How to Level a Concrete Floor | This Old House 

Legend says the guy is still leveling his floor today

Self leveling compound is too expensive to use as much as they did. I did mine before putting laminate down. I simply poured enough on the floor to reach the highest spot in each room. I then smoothed it over/pushed it around a little with a 10 foot straight edge. If you mix it thin enough so that it runs pretty well it will fill in everywhere on it's own for the most part - there is a nice balance between having it thin enough to run without being too thin/watery. It's good to have several buckets already with water and have everything set up including jugs of water (or a water hose, water source, etc.), bags already opened and waiting, etc. so you can mix quickly to keep pouring each bucket in a room. It's ok to have it dry in one room even while some has run into another area such as an adjacent room... you can pour wet mix right in along next to an area of mix that has already dried. By the way, a floor does not need to be perfectly level to install laminate or wood floors! It just has to be relatively flat (around an 1/8 of an inch or a little more deviance over a 10 ft. area is fine. The guys in the video were only really concerned about the tops of the 2 by 4's being level because they were filling in between them. Tile is much more forgiving when it comes to a flat floor because you can adjust the amount of thinset under each tile to keep the tiles at the same height. Don't skip making sure a floor is relatively flat if you're installing laminate or wood planks - they will buckle, and come loose/out of place if the floor has too many peaks/valleys. It will happen months after the installation and it will be ruined and need to be completely redone, you can't just repair it.

I’ve learned so much from Tom Thank goodness .

Tom Silva does awesome work. Should have his own show.

I love when Tom Silva says "Let's see how it fits." Dude, you know it's perfect!!

I love how they always get everything right on the first try

Looks easy, guess I'll tackle it on my lunch break 😂

i love how he just leaves the stove there and lets the self leveller float under the legs! awsome! im a floooring installer and i have never levelled a floor this way and i don't imagine i could convince allot of my customers to spend that much money.

The guy was scraping harden cement at the end haha

simpler to adjust your shoe insoles to always be level on the floor.

This guy is brilliant.... thanks for sharing your knowledge...

Tom: "Why did you need that floor drain?" Homeowner: "What floor drain? Hey, look outside, it's a woolly mammoth!"

that fart sounded like it had the consistency of batter😅😅

Whenever Tom is in a video I know the comments will be a collective roast.

Soy un contratista y mirando tus videos todos los dias aprendo algo nuevo de usted tomy

I think he farted at 4:12 when he lifts the bucket... Lol

had to come back, after viewing 6 months ago for a good laugh at the 4:12 fart scene.

Do you leave the wood there?

This is awesome...never saw it before

Silva is the best!!

PERFECT LEVEL MORTY!!!

Never have I ever ... Been blessed with a dead straight floor

Master Craftsman. Brilliant.

Wow... I'm gonna have to do this at the cabin some day.

You make it look so easy!

Wow Sir, you solved my problem. Thank you.

why not put a perimeter baton all the way round the kitchen, then mass pour the self levelling compound and dapple the surface to find the level? using a laser guide would save a lot of time too!!!

I've leveled and also sloped (to a drain) many floors as a tiler. My method is to make 3 or 4 inch wide guide rails out of dry pack mortar - like speed bumps - using a laser (set an inch higher than the final surface), trowels and a tape measure. Then the next day I fill in with mortar using a metal straight screed. It's great because you can map out drainage patterns with concentric circles of slightly diminishing heights down to the drain. Also, I always first paint a bonding agent or even use felt paper on the surface I'm topping (depending what it's made of) and when I fill in between my guides I can put wire mesh if needed ... or cut expansion or control joints .... This video was kind of weird tbh The only times I ever used scribed wood rails as guides I had screwed them down, oiled them - and removed them and filled them in with some concrete later. Who the heck wants 2X4s in their substrate?

Finally, someone who knows what they are about.

4:16 The mix was a hair too dry so he spits in it for perfection.

thank you you have help me to solve my problem

Every step was genius

Used this method last deployment to great effect after a concrete pour gone bad and 2x2 tiles to be laid. I'd consider myself a novice, but this method works even though it's tedious. Though, lots of bashing to be done since he didn't pull out the damn cabinets or anything lol...

4:47😂😂😂He looks Motivated!

so the cabinets are set to low now. Dishwasher wont fit.. . and the drain would be cover anyways.

this was very very helpful as Ii am working on leveling a old kitchen floor. thanks for the awesome video tips.

whats even more nuts than the slow expensice method shown here is the crazy comments....man...its good to be have skills...thank you lord

very clear explanation , thanks fro you techniques teaching !

Now the tie case of the cabinets will be like 1-1/2” instead of standard 4”

flow trap covering 101!

this is the best way of leveling a floor. Guarantee to be level at the end. forget about the material it is not costly however seen ppl doing this same leveling and still come out with hi and low .

I'm surprised they didn't remove the cabinets and appliances for this big of a job.

Thanks, very useful

I just totally went broke with floor leveling compound

Always do a few more rails before finishing off the job!

Love this channel. Thanks.

Everybody is commenting about the floor drain. Does your kitchen have a floor drain? Mine neither. My guess is this was a remodel and maybe the area was an old garage or something. The existing concrete had a pretty severe slope. The drain was taped off to prevent floor leveling compound from entering.

that's a serious amount of work just to level a floor!!

When I tell a customer that an area that large cost 2 grand to level, they tend to think they can live with it...:)

Tom Silva is awesome!

I love the videos but i personally would just put a nice hardwood floor down and call it a day haha

old house is the best to learn very simple he is not only proffesional to do the work but the delevery the idea ,,,,,,really l learn from him very fast just watch go do it few mints thanks sooooooooooooooooooooo very much

Super meseriasi bravo baieti

One could level a sloped garage or basement floor to finish a room for living space, and still leave the concrete surface grading and drain(s) in case of future water accumulation. Just measure and cut tapered and feathered treated 2x sleepers anchored to the concrete floor on 12 to 16 centers , then topped with a plastic moisture barrier and 3/4 inch plywood subfloor. For improved noise control and support, minimally expanding foam here and there enough to add support and solidness of the subfloor yet allow "breathing" and ventilation between the concrete and the moisture barrier. One would then have the option of installing just about any flooring material desired.

Definitely a DIY job.

So much for the floor drain...........

Im glad you all made comments on how lame this idea was so i didnt have to.

I have 0 experience leveling floors so and had tried the self leveling compound but the it did not do that great of a job. Had a second room that needed the floor leveled and tried this method. Big mistake. First issue I had was finding straight 2x4's. You will need a table saw and electric plain to straighten out the boards. The next issue I ran into was that if you floor has several rises and drops it is very hard to cut the contours into the 2x4. If your floor slops on a constant angle it is easy to cut the contours. Third issue I ran into was nailing and gluing the wood down is time consuming. In my case the nails kept popping out and I ended up having to screw the rails down. This method is very time and labor intensive.

You are amazing!

What do you do about the rails at the end?

Where is part 2? Do you pull up the boards after and fill in the space? Do you have to start at the highest part of the floor? Need more info!!!

If you're leveling it for LVP flooring, don't bother getting carried away with it being level. The key is to make it FLAT so you don't have any bounce under your flooring. I put 1,500lbs in 635 sqft of basement and the thickest area was 3/4". No, it wasn't perfectly level but, it was flat! No bounce with 5ft long LVP flooring. Add extra water than called for if pouring over concrete floor. The concrete floor will suck the moisture right out of the leveler. Plus, it spreads much better and you'll have a smoother surface without having to trowel anything.

Don't know but I have never used untreated wood on concrete. That leveling compound will probably cause the untreated wood to decay , the good news is when it rots out you only have small valley's to fill with leveling compound.

Does the wood used for the level guides need to be exterior grade wood if this is to be a ground level floor?

LMAO first time watching one of these...your comments re 4:12 made me cry with laughter...ove you guys. Wish me luck.

What a nightmare.

They F'd that floor all up!

good idea....

Can a laser not be used with thicker morter and just build up to the laser level?

If you look at video closely it appears they have covered drain holes with tape. They may have determined the drain was no longer necessary.

But what about the floor you covered over with leveling compound? Does that mean you've eliminated the floor drain?

Floors don’t have to be level just, consistent. To level a floor you would have to go to highest point, then level from there. That could raise the floor by 2 or more inches in some cases, creating problems at doors and thresholds.

Did he cover the water drain with concrete?

My question is under the house for the kitchen is wouldn't have it been better to use a Jack & Jack it up my question or was it going to cost too much to fix the under part of the house question

If your going to screed , just use sand and cement .. A whole lot cheaper ..

We had a sunken concrete slab at our doorway, 3/4" on one side and 1/4" on the other. I sealed off the gap to the exterior wall footing with spray foam and caulked the seams around where I was going to pour. Put down a primer, mixed up the self leveling compound and poured. Aside from a few swipes of a trowel, it did all the work for us and flowed to to the low spots. This method in the video looks like overkill.

I have a 2 step guide on how to level a floor. 1. Determine what floor you want to level. 2. Hire somebody to level the floor.

Part 2, how to raise your whole kitchen 😂

Do you remove the wood or is it now apart of the floor?

Boil wash for that jocks!!😂

Making a floor flat is more important than making it level. If the back of your kitchen is an inch higher than the rest of your existing flooring and I try to level it. I'll have to compensate for it at the meeting point. Which means you'll end up with a transition that is an inch higher.

If that kitchen floor is unlevel than probably all the floors are unlevel along with the ceilings! Better check all those too! Hopefully the house doesn't settle more with age! Also, that scribe divider tip is so bent that all measurmements you are making are off 1/8 inch.

for large unlevel floors, use a liquid gypsum...goes in real runny..using a pump...no need to protect the walls, cuz its gypsum! ready to lay tile within 4 hours, max 16 hours...could do this whole area before Tom cut his second board

Where can I see this full episode? The link doesnt work

This is a nightmare project.

My home was built in the 40's. Small house basement ceiling is 7ft maybe. How do I level that floor?

Really nice video. With our brand new nailshoe clog ,,Nivilli" Made in Germany the work would have become a real pleasure.

Are the rails left in place as part of the finished floor?

Legend say that Tom is still scribing 2x4 for this floor

If you're going to frame it and screed it level then how is it self-leveling? Isn't that how you do it with regular concrete?

vcs já ouviram falar em Talisca de chão?? muito mais rápido e prático

That just seems too complicated.....the average dude would make a big fucking mess outta that operation.

How about self leveling concrete ?

lol i subconsciously blew that dust after he hammered.

At 30 bucks a bag for floor leveler I wish there were a cheaper option for such a large area. Also, wouldn’t you use treated wood?

HELP!!!!! We are remodeling a commercial building and wanted to level the uneven concrete, but just realized that the front is 3” higher than the back (about 100’ deep). I assume it was for drainage. Should I just worry about flat, not level?

Good news is the floor is level, bad news is the floor is 6 inches higher lol. Working with that stuff sucks big time. It does not self level and dries fast, you have to work it to where you want it. My recommendation is to mix it as thin as the manufacture allows, wear cleats or spikes shoes and plan out what your going to do well.

great

Some may say it but NOBODY is great at everything 👍🏽

ONE QUESTION WHAT IS THE MATERIAL THEY USED THIN SET?