Ardex high-tech flooring solution, LT-65 Lite-Tech, is engineered with the strength of portland cement yet weighs only 65 pounds per cubic foot — less than half the weight of normal concrete. It is designed for deep-fill, lightweight applications where design constraints limit the amount of dead load that can be added.
The product installs from 3⁄4″ to virtually any thickness in a single operation.
“It’s an application of existing technologies,” says Melissa Alliston, manager of international sales for Ardex. “We put products together that we’ve had for a long time to create something totally new.”
Ardex LT-65 Lite-Tech combines a rapid-setting engineered cement powder with expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads. It is intended for use over concrete substrates as a lightweight fill which would then receive a smoothing layer of Ardex underlayment or topping. It accepts light foot traffic in 2-3 hours.
After just 16 hours, a final smoothing coat of Ardex K-15 Self-Leveling Underlayment Concrete is applied to prepare for the installation of finished flooring, or a coat of Ardex SD-T Self-Drying, Self-Leveling Concrete Topping may be applied and later sealed for a cementitious finished floor.
The product was used at a resort hotel and casino in Las Vegas, where 40,000 square feet of suspended concrete had deflected as much as 4.5 inches between the column lines. The old slabs had to stay, and adding new concrete would add too much weight to the existing structure. But it had to be strong because the casino floors are continually subjected to 9,000-pound rolling carts with loads of cash and slot machine coins.
To fix the problem, Ardex LT-65 Lite-Tech was applied in increments of 8,000 square feet, while the rest of the casino remained open for business. Each increment needed only four days to install: one day to prep, one day to fill, one day to smooth and one day to apply the finished flooring. The project was finished on time and under budget.
In another example, a 5,000-square-foot roof on an existing two-story building was converted into a third story. The drainage slope had depths of 1.5 inches or more. The challenge was to level it off and add the planned flooring without overloading the building structure. Again Ardex LT-65 Lite-Tech was the solution. The product was applied at an average depth of 1.5 inches, but added only 9.5 lbs. per square foot.
For more information on Ardex LT-65 Lite-Tech or lightweight concrete, visit the Ardex Website or call (888) 512-7339.
