Leveling existing floor

[brihvac]

In my existing garage (from 1941)I have some low spots where the garage floor had cracked and dropped some. Im gonna put a Racedeck floor in and would like to try and level that part out. Should I try spreading some concrete in there, or is there some kind of self leveler I can use. I am having a garage addition built and am going to be doing concrete soon. I can ask the concrete guy to try and smooth the low spots out. What do you guys think?

 

[Gearhead559]

quickrete makes a leveling stuff, i havent tried it yet.

but im here for the input myself.

 

[JonBoehman]

I would like to know as well.

 

[pop pop]

No cap will stay on old concrete with wheel loading like a jack, etc. If you can find someone locally who can hydraulicly raise the floor with a grout pump.

 

[brihvac]

Im putting Racedeck over it. Im not gonna mess with trying to raise it.

 

[rsanter]

Use self leveling compound or take the floor out and pour a new one

Bob

 

[wolftrucking]

Do it right from the start. Jack hammer it out, Build a form, and pour a new floor.

 

[brihvac]

Im only doing it so the Racedeck will lay perfectly flat. I can always just put the racedeck over top the way it is, but I was just trying to get to lay as flat as possible. Im definitly not getting into tearing up the floor just so the Racedeck is perfectly flat. Its not that bad and not worth it.

 

[1BADLS1tuner]

do you have pictures of the floor?

If it were me and i didnt want to spend alot of time/money on it i would just mix up some self leveling, pour it out, and put deck over it

it dont have to be pretty since your putting deck over it and you wont be workin with a jack or anything directly on so it should hold up good.

 

[pop pop]

Well, from your responses it appears you already have your mind made up that you are putting Racedeck onto what you have. Why post?
FWIW if the floor failed from settling, it will continue and take your Racedeck with it. But it is your call.

 

[geologist]

Concrete lifting is often covered by homeowners insurance, depending on how bad it is and if it could structurally affect your home.

 

[Edger]

I believe concrete needs 2 inches depth to prevent breaking up, it cannot be feather edged successfully, only a proper patching compound can do that.

What caused the drop, was it a broken pipe or other water getting in? More importantly, have you found and fixed the problem, otherwise it will continue to drop?

 

[hdshinn]

Don't use concrete or anything that's not designed or formulated for the task at hand. Given the age of your home I'd suspect the major settling has occurred and stabilized to some extent. No guarantee but I'd risk just using the leveling compound. "Self leveling" is a relative term. Be prepared to do some striking off of the surface to insure that you're getting a truly flat floor.

 

[brihvac]

Well, from your responses it appears you already have your mind made up that you are putting Racedeck onto what you have. Why post?
FWIW if the floor failed from settling, it will continue and take your Racedeck with it. But it is your call.

If you read my original, unedited, post; you will see that I stated I WAS putting in a Racedeck floor. My question was because I wanted to get it as close to perfectly level as I can. I still talk to the guy I bought the house from and he said the floor was like that when he bought the house in 1992. So I doubt its going anywhere. There were a lot of great suggestions, and that is why I posted.

 

[Falcon67]

Might look at this product - prep as they suggest and it should work.
http://www.quikrete.com/productlines/floorresurfacerfssl.asp

 

[jlckmj]

I have seen a product like this used in a commercial application at a hotel and the repairs have held up for years. It is expensive though.

http://www.armorgarage.com/flleco.html

Jim

 

[Kevin54]

Companies can raise it. It's called "mudjacking" Not cheap.

If you're putting Racedeck over it, go to Lowes, Home Depot, or a carpet store that puts down hardwood, and get a 5 gallon bucket or two of floor leveling compound. Some is premixed and some you have to mix. Pour it out and let it level itself and let it dry. After that, lay out your RaceDeck and post all the pictures up that you can of the project from start to finish. Pics will be the necessity.

 

[ebstein]

use the stuff that flooring guys use to level floors for tile...I used it in my basement and it's pretty easy...and works great....

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Brihvac:
It would be great to know the perimeter size and depth of these low spots.
We offer a super strong resurfacer for industry: http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/epoxy-resurfacer-5-gal-hd110r-p-211.html

It will take point loads from steel casters all day long. However, if you only need a skim of product over a large area you may want to consider a simple self leveling compound commonly used in preparation for tile work.