Concrete floors are known to be durable and long lasting. However, in intensively used premises, such a coating may crack and crumble. To prevent this from happening, concrete floors are often additionally covered with putty. Such products make the upper layers of the material more durable, and also increase the resistance of concrete to various chemicals.
Also, putties can be used, of course, to correct all kinds of floor defects. Before installing a tile or, for example, linoleum, using this type of product, a basic leveling of the concrete surface is performed.
Varieties by purpose
To achieve the desired effect, of course, you need to choose the right putty for the cement floor. Types of such products intended for concrete,there are several. By purpose, this type of putty is classified into:
- basic;
- finish;
- universal.
The first type of material is used to create the main leveling layer on concrete floors. Finishing putties are applied over the base ones and make the surface as smooth as possible. All-purpose products of this type can be used to apply both of these types of layers.
Types by composition
Depending on the materials used for the manufacture, there are two main types of putties for concrete floors:
- cement;
- gypsum.
The last type of product is most often used to level the floor in exceptionally dry, not too often used rooms. In most cases, concrete surfaces are still puttied using cement compositions. It is these products that give surfaces extra strength.
Sometimes apartment owners can also use polymer putties for concrete floors. Such products can be used in both wet and dry rooms. But putties of this variety are quite expensive. Therefore, they are usually used only to adjust the floor in small areas.
Very often used polymer putty and self-leveling floors. In this case, the best adhesion between the surface and the correction layer is ensured. After allself-leveling floors are usually equipped with the use of polymeric compositions.
Overview of manufacturers
Many companies are issuing such funds today. At the same time, for the most part, putties for concrete floors sold on the domestic market are of good quality. The following brands are very popular with craftsmen in Russia, for example:
- Ceresit. This company produces putties designed for finishing concrete floors in both dry and wet areas. Products of this brand are made in most cases on the basis of cement.
- "Shitrok". Putties from this manufacturer are sold ready-made. That is, when using them, masters can save time on kneading.
Reviews on Ceresit putties
Ceresit products are praised by consumers primarily for their ease of application and high strength of the created layer. Ready-made compositions of this type are easy to stretch, and therefore laying them on the floors, according to consumers, is very simple. You need to knead such putties manually. But plasterers-painters do not find this procedure too tiring. The disadvantages of Ceresit products, many consumers attribute mainly only a rather long setting and drying time.
Consumer opinion about Shitrok products
Reviews about putties of this manufacturer on the Web also exist mostly only good ones. The advantages of the products of this brand, consumers include, first of all, elasticity and ease of use. Also, these putties are praised forthat they are made mainly from environmentally friendly materials. The disadvantages of this brand, consumers include a rather high degree of shrinkage and high cost.
Finishing technology
Putty for a concrete floor under linoleum or tile is selected depending on which room - wet or dry - is supposed to work. Actually, the very technology of applying such products on the surface looks something like this:
- floors are thoroughly cleaned of dirt and dust and dried;
- coat the surface with a primer;
- with a special spatula apply the product on the concrete with a thin layer in small areas with careful leveling;
- wait for the putty to dry and apply another finishing layer;
- after drying, the products perform grinding work.
If it is necessary to adjust the floor, the puttying procedure is performed somewhat differently. The cracks in the concrete are first expanded to 1.5-2 cm. Then crumbs and dirt are carefully swept out of them. Then the cracks are moistened with water, filled with putty and the floors are leveled with a paint grater, bar or just sandpaper.
Approximately the same way is puttying the concrete floor in the presence of potholes in it. From the latter, in this case, all the crumbled concrete is first pulled out. Next, the pothole is cleaned and moistened with water. Then such a defect is filledputty mixture and level everything. Use of such means is allowed only for sealing small potholes. If the defect has a significant area, it is better to fill it with cement mortar.
The repaired concrete floor at the final stage is completely covered with a layer of putty. In this case, the method described above is used.
Primer coat
One of the disadvantages of putties of any variety and brand is that they do not adhere very well to concrete. Therefore, it is imperative to prime such floors before leveling.
As a primer for putty on concrete surfaces, you can use, for example, PVA glue diluted with water. This tool is just perfect for dry rooms. In damp rooms, putty floors can be pre-coated with acrylic varnish. Both of these substances have the following benefits:
- penetrate deep into the pores of concrete;
- effectively increase adhesion between concrete and putty.
When using primers based on PVA or acrylic varnish, the puttied concrete floor will last much longer in the future.
Advice from the masters
As you can see, the procedure for adjusting or leveling the floor with putty is not particularly difficult. But still, some rules should be observed when performing such work. Experienced craftsmen advise:
- puttying only at sufficiently high temperatures, otherwise the leveling layersubsequently crack quickly;
- using putty to close potholes with a depth of no more than 1 cm;
- repair deep cracks and potholes only with basic putty, and eliminate minor defects using finely dispersed.
After the putty layer has dried, experts advise to sand the concrete surface without fail. Masters recommend diluting the dry composition for leveling the floor to a more liquid consistency than for walls. This will allow the product to be applied to the surface in a much more even layer and facilitate the work of the master.
Is it possible to make putty for a concrete floor with your own hands
To buy in the store a composition suitable for leveling and adjusting cement surfaces in our time will not be difficult. But if you want to save money, a home master can make such putty for a concrete floor on his own.
For example, funds mixed from the following components are quite reliable and easy to use:
- washed and sifted river or quarry sand in the amount of 1 bucket 10 l;
- the same amount of Portland cement M400;
- PVA dispersion - 2 l;
- water - 5 l.
Sand and cement in the preparation of such a putty for a concrete floor must be thoroughly mixed. Then PVA should be added to the composition and the construction mixer should be used again. water while cookingsuch putty is added to the mixture in small portions. In the end, you should get a solution of the consistency of rustic sour cream.
The advantages of homemade putty made according to this recipe include, first of all, low cost. Also, compositions of this type, judging by the reviews, are highly sticky.
Working with homemade putty, according to the masters, is not as convenient as with a purchased one. But still, the procedure for applying such a product to concrete floors is nothing particularly complicated. The main thing when preparing a do-it-yourself putty composition is to observe the proportions of the components used and try to make the mixture as homogeneous as possible.
