floorlandscaping
I want to make a garden nursery. I know that many use concrete for this purpose but I would like to find out if there is a cheaper alternative. My requirement is simple – the ground should be even to walk on, low maintenance and it should be able to withstand the weather (I think water clogging can be handled by using the right gradient in height).
Are there any DIY options as well?
Unless you are concerned about an asbestos material under the tile (such as old linoleum squares), I would remove any old material and start clean. If you keep building on top of the old materials, you might need to rip all your doors down to make them fit with the new floor. Conversely, you need to consider how high to make the new floor in relationship to the old floor. Last, while you may still need floor leveler, a better bet is to install a nice new clean level underlayment board such as concrete board, durarock, hardibacker, or other tile board for tile or a nice clean 1/4" sheet of plywood and paper for hardwood.
Self leveling underlayment is the way to go and maybe there is a way to accomplish that, I have used caulk to create a "dam" to keep it from going places I did not want it to go or touch.
But to answer your question, use bundles of what is known as "undercoursing shingles" they are in essence wood shims that are 16" long, 3/8" at the thick end and about a 1/16" at the thin end and vary in widths in the bundle. If you floor has a consistent drop of 3/8" on each side of a high spot, lay the shingles close together, and so the thin ends are close to the high spot, and the thick ends are at the walls. Hold them in place with staples on the thin ends, if you can get a narrow gauge stapler and compressor would be handy for this. Laminate flooring will not span over any distance, that is why to set them close together. If the thin ends of the shims are 4" apart, the thick ends will be very near or at the walls. The thin ends, with the highest part of the floor between them, should more or less create a straight line between the ends of the shims and the high spot. A little sanding to flatten out here and there would most likely be needed too. I have used this technique under hardwood flooring, a different animal than what you are working with, but with care, you may be able to pull it off.
Best Answer
4" of packed gravel (tamped every 2" with a plate vibrator) will meet all your requirements: cost, DIY and drainage. In fact, unless you are sited over clay, no slope will be needed: rain will percolate through.
If you want a more formal surface, add an inch of sand and top with pavers or flagstone.
Use a mix of crushed 3/4 gravel with fines (particles all the way down to stone dust, 21AA in my area)
Plate vibrator: