Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

[tgapp]

Self leveling is not magic - it gets you 90% there, there is always some floor prep to do after…

I’d move forward with flooring if you’re close enough.

You’d be surprised how bad FF/FL numbers professionals get on new slabs… no slab is perfect, most are far from it…


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I'm honestly not sure if I'm close enough. I have subtle variations underfoot that I can feel while walking, but again, no amount of self fuckery compound will un fuck this mess. But I feel like I am making progress by walking around, feeling high spots with my feet, and buzzing them down. Is there a better strategy here?

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[John_B]

Use a 6 foot level on edge and slide it around on the floor. Make sure to cover everything from multiple angles. If you've got some other straight edge that you could use that'd likely work too.

Signed: Another sucker that believed in self leveling compound.

[fastfred]

thanks for sharing the video
I give you a big wood hire let me know if your need a job

the dust mask isn't really good so we will get you a real one
we also have big mixers to do up five or six bags a time
speaking of bags the best levelers are high
there is a science and a zen of helping the leveler go where it should go
and you'll need to hit walmart for some work boots only one who wears flip flops on a job is me
and you left out the part where the dog walks through the leveler an hour after you poored

[tgapp]

Use a 6 foot level on edge and slide it around on the floor. Make sure to cover everything from multiple angles. If you've got some other straight edge that you could use that'd likely work too.

Signed: Another sucker that believed in self leveling compound.

I actually got one of those. Should I just pencil mark what is high and then come back later and buzz it down?

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[John_B]

I'd probably wander around the room to get an idea of the troublesome spots then grind a bit and recheck a few times.

Nice work on the garbage can method. It looked like it went way better than I expected.

[BC13]

Today I took an angle grinder to the floor in an effort to smooth it out. This was my first time using an angle grinder, and it might be my favorite home remodel tool to date. Holy shit, you're telling me they make a chainsaw attachment for these things?! That might be the dumbest (and the most fun) thing I've ever heard. Fuck me what a bad idea. I'm really tempted to get one, you know, for science.

On the floor front: I've come to a deep acceptance of the fact that self leveling concrete is a total lie. $500 later and I'm still not level, but the angle grinder has taken out the worst of the issues introduced by the self leveling concrete. To whit - the garbage pour was my best work yet, but it still isn't perfect. No amount of self leveling concrete will result in perfection here, I'm afraid, which leads me to one of two possible conclusions:

1. I should just cut my losses and shell out a grand or whatever for a professional to fix this
2. Close enough is good enough. We ain't building watches here.

Thoughts on this one? Leaning towards #2, I'm just nervous because we're floating a floor and I wanna get this right (jong that I am)

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I bought an angle grinder last year and was also quite impressed with its capabilities. Powerful little tools.

When we finished our basement i hired a guy to get it to 95%. It would have cost 10x as much to get it to 99.5%. I notice no dips or high points at all with the floating floor.

When we had our kitchen redone last year I was initially somewhat bothered by a 6x4 section of the floor where an island had previously been located. The floor felt a bit high to me and I could perceive a slight give of the floor. I told my contractor and we discussed it. He told me to spend two weeks with the floor and if it still bothered me he would pull up that portion of the floor and deal with the small imperfection I noticed. Within a week I no longer noticed the perceived high point or bow.

Flat enough is flat enough.

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[SirVicSmasher]

Aftermath.

It's an undermount sink. Total measurement is 28.75. I think we can make it work, maybe with a little bit of shaving of the cab box.

Here is the sink in question:

https://www.wayfair.com/home-improve...s-blc2039.html

Dishwasher to one side of it and a corner cab to the other side. I think I can figure something out?

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Omg not enough water.

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[old goat]

If only some kooks on the TRGz had warned you about the nefarious scam that is "self-leveling" mortar...

If you think an angle grinder for floor use is good, wait until you try the 10"+ diameter walk behind ones that you can rent. Those mf-ers will really eat some concrete, and they'll go through mortar like a 10,000rpm chainsaw blade goes through a quadriceps muscle. If you can get your floor flat with only subtraction, that's prob the route I'd recommend at this point.

Or if it's somewhere close to the spec listed by your flooring (for flatness--level doesn't really matter), just move forward and join the ranks of those burned by the evil SL mortar industry. Never forget, never forgive.

Friend of mine had some remodeling done. Contractor poured a slab that needed serious grinding. He sent a kid over with a walk behind grinder. My friend came home to find the kid passed out. He turned out to be okay. Respirator highly recommended.

[snoqpass]

Friend of mine had some remodeling done. Contractor poured a slab that needed serious grinding. He sent a kid over with a walk behind grinder. My friend came home to find the kid passed out. He turned out to be okay. Respirator highly recommended.

Silica dust requires dust extraction its a OSHA rule now and has for a few years if a contractor let someone breath that much dust he's an assh@%e plus it gets everywhere

[old goat]

Silica dust requires dust extraction its a OSHA rule now and has for a few years if a contractor let someone breath that much dust he's an assh@%e plus it gets everywhere

My friend can also testify to the "it gets everywhere" part. As in the whole house.

[climberevan]

Silica dust requires dust extraction its a OSHA rule now and has for a few years if a contractor let someone breath that much dust he's an assh@%e plus it gets everywhere

I've seen some crazy shit, but I really can't believe anyone would run one of those indoors without dust collection. The cloud would be ungodly.

Obviously we use respirators and HEPA dust collection, along with sealing the doorways to other parts of the house. A floor drying blower in the room with a section of flex duct running outside through a window works really well to get anything that the dust collector misses.

[nickwm21]

Silicosis is no joke


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[snoqpass]

My friend can also testify to the "it gets everywhere" part. As in the whole house.

Which the homeowner gets to breath every time the dust is disturbed, apparently the contractor is aware of the issue put doesn't seem to care

[tgapp]

Silicosis is no joke


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Shit now I'm worried. I opened all the doors and windows, kept the vacuum running, and wore an n95. Should I be concerned? Do I need to go buy a respirator?

I did 2-3 hours of this today, probably have another 3 hours left

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[SirVicSmasher]

Silicosis is no joke


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The man-made counter tops have been killing fabricators left and right. shit is like 90% silica

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[SirVicSmasher]

Shit now I'm worried. I opened all the doors and windows, kept the vacuum running, and wore an n95. Should I be concerned? Do I need to go buy a respirator?

I did 2-3 hours of this today, probably have another 3 hours left

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You can't prime that shit and self level properly?

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[snoqpass]

Shit now I'm worried. I opened all the doors and windows, kept the vacuum running, and wore an n95. Should I be concerned? Do I need to go buy a respirator?

I did 2-3 hours of this today, probably have another 3 hours left

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A N95 isn't good enough alone but if the vacuum was capturing it that will help a lot be aware regular vacuums can blow dust out if they don't have a HEPA filter

[climberevan]

You can't prime that shit and self level properly?

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For the next round, we're going to need an even bigger garbage can and possibly a tip over from atop a table for maximum entertainment. Bonus points to tgapp if he manages to put enough water in it this time and creates a wave that oscillates across the room a few times.

[bagtagley]

Yes, get a respirator. They’re cheap and they work better than a mask.

As mentioned, the floor doesn’t have to be level it just has to be flat within spec. Check the specs on your flooring then take a level (I’d sport for an 8’ personally) and a tape measure and find out if you’re within spec by measuring the gaps between the floor and the level. Dips and rises that are abrupt are a bigger issue than dips and rises that stretch across the entire span. Small imperfections can be handled with a foam underlayment. I used the Pergo stuff, but there are a bunch of other options. It was easy to work with and made for a better sounding/feeling floor.

[tgapp]

Yes, get a respirator. They’re cheap and they work better than a mask.

As mentioned, the floor doesn’t have to be level it just has to be flat within spec. Check the specs on your flooring then take a level (I’d sport for an 8’ personally) and a tape measure and find out if you’re within spec by measuring the gaps between the floor and the level. Dips and rises that are abrupt are a bigger issue than dips and rises that stretch across the entire span. Small imperfections can be handled with a foam underlayment. I used the Pergo stuff, but there are a bunch of other options. It was easy to work with and made for a better sounding/feeling floor.

good to know. i've got a 6' level, so not likely to spring for something better. using a 3mm, high quality underlayment. i have a lot of work ahead of me.

i wish i had better understood this in the beginning of this project. the floor was even, but not level (with essentially a 1/2" step in the middle of the room. oh well. live and learn.

For the next round, we're going to need an even bigger garbage can and possibly a tip over from atop a table for maximum entertainment. Bonus points to tgapp if he manages to put enough water in it this time and creates a wave that oscillates across the room a few times.

hey come on i managed a full four bags, and y'all said i couldn't do that. now fastfred is gonna give me a job. he says he has a tool that can handle 5, maybe 6 bags. i'm moving up in the world.

also i'm wearing sanuks now. but i have a coupon for a brand new pair of real work boots from a major retailer (worth $300+) - would any contractor mag be willing to trade that in exchange for consulting via video chat on a couple projects?

A N95 isn't good enough alone but if the vacuum was capturing it that will help a lot be aware regular vacuums can blow dust out if they don't have a HEPA filter

there wasn't a lot of dust in the room but there was some. not a ton though. i'll get a respirator for the rest of this job. thanks for the heads up

[SirVicSmasher]

6 qts per bag (middle knuckle 5 gal bucket) get several buckets and try again

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[Buster Highmen]

Can any of you Seattle l'Eastside construction gurus give me a rec for hvac folks that are great at doing a heat pump conversion on an old electric furnace?

[Falcon3]

A 3M respirator mask with a charcoal filter for VOC and also the N99 pink cartridge for particulates is the way to go.

It’s so much more comfortable and effective than paper masks. And since it’s comfortable and convenient (easy straps and hangs in the garage) I end up using it way more often than the paper mask.

Get one. It’s totally worth it.

[snoqpass]

The 60923 "pink filters" will protect you from Asbestos, mold, organic vapors and silica dust, full face versions are available too in case you need eye protection from irritants like tear gas as well...not that you might need protection from tear gas....

[nickwm21]

Can any of you Seattle l'Eastside construction gurus give me a rec for hvac folks that are great at doing a heat pump conversion on an old electric furnace?

I was happy with Evergreen for a multizone minisplit system in my house. I did get quotes from BlackLion and AAA as well….


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