Self Levelling Cement

[dlenkewich]

You can get self levelling cement right from the mixers now, brought over in a typical concret truck.

Ive seen it done for a few basements on TV, looks pretty slick.

I'm looking for a cheap floor for my shop, (not that I will be able to do it anytime soon, but it's just dirt right now.) the quote I got was around $12k! I won't be able to afford that anytime soon.

I was thinking, when the time came, I'd level out the dirt for a 4-6" pad, lay out the rebar, and order up a quantity of this self levelling cement and let'r rip.

It would just be a matter of pouring right out of the truck until the desired depth is reached, so, though the self levelling mixture is more expensive, a guy could save a ton on labour by pouring himself. Right?


My questions are:

I've never heard anyone doing this, so I was wondering if self levelling cement dry's to a hardy enough PSI to withstand shop use?

And, does this self-levelling cement need to be "finished"? Or is it just pour and let dry?

Any idea's out there?

 

[Will67]

Never seen this done other than to be used for leveling existing concrete.

How big an area are you planing to pour??

 

[dlenkewich]

30x40

Keep in mind we aren't talking about the bagged powder. This comes from plant in a concrete truck.

 

[Kevin54]

It's not for use use over a dirt floor but it is used to level an existing floor of either concrete or wood prior to putting down something like tile, laminate, or VCT. Check this little read and do a search on a search engine for "self leveling concrete or self leveling cement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_Leveling_Concrete

Here is a good video showing how it works http://hudsonconcretepolishing.com/services/self-leveling-overlays

 

[Will67]

I would think this fancy stuff is more expensive than regular old 2500psi concrete?

 

[holdover]

30 X 40 =1200 sq ft @ 6" = 600 Cu Ft cement = 22.5 yds with a bit extra. finishing here is about .50/.75 sq ft , lets round it off to 1000.00 with having to lug the finisher down the steps, if not a walkout basement. 22 yds lets say 125.00 per yd = 2812.50 so let's say 3800.00 and you got a quote for 12K? Why bother, call the regular cement masons and save a bundle

 

[snorky18]

I got to do it at our old house.

Twice.

Because the first time, I thought it would level its self, but unfortunately that is just a misnomer. It will level out some over a small area, and cover inmperfecitions in the floor below, but you don't just pour it out and walk away. If you do, you'll end up with a surface too wavy for tile installation.

Oh yeah, and its expensive.

On the durability, it would probably be fine.

If you have a specific product in mind you can look up the compressive strength online. Seems like it was pretty high for the product we used (comparable to 3k concrete)

 

[stafford]

Somebodys trying to break one off in you. shop that job around a little, you can beat the heck out of that price

 

[ConCretin]

Not sure where to start. You are getting your materials mixed up. No such thing as a self leveling product for a garage slab - they are for overlays only. You could come close with a high range water reducer (superplasticizer) in concrete but you still need to conventionally finish the surface.

Sorry but there really aren't any shortcuts.

 

[brownbagg]

As a concrete engineer, there is no such thing as a self leveling concrete, yes there are some self leveling grouts but are only design to pour 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. as far as slabs, there no such thing. even the ones that they claim are self leveling are not and are very high in price.

 

[dlenkewich]

Actually, there is, I watched them pour it on an episode of Holmes on Homes a few months ago, guessing it was filmed in Ontario.

I'll take a look see if I can find a clip. I know it was self levelling, I cant remember if they had to do any finish work with it or not.

 

[dlenkewich]

"To build the house in Lien on Me, I used a liquid concrete called Agilia from Lafarge..."

http://makeitright.ca/Mike_Holmes_Online/view_resource.php?article_id=122&cat=13&page=3

 

[ConCretin]

The material they are using is SCC, self consolidating concrete. It's generally used in structures where the rebar is extremely congested.

It is as close to self leveling as you can get but still requires the same finishing operations as normal concrete. The guy in the vid is using a jitterbug to level the concrete. I'll bet it isn't as flat as it looks.

The savings from not having to screed the concrete wouldn't begin to pay for the product.

Sure beats being bent over a straightedge though.

 

[pj_rage]

I got to do it at our old house.

Twice.

Because the first time, I thought it would level its self, but unfortunately that is just a misnomer. It will level out some over a small area, and cover inmperfecitions in the floor below, but you don't just pour it out and walk away. If you do, you'll end up with a surface too wavy for tile installation.

Oh yeah, and its expensive.

On the durability, it would probably be fine.

If you have a specific product in mind you can look up the compressive strength online. Seems like it was pretty high for the product we used (comparable to 3k concrete)

Any tips for what you need to do if it's not "pour it out and walk away." I'm about to use some to level concrete before tile in our bathroom.

 

[bmcdowell40]

I've seen Self Consolidating Concrete used in precast concrete operations, specifically concrete stormwater inlets. It pours out of the hopper really runny & you still have to finish it like normal.

I'd imagine this stuff is really expensive too, for 2 reasons: It uses smaller aggregate, which is typically more expensive and it needs a High Range Water Reducer to make it runny without adding more water.

 

[brianh]

When I poured the floor on my 40x60 I did it in 3 pours each pour was a 20x40 1/3 of the building at a time I had 2 friends help, made a screed bar out of 2x6 and we used a large float for the final finish.

Each pour cost around 1300 for a 6" slab, I am very happy with the results.

 

[snorky18]

Any tips for what you need to do if it's not "pour it out and walk away." I'm about to use some to level concrete before tile in our bathroom.

Treat it just like normal concrete, it's just easier to work with, and less thick.

Put up some 1x material around your boundaries to keep it from spreading where you don't want it to go. Use a straight edge of some kind to push it everywhere it needs to go, then once it's in place let it settle down.

My problem was, I thought it would flow like water, so I could just pour it out and it would go where it needed to. Really, it's more like runny cake batter. It will settle (self-level) some by itself, but you need to put it about where it should go.

 

[pj_rage]

Ah ok, what you're describing is what I'm expecting anyway. I have all the framing and 1x material in place, and was planning to run a quick bead of caulk between the floor and the material so it doesn't run under any gaps. I did originally thought like you did, that it was much thinner (like paint consistency) and would just pour in super easy and do all the work, but after some more reading, everything was saying milkshake or cake batter consistency, so I can imagine what is needed to get it where it needs to go and to do what it needs to do. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Check with the concrete company for individuals doing concrete work. They know the good and cheap ones. It ran me about $400 labor for someone to pour and finish 13 yards of concrete in a driveway. I had forms and rebar in place. I had tried doing it myself 30 years ago and ran out of steam myself before the concrete was all down and starting to set up.. Two people came out and worked about 4 hours to get it done. Good pay for a days work for them. Self leveling means you level it yourself, I wish they really made such a product.