I am about to go and dig up my SLC - rebag it and return it to Weber!

[cornish_crofter]

No, it has not been a good day for me.

I did everything I was told. I spent hours over this and I've still ended up with a complete pile of crap!

It didn't help that, despite working out exactly how much I needed and rounding up the number in bags. I've ended up with an area of floor uncovered.

Why does this always happen to me?

 

[hillhead]

Maybe this part of the floor was high????
I threw down 3 bags of renovation screed today and it levelled out lovely, i get back there next week and see what it dried out like but it looked great and came up to my markers.

 

[White Room]

I always get an extra bag in case, sooner than later I will use it...

Complete the job tomorrow mate.

 

[Aston]

because in the nicest possible way, when you not sure what you are doing, you are going to run into problems.
its always better to have too much than too little....over estimate, you can always use the rest up on another job or send it back.

cubic volume is the area x the depth.. its quite difficult to estimate this when your dealing in millimeters over uneven areas..just put it down to experience, tomorrows another day. its not like youve electrocuted somebody is it?

 

[Ian]

How did the SLC flow when you were pouring it? I assume it's not very level from this unhappy message. Pouring it at 8mm is quite a skill, even someone who does it often will find it hard to keep an even depth across a floor. I know this isn't making you feel any better. How does the floor look now?

 

[cornish_crofter]

It's not just that I have run out, Even the area I levelled out is out by 3mm in some areas. I am so mad!

Basically I mixed the first bag with 5.25L of water as directed and it was as runny as water! I phoned Weber up to ask why and was advised to reduce the water content to around 5L. This provided a slightly stiffer mix but it's still a load of crap.

I worked out that I needed just over 6 bags and thus bought 7. The tile shop also checked my calcs. I think I'll need another 2 bags to sort this mess out. I may even go for more and go over the whole area again.

 

[cornish_crofter]

How did the SLC flow when you were pouring it? I assume it's not very level from this unhappy message. Pouring it at 8mm is quite a skill, even someone who does it often will find it hard to keep an even depth across a floor. I know this isn't making you feel any better. How does the floor look now?

The first mix flowed too easily. So much so that there was no way I could level it. Weber told me that it had a 1 in 8 slump ratio. Hence for every 8 inches it spread it would be one inch high - what a load of crap that was!

The floor looks crap. The uncovered area is 10mm below the high point - rather destroys the meaning of SLC.

 

[White Room]

It really work out as self smoothing, self leveling is the wrong wording.

 

[cornish_crofter]

I have a few choice words for Weber tomorrow I can tell you. The product manager I spoke to today completely contradicted when the technical guy told me yesterday. Is there ANYONE who can possibly offer worst advice with regards to one of their products?

Even the area that seems not to have been affected by the lack of bags is out by 3mm at it worst over 6 ft.

 

[Ian]

Don't wind yourself up too much mate, finish off the bit you started today and let it dry, then do another coat of say, 3mm to straighten it out. Thin coats are 100 times easier to do than what you were attempting. Just check that the SLC is suitable to go ontop of itself, and take a deep breath. Tomorrow is a new day.

 

[hillhead]

3mm is not too bad with the great trowels we have these day surely?

 

[White Room]

I would be priming the first coat of slc before i laid a second at such a thin coat.

 

[kilty55]

hugo,it will be easier to lay a thinner coat 2nd attempt on a deep fill

so although it looks crap just now you may find its much easier next time,estimate your materials is my advice to your customers so you do not get caught out

 

[cornish_crofter]

One Idea I had was to 'fill in' the area that needs to be done.

Before I started mixing the SLC I placed screws in to give me the required height all around the floor as Sandy Floor suggested. I can get the level over the area that is missing fairly easily I reckon. I can cope with a ridge provided it is all relitively the same height.

Would it be a consensus that 3mm variation over 6ft is acceptable then? If that is the case then I've only got the area that was affected by my running out of SLC to worry about, and maybe I'm over obsessing about what is reasonable/achievable. I wanted it to be perfect for tiling as I want the tiles flat.

 

[kilty55]

3mm is not a lot hugo once you fill the void you ran out on ,i think 2nd trip you will feel better