How to level a concrete floor

The original floor in the kitchen/dining area was a black slate floor. Whilst I think slate can look really nice in some houses, ours was splattered in white paint stains and it only went into the kitchen, not throughout the living room area. So when we decided to remove the wall to make it open plan, I wanted to use the same flooring throughout the kitchen and living room to create a flow throughout the house.

So the first thing to go was the slate flooring! After drilling up the flooring, there was concrete bumps all over the floor and as we wanted to lay laminate flooring on top of this it would have been uneven and it needed leveling. And your final finished floor will only be as good as the sub floor under it!

If you need more information, this video from the Ultimate Handyman was also great help for us when trying to level the floor, youtube is a great resource for Renovating Rookies!

You will need:

• Spirit Level
• Self-leveling compound (we used 
• Small smoother
• Large smoother/ push broom

Steps:

1. Work out which areas are uneven - a long spirit level will help you work this out. 

2. Mark the lowest points of the floor with chalk

3. Mix self-leveling compound in a bucket with water, it is easiest to mix this using the mixing attachment on an electric drill. The exact measurements are on the packet of the compound.

4. Pour the compound onto the chalk marks/low levels in the floor. The compound will fill in dips in the floor as it dries. Add a significant amount of compound mix to fill up the holes.

5. Smooth the compound over the holes using a small trowel or the large push broom to even it out.

6. Let it dry, this may take overnight. It's best to wait 24 hours before laying flooring on top of the concrete.