I just had my basement poured yesterday and when I got home the floor looked like it wasn't troweled properly so now it looks uneven and wavy. I made them come back and they put down a thin layer of concrete and troweled that down but now it looks uneven and wavy but with a smooth wavyness. What can the contractor or I do now to bring it to a smooth surface. There will be some wood shop equiptment on the floor and I need to have a smooth surface to be able to sweep up easily. I've heard of self leveling concrete but if I put that down will it peel off in the future with the heavy use I'm going to put on that part of the floor? Can he sand down the concrete somehow? Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me , Linas

 

Some remedial steps were taken quickly, so the surface should be sound. It would have been good to have the original surface poured properly, but fortunately the contractor felt it needed correction.

Often, the apparent levelness of a concrete floor is affected by the lighting and the color of the concrete. Let the surface cure then put a long level on it to determine what you have and how it will conform to your needs.

After you know if something needs to done, you can proceed. Equipment/tool installation and be habdled by shimming (if needed - done every day in factories). Cleanliness can be improved by a coating that will make the surface uniform in appearance and texture, which aids in sweeping and washing. I assume it drains properly.

Your agreement with the contractor probably did not require anything unusual for the surface, The standard that floors are held to is usually the norm of the industry, which ends up being controlled by the "low buck" generals/builders that just want things to looks good enough.

hopefully some professionals on this site with more experience in flat concrete treatments can provide additional suggestions.

Dick