Update: Gave up on self-leveling compound after 3 tries, went back to mud and patience

Been fighting a bathroom floor for two months. First pour went wrong because I didn't prime enough. Second one had bubbles everywhere. Third one cured with a ridge right down the middle. Yesterday I grabbed a 4 foot level, a bag of regular floor patch, and just did it slow. Took 4 hours instead of 30 minutes but it's actually flat now. I think those YouTube videos make it look too easy. The self-leveling stuff is great if you have a perfect substrate and a helper moving it around. But for a small 5x7 bathroom? Not worth the headache. Has anyone else had better luck with the traditional way on their first attempt?

2 comments

2 Comments

danieljenkins17d ago

Oh man, I feel this in my soul! My first self-leveling attempt looked like someone dropped a giant pancake on the subfloor and called it good. @dixon.rose is totally right about that Henry feather finish stuff. I actually used some on a closet floor after my leveling disaster and it was night and day easier. The straight trowel trick is the real secret weapon, forget the fancy gauge rakes they sell. I swear half my problems came from trying to do it all in one shot like the YouTube guys do. Now I just grab a cold drink, put on a podcast, and accept that flat takes time not magic.

dixon.rose17d ago

First bag of leveler I ever mixed was Ardex, followed the directions to the T and still ended up with a weird wavy mess that took a grinder to fix. After that I just started using that Henry feather finish patch and doing it in thin coats over a few days. Ended up flatter than the leveler ever was and way less stressful. The trick I found is to use a straight trowel and let each coat dry completely before even thinking about the next one. Patience is definitely the real tool here, not the fancy stuff.