As a distributor, your customers are always racing against the clock. Looking for ways to increase efficiencies without added costs or complications. The need for heavy machinery can add unwanted expense, dust, and noise to jobsites. Not to mention a demand for specialized labor to run the equipment. Long dwell and drying times can leave crews in limbo, unable to move forward until conditions are just right. These situations can jeopardize a customer’s business and their bottom line.
The good news? Maxxon® gives you the power to accelerate your customers’ return to service schedules without sacrificing quality.
Our high-performance, easy-to-use solutions are specially formulated to save your customers time and money. By offering these innovative products you can help customers fast-track common floor prep challenges to improve their productivity and profitability.
Three Smart Ways to Speed Up Customer Jobsites:
Skip Shot Blasting and Grinding
Maxxon Commercial Profile opens up floor pores quickly and effectively without extensive mechanical preparation. The easy, spray-pump application removes insoluble salts and allows customers to achieve a CSP of 1 – 4 without shot blasting or grinding. A big time-saver, it’s also great for projects that can’t tolerate dust or heavy machinery. Profile cleans concrete, increases porosity, and reduces the pH of concrete slab surfaces — there’s no other product like it on the market.
Block Moisture with a Single Component
Now customers can mitigate moisture in new and absorbent concrete with a single component solution that offers protection on par with traditional two-part epoxies. Even better, no concrete profiling is required. Cost-effective and easy-to-use, Maxxon Commercial MVP One is roller-applied and dries fast. Customers can install underlayment or patch in 30 – 60 minutes after second coat.
Eliminate Excessive Dry Times
Easy to mix and trowel, Maxxon Commercial Skim Fill™ is the fast-drying, all-purpose, cementitious patch customers can use to featheredge, skim coat, and fill — there’s no depth limitation in confined spaces. With a high compressive strength of 4000+ psi and exceptional bonding properties, Skim Fill creates a smooth, strong surface that’s ready for floor covering in as little as 30 minutes. It’s the only patch your customers will ever need.
Help customers get back to work quicker than ever with time and labor-saving solutions from Maxxon.
To order and learn more, contact your Maxxon rep today.
Smooth, flat subfloor surfaces are essential for proper performance and aesthetic appeal of floor coverings, no matter the material. Yet many subfloor substrates have defects. Concrete subfloors are often not sufficiently flat for floor coverings and can contain screed marks, bug holes and have an overall rough texture. Old wood subfloors can warp and sag, becoming uneven over time. A self-leveling underlayment can make the flooring installation process a whole lot easier. Seamlessly smoothing over imperfections, self-leveling underlayments flow into place, capping the substrate and creating an ideal, even surface for floor coverings of any variety.
Self-leveling underlayments are designed to easily flow across the subfloor, filling low spots and imperfections to create a flat and smooth surface. As it dries the underlayment resolves unevenness in concrete, wood or gypsum for flatter flooring with less hassle.
By understanding the design and performance of different self-leveling technologies, you can select a product that meets the requirements of your job, so projects are successful.
Overview of Self-Leveling Underlayment
Types of Self-Leveling Underlayments
First, let’s look at the different main types of self-leveling underlayments:
- Standard Cement Blends: These contain conventional cement binders along with sand/aggregate and chemical additives. They deliver a balance of flow properties, strength development and ease of installation. Standard blends can smooth and repair most substrates from featheredge up to 2-inch depths in a single pour.
- High-Strength Cement Blends: Incorporating advanced cement technology with added polymers, these underlayments achieve higher PSI (pounds per square inch) compressive strength. The high durability allows for heavy rolling loads in commercial spaces.
- Rapid-Setting Cement Blends: These products set quickly in 2 to 4 hours. Rapid drying enables faster installation of floor coverings the next day. Time savings make them popular for fast return to service.
A Closer Look at Self-Leveling Underlayments
Self-leveling underlayments (SLUs) are widely used in commercial applications, particularly over concrete substrates, to achieve smooth and flat floor surfaces. These polymer-modified hydraulic cement-based products offer a range of benefits that make them a preferred choice for contractors.
One of the key advantages of self-leveling underlayments is their ease of installation. The low-prep, prime-and-pour approach of certain types of underlayments saves contractors valuable time and money, making the entire process more efficient. By simply priming the substrate and pouring the self-leveling mixture, a smooth, level surface can be achieved with minimal effort.
Choosing Self-Leveling Underlayments for Your Project
When choosing a self-leveling underlayment for your project, consider the following factors:
- Strength: Different floor coverings may require different strengths in the SLU they are going over. Many common floor coverings used for foot traffic only require 3000 psi, while an epoxy or expensive tile may require a higher strength.
- Drying Time: Consider the drying time of the underlayment, especially if time is a critical factor in your project. If need be, opt for products with quick drying times without compromising strength and durability.
- Thickness and Coverage: Determine the required thickness and coverage area for your project. Maxxon® offers a helpful product calculator to determine how much product you’ll need to complete your project.
- Manufacturer Reputation: Choose an underlayment that’s produced by Maxxon®, a manufacturer with a history of quality products. Look for manufacturers that offer technical support, reliable customer service and solid product warranty so you get the most out of your investment.
The Installment Process of Self-Leveling Underlayment
Proper installation of self-leveling underlayments is important for optimal performance. There are some key steps professional flooring contractors should follow:
Substrate Preparation
The concrete or wood substrate must be structurally sound, clean and free of contaminants. In the case of concrete, it also must be fully cured and moisture free. The floor should then be vacuumed to remove all dust and debris.
Priming
Proper priming is essential to support adhesion between the substrate and the self-leveling underlayment. Acrylic primers are used for all surfaces, including concrete, gypsum, and wood substrates. While there may be differences in the formulation of primers for various substrates, they are all acrylic-based.
With Maxxon’s "Less is More" approach, we offer a versatile, all-in-one primer that is suitable for use on all substrate types. This streamlined solution simplifies the priming process and ensures excellent bonding performance, regardless of the surface material. By using a single, universal primer, contractors can save time and reduce the complexity of their projects without compromising on quality or adhesion.
Mixing & Placing
Using calibrated mixing drums, pre-sanded self-leveling underlayments are blended with a specific water ratio to activate the cement binders. It is then poured or pumped onto the floor and spread to desired depths within its workable time. For large or deep pours, contact Maxxon to locate installation partners in your area with the equipment to pour up to 20,000-30,000 square feet in day, saving you time and money.
Smoothing & Finishing
Crews use smoothing tools to help achieve the desired depth
Curing & Drying
Self-leveling underlayments cure rapidly as hydraulic cement sets. Drying times vary based on pour depth and site conditions. Material, substrate and ambient temperatures are all factors that affect drying time.
Installation of Floor Coverings
Once the underlayment falls below the acceptable levels of moisture required by the floor covering manufacturer, self-leveling underlayments are ready for the installation of the finished flooring.
Rely on Maxxon: The Leader of Flooring Underlayment
Maxxon is the leader in quality flooring underlayments. Maxxon® has worked for 50+ years to specifically engineer products that leverage the ideal balance of flow, strength and drying dynamics to drive efficient installs for commercial, multifamily and institutional construction.
As pioneers in the flooring industry, Maxxon combines advanced product technology with superior service and support. Our team of technical experts partner with construction professionals to achieve high-performance floor assemblies. For the most reliable underlayments with the backing of experience and expertise, construction professionals can trust Maxxon.
To learn more about self-leveling underlayment for your projects or to get started on your project, contact Maxxon’s team of experts or find a rep near you today!
Hamel, MN – Maxxon Corporation, a leading innovator in the underlayment industry, is thrilled to announce a new strategic collaboration with Empire Mining Co, LLC, a premier gypsum mine and underlayment provider serving the Western United States. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Maxxon, enabling an expansion of production capabilities for our flagship Gyp-Crete gypsum floor underlayment product line.
Josh Jonsson, Executive Vice President of Operations at Maxxon Corporation, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "This strategic alliance with Empire Mining Co. is a game-changer for Maxxon and our customer base. It not only ensures a steady supply of high-quality raw materials, but it also enables us to scale up production to meet the increasing demand for our Gyp-Crete and Commercial product lines, elevate the performance level of our existing facilities, and improve our service position for our customers. We are committed to providing our customers with unparalleled quality and service, and this partnership is a testament to our commitment to our customers and to the industry.”
David Hornsby, President and Chief Operating Officer of Empire Mining Co., shared, “We are pleased to see our continued investment in facilities culminate in this historic relationship with Maxxon. We are excited to be partnering with the industry leader in flooring underlayments to bring Empire’s gypsum-based products to an expanded customer base. We look forward to a new market experiencing Empire’s commitment to the highest-quality products and levels of service.”
Phil Ciesiulka, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Maxxon Corporation, added, "The collaboration with Empire Mining Co. comes at a crucial time when the industry is facing significant demand pressures. Our partnership will allow us to enhance our service offerings and support our industry partners, ensuring that our authorized applicators, and the industry as a whole, have access to the high-quality underlayment solutions they've come to expect from Maxxon."
This partnership with Empire Mining Co. is anticipated to unfold gradually over the next several months to enhance Maxxon's production capabilities. Over time, this strategic alliance is set to ensure that Maxxon can consistently meet and exceed the needs of the construction industry with innovative, reliable, and high-quality underlayment solutions.
About Empire Mining Co., LLC:
Empire Mining Co. is a world-class mining and manufacturing operator that is a premier provider of gypsum-based products to various industries. Since 1910, the Empire mine and plant have served several industries including the cement, agriculture, drywall, plaster and industrial gypsum markets. Empire Mining Co. is committed to continuing to serve its customers with quality products that perform at a high level to help its discerning customers succeed.
About Maxxon Corporation:
Maxxon Corporation, the creator of Gyp-Crete® gypsum floor underlayment, has been providing superior underlayment products for over 50 years. Maxxon's innovations in floor technologies offer solutions for a variety of sound and fire control systems. Our dedication to quality, innovation, and service has made us a leader in the flooring industry. For more information about Maxxon Corporation and our products, please visit maxxon.com.
Media Contact:
Jessica Bartell
Vice President Marketing
Maxxon Corporation
320-980-1426
jbartell@maxxon.com