Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - leveling an unlevel, bumpy concrete floor

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Cyrus
09-18-07, 08:51 PM
Concrete floor of my basement has some "bumpy" areas which have made it very unlevel. I want to install dricor (subfloor) on this floor, and I need to level the it before. Not a very smooth one, but not being unlevel more than 1/4" either. I have 2 options to deal with this problem: Either remove the bumps somehow (how?) or fill the area between the bumps with something (leveling compound?). Since the floor is large (800 SF) using self leveling compund is very expensive as I need to bring up some areas of the the floor about an inch and half. I think the later option is much easier. How can I get rid of these bumps. Can grinding machine do the job?
Thanks
Cyrus

Pecos
09-19-07, 04:02 AM
The quickest way to get rid of the humps is with a scarifier (concrete planer). You can rent them. It's a walk-behind machine about the size of a roto tiller, but heavier. They have a lot of little star-shaped teeth that spin around and chip off the surface. They'll probably make you buy the teeth because when they're used, they wear down. Scarifiers create less dust than a grinder will. Either way, wear a dust mask or respirator in your basement. You're correct that a self-levelling compound will be very expensive.

Pecos