ᐅ Leveling compound on waterproof concrete basement floor: When is it possible?
Created on: 15 Mar 2020 12:21
M
Mbk84
Hello everyone,
In December, our basement floor (waterproof concrete) was poured. Since the end of January, the roof has been in place, and the basement is dry (at least visually, no more signs of moisture or dark spots). From mid-December to the end of January, there was about 3cm (1.2 inches) of water in the basement.
Since we have two weeks off now due to the pandemic and can’t travel anyway, we would like to use this time to level the basement floors with a self-leveling compound and possibly start tiling.
Is it okay to do this now, or should we wait longer for the concrete floor to dry or cure more?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Markus
In December, our basement floor (waterproof concrete) was poured. Since the end of January, the roof has been in place, and the basement is dry (at least visually, no more signs of moisture or dark spots). From mid-December to the end of January, there was about 3cm (1.2 inches) of water in the basement.
Since we have two weeks off now due to the pandemic and can’t travel anyway, we would like to use this time to level the basement floors with a self-leveling compound and possibly start tiling.
Is it okay to do this now, or should we wait longer for the concrete floor to dry or cure more?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Markus
Thank you again, these are very interesting points to consider
Yes, it has been taken into account in the calculations. To be honest, I’m not too concerned about the KfW invoice, as we are not financing through KfW anyway.
Yes, that’s a disadvantage on one hand. On the other hand, it’s actually quite practical to have a bit more room height. Especially since these two rooms are mainly used for storage and as a workshop. I’m more concerned about sound insulation there. Why would the sound travel through the whole house from that area?
No, except for the basement corridor, there is no underfloor heating in the other basement rooms. Of course, "more/better" is always possible, but at some point, you have to draw the line. The roughly 4,000 euros (about $4,400) saved on screed and underfloor heating I’d rather invest where I spend my time every day.
Zaba12 schrieb:
The question is whether this has been coordinated with the energy consultant, so that the missing insulation in the two basement rooms doesn’t affect your KfW invoice.
Yes, it has been taken into account in the calculations. To be honest, I’m not too concerned about the KfW invoice, as we are not financing through KfW anyway.
Lumpi_LE schrieb:
Great trip hazard.
Yes, that’s a disadvantage on one hand. On the other hand, it’s actually quite practical to have a bit more room height. Especially since these two rooms are mainly used for storage and as a workshop. I’m more concerned about sound insulation there. Why would the sound travel through the whole house from that area?
Lumpi_LE schrieb:
Don’t you have underfloor heating in the basement?
No, except for the basement corridor, there is no underfloor heating in the other basement rooms. Of course, "more/better" is always possible, but at some point, you have to draw the line. The roughly 4,000 euros (about $4,400) saved on screed and underfloor heating I’d rather invest where I spend my time every day.
The screed is installed as a floating layer, so that impact sound does not travel throughout the entire house. There is no contact with the walls or the floor.
I’m not sure how you arrived at your €2,000 savings for the screed. To give you a comparison, we paid €5,000 for 210 sqm (2260 sq ft) of anhydrite screed. Yes, we also don’t have underfloor heating in two basement rooms, but those areas still have screed. If you want to save money, consider doing the sealing and insulation yourself, including the perimeter insulation strips. The materials shouldn’t cost more than €400. The screed itself will then probably be around €500–700. That way, you’ll still have a proper solution.
I’m not sure how you arrived at your €2,000 savings for the screed. To give you a comparison, we paid €5,000 for 210 sqm (2260 sq ft) of anhydrite screed. Yes, we also don’t have underfloor heating in two basement rooms, but those areas still have screed. If you want to save money, consider doing the sealing and insulation yourself, including the perimeter insulation strips. The materials shouldn’t cost more than €400. The screed itself will then probably be around €500–700. That way, you’ll still have a proper solution.
Thank you @Zaba12 for the suggestion, I think we will reconsider it, even though it wasn’t originally planned.
... with our general contractor, the cost per basement room is around 1,000 euros depending on the size for insulation, screed, and sanding, which is how I arrived at the 2,000 euros. Underfloor heating would be an additional 600-700 euros per room on top.
... with our general contractor, the cost per basement room is around 1,000 euros depending on the size for insulation, screed, and sanding, which is how I arrived at the 2,000 euros. Underfloor heating would be an additional 600-700 euros per room on top.
Hello Markus.
You asked a simple question, and I will never understand why simple questions are often complicated and answered in ways that don’t really address the core issue!
Your question was:
“Is it possible now, or do we need to wait longer for the concrete floor to dry or cure further?”
Answer:
The concrete is definitely cured. Otherwise, the construction work would not have been carried out.
Since the floor leveling compound must be a cement-based binder, drying times do not need to be considered!
Just keep in mind that the concrete surface must be cleaned by grinding, vacuumed to remove fine dust, and primed. Then the leveling compound can be applied immediately.
And if you want to tile the floor, you might not need leveling compound at all and can lay the tiles directly in the thin-set mortar if the surface is sufficiently even.
But once again: the concrete surface must first be cleaned by grinding to remove the (unavoidable) fine sediments resulting from the concreting process and then primed.
Best regards, KlaRa
You asked a simple question, and I will never understand why simple questions are often complicated and answered in ways that don’t really address the core issue!
Your question was:
“Is it possible now, or do we need to wait longer for the concrete floor to dry or cure further?”
Answer:
The concrete is definitely cured. Otherwise, the construction work would not have been carried out.
Since the floor leveling compound must be a cement-based binder, drying times do not need to be considered!
Just keep in mind that the concrete surface must be cleaned by grinding, vacuumed to remove fine dust, and primed. Then the leveling compound can be applied immediately.
And if you want to tile the floor, you might not need leveling compound at all and can lay the tiles directly in the thin-set mortar if the surface is sufficiently even.
But once again: the concrete surface must first be cleaned by grinding to remove the (unavoidable) fine sediments resulting from the concreting process and then primed.
Best regards, KlaRa
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