Jeff, you and StudPack seem to always know what projects are in my near future and put out the research& DIY videos I need to watch. Thank you for a much needed live tutorial
Yes... coming from snow country and now living in "monsoon" country... you need to be able to drain snow-melt and salt as well as rain runoff from your vehicle out of your garage... all that water and chemicals would do too much harm to your structure. 😮.@billm.8220
Thanks Jeff I always come back to older videos as well, always great information. I couldn't remember how long to let it dry before starting the floor; the man says 16 hours, I listen!
Thank you for this. It gave me the final nudge I needed to tackle the 70s tile and black mastic floor I found under the carpet in one of my bedrooms. Now that the scary and hideously wonky slab is covered up and level, I can stop stressing about it and move on with the rest of the room renovation as planned. And you helped me avoid a mistake. I was about to go for the RS stuff from Home Depot. Getting the slow set from a flooring place instead was definitely the right way to go for me since I was working alone and had a large floor to cover. It ended up taking 15 bags. Now I get to take a break for a day to let it cure.
i did this for my upstairs floor - very unlevel areas of OSB on joists. Used QuickLevel RS - you gotta be organized but it's do able - set out levelling screws around the area. then glued the flooring to the self leveler. it worked great. It seems wrong to start pouring a concrete based liquid over your upstairs wooden subfloor - but it totally works so long as you follow the instructions carefully. it is much easier than the alternative - cutting up the floor to remove sections and then sistering joists to level ....
Wow, Jeff perfect timing. I've just reached this point. I'm replacing my sub floor (rotten wood due to moister) on a slab foundation. Concert has a 3/4 max bowel shape. So I'll listen to you before I wing it. Ken
We are buying a house (Wiltshire, UK). The entire downstairs area has asbestos tiles, bonded with asbestos bitumen. I am so glad you said "use primer then leveller over it, to encapsulate the asbestos." PERFECT! Will take some work to do it, but that's great. Thank you. Now I just need to find UK equivelent products.
Hi, I’m in London and I have these tiles, but there are just some patches where they have holes and damage, overall they’re very level. I was wondering if I could just patch the holes. Is that a decision you had to make?
Another option if you don’t have expansion foam to contain the self leveler against walls or gaps, you can use some tuck tape in a pinch and it will work great.
@@GR-cd2kx Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
@27:40 Using Ditra over the self-leveling compound: I called Schluter and they said it is allowed-- e.g. over LevelQuik RS. Please let me know if you think that my information is incorrect or if I misunderstood. Thanks Jeff: Your videos are always very helpful.
Watched the whole video. Lots of great info and you answered my question near the end of the video. Always turn to your channel when I need the good info. Thanks!
@@lmann8620 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Be very careful as a DIYer about doing large spaces. These levelers setup VERY fast and stop self leveling once they start setting up. It’s hard to cover large areas and keep your edges wet. You’ll need multiple people and ideally practice with your leveler in a smaller area first. Watch lots of videos about self levelers on larger areas.
@@justlooking4771 I really like the trick of gluing tile spacers of varying heights and using a laser level to mark whether I need a 1/8 spacer or much higher (you can use screws if leveling wood, but I was doing concrete in basement). With spacers set out every 18-24", I know if I poured deep enough. I had a 600 ft space, with some areas as much as 1" different in level across the space. I used a grinder on a few small spaces (maybe 10%) that where a bit higher than about 40% of floor. I then used leveler on remaining 50% with wildly disparate heights, some 1/8" low and others nearly 3/4". I set a spacer about every 24" and then poured ensuring I covered just over the top of spacers in all areas. When you set your height spacers (screws or gluing plastic spacers), I would re-check your work at least twice before pouring. It's so easy to level if you set your heights correctly, have multiple people and know how high to pour. I'm sure it wasn't as good as a pro, but unless you are a tile pro, the floor was level enough to put tile down. I have very small lippage in a couple spots, but nothing visible to the eye and 10x better than if I had tried to do this without using leveler. Overall, pleased and saved thousands over what local contractors wanted to level it.
Bear in mind. Self leveler is not self leveling. For better flatness, one needs to use self leveling pins. Which are gold too @ $1-2 dollars per pin every 3 feet across the floor. You cut them to a benchmark using a laser level. We keep ours 1/16 high so we can see them on the pour and keep the floor just under the tips of the pins! The other main focus with self leveling is sealing the floor well. Clean very good, even under wall edges. Fill all gaps, small ones with caulk, large ones with spray foam. You can make dams with spray foam or 2x4 that is sealed to the floor. Trim your foam with a long retractable razor (the kind with multiple break points, though they make ones without the break points) then do a good job on the primer, read directions, dilute as necessary depending on the surface. The primer is the sealer for your whole floor, stopping water loss and allowing the product to work. Keep a keen eye on your water amounts when mixing, try to hit the high end of recommended water to allow better flow. I can't stress enough how much water accuracy matters with this stuff, it's worth putting a person you trust to do it right on water.
Hi...thank you for the informational video. I have a concrete patio at the back of my house. It is about a 22' x 22'. One wall is part of the house's structure which has a block foundation (I can apply the products on that side since there is plenty of foundation). The other wall is the garage area with vinyl siding & a piece of vinyl molding that goes all the way to the patio. If I apply a bonding agent, then self-leveler and lastly a concrete resurfacing product, would you recommend not putting anything as a barrier to that siding and molding? I am planning to stamp the concrete surface.
Super helpful video as always! I have been ruminating on how to use leveler to achieve a slight pitch to a center drain or maybe a drain at the end of the room if thats more feasible..
If you plan on tiling over existing tile should you use a floor leveler first or is there another method such as just using a primer over existing tile (to minimize the added height that a leveler would add) before you lay new tile? I would love to avoid using the leveler altogether for this scenario if possible…? Should note, the existing tile is on a concrete slab.
thanks. awesome video. what do you do if you have a slab on grade home and you need to level a small portion of the home due to settlement. Do i need to pour the whole living area (1100 sq ft). You mentioned if its not wall to wall there will be a lip that would have to be sanded. Is there any other solutions?
thanks for the helpful video, leveling basement slab which meats a subbasement wood floor , so slab to wood subfloor level. primer both, latting on wood, then seal crack between them, level compound?
Schoenox is the best leveller, but add an extra quart of water than directed for every 40-50lbs bag. Always use a sealer so your leveller won't have the water sucked out of it and cause it to dry before levelling. Screw rapid sets--you are asking for disaster. Don't use any product with sand in it. Don't use Henry because it turns to pudding and won't level in just 3 minutes. You will have to grind it down and cover the whole mess with Schoenox to correct it--three extra days later, the disaster is fixed.
I'm going to be replacing tile in my kitchen really soon, and from what I can tell there is already a wire mesh under the old tile adhesive. There is, what also appears to be a dip on the floor. Do I need to pull that old mesh up and go all the way down to the subfloor? Or can I bust out the old tile, clean up the adhesive, primer and pour the leveler? This is an awesome video and I am no longer intimidated by this stuff anymore! Thanks
I have a 72 doublewide with MDS floors. I have water damage on the edges and have ben removing the original vinyl flooring because of parts being partly removed or chipped. Have sanded as smooth as possible. I have been replacing the damaged areas with 3/4 plywood . some areas along the marriage wall are higher and there are bolts there too. What would be the best way to level the floor before putting down LVP that already has the pad attached. Extra padding cancels the warrantee. Will have to do the floors through out the whole double wide and have a VERY tight budget. Thank you in advance.
Hi Jeff, Always enjoying your tutorial, save me time reading and the good thing is that, you are teeling us how to avoid making mistakes. Just a question what can you say about Dry Pour concreting using it in the garden area?
Hi Jeff, Thank you for the informational video. I have a concrete patio inside my house with a 4' x 24' corridor in front of my back door. Due to construction work, the corridor is lower and has bowing in the center about 1.5 to 2 inches deep over an 8" area. Whenever it rains, all the water stays in this area, making it unusable as an exit. Can I use self-leveling concrete, also adding mesh metal beneath the self-leveling compound to fix it? Considering that I will not add tiles on top, please advise on the best solution.
Jeff, we put this in our kitchen about a month ago and went on to other projects. I checked it for flatness today, and it's not flat. Can we pour more on top of what we already did?
Dang. Came across this after redoing the floor in our laundry room. Ripped out old carpet and there was linoleum underneath, delaminating in some places and tightly glued other places. As he described it was on some sort of wood underlay that was stapled to the subfloor. I didn’t want to rip that up because honestly, didn’t want to know if the subfloor was going bad. Thought about using floor leveling over the linoleum but wasn’t sure about it and it was a small space and they only seem to sell large bags of the stuff, I just needed a small amount to make the surface flat. Using a long level, it seemed the floor was within the specs for the floating interlocking vinyl plank I was using, so just locally sanded as needed and put that down. I’ll see if it holds over time!
Hello, im not sure how the question process works. I apologize if this is improper. I would like to tile an older concrete basement floor that has a bit of a slope to a french drain. I am wondering if there is a way I can use the dimple product for any moisture. Then, possibly pour a fiber cement on top to level out the floor. And then finish with ceramic tile. Any insight would be appreciated.
You silver tongued TH-cam devil! I just tried my first run on installing vinyl plank flooring with little to no success. I have clean underlayment down, but there seems to be some waviness or dips in the surface, that misaline the locking edges of the heavy grade planks. So, after a terrble struggle, that was to be "easy peasy", I came to that conclusion all by myself. So, I intend to use floor leveler on top of OSB type underlay. I do not recall you talking about leveler in the video on installing vinyl plank, even after watching 2 or 3 times.
@@PaulLandowski-e5f Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
I have primmed my half bath floor- and feel I’m ready to use self leveler. I’ve used gap foam around the edges to have a perimeter, and I’m wondering do I still need a seal gasket of some sort? Or will the gap foam allow for expansion? And finally, once I’m ready to floor, thanks to your advice I’ve been considering sheet linoleum- does this need a pad? And if I go with tile, I know it’s not waterproof, so should I add a SD underlay ? Thank you for everything- you’re my fav builder…. Wish you were in the US!
Can I use a floor leveler to create a slight ramp? I hade a interior floor drain put in the basement to fix a water issue and they made way too high of a ramp at the perimeter of about 1/5th of the basement. I grinded it down as much as I could but still have a 1/2 inch ramp over a 1-2 feet span at the edge of the wall. Can I use less water in the mix and use a 10 ft straight edge to slow ramp it out so it is not noticeable? I understand it is a leveler and maybe its a stupid question, wasn't sure if it would hold a little as it dries. Didn't think I can do a cement pour that thin.
I poured self leveling w/o primer( didn't know) concrete then stained & painted floor. It's flaked didn't level. Do I have to sand grind floor before priming & self leveling floor again? I want this to be a concrete floor it's in a small basement bathroom about 60sq ft
Hey Jeff What is the most correct method ,installing self levelling concrete first and after schliter ditra ,or ditra first and self leveller after wards.I will appreciate the answer ,I have a project for a difficult costumer Thanks a lot
Hi Jeff. Thanks for another fantastic video. Loved the double middle-finger salute at 36:10 lol. We're finishing the basement floor in our early-1960's house in Eastern Ontario. Explored various flooring options, and have settled on rolled vinyl flooring. The concrete floor that it will be covering is in pretty good shape, but has a few imperfections from removal of carpet tack strips etc and has a few small and shallow "bowls" that I'll need to try and level out. Would you recommend a floor levelling compound or is there a different product you would recommend for this application.
I have 1933 era home. Redoing kitchen floor. The pier and beam joist have a plank subfloor with a 1/4” Masonite layer and a glued down square flexible type tile that is separating from . Do I take up the tile and Masonite or can I use the planks, Masonite and 1/4 or 1/2 inch to create a more stable laminate subfloor?
@@stanturbyfill4147 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Question...I'll look thru comments to see ... I had to kilz my floor after removing carpet... Can I put floor leveler over kilz or do I need another primer?
Can I put floor paint or self levelling epoxy over this product? It's for a daylight basement, an unplanned project and I don't have the budget to lay down marmoleum or another flooring, so I would like to paint or epoxy over it to have a smooth , waterproof durable surface indefinitely.
@@michaelaiello9525 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
My basement floor is really uneven. It have a « bowl » 3 1/2 inch deep maybe more… Is there à maximum depth that a leveler can’t be use? If so Watch can I do instead?
Hi Jeff, a couple questions I was hoping you were going to answer but didn’t. If you are patching a concrete floor with regular concrete before applying self leveler does the concrete need to cure a certain amount of time before applying self leveler or will it delaminate the self leveler while its curing? Is there a product you can recommend if you are trying to do this with one person so I have more working time? The Mapei product you mentioned with the 24 hr cure time, cannot go to a feather finish, it has to be at least 1/8” thick.
Fantastic info! You mention the Mapei Self Leveler Plus will do 1.5 inches but on the Lowes site it says only an inch max. I need 1.5 should I do 1 inch then another .5 after it dries?
Hey Jeff, Love the videos! question on self-leveler! What if the first layer wasn't enough? can you add a second layer after the first one cures/dries? thanks!!
Hey i have a old vinyl floor probally has asbestos in it with a plywood underneath it. Can i pour right over it. If not what can i do? Also the edges have come up and is curled up so i know i would have to cut the edges.
Hi. This is new construction. I have a concrete floor 20x20 with a change in elevation of 4.5 inches from one corner to the opposite corner. The concrete is stamped. How do I level without having to add 4.5" of leveler. It could be sloped but needs to be flat. What do you suggest?
@@samchaoui4845 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Can you use the self leveler as a finished floor without anything on top of it? and If so do you need some sort of sealer to be applied after its cured?
Hey, Jeff my dad's house was built in a 1929 house and my dad's house has bad slants to the right and I know it’s the foundation and the support beams. He doesn’t have the money to have craw space support jacks put into raising it back up. I know u said about the weight of the leveler. so to make up the slanting side of the floor I’m not sure how many inches it is. So could I use 2x4 and scribe them into large shims lay them over the original plywood subfloor and then install new plywood on top of the made shims as the new subfloor to put the new floating floor
I have a small Southeast Michigan, brick-walled home with a walkout basement built in 1956. I have an engineering mindset and believe the home to be unusually well-built for the time (two walls of brick, steel pole floor support with steel I-beams). They originally used tile, and overtime added linoleum and finally carpet on the main floor. I have removed the carpet, linoleum, and tile. I am replacing it with 12 mil luxury vinal planks. They did use nails to attach the 3/4" composite board to the subfloor. The composite floor is losing some of the top composite in some areas. Can I use floor leveler to "even out" the floor? Your vlog seems to address applying it to the entire floor.
@@sledgehammer2024 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
I’m gonna tile my bathroom. I bought the primer T and the self leveler plus. The floor is plywood but it is not level. If I use this self leveler should I put down diamond mesh and can I put shluter ditra over the cured self leveler plus. I heard you mention something about not putting ditra over it but what would my other option be?
Hi Jeff! Love your channel. I have a 1972 ranch home in Phoenix, AZ. I have taken out carpet and asbestos tile. I have some cracks, but not bad. My goal is to stain my floors. Problem, the cement is brown. I've been told to grind the concrete. We did this in the master bed and bath. We would like to use leveler to create a fresh starting point to stain. What are your thoughts, ideas? Thank you!
Hey Jeff, I plan on removing tile on basement that was installed directly on concrete. My plan is to use floor leveler then (1) thinset + (2) Ditra XL + (3) thinset + (4) 5/16 thick tile. Trying to wrap my head over what thinset to use for step (1) and step (3) without breaking the bank other than Schluter. What would be your recommendation with Mapei ? Thanks!
@@benjaminross4825 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
I used SLC in my bathroom over the underfloor heating I installed. I am going to use direct stick luxury vinyl plank 2mm over the top. As its technically a wet area an epoxy adhesive is recommended for the plank. However thats for where you might have running water spills etc. I was going to use UZIN KE2000S. My question is do you need to seal the SLC once it is laid before putting on additional coverings like vinyl plank?
The floor of my garage slopes down slightly, and it would be nice to level it. Definitely over 200 sq ft. Would you recommend leaving it to the professionals?
What do you do if you are dealing with a concrete slab and you want to introduce some sort of insulating factor either between the slab and the leveler or the leveler And the LVP without it being electric.
Hi Jeff, your videos have been my guiding light through our DIY basement reno. We put dricore panels down but we didn't level before. Is it okay for us to level on top of the dricore directly, or are we better off adding a layer of 3/8 ply and then leveling?
@@mlrbMUSIC Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Does all leveler encapsulate asbestos? I have some black asbestos (I think) glue that was holding down some ancient tile, and the floors need leveling anyway before laying floor.
Hi - Great video, I appreciate all the information you provided. One question though, I want to prime and pour over asbestos in a basement. You mentioned at 13:55 that can be done, and specifically pointed out the MAPEI product from Lowes as being the one to use. However I looked on the datasheet for Primer T, and it specifically says not to use on asbestos (??) I am imagining they say that because they don't want you to grind or otherwise disturb the asbestos in preparing the floor (my guess but I could be wrong). My question is, can I use it if my asbestos floor is sound, and only needs washed to prepare it. Or is there something chemically in the primer that will be a problem when used on top of asbestos.
@@paullilly2734 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Hi, I'm doing a small bath and hall 60sq and wanted to install 12x12 porcelain tiles, my subfloor is two layer of 3/4 x 3 T&G flooring, It has good structure underneath however it slopes so I want to level before tile install. Question is should I cover with 3/8 plywood, level, uncoupling membrane then tile? Or wire over the T&G, level, uncoupling membrane then tile.
@@stevenlaake9975 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Jeff, I have a high level of radon but wanted to do a floor system...plywood with the plastic square grooves or something similar. Would I still need to go below the basement floor or could I just go under the subfloor? Thanks
best to provide an easy escape rout for the radon from under the slab. that way you won't risk it entering into the basement from other points and you can collect and disperse it with a high level of efficiency!
In my area the electrical authority wants leveler on top to cover the cables. schluter does not agree. I tend to go with the guy that provides the inspection certificate on this. Cheers, for best results pour 1/4" over the top to provide better protection against breakage
I realize I am late to the party, but can I use a leveler to level an OSB subfloor (primed) under a Flexstone acrylic shower pan, that is a foam bottom that gets adhered to the flooring?
We have a 500sf space, concrete subfloor, that has 2 spots less than 4ft sq that have small dips. We’re installing LVP. Do we have to do the entire 500sf or can we just do those 2 small spots with leveler.
Stick with shoenox. Make sure to screw your plywood down to the joists so there is no flex...before you pour, and fill all holes and cracks with cauking. If your floor flexes, it will crack all your tiles like egg shells.
If your house has plywood floors less than 1" thick, you may not be able to stop the flex...even if you put concrete board over it. Consider linoleum instead, or at least, use a small, 1 or 2 inch tile to mitigate tile cracking.
This guy's dad energy is off the charts
Jeff, you and StudPack seem to always know what projects are in my near future and put out the research& DIY videos I need to watch. Thank you for a much needed live tutorial
Absolutely. 100%
Glad to help
I always thought that garage floors are slightly sloped from the back wall to the door to allow for water to run towards & out the door. Am I wrong ?
@@billm.8220 you’re right. Most of the time garage floors have a slight slope
Yes... coming from snow country and now living in "monsoon" country... you need to be able to drain snow-melt and salt as well as rain runoff from your vehicle out of your garage... all that water and chemicals would do too much harm to your structure. 😮.@billm.8220
Thanks for leveling with us on the use of these products in various situations 😆
Exactly. Just the flat truth.
Any time!
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY can you do this over broken clean tiles?
Thanks Jeff I always come back to older videos as well, always great information. I couldn't remember how long to let it dry before starting the floor; the man says 16 hours, I listen!
Thank you for this. It gave me the final nudge I needed to tackle the 70s tile and black mastic floor I found under the carpet in one of my bedrooms. Now that the scary and hideously wonky slab is covered up and level, I can stop stressing about it and move on with the rest of the room renovation as planned.
And you helped me avoid a mistake. I was about to go for the RS stuff from Home Depot. Getting the slow set from a flooring place instead was definitely the right way to go for me since I was working alone and had a large floor to cover. It ended up taking 15 bags. Now I get to take a break for a day to let it cure.
i did this for my upstairs floor - very unlevel areas of OSB on joists. Used QuickLevel RS - you gotta be organized but it's do able - set out levelling screws around the area.
then glued the flooring to the self leveler. it worked great. It seems wrong to start pouring a concrete based liquid over your upstairs wooden subfloor - but it totally works so long as you follow the instructions carefully.
it is much easier than the alternative - cutting up the floor to remove sections and then sistering joists to level ....
How is your flooring doing also what was the thickest amount of self leveler you poured?
Wow, Jeff perfect timing. I've just reached this point. I'm replacing my sub floor (rotten wood due to moister) on a slab foundation. Concert has a 3/4 max bowel shape. So I'll listen to you before I wing it.
Ken
We are buying a house (Wiltshire, UK). The entire downstairs area has asbestos tiles, bonded with asbestos bitumen. I am so glad you said "use primer then leveller over it, to encapsulate the asbestos." PERFECT! Will take some work to do it, but that's great. Thank you. Now I just need to find UK equivelent products.
Hi, I’m in London and I have these tiles, but there are just some patches where they have holes and damage, overall they’re very level. I was wondering if I could just patch the holes. Is that a decision you had to make?
Manufacturer says to NOT use over asbestos.
Could not have come at a better time! Thank you!
Cheers and good luck with your project!
I love that you laugh at stress and continue your the best for people like me who have adhd stress and ptsd lmao!!
im in the UK(LIVERPOOL),,,,,,,,,, i watch loads of your vids, and there boss,well detailed, and yer give the pitfalls too
Yes!! I found old glued down vinyl sheeting in my house that likely has asbestos. I will be self-leveling over this weekend!
How did you get on? I have the same asbestos tiles, they’re in pretty good nick apart from patches, and I’m wondering if I can fill the patches
I have been using Custom self-leveler for my jobs for years, great product!
You are the best. You have an answer for every scenario and always add more education to it. Thank you!
Another option if you don’t have expansion foam to contain the self leveler against walls or gaps, you can use some tuck tape in a pinch and it will work great.
They use tape for epoxy counters too. When wrapping around a corner just pinch the top edge of the corner together so it does not fold over.
@@GR-cd2kx Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
@27:40 Using Ditra over the self-leveling compound: I called Schluter and they said it is allowed-- e.g. over LevelQuik RS. Please let me know if you think that my information is incorrect or if I misunderstood. Thanks Jeff: Your videos are always very helpful.
a master class in floor leveling. Thank you so much you answered all my questions.
When I'm taking on some DIY, I come here first. Great content and quality info. Thanks Jeff!
Thank you Jeff et al. You are good people
Cheers!
Watched the whole video. Lots of great info and you answered my question near the end of the video. Always turn to your channel when I need the good info. Thanks!
@@lmann8620 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Be very careful as a DIYer about doing large spaces. These levelers setup VERY fast and stop self leveling once they start setting up. It’s hard to cover large areas and keep your edges wet. You’ll need multiple people and ideally practice with your leveler in a smaller area first. Watch lots of videos about self levelers on larger areas.
Ain't that the truth!
Ugh, I know. I have to do a 209sqft patio. 😕
@@justlooking4771 I really like the trick of gluing tile spacers of varying heights and using a laser level to mark whether I need a 1/8 spacer or much higher (you can use screws if leveling wood, but I was doing concrete in basement). With spacers set out every 18-24", I know if I poured deep enough. I had a 600 ft space, with some areas as much as 1" different in level across the space. I used a grinder on a few small spaces (maybe 10%) that where a bit higher than about 40% of floor. I then used leveler on remaining 50% with wildly disparate heights, some 1/8" low and others nearly 3/4". I set a spacer about every 24" and then poured ensuring I covered just over the top of spacers in all areas. When you set your height spacers (screws or gluing plastic spacers), I would re-check your work at least twice before pouring. It's so easy to level if you set your heights correctly, have multiple people and know how high to pour. I'm sure it wasn't as good as a pro, but unless you are a tile pro, the floor was level enough to put tile down. I have very small lippage in a couple spots, but nothing visible to the eye and 10x better than if I had tried to do this without using leveler. Overall, pleased and saved thousands over what local contractors wanted to level it.
is there slower setting options for those of us that are… slower
Oh noo!! I missed such an important topic today!! That's literally my upcoming project for the kitchen/living room!!
You got this!
Bear in mind. Self leveler is not self leveling.
For better flatness, one needs to use self leveling pins. Which are gold too @ $1-2 dollars per pin every 3 feet across the floor. You cut them to a benchmark using a laser level. We keep ours 1/16 high so we can see them on the pour and keep the floor just under the tips of the pins!
The other main focus with self leveling is sealing the floor well. Clean very good, even under wall edges. Fill all gaps, small ones with caulk, large ones with spray foam. You can make dams with spray foam or 2x4 that is sealed to the floor. Trim your foam with a long retractable razor (the kind with multiple break points, though they make ones without the break points) then do a good job on the primer, read directions, dilute as necessary depending on the surface. The primer is the sealer for your whole floor, stopping water loss and allowing the product to work.
Keep a keen eye on your water amounts when mixing, try to hit the high end of recommended water to allow better flow. I can't stress enough how much water accuracy matters with this stuff, it's worth putting a person you trust to do it right on water.
Your videos are EXCELLENT. I want God to Bless you.
No worries there. Cheers!
Hi...thank you for the informational video. I have a concrete patio at the back of my house. It is about a 22' x 22'. One wall is part of the house's structure which has a block foundation (I can apply the products on that side since there is plenty of foundation). The other wall is the garage area with vinyl siding & a piece of vinyl molding that goes all the way to the patio. If I apply a bonding agent, then self-leveler and lastly a concrete resurfacing product, would you recommend not putting anything as a barrier to that siding and molding? I am planning to stamp the concrete surface.
Super helpful video as always! I have been ruminating on how to use leveler to achieve a slight pitch to a center drain or maybe a drain at the end of the room if thats more feasible..
If you plan on tiling over existing tile should you use a floor leveler first or is there another method such as just using a primer over existing tile (to minimize the added height that a leveler would add) before you lay new tile? I would love to avoid using the leveler altogether for this scenario if possible…? Should note, the existing tile is on a concrete slab.
Really great demonstration
thanks. awesome video. what do you do if you have a slab on grade home and you need to level a small portion of the home due to settlement. Do i need to pour the whole living area (1100 sq ft). You mentioned if its not wall to wall there will be a lip that would have to be sanded. Is there any other solutions?
thanks for the helpful video, leveling basement slab which meats a subbasement wood floor , so slab to wood subfloor level. primer both, latting on wood, then seal crack between them, level compound?
Timestamp 36:10 he Gives the double Birdie to everyone. L o l, So funny.
Nice catch 😂
these things happen!
Schoenox is the best leveller, but add an extra quart of water than directed for every 40-50lbs bag. Always use a sealer so your leveller won't have the water sucked out of it and cause it to dry before levelling. Screw rapid sets--you are asking for disaster. Don't use any product with sand in it. Don't use Henry because it turns to pudding and won't level in just 3 minutes. You will have to grind it down and cover the whole mess with Schoenox to correct it--three extra days later, the disaster is fixed.
I'm going to be replacing tile in my kitchen really soon, and from what I can tell there is already a wire mesh under the old tile adhesive. There is, what also appears to be a dip on the floor. Do I need to pull that old mesh up and go all the way down to the subfloor? Or can I bust out the old tile, clean up the adhesive, primer and pour the leveler? This is an awesome video and I am no longer intimidated by this stuff anymore! Thanks
I have a 72 doublewide with MDS floors. I have water damage on the edges and have ben removing the original vinyl flooring because of parts being partly removed or chipped. Have sanded as smooth as possible. I have been replacing the damaged areas with 3/4 plywood . some areas along the marriage wall are higher and there are bolts there too. What would be the best way to level the floor before putting down LVP that already has the pad attached. Extra padding cancels the warrantee. Will have to do the floors through out the whole double wide and have a VERY tight budget. Thank you in advance.
Excellent presentation, many thanks
Hi Jeff, Always enjoying your tutorial, save me time reading and the good thing is that, you are teeling us how to avoid making mistakes. Just a question what can you say about Dry Pour concreting using it in the garden area?
Extremely informative. 👍
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for the informational video. I have a concrete patio inside my house with a 4' x 24' corridor in front of my back door. Due to construction work, the corridor is lower and has bowing in the center about 1.5 to 2 inches deep over an 8" area. Whenever it rains, all the water stays in this area, making it unusable as an exit. Can I use self-leveling concrete, also adding mesh metal beneath the self-leveling compound to fix it? Considering that I will not add tiles on top, please advise on the best solution.
Jeff, we put this in our kitchen about a month ago and went on to other projects. I checked it for flatness today, and it's not flat. Can we pour more on top of what we already did?
Is there a product that is not rapid set (RS) to give me time to work it but can also be applied over patio outside?
Dang. Came across this after redoing the floor in our laundry room. Ripped out old carpet and there was linoleum underneath, delaminating in some places and tightly glued other places. As he described it was on some sort of wood underlay that was stapled to the subfloor. I didn’t want to rip that up because honestly, didn’t want to know if the subfloor was going bad. Thought about using floor leveling over the linoleum but wasn’t sure about it and it was a small space and they only seem to sell large bags of the stuff, I just needed a small amount to make the surface flat. Using a long level, it seemed the floor was within the specs for the floating interlocking vinyl plank I was using, so just locally sanded as needed and put that down. I’ll see if it holds over time!
1956 Driveway converted to Sun room. Have cement grade 2 inch on one end 30ft X 12ft to 0 inch slope...
Hello, im not sure how the question process works. I apologize if this is improper. I would like to tile an older concrete basement floor that has a bit of a slope to a french drain. I am wondering if there is a way I can use the dimple product for any moisture. Then, possibly pour a fiber cement on top to level out the floor. And then finish with ceramic tile. Any insight would be appreciated.
You silver tongued TH-cam devil! I just tried my first run on installing vinyl plank flooring with little to no success. I have clean underlayment down, but there seems to be some waviness or dips in the surface, that misaline the locking edges of the heavy grade planks. So, after a terrble struggle, that was to be "easy peasy", I came to that conclusion all by myself. So, I intend to use floor leveler on top of OSB type underlay. I do not recall you talking about leveler in the video on installing vinyl plank, even after watching 2 or 3 times.
@@PaulLandowski-e5f Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
I have primmed my half bath floor- and feel I’m ready to use self leveler. I’ve used gap foam around the edges to have a perimeter, and I’m wondering do I still need a seal gasket of some sort? Or will the gap foam allow for expansion? And finally, once I’m ready to floor, thanks to your advice I’ve been considering sheet linoleum- does this need a pad? And if I go with tile, I know it’s not waterproof, so should I add a SD underlay ?
Thank you for everything- you’re my fav builder…. Wish you were in the US!
Can I use a floor leveler to create a slight ramp? I hade a interior floor drain put in the basement to fix a water issue and they made way too high of a ramp at the perimeter of about 1/5th of the basement. I grinded it down as much as I could but still have a 1/2 inch ramp over a 1-2 feet span at the edge of the wall. Can I use less water in the mix and use a 10 ft straight edge to slow ramp it out so it is not noticeable? I understand it is a leveler and maybe its a stupid question, wasn't sure if it would hold a little as it dries. Didn't think I can do a cement pour that thin.
I poured self leveling w/o primer( didn't know) concrete then stained & painted floor. It's flaked didn't level.
Do I have to sand grind floor before priming & self leveling floor again?
I want this to be a concrete floor it's in a small basement bathroom about 60sq ft
Hey Jeff
What is the most correct method ,installing self levelling concrete first and after schliter ditra ,or ditra first and self leveller after wards.I will appreciate the answer ,I have a project for a difficult costumer
Thanks a lot
Self-leveling a concrete floor...do I need to use a primer or is that just for wood?
Do I need primer if going over other concrete?
Hi Jeff. Thanks for another fantastic video. Loved the double middle-finger salute at 36:10 lol. We're finishing the basement floor in our early-1960's house in Eastern Ontario. Explored various flooring options, and have settled on rolled vinyl flooring. The concrete floor that it will be covering is in pretty good shape, but has a few imperfections from removal of carpet tack strips etc and has a few small and shallow "bowls" that I'll need to try and level out. Would you recommend a floor levelling compound or is there a different product you would recommend for this application.
Did you say that you can pull out the pieces of wood that you used instead of sill sealer? Won't the leveler bond to the wood trim?
I have 1933 era home. Redoing kitchen floor. The pier and beam joist have a plank subfloor with a 1/4” Masonite layer and a glued down square flexible type tile that is separating from . Do I take up the tile and Masonite or can I use the planks, Masonite and 1/4 or 1/2 inch to create a more stable laminate subfloor?
@@stanturbyfill4147 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
I have a home that is on a concrete slab. Build in 1950”s could I use the self leveling would it be too heavy?
Question...I'll look thru comments to see ... I had to kilz my floor after removing carpet... Can I put floor leveler over kilz or do I need another primer?
Can I put floor paint or self levelling epoxy over this product? It's for a daylight basement, an unplanned project and I don't have the budget to lay down marmoleum or another flooring, so I would like to paint or epoxy over it to have a smooth , waterproof durable surface indefinitely.
Following this comment!
@@michaelaiello9525 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
This is an amazing set up, Haven't watched the whole thing yet, but What about pouring self leveler onto concrete?
My basement floor is really uneven. It have a « bowl » 3 1/2 inch deep maybe more…
Is there à maximum depth that a leveler can’t be use?
If so Watch can I do instead?
Did you apply the primer to the plywood.
Hi Jeff, a couple questions I was hoping you were going to answer but didn’t. If you are patching a concrete floor with regular concrete before applying self leveler does the concrete need to cure a certain amount of time before applying self leveler or will it delaminate the self leveler while its curing? Is there a product you can recommend if you are trying to do this with one person so I have more working time? The Mapei product you mentioned with the 24 hr cure time, cannot go to a feather finish, it has to be at least 1/8” thick.
Fantastic info! You mention the Mapei Self Leveler Plus will do 1.5 inches but on the Lowes site it says only an inch max. I need 1.5 should I do 1 inch then another .5 after it dries?
Hey Jeff, Love the videos! question on self-leveler! What if the first layer wasn't enough? can you add a second layer after the first one cures/dries? thanks!!
I need to come up 1.5 in on a 10 ft run and 3/4 in most spots, can I use cement board as a filler material? Just prime it, right?
I have 1"x4" TG subfloor that has normal shrinkage gaps and is 70 y/o. How clean must the floor be before using this product?
Hey i have a old vinyl floor probally has asbestos in it with a plywood underneath it. Can i pour right over it. If not what can i do? Also the edges have come up and is curled up so i know i would have to cut the edges.
Hi. This is new construction. I have a concrete floor 20x20 with a change in elevation of 4.5 inches from one corner to the opposite corner. The concrete is stamped. How do I level without having to add 4.5" of leveler. It could be sloped but needs to be flat. What do you suggest?
@@samchaoui4845 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Can you use the self leveler as a finished floor without anything on top of it? and If so do you need some sort of sealer to be applied after its cured?
Hey, Jeff my dad's house was built in a 1929 house and my dad's house has bad slants to the right and I know it’s the foundation and the support beams. He doesn’t have the money to have craw space support jacks put into raising it back up. I know u said about the weight of the leveler. so to make up the slanting side of the floor I’m not sure how many inches it is. So could I use 2x4 and scribe them into large shims lay them over the original plywood subfloor and then install new plywood on top of the made shims as the new subfloor to put the new floating floor
I have a small Southeast Michigan, brick-walled home with a walkout basement built in 1956. I have an engineering mindset and believe the home to be unusually well-built for the time (two walls of brick, steel pole floor support with steel I-beams). They originally used tile, and overtime added linoleum and finally carpet on the main floor. I have removed the carpet, linoleum, and tile. I am replacing it with 12 mil luxury vinal planks. They did use nails to attach the 3/4" composite board to the subfloor. The composite floor is losing some of the top composite in some areas. Can I use floor leveler to "even out" the floor? Your vlog seems to address applying it to the entire floor.
@@sledgehammer2024 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
@@Samathachavez-k1w We can be friends.
@@sledgehammer2024 Good afternoon
@@sledgehammer2024 Good morning
I’m gonna tile my bathroom. I bought the primer T and the self leveler plus. The floor is plywood but it is not level. If I use this self leveler should I put down diamond mesh and can I put shluter ditra over the cured self leveler plus. I heard you mention something about not putting ditra over it but what would my other option be?
Hi Jeff! Love your channel.
I have a 1972 ranch home in Phoenix, AZ. I have taken out carpet and asbestos tile. I have some cracks, but not bad.
My goal is to stain my floors. Problem, the cement is brown. I've been told to grind the concrete. We did this in the master bed and bath.
We would like to use leveler to create a fresh starting point to stain.
What are your thoughts, ideas?
Thank you!
Hey Jeff, I plan on removing tile on basement that was installed directly on concrete. My plan is to use floor leveler then (1) thinset + (2) Ditra XL + (3) thinset + (4) 5/16 thick tile.
Trying to wrap my head over what thinset to use for step (1) and step (3) without breaking the bank other than Schluter. What would be your recommendation with Mapei ? Thanks!
@@benjaminross4825 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Thank Yo SO MUCH! You are answering all my questions.
What do you think about using this over a aircrete slab
it can be poured over anything that is deemed structural. Cheers!
I used SLC in my bathroom over the underfloor heating I installed. I am going to use direct stick luxury vinyl plank 2mm over the top. As its technically a wet area an epoxy adhesive is recommended for the plank. However thats for where you might have running water spills etc. I was going to use UZIN KE2000S. My question is do you need to seal the SLC once it is laid before putting on additional coverings like vinyl plank?
The floor of my garage slopes down slightly, and it would be nice to level it. Definitely over 200 sq ft. Would you recommend leaving it to the professionals?
Can I use this on my cracked patio?
Can i put floor leveler on durock?
What do you do if you are dealing with a concrete slab and you want to introduce some sort of insulating factor either between the slab and the leveler or the leveler And the LVP without it being electric.
Hi Jeff, your videos have been my guiding light through our DIY basement reno. We put dricore panels down but we didn't level before. Is it okay for us to level on top of the dricore directly, or are we better off adding a layer of 3/8 ply and then leveling?
@@mlrbMUSIC Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Is henrys feather finish used for similar purposes?
Does all leveler encapsulate asbestos? I have some black asbestos (I think) glue that was holding down some ancient tile, and the floors need leveling anyway before laying floor.
Hi - Great video, I appreciate all the information you provided. One question though, I want to prime and pour over asbestos in a basement. You mentioned at 13:55 that can be done, and specifically pointed out the MAPEI product from Lowes as being the one to use. However I looked on the datasheet for Primer T, and it specifically says not to use on asbestos (??) I am imagining they say that because they don't want you to grind or otherwise disturb the asbestos in preparing the floor (my guess but I could be wrong). My question is, can I use it if my asbestos floor is sound, and only needs washed to prepare it. Or is there something chemically in the primer that will be a problem when used on top of asbestos.
@@paullilly2734 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Hi, I'm doing a small bath and hall 60sq and wanted to install 12x12 porcelain tiles, my subfloor is two layer of 3/4 x 3 T&G flooring, It has good structure underneath however it slopes so I want to level before tile install. Question is should I cover with 3/8 plywood, level, uncoupling membrane then tile? Or wire over the T&G, level, uncoupling membrane then tile.
Great video. Thanks for the help. Really appreciate you.
@@stevenlaake9975 Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺
Is there a different type of leveler to use if you have in floor heat
Do you need primer on concrete?
Should I put down tar paper for a vapor barrier?
Jeff, I have a high level of radon but wanted to do a floor system...plywood with the plastic square grooves or something similar. Would I still need to go below the basement floor or could I just go under the subfloor? Thanks
best to provide an easy escape rout for the radon from under the slab. that way you won't risk it entering into the basement from other points and you can collect and disperse it with a high level of efficiency!
@HomeRenoVisionDIY Thank you, really appreciate the reply!
Jef you got it backwards with Ditra mat. You are supposed to use leveller under the mat and not on top.
Is that for Ditra heat? Or all Ditra?
@@mmathi4 all Ditra
In my area the electrical authority wants leveler on top to cover the cables. schluter does not agree. I tend to go with the guy that provides the inspection certificate on this. Cheers, for best results pour 1/4" over the top to provide better protection against breakage
I realize I am late to the party, but can I use a leveler to level an OSB subfloor (primed) under a Flexstone acrylic shower pan, that is a foam bottom that gets adhered to the flooring?
We have a 500sf space, concrete subfloor, that has 2 spots less than 4ft sq that have small dips. We’re installing LVP. Do we have to do the entire 500sf or can we just do those 2 small spots with leveler.
Do you need some kind of sealer for the compound before you lay peel and stick vinyl?
Stick with shoenox. Make sure to screw your plywood down to the joists so there is no flex...before you pour, and fill all holes and cracks with cauking. If your floor flexes, it will crack all your tiles like egg shells.
Do I need the expanded steel mesh on dricore OSB flooring?
Can i use the primer on my tile floor before pouring leveler? How do i prepare the tile? Ok Got it!!! Thanks answer is around 12:00
If your house has plywood floors less than 1" thick, you may not be able to stop the flex...even if you put concrete board over it. Consider linoleum instead, or at least, use a small, 1 or 2 inch tile to mitigate tile cracking.
Can I lay floor leveler over painted concrete flooring
My toilet is not level. Can I pour self leveler over tile to level the floor inside of where the toilet sits?
Yoooo, video was fire 🔥 next step is to actually watch it
Answered so many questions!