Help! Leveling subfloor for LVP install

3 years ago

We are creating an in-law suite in our basement and ripped out all the carpet. The in-law kitchen cabinets have been installed. I purchased 1500 sq feet of Provenza LVP in sweet talker which was supposed to be installed this past Monday. After hemming and hawing for an hour, the flooring installer told me that the basement concrete slab is not level enough to do the LVP install. Initially they said they could easily level a couple areas. They've since backed off and told me to get a concrete company to do it. We had someone out and they've quoted me $3k to apply self-leveling concrete to the areas, nearly doubling our labor cost on flooring. The concrete guy says it still won't be perfectly level. Currently, or slab a couple drops of up to 1/2 inch, most are < 1/4".

Is this step necessary? Or even worth it?

Has anyone had to apply self-leveling concrete prior to laying LVP?

My big concern is we are going to shell out another $3k for something that won't make much of a difference. If I hadn't already spent a small fortune on LVP (which i can't send back), I'd be thinking about tile and carpet at this point. We picked LVP because I thought it would be the best option with a slab.

Would love advice from someone who's been through a similar scenario. Thanks!

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Comments (7)

Valinta
3 years ago
This does not address your question, but I am posing another - Does the basement have ground level access for an inlaw suite so there is egress and typical stairs are not necessary? I am asking from perspective of already dealing with aging relatives.
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Melissa R
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
you could try and DIY it. You can buy bags of self-leveler, mix to the consistency of melted ice cream, and pour. It finds it's own level. My hubs and I did it in our 1800sf house. You probably wouldn't have to do the whole floor just the really bad areas

Have your floor guy mark his areas of concern for you. If he won't, it's easy enough to do with a long level. Just run it along the floor, find the dips, outline with spray paint, mix, and pour.

Custom Building Products LevelQuik RS 50 lbs. Self-Leveling Underlayment-LQ50 - The Home Depot

You could also sell your flooring to someone and get carpet.

Or, try and contact the manufacturer and ask how much flex is in their flooring.
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Thanks so much for the detailed advice, @SJ McCarthy! I do have 3 extra boxes and then some, and so far pulling them up isn't seeming too difficult to do but I'm sure we'll run into some issues :-) The condo rules aren't very specific: 80% of floors must be carpet or area rugs - we have carpet in the bedrooms and someone on the board told me that LVP with an underlay is fine; this one has a pre-attached pad. But thanks for brining it up - I do want to run it by them once more to be sure before we totally finalize things. When you say "a little grinding PLUS a little leveling compound" are you referring to self leveling compound? It does seem to me that SL would be the best way to easily get a good level. We've worked with some patching material (Henry 345) on a few spots, and it has the appeal of potentially being simpler than SL up front (doesn't have to be mixed and doesn't require primer), but it's more expensive for covering a given area, and doesn't level itself. I'm still trying to figure out if we can reasonably apply self leveler to just a portion of the room, and I'm thinking mainly that will require that there is indeed a consistent "low" spot / sink so that the SL doesn't run out into the areas we don't want to repair. That does seem to be the case, but I need to really spend the time with a level to fully map it out. Thanks again!
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PRO
HALLETT & Co.
3 years ago
Sounds like a perfectly reasonable amount based on how out of level your slab is. Read the spec on your floors, they require the slab to be within certain tolerances.
millworkman
3 years ago
"Read the spec on your floors, they require the slab to be within certain tolerances."

Or when it the click locks break, the floor moves and the boards start to pop up there is no warranty.
SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
I'm going to say that you have ONE HECK of a decent flooring installer working for you!!!! No. I'm not kidding. I would say 95% - 99% of the time a flooring 'dude' (or some guy who swings a hammer who told you s/he could install flooring) just throws it down and runs for the hills.

You have an honest person working for you. The quote he gave included a LITTLE bit of levelling. Your concrete is NOT good enough to have 'spot' patching done.

I've always suggested to my customers to budget $2 - $5/sf for CONCRETE slabs. Your quote for concrete work = $2/sf. That's RIGHT ON TARGET.

Good to know that you have TWO honest performers here. Yes, concrete is a B!TCH to deal with. Yes vinyl needs FLAT...but then again so does laminate, hardwood, tile, etc. The ONLY things that do NOT need flat = sheet vinyl, sheet linoleum and carpet. Yep. The things that role out and that can wrap around a telephone pole.

So...you have THOUSANDS of dollars worth of flooring (I'm guessing around $4500 - $6000). That is MORE expensive to waste than it is to install. Right now you have a wonky concrete subfloor. That is normal and to be expected in a basement.

You will only pay for this leveling ONCE. After that you will have a great surface to work with for the next 60 years. The concrete slab guys will get you a much better surface. The INSTALLER will then do the 'few' patches he has quoted for you. The two put together will create the 'acceptable surface' you need to put down ANYTHING OTHER THAN carpet.
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PRO
User
3 years ago
That needs grinding of the high dpots first. Then filling the low spots. Its cheaper to fo it right from the beginning rather than have all the flooring fail and then have to level, and buy new flooring too.
PRO
G & S Floor Service
3 years ago
Follow manufacturer's guidelines as suggested.
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Help! Leveling subfloor for LVP install

Comments (7)

Valinta

Melissa R

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