On Tue 29 Apr 2008 06:39:53p, John Grabowski told us...


"SteveB" toquerville,utah@zionvistas wrote in message
...
We bought a house that has a textured concrete floor. As I understand
it, they use soft cement, and put a sheet of vinyl over it, and do
things to make it come out looking like natural stone. Then stain and
seal.

Fast forward to today. Walls removed, and no stain on concrete. Long
white lines where walls were. Cut marks losing their grout. Holes
where plates were shot in. White spots where the chemicals in the
concrete seem to be leaching up.

We decided today we're carpeting the whole mess.

How do we get it flat? I would ass-u-me that one would use a filler
and a wide knife and a long straight edge and get it as close as one
could. Then padding and carpet.

What would you use for filler? Any hints on how to apply it so that it
gets pretty flat, and you don't use tons and tons of it? Brand names?
Formulas for mixing it myself if it's just a Portland/sand mix?

Is this a DIY job, or one for the floor guys, providing their price is
reasonable?


There are machines for grinding and polishing concrete such as those
used for terrazzo floors. I don't think that they are for a homeowner
to use, but an experienced concrete finisher should have the know how.
I think grinding it down to a smooth even surface would be better than
dash patching that much texture.



I totally agree. Skim coating or using a filler to flatten the floor can
give you problems later with the skim coat separating or flaking off and
just making a general mess under the carpet.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 04(IV)/29(XXIX)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Countdown till Memorial Day
3wks 5dys 4hrs 55mins
-------------------------------------------
Fat person: Nutritional Overachiever
-------------------------------------------