I posted a while ago about my floor laying problems and having to remove all the prep etc. I did start writing the whole story of the continued saga, but it's far too long and eventful so I'll get to the point. As part of my Karndean fitting, I've stipulated I wanted the floor ‘flattened’. Eg. the quote contained an amount for typical smoothing compound and we accepted the cost of addition bags needed. Not necessarily perfectly level in every direction (it's 20m+ between corners) but not undulating across it. How flat should it be? Should you still be scribing skirting? Is it acceptable for a stool to ‘rock’?
If you've paid for a floor to be levelled it should be levelled and skirts shouldn't need scribing in !
If it’s a new subfloor the builder should get the subfloor flat and level and you should only need a 3-5mm smoothing compound over the top. If it’s a renovation and your subfloor is unlevel and uneven it’s not so straight forward. In most cases the rest of the house/ door thresholds/outside doors have been built to these levels. If you have the height you could have your floor flooded with self levelling compound and it will level your floor perfectly like a screed. If your governed by height restrictions you can aim to get the floor flat between those heights but that’s not easy with a self levelling compound. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Builder should be getting floor to SR2 which is max 5mm discrepancy measured with a slip gauge and your floor fitter then gets it to SR1 which is max 3mm discrepancy over a 2m distance. Essentially we’re here to smooth the floor to a standard suitable for your floor, getting it level is up to the builder. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's a new subfloor. The screeder didn't do a good job of it. It dried while they were working it leaving ridges and dents. I lasered and mapped it and found a general unevenness of about 10mm. I then grinded the worst out, eg the ridges and the highest points (took me three full 16 hour days). Understood, but as Spacey mentioned, I specifically asked for levelling, which was agreed by the shop/fitter. The floor was seen by the shop before quoting, and their fitter had seen it before starting, so no surprises and every opportunity to say they don't/can't level it. This has come to £1500 in extra compound (on top of the 'normal' amount included in the original quote) plus £850 extra labour on approx. 120m2. This would be fine if it was now flat/level/SR1. How uneven does it need to be to become 'not easy'? What would be the normal work and time involved if you have to get something level? The fitter started by rollering on smoothing compound which although has filled dents, I can only see has generally followed the contours underneath. I had previously said simply doing this wasn't going to cut it, so I was surprised when it happened. I didn't even see a spirit level - I've had to go over it each evening and point bits out. He's then tried to correct by rollering another layer making the high points even higher, and then going back over adding feather edge. On the basis we all had a clear understanding that it needed levelling, I would have assumed he would have checked it all first, worked on filling/levelling the low points, checked it all again, and then smoothing over all of it?
Your floor should of been flooded with a levelling compound. 2 or 3 guys and 2 or three buckets on the go. Not troweled on by one man, a bucket and a spiked roller. You never going to get a floor level like that. If it was discussed from the start they should know better. Im looking at a job that’s similar. I originally lost it and now been called back to sort it. I was the same price but they went with the retailer who then charged them extra £800 to get the floor level on top of original quote. I put a level over it last week and it has a 20mm dip in the middle of the floor. We now have to grind the back of the area and re level or break the whole thing out (30mm of levelling compound) as there no more room at the door ways. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That became quite apparent to me as soon as he started. The lack of spirit level wasn't helping either. So 'flooding' would imply doing it quite quickly? Eg the whole smoothing done in one hit / one day? And the cost of an extra couple of guys for the day? Our deviation in height was far less than that. Only two crucial points - front door and rear slider 9m apart, and we'd accepted that we could lose a few mm over the 4m length of the hall towards the door if it was tight - just not 5mm deviation in the last 300mm. He simply layered too much compound and was then fighting it. He told us the best way was to build it up in layers as each one levels it out a bit. But we didn't have space on the high points to multi layer. So, the view is it should be better and I'd agreed the costs of it being better. I'm not into ripping it up, even in isolated areas - its taken nearly 2 months to get it done from when we started. My house has already been covered in grinding dust where he's had to try and sort it, and there's already been knock on with joinery, furniture, room use, etc. It's going to have to be sorted financially, although it'll still bug me where it's not right.
You would have to check the tolerance but I think it’s 3mm plus or minus over 2 or 3 meter. You can fill the bottom of the skirting with a bit of time and paint it and it won’t show Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Minimum we need to work to is SR1 which is no more than 3mm over a 2m straight edge. As Mario says, no more than a pound coin under the straight edge. Unless its specified by the architect in the drawings that the subfloor needs to be sr1, 2 or 3 then you get what the builder leaves you with. Working with a mixing station and decent compounds, one guy can get a floor smooth and flat. The mixing stations allow 3 to 5 units to be mixed at once. Its not as quick as 2 or more guys but is fine. I often do a pallet or more on my own. For me, I would go over the floor 1st marking the low spots, screed these 1st and let dry. Alternatively, I may grind down the high spots. Normally the next day you can then go over the whole floor using a pin leveller and spike roller. Water based smoothing compounds will generally give a better finish but not always. As I said, depends on the quality of the product. Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk
5 units in a mixing station! I hope you don’t have to carry that over a threshold! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
3 is the max I do In the mixing station That's heavy enough plus it takes a life time to mix up more properly
Hi , this is the method I was shown for measuring. The Nhbc tolerance is 5mm over 2mts . This is measured with a 2mt straight edge with a block at each end , not important what size so for example 20mm . The edge is put over the area in question and it should be between 15 - 25 mm . If the floor had a "wave " a high and a low spot together the difference could potentially be 10mm and still be within standard. Alban
From what I’ve read for vinyl it’s plus or minus 3mm so up to 5mm difference and for builders level is 4mm per meter. So 24mm out over a 6 meter lounge! Not going to look good when you end up 14mm higher than the 10mm ceramic tiles that are already installed. When you start taking tolerances there’s often common sense missing. If you pay for a level floor you should get a level floor and if it’s in writing you should be completely covered. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I wonder how these tolerances would work in a 300 year old house? Not well is my guess Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
