How do I choose the ground for my commercial flooring?
Many installers, once the smoothing compound has been poured, have problems in properly bonding it to the substrate it has been poured onto, resulting in the unwelcome scraping of the chipped screed. A common reason for this is poor priming and the incorrect choice of primer for the substrate.
Priming is one of the most important steps in preparing the substrate before installing the floor covering.
It performs several important functions:
- strengthening and homogenising the substrate,
- to even out or reduce the absorbency of the substrate,
- improving adhesion,
- binding of loose particles covering the substrate,
- cutting off moisture with epoxy resin-based primers.
Primers are used before repairing the substrate with filler, pouring smoothing compound and before applying carpet adhesive. The choice of primer depends on the type of substrate and the condition it is in. There are different types of primers:
- for absorbent substrates such as concrete, cement screed, anhydrite
- for non-absorbent substrates such as terrazzo, porcelain stoneware and stone.
These preparations may be ready for use immediately after opening, or may be in the form of a concentrate that must be diluted in the right proportions. They are applied with a roller or brush. By using the right primer, we can also change the type of floor finish in a less invasive way. An increasing number of customers are choosing to change their old stoneware and replace it with a carpet. By using a primer for non-absorbent subfloors with quartz sand, we are able to skip the dismantling stage of the old floor, allowing us to pour a new screed on it and lay the target floor covering. This reduces the customer's costs and allows us to complete the job more quickly.
Choosing the right primer gives the installer the certainty that their work will not be in vain and that, in the end, we will have a perfect, compact and well-bound screed on which we can lay the carpet of our choice.
