fan or stove
  • Drill with stirrer
  • Mortarboard
  • Roller (needle, microfiber)
  • Microfiber mop (for thin finishes)
  • Paint tape
  • Knee pads
  • Shoe pads with spikes
TOP