How To Mix Self Leveling Underlayment
Written by Todd Fratzel. 
We just finished the second area of a radiant heated floor in the basement of our home. This required pouring self leveling underlayment over the radiant heating elements to achieve a level surface for tiling. I searched all over the web for information on the right consistency to mix a self leveling underlayment so it would spread and set properly. I found very little on it. If you didn’t already know, SLUs can cost as much as $30/bag. A large area can take many bags. As a result, a bad mix could cost hundreds and require extensive rework to fix.
That’s why Ethan and I created a video on how to mix self leveling underlayments to the right consistency. If you’re considering using a self-leveling underlayment, but are intimidated about “getting it right,” don’t worry. Its actually very easy. Your project will likely turn out just fine. Check out the original post, How To Mix Self Leveling Underlayment.
Todd, thanks again for letting me share this video on your site. I very much enjoy reading your articles and participating in the home improvement blogosophere. Keep up the good work!
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Hi Todd-
My concrete basement floor needs a layer of self-leveling mortar before I can put down an engineered wood floor. The concrete has a mildly tacky, black adhesive on it from the previous flooring. My question is: What are your suggested methods for prepping a basement concrete floor in order to ensure that the self-leveler will bond properly to the concrete?
Thank you,
Joe
P.S. Great site–refer to it quite often!
Joe – Honestly I’m not sure. You need to remove the adhesive. I would actually ask a local flooring supplier for some advice. It’s likely that there is a commercially available product for removing adhesive that might work well.
Instead of a self leveler can you use a wood sub-floor instead? Just a thought.
Hi Todd,
I didn’t think using wood directly on or against concrete was recommended due to moisture. Are you suggesting some sort of underlayment is to be used on the concrete before the wood subfloor?
Thanks,
Joe
Yes…..a product like DRI-Core