Need to resurface basement floor

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slownsteady

slownsteady

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South Hills, Pittsburgh, PA
I pulled up the old asphalt(?) tile from the concrete floor in my basement. It left behind a lot of black adhesive, plus the surface layer of the concrete is pretty soft and crumbly. i want to prepare it for a self leveling overlay. Do you think I can get good results with a concrete grinder? I haven't had much luck finding a shot blaster.
 
Since you haven't had any responses in almost 2 weeks, I'll make a few comments: "Soft and crumbly concrete" would not make for good bond with any kind of overlay. You should give serious thought to just removing and replacing all of the concrete with new concrete. Sure, it's a big job, being very labor-intensive and requiring finishing skills, but when completed you can walk away from it and never have to touch it again.
 
Thanks. The idea has been discussed. Don't know that we can pull it off though. We are hoping to downsize soon and it probably won't be worth it. We can chip down about a 1/4 inch without too much effort. If we shot blast or scarify, do you think we'll get a decent surface?
Been a while since we've heard from you; welcome back.
 
As a disinterested third party, who has bought and sold numerous houses in the last (almost) 50 years, I think the difference between a rotten crumbly basement floor and one that consists of new concrete could be a determining factor in how long you sit on the place once you've placed it on the market. As you realize, replacing a floor is a major undertaking, one that many buyers are unwilling to get involved with. Also, having replaced it already sends the message to buyers that you took care of the place instead of letting it go to he-double-toothpick.

Along with requiring as much effort as complete replacement, attempting to place a wearing surface overlay is not likely to be successful, for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Crumbly interior floor concrete is usually an internal condition (not caused by external, weather-related actions on the surface), affecting the entire depth of the placement. Meaning that regardless of how deep you shotblast or scarify, you will never reach sound concrete that is needed for overlays to be successful. An astute buyer (or his home inspector) will easily spot a defective, thin bonded overlay. If you enjoy gambling, and can live with the resulting, hefty deduction in selling price, go for it.
 
When I was a kid all the neighbors got together and placed concrete, they would take turns mixing, transporting and screeding. The would place a 2x4 form every 4 ft or for screeding, they would change jobs when each form filled up. I helped one neighbor remove a 3 ft x 30 ft strip where someone screwed the mix.
Hi Bridgeman, Haven't seen you for a while.
 
nealtw said:
When I was a kid all the neighbors got together and placed concrete, they would take turns mixing, transporting and screeding. The would place a 2x4 form every 4 ft or for screeding, they would change jobs when each form filled up. I helped one neighbor remove a 3 ft x 30 ft strip where someone screwed the mix.
Hi Bridgeman, Haven't seen you for a while.
Click to expand...

Sounds like someone's volunteering to come help with a lot of experience...:beer:
 
How much head room do you have in the basement?

What about pouring a slab over the floor you have?
 
Sorry it took a while to get back on this....

I have about 83-84" normal headroom in the basement, and only about 74" under the beam, so I don't know if pouring a slab on the slab is right. But how thick a slab are we thinking about?
I want to find a way to describe my surface a little more accurately. I don't know if "soft & crumbly" is really a good explanation. Maybe a video? I know that I can scrape my shoe along the surface and raise some sand, but it's not like I can kick up a chunk. And the surface is not smooth like a commercial floor any more but there are no really deep pits in it.
 
slownsteady said:
Sorry it took a while to get back on this....

I have about 83-84" normal headroom in the basement, and only about 74" under the beam, so I don't know if pouring a slab on the slab is right. But how thick a slab are we thinking about?
I want to find a way to describe my surface a little more accurately. I don't know if "soft & crumbly" is really a good explanation. Maybe a video? I know that I can scrape my shoe along the surface and raise some sand, but it's not like I can kick up a chunk. And the surface is not smooth like a commercial floor any more but there are no really deep pits in it.
Click to expand...

http://www.flooring-professionals.com/dealing-with-cutback-adhesive/
 
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXbADBC_Dqo[/ame]
 
Thanks for the links and the video. I had seen some of that info before, but never collected in one article like that first link. I still haven't read the second link. Bud; the video is very helpful in helping me realize that unless I can pull together a couple of hefty neighbors, that is probably not a DIY for me. I can do a lot, but the self leveling pour is so time sensitive that working solo or with just one guy won't be smart. As much as the good ol' days sounds like it should be, I know that grabbing neighbors is tough these days, and I don't think any of my old friends would be up for a job like this. :rolleyes:
I brought in a pro to give me an estimate and he thought that by the time he was finished grinding, the floor wouldn't be too bad. I will (of course) get another opinion, but maybe I'll get lucky enough on this one.
 
slownsteady said:
Thanks for the links and the video. I had seen some of that info before, but never collected in one article like that first link. I still haven't read the second link. Bud; the video is very helpful in helping me realize that unless I can pull together a couple of hefty neighbors, that is probably not a DIY for me. I can do a lot, but the self leveling pour is so time sensitive that working solo or with just one guy won't be smart. As much as the good ol' days sounds like it should be, I know that grabbing neighbors is tough these days, and I don't think any of my old friends would be up for a job like this. :rolleyes:
I brought in a pro to give me an estimate and he thought that by the time he was finished grinding, the floor wouldn't be too bad. I will (of course) get another opinion, but maybe I'll get lucky enough on this one.
Click to expand...

The last link I posted is about what can go wrong.
He ended up out of level.
The trick, if the ceiling is level enough decide ahead of time the level you are going for and cut a stick the right length for floor to ceiling, takes the guess work out of it.
I saw one guy spreading this stuff with a squeegee and he had a slide out on the handle and when it was full extended it was the right height
 
IF this were ours, i'd place a 2" or 3" unbonded concrete overlay w/right joint pattern - self-leveling needs a good bond,,, if existing conc's no good, expect trouble w/s-l gypsum OR cement based mtl,,, highest pd guy - squeegee guy; hose man's next
 
The guy I had come over expects to use a floor grinder with diamond ..... , to remove old adhesive and loose surface, then use a polyaspartic material with flakes for a finish.
 
hard diamonds on soft conc/soft diamonds on hard conc,,, polyaspartics are great - you'll get your floor back sooner, too,,, just sayin'what i wouldda done
 
I've heard good things about polyaspartics too.
I read in one place that you can use a silicate (lithium silicate) before you put down the polyaspartic, but one guy I spoke with said that might make for a weaker bond with the poly because it sort of seals the concrete
 
they're more expensive than traditional epoxies but cure out much faster + cal be applied in a wider range of temps - often why they're spec'd for freezer floors & other cold rooms,,, you can grind & coat before the food thaws out :clap:

ignorant of lithium silicate & poly issues
 
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