I started off today with some goop that’s meant to be not-levelling. Theoretically, it’s a substance you can get smooooth, but not level. Now, it does say on the bag to consider adding it slowly and while mixing to get a ‘smoother’ mix. What it doesn’t say is that if you don’t you’ll end up with something with roughly the consistency of pebbles in thick cream. So I kind of did battle with the first bag (which, incidentally, also has a workable time of just 15 minutes). The second bag I adhered to their optimistic suggestion about doing it slowly and mixing.
It was smoother. I mean, not smooth. Not like actual smooth stuff. But more like small bits of grit in thick cream.
So I did my best with that, which it turns out is ‘not good’.
Fortunately, a good two thirds of it is below the level of the self-levelling compound, so I think that with that, plus maybe a little more (perhaps pre-mixed) skim -non-levelling-compound we should be able to get it looking servicable. I mean, it’d be fine if we were tiling. Only we don’t have enough depth of floor for tiles.
Hopefully there’s going to be enough space for a mat once we’ve put the epoxy/concrete floor finish on.
If not, then the mat lives outside :)
If I’d’ve realized what a mare this would be, and that I’d want to hurl the stapler out of the window, then I might have been more open to just putting down plywood over the entire floor and calling it good.
Or coming up with some way to tile it. Or something.
But I battled through the 3 hour drying time limited coat the floor, staple down the mesh (every 6 inches, without stapling through the hydronic / heating pipe), pour the goop (which comes in 23kg / 50lb bags) enough to get down most of the lounge today. I’m hoping that Saturday – when I’ll be spending the whole day on gooping, I might manage one side of the hall and some of the kitchen, and then Sunday, when Kathryn’s hopefully free to help with gooping we can maybe manage the other side of the kitchen, the other hall and the dining room/laundry/pantry.
It looks pretty good from there.
Does look less impressive from here.
Still, that’s 250 lbs / 115kg of material (plus, I suppose, the water, which will make it roughly 140kg).
I also cleaned the excess tile adhesive off the tiles – and I think that’s looking pretty respectable.
Between that, knowing the antifreeze is en-route for our hydronic heating, and having ordered the drain for the sink I’m quite excited. If tired.
Very tired.
But, we must keep going because… our kitchen is being delivered next week. Woot!
