concretefloor
I removed some tile from a 10' by 15' section of my basement floor. As I was removing the tile, much of the concrete chipped away leaving low areas. Other areas have thin set remaining in the shape of the trowel grooves. And yet some areas are at the original level of the concrete floor. I want to eventually lay down some type of laminate hardwood.
How do I fill the low spots and knock down the high spots so it's level?
Type of flooring dictates how "perfect" it needs to be, carpet being the least work. Vinyl is flexible so just no real drastic changes.
Below are the basic steps to fixing uneven concrete floors.
Use a straight edge and mark high and low spots. (Really exaggerated case in this image)
Or if you like gadgets, Bosch has a new laser out that lets you easily mark the uneven parts.
You use a grinder (with dust mask and safety goggles) for high spots. You can rent a large floor grinder or get on your hands and knees.
and SLC (self-leveling compound) in low spots. For SLC just follow the manufacturer's instructions. If the floor is really bad you may want to pour the stuff over the whole thing.
Visit your local tool rental store. They will have something that will make this much easier. There is pneumatic scrapers and concrete grinders
For the hardwood laminate you dont not need to even remove the old tile but to lay ceramic tile you should
Best Answer
A silicon carbide grinding block (gray block with grooves, red handle, is the form I usually see - about 5x9x2 inches to start with, thinner as you use it and it wears down) is how you knock down the high spots.
After you do that you can use some type of levelling compound for the low areas - normal cement won't be happy in such a thin layer.