# Can Portland Cement Be used instead of Floor Leveler?



## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

No, not by itself.


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## jonathan03 (Dec 30, 2008)

How about mixing portland cement and mortar? Anything cheaper than floor leveler?


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## FrankL (Jun 9, 2010)

jonathan03 said:


> How about mixing portland cement and mortar? Anything cheaper than floor leveler?


You could probably use some form of portland but make sure you use latex bonding agent in the mix. Is it a big area? 

Frank Lardino


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## jonathan03 (Dec 30, 2008)

The area is 1'x2' and its sunk about 1/4". I just cant to fill in the hole.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Portland by itself will not bond--Some people use a layer or thinset and let it dry .

I have not tried that--however.


The hardy absolutely must have thinset under it to fill voids--you are going to have a bag of it for that
you could take a chance,---Mike---


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

For such a small area, you only need a kid's bucket of fine sand (to give it body) and a latex additive to make it stick. Use as little water as possible and go over with a floor leveler.

Dick


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## FrankL (Jun 9, 2010)

oh'mike said:


> Portland by itself will not bond--Some people use a layer or thinset and let it dry .
> 
> I have not tried that--however.
> 
> ...


 
Thinet and some bonding agent should do the trick.

Frank Lardino


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## the tile guy (Jul 23, 2010)

use some thinset, let it dry ,then carry on. I prelevel with thinset all the time


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## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

You may be confusing portland cement with concrete. Portland cement by definition is the cementing agent used in concrete, and in certain types of mortar. Concrete also includes sand, aggregate and water, while mortar includes sand and water, no aggregate.

Portland cement by itself is very weak, I would never use it under tile. Mortar is much stronger, and perfectly suitable for use under tile as noted by others. Concrete is typically not used because the aggregate is too large for use under tile.


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