What is so special about self leveling cerment?

[Keel]

I was at the home improvement store yesterday, looking at my options, and looked at self leveling concrete 50 lb bag that was in the flooring/tile isle.. 33.oo

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-B...-lb-Self-Leveling-Underlayment-LQ50/100192482

and it only does 50 sqft at 1/8th"

What's in it that it cost that much, Portland cement 95 lb bag is 9.97

what am I missing??

We are putting down electric heating mat and the options seem to be bury it in this or thin set..

I don't know if it was sticker shock or that I'm a cheap s.o.b.

 

[Shea]

The reason it costs more is because it is polymer-modified. It bonds much better to the concrete, sets rapidly, cure fast, it can be feather finished if necessary, and most importantly, it has much more impact resistance for a thin layer.

If you were to use a standard Portland mix, it would not adhere well, it would take longer to cure, and it would eventually start breaking to pieces under use.

 

[Keel]

The reason it costs more is because it is polymer-modified. It bonds much better to the concrete, sets rapidly, cure fast, it can be feather finished if necessary, and most importantly, it has much more impact resistance for a thin layer.

If you were to use a standard Portland mix, it would not adhere well, it would take longer to cure, and it would eventually start breaking to pieces under use.

Thanks..

 

[duneslider]

Its that SELF-LEVELING aspect you are paying for. You would be blown away by the technology that goes into these "simple" cement products. The fact that you can water this down as much as you can and have it not just crumble when cured is a near miracle.

 

[mypov]

I was going to say the strength that it possesses, if you think about it, it's quite amazing. I was talking with a contractor about my basement as we have out of level/heaving issues, and he suggested I look into mixing regular cement with fibre and sand instead of using gravel, this way one can still get down to 1/4" thicknesses and have adequate strength - I am not sure what you are trying to do with the self levelling cement, but this could be a much cheaper alternative for you - you must consider what the end covering will be, the mixture of cement with sand is not going to be as strong as self levelling compound, so it will require a fairly robust covering afterward.
Hope this helps.

 

[4everRS]

Would this product be good for patching exterior applications? I have chipped concrete in a couple areas that is about 1" deep.

 

[duneslider]

Self levelers are not rated to be the final "wear" surface. It won't last long unless it is covered with something else. It does not have the same wear properties as the concrete used in your garage. You will need a product designed for patching concrete.

 

[autonaut]

I just added it to pits in my garage floor before applyibg the epoxy. It's easy to work with. And helps me get an even floor before pouring the epoxy. Was well worth the money.

 

[Shea]

Self levelers are not rated to be the final "wear" surface.

One thing to keep in mind is that there is a difference between the self-leveling product used for indoors vs what is used in a garage. The indoor product, which you usually find at home improvement centers, is not designed as a wear surface as Duneslider stated. It for leveling a floor before laying tile, carpet, wood, or some other flooring over it. They are usually referred to as underlayments.

For a garage, you need a product that is designed for outdoors. They are freeze/thaw resistant and can vary from micro toppings to actual patch repair material for deeper holes and missing chunks of concrete.

 

[duneslider]

Good point Shea, I only have experience with the self-levelers used under flooring. I personally wouldn't want to attempt the self-levelers designed for exterior use.