Concrete floors have been around for thousands of years and are used in many different ways… it has never stopped because, well, why would you!? Concrete is the most commonly used man-made material in the world; you can use it for:
- Buildings
- Bridges
- Dams
- kerbs
- Pipes
- Drains
Some advantages of using this mixture are that it is cheap to make and lasts a long time and requires minimal maintenance. It is also quite soundproof, so if you have noisy neighbours, or you want to turn up the volume, a concrete floor is for you!
What you need :
- Protective equipment
- Concrete
- Level
- Vacuum
- Concrete grinder
Step 1: Failing to plan is planning to fail
How much time do you have? How much budget can you afford to spend? There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a project and being in the same position you were in years ago because you didn’t prepare enough. There are many tools online or apps that you can use to plan like monday.com if you’re unsure of where to start.
You’ll need to measure how much concrete you need. Levelling a concrete floor isn’t impossible but can be difficult if you don’t have the measurements ready to take into account when buying the products.
Step 2: Removing any furniture out the way and cleaning the area properly
Now you’ve put a concrete plan in place (pardon the pun!) It’s time for the first physical step to be put in place. Start by removing ALL furniture in the environment where you will place the concrete.
Sweep, vacuum and start rubbing the concrete to clean the surface as thoroughly as possible. After this process is finished you can rent out a proper vacuum cleaner for a few hours to finish off the first step.
Step 3: Identify unlevel areas
You will need to use a levelling bar for this part of the process. You need to place the bar against the floor to mark the unlevel parts of the floor.
Step 4: Grind down the highest areas
You can use a concrete grinder to grind down any high points to make the concrete level again. You also need to make sure you wear protective clothing and accessories like eye protection and gloves.
Place the disk flat against the floor and grind until the flooring is smooth. When you have finished, use a heavy-duty vacuum cleaner to get all the debris off the floor.
Step 5: Bonding agents
You will next need a bonding agent for the floor to help the old concrete and the fresh concrete bond. You cannot put it directly onto the old concrete floor though, first you need to water it down after which you will lay it out on the floor with a nap roller. Next, you can add the freshly mixed, new concrete on the floor.
Step 6: The concrete
You can get ready mixed concrete material from us, give us a call and we can prepare the exact amount you need. We will also talk through the process and answer any questions you have.
Once the concrete is down, level out the mixture with a squeegee and a level bar. You need to complete this with pace as the mixture will start to dry within 20 minutes.
Last steps
You can either leave the flooring as it is, or you can wait until the floor is fully dry before decorating with your desired flooring choice like tiles, varnish or paint.
Aftercare
If you wish to have a statement concrete floor, you will need to polish your flooring once every 2-3 years with specialist polishing material. You can clean your concrete floor with normal floor cleaner and warm water using a mop.
Are you looking for ready mixed concrete? Take a look at the rest of our website for more information or get in contact now.