Leveling compound 'skin'

[Beyond the blue]

I used some Mapei Ultimate leveler 1210 yesterday. Today I've noticed that in an area of it a skin 1mm thick has raised and separated and can easily be scraped off. When I laid it there was quite a lot of air bubbles rising in it and I went over with a steel float to try and get rid of them, now I remember my bricklayer father telling me that a steel float brings cement to the surface and a wooden one sends it down, could this be my problem and in future should I just leave it alone?

 

[One Day]

Sounds like too much water to me? Did you follow the ratio instructions? Most of us would throw an extra cup of water into levellers but too much and you get water bleed

 

[Beyond the blue]

I used 4 litres per bag as per instructions.

 

[Flintstone]

I've had this before with two different levellers mixed with the right amount of water and I'm not sure what the reason is, but it's usually when it's a deep pour. How deep have you gone ? Leave it to set hard then scrape off any loose surface layers, then you should be ok

 

[macten]

Did you clean and prime the substrate first?

 

[Beyond the blue]

The depth varied from 4-10mm and it was the deep end that it happened.

 

[Beyond the blue]

Did you clean and prime the substrate first?

Yes. When I tap the leveler it sound like it has bonded to the concrete underneath, it's just the top 1mm that has come loose.

 

[Just Rizzle]

did you put the right amount of water to powder sounds likeyouve over done the water i use that leveler all the time and have never had a problem .did you us a spiked roller to agitate the leveller if you say you had the mix right