Perfectly taught. Excellant educational video. Good solid practical explanation. I love the lack of bullshit talking. Everyword you say speaks directly to the task. A+
Ha. I actually did a contract for this guy a few years back, pretty awesome guy to work with. Not to mention, he's not like many people you get contracts out of, he actually started to work with us, and use the machines. Cheers Caleb.
how do you guys keep things level? i have an understanding but id like to hear it from the pros. its a long story but how level is the complete floor once its finished? from 1 end of the store to the other, how much error would be found when it came to it being level? it seems most walmart floors are pretty level minus small indentations from shelving or something. correct?
I know this response is 2 years late but figured might as well answer. So the floor isn't really level it's just made flat and smooth for the VCT. Mix up some patch and do 2 tight skim coats to fill small holes and cracks then go back after it's dry and patch any heavy float areas. That is how most large commercial jobs go for floor prep.
Correct. Walmarts slabs are typically poured and screeded with a laser screed system and ride on power trowels which produce a pretty flat floor. However, we use planetary grinders to address any curled start / stop transition areas or imperfections such as expansion joints. We do use a product called Ardex Feather finish to smooth and feather out various divots and holes in the slab. VCT is very unforgiving when it comes to floor smoothness requirements. The floor doesn’t have to be level, but it does need to be pretty smooth or the tile will crack over time. With all of that said, the slab is never perfect. We have to plan controlled clip rows in the tile in order to guarantee joint alignment especially in a large format floor spaces like Walmarts. The difference in flatness from one end of the store to the other can produce joint alignment problems if not controlled. Think about it this way, there is more distance across a mountain than there is through a mountain. The smallest amount of rise and fall added up across a 500 foot room can equate to several inches worth of difference and must be considered and planned for.
I prefer to apply adhesive with a trowel for several reasons. The first reason is that by troweling the adhesive, it helps to clean the last bit of dust / debris off of the surface. The second reason is that you can feel bumps and knots that may need to be scraped to help achieve a smooth surface. The third reason is that by using a trowel, you will achieve a better consistently gauged amount of material. However, I do recommend that you roll after you trowel if you have filed your trowel with a file to regroove the teeth, or if you may be using an inexperienced person to spread the adhesive who may have a tendency to lleave puddles, etc., especially when using a high solids adhesive.
The trowel method serves as one last method of cleaning any dust or debris left behind by the brooms and vacuum. I have back rolled what was spread initially with a trowel. This helps if you have a problem with leaving glue puddles and ridges behind. But it is an extra step that can be avoided with experience.
Don't ya just love it when a professional makes it look so easy
Thank you sir
Perfectly taught. Excellant educational video. Good solid practical explanation. I love the lack of bullshit talking. Everyword you say speaks directly to the task. A+
Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot.
Ha. I actually did a contract for this guy a few years back, pretty awesome guy to work with. Not to mention, he's not like many people you get contracts out of, he actually started to work with us, and use the machines. Cheers Caleb.
Thank you sir for the kind words! God is good!
Nicely done and well taught, Caleb. Thank you.
great video I do Vct tile for Walmart to great tutorial
You’re welcome sir. Thank you for the kind words!
Great video. But get a wireless clip on mic, or at least a shotgun mic on the camera. Never never never use the built in camera mic for vlogs.
Yes sir. New to making videos. Will have better set up next time.
Great video make more like how to work with patch, or how you do layout for vct,lvt etc.
Yes sir Peter. I will. Thank you for your interest. God is good
Gimme the trowel just stack the tile up tall.
Let’s go
make more tutorials Caleb
Will do. Thank you
how do you guys keep things level? i have an understanding but id like to hear it from the pros. its a long story but how level is the complete floor once its finished? from 1 end of the store to the other, how much error would be found when it came to it being level? it seems most walmart floors are pretty level minus small indentations from shelving or something. correct?
I know this response is 2 years late but figured might as well answer. So the floor isn't really level it's just made flat and smooth for the VCT. Mix up some patch and do 2 tight skim coats to fill small holes and cracks then go back after it's dry and patch any heavy float areas. That is how most large commercial jobs go for floor prep.
Correct. Walmarts slabs are typically poured and screeded with a laser screed system and ride on power trowels which produce a pretty flat floor. However, we use planetary grinders to address any curled start / stop transition areas or imperfections such as expansion joints. We do use a product called Ardex Feather finish to smooth and feather out various divots and holes in the slab. VCT is very unforgiving when it comes to floor smoothness requirements. The floor doesn’t have to be level, but it does need to be pretty smooth or the tile will crack over time.
With all of that said, the slab is never perfect. We have to plan controlled clip rows in the tile in order to guarantee joint alignment especially in a large format floor spaces like Walmarts. The difference in flatness from one end of the store to the other can produce joint alignment problems if not controlled.
Think about it this way, there is more distance across a mountain than there is through a mountain.
The smallest amount of rise and fall added up across a 500 foot room can equate to several inches worth of difference and must be considered and planned for.
why dont you just roll the glue with a 3/8 nap?
I prefer to apply adhesive with a trowel for several reasons. The first reason is that by troweling the adhesive, it helps to clean the last bit of dust / debris off of the surface. The second reason is that you can feel bumps and knots that may need to be scraped to help achieve a smooth surface. The third reason is that by using a trowel, you will achieve a better consistently gauged amount of material. However, I do recommend that you roll after you trowel if you have filed your trowel with a file to regroove the teeth, or if you may be using an inexperienced person to spread the adhesive who may have a tendency to lleave puddles, etc., especially when using a high solids adhesive.
The trowel method serves as one last method of cleaning any dust or debris left behind by the brooms and vacuum.
I have back rolled what was spread initially with a trowel. This helps if you have a problem with leaving glue puddles and ridges behind. But it is an extra step that can be avoided with experience.
Why make a video that is so hard to hear.
So sorry. Will do better next round.