Leveling the concrete floor by yourself

07-05-2018

Laminate

For laying various floor coverings you need a solid and, most importantly, a smooth base. But not all apartments have a perfectly level sub floor. Therefore, the first thing any master begins to carry out work on leveling the surface. This can be done in different ways depending on the material from which the base is made. In this article we will talk about how to carry out the alignment of the concrete floor with your own hands. It will be told about the three most common ways.

Using self-leveling compounds

Self-leveling compounds

One of the popular ways of making a perfectly flat surface of a concrete floor is the use of self-leveling mixtures. This method is suitable in the case when the drops do not exceed 3 mm. Self-leveling mixtures are inexpensive, using them do not need any special tools, and the work itself will not cause great difficulties.

Works are performed in the following sequence:

The first step is to prepare the foundation. All large cracks are sealed with sand-cement mortar. Then the entire surface is primed. This will improve adhesion, plus reduce the moisture permeability of concrete. All this will lead to the fact that the mixture will dry longer, which means that it is better to spread and create a smooth surface.
Then a damper tape is glued around the entire perimeter.
The next step will be the preparation of the mixture itself. All components are mixed according to the manufacturer's instructions. It is better to do this using a construction mixer or electric drills with special nozzles. If mixed by hand, the mass will be heterogeneous. So, the result from the use of the mixture will not be as effective.
Now you can apply the solution to the surface. The mixture is poured on the floor and leveled with a spatula. Then you need to walk with a needle roller, this will remove air bubbles.

Note! Since the mixture begins to set in a minute, and you need to fill the entire floor at a time, it is better to do all the work with the assistant. While one poured the solution in one area, the other is preparing a new batch of the mixture.

Sanding cement mortar

Probably the oldest way to level concrete (and not only) floors is to use a sand-cement screed. This method allows you to cope with differences up to 3 cm. And the resulting base will be strong and even. One of the drawbacks is the pollution of the floor, resulting from the mixing of cement with sand. And the work itself is quite laborious.

The alignment process is as follows:

Prepare the base. Remove debris and apply a coat of primer.
Then place the lighthouses. This must be done over the entire surface so that the screed is level. Also around the perimeter is glued damper tape.
Next is preparing a solution. It is made from cement, sand and water. The proportions will depend on the type of cement used and the desired strength of the screed itself.
Then the solution is laid out on the surface and leveled. To do this, make circular shaking movements. So the solution will fill all voids. The entire surface of the room must be covered at one time. If one section is allowed to solidify, then “cold joints” will appear, which will lead to a deterioration of the strength of the screed.
Then the entire surface is covered with plastic wrap. Periodically within two weeks the coupler needs to be moistened with water. Such manipulations will not allow moisture to evaporate quickly from the surface, which means that no cracks will appear on the screed. After 14 days, the moistening is stopped and the film is removed. The tie will reach maximum strength after 28 days. After that, you can proceed to further finishing work.

Note! This method can also be used when leveling the floor with differences of more than 3 cm. But in this case, the weight of the screed will be quite impressive. To avoid this, you can add to the solution expanded clay.

Dry screed

How to make a dry screed

For leveling large irregularities on the concrete floor, you can use a more modern method. For these purposes, apply a dry mixture of fillers. As such, you can use expanded clay, polystyrene foam, quartz sand, etc. The minimum layer should be from 3 cm. And since the mixture weighs little, the thickness of the screed can significantly exceed the minimum value, the load on the floor will be small.

The course of work is as follows: