Levelling compound for use over tiles

ed110220

Our kitchen floor has old, badly laid quarry tiles on it. I'm preparing it to have vinyl laid over it. The tiles are fairly uneven (few mm difference in height between neighbouring tiles, so I assume it needs levelling first.

The other day I used Mapei Ultimate Leveller 1210 but had to take it all up again before it had fully hardened as it didn't work. I was quite quick mixing and pouring it, but by the time the second pour was applied the first one had set enough that they didn't mix and where they met it wasn't level. Probably because of the warmth causing it to set too fast.

Anyone have any recommendations on maybe another brand to use, or maybe using refrigerated water to slow the setting or some other useful tips?

a.turner

Personally I'd take the tiles up.

bris

You would be better just biting the bullet and have them all ripped up, then cover the area in 9 or preferably 12mm ply wood if it can take the height.


You can get power tools these days that make it much easier but it's still a pain, although would be worth it in the long run.


The self levelling is normally used to fill dips here and there but to do what you want wont work.

ed110220

Bit late for taking up the tiles as the kitchen is already fitted. Don't see why it shouldn't work, the problem isn't to do with the surface it's being poured on but the compound itself. It's definitely a use that levelling compounds are recommended for (entire floors, and over tiles).

jk0

Unless you have the plinths fitted also, all you have to do is wind the cabinet legs down a bit, isn't it?


Alternatively, you could actually leave the tiles under the legs, and chip away the others.

ed110220

jk0 wrote: »

Unless you have the plinths fitted also, all you have to do is wind the cabinet legs down a bit, isn't it?


Alternatively, you could actually leave the tiles under the legs, and chip away the others.

Plinths can come off as they are only clipped onto the cabinet legs but the end panels and door frames rest on the tiles. Taking them all up would be massive overkill when there are products designed for smoothing uneven floors. I actually tried removing one to fit a new back door with a lump hammer and couldn't get it up as it was so well attached, looked as though it had been set into the concrete so I just chipped the edge off... Would be possible with a breaker or similar machine but as I said massive overkill.

This is what it should be like: https://youtu.be/jkmdeqxcojc

Gastines3

Remove plinths,Masking tape around bottom of end-panels,buy a bag of Latex self-leveling screed,mix well as per instructions and use.Always best in a thin layer and I sometimes use large flat trowel if required to ensure it covers corners etc. You can tell when it's dry as it goes light grey.Any lumps can easily be rubbed off when dry.

ed110220

Gastines3 wrote: »

Remove plinths,Masking tape around bottom of end-panels,buy a bag of Latex self-leveling screed,mix well as per instructions and use.Always best in a thin layer and I sometimes use large flat trowel if required to ensure it covers corners etc. You can tell when it's dry as it goes light grey.Any lumps can easily be rubbed off when dry.

Thanks! Any tips for ensuring that it's mixed/level where one pour meets the next pour? That's all that went wrong on my first attempt.

Kiran

If you cant mix fast enough on your own then get some assitance.


Use a paddle/drill whisk and not mix by hand. Mixing well and mixing quickly are probably the most important things to do.


I pressume you will already know this but don't pour it in one sport and expect it to self level. Push it out with a trowel and let it flow back to its own level. And get a spiked roller to remove the air pockets/bubbles

ed110220

Kiran wrote: »

If you cant mix fast enough on your own then get some assitance.


Use a paddle/drill whisk and not mix by hand. Mixing well and mixing quickly are probably the most important things to do.


I pressume you will already know this but don't pour it in one sport and expect it to self level. Push it out with a trowel and let it flow back to its own level. And get a spiked roller to remove the air pockets/bubbles

Thanks! I mixed by hand last time, which seemed to mix it OK but was probably too slow. Smoothed it out with a plasterers trowel but it still didn't level as much as I was expecting and left trowel marks. I see a lot of reviews say to use more water than the instructions say to make it flow better.

Some bits I missed taking up before they hardened are a real pig to get off the tiles so I'm not worried about it not sticking.

Kiran

You can get 2 part products and they are the exact quantities you need. The ones you add water to you need to make sure they are really well mixed so that is probably the issue you had along with the speed and which you hand mix. Definitely worth the investment in a electric whisk, even if its just one for the end of the drill