How to Install a Tile Leveling System
Before installing a new tile floor in a room, you need to ensure the floor is level. If the floor is not level, the tile will not lay evenly on the floor and will also likely crack. One of the simplest ways to level a floor is to use self-leveling floor compound. This compound is poured out over the existing subfloor and uses gravity to level itself and the underlying floor. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Vacuum
- Sponge mop and bucket
- Water
- Floor-leveling compound
- Floor-patching compound
- Trowel
- 2-by-4 (optional)
- Saw (optional)
- Bricks or other weights (optional)
Instructions
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1
Vacuum up any dust or debris on the floor and sponge mop the floor to leave a slightly damp surface.
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2
Mix up a batch of floor-leveling compound. It should have the consistency of pancake batter. Start in one corner of the room and begin pouring.
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3
Pour a thin layer over the top of the floor and work your way toward the door. Don't worry about smoothing it--it will find its way to the low points.
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4
Allow the floor compound to fully set up. Mix up a floor-patching compound that is designed for small cracks or blemishes. Spread this compound out over the floor in any blemishes or imperfections that remain after the first pour.
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5
Let the compound to dry for the specified time on the packaging before beginning your tile floor system.
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Tips & Warnings
If there is an adjacent room to where you are leveling that you do not want the floor-leveling compound to run into, you need to set up a barrier to hold the compound back. Measure the distance across the doorway in which you do not want the compound to flow past. Cut a 2-by-4 at that measurement and lay in the doorway. Weigh it down with some bricks or other heavy objects to keep it in place. Once the compound is hard, you may remove the 2-by-4.
Floor-leveling compound sets up quickly. Only mix as much as you can pour in a few minutes.
Work quickly when pouring the compound. If doing large rooms, you may want to do a section at a time.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
