Very uneven concrete floor

[Robin Hood]

I have a very uneven concrete floor which slopes towards one wall (only about a 1/5 of the room slopes like this.) The rest is really uneven which I think is just a bad job from the previous floor layer/repairer. It also has a raised part with cracks towards one window. This is all inside the house, which has had subsidence in the past, but I have had it surveyed and ther is no evidence of recent movement and is now sound.
I think most of the floor can be levelled with a self levelling compound. Can any one help me as to what to do about the sloping area and raised/cracked area?
Thanks for the help.

 

[mike++]

Sounds very similar to my kitchen floor. I had it tiled 2 years ago but a lot of the tiles have broken because the installer used dot and dab instead of a full mortar bed. The tile is no longer available so i am in a dilemma as to whether I re-tile with a better quality tile and proper fixing, or have a go with a laminate floor suitable for wet areas.

I reckon i could make up the low section of the floor with the fibre underlay boards that they sell (or maybe just hardboard). Trouble is there are 2 schools of thought about laminate in kitchens - Ikea give you a 15 yr guarantee, yet some people say don't go anywhere near it.

What to do??

 

[shamar333]

If the subsidence has stopped you can rescreed. chip out any raised bits and open up the cracks to at least 1 inch wide. Give it a good clean (use the vacuum if the wife lets you) then mix up 1 part PVA and 5 parts water and splash all over. this will seal the base to trap any dust. let it dry then mix 1 PVA to 3 parts water and put it down a little before the leveling compound, this will bind it to the floor. If the level is less than 5mm out you can get away with levelling compond (quite expensive), really easy to mix and pour it over starting in the lowest part of the room pour it out and leave it, it will find its own level then work across the room but make sure you work towards a door! leave it for about an hour then run a wide steel towel over and you will end up with a perfect glass finish floor. If the floor is out by more you will have to lay a concreat screed, this will need to be at least 14mm thick or it could crack. Mix 3 sharp sand 1 Portland cement and just enough water to bind (like crumble topping). start from the HIGHEST point and work across one wall using a long straight board and a spirit level (I find it easier to tape the level on the board) and flatten with a resin float in a circular motion. Keep a bucket of spare mix to add handfulls in any dips as you go. make sure you check both ways with the level as you go across the room. You can walk on it after a day but leave it at least a weekend for heavy traffic and at least a week before covering with anything.

 

[Deluks]

Wow, 3 posts spread over 3 consecutive years

*edit*

Perhaps I should've waited til next year before posting this. Have I broken the magic spell?