Amazing Self Leveling Concrete Overlay (Fixing a badly damaged concrete floor)

[@GORBACHEVMA]

"Self leveler self levels itself" is the best quote from this video :)

[@dbennett4]

Like Ricky from Trailer Park Boys: "I'm self smarted.... I smarted myself!"

[@mikeknoll1130]

Wow, very tedious, but you guys just knock ‘em out, you guys might just be the very best,looking forward to the next vid.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Thank you Mike!

[@erroldillon1548]

You’re a Master concrete specialist!!! Fantastic procedure. I will definitely follow your instructions. Thanks!

[@dougbaker5269]

Great content Mike. Being in the flooring business for 20 years now I have used alot of self leveling. My only recommendation I would say and you already said it. Use the primer every time. Keep up the good work. 👍

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Great tip!

[@SuperTedsmith]

Rule of thumb in self leveling is primer is a must

[@Wright_Works]

Okay, how do you fix if primer wasn't used before the pour?

[@randywl8925]

@@Wright_Works cross fingers. 🫣 If it didn't pop, you'll probably be fine, but I agree. It helps the bond and helps reduce moisture being sucked from the self leveler. Most self levelers require X amount of water per bag. If it looks too thick, don't add another cup of water to suit it to your liking. It's a precisely engineered material and you don't want to screw with the chemistry. I added extra water on my first job. Not much, maybe a half cup.... or more. I came back two hours later and there was a 1/32" pool of water in the center of the pour. It should have been ok to walk on, but it wasn't.

[@johnd942]

Proven again! How a master tradesman can make a complex procedure look so simple, and there lies the danger for D.I.Y'ers! An amazing job! There was a lot of technical know-how going on here.

[@fullblownredneck9623]

I took a drink of beer every time he said level. Ten minutes in and I'm done.

[@katphish30]

Do you want alcohol poisoning? Because that's how you get alcohol poisoning.

[@brianallen8091]

Sure. With that attitude, you sound like the type of guy the rest of us goes behind and fixes their “work”. Have another for us, we don’t mind the extra work. 💰is💰

[@codycampbell6805]

I ran out of beer.

[@romansfoodcritic]

🤣🤣

[@ToddDunford]

My friend died trying to also drink during the 'stampable overlays'

[@alphaomega3173]

I was renovating Ikea bathrooms with my buddies and we used self leveling concrete for the floors because we ripped out the old tiles and took some of the concrete with them. We had the tile guys coming in two days and they were suoer happy with the result. Very simple easy job and this a great idea to make a old garage floor have some youth into it again.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Thanks, that's awesome!

[@georgetuider654]

I've used a couple of the self leveling products. Great to have the three of you to work together on this with two mixing and you moving it around. That stuff can set up pretty quickly! It's not cheap, but it is WAY more cost effective than the alternative: Breaking up the old floor and pouring a new one.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

You're right on George!

[@rayc6685]

You’re the best in the business! I wish you worked in my area.

[@phillhart2990]

I love watching your vids. They're so clear, and you explain and show each step - saved every one. Thanks so much

[@JaymeVanAuken]

Great video guys I wish I would have watched this before I did my bathroom but it did turn out pretty good again thank you excellent video

[@TalksWithRyan]

Quickrete has a self leveler now that comes in a 5 gal drywall bucket pretty handy

[@MikeDayConcrete]

That is handy! Thanks

[@als1023]

Excellent video. thank you for all the great content here !! Anyone looking to self level a floor should watch this.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I appreciate that!

[@briggshome7012]

My experiences with this stuff have been excellent. Early on, I found that you MUST mix it to a loose, pourable consistency....don't worry about it being too thin. If it's too thick, it won't flow and level. You must seal ALL edges and openings through which the leveler can seep out. not only will it make a divot in the final job, it may damage something down below. Finally, this stuff "cures" rather than "dries." So, as soon as you mix it, it wants to start hardening up. Pour it, spread it, level it and MOVE ON! It's great for leveling bathroom floors, too!

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Awesome, thank you for the comment!

[@SuperTedsmith]

Must mix according to manufacturer, water to powder ratio needs to be accurate

[@matoko123]

No mention of the surface destroying bubbles that I experienced. Awful!

[@randywl8925]

@@matoko123 was a primer required and did you use it?

[@randywl8925]

@@SuperTedsmith that is exactly what needed to be said. The first job I did with self leveling material was a learning experience. I mixed exactly the right amount of water according to the directions but it looked too thick so I add an extra cup or two of water to where I thought it looked like it should be. I left for an hour and a half and when I came back it was Matt colored around the perimeter of the area and it was a very thin film of water across the middle where the floor was deeper. I learned is that this is a chemical reaction. When mixed according to instructions the water and the cement mixture combine in a way that makes this reaction take place. When mixed correctly, some of the products can be walked on in an hour because the chemical reaction removes or converts the water. If you add extra water, the chemical reaction still takes place but then the entire mix has too much water and now the water must evaporate. Can take an awful long time for the water to evaporate. A couple of hours, it may take a few days and who knows how that extra water effected of the material. This is not plain old concrete. These are high-tech materials and the only thing that's important is having the mixing containers ready to go so you can do the poor as quickly as possible. That can mean having an extra person or two doing nothing but cleaning buckets and getting them ready for the next mixing. It's better to have too many people than not enough, especially so when the weather is warm. Use cold water to slow down the chemical process, not hot water from 100 ft hose laying outside..... If you use the warm or hot water from the hose you will learn very quickly why not to do that. 😁

[@JDL_2020]

Would like to have seen you laser after the first coat to see how close you can get it to level. Good video, thanks.

[@josecondemarin9586]

It looks good, I feel like you need to be patience and let the mix do its job floor looks good after. Great job !! Good video. Take care thanks 😊

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Yes! Thank you!

[@house_church]

Excellent video. Much thanks!

[@kenjjjjjjmmmm]

I'm very impressed by your skill and expertise. Well done.

[@glennfelpel9785]

It sure is good to learn all the details of what products and tools you use. Always something new, very much appreciated. Am looking forward to the stampable overlay techniques too. Thank you for the video it is great.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

My pleasure Glenn!

[@outman6207]

as floor guy who did a lot selfleveling, a small tip, you can buy that roller, it is game changer, and make perfect perfect. it work like vibrator screed. another tip, you can put few light bar on another end, after you spread out, check the reflection of light to find any deshape.

[@sm87112]

Slick trick on an unlevel surface with the screws. I am doing self levelling over a rough surface concrete Patio as a base for laying stone.

[@joanies6778]

Love watching these videos. Maybe I can do this in my basement. My town has had at least two 100 year floods in the last 50 yrs before they fixed the river flow. My 104 yr old house has several rooms in the basement where the concrete has failed and is all broken up or cracked... something I discovered only after removing the false floors. I just want to get all the debris removed and get some respectable concrete floors in. This would work short of pouring all new thick floors.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

It might work, you saw how bad this floor was.

[@penguinbrand]

Great video and great work. Thanks for the great instruction. Would this work in a garage or would the overlay eventually fail if is too thin? Thanks again!

[@mikemaben7485]

That self leveler came out real nice

[@thezzach]

Love the detailed narration

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ronwalden1431]

Very nice job. Look forward to the stamp finish.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Thanks Ron, it'll be out Friday.

[@rottenL]

Great video, great narration, great finished product!

[@rogerhodges7656]

I would like to see a follow-up in a year. The floor appears to have a lot of existing cracks. I expect those to all telegraph through your new finish floor. Good luck!

[@MikeDayConcrete]

It's always possible. Being this old and now a heated space I think this one will be good.

[@EJfromNYC]

That's my question... Aren't you supposed to fill the cracks? Maybe use a mesh?

[@user-fx4qz8pt3w]

Great videos, such detail, I almost feel like I could do this... almost.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I think just about anyone could do this.

[@viankalobosvalenzuela7456]

Excelente trabajo 👌👌👌 saludos desde Chile 🇨🇱👌💯

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Thank you!

[@craigmeyers4497]

Wow! You could put a dye in it and make it look like marble.. That's nice product..

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Awesome product!

[@gws86]

Great video. How do you maintain proper flow to the drain?

[@luksaantono2311]

Very cool video! Around a minute in you put black text over the screen - if you put a slight white outline around the text it’ll make it more legible. Same with the white arrow at about a minute thirty but in reverse - a black outline around the arrow would help it stand out Can’t wait for the next one!

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Thanks for the tip!

[@williamphillips753]

Can your drive on it without damaging? Would like to smooth out my garage floor.

[@frankflanagan109]

Looks great Mike! I'm gonna check out that mixer, mine is about shot....

[@MikeDayConcrete]

The mixer is awesome. Darin loves it.

[@kellenwhitney4505]

If you have an indoor laser level you can wrap tape around the drill n mark a line on it , whenever the laser is on that line you know the end of your bit is grade. Time is money. 💪🏼

[@bryanlloyd1099]

Great job as always and Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I did! And thank you!

[@jasonmarshall7827]

I love watching your videos very helpful,you guys do top notch work.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I appreciate that Jason!

[@XBKLYN]

Love watching pros do their thing!

[@OwenLowe]

Valuable advice

[@casade2831]

I love this video. By far, my favorite 👍

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Yay! Thank you!

[@jmenterprise3764]

Next owner of the house.. man this would make a nice garage

[@dougsherman1562]

Thanks for another great video Mike. I have a job just like this coming up and sure appreciate the walk-through on the process.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I'd recommend using the Sakrete self leveler. Let me know if you can't find any.

[@cmm170526]

Great video! Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

You bet!

[@JohnCunninghamTeam]

Very helpful. QUESTION: I have an old floor we are chipping saltillo tile out of. It will probably need repairs and leveling. I want to make this floor a sandy off off-white color with no joints or stamping. Prefer a finish similar to a fine smooth plastered wall. Not looking for a high polish. I imagine it will need a penetrating sealer, and we want to ensure that the sealer leaves no sheen or coated appearance. I appreciate the advice upfront. Thank you!

[@500502]

Would this be good for a garage floor and Can you epoxy paint over the self leveling mix?

[@jmpersic]

This is great! How would you do a floor that is up to 3" out of level?

[@jefff6167]

Thanks for taking the time to create such great content. 🇺🇸👍

[@steveashworth6707]

That material works great, how thick of a layer can this be installed?.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

This will go up to 1" neat, you can go thicker if you add pea-stone to the mix.

[@treadmarsh1094]

I'm buying a house with a cement basement and I plan on some type of flooring, but I don't think the floor is level. The screws are an excellent idea to use as a reference. Thank you

[@MikeDayConcrete]

You're welcome.

[@alanrobertson7073]

What type of screws?

[@chandler1937]

I want to re surface an outdoor patio and I am wondering how soon can I apply some sealer to this after it is put down?

[@trbowlin]

Do you have a video showing fixing the spalling and big craters or cracks prior to using the self-leveling? What would be the maximum thickness you could use? Can you put down two coats? I've got a garage with a wacky floor, a corner and the garage door threshold have settled.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Check out Sakrete Pro-Mix All purpose cement repair. That's what you can use to repair first. Also their Top & Bond repair. You can go thicker with this if you add some pea-stone to the mix when mixing (up to 1.5") You can go up to 1" without the added stone. You can layer over itself, just use the primer between layers.

[@trbowlin]

@@MikeDayConcrete hanks so much! I've been wanting to fix it up but not wanting to make a mess! Have a great day!

[@alanc.8167]

What are your thoughts on using this to smooth out an area with a lot of exposed aggregate making it painful to walk on?

[@MikeDayConcrete]

It could be used for that.

[@everettcabalar8416]

You should really invest in a three bag mixer. Wolff makes ones with wheels and a pivoting point so you don’t have to make your boys break there backs . It also has a removable mixer holder. Been working with a product from Germany called Uzin and it levels out much more glassy and more fluid like. Much better than the other brands I’ve worked with never gone back. I like your screw technique btw !

[@michaelvonfeldt9629]

I really enjoy your channel Mike. Thanks!

[@fljetgator1833]

Beautiful work 😎🇺🇸

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Thanks

[@KevinChernenkoff]

I took me about half the video to figure out what kind of wizardry allowed this man to walk on the liquid concrete!

[@xCoolBreezex]

Great video thanks for all the details super thorough

[@vincentjohnson9126]

Awesome video!

[@Ladosligese]

nice job and all :) i just wonder .. what happens when the owner wants to remove those cabinets ?

[@gator6596]

One of the best and concise instructional videos I’ve watched! Since 2005 have watched over 5,000 videos! You guys are real professionals!

[@kenp133]

Great video. Can I use regular quickcrete cement to bring up the floor 3\4" prior to using an 1/8" of self leveler on a floor.? Leveler is $37 per bag now days.

[@MonthlyInvestor]

I have a spot that runs back towards my foundation, could this be used to raise it a bit?

[@robertpedretti2761]

Great description of the process. Great video!

[@Elbyresin]

Great video man! Thank you

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Glad you liked it!

[@estefaniamontoya7618]

Can this be put on top of old tiles or on top of old terrazzo that had glue and carpet on top before?

[@joemoramarco8577]

your videos are extremely helpful, thank you. I've been using sakrete products to repair a slab and I'm ready to use the self leveling resurface but the Sakrete Bonder & Fortifier as well as the Bond Strength Primer Additive don't seem to be available anywhere. is there a good substitute product you can recommend? thank you

[@Morganexcavation]

Have you used the concrete recap for floors like this and left it? I’m wanting to do it smooth finished but did a test run and it feels very grainy.

[@johncumpton7198]

Wow that stuff’s amazing

[@chrisy1528]

Is there any reason to put a gap around the edges for expansion? Some videos show this as a part of the process.

[@ricardogutierrez3367]

Thanks for video sir!

[@fantasticfamily5004]

Amazing 🤩.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@olegproscurchin8200]

I have basically exactly the same looking garage floor and was wondering what I can do :) Thanks. Just one question, when I'm allowed to cover this with epoxy? Do I need to grind it or I can do it just on top, as it's new?

[@olegproscurchin8200]

Oh... never mind I see same question below and your answer :) Thanks again.

[@igorshapovalov8681]

great job Mike. What primer did you use for the concrete?

[@nickanderson9167]

Could do this if it was still a garage, or would the weight of vehicles be a problem?

[@masterblaster9123]

I'm trying to crowdfund for drywall and SL concrete. We had a mold issue and it ate our house apart and we lost my mom to the sickness caused by it. I've been working on this house for months and this is going to be a cost effective solution to make things look nicer. I can't afford real floors. So I wanna do this and stain. Or if the crowd funding goes well enough pay a service to epoxy it

[@Bootzey73]

Nice job, thanks for the share.

[@masonfisher1535]

Would you recommend this product to level out uneven spots on the floor or should you do the whole floor? I have a new poor,garage floor that got scalped a little bit with the power trowel. Would you recommend this product to fill that in? thank you

[@jimvikse7453]

Looks good, Mike! Nice product too. Did you fill the floor drain with mud? LOL!

[@annaliu2377]

Good job. May I ask what is the product 2:50

[@drdilettante]

Great video! My "new" house has a garage converted to a living room, and it's way out of level. It's got 12" ceramic tile down, and Jeff at Home Renovision has said you can go over tile (especially if there's possibly asbestos; I don't think mine does likely doesn't b/c it's from the 1990s). If you agree, should I rough up the tile or just pour on top . . . to what thickness? I want to install LVP. Thanks!

[@matoko123]

Paint a tile PVA on it first.

[@hectorsanchez2524]

Did you end up going over tile?

[@drdilettante]

@@hectorsanchez2524 I've got the floor prepped, but the drop is 2", so I'm going have to build that end up by adding gravel, then let that set and cool before adding the self-leveling concrete.

[@joedasilva38]

Would you advise me doing this to my concrete pool area here in Western NY?

[@andrewchitty5453]

great job Mike and team. I paint concrete pools wonder if those shoe ins would work for me.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I suppose they would.

[@classicalmusic2425]

How thick is the stampable overlay concrete(?) that you layed after self leveler? And why do self level first and not level with stampable concrete?

[@mikedebellis6935]

Hey Mike, or other concrete pros for that matter, is there any reason you guys don’t use a wheelbarrow? Love the content. Thanks!

[@philb9019]

Will this type of overlay work for a residential garage floor with vehicle parking ?

[@MikeDayConcrete]

This one from Sakrete would work for a garage, yes.

[@calebtylerr]

Awesome video! I am looking to do this a finished floor in my studio space. What sealer do you recommend for finishing of this overlay? Thanks!

[@sarcasmo57]

Looks great.

[@JtotheRizzo]

How do you prevent little air bubbles from forming after the self-leveler dries. I got a ton of them in my project... 😔

[@ozarkdaredevils]

Can I use this on a driveway ? It looks amazing .

[@MikeDayConcrete]

It is rated for exterior. It would be smooth though.

[@jasonthomas1760]

I know about nothing about concrete work but I'm getting ready to level and oppoxy my Woodshop. I'm curious why yell didn't start at the low point (drain) and work out from there?

[@BillPezzullo]

Have you ever painted the screw heads a contrasting color like white or fluorescent pink?

[@Bigolpete]

What kinda space are you estimating for the overlap of the face frame? This video glazed over that

[@MassHunter12]

Hey Mike, I've got 2 car garage that I'd like to use some of this self leveling resurfacer on. Its a concrete floor now with some of that roll on epoxy that we did years ago, now peeling and chipping. If I were to resurface it do you recommend stripping the concrete of that epoxy or should I just go over it with a primer like you used?

[@MikeDayConcrete]

I'd grind it off.

[@billybastar4022]

Is,this material ok for drive able outdoor surfaces?

[@clarksonjones6474]

Mike what would you recommend (product) for an outdoor forklift pad that is heavily spalled ?

[@NathanHarrison7]

Thank you. Subscribed.

[@6806goats1]

So would a primer help when the concrete has already been painted and I want to put down some thin leveling compound? My house uses hydronic floor heating and the builder (owner built) used regular concrete and not gypsum. Then the concrete was painted and carpet laid down, single layer, no pad. It's not in terrible condition but I'm thinking about vinyl flooring planks, no foam. I haven't check to see how level or straight the floor is. Just some barely visible trowel marks so not a smooth pour. Thanks.

[@Dutch2go]

Question: shouldn’t you start with filling the deepest area and work your way towards the shallower areas so that it doesn’t try to run downhill to the deep area? I’m gonna have to do this in my basement and was just wondering.

[@sierranick6293]

Great video super helpful! How many sqft was the area and how many bags did you use? I'm considering doing around 800sqft of my basement.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

This was 480 sf. About 40 bags. They'll do about 50 sf at 1/8" thick.

[@charlesjohnson7222]

With the slop of the floor how did you calculate for your material/number of bags?