A floor installation is only as good as its foundation. Here we talk about the latest innovations in surface preparation tools and installation materials.
EcoPearls general purpose leveling granules were developed to give instant, stable, dry-leveling of irregularities such as dished and warped floor boards, pipe channels, feed lines and floor height differences from 0 to 180 mm that result from building alterations or extensions. The natural wood chips with mineral coating make EcoPearls lightweight and easy to handle. To use, the installer pours and spreads dry granules to fill and level the low area. Excess granules are swept up for re-use, so there is no waste. The mineral coating makes the granules mold resistant and acts as a binding agent to prevent movement, even when used to create a shallow ramp between floor heights. In deep-fill situations, the angular shaped granules are easily compacted by tamping with a short batten to remove air pockets, locking them permanently together. One 50-liter bag provides the equivalent bulk of more than three bags of smoothing compound, but weighs and costs about the same as one.