How to level uneven concrete floor for laminate? Detailed Guide for Newbie in 2023

When you decide to have the home interior, you must focus on the floor aesthetic, right? To do that, the first thing that comes to our mind is laminated flooring.

A laminated floor has a lot of benefits such as high resilience, appealing look, easy maintenance, most affordable floor, and so on. Perhaps, these are the reasons why people always stick to laminated flooring.

Now you may be wondering how to level uneven concrete floor for laminate and know other things associated with laminated floor.

Benefits of using Laminated Floor

Before working with a laminated floor, you must know some basic advantages and disadvantages of laminated floors. However, knowing the ins and out of the laminate floor helps you choose the best flooring and use it the proper way.

Enhances Aesthetic

You may be wondering why people choose laminated flooring rather than the wood floor, right? In terms of aesthetic value, the laminated floor is far away from the wooden floor.

Reduces Cost

One of the advantages of having a laminated floor is its cost-effectiveness. Unlike vinyl or another wood floor, you have to count less amount if you go with a laminated one. Plus, unlike the wooden floor, it doesn’t require to paint the floor as it comes with a beautiful texture.

Cleaning Efficiency

Brooming and moping are easy option for cleaning the laminated floor like the other floor. You can go with your regular cleaning agent to clean it. And the maintenance frequency is very low.

Durability

Laminated flooring comes with multiple layers to protect the floor from inside and out. Usually, it has engineered with hard surfaces that are resin coated. As a result, it lasts for a long time and never wears easily, even with low maintenance. You can check our blog on Cheapest way to level concrete floor?

Disadvantages of Laminated floor

• A laminated floor tends to become slippery very easily. If the floor is wet, then it has a higher chance to slippery.
• Due to the smooth surfaces, some paint hard to adhere to the surface and easily peel away after painting.
• If the top coat of the floor gets affected, then you need to change the entire sheet.
• The hard surface might lead to feet-aching
• Moisture is one of the main reasons to damage the laminated floor

Steps of leveling uneven concrete floor

It doesn’t matter if you are a DIYer or have little knowledge of flooring; this step-by-step guide will take you to the final steps of floor leveling. One thing you must ensure is not to jump any steps, so to have a seamless finishing. Let’s get started, huh?

Things you require:

• Soft-bristle Broom
• Concrete crack fillers
• Grinder or Concrete Sander
• Squeegee
• Floor Primer
• Carpenter’s Level
• Self-leveling Compound

Step 1: Cleaning

Before diving into the process, you need to clean the floor. If you are working with an old floor, then you can consider washing the floor. Otherwise, dry cleaning with a bristle broom is good enough.

Step 2: Inspect the Floor

Uneven floor has some issues, such as cracks on the floor or high bumps or rough spots. First, you identify them and mark where you need to work.

Step 3: Creaks filling

After marking the sport, now you take an aftermarket concrete crack filler. Pour the filler on the crack and fill it. You can use a scrubber to level the crack filler. Let them dry completely.

Steps 4:  Grinding/Sanding

Use a floor grinder or a hand sander to level down the high spot that you’re marked. In the meantime, you can use a carpenter’s level to see whether it gets leveled or not. Afterward, you need to again clean the floor with a broom. Here, a dry clean is okay.

Steps 5: Priming

Choose a better concrete primer and mix it with the proper ratio. Maintain the water and primer ratio the same, or follow the manufacturer’s instructions. As the concrete floor is a porous surface, that might take to coat to completely seal the ground. Now, wait until it dries.

 Steps 6: Pour Self-Leveling Compound

If you are new to leveling, then use a self-leveling compound that levels the floor by itself, or you can use a concrete leveling compound that requires your intervention. Now blend the compound with the proper ratio mentioned in the product’s label and mix it with a drill paddle. Now, start pouring from one corner and end to another.

Steps 7: Leveling

In that case, if you are using a non-self-leveling compound, you need to level the floor with and squeegee. Remember, you should not wait more than 15 to 30 minutes after mixing the compound and also finish the leveling within.

Steps 8: Drying

After leveling the floor, leave it for drying. Drying time depends on the type of floor/compound and sometimes the environment also. It may take 6 to a maximum of 24 hours. However, you should follow the manufacturer’s guide.

Final Step: Lay Your Desired Flooring

After completely dry, now you are ready to lay your new floor set up. Before laying the laminated floor, don’t forget to set the underlayment. You can read about How long can a car run without transmission fluid?

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the best underlayment for laminate flooring on uneven concrete?

You will find plenty of options of underlayment for engineered wood or laminated flooring. What type of underlayment you would choose depends on the type of flooring or what type of protection you want?

Foam is one of the favorite underlays for laminated flooring because it provides vapor and moisture barriers. Plus, it is a budget-friendly option.

On the other hand, cork underlayment provides sufficient thickness, which best works for sound absorption.

Another option you could choose is polyethylene underlayment, which is also cost-effective and provides a moisture barrier for long-haul flooring.

2. Can You Install Wood Laminate on Uneven Concrete Floor?

Yes, putting a wood lamination over on an uneven concrete floor is quite feasible. However, it is not recommended to do so over an uneven floor. Whatever the reason you are doing it, you must take care of the subfloor before proceeding to lamination.

3. How to level a floor without leveling the compound?

If you work with a concrete floor, then using leveling compound is the best way to leveling the concrete floor. However, for the wooden floor, first, you check the cause of unevenness, then replace the subfloor if you find any issues. Moreover, Joists tend to bendy over time; in this case, you can do some fixation on the joists. Checking the How to Remove White Residue from Water will be helpful as well.

Conclusion

After going through a complete process of leveling the uneven floor, now, you may be confident that you can do concrete floor leveling of your house by yourself. Yes, that true. If you have the necessary tools and follow the right steps, then you are good to go.