Becker’s Blog #10: Floor It!

Step one: The floor had to be smoothed out. For three weeks, Al and his crew put down 9,500 ft² of a self-leveling product that acted like liquid concrete. With a smooth surface to work on, the installation could begin.

Step two: The mud bed varied from ¾” to 3”, because the existing floor was out of level. F-111 states the minimum amount of mud bed is 1 1/4”; since we didn’t have the depth required, we were left with no choice but to bond the floor to the concrete.

Click to enlarge

With time comes innovation and bonding floors is less risky due to great products that isolate cracks from transferring through to the finished product. The membrane that Custom recommended is a two-part system applied in areas only where we’re working. Once applied, we could go to ….

Step three: Installation of the stone takes place.

Before I wrap it up, I want to say that this job isn’t without its own issues. I’ve talked about some, and we’re working out others as we progress. When you have a project with many colors of stone, there are going to be things that need to be worked out. As we progress through the installation I will share some of these … as they are part of the story.

Thanks for reading.

Joe Becker
Twin City Tile and Marble Company
St. Paul, Minn.

Joe Becker has been in the natural-stone business for 26 years. He started with Cold Spring Granite as a draftsman and spent time in their stone installation and estimating departments. He is currently Vice President of St. Paul, Minn.-based Twin City Tile and Marble Company and oversees their stone operations.

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