D K Woods wrote:
We're purchasing a new home and looking into putting new flooring in. I
plan to use a finished room in the basement as an office, and want to
put in a 'hardwood' laminate floor. The problem is, the concrete in the
basement in *extremely* uneven. I don't know a specific depth since I
haven't pulled up the carpet that's current covering it, but I would
guess some of the worst parts vary by maybe 1" over a 2' area.
Positively wavy.

I've seen that Quikrete has a self-leveling floor resurfacer, but I
don't know if it will work to that magnitude (possibly with several
stages?).

Deeper is usually easier with topping mix. The self-leveling ought to
work like that as well tho you're going to pay out big bucks.

I also haven't found any indication as to how much might be
needed for a given area -- or where to get it, or how costly it is.
What kind of equipment is needed for this job? I've read that a power
mixer, or a mixer tool on a power drill, is needed, as well as some tubs
and cleaning agents. But I've also seen pictures of people using some
kind of tubing/hose to pour the mixture. Is this necessary?
Fortunately, the quikrete stuff allegedly does not need any trowling.

How difficult would a resurfacing project like this be? I'm new to
flooring AND to concrete.

You'll be working with an expensive product, doing a job you're unfamiliar
with: Does this sound like a recipe for instant success?

And finally, will the fact that this is an interior surface alter the
estimated drying times? The room can be vented through a door into the
garage. What about fumes?

You can continue along the lines you're thinking about and it may well
work fine for you, but since you're planning to put down a laminate floor,
I've heard of folks who have had success throwing down a vapor barrier
(which you're going to want any way) and then a layer of plywood, shiming
the plywood up to level with a selection of custom sliced sleepers. A
selection of Two-By lumber and furring strips, some scribing tools, a
jigsaw and belt sander ought to get you what you need. Lay the plywood
"floor" so that it touches the concrete only at the higest spot and then
the sleepers support the plywood over the lowspots. Construction adhesive
on top of the sleeprs should keep them from wandering off. Then lay your
laminate floor on that.

Much appreciated!

Free advice: worth every penny.



John
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