Levelling garage floor with very little drop...

[potato80]

Hi folks.

Planning to turn my concrete garage floor (pictures A, B, C & D) into a flatter surface, so it can be more of a functional space. This isn't a conversion.

Garage is three internal walls, and cr*ppy wooden external double doors.

Moisture levels are below 14% throughout, and generally around 2%.

I don't believe there's a DPC/M, but - despite this - it's generally very dry in there and no sign of damp whatsoever.

The problem: there's only a 2cm drop between the garage floor and the internal floor (picture E), for me to work with.

What's the best way to level it, so I can lay 10mm engineered wood flooring? Here's what I plan, so far...

I plan to floor-grind and then clean the whole area.

Screed with either self-leveling latex or self-levelling acrylic.

Then lay the underlay and 10mm thin flooring.

Also, at the front of the garage, where the doors are, I assume I just build some wooden battens against the ground to stop the SLC from flowing against the doors?

Thanks in advance for any tips!!

 

[Tigercubrider]

Don't know.
But is there some kind of epoxy paint/floor leveller that will be a combined DPM?

When we did a garage conversion at a mate's we roughly levelled a floor to remove links, then used a bitumen paint. we laid a strong poly DPM over that and built the floor floating on rock wool. You have almost no room for insulation. The floor could be really cold.

 

[potato80]

Thanks for your reply

It will be cold, and if I was doing a full conversion I'd obviously pull the existing floor up and check for/lay a DPM and full insulation.

But it's rather to make it look better and be a bit more functional.

I think I can get away with it, but just wanted to check.

 

[Tigercubrider]

So will you have 2cm between the existing floor and the underneath of the lording? Or is that top to top?

 

[potato80]

I've currently got only 2cm between the level of the internal house floor and the level of the garage concrete (you step from one to the other via a doorway).

I figure a 5-10mm SLC and then 10mm thin wood panels applied to the garage concrete should equal (and hopefully not exceed) the 20mm I've got to play with.

 

[jacko555]

Not a builder.
A liquid epoxy dpm then latex screed. Sounds thin

 

[williamglossop]

Could u tile it? Even use wood effect tiles.

 

[potato80]

Yeah I could tile it happily. I assume it's best to still level it with an SLC before though?

 

[potato80]

Not a builder.
A liquid epoxy dpm then latex screed. Sounds thin

Cheers. Hadn't considered liquid DPM beneath the latex screed

 

[williamglossop]

Yeah I could tile it happily. I assume it's best to still level it with an SLC before though?

Yeah, but depends how far out of level it is. If its only a few mil here n there, u should be able to sort it with adhesive. U should also put a piece of rubber mat down for a few days. Then check under it after say a week. If there is patch, then you've got moisture in your floor and no type of flooring will last long.

 

[potato80]

Cheers, I'll get on that today

Yeah, but depends how far out of level it is. If its only a few mil here n there, u should be able to sort it with adhesive. U should also put a piece of rubber mat down for a few days. Then check under it after say a week. If there is patch, then you've got moisture in your floor and no type of flooring will last long.