Grinding down basement floor
5 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (9)
5 years ago
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Can I grind down my brick floors to make them more even?
Comments (0)My newly installed antique brick pavers varied greatly in thicknesses, making it difficult to install evenly. Now that they're grouted in, is there a way to grind down the bricks to make them more uniform in height? I'm trying to avoid toe-stubbing issues! Thanks......See MoreIs gluing down engineered wood floors in basement concrete OK?
Comments (18)Thanks for the link lots of good info there, but the slab needs to be dry of course. I personally do not like untreated wood to touch concrete, but to each their own. You could say the glue does not allow the wood to touch the concrete directly though. :) I always worry about mold/rot with a concrete wood junction and with wood floors there is the additional problem of expansion and buckling with moisture. Chapter 5 B. 3. If a slab tests too high in vapor emission to glue a floor down, consider using a vapor retarder type product, installing a vapor retarder and a plywood sub-floor or using an alternative installation method...See MoreGrinding on floors alternative
Comments (8)Sadly the answer is "No". Even if your concrete slab had been FULLY PREPARED at the stage of POURING the slab (which is to say week 2 in the building process) there is STILL the need for SOME preparation. "Decorative" concrete would mean a stain of some sort. Which means the top surface must be PREPARED....The concrete has an additive in it to help CURE faster (instead of 6 months to cure it only took 90 days). That additive will have floated to the top. That additive is a contaminant. You need to remove the contaminant before you prepare ANY form of concrete. And that means shot blasting, sand blasting or grinding. The grinding/blasting also "opens" up the concrete so that it can accept either a microtopping (needed because the slab concrete is NOT the right type of concrete that should be "finished") or for a stained finish (assuming the proper concrete was ADDED to your slab during the pouring of the concrete in week 2). Now that you have the concrete ground up, you can either add the microtopping or you can begin the stain process. And the process continues as normal. And just to make sure everyone understands how you finish a basement, I can almost guarantee that concrete needs to be "dealt with" before ANY type of flooring goes down. There is ONE (1) finish that does NOT need any work AT ALL - Carpet. Yep. Carpet is the one and only finished flooring product which does NOT need all that concrete work. Which is why so many homes have carpet in the basement. It saves THOUSANDS of dollars of prep work. If your wife is afraid of grinding, I'm pretty sure she won't be very happy with carpet. Good luck. This could be a lose-lose situation....See MoreDoor or open down to basement from first floor?
Comments (8)Pics would have been helpful! Top of stairs leads to foyer which is next to great room. Bottom of stairs would open to what will be a bar area. A TV viewing area will be next to the bar area. More of a open space if you will. I can't keep the door where it is now as we want to put double doors looking into the bedroom so we can get all the daylight from the egress window. I don't want that door shown opening up directly in front a wall and next to a another door. We can ether blow out the doorway and that wall all the way back to the support beam or we'd make a new open in that wall next to where the black fridge is. But it feels odd to come down the stairs and have to turn to a doorway....See More
5 years agoyou didn't say how much of a bump out this concrete footer is creating. if it's anything like that way it is in my basement, it's probably best to just work that into your designs. if you see my pics below, we just built the wall on to of the footer. depending on the situation, need and budget, you could then build a bench seating or just class the raised concrete with something like an azek board.
- 5 years ago
PRO5 years ago- 5 years ago
PRO5 years ago
last year
Related Stories
REMODELING GUIDESLive the High Life With Upside-Down Floor Plans
A couple of Minnesota homes highlight the benefits of reverse floor plans
Full Story
WINE CELLARSFrom Run-down Basement to Bottoms-Up Wine Cellar
See how a dreary storage room and mechanical space became a sophisticated wine cellar and tasting room
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESYour Floor: An Introduction to Solid-Plank Wood Floors
Get the Pros and Cons of Oak, Ash, Pine, Maple and Solid Bamboo
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESHow to Dig Down for Extra Living Space
No room for a ground-level addition? See if a finished basement is a good idea for you
Full Story
TRENDING NOWWorking the Room: What’s Popular in Basements Now
As the weather cools and people head inside, we break down 8 basement design features homeowners and pros are loving
Full Story
ARCHITECTURE5 Questions to Ask Before Committing to an Open Floor Plan
Wide-open spaces are wonderful, but there are important functional issues to consider before taking down the walls
Full Story
HOMES AROUND THE WORLDHouzz Tour: House on a Slope Goes Upside Down to Let In Light
The living areas in this contemporary Australian home move to the top floor, with the bedrooms down below
Full Story
KIDS’ SPACESHow to Turn Your Basement into a Kids' Playroom
Keep costs down by sticking with secondhand furniture and quick, yet functional, fixes
Full Story
KITCHEN OF THE WEEKKitchen of the Week: Graphic Floor Tiles Accent a White Kitchen
Walls come down to open up the room and create better traffic flow
Full Story
BASEMENTSNew Living Arrangement Inspires an Ohio Basement Remodel
A couple create a lower-level suite for themselves to accommodate a parent moving in on the ground floor
Full Story
Vik Des