Leveling concrete floors inexpensively?
Darko
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Hi all,
I need to level a concrete floor that is fairly uneven but would like to avoid massive amounts of leveling compound that is very expensive. Does anybody have a better solution e.g. mixing cement, sand and water in specific ratio to obtain a nice, flowing mix that will be easy to spread around and work with. The strength of the floor is really not that important as long as people can walk on it without it cracking.
Thanks a lot,
Darko
Replies
jack hammer
Need more info. Have you laid a long straightedge on the floor to measure the dips and bumps? How large of an area are you wanting to level? It might be a good idea to not try to reinvent the wheel, just buy the self levelling compound and go to work. Skip HD and Lowes, find a masonry supply or a commercial tile supply, they will have larger quantities for less $.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
It is a basement floor, 600SQF. Since the floor has two drains in it, the floor is slopig towards the drains and at the drains are about 3" lower than the rest of the floor. I don't need the drains but I need the floor leveled so I can install insulation, warmboard for radiant floor heating and laminate flooring on top. I can run into problems with laminate flooring unless the floor is properly leveled.
I have to check local suppliers, it might be cheaper but I'm stll going to need quite a bit.
Thanks,
Darko
why not run the radiant piping right on the existing slab (need to fasten down to keep them proper width apart (I am guessing about 12" based on the stuff I installed) and then pour a 1 1/2" gypcrete or concrete slab right over it and good to go. Need to use smaller gravel than 3/4" but that is not big deal it is not a structural slab and will not have freeze thaw conditions (or else you have one hell of a mess on your hands)
Thats how i did it last time, anyway.
You can level and set leveling blocks where you need them pre-pour so that you can work your screed from leveling block to leveling block to get a nice flat slab.
Check for moisture on the existing slab by putting plastic down on it. Might need poly on it but I dont know the ramifications of sandwiching plastic between the slabs. someone else here might.
That's a good idea but I think I'll need the thermal insulation between radiant floor slab and the concrete floor slab otherwise I'll be heating the ground under. I'm in Canada and it gets quite cold here so I think I'd be loosing a lot of energy. I believe I'll need an inch of rigid foam insulation under the radiant floor for it to work the way it should...
Why not rip PT sleepers on an angle to level the floor. You won't get an effective leveling compand that will do both 3" and to 0".
Stretch string lines and measure and the cut away. It will help to have a jig for your tablesaw, or a shoot board if you're gonna do it with a CS.
Right you are about the insulation!
That might be giving up too much headroom too. A dense insul without voids and a thin coat of concrete might work. It would crack but probably not displace.
Don't matter where you are you MUST insulate or the ground will suck most of the heat away!
I'll second the jackhammer - that's what I did. 600sf isn't that much really. Then you could permanently abandon the drains, put in a vapor barrier, 2" of foam and the pour your new floor level and flat with the PEX embedded.
Warmboard and SLC is expensive. Price it both ways and see what works.
Darko
You can use dry sand under foam insulation board. Screed the whole thing close to flat then work it better as you lay the insulation board. Lay down poly VB, sleepers, fasten through them if you need to, then the warmboard.
Ron
Thanks for all the advices but I think that jack hammer is the option at the end. And it might turn out to be the least expensive. I won't loose any headroom which is important and won't have to pay for the warmboards. It will be a little bit of work but the end result will be superior.