How To Level Uneven Concrete Floor

Concrete floor is increasingly becoming popular in the current era due to the presence of new classy decoration styles available for the floors. From warehouse perspective, concrete forms a fantastic durable flooring coveted by many homeowners. Concrete floors are resistant to pounding, abrasion, and scouring. Moreover, its slick surface is easy to clean and offers one of the best hypoallergenic flooring. However, when concrete floors grow old, they crack and become uneven.

Whether your main aim is to refinish your old floor, replacement or addition of new flooring on the existing one, you should level your old concrete surface first. If you wish to level your concrete floor, you need the procedure of leveling uneven concrete floor. When you have the knowledge and the necessary skill, the task becomes easy and may only take 1-2 days. Ensure you have the right tools and materials essential for the work.

Materials  For Leveling Uneven Concrete Floors

• Face mask and eye protection
• A broom
• Metal scraper
• Concrete filler and Sealer
• Shop-vac
• Carpenter’s level
• Concrete primer leveler
• Concrete grinder
• Paint tray, long-handled paint roller or push broom
• Electric drill with mixing paddle
• Chalk
• Concrete leveler compound
• Five-gallon bucket
• Clean water
• Hand trowel
• Long-handled squeegee

How To Prepare The Room Before Leveling

1. Remove all the furniture, materials, and equipment to free up space for comfortable working.
2. Gently remove the baseboard off the walls all around by the use of a scraper or a metal putty knife as the floor height will rise after leveling it.
3. Scrape any loose debris on the floor such as concrete chippings, old linoleum, or tiles.
4. Sweep the scrapping of the floor surface. Alternatively, you can vacuum up all the dust to keep the floor dust-free.
5. Nail a piece of wood across any opening such as hallways and doorways to keep your leveling mixture from oozing out.

Filling of cracks and application of a primer

First, fill in the large cracks or any hole on the surface of the concrete floor by use of concrete filler and sealer. Then, fix the nozzle of your concrete filler in the cracks and squeeze the filler into the cracks until you fill the cracks. Using a trowel, push the filler and compact it thoroughly before leaving it to dry for a while. The process is always essential in leveling uneven concrete floors for tiles.

Identify and mark your high and low points on the floor surface to help you establish an even floor level. Grind any high and inconsistent spots into the same level by moving the grinding plate back-forth and sideways. Mix your leveling compound into a thin and consistent paste. The paste seals the floor cracks.

Spread the leveling primer on the surface using a soft bristle push broom and ensure the layer is smooth. Alternatively, you can put the leveling compound paste in the paint tray and use a paint roller to apply a thin and uniform coating of the primer onto the floor surface. It is also important to note that one gallon of the compound can cover approximately 400 square feet of the floor space. Lastly, leave the primer to dry for about 24 hours until it forms a tacky finish.

use of a concrete leveler

This is the best method to use when the concrete floor is excessively uneven.  All you need to do is to get a bag of the concrete leveler and mix it using a drill and a paddle in a bucket with a capacity of 5 gallons.

Mix the concrete leveler thoroughly using a drill mounted paddle until it you achieve an even leveling compound. Don’t mix more than one bag as it may dry midway before you finish the application process. The mixture may dry and hard within 15 to 30 minutes.

Always have a helper to assist you in mixing the concrete leveler as you apply the already made compound to fix uneven cracked concrete floors. Using a long-handled squeegee, spread the mix evenly onto the floor surface. The squeegee will help you to spread out the mixture evenly and avoid pooling. Ensure you have access to the corners and edges of the room to ensure a uniform floor surface.

Let your concrete leveling compound dry according to manufacturer’s prescriptions. Many concrete leveling brands always dry within 4 hours to the extent that you can walk on it and dry thoroughly after 24 hours.

When the concrete is dry, you can install your new flooring material on the even concrete surface. The method is also essential in the initial steps leveling uneven garage concrete floor. Moreover, the process may also help to level an uneven concrete floor for laminate installation .