Concrete has been utilized as a foundation material for centuries. Because of its strength and long life expectancy, concrete is the popular construction material for home foundations because of its strength. A concrete slab, once installed, will endure for the full life of your house, serving as the foundation for the whole structure it supports. It has enormous strength and durability.
A solid item, on the other hand, may survive for decades, if not the whole life of your home. It is ideal for providing a stable foundation for infrastructure.
In the past, homes were constructed with sloping concrete floors. These floors are a cause for concern. This can become a problem if you own an older home and want to add hardwood or laminate flooring. You may resolve this problem by leveling the floor. This will eliminate the uneven floor. Additionally, you will have a smooth, sleek surface that is suitable for another material.
You may always hire an expert to do this task for you. However, hiring may sometimes be rather costly. This post will demonstrate how to level a sloped concrete floor on your own.
Table of Contents
Make a plan first!
ts surface, no matter how good. Because of the uneven surface, installing tiles, carpet, or flooring in your basement may be tricky. The problem may resolve by leveling the floor, which removes the uneven area and leaves a smooth, level surface suitable for any floor covering material.
It is critical to always begin with planning. Before you begin, do an examination of the circumstances. Determine the estimate of the concrete. Typically, it will take several hours and cost several hundred dollars, depending on the quality of your materials and conditions.
Additionally, you must calculate the number of concrete levelers required. You can self-level cement, but it will be a difficult task. You may easily sabotage the whole endeavor if you do not first measure and plan.
Cement is costly, and constantly repairing the structure may quickly add up. If you read this post carefully, you will learn how to level a sloped concrete floor in less than a week. Leveling concrete is simple enough for a beginner, but you’ll need a few tools.
First you need to dig the trench
To dig your trench, you need to determine how wide and deep you want it. (For example, our trench is 6 inches deep and 12 inches wide.) To do that, measure from your basement wall down to where you want your floor height to be (make sure you know where your drains are!). Then divide that number by 2.5—the result is how far back from the edge of your wall you need to dig (in our case, 11 inches). Once you’ve got that measurement, grab a shovel and start digging! To make sure your walls don’t collapse while digging (and also so they look good), build a wooden frame out of two-by-fours around them before starting.
Once you’ve got your trench dug, it’s time to start putting in your drain pipe. First, mark where you want it (the key is making sure it will be at least 1 inch above where your floor height will be). Then make three marks on either side of that spot—make sure they’re at least 2 inches away from your wall. These two-inch borders are going to hold cement blocks that will help support your drain pipe. Then use a concrete saw or pipe cutter (or just any old pair of pliers) to cut out two rectangular holes in these spaces.
Set up the temporary drain pipe
When it comes time to pour your concrete basement floor, you’ll need an easy way to get rid of all that water. With a temporary drain pipe, you can lay down your concrete while still getting rid of excess water. All you have to do is put one end of an old PVC pipe into a bucket and leave it running overnight. The water will funnel into that pipe and keep it separate from your wet cement—perfect for keeping those buckets of concrete dry so they don’t rust or smell bad before you use them.
You can find PVC pipes in almost any hardware store, and they’re not expensive. If there aren’t any nearby stores or shops with pipes or accessories in stock, check online sources like eBay or Amazon for sellers who have them available.
Laying the Basement Concrete Floor
When you are planning to construct a new home that includes a basement or renovate an existing basement, the most critical factor to consider is the basement floor. If the floor of your basement is not correctly leveled, you will constantly be disturbed by standing water that enters for any reason and ruins the stored items in the basement.
Before laying the floor, take all required precautions and procedures, such as undergrounding all drain lines, etc. Now comes the stage of laying the concrete floor. Maintain the proper ratio of water, cement, and sand to build the concrete mortar according to the formula.
Curing your concrete – waiting and sealing
Concrete shrinks somewhat when it cures. It may shrink by up to 1/8 inch in 24 hours. During that time span, ugly cracks will start to appear. If you attempt to fill them while the concrete is setting, you risk sealing larger gaps or allowing moisture into your basement if they’re on top of an expansion joint. After drying (which might take weeks), apply sealers and allow them to dry fully before re-walking on your basement floor.
Over time, concrete will continue to cure, and you’ll notice two things happening. First, you’ll start seeing cracks at expansion joints or where slabs meet walls. Second, your concrete will begin to get darker—that’s called “trying out” in construction lingo. These are both normal parts of curing and do not mean that something is wrong with your foundation or flooring. These cracks and color changes are usually temporary as they gradually fill in overtime as moisture leaves your basement wall system.
Leveling the basement floor
In order to level a basement floor, it is necessary to do it on all floors, not just those with an apparent slope. Floors in basements are not quite as level as you would expect – there are several nooks that collect water. Remember that water may originate from both above and below the surface of the earth – or even condense from the air. As a result, you’ll want it to have a little slope toward the drain (or sump), even if it’s just a few degrees.
To properly level your basement floor, the steps that follow are for stabilizing and leveling the floor once it has been laid.
Step 1:
Remove any trim on the bottom of the walls that surround the perimeter of the basement floor by pushing the prybar’s flat end under the trim at the nailing locations. Utilize the prybar to pry the trim away from the wall. Continue along the length of the trim, nail by nail, until the whole piece comes loose. Keep all trim out of the room until the level of a basement floor operation is completed.
Step 2:
Completely clear the basement, removing any furniture and storing things on the floor’s surface.
Step 3:
Use a pH-neutral cleaner to clean the basement floor. Wipe the floor clean with the cleanser and then rinse with clean water to remove any cleanser residue. Allow for thorough drying of the floor before proceeding with the leveling operation.
Step 4:
Drag a leveling bar over the floor’s surface. As you slide the bar, look underneath the flat edge against the floor for any evidence of high spots on the floor’s surface. Visually identify rises by noting regions where the bar’s edges seem to rise above the floor but the bar’s center stays still. Mark the middle section of the floor as a high point that requires grinding.
Step 5:
Grind down high sections of the floor until they match the surrounding level, running the concrete grinder in tiny circles over the high regions until the high point is level. Check for level while grinding, utilizing the level bar, until you’re pleased with the results. Sweep away any dust that has been generated during the grinding operation.
Step 6:
Using a nap roller, apply a layer of bonding agent to the basement floor for the level. Wait for the adhesive to dry to the point. The glue aids in the bonding of the old concrete basement floor with the self-leveling compound that will produce a new, level floor surface. There are a number of goods available that are sturdy even with just an eighth of an inch of thickness applied to them. I’ve worked with a gypsum product called ‘gypcrete,’ which is completely unaffected by water, pours like water, levels as flat as you like, and hardens to the consistency of rock when fully set. Simply leave an opening for the drain. I’m certain that your local concrete contractor has a product identical to this.
Step 7:
In a big bucket, combine the self-leveling compound according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Utilize a drill equipped with a paddle bit to combine the compound. You want the mixture to be pourable, similar to brownie batter inconsistency.
Step 8:
Cover floor drains with a 12-inch-high plastic pipe with the same diameter as the drain. Distribute the self-leveling compound evenly throughout the concrete’s surface. Utilize a squeegee to properly distribute the compound. As the compound settles, it will fill in any low spots in the concrete and self-level. To level the floor, apply a 14-inch layer of the compound and allow it to cure for the period indicated by the compound maker. Drying timeframes are often less than 48 hours before you may reintroduce objects to the basement.
Step 9:
Replace the trim around the floor, hammering it into place. Due to the added height of the leveled floor, the trim will be somewhat higher on the wall.
Drying out the basement – air circulation and fans
An important first step in leveling your basement is to improve air circulation and ventilation in your home. Ventilation is the other side of the moisture equation. The majority of people are unaware of this. To avoid excess humidity from promoting that ‘musty’ smell, a completed basement requires plenty of fresh air and a decent exhaust system.
By bringing fresh air into your basement, you’ll help eliminate or reduce mold, mildew, musty odors, and any other unpleasant scents caused by excess moisture in your home. In addition, circulating fresh air will make it easier for you to smell sewer gas and avoid accidentally venting that gas into your home. Look for ways you can bring more light and fresh air into your basement. For example, adding an exhaust fan at one end of a windowless room will suck outside air through that window.
Points to Bear in Mind
You’ll note that I didn’t mention a layer of plastic or the need to seal the floor. There’s a reason behind that. I am against this practice. Moisture will rise from the earth, and suffocating it under the floor may be disastrous. As a result, I would avoid using any epoxy products. I’d also stay away from any “waterproof” or “permanent” floor coverings, such as linoleum. Better possibilities seem to be area rugs or a “floating” cork or wood floor. Only at the lowest feet of the walls would I utilize “waterproof” materials.
Conclusion:
Hopefully, this post has given you some insight into how to level a slanted basement concrete floor. You’ll be able to complete this task in under two days and enjoy your new flooring.
When you level your floor, you will want to make sure to allow for drains. If you are unsure where the drains are, you can use a hose to create a road to the drains to make it easier for you to dig them up. The more professional you look, the better! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. from you!
