Laying laminate flooring - overcoming 3mm step

[Budgey]

Hi guys. I wonder if anyone can help me with a small query. My elderly parents home is just recovering from some flood damage. The areas are all dry and now I am ready to think about laying some laminate flooring. The issue I have is in the kitchen area where - when we took up the old laminate - there were a mixture of ceramic tiles in some areas and vinyl floor tiles in others. Obviously these areas were originally all level, but to aid the drying process the vinyl tiles were stripped off to allow the main concrete surface to breath. Now I am faced with an area of around 9 sqm in the middle of the room that is stepped approximately 3mm lower. I have thought about using a self levelling compound to fill the area, but I am unsure how this will react with the bitumen residue from the vinyl tile adhesive. I also considered perhaps using say a 5mm laminate underlay in the deeper areas and a 2 mm in the high spots to level it out that way. Currently both the ceramic tiled areas and the exposed concrete floor itself are perfectly level in their own right - it's just the height difference between them that is the problem. I also have to take into consideration that the old folks really need to have minimum 'down time' in terms of their access to the kitchen. Does anyone have any suggestions that will help me decide the best course of action?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Terry.

 

[crazydaze]

You could do any of the suggestions ou have thought of.

The profesional way to do it is to screed the level's, you need to be sure that the concrete subfloor is completley dry or use a liquid dpm if there is a high moisture content still, a reading should be taken with a hydrometer and not a two prong hand held moisture meter, possible primer and then screed over the top to bring the levels perfect.

Using variable levels of underlay height will result with uneven feel underfoot at best, at worst it may create issues with the joints in the area where the underlay varies, the quality of the laminate may make up the difference possibly, but that would not be guaranteed.

Screeding prep times can be kept to a minimum if you use faster drying products but the convienience comes at the expense of higher costs.

 

[vv2806]

Isn't it possible to put 3mm ply (external grade perhaps) on the lower level area?

 

[Budgey]

Thanks for your replies. I have ruled out using the underlayment to level the area based on the advice above, so it's between re-screeding and maybe using the 3mm ply option. I suppose both of them will depend on the moisture reading in the first instance, so I will investigate getting it checked with an hydrometer as opposed to the prong type hand-held meter that I know has been used thus far.
Thanks again

 

[Budgey]

Hi again. I have decided to go down the Liquid DPM and Self Levelling compound route. Can anybody recommend products that are easy to obtain, relatively simple to use and - most of all -compatable with one another and the bitumen residue that already exists on the concrete subfloor?
Thanks again for any help you can offer.

Oh, and an appropriate primer too - cheers!

 

[mac391]

Go to www.f-ball.co.uk for the correct info, primer and screed.

 

[Budgey]

Thanks. I'll check out that site now!