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saprek

I found the concrete slab!! Now What???

Saprek
9 years ago

Hi Everyone, I'm new to this group, but I'm in need of some serious help with the floors of my new house. The home was built early 1940's and is maybe 50 yards from the railroad tracks, so there has been a lot of settling and cracking. I may be on here regarding the plaster walls, but first I need to address the flooring...

My husband and I pulled up the flooring in this order before getting to the slab:
1) carpet
2) carpet pad
3) 3/4" plywood
4) a - original wood flooring
or b- two layers of concrete underlayment

so what I have now is in the picture. I have 2 bedrooms and living room on a very uneven slab (old neighbors have said the nearby pecan tree had roots growing under the living room), and the bath and kitchen are both tiled over the plywood which covers the original vinyl or linoleum flooring. The tile is in good shape, but the level of it is much higher than the slab, at least 2 or 3 inches higher.

So my simple question is - what can I do now?? Also, should I pull up the tile floors and re-do everything at once?

I have a very limited diy budget of $2-2.50/sq ft and I don't want carpet or laminate. I was considering a matte black epoxy floor if only I can get the concrete smooth and at a good level. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks for your help! :)

Comments (10)

  • kudzu9
    9 years ago

    You can hire to have people come in with a professional machine that grinds and polishes the concrete, but I don't know what the cost is to do that. If you pull up the old tile floors, you could encounter asbestos in the vinyl or linoleum flooring underneath. If you are going to disturb this, it should be tested by a lab to confirm presence or absence of asbestos. Improper removal can pose a health risk; proper removal can be expensive.

  • worthy
    9 years ago

    It looks like you still have wood embedded in the slab, so to reach your objective, a new pour will have to be made. This is a job for professionals.

  • klem1
    9 years ago

    I don't think you can level and finish for $2.50 per sq foot. Light weight concrete seems to be the best option for leveling but i don't know if epoxy can be put diretly on light weight.

  • hippy
    9 years ago

    You can build it up using many things Leveling cement but at $30 to $40 for a 50 lb bag your budget of $2-2.50/sq ft is long gone. Same goes with have a new slab poured over the old one. Big expense if the guys have to haul the cement through your house with a wheel barrow.

    Cheapest route would be to screw 2x4 face down and adding plywood/subfloor like building a floor and go from there.

  • Saprek
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks everyone. I understand i need to spend extra on leveling somehow. Would it be crazy to repour the slab then put in wood subfloor that will be either painted or stained? I cant afford to put flooring above that until i sell my other house and i frankly dont care too much about asthetics compared to relative expense and durability under area rugs.

    If that is a viable option, would i call a concrete company or mix my own?

  • worthy
    9 years ago

    Unless you have prior experience, pouring concrete (let alone attempting to mix it from scratch or mix) is a non-starter. If there were no mould or other problems with the existing built-up layers, I don't understand why they were removed in the first place. If the floor wasn't level, an additional layer could have addressed that problem.

  • Saprek
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    My father in law is experienced in pouring among other building processes. He just hasnt been by to see it and is hesitant to recommend because he wants us to decide what to do. Once we decide, he will help us. The reason it was pulled up is because half the floor had 2 levels of additional concrete and the rest of the floor had old hardwood over the slab. Its like they removed the very rotten hardwood and replaced that area with leveling before adding plywood all over then carpet, but didnt want to replace everything. Very strange.

  • graywings123
    9 years ago

    I know that funds are tight, but this would be a wonderful time to put down a radiant heating membrane. I sure wish it had been done in my house.

  • worthy
    9 years ago

    it was pulled up...because half the floor had 2 levels of additional concrete and the rest of the floor had old hardwood over the slab.

    Why I hate old houses that have been "improved" over the years!

    If you don't care for the remaining ceramic, I'd just r & r if the base is solid.

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    9 years ago

    If the concrete slab was cracking and was covered up to deal with that problem, you have to determine whether it's still moving, of if the cracking and movement has stopped. It would be pointless to fix the slab cosmetically if it's at heart a foundation/structure problem.
    Casey

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