slightly uneven concrete floor

mo2 · 17 Nov 2006

Hi,

I have a very large room with bare concrete floor, in some places, you can tell by standing, walking etc. that it is not perfect. WIll this be an issue when it comes to having solid t and g wood floor fitted? Also, what's the minimum thickness of floor that I should go for, because all the nice ones seem to be too thin.

WoodYouLike · 18 Nov 2006

It could become an issue indeed if the floor dips suddenly, not if it sloops 'gently'. If you doubt the quality of the concrete also: don't glue the boards down but install floating.
Also thicker boards will be more rigid and can cope better with slight unevennesses.

carpenter les · 18 Nov 2006

why dont you screed the floor where its uneven???

mo2 · 18 Nov 2006

hi, thanks for the replies, screeding the floor seems like a big job. The parts which are uneven are slightly hill shaped ie. lumps sticking out, not dips, but like I said it is very slight. I made a mistake in my first post and said T&G but what I meant was those boards that click together(can't remember what they are called) Does this make a difference in the way they will be laid? Also with floating boards, are they creaky? Should I even be worried about this slight unevenness?

Tozzy · 18 Nov 2006

what I meant was those boards that click together(can't remember what they are called)

Parquet flooring? I'm not sure either lol.

like I said it is very slight.

Well, if it's only slight, at least lay a self levelling compound. Probably not as involving as laying a screed. You have nothing to lose, but maybe something to gain

.

I strongly adivse you to read this though.

joe-90 · 18 Nov 2006

If you can tell it is uneven by standing or walking then believe me that is not slight. On a big floor with wood laminate it will stick out like Snowden (the mountain not the man).
If I were you I'd get a couple of long lengths of T&G and try walking on them If you get bounce - you need the floor screeding.

mo2 · 18 Nov 2006

Is screeding difficult in a large room?

Is it easy to make a mess of(I have googled it and they make it sound easy)?

I am bit lost at what action to take...

joe-90 · 18 Nov 2006

If you can get away with self-levelling compound it's quite easy, the stuff pools like water and then goes solid. A bit like icy puddles in winter.

Genuine screeding with a dry mix isn't an option as it has to be 2 inches thick.

If the problem is just a few peeks then it may be possible to chip them away with an SDS drill with rotation stop. The main thing is don't just go ahead until you are sure it's right.

mo2 · 18 Nov 2006

joe-90 said:
If you can get away with self-levelling compound it's quite easy, the stuff pools like water and then goes solid. A bit like icy puddles in winter.

Genuine screeding with a dry mix isn't an option as it has to be 2 inches thick.

If the problem is just a few peeks then it may be possible to chip them away with an SDS drill with rotation stop. The main thing is don't just go ahead until you are sure it's right.

yes it is a few peaks, so the SDS sounds like an option.

What about a madman with a heavy hammer and ear protection(me)?

OK, maybe not, SDS drill it is...

I think I will leave the moisture protection to the fitter and see what he says(click tozzy's link) (laminate floor doesnt have that problem though, does it?).

edit2 - according to tozzy's link moisture change does not affect laminate floor very much so all seems OK, going to thre floor shop tomorrow, will update you on the progress

WoodYouLike · 19 Nov 2006

mo2 said:
edit2 - according to tozzy's link moisture change does not affect laminate floor very much so all seems OK, going to thre floor shop tomorrow, will update you on the progress

That's moisture changes in air humidity, not excess moisture in screed or concrete.
Like I said before the better quality wood-engineered (with solid top layer of 3 to 6mm) can handle slight unevennesses much better than thin melamine (plastic) laminated floors (with MDF or HDF backing; which will react to excess moist)

mo2 · 26 Nov 2006

thanks for the advice guys, got myself some nice clicky easy step laminate floor from floors2go. I also got myself some underlay which according to the guy in the shop should level out the floor. I may still break down the slight humps though, but as far as i understand I can run thin (surround sound) cabling round the edge under the underlay and because it is so small will not affect the underlay and then the floor that goes on top. Also, any advice on mitreing the beading since I have decided to fit it myself.

Tozzy · 27 Nov 2006

Good to hear you got it sorted

. I'm in same situation as you, but worse because I can't use self levelling compound nor can I use screed. Anyway...

Also, any advice on mitreing the beading since I have decided to fit it myself.

Are the corners 90* angles? A mitre box helps, but I like to use a fine toothed mitre saw with incorperated clamp

.

mo2 · 27 Nov 2006

yup, just external and internal 90 corners. What,s the best saw to use with a mitre box?

Tozzy · 27 Nov 2006

What,s the best saw to use with a mitre box?

Hmm, I don't know much about saws. I'd imagine that a panel saw would be ideal, but make sure the teeth are quite fine; not too fine where you are using the equivalent of a hacksaw blade, but not too coarse by the same rule. You see my saw has very fine teeth so you can hear a nice fine grating sound when I'm sawing and it doesn't chip the wood.

This page here may help

mo2 · 27 Nov 2006

thanks, also which saw would be best to cut the floor itself

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slightly uneven concrete floor

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