Reducing SLU Scheduling Issues

With ever-growing pressures to complete buildings on tight schedules, flooring and subflooring contractors often feel pinched from multiple sources. Modern flooring materials such as tiling and the associated adhesives are advancing to dry faster than before, and various construction trades demand access to rooms sooner.

Owners, designers and general contractors demand high quality, along with rapid installation. For contractors installing self-leveling underlayment (SLU), this means new approaches are needed to complete work faster and more efficiently. Pumping of SLU can help address these challenges.

With SLU pumping, scheduling challenges can be greatly reduced. Placement can generally be completed faster with fewer people. Since larger rooms do not necessarily require additional workers, these resources can be applied elsewhere on the project or on other projects.

Time savings begin with the material mixing process. Using combined mixing and pumping units such as the Graco Toughtek MP20, water can be mixed automatically with cement-aggregate compounds in prescribed amounts. SLU mixtures can be pumped up to distances of 300 feet and heights of 60 feet.

In addition to time savings and simplified batch placement, SLU pumping can simplify setup and equipment transportation. The MP40 (a larger version of the MP20) is approximately 64 inches long, 32 inches wide and 53 inches tall, so it can typically be loaded and transported in a standard pickup truck. With built-in wheels, it can be transported around a job site easily.

Coordination of batch placement is another challenge greatly simplified with pumped SLU. Instead of manually placing batches that must be matched and tied together, pumped SLU can be placed in a more continuous manner, with multiple passes made in a zig-zag pattern, as shown in Figure 3. This enables workers to place SLU in widths of just a few inches at a time, or several feet at a time, while maintaining a “wet edge” and more continuity in the SLU layer.

In addition to time savings and simplified batch placement, SLU pumping can simplify setup and equipment transportation. The MP40 (a larger version of the MP20) is approximately 64 inches long, 32 inches wide and 53 inches tall, so it can typically be loaded and transported in a standard pickup truck. With built-in wheels, it can be transported around a job site easily. 

The automated approach also improves mix consistency and placement precision. With water flow rates set according to manufacturer’s recommendations, compound materials and water can be mixed within the mixing chamber at the same rate all day long. The units can be used to correct uneven floors, repair damaged concrete, and provide a smooth surface for carpet, tile or other floor covering.

While skilled workers are still needed to place SLU, skill sets from other crafts are often transferrable. Crews that can place stucco can generally place SLU. Daily profits can be substantially higher when pumping SLU, when compared to pumping other types of mortar products. Some examples clarify how this works.