How and how to level the concrete floor: modern technologies and materials

The question of how to level the concrete floor is equally relevant for the owners of apartments in old houses, and for the inhabitants of new buildings. The first ones are looking for an answer because the base covering in their living quarters is in a deplorable condition due to already long enough exploitation (yes, perhaps it never was good, even in the years of its "youth"), but the second one needs to know this The reason is that, despite the use of new technologies, the quality of finishing, even in the newly commissioned buildings is still far from ideal. While modern floor coverings sometimes require a practically flat surface. How to create acceptable conditions for them? What to do? Than to level the concrete floor and how to do it better? For all these questions, you will find the answer in our review.

We estimate the existing surface and choose a new floor covering

It is worth noting that the leveling procedure can sometimes be quite expensive and quite lengthy. That is why, in order to reduce material and time costs, you need to be able to properly assess the situation. That is, carefully inspect the existing base and decide which floor covering will be used. As for the first. The base surface can be different. Sometimes it is in quite a decent state with the exception of some places covered with cracks. Or there are only small protrusions and hollows on it. In such cases, you can get by with little blood, leveling the floor locally, as they say, according to the indications. If, however, there are significant defects on the base covering, as well as huge differences in altitude, you will naturally have to be level from corner to corner. Now with regard to finishing materials. Some floor coverings are very demanding to the base. Take the same laminate. Even a slight difference of some five millimeters can destroy all the finishing work. Layed on such a foundation laminate in a year can simply deform and crack at the seams. While linoleum such minor defects are not terrible. So it is from the choice of the finishing floor covering and the very state of the base foundation itself that you need to start off, staying in search of an answer to the question of how and how to level the concrete floor.

Variants of irregularities that require elimination

So, what concrete floor is to be leveled? To put in order, you must have a foundation that has:

• Roughness, chips, various cracks.
• All sorts of protrusions or pits that are visible during visual inspection.
• Bevel or height differences.

Depending on the existing defects, choose the method of alignment and the material required for the work.

Types of alignment

If the floor does not have any differences in height, but has some defects such as cracks, then they are closed with a self-made composition or epoxy concrete, while doing some preliminary work on the preparation of the base. Local protrusions and pits are closed in the same way. Differences in height are eliminated by dry screeding, leveling by beacons or by using a filler.

Next - in more detail about all types of work.

Get rid of cracks

Such defects can appear both on the old basis and on the newly filled, if the steps or requirements of the technological process were violated. Therefore, to know how to get rid of cracks on the concrete floor, you need every master. So, just to cover them from above can not. First, you need to carefully tap the entire surface of the crack, and in a very peculiar way - you need to maximally drive the chisel into the defect with a hammer. Thanks to this procedure, you, first, will be able to detect the chips that are hidden under the defect, and secondly, create the necessary gap for the mixture. After the preparatory work is carried out, you need to carefully remove all pieces of concrete, clean the cavity of dirt and dust, and fill with water. After drying, the entire surface must be primed. Ideally suitable for this purpose is the composition of Grund. After that you need to mix with water cement grade M400. The solution should have a consistency of liquid sour cream. And then you should add liquid glass or PVA glue to it. The amount of additional ingredient should be equal to the volume of the prepared mixture. Then you need to fill in cracks with the solution obtained, wait for drying and sand the surface. Quite small cracks can not be expanded, but simply seal them with a tile glue of any brand, without forgetting to pre-soil.

We build pits

If the floor surface is flat enough, then you do not need to tighten the coupler completely. It's enough just to get rid of pits. To do this, their walls and bottom should be treated with a Bulgarian to remove chips and fragile layers. After that, the pit must be cleaned of pieces of concrete, dirt and dust, pour water, after drying, primrose. At the bottom, you need to pour a dry fine-grained ballast with a thin enough layer, and then seal the defect with epoxy concrete. Excellent for these purposes is the domestic "Claypole". Fill them with a pit so that the solution does not reach the top of a centimeter by two. After drying (approximately an hour), we compare the surface with a special putty on concrete. Experts recommend to pay attention to the brand "Elakor-ED".

As for the mounds, they should be grinded by a grinder, cleaned, primed, and then leveled using the same Elakor.

Dry screed

How and with what level can the concrete floor be leveled, if little time is available and do not really want to mess with solutions? Make a dry screed. This procedure is quite simple, so that almost any home master can cope with it. The principle is as follows. The base base is thoroughly cleaned of dirt and dust. Then it is covered with a waterproofing film (you can use ordinary thick polyethylene). Then a dry leveling mixture is poured over the entire surface by a layer of five centimeters thick. It can be from expanded clay, granulate, sand quartz or even expanded polystyrene. And from above already stack on logs and fasten with self-tapping screws or plywood, or sheets of fiberboard, or moisture-resistant gypsum cardboard. But it is best to use for this purpose a special sheet material called "Superpol". After a dry screed, you can almost immediately cover the finish floor covering. It is the home masters, experts recommend first of all to consider this method, since it is possible to straighten the concrete floor with your own hands using this method without any problems.

Screed by lighthouse

Since it is almost impossible to level the concrete floor screed at times with the help of less expensive methods, it will be necessary to consider such a method as filling a new floor using beacons. As for the financial side of the issue, it is not so terrible, but the time-consuming procedure will require substantial ones. In addition, in this case you need to have at least a minimum of skills in working with beacons and cement mortar. What should be done? First of all, clean and prime the substrate. Then draw the marking, preferably using a laser level, and draw between the walls in the direction from the window to the door the guide beacons for the beacons. And after that, install perforated guides on them on the floor, using a cement (possible plaster) solution to fix it. The pitch between each beacon must not be more than one meter. After that, you need to prepare a cement mortar M400 (the amount of water will be indicated on the package), pour it between the established profiles and align with the rule, moving the back in the direction from the window to the door. This screed dries long enough, in addition, the first three days it must necessarily be moistened with water. However, it is this method that is quite budgetary and allows you to get really smooth and durable coverage. Therefore, if you have enough time and do not know, for example, how to level a concrete floor under a laminate, take this method into service.

As for the lighthouses, some masters leave them inside. However, experts recommend that you still get the profile, and fill the void with tile glue. Excellent for these purposes is a budgetary, but because no less strong composition of "Lux".

Self-leveling floor

If the height difference is not more than five centimeters, and available means are available, the leveling mixture for the concrete floor is ideal for equipping the base surface. It is quite expensive, but it is easy to work with it, in addition, the alignment procedure does not take much time. As for technology, then you need to start, as always, with training. The base substrate must be cleaned and primed. Then you need to markup with a laser level, drawing on the walls of the line, which will pass the upper boundary of the new floor. After this, you need to mix the solution according to the instructions on the package. The best mixtures for leveling, according to experts, are self-levelers Ceresit CN 69 and Ceresit CN 68, Vetonit 3000, EK FT03 FINISH. Many masters praise and more budgetary domestic mixes, produced under the brand "Starateli". So, we begin the alignment from the far corner, pouring the solution onto the floor and leveling the coating (according to the marked markings) first with the rule, and after the special roller with the needles.

How to level a concrete floor under a laminate

Laminate is, perhaps, the most capricious floor covering, requiring an almost perfectly flat base. The better to level the concrete floor under it? By and large, in this case, any of the three methods described above will do. However, there is one more option. You can try to level the concrete floor with plywood. Unlike the same tile, the laminate when laying does not require the use of mortar, so that the presence under this coating of wooden sheets does not affect the quality of the base base. And the method of leveling is simple enough and fast. The concrete base is cleaned of dirt, primed, then sheets of moisture-resistant plywood (10 mm thick will be enough) are laid on it without any fastenings, and by the same principle as the laminate (so that the seams of the elements do not coincide but are staggered) . After this, another layer is laid, but so that its joints do not coincide with those of the lower layer. This plywood is already fastened to the bottom sheets with self-tapping screws. After stacking, you need to walk around the seams with a grinder to completely level the roughing floor.

A few words about the loggia

On the loggia you can also use all the methods described above. However, many experts consider the alignment of the concrete floor in this room to be very attractive, using the same plywood, but on the lags. How do they determine their choice? The fact that due to this method it is possible to further insulate the floor of the loggia by paving the appropriate material between the lags. Say, polystyrene, mineral wool. Or professional, but more expensive insulation "Technonikol".

... about the garage

It is understandable that in this room no one lays a laminate or parquet. The floor here is usually made just concrete. The basic requirements for the foundation are that it be even. And, of course, strong. How to level the concrete floor in the garage? It is best to make a cement screed, and then cover it with a special layer of hardener - the so-called topping - that will protect the surface from damage. The best compositions are mixtures of Caparol-Disbon, Neodur (Korodur), MasterTop (BASF) and domestic "Herkulit" and "Reflor".

... and ceramics

If it is planned to lay ceramic tiles on concrete and the base itself is not particularly curved, it is possible to level the floor in the process by adding more or less tile adhesive under the level control. True, this method is only applicable if the differences are not more than three centimeters. In addition, if you decided to resort to this method, tile glue should only be bought with high-quality, with improved characteristics, for example, intended for laying ceramic granite. Perfect for these purposes is "Ceresite".

Conclusion

We tried to explain in some detail how and how to better align the concrete floor in this or that case. In addition, they touched upon the issues of alignment technology, named the best materials used in this type of work. We hope, now you can easily choose the appropriate option for your specific case. After all, you already know as well as any professional, how and how to level the concrete floor.