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Q: We plan to finish the basement in my house, and there are going to be a couple of sump pumps, so we no longer need the old drain in the middle of the floor. What’s the best way to level a concrete floor?
A : There is no one way to tear down a concrete floor . Of all the methods available to do - it - yourselfers , which should you use ? That calculate on how level you require to make the concrete . And that question , in play , hinge on a related to but dissimilar question : What type of floor do you be after to instal in your basement once the floor is level ?
Leveling a concrete floor for carpeting
If you image carpeting or another case of floor that forgives minor variations in subfloor course , such as engineer wood or get through - and - lock vinyl , then you’re able to in all probability opt for the least proletariat - intensive method forleveling a level .
Here , a concrete poor boy would do the mass of the work . ( You canrent a concrete grinderfrom your local home improvement sum . ) You ’d use it to grind down the most spectacular ridges in the floor .
To finish the job , you would thenmix a batch of concreteand use it to fill in any cutpurse or depressions .
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Tried-and-True Advice
“ While story leveller is an easy way to pull down floor , especially if you ’re planning to dwell ceramic roofing tile , it can be a challenge to keep it out of places you do n’t want it to go , especially if you ’re working in a bathroom where there are plumbing fixtures coming through the floor .
To keep leveller from flux into toilet hole and storey vents , create a cardboard roadblock around these holes by cutting pieces out of an sure-enough composition board box . Shape the cardboard around the toilet flange and any floor outlet and caulk or tape them into place . When you pour the floor leveller , it will flow around them instead of going down the holes . ”
— Tony Carrick , Contributing author
Photo: Nikita Sobolkov / Depositphotos
Leveling a concrete floor for tile
If you want to install vinyl tile or ceramic roofing tile , thing get a bit trickier . For a successful installation , the concrete floor beneath the tile needs to be more or less perfectly level and smooth . That ’s genuine for compact tiles and even more vital for larger ones , including the pop 1 - by-2 - base size .
With belittled tiles , the maximum differential gear between the abject and high point on the floor is 1/4 inch per 10 feet ; with larger tiles , the satisfactory first derivative is a mere 1/8 in per 10 feet .
To achieve such flatness , use a self - leveling compound , such as Rapid Set Concrete Leveler Self - Leveling Underlayment . These products come in powdered variety and are sundry with body of water and a fortifying federal agent . You end up with a thin liquid that when rain cats and dogs from a bucket course across the existing uneven concrete . Gravity will bring the liquidity to a level , but you could help the process along with a broom or trowel .
Mixing and applying self-leveling compound
close follow the manufacturer ’s pedagogy , because every product differs slightly . Generally speak , no matter which compound you pick out , you ’ll need to take gear up the basement beforehand :
Pro bakshis : wear down cleat or rubber boots in case you need to take the air across the compound while it ’s still wet .
Once the self - leveling chemical compound has set , you may put in your chosen flooring . Another alternative is to eschew a finished storey , and choose alternatively tostain , paint , orpolishthe chemical compound that now shape the top layer of your concrete basement base slab .
Photo: Anna Koldunova / Depositphotos
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