Recently, SRI & Co. has had several customers asking about “no-prep” and “low-prep” self-leveling underlayment products they’ve seen on the internet. After all, who wouldn’t be interested in a miracle product that makes flooring installation quicker, easier, and undoubtedly less expensive than the standard?
We were skeptical because, as any experienced flooring professional will probably tell you, substrate surfaces should always be prepared to receive self-leveling underlayment. But we did our due diligence and checked out one of the “no-prep” product websites to see what these products are all about. Was the manufacturer actually claiming that their underlayment can simply be mixed and poured over any unprepared substrate, with no subsequent issues with quality?
The "no-prep" claim just seemed too good to be true, and as it turns out, it indeed was.
Perhaps proving that point are the manufacturer’s own instructions for surface preparation (their words), priming, and application of what’s purported to be a preparation-free product. Here are a few:
Substrates must be “sound, clean, dry, and free of contaminants” including dirt, concrete dust, oil, grease, chemicals, and waxes
Crack and substrate repairs must be completed before installation
Areas of the substrate that don’t meet a minimum tensile strength requirement must be mechanically removed and repaired prior to application
Leftover adhesives must be scraped off or mechanically removed
All surfaces must be primed and all voids must be sealed before underlayment can be applied
Does this seem like “no-prep” to you?
The fact is unless you’re starting with a perfectly pristine substrate (which are few and far between) there’s no such thing as a true no-prep, mix-and-pour, self-leveling underlayment.
With very few exceptions, a certain amount of prep is always required to ensure a good bond and prevent future delamination. Hence all the manufacturer’s explicit directives, caveats, and stipulations that basically boil down to – ahem – surface preparation.
That being said, SRI & Co. hasn’t used this underlayment and can’t attest to its performance when installed over a properly-prepared surface. Under those circumstances, it might be a perfectly fine product.
Our point is, caveat emptor. Always prepare substrate surfaces for self-leveling underlayment to ensure proper adhesion and beware of gimmicks that, if taken at face value, can seriously compromise the quality of your brand-new floor.
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