Smoothing/levelling over a 1960's bitumen sub floor.

[muthafunky]

Hi all.

I've seen many posts about sub floor prep over bitumen residue used to stick down tiles etc, but I've not managed to find many that relate to my situation of having a ~20mm thick bitumen screed sub floor.

What would be my best bet to smooth/level the sub floor out before laying lvt or laminate style flooring. It was previously carpeted.

I've read solutions such as Arditex NA or SBR primer and water based compound or an SBR slurry then compound etc.

What do you think would be my best course of action?

TIA

 

[Wayners]

Has that been put down as a dpm?

 

[muthafunky]

I'm not sure. The house was built in the 60's. There are a couple of chunks missing around the perimeter from where the skirting was and it seems as though there's a plastic sheet of some kind underneath it.

 

[Wayners]

Mine was built 1964 and there is a clear plastic sheet under the concrete base as a dpc.
Then asbestos flooring tiles which was the normal, which I took up and floor looked like yours although the bitumen was very thin.
I scratched up through to the concrete and washed over.
Use 2 pack self levelling compound over so no water used.
Been fine for over 20 years.

Yours isn't like that?

 

[muthafunky]

Unfortunately not. It is definitely a bitumen screen. My mum moved into the house when it was first built and this is how the floor was when they moved it. They had to put their own flooring down.