Self-leveling floor in the bathroom

The bulk floor is gaining more and more popularity. It is laid in a variety of rooms, from the nursery to the toilet. Besides the fact that such coverage can be done quickly and without serious financial costs, it also allows you to come up with original design solutions. You can learn about what a bulk floor in a bathroom can do with your own hands from the article.

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The advantages of bulk floors

The bathroom is always high humidity. Therefore, it is especially important that the floor has some special properties. It should not rot and mold, it must not be allowed to pass water, it should be easy to wash. In a word, not all materials are suitable. Most often, granite is used, but it can fly into a pretty penny. That is why interior designers and technologists come up with more and more new materials that have excellent qualities and, at the same time, do no irreparable damage to the owners wallet. It is these qualities that a bulk floor has.

Before answering a question, a bulk floor for a bathroom - which is better, it makes sense to talk generally about the benefits of such a coating. And there are a lot of them:

• spectacular appearance;
• resistance to temperatures and high humidity;
• universality;
• environmental friendliness;
• lack of seams;
• wear resistance;
• good antistatic qualities;
• hygiene.

Talk about design

The vitality of the inhabitants of the apartment largely depends on the situation. Therefore, it is very important that all the elements in the apartment are not only functional, but also beautiful. Self-leveling floors in the bathroom allow you to create a very effective interior in any style, while too much effort is not required.

Resistance to external factors

Two scourges of any bathroom are humidity and temperature differences. This sometimes can not stand even the tile, if it is not well glued, not to mention other coatings. That is why wooden floors are rarely used in bathrooms - if the boards are not processed in full compliance with the technology, they will crack or rot. But such troubles do not threaten the bulk floor.

Universal coverage

Materials for filling are used such that even a novice designer can create something beautiful and original. That is why bulk floors can safely be done in any room and combined with any type of wall decoration.

Important! You can find a suitable option even for a living room in a classic style - no one will notice that he does not have parquet and marble under his feet.

Let's talk about ecology

The materials used for flooring are neutral to the environment. They do not react with water, nor with air, nor with detergents and chemicals. Over time, they do not disintegrate, and accordingly - do not emit harmful substances. And if the substances are not released, then - they can not be allergies.

No seams - no dirt

Perhaps one of the main advantages of the bulk floor in the bathroom is that it is done seamlessly. And this means that the dust does not linger and does not cake, the dirt does not clog in the gap. So to wash such a coating is a pleasure, especially since water does not pass through it, it does not accumulate either in the inner layers or under the coating.

Important! Bacteria of a bulk floor also do not like and do not breed on it.

Time passes - the floor is as good as new

Another advantage of the bulk coating is that it practically does not wear out. A year will pass, another, a third, and the floor will shine, as if it had been laid only yesterday. And even the bright sun will not do any harm to him.For the bathroom in an ordinary city apartment, this, of course, is not particularly relevant, because most often the bathrooms are made without windows. But in a private house, the sanitary room can be quite large and with windows, so this feature is very important.

Powerful antistatic

Static electricity is the scourge of modern apartments. It, of course, is not dangerous, but extremely unpleasant. Periodic clicks, even light ones, do not give anyone pleasure. In addition, to some materials that do not have antistatic properties, cat and dog hair, dust particles and so on constantly stick.

The bulk floor has powerful antistatic properties, so it is especially good for apartments that have molting pets.

One-two - and in the shower

Choosing the time to repair the bathroom is not an easy task. Repair is not a quick matter, and a bathroom is needed every day. But in order for the bulk floor to completely harden, you need only 36 hours. Having filled it in the morning, the next day in the evening you can take a shower absolutely calmly. But, of course, the preliminary work takes time and technology, so it’s better to free a week or two.

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Disadvantages of the bulk floor

There is no perfection in the world, and even such a magnificent thing as a bulk floor has its drawbacks:

• it is difficult to remove:
• the surface sometimes changes color;
• You need a perfectly flat base.

Dismantling is the main problem. It has been done for centuries, to remove it is a troublesome and very dirty business. You can, of course, go the other way and fill in a new layer, but the height of the room will decrease by at least 10 cm, or even 20 cm. So in this case, measuring the advice seven times will be more relevant than ever.

The second minus is that the transparent coating acquires a yellowish tint over time. Therefore, from the very beginning, you should carefully consider the choice of color. Finally, another feature that can push away a novice repairman is the need for a very high-quality base treatment. It should not have not only cracks, but not even any noticeable bulges, otherwise the result will be completely different from the one you dream about.

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What is the gender?

After thinking carefully and deciding that such a coating has more advantages than disadvantages, you can start work. First you need to choose how you can make the bulk floor in the bathroom with your own hands:

• with patterns or plot pictures;
• with 3D images;
• without drawings, but with a glossy surface;
• flocked.

Patterns and plots

The pattern can be any. It is only important that he does not annoy any of the household members. Suitable floral and geometric ornaments, fantasy compositions. As for the plot paintings, the same considerations should be taken into account as in the design of other elements of the apartment. Plots should not be aggressive, they should be suitable in style.

Important! Plotless patterns are much more popular simply because they are easier to match with other elements and easier to make.

3D paintings

3D images now popular today allow you to visually change the geometry of space. But you must be careful when choosing this option for the floor. It may happen that you end up with an abyss or a steep staircase, which can cause shock for households or guests.

Important! Glossy surface without a pattern is suitable for any room. It is only important to choose the right color.

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What are the materials?

For bulk floors in the bathroom, several types of materials are used. You can easily find all of them in any hardware store. The main thing is to choose what is right for your goals.

You can use:

• polyurethane;
• epoxy resin;
• acrylic cement mixture.

Polyurethane

This material is very flexible. It easily withstands any mechanical stress, does not collapse from impacts, is perfectly stretched.In general, polyurethane is just a godsend for the shower or for the room where there is a children's sports corner. It is easy to fill it, it consists of only one component.

Epoxy coating

Those who have worked with epoxy know that they have to use two components:

• actually the resin;
• hardener.

For filling the floor, this material is prepared in the same way as for any other purpose. The components must be mixed in the proportion specified in the instructions. To give strength to the coating, various components are added to it. Most often, the resin is mixed with quartz sand. Prepare the composition immediately before pouring.

Important! Such a self-leveling floor is characterized by very high qualities - it is beautiful and tolerates moisture very well.

Acrylic cement mixture

The popularity of acrylic has been constantly growing lately. It is used for the manufacture of paints and threads, bathtubs and varnishes. The floor, made of acrylic-cement mixture, has excellent moisture-proof properties, it perfectly tolerates mechanical influences. It has only one drawback - strong point impacts can break the surface.

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What does the floor consist of?

Like any other floor, the bulk consists of several layers:

• basics;
• base layer;
• finish layer.

The basis

The screed is most often used as the basis. It can be part of the “underfloor heating” system, that is, with electric or water heating.

Base layer

This is a decorative layer. You can do it in several ways:

• apply an arbitrary drawing;
• apply a stencil pattern;
• lay out a mosaic ornament of flat objects;
• make a drawing using photo printing;
• make stuffed.

For any drawing you need some kind of artistic ability. You can perform it with any materials - oil or acrylic paints, charcoal, wax crayons, felt-tip pens.

Important! People who are not very confident in their artistic abilities often use a stencil - individual elements are cut out on a film or cardboard, and then transferred to the surface with a wide brush or sponge.

Mosaic

Comparatively flat objects are suitable for mosaics:

• coins;
• small shells;
• buttons
• pebbles.

Important! All kinds of cereals can be used - beans, peas, rice. In addition, interesting patterns are often obtained from chips.

Finish layer

Most often it is made transparent. His task is to create a durable coating, which, moreover, will look good. It fastens the components, gives the composition completeness. This is the main stage in creating the composition.

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Choose color

The color of the bulk floor in the bathroom can be any. But in this case, it should be taken into account that it is done for a long time. It is better if the floor is slightly darker than the walls and ceiling - for most people, this combination creates a feeling of calm and comfort. Although there are spectacular design solutions with bright and light floors.

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Preparing the foundation

Repair of the floor in the bathroom begins with the dismantling of the old coating and inspection of the screed. If you had a tile, you’ll have to tinker with the screed, because her condition is probably far from perfect.

Important! You can very much help out the self-leveling composition. After it, the surface becomes flat and smooth, with almost no deviations from the horizontal.

Before using such a liquid, you need to do the following things:

• beat off the tile;
• remove the most noticeable protrusions;
• close up gaps if possible;
• level the surface with a grinder.

Next, you will do the following:

• primer the surface;
• apply a layer of epoxy putty;
• create a decorative composition;

Primer

If you have already brought the base into a relative order and even filled it with a self-leveling liquid, it's time to prime. In the store you will find several types of soil that are quite suitable for your purposes:

• “Knauf Concrete Contact”;
• “Primer 1101”;
• “Epolast Soil”.

They all harden quickly. It is most convenient to apply them with a roller with a velor coating. If you used a self-leveling liquid, the soil consumption will be small - only 250 g per square meter. After applying a layer of soil, lay thin rails treated with grease around the perimeter. They should create a temperature seam.

Important! It is better to apply not one, but two layers of soil - this allows you to better control the moisture content of the base, which according to building standards should not be higher than 4%.

Putty

To make a bulk floor in the bathroom with your own hands, the Epoplast-Rivnitel or Epakor-ED compositions are suitable, but it is quite possible that by the time you decide to make repairs, something new will appear in the stores. A square meter takes one and a half to two kilograms of solution. In addition, you will need:

• wide spatula;
• shoes with thin spikes.

Level the composition with a wide spatula. As for shoes, then such wet-tuples are used at construction sites. You can buy them where they sell work clothes.

Important! The mixture dries for about a day.

If you have a wooden floor

In this case, it is not necessary to remove it, but you will have to tinker with alignment:

1. Remove the baseboard.
2. Clean the floorboards from paint.
3. Clean joints as well as cracks.
4. Align them with sandpaper.
5. Fasten the floorboards if they are loose.
6. Level the surface with a grinder or sandpaper.
7. Remove the sawdust.
8. Degrease the boards.
9. Seal joints and cracks.

Important! You can install a screed on a wooden floor using a net or a special wire for this.

Dressing

This is the most interesting stage. What did you choose for your gender? If this is a photo wallpaper, you need to stick them in the same way as ordinary ones. By the way, nothing prevents you from creating an unusual composition from simple wallpapers - paper, textile, non-woven and any other. But you need to try very hard and how to remove air bubbles and bumps, for which you need a rubber roller or plastic spatula.

Important! After the decorative layer is prepared, you need to take a break for about a day, so that everything is properly dried and attached.

Finish layer

The surface is flat, the pattern is made, the elements do not peel off - well, it's time to make the finish layer of the bulk floor in the bathroom. First of all, carefully read the instructions - it says in what proportions the components are mixed.

Important! The consumption of the composition is approximately 3.5-4 kg per 1 square. m. It should be borne in mind that when substances are mixed, a reaction occurs between them with the release of heat. Therefore, the container for the composition must be placed in a more spacious container with cold water.

And then everything is simple:

1. Prepare a solution.
2. Pour it to the surface.
3. Level quickly with a spatula.
4. Finally level the layer with a needle roller.

Important! The length of the spikes of the roller should be approximately two times the layer. The final leveling is done very quickly and before the coating becomes viscous.

Varnish

Varnishing is the final stage of pouring. Varnish serves to make the floor more durable and less susceptible to negative external influences. After the finish layer is made, wait twelve hours. After you apply the coating, soak for about a day.

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Some practical tips

It is necessary to fill in a floor rather quickly. In the bathroom, of course, this is not a particular problem - the area is usually small. But in a larger room it is better to do this in stripes. It is more convenient to start from the farthest corner and pour the first strip parallel to the wall, then immediately straighten the composition.

Important! Do not forget to check the thickness of the layer - this is done using the rule. Be sure to remove the bubbles.

After the mixture has dried, do not forget to remove the wooden slats. As for the thickness of the layer, then for the bathroom it is 1.5 mm. If you need a thicker layer, do it in several steps.The next layer can be filled only after the previous one dries.

Important! During pouring, there should be no drafts and cold in the room - it is better to perform these works at a temperature of at least 10 ° C and a humidity of not more than 60%.

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Stock footage

Do-it-yourself self-leveling floor is always exclusive. Even if it is made on the same stencil with the same materials - repetition still will not work. Therefore, such a coating seems to be specially designed for those who value originality and seek to emphasize the individuality of their home.