Concrete floors, sturdy and versatile. Gone are the days that decorators and homeowners shunned away from bare concrete flooring. Recent trends have made concrete not only in fashion but also reasonable flooring choice among home builders and DIY enthusiasts.
Cover ‘em up with other flooring products: area rugs and carpet tiles, paint and stickers they offer a cheap alternative than usually high-end markets occupied by natural stones and even hardwood. All it takes is a little effort and considerable amount of imagination.
All throughout our DIY flooring series, you heard us use the phrase “make sure the concrete subfloor is even…” and yada-yada. So today, we take a break from our installation posts and go over how to level concrete floors.
Whether or not you want your concrete slab as a subfloor or the main floor, continue reading and you’ll find useful tips below on understanding some cold hard facts about levelling concrete.
First, sweep and vacuum the concrete floor then grab a level bar and check the entire room. For slightly high spots, use a scraper or buff with heavy grit paper. Vacuum or sweep again till all the dust is removed before checking.
Use a framing square or even a piece of straight, flat lumber and mark all the low and high points on the concrete floor.
For the larger bumps, better rent a grinder and make sure you know how to operate the tool and gear up for safety. If you’re not familiar with it, better contract to services of professionals. Also remember to cover furniture to protect them from getting scratched by debris from the grinder.
Work on the high spots you’ve marked earlier and grind it down till the bumps are gone and leveled with the flooring.
Sweep or vacuum the floor and check if you were able to even the lumps and bumps. Go back on some spots as needed.
For the low spots, prepare the levelling compound according to manufacturer’s instructions. Apply the dame with a trowel and work on small amounts as the compound hardens easily.
