Slideshow: Spreading the Leveler

The pour

Two crew members dump the initial bucket of mix in the corner where the compound will be the deepest.

Self leveling

As soon as liquid is poured out, it begins to seek its own level.

Adding more

Meehan wears protective rubber boots as he adds a small batch of leveler to what was already poured.

Raking even

The author spreads the first batch with the gauge rake that he set to the deepest point of the leveler.

All even

The leveling liquid fills the lowest corner with the head of the depth screw (visible as a small white dot) flush with the surface of the leveler.

Feathering the edges

The author uses a broom to smooth the edge of the leveler up to the high corner of the room. Note that the leveler is seeping around the corner of the shower.

More for the door

The author pours another batch to fill the low spot in front of the door.

Final Spread

The author uses a squeegee to smooth out the leveler in front of the door and to feather the liquid up to the high corner.

Setting up

To leave the bathroom, the author had to take one step into the liquid, but it quickly filled back in around his footprint. The entire pour took only 15 minutes and the self-leveling liquid did the rest, providing a solid, flat, and level substrate for the tile floor. As a side note, the author covered the floor with an uncoupling membrane before installing the large-format floor tile.

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