Tried self-leveling compound on a sloppy plywood subfloor in Denver last month and it taught me a lesson

I figured I'd save time by skipping the primer on a 400 square foot job. Big mistake. The compound bubbled up and dried uneven, so I had to grind it all down and start over. Learned that primer is worth every penny no matter how good the plywood looks. Has anyone else had self-leveler fail on them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabetht561mo ago

Oh yeah, "sloppy plywood" and I had a real bonding moment last month too. Turns out my floor was more "moody" than "semi-level" and the compound let me know it.

christopher3851mo ago

Used to be one of those guys who thought primer was just a upsell from the hardware store, figured if the plywood felt solid it was fine. That first pour looked perfect for about ten minutes, then it started bubbling and cracking like a dried up lake bed. Had to rent a grinder for two days and ended up spending more on that than a whole bucket of primer would have cost. Made me a believer real fast, did you find the roller trick worked better than just brushing it on?

pat_hall871mo ago

Pretty much the same thing happened to me in my basement, I ended up using a roller to really work that primer into the plywood instead of just brushing it on. That extra step made the compound flow out smooth and it actually bonded instead of bubbling up like a science experiment. Haven't skipped primer since, learned that lesson the hard way just like you.