How Long Does The Self-leveling Floor Dry: How Long Does The Self-leveling Liquid Floor Dry Under The Tiles

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How Long Does The Self-leveling Floor Dry: How Long Does The Self-leveling Liquid Floor Dry Under The Tiles
How Long Does The Self-leveling Floor Dry: How Long Does The Self-leveling Liquid Floor Dry Under The Tiles

Video: How Long Does The Self-leveling Floor Dry: How Long Does The Self-leveling Liquid Floor Dry Under The Tiles

Video: How Long Does The Self-leveling Floor Dry: How Long Does The Self-leveling Liquid Floor Dry Under The Tiles
Video: Easy Self Leveling Underlayment- Tile Coach Episode 17 2024, March
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Before starting repairs, you need to draw up an action plan and work schedule. Since usually all work begins with the floors, you should correctly calculate how long it will take to install them. So, it is important to take into account the drying time of a self-leveling or self-leveling liquid floor under the tiles.

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What affects the drying time?

An hour after application, the liquid floor begins to harden. The time required for the complete hardening of materials is formed depending on a huge number of factors. The main ones are:

  • the type of dry mix used;
  • its consistency in liquid form;
  • the number of coatings applied;
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  • impurities included in the self-leveling composition;
  • the thickness of each layer;
  • type of protective finish layer.
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As already mentioned, the self-leveling surface begins to harden an hour after application, however, it must be borne in mind that the final hardening takes from 5 hours to a couple of days. Since the time for complete drying of the coating depends on the selected materials, the average characteristics are given.

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Polymerization time

The approximate drying time is indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. To understand how long it takes for the self-leveling floor to harden, you need to study the main types of solutions and the periods of their polymerization.

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Consider the following types of self-leveling floor:

  • Polymer surfaces. Industrial coatings must dry for 2-6 days, while the curing time depends on many conditions: the presence of impurities and special pigments, the number of layers and their thickness.
  • Cement-based surfaces. This type requires a fairly long solidification time. As a rule, this type of solution is used in private construction.

The composition contains all kinds of plasticizers and impurities, as a result of which it takes about 1-2 weeks for complete polymerization.

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  • Anhydride mixtures. Surfaces of this kind do not tolerate moisture, for this reason, their use is highly discouraged for toilets and bathrooms. Drying time starts from the second day, so the installation of equipment and the installation of furniture will have to be postponed for at least 10 days.
  • Fast drying coating. The so-called quick-drying solutions are used more and more today.

They have good technical characteristics and a short drying time (less than 5 hours).

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  • Polyurethane cover. Such coatings are quite durable and serve for a long time. Although complete drying occurs on the 3rd day from the moment of installation, you can walk on such a floor after 10-15 hours. To all that has been said, it should be added that the curing time directly depends on the thickness of the applied layer.
  • Epoxy solutions. They are distinguished by good impact resistance, and the curing time is directly related to the number of layers applied. The setting time varies from 2 to 5 days.
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The solidification time of the liquid floor is calculated a little differently. If you want the surface not to deteriorate and not change its shape, pay close attention to the information indicated on the package. Please be aware that usually, manufacturers only indicate an approximate polymerization time of the formulations.

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To avoid damaging the floors, add an additional 10-12 hours to the specified time, then confidently use the floor surface.

Drying time for volumetric coatings

3D coatings take much longer to cure than other types. The solidification time of the pouring 3D surface can be different due to the following factors:

  • the time during which the leveling layer dries;
  • image placement characteristics. If vinyl paper or film acts as a decorative element, the last layer is applied immediately. If the ornament is made with paints, it will naturally take some time to dry. Depending on the characteristics of the materials used, the time for complete drying may differ from case to case;
  • time of complete hardening of the finishing layer;
  • in addition, do not forget about the period of polymerization of the glossy protective surface.
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Please note that the drying time for a surface with a volumetric pattern is much longer when compared with other types of coatings. In this case, it will take about a week.

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If you are not satisfied with this, you can use quick-drying formulations. This will reduce the setting time in half.

What affects drying?

The first thing to consider is air humidity. In order for the drying to be uniform, it is not necessary to allow the humidity indicator to rise to 50-60%. Once dry, various surface treatment methods can be adopted. They are used when laying tiles, laminate or linoleum.

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To shorten the cure time, you can use the following guidelines:

  • even distribution of the composition over the entire working surface will significantly speed up the drying time;
  • do not forget about the humidity in the room. Keep it at a moderate level (no more than 50-60%);
  • many are mistakenly believed that drafts promote quick drying, but, unfortunately, the effect is exactly the opposite. So, we can conclude that you should not allow their appearance;
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  • constant air temperature in the region of 20-30 degrees also increases the drying rate;
  • put a specially prepared film on the surface one hour after applying the solution. This will help protect the floor from ultraviolet radiation;
  • although after 14 hours it is already possible to walk on the surface, it is still not worth subjecting it to significant loads earlier than after 6-7 days.
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Finishing and drying speed

The type of materials used in the finishing also has a direct influence on the cure time. It is worth considering that the drying time directly depends on the type of mixture chosen. For example, polyurethane mortar is the best solution for a private house or apartment. It can be safely operated after 3 days. For a self-leveling floor under tiles, it is best to use compounds with a cement base, however, as mentioned above, this type takes more time to fully harden.

You need to immediately set aside 1-2 weeks for this.

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Among other things, the quality of the fill directly affects the curing time. If applied unevenly, thinner areas will dry faster than thicker ones, which can cause the floor to harden 10-12 hours longer. If laminate is selected as the finishing material, then it is worth considering in advance which base will be mounted under it.

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The most suitable materials for a laminate are:

  • polyurethane;
  • quick-drying;
  • anhydrite;
  • polyurethane.
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All the necessary information has already been indicated about each of the above options.

Care advice

After you have laid the liquid mass, and it has dried to such an extent that it can withstand direct physical contact, a number of special procedures are performed. The main thing is to correctly determine the moment when the coating reaches the desired condition. This is easy enough. You need some kind of sharp object, such as a knife.

If the coating can withstand a strong enough knife stab, then you can proceed with the subsequent procedures.

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It is recommended to sprinkle the surface with a cement base with sawdust, after which they are moistened with water at least 2-3 times a day until they are completely saturated. Wet sawdust acts as a moisturizer so that the cement mass does not lose all moisture before the reaction between cement and water ends. Otherwise, the surface may become loose and lose its strength.

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Polymer floor should be protected from direct sunlight, because because of this, heating of some areas of the coating may occur, which will cause them to swell and other deformation. As a result, either additional filling and sanding of the surface will be required, or a complete reconstruction of the entire coating. To avoid this, the freshly applied floor must be covered with a prepared film that protects it from light, as well as from debris and dust.

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Conclusion

Before laying a liquid floor, the following requirements must be taken into account in addition to those given above:

  • room humidity;
  • air temperature;
  • the presence of drafts;
  • a well-prepared base.
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You can often find the following recommendation from specialists. The working surface immediately before starting work should be treated with specialized quick-drying primers that can have a positive effect on the drying time of the self-leveling floor. If these simple requirements are met, the time it takes for the surface to completely harden will be greatly reduced. In conclusion, we can say that the drying time of the self-leveling floor depends mainly on on the type of mixture that was used, as well as on the conditions under which the pouring was performed.

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You can learn how to properly fill a self-leveling self-leveling floor in the next video.

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