self-leveling concrete


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Old 02-26-15, 08:44 AM
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self-leveling concrete

Hi everyone,

I work in a warehouse-like environment where the floor is a bit sloped, at most by about 1.5".

We've been talking about using floor-leveling stuff to level out the floor. The area in question is about 62' x 52'.

My question is how durable is it? At times we'll have to drive a scissor lift on the surface. Will the floor-leveling concrete crack under the weight of the scissor lift?

Thanks!
 
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Old 02-26-15, 09:11 AM
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I am assuming you meant 62"x52"? For the thickness you have to level up, self-leveling leveling will not work. A product like SAKRETE top’n bond is what you would want to use. Be sure to take extra precuations with the prep work, as this is the most important step to ensuring a good bond. At 1 1/2" you will have to apply it in several coats. Follow the directions on the bag.
 
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Old 02-26-15, 09:35 AM
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IF it is a warehouse environment, it could feasibly be 62' x 52'. It will really depend on how wide a swath of un eveness you are talking about. All 52' will require a bit of work. In such a large space, it may be better to make an entire pour of the floor with proper tying to the existing slab. Our concrete guys will be along shortly, so hang in there.
 
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Old 02-26-15, 10:00 AM
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I know there are products available to do what you need, but they are very expensive. It's not the ordinary kind of stuff you would buy from a lumber yard or box store. Around here this kind of product is used to resurface grain elevator foundations to remove imperfections and out-of-level conditions, since the grain elevator needs to be perfectly level and plumb or it will become the next leaning tower of Pisa.

Wish I could tell you the name...
 
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Old 02-26-15, 10:36 AM
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Yes, the area is 62 feet by 52 feet.

Hrm ... so just mixing and pouring several bags of that stuff from Home Depot isn't recommended?

Main thing is durability - we're going to be occasionally (maybe once a week) drive a lift on it to hang stuff from the ceiling, run wire, etc.
 
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Old 02-26-15, 11:06 AM
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Self leveling compound is not meant to be a finished floor. It is used to correct imperfections in advance of the finished flooring being installed on top of it. While it dries relatively hard, it can be scraped away with a stiff putty knife and therefore would not suit your situation.
 
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Old 02-26-15, 11:17 AM
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Several bags? At that kind of area and that much slope, you'd probably use a pallet or more of the stuff. Even if it were suitable, it would be cost and labor prohibitive. I did a small shop (prob no more than 10 x 20) on a ship when I was in the Navy (wavy steel decks and welding beads, kinda hard to put tile or dielectric rubber matting down) We only did about 1/4"- 1/2" thick and it was something like 10 bags?
 
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Old 02-26-15, 11:46 AM
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If your problem area is 62 feet x 52 feet, I don't think this is a DIY job. You would need someone who specializes in concrete floors to do a proper overpour if you want the entire area to be level.

You really should post a few pics of the area so we can see where the concern is and how it should be addressed. If the entire floor is out only 1.5", I cant see it being much of a concern. Or is it just a small area in that floor that is the problem?
 
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Old 02-26-15, 11:59 AM
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I don't know if this is the exact product I was thinking of, but it's similar. It's rated for forklift traffic. You will note that the instructions indicate shot blasting is suggested as part of the floor prep. Existing expansion joints must be maintained. I agree this is probably a job best left to the professionals.

http://www.ardexamericas.com/sp/Docu...ata_En_SDT.pdf
 
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Old 02-26-15, 03:58 PM
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OK, long story short, we are using the area for a performance stage to record all kinds of sports and movie type stuff. We track how the athletes are moving in the space with cameras hooked up to computers, so having a 1.5" slope is BAD for us because they will be "running downhill" when they need to be running level. Yes, it matters THAT much - they must be running on a level surface. (think of the sports science guys ... that's pretty close to what we do)

Also, we will cover the floor with Sport Court, a hard plastic surface that mimics the surface of a basketball court. We currently drive our scissor lift on it with no problems, but the concern is that the floor leveler material might crack because of the tires on the lift. On the other hand, the lift is not directly in contact with the material, so maybe it's OK?
 
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Old 02-26-15, 04:10 PM
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All depends on the product that is used. Any product will crack if you go right over current cracks and expansion joints. But if you cut the floor in the same places as the current joints, the product I mentioned should not crack. It's rated for heavy traffic. If you use some different product, it may last a while but yeah it would probably crack and fail.

In cases like this you will definitely get what you pay for.
 
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Old 02-26-15, 04:10 PM
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Ok, this makes much more sense now.

For the area you have to level, it would probably cost more to buy enough self-leveling concrete to fix it than it would to get a pro in and do a proper overpour. The Self-Leveling concrete you buy in the big box stores is not cheap at all. In addition to this, I don't believe it would hold up to the traffic it would be subjected to.

There are ready mix companies that make something very similar to self-leveling concrete for the type of situation you are in, but again, this is not a DIY job. You really need to get a pro in to look at the floor and give you his recommendation.
 
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Old 02-26-15, 04:33 PM
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Just doing some quick math you have about a 200 cubic foot space to level off (64x54x3/4" average). A 50 lb bag covers about .5 cubic feet, so you are looking at 400 bags @ $30/bag = $12,000. A pro should be able to do what you want for much less than that, and it will be the right product.
 
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Old 02-26-15, 09:16 PM
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OK, great - thanks for all the replies. We'll be on the lookout for some pros.
 
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Old 02-27-15, 01:57 AM
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a pro crew will usually be 4 or 5 guys,,, no self-leveling material is w/o a little help from these friends
 
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Old 02-27-15, 07:57 AM
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Keep in mind that selecting the right product will be the key to success. Most self levelling products will have a maximum and minimum thickness at which they should be poured. So if you need to fill up to 1 1/2", be sure you don't use a product that can only be poured 1" thick.
 
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Old 02-28-15, 02:26 PM
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know this is a d-i-y forum & everyone likes to help BUT self-leveling isn't,,, its extremely difficult to get the results your bride OR you want w/o knowing mtl & method + have experience both in prep & applying the mud
 
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Old 03-01-15, 08:30 PM
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Self-leveling concrete (in bulk, by the truck-load) is available from most ready-mix suppliers. The mix contains an additive that holds coarse aggregate in suspension, instead of the rocks sinking to the bottom of the placement as they would when using a conventional, but watered-down mix. As with any thin-bonded concrete overlay, proper surface preparation is critical, and it's definitely not a job for most DIYers.
 
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Old 03-04-15, 03:40 PM
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now i'm confused as i never saw any self-leveling conc come down the chute out of any plant's truck,,, have seen super-p dosed loads that didn't require much work but i wouldn't describe them as slc,,, just chk'd nysdot - the listed slc's aren't true conc as most define it,,, isn't what most think of when defining slc actually gypsum-based floor levelers ?

tnx in adv
 
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Old 03-04-15, 05:22 PM
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V.J. Rice Concrete Limited - Specialist in concrete products - Flow-N-Finish® Concrete is what my local ready mix plant makes. No, it is not true SLC, but it is far better than traditional mixes.
 
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Old 03-04-15, 08:39 PM
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Stadry, you need to get out more. I'm not sure what a "true SLC" is, but I do know that a self-leveling concrete has been used in Oregon since at least 2005, by both highway and commercial building contractors. The mix we used didn't have any gypsum in it (to the best of my knowledge), but just contained Portland cement, sand, rock, additives and mix water. Our bridge abutment and pier cap widening placements were about 3' deep, using a 4000 PSI mix. It flowed more than 25' inside the forms from the point of introduction, and no internal vibration was needed. A special provision was developed and used to measure its slump, as a conventional slump cone was worthless.
 
 

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