How to Self Level Concrete Floors Like Pros - Self Leveler

In this video we show you everything you need to know to make perfect level floor using self leveling floor compound. Use this self leveling concrete for making a perfect level floor for wood floors. Using self leveling concrete, also known as self leveling floor cement, also called floor leveler will give you a level floor. We'll show you how to level a floor and how to apply self leveling compound on concrete floors to make a perfect level floor for tile. The trick is knowing how to use self leveling cement. We'll teach you how to use self leveler to make a perfect level floor.
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✅Tools used in the this how to level floor for tile video:
✅ SIKA 187782 Concrete Bonding Adhesive and Acrylic Fortifier amzn.to/34nZgdF
✅ Bosch 5" Angle grinder with vacuum attachment kit: amzn.to/2ErfiJH
✅ Gauge Rake with Sleds and Wood Handle to rake the self leveler compound across the floor: amzn.to/2Cuivap
✅ Wooster spiked shoes for applying self leveler: amzn.to/2Bz97QX
All about self leveling floor compound and how to level a floor
Before installing flooring, and before you level floor with cement, you need to make sure your floor does not have more than 1/8" variation of a 6 foot length. Is your basement floor not level? You'll need how to use self leveling cement. Before your pour self leveling compound, drop your 6 foot level to the floor and you should not see any dips more than 1/8" or you need to level floor with self leveling concrete. We'll show you how to use self leveling cement.
how to use self leveling compound on concrete floor
If you fail to have a level floor for tile or laminate hardwood floors, then your tile floor will have lippage between the tiles, and your wood floor will creak, and you'll void the warranty on your new laminate wood floors. this is crucial to level basement floor for tile. Self leveling floors requires some preparation.
Level floor with cement
We usually flatten down the lumpy concrete uneven floor, before we achieve a level floor with mortar by first grinding high points with an angle grinder and a diamond cup grinding wheel, hooked up to a shop vac to catch all dust. Then we roll on a cement bonding agent to allow the new self leveling floor cement to adhere to the old concrete slab, or concrete basement floor. this is required before you pour self leveler on concrete
So is your basement floor not level? Is your basement floor not flat? Then these are the steps you need to take to level floors with cement. You will need a level basement floor for tile installation or even for installing hardwood floors and laminate floors. When you are done, if you adhere to the self leveler installation strategies in this video your floor should be perfectly level floor with concrete.
How to use self leveling cement to level floor with mortar
In this video we'll show you the importance of well choreographed teamwork is and how to use self leveling compound correctly, and how you need to work fast to make a level floor with mortar.
When you are self leveling floors, remember that the self leveling compound should be mixed in 2-3 minutes, dumped onto the floor immediately, and raked into place within 5 minutes, because self leveling floor cement is very fast setting, this is the perfect material if you your basement floor not level. All this because your basement floor not flat.
how to use self leveling compound on concrete floor
The person applying the self leveling floor cement prior to installing any flooring, uses a rake to gently guide and smooth the self leveler compound across the level floor with concrete like a gentle tidal wave. this is how you level basement floor for tile.
how to use self leveling cement to make a level floor for tile
The self leveling cement then travels around the floor, filling in all cracks and gaps, and automatically leaves a perfectly level top surface, like a glass mirror surface. In a few hours you'll have a level floor with mortar. this is how to use self leveling compound.
Congratulations, you finally know how to use self leveler and how to level a floor, and you'll be ready to level out the bumpiest of concrete floors with self leveling compound. Now you'll have a perfectly level floor for tile. Now you can show your friends how to make a perfectly level basement floor for tile.

[@jeffostroff]

✅Tools used in the this how to level floor for tile video: ✅ SIKA 187782 Concrete Bonding Adhesive and Acrylic Fortifier amzn.to/34nZgdF ✅ Bosch 5" Angle grinder with vacuum attachment kit: amzn.to/2ErfiJH ✅ Gauge Rake with Sleds and Wood Handle to rake the self leveler compound across the floor: amzn.to/2Cuivap ✅ Wooster spiked shoes for applying self leveler: amzn.to/2Bz97QX See our other Channel for CarBuyingTips.com also: 🚘🚗 WATCH ➜ How Car Dealers Scam You with Fake New Car Window Stickers: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oprQhWOhmrmCprs 🚘🚗 WATCH ➜ CarBuyingTips.com KZbin Channel: kzbin.infovideos 🚘🚗 VISIT ➜ CarBuyingTips.com: www.carbuyingtips.com

[@ebarrin625]

jeffostroff thanks for the info

[@worker8454]

What leveler did they use?

[@millerstainable]

I think it's safe to say all yt-ers know how subscribing works. I was considering subscribing until I heard the push to do so near the end of the video. If the content is good, people will subscribe not because they were encouraged thru self promotion

[@matsm-xd2dw]

So should the professional you're paying to install your floors prep the floor like this for you?

[@spydirty2530]

I guess you are somehow unaware of how Amazon treats their employees. But sure, give Bezos more promotion. Maybe we can send him to Mars next

[@michaelbodell111]

This type of quality of work is unheard of these days excellent job

[@jeffostroff]

These guys are commercial installers, normally doing hospitals, large retail spaces, etc. They were the only company of 3 that I called, that would come and do a job this "small", 350 SQ feet living room and dining room. They were done by noon.

[@spydirty2530]

They spent a fortune in floor leveler, let alone the floor itself and labor. Most ppl couldn’t afford what was done here. Furthermore, you’d be really hard pressed to find a DIYer who could pull this off

[@davidpenland6991]

I am an unfortunate 'Army of One' that doesn't have anyone to mix for me... I have 520sqft to spread today or tomorrow in my own home. I screwed screws into the floor on a 2' grid and at corners of the walls/cabinets across my kitchen, dining room, pantry, coffee bar area, mud room, a closet, and a bathroom with a closet as a floor height reference based off of a FatMax self-leveling laser and a marked-for-reference white 1X2 board. In several locations I have 3/4" sag between all of the exterior walls being level, and three other heights across the floor that match those exterior walls. The rest is low with no way to bring it up except to fill it in. I believe I can do it alone by adding the self leveler up to the tops of all of the screws as a reference. This video was good reference for what I am about to do and it is well put together. Thank you for taking the time to put it together for us. :)

[@jeffostroff]

Wow, that's a huge project, and a lot to pour with some of these 3/4" differences. Make sure you have enough bags. Let us know how this goes for you, and what challenges you had to overcome.

[@TheDangerBuck]

How did it go

[@enzprintco.8625]

Yea…how’d it go?

[@joelc9329]

How did it go bro? 💀

[@andrehshawel1739]

@@jeffostroff how did it go man??? I’m trying to work on my basement which is 1700 sq feet

[@joshuapatterson8910]

Over 15 years in concrete experience here and they miss the most important step. Repairing the cracks. Hair line cracks can be sealed with a structure epoxy but if bigger or deeper than 1/8 your suppose to cut a valley and place backer rod then seal it with structure epoxy, then grind floor after it has cured, then self level the floor. Also i would have lifted and pin the carpet up on the stairs. For you guys wondering why house slabs crack like this. There are 2 main reasons. 1. Is settling over time. 2. New construction companies add too much water to the concrete past the specs of the mix design. Why so they can finish the slab faster. That looks like a 3000 post-tension slab and thats usually a 5 in max slump. If it cracked like that and the house is about 3 to 5 years old i bet they poured it on a 7 to 8 in slump which is too wet and it reduces the strenght of the concrete. Ive seen this done too many time to count.

[@jeffostroff]

I don't think any of the cracks were over 1/8".

[@PetePuebla]

Love the video, very informative! Great descriptive generation with background noise that wasn't so high you can't hear the duration. Hope to see more videos like this in the future. Keep up the great work!

[@oopalonga]

thx jeff this was awesome, wasn't really sure how to do this and feel more confident about it now

[@jeffostroff]

Glad to help!

[@ds-1111]

This is the "money is no object" way. Floating the entire floor is not always necessary. Normally you just use a long straight edge at various points along the floor and mark the high spots and the low spots (a step missed in this video). Then you grind the high spots down. Then you use the self leveling mix to fill only the low spots, not the entire floor. This will save you so much money using less bags of self leveler, and still get a level floor.

[@jeffostroff]

this floor had way too many problems for screeding.

[@michaelgarcia8419]

I've been laying wood floor for years and I have to say that bamboo flooring looks amazing great job

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, we loved working with it, 5/8" thick solid strand natural bamboo. They manufacture it by crushing the bamboo and compressing it under high heat and pressure, Janka rating 2500.

[@_.iivvee._]

Amazing video!!! My condo concrete looks just like this. I was shocked to see a downward slope in the middle of my living room along with a ton of cracks🥴 Thanks for the tips, praying I can temporarily fix this until I get professional repair 👍🏼

[@morganblu]

Now when I get this done I'll have an idea what to expect, thanks!

[@jeffostroff]

A nice flat floor!

[@garnhamr]

i fit floors in the uk and we get big gaps at the patio doors and/or insulation poking up. They also have a guy come round and spunk in a load of mastic everywhere so they can get a good air pressure test result. It's not always the case but some companies/builders/site managers don't give enough care for the floor prep. You can use wide masking tape if there are skirting boards on but personally i prefer to use a hand trowel and i do the whole lot 100m2+ on my own, otherwise the money isn't good enough

[@matthewlee8667]

Laying down our own floor very soon. Thanks a lot for this video. Very informative.

[@jeffostroff]

Awesome, glad to help out!

[@susanpeterson9558]

Beautifully done. Love the sweatshirt!

[@FrixnFactor]

Nice job man. Direct and to the point yet detailed at the same time. Thank you!

[@jeffostroff]

Glad it helped! Thanks for watching Alexander!

[@FrixnFactor]

@@jeffostroff If you can show me how to set up a misting cooling fan system for my enclosed sunroom that would be great. Once I level the floors, I want to be able to chill in this Texas heat!

[@kevincolbert2472]

Nice job and good info. I liked the way they used the grinder with a vac to take down the highest edges. If you didn't grind the floor, you would have had to have much thicker leveler over the entire surface to cover the high spots!

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, and one spot had a vertical section of rebar rod sticking about 1/4" up out of the foundation. Also roughing up the foundation with the grinder helps the primer and leveler stick better.

[@jalvarez111]

Thank you for the great tutorial!

[@alir.9894]

Thank you SO MUCH for this video! This was perfect. I had to go through like 6 videos to find a quality video like this!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

[@Kdub233]

Great video! Any thoughts on doing this in a detached garage so I can put in a home gym? I think I heard that there is a slope required out towards the front entrance. Thanks again.

[@jeffostroff]

Self leveling is hard to do on slope so you want it to pool up in lower end and level off to upper end. Remember this can only be used on foot traffic not garage car weight loads

[@weekendwarrior3420]

Yes, garages have slope for draining, this obviously rules out "self-leveling". I assume you don't want to mutilate the garage and get rid of the slope...

[@jllatin0]

You are a 100% right. I tried to self lvl my floor by myself and with the help of my 13 year old. I didnt have the proper tools, yet we finished the floor but it ended up being terrible job. You def need 3-4 people helping you out. Now i beed to fix my floor and thinking of putting another layer of self leveling. Any input on that?

[@jeffostroff]

Check to see what the bag says about multiple layers, usually adding the next one sooner the better.

[@skindiver2]

Perfect love from Australia 🇦🇺

[@logandavis6206]

Very smart, well crafted video!

[@rogaleas8891]

My friend, thaks a lot for teaching us. My question is: What kind of bonding agent did you use? Could you please tell me the name or the brand of it? Thank you very much.

[@jeffostroff]

Its Sika, You will see the link to it in the video description details above.

[@larrygeordan5747]

Its glorified latex and maybe try Vitrex spiked roller to work it around.

[@weekendwarrior3420]

You can find _all_ info you seek on Mapei website.

[@tonyromanus1491]

Hi Jeff! Thank you for the excellent video. It is greatly appreciated. We're putting down some vinyl plank over a concrete slab. We used this product to raise the floor 1/2" and correct some defects. For the most part it came out perfectly. We do have an issue. There's an area where we put down new leveler and the prior row had begun to set. As you might guess the seam didn't even out with the new pour a bit higher than the old. Nearby we complicated this problem by trying to rake out a minor imperfection in an area that had partially set. So we have a couple of high spots that need to be fixed. Would it be OK to grind them down carefully? And, if we end up with some small low spots how do you recommend we fill them? Thanks!

[@jeffostroff]

Yes we have done that before. I just used my angle grinder. If you have an orbital sander, try that first with some 60 to 80 grit paper, we used both.

[@tonyromanus1491]

@@jeffostroff Thanks Jeff! I ended up using my belt sander. I think we're ready for the flooring!

[@gregoryhudson123]

Nice job..... Looks amazing! 😎 👍🏻

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. This was a very satisfying project to see how beautiful and flat this floor was at completion.

[@abdulahahmadzai9461]

Great video! I wanted to ask if the the floor had a bump would you first have to lower that bump or would the self leveling cement do that?

[@jeffostroff]

Yes they will typically go around the floor with a grinder with a Cup wheel on it that will grind down the high spots sometimes you might even have to do a little chiseling but the idea is to get the floor as flat as possible before you even pour self-leveling compound otherwise you're going to end up mixing many many more bags than you originally intended in order to make it all rise up over the humps . So to prevent that the idea is to grind down the humps to the level of the rest of the floor

[@jimboslice8378]

What did you use for underlayment? Was the bamboo glued and nailed down? Also, what were your transition elevations to the existing tie in once you self leveled and laid down the flooring?

[@jeffostroff]

Bamboo floor was installed with a 1/8" underlayment, not glued down. Once we laid the floor planks, they were about the same height as the tile floor, so we used T-mold transition pieces. We did not have to use any height reducers.

[@oldfashionedinvesting4699]

jeffostroff I installed a floating bamboo floor as well but the planks appear to be rubbing against each other and squeak. Did your floating floor squeak at all?

[@robertmoldovan6016]

The white 1/4 round by the stair.... just perfect

[@jeffostroff]

I hated that crap. That was the last time I used quarter round. After that, everything goes up to 1/4" from the stairs, and I use flexible molding that we paint white.

[@OutThere5]

Great video. I like you you explain the important details

[@jeffostroff]

Glad it was helpful!

[@peacelove600]

What I wish I had known about floor leveling compound after watching these videos; The videos on KZbin are obviously with experienced tradesmen, making the job look easy. Primer is extremely important, especially when laying layers upon concrete. Anyone in the business of floor leveling will tell you that the product isn’t self-leveling. It takes an experienced hand to have a finished product that is flat, much less smooth and level, 3/16th of an inch at ten feet is the max variance. Cold, cold water will give you some extra time to spread the mix before it clumps and hardens. Special tools are needed, unless of course you are a concrete man that knows how to use lumber as a tool. Spike shoes are important when doing large areas. A roller with spikes is necessary to remove bubbles, help spread the cement and pop bubbles. A slow stir is necessary to keep air bubbles out of the mixture (recommending a mixer and not a drill). Exact water measurement is extremely important. Stirring longer than two minutes is just wasting set-up time. Sanding often isn’t a problem, some easier than others, some dustier than others.

[@jeffostroff]

All excellent observations

[@premkhan3969]

Love it. My floor is like this and I am looking for someone decent to fix it.

[@jeffostroff]

Glad you liked our video, and we hope you can get your floor leveled perfectly!

[@Odo-so8pj]

I'm loving the barrel they used. This could be the answer to my problem.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes you will often see pros come up with nice custom solutions hat work well for them like the buckets they used with holes to rapidly measure the exact amount of water they need to use for that leveler.

[@duffgen62]

I'm about to renovate an old outbuilding. The existing concrete floor is uneven so many thanks for showing me the technique and materials required for the job.

[@jeffostroff]

Glad to help. Sounds like itwill be a lot of bags.

[@kornelpasztor7947]

Hi Jeff, thanks for the fantastic video. I'm total newbie but here to learn so one day I might be able to do it myself :) Just to ask what happens if you don't use the bonding agent ? Is the new cement will start to cracking and loosing up with time ? By the way this video sounds like how they kind of teaching in schools which is great. I know some people layed wooden floor on to the top of carpet or they used glue to stick it to the floor. Are those methods are not the right one right ? Just asking it so if someone recommends it to me and thet say "it will be fine" I wont listen to them haha :D Thanks again

[@jeffostroff]

Old concrete which has already cured years ago needs to have the bonding agent rolled on 1st to enable the new concrete to bond with it as it forms its crystals during the curing process. If you don't apply the bonding agent first you're poured self leveler could delaminate from the concrete and not give you a very good hold. As far as the other methods are concerned, my thought is that the weight of the new laminate flooring that gets put down will likely hold itself now whether it might slide back and forth individual planks as you walk on them I simply don't know. One time we put down laminate flooring on top of tile. But we used the floor glue to glue down the underlayment first, and then we glued the planks down on top of the underlayment and so far that floor has been nice and solid for two years now

[@constancebowling5080]

this is exactly what I need done to my front room. house is old and all the layers of linoleum (about 5) my daughter scraped up, and the concrete floor is uneven . Where would I rent the machine with the vaccum ? Or how much should it cost for someone to do this for me? it is a 23'x9' room.

[@jeffostroff]

They will likely charge you a few hundred dollars, or you can rent the angle grinder at home depot, and a shop vac, but you'll likely spend almost as much on the rentals, they are expensive. And doing that work, and getting the respirators, that is grueling work, I would google floor removal companies, that's too hard to do it yourself. In 2015 I hired a floor removal company to come into a condo kitchen and front foyer and grind down all the thin set left over from me removing the old tile floor. Three guys, 2 hours, taped up film everywhere to avoid dust, hooked up a vacuum outside to suck all the dust out, jack hammered off all the thinset mortar from the previous tile floor, and when they were done we had a smooth flat concrete floor that was ground down smooth for $500. Sounds like yours is not that involved, so should be cheaper.

[@godservant7902]

Love your video and perfect job....

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you so much!

[@aokay720]

thank you! very inspiring

[@jeffostroff]

You are so welcome!

[@moonrich3492]

I spread self-leveling compound for the base of my shower stall. When dry, I installed the base for the shower stall. It wobbled. I tried some more self-leveling compound. The base still wobbled. Finally, someone suggested the base itself may not be perfectly level. I scoffed, saying the base was made in a modern manufacturing facility and was surely level. I took it to my pool table and guess what? The base wobbled. I should've ripped the manufacturer a new one but instead I applied some non-self-leveling compound to slightly slope the floor to match the uneven base. Sheez!

[@jeffostroff]

Great way to overcome what we find all the time! Shims might have worked also.

[@MistAtsiM]

I give my prices to folks with Leveling, ALOT of them come back and say "my other bid didn't have that on their proposal" I say, good luck with that.

[@jeffostroff]

Interesting strategy.

[@weekendwarrior3420]

@@jeffostroff If your good and have enough work, you don't have to deal with people who want crappy job for cheap and tarnish your reputation.

[@annasoucek6407]

Man your vids are nice, very helpful 😻

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, glad you liked it Anna!

[@madometal]

Wow awesome levelling

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, we were very pleased with the results and how flat and level the floor was afterward.

[@La_abbess]

If you ever get bored, voice for ESPN- your commentary really put me in spectator mode🤣

[@jeffostroff]

just saw your comment today, thanks!

[@allanpennington]

Surely with a pad that size there should be an expansion gap around the perimeter?

[@jeffostroff]

You don't need expansion gap with concrete. You would need it with wood or laminate flooring as it expands and contracts.

[@MichaelMerritt]

@@jeffostroff why would sidewalks have them then? Thanks for the video.

[@AcornFox]

@@MichaelMerritt im guessing its because sidewalks are subject to more extreme forces. expansion and contraction of the ground, especially important in the northeast with the freeze/thaw cycle

[@jwonderfulsuccess]

Cool stuff- self leveling compound- who would've thought

[@jeffostroff]

IT does a great job making it flat

[@joshuab2324]

What does a typical job like this cost? Is it by square foot. I have a basement that needs this before I remodel it. Was wondering what kind of quotes to expect? Great job on the video. Also, is there a slow set you could use to give you more time if you only had 2 people to do the job i.e. me and a friend?

[@jeffostroff]

We paid these guys $1200 for the job. You can probably do it with 2 guys, just have one guy mixing bags constantly, use multiple buckets so you can just go from one to the next. I don't think they have any slower setting self levelers.

[@cobusbrits2]

@@jeffostroff Was that including the materials or just labour?

[@hcasperson]

Thank you for making this video

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

[@savann.sun1980]

Its always looks good and perfect when it’s on camera.

[@jeffostroff]

It measured perfect when it dried too! The 6 foot level just smacked down nicely

[@Rustyshackleford752]

Ha!, looks like a typical new construction slab where I’m from

[@jeffostroff]

Yes indeed we see these all the time here in Florida

[@JUANRAMONROBLES]

@@jeffostroff that means in california they do better job than Florida 😂😂😂

[@JUANRAMONROBLES]

@@jeffostroff that means in california they do better job than Florida 😂😂😂

[@MrMajikman1]

I would never get paid if my new concrete floors looked like that🤦‍♂️ However, it does look like a typical concrete slab finish in Mexico.....

[@mariomatejka]

I have tried to use MAPEI self-leveling compound without any tools. I thought self-leveling meant it would... well ... level by itself. What I found was that the different batches wouldn't perfectly blend/mix with each other. What I mean is that the edges where the different batches met weren't perfectly blended, you could tell where the different pours were. If I was to do it again, I would invest in one of those spike rollers, to make it look like it was single uniform pour.

[@jeffostroff]

Yup, once you rake it and roll it, then it self levels.

[@cosmicshadow305]

What does it matter if you're putting a floor over it?

[@jeffostroff]

@@cosmicshadow305 It would only matter if the 2 different pours are uneven with a lippage between the 2 of them. A lot of it depends on if you mixed it properly and if you dumped it right away you're supposed to mix it within 2 minutes and get it on oak floor right away and yes you are supposed to use some type of rake. I have done small bathrooms before and had to do a smaller area of the bathroom and I was just pushing the mixture around on the floor with a trowel to feather it out to the rest of the floor.

[@Chris-mx4jb]

that's because you either mixed them with different amounts of water, different water temperatures, or the bags we'rent the same weight throwing off the mix ratio

[@mikeo6525]

Chris or if they wait to long in between pours. They could be perfect mixes. Won’t matter.

[@deborahwatson4537]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@jaschwa1979]

Great video. By tile contractor friend in Jacksonville, FL uses a company that pumps in self-leveling compound for big jobs like this. His advice to me was: “Remember it has the consistency of chocolate milk when you first pour it, so caulk every since crack or crevice where you don’t want it to go.” That was after I learned the hard way. I leveled a sink tub area and had a form to keep it out of the drain area, but I didn’t caulk. Within seconds, that stuff was leaking in under my form.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, we treat it like water and dam up everywhere.

[@xXxZGixXx]

Someone needs to share this with Louis rossman

[@jeffostroff]

I was wondering why Lewis even needed that whole flooring substructure to be built anyways.

[@miguimau]

Get out of my head, mate! :D

[@miguimau]

​@@jeffostroff He blamed… gravity. Apparently the floor has a huge slope from the bottom to the front of the store and it´s a long space.

[@miguimau]

@@someguy3717 He literally did it. "Gravity" (Understand it in context) check his live chat on the matter. I´m not telling he´s right or wrong but it´s his explanation.

[@miguimau]

@@someguy3717 I am saying that was his explanation everytime, and it was not a joke. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3Wtpp2ogLV-rJo

[@user-ty2uz4gb7v]

You didn't cover the clean up between the grinding and the priming. How clean does it need to be? It seems like that would take a considerable amount of time. Also, why didn't you seal the crack in the floor before priming and self leveling

[@jeffostroff]

I believe they used a regular roller attachment afterwards to just quickly go over the floor. We did not fill in the crack because it was not deep. The self leveler will fill in the crack when it runs over it.

[@jeffostroff]

@GoFuck Yourself Sorry, you are incorrect on this, I guess you missed the part where the bonding agent was put down first on the concrete before self leveling was applied, as required whenever you apply any mortar over old concrete, that is all you need. That is what MAPEI tells you to do, and in fact, they specifically tell you NOT to pour this over any underlayments: "All substrates must be primed with the appropriate MAPEI primer before applying self-levelers".... "Do not install over over sheet vinyl, self-stick vinyl tile, luxury vinyl tile/plank (LVT or LVP), glue-down wood flooring, particleboard, hardboard (Masonite), Lauan panels, waterproofing, crack-isolation or sound-control membranes, gypsum-based patching materials, or any other non-dimensionally stable materials."

[@Chris-mx4jb]

@@jeffostroff the proper way to do this is to seal ANY cracks before leveling compound. And to answer the original question it's standard to vacuum between grinding and primer

[@pdarcy8115]

Very nice work guys

[@patrickgrimes8964]

Great video, Thanks

[@jeffostroff]

You are welcome!

[@porschadominguez8262]

Good Job. I tried to tell someone that was installing pergo flooring over concrete/cement, that the floor must be leveled. And I stressed that a level must be used to determine. Well I guess because I am a girl I don't know crap. But it does not take a Architect to figure that common sense stuff out. But needless to say this gentleman continued on with his installation, and yes it looked like crap and felt like walking on grass. So fat he has re done the floor 3 times, trying to lay pergo uneven concrete. I am going to casually play your awesome video, so he can hear it from a man. Maybe then he will get thee old level out and get on my level....ha ha great video !! And workmanship on the floor job.!

[@jeffostroff]

Well the other alternative is to put shims under planks that are going to sag. I just did that at a friend's condo, they did not want to spend the money to level the concrete floor, so a few areas I had to put shims underneath the boards on maybe dozen board throughout the floor, otherwise when you step on them they mush down into the dip of the concrete floor.

[@Orangedome]

Your right.! And that was a funny joke Have a good Knight.

[@c.m.2747]

Ha.. it happens to most of all of us girls. I was told I didnt know what I was talking about when trying to correct the guy installing marble tiles for my bathroom. Needless to say I fired him the same day.

[@trueyskye]

ahh man this looks like something I shouldn't attempt. I have a 12x10 ft room and a 6 inch incline from corner to corner. Can get someone to help me but not professional help.. What should I do?

[@jeffostroff]

If it is 6" off and you have never done this before, I would leave it to the pros. Depending on the manufacturer of the self leveling compound, once you go past an inch or 2, they require aggregate to be put down with the product for reinforcement, as his is not meant to be used that thick on its own, or maybe grind down the part that is 6" higher, but a professional contractor should be able to accomplish this for you.

[@richardgilpin9262]

@@jeffostroff 6 in is a shit ton of material, might consider pressure-treated sleepers with a plywood subfloor over top

[@torbensonderskov91]

@@richardgilpin9262 Maybe dry pack instead?

[@richardgilpin9262]

@@torbensonderskov91 not sure what you mean, like a fat mud?

[@Hundo_Mo]

You made this look so easy

[@jeffostroff]

Those guys do this all day every day, must be easy for them

[@hhhhh-bz5ue]

Excellent video! Subbed too!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks Mike, glad you liked it and welcome aboard

[@patrickpaladin8698]

We always have to be careful of stating "perfectly level floor". Most SLU leaves the floor at about a 90 to 95 FF ( Floor Flatness). This project went form under FF15 to FF of about 95, which is great, just as the result is great.

[@jeffostroff]

That's some great info there, thanks Patrick! How do they measure the FF, are there nay tools the DIYer can use for this?

[@hotdawg9840]

I've never heard carpet make a noise unless i was ripping it out

[@jonothandoeser]

And you should ALWAYS be ripping it out!

[@mikeevans6589]

Great video!!!

[@CharlieBrown-lt3tq]

@jeffostroff I have a pretty 'smooth looking' floor in my basement, but overall there is as much as 2-3 inches of difference at different spots throughout the basement. In such cases, what do you do?

[@linkstale]

30-40 bags damn. im about to do my whole basement and i only bought 6 bags. theyre $31.97 each geez

[@jeffostroff]

We don't know how many they used. Supposedly a typical bag will cover 1/4" about 20 sq feet.

[@Knappconstruction]

Just a reminder with any grinding of silica/concrete OSHA requires a respirator. Nice video though

[@sahuff77]

Not with a HEPA Vacuum - Go retake your silica awareness training and rewrite your silica plan.

[@mohamedelkady3514]

Good job 👍

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks Mohammed, and thank you for watching our video!

[@stunnerj73]

Love the shirt. And great video

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks Joe!

[@terrymutant3581]

I think concrete companies or builders would be more careful if they were building a commercial building like Walmart or HomeDepot I've seen some nice concrete floors at those places.

[@jeffostroff]

The self leveler really does a good job on its own

[@alialrikabi5546]

$30 a pop for the levelling cement. That's $1,200 just for this step.

[@jeffostroff]

I'm quite sure these guys don't pay anywhere near that amount, since they are commercial property contractors, and probably buy this stuff by the truckload. They don't go to Home Depot to buy this, they would go broke. This puny little 40 bag job is nothing to them, and I had to pull teeth with them and other contractors just to get these guys to show up, as this is too small a job for the other guys.

[@gaylestrack6692]

Great video. Getting ready to do my kitchen/dining room. Having trouble finding a trowel spreader like what is showed in the video. Any where specific I can go to find that long handled tool? I've already tried the local tool and equipment rental companies with no luck...

[@jeffostroff]

List of tools was in the video description: ✅Tools used in the this how to level floor for tile video: ✅ SIKA 187782 Concrete Bonding Adhesive and Acrylic Fortifier amzn.to/34nZgdF ✅ Bosch 5" Angle grinder with vacuum attachment kit: amzn.to/2ErfiJH ✅ Gauge Rake with Sleds and Wood Handle to rake the self leveler compound across the floor: amzn.to/2Cuivap ✅ Wooster spiked shoes for applying self leveler: amzn.to/2Bz97QX

[@bigeyejim]

That is awesome!!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, Jim glad you liked it

[@d.vaughn8990]

The home construction quality, that’s occurring these days, is criminal! But don’t worry, the big builders will give you a warranty(that they won’t honor). The kitchen cabinets are cheap - lighting and plumbing fixtures - cheap! Profits over any kind of integrity and ethics. God Bless America!

[@jeffostroff]

I especially loath the builder with their particle board cabinets and vanities, that warp and crumble of the years from humidity in the air, and don't even run a coffee maker under your upper cabinets, the steam will destroy them.

[@gharrett2092]

I just got done doing 1,400 square feet by myself.... it can be done my friend.

[@jeffostroff]

Once you start pouring just don't stop lol yes it can be done one person but I refuse to

[@gharrett2092]

I wish I had help. It’s so hard to find anyone, even simple basic labor.

[@La_abbess]

Hi boo....can we be friends? Yah know, you, me and my garage floors🥺🥰😉🤣

[@morgan79347]

Good video

[@samuelfranchuk4212]

Fantastic

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

[@Alpha-to9od]

Nice work.. but i would of just stained and polish the self leveling.. bamboo its for pandas..lol

[@caseyb1316]

Alpha1 typically the self leveling underlayment’s aren’t walkable surfaces.

[@giterdun1864]

50 bags? Geez , that's like $3200.00 in material alone.

[@jeffostroff]

No, the bags are $30 each, and it's doubtful they used all of them. Each bag gives you about 25 sq feet at 1/4" depth. Total sq footage was 225 sq ft.

[@giterdun1864]

@@jeffostroff

[@giterdun1864]

tax

[@jt2damax15]

Guy crazy

[@angryattheworld00000]

@@jeffostroff I thought is was 375? That's what you told me earlier.....and you talk truth 😂😂😂

[@berniel3358]

Hey cool music ,this time!

[@roman2011]

Beautiful

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@rpsloss]

What types of drugs allows the floor grinder dude to not wear knee pads? Nice vid and thanks

[@jeffostroff]

These guys make me cringe sometimes. I can do it without being on my knees, but it is harder that way.

[@kalleklp7291]

Concrete will continue hardening up til a month after laying it out.

[@billschipper1718]

Its also called curing

[@feliksplotnikov6408]

Kalle Klæp Not necessarily a month. There is quick setting concrete. Many accelerating admixtures exist. Concrete may harden in a few hours. Normally 28 days is specified, but concrete gain 70% of its strength within a week.

[@peterallis2932]

Hi, great video, thanks. 1 question, Can you just leave the floor with the self leveling material as the final finish ???

[@brookedelizia8546]

Beautiful job 👏🏼👏🏼 any advice for basement floors? Anything that would be different?

[@jeffostroff]

Should work down there too

[@psiclops521]

That guy grinding the floor with no ear, eye, or breathing protection is foolish. If you are going to try this, wear ear, eye, and breathing protection, and make sure the respirator protects against silica dust, which causes silicosis. You won't like silicosis. Don't be a fool; protect yourself. That dust collector is probably getting a lot of the dust, but what if it misses 1%? And say you're grinding a 20X22 garage floor. That's a lot of dust and even 1% is bad enough. How much silica dust is too much? The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists has a lower non-regulatory Threshold Limit Value of 25 µg/m to the third power. That is 25 micrograms per million per cubic meter of air. That's a tiny amount of silica dust.

[@jeffostroff]

I know some of these guys I think will end up with iron lung one day. I also see a lot of roofers without harnesses. OSHA can't be everywhere at once to inspect every single job site. Lucky for this guy that vac he used caught about everything there was, but you're right, there's still 1% of what I could not even see him grinding up.

[@NobleNobbler]

Man, settle down guys. I'm a perfectionist, but jumping down someones throat because a dude didn't hold a screed right or used a grinder or whatever because it's not in compliance of Ch. 1, Subsection 12, Verse 8, from the holy CODEx of OSHA is a bit much

[@jeffostroff]

Yes so true lol but it is always good to hear input from all sorts of expertise

[@TheSeahawk206]

Looks awesome! I do have one question though. I am a stickler for transitions. Is the wood flooring at the same height as the tile? It looks high from the video but I can’t tell.

[@jeffostroff]

The tile in the foyer was just a teeny bit lower than the bamboo flooring because the builder used a thinner cheap tile and anything I'm not taking now I mean yeah double hardly any thinset so it was not built up as high as it should have been. So if you look closely you can see the transition piece that we used from the foyer to the bamboo flooring has a slight bump up built into it, so it's a specially designed piece that helps you transition from one flooring height to one that's a little bit higher. It actually worked out pretty nice it was a nice looking piece

[@Lazdinger]

Primo job guys 👌

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, glad you liked it

[@christophersoileau3813]

Shoe molding looks like crap in any house...

[@jeffostroff]

Yup, that's why I don't use it anymore, stopped about 5 years ago. I'd rather have a little gap under the baseboard than see that tacky shoe rail. In fact there have been times when I caulked UNDER the baseboard due to excessive gaps left by sloppy builders leaving lippage on their uneven tiles, now you have to create an optical illusion by caulking under the baseboards, but it works great and fills in the gaps.

[@zeke112964]

@@jeffostroff Stopped 5 years ago but used it in this video from 3 months ago

[@jeffostroff]

@@zeke112964 I uploaded this video 3 months ago, but we actually shot it in 2012! It sat on my hard drive for years before we got around to processing the video and uploading it.

[@xxbaldycoupxx]

This is nonsense. I do self levelling on floors this size all the time on my own. You don't need to grind the floor first and it's not a "bonding agent" it's a primer to stop the leveller drying out too quickly from absorbtion. Their bucket is stupidly large and the way they splash it about is amateur hour!

[@jeffostroff]

Apparently you're not very good at your job. There were several high points that needed to be ground down, and one spot had a vertical rebar rod sticking up out of the foundation that had to be ground down. Huge chunks of sloppy concrete from the builder had to be ground down. These guys use a "stupid large bucket", because they mix multiple bags at once for larger faster production, as they normally do commercial projects. Sounds to me like YOU are the amateur if you don't understand these concepts. There was no splatters all over the walls, and yes, you dump the stuff out on the floor, that's how it works. You're just making up nonsense, really is that all you can come up with? "splashing about. It's always amusing when janitors assistants show up trolling here, blowing hot air about nothing. I would never hire you if you don't prepare the sub floor first. Grinding the floor removes any contaminants that could be there too. No one likes a troll who comes flying in off their high horse cutting down everyone in site. Grow up.

[@carrinedgar1145]

pablo rooney You definitely need to grind the floor before pouring on it also big pours you put epoxy and sand down first I do all the polish floors for the new Old navy’s or any gap store for that matter always should use a actual gage rake for pouring and a spike roller and the proper kelts other wise that wasn’t to bad for just even out the floor and the buckets come straight from the Ardex company which I been certified in so you might wanna actually know what your talking about first before u hate on people videos

[@MarvmanandtheZ]

I am a professional flooring installer and can say that while I don't totally agree with Pablo I definitely don't agree with Jeff. Depending on what brand of leveler you use you don't need to grind the whole floor. Also Pablo is right its a primer that keeps the concrete from sucking in the moisture of the leveler

[@NateBFlooring]

Commerical flooring installer here for 20yrs, depending on what exists on the floor does require grinding, and why would you not want to grind high spots down? Less self leveling material. Your floor in only flat as the highest spot. Now being a commercial flooring outfit, their methods are a little out dated, there are better tools than the skimmer(rake) we use a spike roller and a gauge rake to move material around and our mixing barrels are in rolling carts. Does the end product look good? Absolutely. Just because someone doesn't do it your way doesn't mean it's wrong.

[@BigBand1942]

Jeremy....Thanks Also NO Primer Needed AT ALL (only in my case)...15x15 Basketball court Outdoor for the little little kids.....Cleaned and dumped spread and PAINT! that's it! Anyway a GREAT VID Jeff!

[@crabmansteve6844]

Could you do this and just put a nice sealant on it and use it as a finished floor? I love the look of sealed concrete.

[@germanshepherdfan8901]

Hi Jeff, what an incredibly well done, informative video. Can you tell me exactly how many bags of Self-Leveling compound were used for this room? I have 1450 ft² of slab cement in an 18 year old home with definite settling issues. Any idea how many bags might be needed? Thx!

[@jeffostroff]

I don't know how many they actually mixed up but I think I saw about 40 bags on the truck and I don't know how many they used. If you look on the back of the bag that you are buying, it tells you how much square foot it covers for a quarters of an inch or More so read what it says on the back of the bags

[@germanshepherdfan8901]

@@jeffostroff; Thanks so much!

[@chuckjordan7231]

I have a small crater in my floor about 3 inches in diameter, also some very tiny holes along the edge of the room where my tac strips were nailed down. What do you recommend i do to those. Will the self leveling compond take care of those or do i need to prep them before priming. Great video by the way. Very informative.

[@jeffostroff]

The craters that you get from the tack strips are not a problem at all they are too small to be a problem and even a 3" hole I doubt would be a problem you can try to put a floor plank over it and just see but as long as the floors flat you should be fine there. If you are that worried about it you can buy a small bag of cement patch and a bottle of primer and prime the hole 1st and then patch it nice and flat and level with the floor.

[@jeremyshierts6633]

Buy a bag of ardex floor fill.

[@KarenLopez-kf7vn]

Very helpful video! Is the rake the best tool to help spread or can I use something else? My area is about 9'×5'

[@jeffostroff]

The pros use a rake, then the spiked roller after they coax the leveler to where they want it.

[@hammadshabbir6505]

check this video to get more information about Floor Self Levelling? kzbin.infoUYqcKUFSDnw

[@josephmilanese712]

Can you tell me exactly what you bought to get that consistency. I bought some from Lowe's and it looked like regular morter not thin and free flowing like yours.

[@jeffostroff]

they used Mapei Ultraplan 1 Plus self level. These work in a perfect choreography, they use precise measurements, with buckets that have holes on the side so if you add to much water, it drains out leaving the exact amount of water needed. You have to experiment to see what works, but the bag gives you a range of water to work with, I would start with the most amount of water called out by the recipe first and see if that works.

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

I love how the DIY advice in this video is "pay someone else to do the job" lol

[@jeffostroff]

Yes we are showing you how to do it and on a small scale most people can't but if it's a room area that covers two rooms and it's this large, I usually tell people to bring in the pros unless you have a couple of people working with you because this does require a perfectly timed choreography in order to pull this off smoothly because once you start mixing and pouring you cannot stop until you are done and it has to be done very quickly you mix for about a minute or so and then dump it on the floor and start the next batch

[@fabiancheeseman942]

Am doing my floor outside can I use this stuff if not any info would be good thanks

[@jeffostroff]

Fabian, Usually you can't use this outside, the bag will say interior use only.. Try Ardex K 301, it is an exterior self leveling concrete. www.ardexamericas.com/product/ardex-k-301/

[@wolverine6603]

I like to see a video of the dry cement and you running a level all over the floor to see how well Your work turned out. By the way I learned a little more on how to level cement. Ty

[@colleencatherineconnolly4306]

Would this work if the base floor is a patch work of different types of concrete? Do you have to have a specific bonding agent per concrete type, or is it a one in all type of bonding agent?

[@jeffostroff]

One type of primer is all you need. Just make sur you roughen up the concrete with an angle grinder first as shown i the video, and one type of bonding agent/primer will work across the whole floor.

[@laertgjergji9099]

Hi nice job.i have a question.this product, self leveling,is it strong enough for winery. Industrial flor?

[@jeffostroff]

For that you'll have to consult the company directly, or check the bags, and calculate how much weight you will have on it. Some products might be for foot traffic only, and they might have you use another product from their lineup if you plan to have heavier loads.

[@madometal]

Perfect is all I can say ..the amount of work involved in levelling the dodgy slab was worth.it when you see and feel.the final product ..brilliant

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you yes it does make it all worthwhile

[@joeyk2055]

Thanks for this! So how many bags did you mix at once? Only 1 at a time?

[@jeffostroff]

There were 3 guys from the flooring company, they mix one 50 pound bag at a time, then dump it on the floor. While the guy in boots is coaxing it into place, the mixing guy is mixing the next bag. I don't know how many of the bags they eventually used.