Six Major Advantages of Using Self-Leveling Cement as the Subfloor for Floor Installation
Release Time:
2016-03-30
Source:
Six Major Advantages of Using Self-Leveling Cement as the Subfloor for Floor Installation
Self-leveling compounds play a crucial role in flooring installation. Whether it’s laminate or solid wood flooring, both are made of wood; therefore, all wood floors share the inherent characteristics of wood, including its adverse response to fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Self-leveling cement Its incorporation effectively provides moisture-barrier protection for the subfloor. Moreover, since flooring installation is a precise and highly specialized process—and given that flooring has the highest usage rate of all home improvement materials—every construction detail directly impacts the long-term stability and durability of the floor. The flatness of the subfloor plays a critical role in flooring installation, and self-leveling compounds can address six common challenges encountered during floor installation.
Challenge 1: Moisture on the floor leads to fungal growth.
Over time, flooring can turn black due to mold growth when exposed to moisture. The root cause of this issue is that the subfloor beneath the flooring lacks effective moisture-barrier properties, allowing the floor to remain in prolonged contact with a damp substrate. Self-leveling compounds effectively address this problem: thanks to their low moisture content and rapid drying characteristics, installing wood flooring over a self-leveling screed significantly reduces the likelihood of moisture-related damage.
Challenge No. 2: Floor Expansion and Buckling
Due to the wood nature of flooring, prolonged exposure to moisture can cause expansion, particularly in areas where localized dampness occurs, leading to buckling as the planks press against one another. Self-leveling screed effectively prevents this from happening: it not only provides moisture resistance and barrier properties but also ensures exceptional smoothness, uniformity, and flatness, thereby eliminating the risk of localized moisture damage to the floor.
Challenge 3: Creaking Sounds When Walking on the Floor
After a period of use, wooden floors may develop creaking noises and a hollow, floating sensation—commonly referred to as floor unevenness. This phenomenon can arise in two ways: first, uneven grinding of the subfloor beneath the flooring creates height differences on the surface, which, over time and with repeated foot traffic, lead to a floating effect; second, inadequate adhesion between the subfloor and the flooring results in delamination or hollow areas. The self-leveling properties of self-leveling compounds effectively eliminate both surface height differences and the floating caused by an unstable subfloor.
Challenge 4: Fracture of the floor groove
In recent years, click-lock technology has become widely adopted in flooring manufacturing. This system securely interlocks the planks; however, when severe warping occurs due to moisture absorption, the lock mechanism can deform or even crack. By applying a high-quality self-leveling compound to prevent moisture intrusion, the grooves between the planks can maintain optimal tightness and stability.
Challenge 5: Gaps in the skirting board
When a floating floor installation method is used, the issue of jointing between the skirting board and the floor edge is unavoidable. This is because the floating installation technique is highly susceptible to substrate weakness, which can lead to gaps forming at the junctions of the floor with the skirting board and the floor edge. Such gaps can subsequently allow water and dust to penetrate, giving rise to a host of long-term problems. In this context, a robust self-leveling compound plays a crucial role: it ensures structural integrity and prevents any settlement of the floor over time, thereby eliminating the possibility of gaps between the skirting board and the floor.
Challenge Six: Extensive Buckling of the Flooring
Large-scale blistering and localized blistering are caused by different factors; large-scale blistering resulting from delamination due to poor-quality cement is particularly difficult to prevent and repair. High-quality cement provides a solid foundation, and a robust self-leveling screed can further ensure the integrity of the substrate, thereby preventing floor problems caused by substrate cracking.
Scope of Application
Suitable for low-stress applications in homes, offices, small commercial facilities, and other similar settings, this product provides a smooth, sound, and stable subfloor ideal for a wide range of flooring systems, including hardwood floors, radiant heating systems, carpets, ceramic tiles, PVC flooring, and more.
