how to level concrete floors

[razzy4raz]

we have come across a big problem after buying a house, knocking a couple of walls down, we are left with very uneven floors. there is a difference of about an inch between the floors, how do we go about levelling all the areas,,, we are talking one of the rooms 20 feet by 14 feet, and the other probably 12 feet by 12 feet. We are looking for a cost effective solution as our budget is very tight. thanks in advance

[brassmonkey]

I have the same problem! My kitchen floor is much higher at one end, with a big dip in the middle. Self-levelling compound can't deal with it, and screeding will only bring the whole floor level up to an unacceptable height.

The only option I've been given is to remove all the old floor , and re-concrete it from scratch - not cheap.

Could you just live with a putting a small step in?

[alvin100]

Screeding the whole floor with maybe an inch of fine concrete is the easiest solution, but this obviously raises the whole floor hight, so doors etc may need to be altered.
The best solution is to remove it and reconcrete, It should break up easily with a sledge hammer or Kango breaker.
Remove the old floor, Then level underneath as much as possible, put down a thin layer of soft sand (25mm) then layout a waterproof membrane (Visqueen 1200gauge polythene). Pour in new readymix concrete to the required hight and level off. Fixing a level wooden batten around the walls will give you a guide to work off to get a completely level surface. You can then have a layer of black bitumen ashphalt poured on or alternatively hire a rotating polisher which will give the concrete a very smooth finish.
I appreciate you are a bit skint, we were exactly the same when we did ours, but its one of those jobs that it might be worth saving up or leaving something else and doing it right before you move in, Its much harder to do once you are living there and have carpets and furniture to deal with

Hope this helps

Steve

[buildersmate]

The above would certainly work but may not be in your budget. I can't see why you couldn't use a liquid anhydrite screed in just one of the rooms to bring the level up. Much depends on what other doorways are in that room (and hence the impact on those doors). The skirting boards would have to come off and by repositioned after the job. Screeding is a difficult job for even a keen DIYer and is probably best left to a professional who has the right tools and a good eye. Approach a plasterer for advice if you go this route - they do floor screeding.