Floor Leveling Compound

ddickey

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
My garage floor was poured in '88. The floor is in okay condition but is unlevel.
I got a quote for a new floor but I wonder if just a leveling compound would work. I thought about an epoxy layer on top but with sharp metals chips probably not a good idea.
Anyone have any experience with this?
 
I think it all depends on how un-level the floor is. Most leveling compounds are only good for a couple inches and you need to etch the old cement before using. As far as an epoxy covering over the cement as long as you are not grinding the chips in with your feet you should be ok. Just keep a broom handy.
 
Self leveling compound is great stuff. Follow directions closely. If it isn't soupy enough it won't level out, and if it's too soupy it starts it won't level out before it starts to set. It also tends to get brittle when it sets up. Note that there is no remesh involved or anything so if you have high concentrate loads you'll need to use something to spread the weight out a little, or it could crack.

Epoxy is fine, but can be very slick when wet. I worked at a sizeable shop that used some S-W floor epoxy and the applicators used a modified leaf blower to spray sand all over it. Traction was great, but it was a nightmare to sweep or mop, and hard on the knees if you had to crawl around on it. Some large containments we did not sand and they were downright dangerous.
 
We've used a couple indoor products: Flocrete, for thick filling and Dura-tex with a bonding agent for thinner areas- Then we put Pergo flooring over it so for a garage or shop it may be better to use an epoxy product for toughness
Mark
 
I do self leveling all the time before installing tile I can tell you right now unless you're putting something over it you're wasting your money if you wanna pour slc and use that as your wear surface it's gonna get trashed it's not designed to be your top layer it is only ment to flatten out a floor to install tile or laminate etc it's also pretty exspensive about 30 dollars a bag it takes quite a few bags if a floor is bad I know there are concrete resurfacers which can be used for fixing damaged top layers but I don't know how strong they are for a shop environment
 
Are you trying to get it truly level or just flat
 
If you have any questions feel free to hit me up I'll help ya if I can
 
Is it really bad do you have alot of peaks and valleys if it's just high spots you can take those out with a 9 inch grinder and a diamond grinding disc and a straight edge
 
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