Feather Finish
New Zealand data sheet · NZ · manufacturer-sourced
How long before you can install flooring over ARDEX Feather Finish?
Short answer
Return-to-use gates
Walk, furniture and full traffic open at different times
- Apply the New Zealand data sheet to a clean, dry subfloor
- Stay off until the foot-traffic time
- Bring in furniture and heavy use later
This product’s stated stages Quoted at 68°F
- Working time ends15 minutes
- Ready for flooring15 minutes
- Light foot traffic15 minutes
Worth noticing: Working time is only 15 minutes; the next stated stage, ready for flooring, is 15 minutes.
Common mistake: Moving furniture back the day after, while the surface is still soft.
Return-to-use gates
Open the surface gradually instead of treating cure as one moment
Time returning to use
Your countdown
Stated times
- Working time ends15 minutes
- Ready for floor covering15 minutes
- Light foot traffic15 minutes
From ARDEX data sheet · checked 2026-10-25. Anything not listed isn’t stated by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer website: ardex.com
Conditions & fine print
- Stated conditions: 68°F (20°C)
- Times shorten in heat and lengthen in cold or on thick coats. This is the New Zealand data sheet; it gives a 10°C minimum subfloor temperature and no paint-timing figure.
- Apply at 50°F or above
- Region NZ. Formulas can differ between countries; check your container.
- Working time ends: At 68°F (20°C).
- Ready for floor covering: The source gives no conditions for this time.
- Light foot traffic: The source gives no conditions for this time.
- Entered from the cited manufacturer documentation. Check the current label for the exact formula and region. Report outdated information
- Actual results depend on preparation, thickness, ventilation, temperature, humidity, mixing and substrate.
Confirm this is your product
Closely named formulas, colors and regional versions can use different times. Match these details to your container before starting a countdown.
- Exact listing
- ARDEX Feather Finish
- Variant
- New Zealand data sheet
- Region
- NZ
- Listed use
- smoothing compound, floor prep, skim coat
- Timed stages recorded
- tooling, floor ready, light foot
- Source checked
- 2026-10-25
Documentation: Technical data sheet · July 2020
Condition attached to the stated time: At 68°F (20°C).
About this product
Feather Finish is a floors & flooring adhesive product from ARDEX, listed for smoothing compound, floor prep, skim coat. Its flooring time of 15 minutes is the shortest of the 6 floors & flooring adhesive products here that list one. This page tracks 3 stated steps, from working time at 15 minutes to light traffic at 15 minutes.
Using this specific product
ARDEX Feather Finish is listed here as the New Zealand data sheet version for smoothing compound, floor prep, and skim coat. For installing or finishing a floor, the useful question is not simply whether the surface looks finished—it is whether the exact next-action milestone shown above has been reached.
Before you start
- Confirm the package says New Zealand data sheet; related versions can use different timing.
- For smoothing compound, floor prep, and skim coat, pay particular attention to subfloor condition, trowel coverage, room temperature and traffic plan.
- At 68°F (20°C). The source gives no conditions for this time.
How to check readiness
Test the least-ventilated area before walking, covering or replacing furniture. The data sheet gives about 15 minutes of working time. The data sheet says floor coverings can be installed after 15 minutes. Try a protected edge first and avoid turning, dragging or concentrated loads.
Avoid this mistake
Foot traffic, furniture and rugs can have different return times.
Compare with similar products
- Compare with Jotun Jotafloor Rapid DryLight foot traffic: 1 h there, 15 min here.
- Compare with Sika Level-525 RapidLight foot traffic: 1–1.5 h there, 15 min here.
Questions
How long before you can install flooring over this product?
ARDEX states: The data sheet gives about 15 minutes of working time. Conditions: At 68°F (20°C).. The data sheet says floor coverings can be installed after 15 minutes. Conditions: The source gives no conditions for this time.. The data sheet says it can be walked on after about 15 minutes. Conditions: The source gives no conditions for this time.. These are the manufacturer’s stated times, not a guarantee.
How does Feather Finish compare with other floors & flooring adhesive products?
ARDEX states 15 minutes for flooring, which is quicker than the typical floors & flooring adhesive product here (median 75 minutes across 6 products). The quickest listed is MAPEI Planiprep SC at 30 minutes; the slowest is Rapid Set (CTS Cement) LEVEL GP at 1 day.
What conditions do the stated times for Feather Finish assume?
Stated conditions: At 68°F (20°C); The source gives no conditions for this time. Baseline temperature: 68°F. Application temperature: 50°F or higher. Cooler, damper or thicker applications usually take longer.
How long do I have to work with this product?
ARDEX states: The data sheet gives about 15 minutes of working time. Conditions: At 68°F (20°C).. These are the manufacturer’s stated times, not a guarantee.
How long before I can walk on tile set with this product?
ARDEX states: The data sheet says it can be walked on after about 15 minutes. Conditions: The source gives no conditions for this time.. These are the manufacturer’s stated times, not a guarantee.
What affects how long this product takes to dry or cure?
Times shorten in heat and lengthen in cold or on thick coats. This is the New Zealand data sheet; it gives a 10°C minimum subfloor temperature and no paint-timing figure. Follow the product label for your conditions.