not my garage but...

[ilovemyTT]

I am starting to finish my basement. and the concrete/stone floor is over 100 years old.

I would like to either smooth out the concrete to be able to but carpet or tile over it.

OR

I was thinking about using some 2x4's as "floor joists" and use some shims in the low parts to support them and then lay some plywood as a floor and go from there.

and other ideas/suggestions?

 

[eddy]

for uneven slabs, you either have to poor the self leveling stuff, depending on how big the surface is, this might or might not be a good solution. A good concrete contractor can help with that, definitely not for a new DIY'er.
The other alternative is what you mentioned, a subfloor. you use 2x4's or 2x3's laid flat starting around the perimeter of the room/area (sleepers), then you proceed by laying down aditional lumbar parallel to the shortest wall. Lay them down 16" o/c. You can use a high gauge pressure nail gun with concrete nails, or simply drill with a hammer drill and use tapcon screw to secure everyting down. Nail or screw roughly every 12-18". Of course you have to make sure you level and shim as necessary to ensure a level subfloor.
If your slab is old, you probably don't have a vapor barrier below. Use proper membrane under your sleepers. If you live in a cold climate, you might want to stuff inculating foam (resistant to humidity) in between your sleepers.
Finish your newly leveled floor with 3/4" T&G plywood, screwed in your sleepers.

Another solution is something called "drycore". Check it out:
http://www.dricore.com/en/eIndex.aspx
With drycore, you can't install tiles thought...

Advice: Carpet in a basement, not the most healthy choice. go for tile or engineered floating floor.

Good luck!

 

[ilovemyTT]

Another solution is something called "drycore". Check it out:
http://www.dricore.com/en/eIndex.aspx
With drycore, you can't install tiles thought...

Advice: Carpet in a basement, not the most healthy choice. go for tile or engineered floating floor.

Good luck!

i have seen drycore and it looks good

 

[eddy]

Forgot to mention... Drycore comes with a leveling kit, but I'm not sure how much you can level it. If your floor is really bad, not sure if Drycore will work...

 

[ilovemyTT]

Forgot to mention... Drycore comes with a leveling kit, but I'm not sure how much you can level it. If your floor is really bad, not sure if Drycore will work...

its has one really bad spot, other than that its not THAT bad.

 

[eddy]

I just finished my basement last January. I did consider Drycore but I wanted to lay tile, the only thing that can take the abuse from little boys with hockey sticks! So Drycore wasn't for me unfortunately.

My slab was so even I couldn't beleive how they can level an "L" shaped surface of 30x16 on the long side and 13x10on the short side, must have been a very experienced crew. I verified every inch with an 8 foot level and it wasn't even off by any measure that can be seen.

So... wanting to lay tile, I could've just slapped it on the slab no problem. However, I did not want a cold floor, I am up north (north of your border in fact) and it tends to get pretty cold up here in the winter, even with all around heating. So I found something called "neutra phone"
http://www.technoflex.ca/technoflex.nsf/BydocID/2EC9EEN
The specs promise a warmer floor if installed in a basement. Well, I don't know how much colder it would have been without it, the tile is still pretty cold even with that stuff underneath. And let me tell you, for over 650 s.f. it cost a pretty penny for the material and glue required to stick it down on the cement. I presume this product is better suited in condo applications for sound proofing, I didn't see much of a difference for my basement application.

All that to go back to drycore. It's a great product if you plan on installing carpet or laminate/engineered floor. Although I will never install carpet in a basement.
If it helps, some of my buddies just layed down a 1/8" membrane right on the slab (plastic on the bottom side and warm synthetic material on the other side), and then the laminate flooring right on top. Floor is very warm, even if the floor is a little uneven it's hardly noticebale, it's durable and holds up very nicely. For the difference in cost, the latter seems like a great idea...

If you want to lay tile and your issue is in only one spot, consider laying the tile right on the slab and filling any gaps with extra tile cement mortar to ensure leveled tiles. when it dries up, it won't be going anywhere.

hope this helps.