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I’m not a homebuilder, just a homeowner with a growing basement wood shop and a bad floor. The house is 70+ years old and the basement is dry, but the concrete in the floor is eroding. No cracks, just a rough, uneven, not-very-level surface. Very hard to roll things on it, especially heavy machines, etc.
A concrete contractor looked at it and told me it would be too expensive to repair the concrete; he recommended that I use self-leveling underlayment, but for a surface this rough and the square footage in question that’s out of the question, too.
One idea I had is to cover the floor with a poly vapor barrier, then lay sleepers (1×4? 2×3?), shimming them level with wedges where the floor is low, and nailing (screwing?) them to the floor. Then I’d put plywood over the sleepers, and sheet vinyl or tile over the plywood.
I would be very grateful for some feedback — or better suggestions — from anyone who has encountered a similar situation.
TIA
– Ben Miller
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Ben,
If your existing concrete floor is stable in relation to cracking and heaving, have you considered pouring another concrete floor over the existing one? I do not know if this is wise but I am sure that someone will correct me if it is not. The cost of a new concrete slab should not be much more than other options. Also I am not sure how sheet vinyl would hold up in a shop area with heavy equipment movement.
*Ben: The last post is very possible. In years gone by architects use to spec. new concrete floors be done in two pours. A base pour followed by a nominal 2" topping at a later time in the building schedule. Depending on the location & use of the floor the thickness varied but if you can stand to loose the 2" a topping is possible & will stand up to your use. Find a couple of contractors you trust and talk to them. They can tell you if your floor is sound and if they think this is viable for your situtation. I do not have any knowledge of the aggregate used in your area so I would rely on your contrs. for a mix design. They can also advise you on how to bond the overlay. Several methods work very well. Hope you find a workable solution. Ron
*words of caution here are to be wary of cold joints (wet concrete poured over dry concrete) especially where the basement floor has a glossy finish like my old home does. I would still advise a pour over the existing but would do something to the existing first such as rough the surce and coat with a bonding adhesive or better yet, break up the old floor and leave it as a "gravel" base beneath your new pour.Pete Draganic
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I'm not a homebuilder, just a homeowner with a growing basement wood shop and a bad floor. The house is 70+ years old and the basement is dry, but the concrete in the floor is eroding. No cracks, just a rough, uneven, not-very-level surface. Very hard to roll things on it, especially heavy machines, etc.
A concrete contractor looked at it and told me it would be too expensive to repair the concrete; he recommended that I use self-leveling underlayment, but for a surface this rough and the square footage in question that's out of the question, too.
One idea I had is to cover the floor with a poly vapor barrier, then lay sleepers (1x4? 2x3?), shimming them level with wedges where the floor is low, and nailing (screwing?) them to the floor. Then I'd put plywood over the sleepers, and sheet vinyl or tile over the plywood.
I would be very grateful for some feedback -- or better suggestions -- from anyone who has encountered a similar situation.
TIA
- Ben Miller