Argued with my buddy about using self-leveling compound vs feather finish on a big floor job and now I'm second guessing my whole approach.

I read a stat on the Flooring Forum that said 70% of DIYers ruin their tile jobs by not using self-leveler on uneven slabs over 1/4 inch, but my buddy swears a good feather finish is faster and works fine if you know the tricks, so which side are you on for a 200 sq ft living room with a 3/8 inch dip?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim81913d ago

My uncle used mud on a 1/2 inch dip and the tile cracked right down the middle within a month.

jamesfox13d ago

Jump right into that argument with your buddy, because 3/8 inch is way past the point where feather finish is just a shortcut to a cracked floor. Sure, feather finish can work if you're only talking about a tiny wave here and there, but on a 200 sq ft room with a dip that deep, you're basically asking for your tile to do the splits. That 70% stat from the forum is probably low because most people don't even realize their slab is that bad until they're staring at a popped tile six months later. Your buddy's "tricks" are just a fancy way of saying he likes fixing things twice, and I'd rather spend the extra hour mixing self-leveler than explaining to my wife why the kitchen floor sounds like a bag of marbles every time she walks across it.