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Levelling a floor before tiling: the Kerakoll way
Why this brand · Kerakoll #3 · The brands Saniso stocks, and why
Levelling a floor before tiling decides how the finished floor looks and feels, because tiles can only be as flat as the surface under them. Small differences in height show up as uneven tile edges and joints, no matter how carefully you tile. In this third edition of our series Why this brand we look at how Kerakoll builds a flat base: a screed for a new or renovated floor, a primer that prepares the surface, and self-levelling compounds that flow out to a smooth finish. You'll see which products Saniso carries, which ones have a listed price today, and how it all connects to tiling and bonding.
In short
The idea: a flat, sound and primed floor before the first tile goes down.
The Kerakoll range at Saniso: Active Prime primers, Flowtech and Planogel Rheo self-levelling compounds, and Massetto Premix and other ready-to-use screeds.
The layers: screed where needed, primer, self-levelling compound, tile adhesive, grout.
Prices: the primers and tile adhesives have a listed price: 4 products from €27.50, incl. and excl. VAT. The levelling compounds and screeds have their own product pages with current availability and price.
Always: follow the technical data sheet of every product for thickness, mixing and waiting times.
Why is levelling a floor before tiling worth the effort?
A tile is stiff and flat, so it follows the floor under it. A dip or a ridge in the base ends up in the finished tile layer, and it makes it harder to lay the tiles evenly. Correcting the base first gives the adhesive an even bed and the tiles an even finish. The Flowtech Pro page describes its purpose as the correction of absorbent substrates before laying ceramic tiles, hardwood floors and industrial coverings, and the Planogel Rheo page describes it as ideal for all types of bonded substrates and coverings. How you check the floor and lay the tiles afterwards is covered in our guide on how to tile a floor, step by step; here we stay with the base.
What does the Kerakoll floor-preparation system look like, layer by layer?
Here is how the layers fit together. How to lay the tiles themselves is explained in our guide on how to tile a floor, step by step, the Kerakoll tile system as a whole in Why Kerakoll? The system behind a tidy tile job, and what a wet room needs in our guide on waterproofing a wet room before tiling, so we keep this to the base.
| Layer | What it does | Kerakoll at Saniso |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Screed | A firm, ready-to-tile base for a new floor or a renovation | Massetto Premix, Keracem Eco Pronto, Keracem Eco Prontoplus, Rekord Eco Pronto |
| 2. Prime | Consolidates the substrate and regulates how much it absorbs before the next layer | Active Prime Fix, Active Prime Grip (priced, see below) |
| 3. Level | Self-levelling compound that flows out to a flat, smooth surface | Flowtech Plus, Flowtech Easy, Flowtech Pro, Planogel Rheo |
| 4. Waterproof (wet rooms) | A waterproof layer under the tiles in a shower or wet room | See our guide on waterproofing a wet room before tiling |
| 5. Bond the tiles | Mineral or gel adhesive for the tile layer | Bioflex, H40 White Gel (priced, see below) |
| 6. Grout and seal | Grout and sealant in matching colours | See Why Kerakoll? The system behind a tidy tile job |
Which Kerakoll levelling product or screed fits your floor?
The overview below uses the descriptions and figures on the product pages at saniso.nl. The levelling compounds and screeds have their own product pages: open a page for the current availability and price. The thickness ranges are the ones the pages state, and the technical data sheet of each product always has the final word.
| Situation | Product page says | Product |
|---|---|---|
| A thin correction with a very fine finish, also under resilient coverings | Self-levelling product with a silk-effect finish and perfect evenness, from 1 to 10 mm, for ceramic and porcelain tiles, natural stone, hardwood floors and resilient materials | Flowtech Plus |
| Absorbent or non-absorbent substrates, a smooth finish before tiles, hardwood or multi-layer parquet | Self-levelling product from 3 to 20 mm with a long self-levelling time for large surfaces, compatible with all types of adhesives used for tiles, stone, hardwood and parquet | Flowtech Easy |
| Bigger corrections on absorbent substrates and large areas | High-performance, rapid, fibre-reinforced self-levelling product from 5 to 50 mm, easy to apply also with mixing pumps, for ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, natural stone and resins for industrial floors | Flowtech Pro |
| Control under the spreader, or application with a plastering machine | Self-levelling gel with variable rheology and viscosity, from 1 to 30 mm, with a longer working time, suitable for tiles, natural stone, hardwood floors, resilient materials and resins | Planogel Rheo |
| A new screed to tile on, indoors or outdoors, or a renovation | Ready-to-use, eco-friendly, normal-setting and rapid-drying mineral screed with a damp-earth consistency, to lay with adhesives | Massetto Premix |
| A screed over underfloor heating | Ready-to-use, rapid-drying mineral screed with excellent thermal conductivity, ideal for underfloor heating systems; the fibre-reinforced version is Keracem Eco Prontoplus | Keracem Eco Pronto |
| A fast-track renovation | Extra-rapid setting and drying screed: foot traffic after 3 hours, ceramic tile overlay after 6 hours and hardwood overlay after 24 hours, for indoor use | Rekord Eco Pronto |
What are Kerakoll's strengths and opportunities for levelling your floor? (a positive SWOT)
A SWOT usually looks at a brand from a boardroom. We wrote this one for the person holding the spreader: what the range does well, where it opens doors for you, where it fits best and why we stock it.
Strengths
- A product for every thickness: the product pages list 1–10 mm (Flowtech Plus), 3–20 mm (Flowtech Easy), 5–50 mm (Flowtech Pro) and 1–30 mm (Planogel Rheo).
- Made to go with the adhesive on top: Flowtech Pro is described as formulated for maximum compatibility and adhesion with all cement-based adhesives.
- Long working time: Flowtech Easy, Flowtech Plus, Flowtech Pro and Planogel Rheo all list a long self-levelling time, suited to large surfaces.
- Practical on site: Flowtech Pro is described as easy to apply also with mixing pumps, and Planogel Rheo with plastering machines.
- Low-impact formulations: the Flowtech Pro, Flowtech Plus and Planogel Rheo pages mention raw materials with low environmental impact, and Massetto Premix is described as eco-friendly.
Opportunities
- Renovation: Massetto Premix is described as ideal for renovation projects, and Rekord Eco Pronto for renovation work and rapid laying systems.
- Underfloor heating: Keracem Eco Pronto is described as having excellent thermal conductivity, ideal for underfloor heating systems.
- Quick schedules: the Rekord Eco Pronto page lists foot traffic after 3 hours, ceramic tile overlay after 6 hours and hardwood overlay after 24 hours.
- Beyond ceramic tiles: Flowtech Plus is described as ideal for resilient material coverings, Planogel Rheo is suited to resins, and Flowtech Pro to resins for industrial floors from the Kerakoll Factory range.
Where Kerakoll fits best
- Floors that need a flat, smooth base before ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles or natural stone.
- Large rooms, where a long self-levelling time and application by mixing pump help.
- Renovations with a new screed, also over underfloor heating.
- Floors that later get hardwood, parquet or a resilient covering on the same flat base.
Why Saniso carries Kerakoll
- Screed, primer, levelling compound and tile adhesive in one cart, together with your tiles and tools.
- Clear prices incl. and excl. VAT on every priced product, and a product page for each levelling product with its current availability.
- A wider Kerakoll range is available on request: add products to your Project List for a bulk quotation.
- Thousands of products in stock in the Netherlands and next-workday delivery when it fits in a parcel.
How do you level a floor before tiling, step by step?
This is the general order of work. It is an overview, not a replacement for the technical data sheets: thickness, mixing ratio, waiting times and the right primer depend on the product and the substrate, so read the sheet of each product before you start.
- Check the floor. It should be sound, clean and dry. Vacuum the dust and remove loose material. Lay a long straightedge or spirit level across the floor in a few directions to see where it dips and where it is high; our guide on how to tile a floor, step by step shows how to check the substrate.
- Choose a screed or a self-levelling compound. A new or very uneven floor may call for a screed such as Massetto Premix first (for the quantities of a sand-cement screed, see how many bags of sand-cement you need). A floor that only needs correcting gets a self-levelling compound.
- Close gaps and holes. The compound is liquid, so seal openings it could run into before you pour.
- Prime. Active Prime Fix or Active Prime Grip prepares the surface. Active Prime Fix regulates the absorption of porous substrates, which extends the workability of the self-levelling product.
- Mix and pour. Mix the compound as its technical sheet describes, pour it out and guide it with a spreader. Flowtech Pro can be applied with a mixing pump and Planogel Rheo with a plastering machine, as their pages note.
- Let it dry. Wait as long as the technical sheet says before you tile.
- Bond the tiles. Tile with a Kerakoll adhesive; the method is the same as for any floor, see our guide on how to tile a floor, step by step.
- Grout and seal. Finish with grout and a sealant in matching colours, as described in Why Kerakoll? The system behind a tidy tile job.
How do you prepare the substrate with a Kerakoll primer?
A primer is an easy step to forget, while it decides how the compound behaves on the substrate. Active Prime Fix and Active Prime Grip are both listed for self-levelling products. Check the technical sheet of your levelling product for the substrates that need one.
Active Prime Fix 5 kg (Kerakoll primer)
A rapid, universal adhesion promoter for self-levelling products, cement-based adhesives, finishing products and plasters. Single-component and water-based, for indoor and outdoor use. It suits absorbent and non-absorbent substrates, dries rapidly and is ideal for consolidating dry, dusty substrates. It reduces and regulates the absorption of porous substrates, which extends the workability of levelling and self-levelling products and mineral adhesives, and it neutralises expansive chemical reactions of gypsum- and anhydrite-based substrates in contact with self-levelling products. Coverage about 0.1–0.2 kg/m².
What is it for? Priming a dusty, porous or absorbent floor before the screed overlay or the self-levelling compound goes on. Check the technical sheet of your levelling product to see whether a primer is advised on your substrate.
Read also: How to tile a floor: step-by-step DIY guide
Active Prime Grip 5 kg (Kerakoll primer with quartz finish)
The same single-component, water-based primer family with a high-grip quartz finish, ready to use and quick drying, for indoor and outdoor use. It improves adhesion on smooth substrates for finishing products, levelling compounds, plasters and cement-based adhesives, and it neutralises expansive chemical reactions of gypsum- and anhydrite-based substrates in contact with self-levelling products. Coverage about 0.2–0.3 kg/m².
What is it for? Smooth substrates that need extra grip before the levelling compound goes on.
How thick can you level, and how much material do you need?
The product pages give the thickness range and the coverage per millimetre. A worked example for a 10 m² floor: one millimetre of Flowtech Easy is about 16 kg, so 3 mm is about 48 kg, which is two 25 kg bags. For a screed, Massetto Premix is listed at about 18 kg/m² per cm of thickness, so 10 m² at 1 cm of thickness is about 180 kg, or eight 25 kg bags. The thickness your floor needs follows from the measurements you take and from the technical sheet. For a sand-cement screed that you mix yourself, see how many bags of sand-cement you need.
| Product | Thickness on the page | Coverage on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Flowtech Plus | 1–10 mm | ≈ 1.6 kg/m² per mm |
| Planogel Rheo | 1–30 mm | ≈ 1.6 kg/m² per mm |
| Flowtech Easy | 3–20 mm | ≈ 1.6 kg/m² per mm |
| Flowtech Pro | 5–50 mm | ≈ 1.75 kg/m² per mm |
| Massetto Premix (screed) | see the technical sheet | ≈ 18 kg/m² per cm |
Which tile adhesive goes on a levelled floor?
Flowtech Pro is described as formulated for maximum compatibility and adhesion with all cement-based adhesives, and Flowtech Easy as compatible with all types of adhesives used for tiles and stone. Both adhesives below are in the shop at a listed price. For a deeper look at choosing an adhesive and grout, see choosing a sustainable tile adhesive and grout.
Kerakoll Bioflex 25 kg
A mineral adhesive for high-performance bonding of porcelain tiles, ceramic tiles and natural stone, with no vertical slip and a long open time. Eco-friendly mineral-based formula with organic salts and extra-pure inert minerals, designed for very low VOC emissions. Coverage about 1.25 kg/m² per mm of thickness.
What is it for? The tile layer on the levelled floor.
Read also: Sustainable tile adhesive and grout: what to look out for when choosing
Kerakoll H40 White Gel
A multifunctional gel adhesive developed for professional tilers, for ceramic tiles up to natural stone on virtually any type of substrate. The product page lists all sizes and types of tiles, including large formats up to 3000 × 1500 mm, a thixotropic and fluid consistency without vertical slip, an extended open time and pot life, very low VOC emissions and an application layer thickness of 2–15 mm. Consumption for white about 1.2 kg/m² per mm of thickness.
What is it for? Bonding tiles of every size on a levelled floor, including large formats.
Do you need waterproofing on a levelled floor in a wet room?
In a shower or wet room the flat base comes first, then the waterproofing layer, then the tiles. The Kerakoll waterproofing layers, tapes, corners and drains are described in our guide on waterproofing a wet room before tiling. The technical sheets of the products you combine give the details.
Can you level a floor yourself?
Yes, many DIYers do. The self-levelling compounds are made to flow out, and the product pages explain what each one is for; Flowtech Pro, for example, is described as easy to apply. The key is to follow the technical sheet exactly, to prime where it asks for it and to have everything ready before you start mixing. If you are unsure about a detail, ask us before you order or have a tiler check the plan.
Which tips help you get the most out of the Kerakoll floor-preparation system?
- Read the technical data sheet of every product before you start.
- Measure the floor first, so you know the thickness you need and can pick the right product from the ranges above.
- Order primer, levelling compound and tile adhesive together, so the whole job arrives in one go.
- Work out the quantity per millimetre of thickness and add a little extra.
- Put the products you want a bulk quotation for on your Project List.
What is the delivery time at Saniso?
Order on a workday before 15:00? Then your order is delivered the next workday, as long as it fits in a parcel. Pallet shipments have a different delivery time. Saniso has thousands of products in stock in the Netherlands. Saniso is on its way to becoming the e-commerce platform for construction across Europe, and already delivers to more than 20 countries.
How do you order at Saniso if you're not a customer yet?
Your first order is easy to place:
- Create an account via register. Already have an account? Log in here with your email address or phone number.
- Choose your product and click "Add to cart", or go straight to "Buy now". For products without a listed price, the product page shows the current availability.
- Check out: all prices at checkout include VAT.
- Choose delivery or pickup: have it delivered, or pick up your order for free in our showroom.
How do you stay up to date on offers?
Want to know when there are new offers? Sign up for the newsletter: scroll to the bottom of any page on saniso.nl, enter your email address under "Newsletter" and click "Subscribe". You'll get updates on offers and discount coupons, and we don't spam. With an account you also collect loyalty points for a discount on your next purchase.
More about this in the Saniso FAQ under "How do I sign up for the newsletter?". Questions about ordering, payment, shipping or returns are answered there too.
Frequently asked questions
Why level a floor before tiling?
Tiles are stiff and flat, so they follow the floor under them. Correcting the base first gives the adhesive an even bed and the tiles an even finish.
What is the difference between a screed and a self-levelling compound?
A screed is the firm layer that makes a floor ready to lay on: Massetto Premix, for example, is described as a ready-to-use mineral screed to lay with adhesives. A self-levelling compound such as Flowtech Pro or Planogel Rheo flows out to correct a substrate before tiles, hardwood floors or other coverings go on.
Which Kerakoll product suits a thin correction?
Flowtech Plus is listed for thicknesses from 1 to 10 mm with a very smooth finish, and Planogel Rheo from 1 to 30 mm.
What thicknesses do Flowtech Easy and Flowtech Pro cover?
Flowtech Easy is listed for 3 to 20 mm and Flowtech Pro for 5 to 50 mm. Always confirm the thickness on the technical sheet.
Do I need a primer before a self-levelling compound?
That depends on the product and the substrate, so check the technical sheet. Active Prime Fix (€58.81) and Active Prime Grip (€60.86) are both listed for self-levelling products, and Active Prime Fix regulates the absorption of porous substrates, which extends the workability of the compound.
How much primer do I need?
Active Prime Fix covers about 0.1–0.2 kg/m², so one 5 kg bucket covers roughly 25 to 50 m².
How much self-levelling compound do I need?
Flowtech Easy, Flowtech Plus and Planogel Rheo use about 1.6 kg/m² per mm of thickness, Flowtech Pro about 1.75 kg/m² per mm. For 10 m² at 3 mm of Flowtech Easy that is about 48 kg, which is two 25 kg bags.
What does the Kerakoll levelling and screed range cost?
Flowtech, Planogel Rheo, Massetto Premix and the other screeds have their own product pages at saniso.nl: open the page for the current availability and price. The primers and tile adhesives in this blog have a listed price.
Which adhesive goes on a levelled floor?
Bioflex (€27.50) is a mineral adhesive for porcelain tiles, ceramic tiles and natural stone, and Kerakoll H40 White Gel (€35.70) is a multifunctional gel adhesive. Flowtech Pro is described as compatible with all cement-based adhesives.
Is there a Kerakoll screed for underfloor heating?
Keracem Eco Pronto is described as a ready-to-use screed with excellent thermal conductivity, ideal for underfloor heating systems. Follow the technical sheet and ask us if you are unsure about a detail.
How long do I wait before I tile?
That depends on the product and the thickness, so follow the technical sheet. As an example, the Rekord Eco Pronto page lists foot traffic after 3 hours and ceramic tile overlay after 6 hours.
Do I level first or waterproof first in a wet room?
The flat base comes first, then the waterproofing layer, then the tiles. The technical sheets of the products you combine give the details, and our guide on waterproofing a wet room explains the Kerakoll layers.
Do the prices include VAT?
This blog shows every price including and excluding VAT. At checkout on saniso.nl, prices include VAT.
What is the delivery time at Saniso?
Order on a workday before 15:00 and it's delivered the next workday, as long as it fits in a parcel. Pallet shipments have a different delivery time.
Can I pick up my order?
Yes, you can pick up your order for free in our showroom.
Header photo: Frank Eritt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (floor screed being laid). Product images in the header: Kerakoll.
Next in Why this brand: more Kerakoll, starting with laying large-format tiles.
Ready to level your floor?
View the full Kerakoll range at saniso.nl
View the full Kerakoll range at saniso.nl
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