# Using Ardex Feather finish-nervous!



## mike costello (Nov 28, 2007)

Mix it smooth and spread it evenly.

Ardex is the best feather finish on the market


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

FWIW:
These products are not intended to be a wear-surface so once they are installed they should be covered with the final product before too long or traffic should be curtailed until the final product can be installed.



> "...Ardex is the best feather finish on the market"


That's opinion not necessarily fact.......

Mapei Plani Patch is a comparable product and a little less costly. There are many other comparable products available also.


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## gone_fishing (Jan 5, 2008)

Bud, I will be working in the room after this finish in down for 2-3 weeks before I can tile. Need to frame a wall, pack out my one wall and dry wall. Perhaps I should do some other things first so I can tile quicker.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

The traffic patterns will turn to sand with a couple of weeks of foot traffic on them. You could cover the area with rosin paper or craft paper.

Or you could wait until other tasks have subsided to install the skim coat.


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## gone_fishing (Jan 5, 2008)

It won't be high traffic. Just me so I will risk it...I'll just put down down tarps and maybe ply wood. I'll try to hurry up so I can get the flooring down quicker.


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## taranis (Mar 13, 2008)

Maybe this post is too late, but might help someone in the future.
Ardex Feather Finish is not the product for this job. It is designed to do what is says on the tin (or bag/bucket). It is for skimming joints etc. where minimum thickness is required - hence feather finish.
You need a screed. Either water based or latex based self levelling compound. 1/8". For the water based one use a primer, usually neoprene and you should get it where you get the material.
Mix with a whisk and lay immediately. If a proper job is to be done use a spiked roller to finish whilst still wet.


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## MD_Tile (Mar 30, 2008)

We generally use ardex for feather finish prior to vinyl and/or vct installations and have had great success ove both wood and concrete, however, most producers of thinsets and other cementuous based adhesives will also produce both modified and un-modified floor levelers that offer greater support which can be helpful when installing ceramic tiles. Priming the floor prior to leveling is a procedure that is often skipped by 
do-it-yourselfers and often resulting in seperation and/or flaking of the levelers from the substrate. It is not generally advised to pour levelers over 1/4" in single pours. additional pours with adequate curing times between each pour may be necesary to acheive overall leveling of the area and may require addition priming between pours. My recomendation is to take the additional time and spend the additional money to do the job right the first time and prevent some possibilities of costly damages down the road. The manufacturers product specs and procedures may differ from another so be sure to read the directions. Stay away from store name products as they generally do not perform as well as the brand name products.


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## taranis (Mar 13, 2008)

agreed


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