Floor leveler issue

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jlavalla61

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Jan 15, 2023
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Hello had a contractor come in to fill cracks and level concrete slab foundatuon. Are these potholes and the bigger depression any concern . Going to lay luxury vinyl plank on it. And 3rd where leveler ran out of crack and left a spill stain on my garage floor am wondering how to get it up.
 

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The little potholes shouldn't make any difference, it looks like it may not have been mixed completely or possibly a primer was not used. As long as it's flat you should be okay. I mean, as long as those potholes don't stick upward I think you'll be fine.
Not sure what you're talking about with the filler oozing out. Is that the second picture? Personally, I'd learn to love it if it's a garage, and not a car museum.
 
Is the LVP going to be glued to the floor or is it a click lock product?

Are you over a wood or concrete substrate?

Fish eyeing (the little potholes) occurs most often when a primer wasn't used. The significant cracking is also indicative of no primer being used.

If you're installing a click lock, floating product then it's probably not the end of the world. Could it have been done better? Yes.

However, if you're planning on installing a glue down product then it's probably going to cause an issue. A glue down product is going to conform to that and would eventually telegraph the cracks and other issues through the product.

Additionally, if this is over a wood substrate then there are only a few products on the market that are acceptable to use over wood substrates without the addition of a 3.2 metal lathe (chicken wire) being added prior to the self-leveling. This lathe works as a reinforcement, similar to rebar in regular concrete, and prevents major cracking when the wood subfloor expands and contracts over the course of a yearly weather cycle. Without the use of primer and or lathe (if it should have been used) then the self-leveling is loosely bonded to the substrate and after it's trafficked on for a period of time that weak bond can loosen and cause a "hollow" sound to the floor.

Again, floating floors will tend to bridge cracks and small pinholes without significant issue, but if you're doing a glued product this should probably be removed and done correctly.

Good luck with your project!
 
:) Happy coincidence....

@JPfloor

Literally just got this request from an architect about 5 minutes ago...

"I am working on a project where I need to find a self-leveling compound that is compatible with an existing wood floor system. With structural limitations, the existing wood flooring that is installed needs to remain, but I need to float the floor flat, to allow for luxury vinyl tile to be installed. What product should I consider for this application?"

It's not done a lot, but more often than you may think. The biggest concern is getting someone to understand the amount of weight you're adding to the subfloor. If it's already sagging, then you can cause some pretty significant damage by adding a bunch of self-leveling weight.

We've got tons of ancient farmhouses here in Indiana with sagging wood floors. With the prevalence of these click-lock floating LVT's, it's a disaster waiting to happen. The first thing people think is, "I'll just pour a bunch of self-leveling and fix it".

It can be done, but you need to understand what's going on with the subfloor first.
 
Alrighty then. I stand corrected…

But it still sounds to me like a layer of plywood with some strategically placed shims, or even some patch underneath, would be a better option.

I'd also wanna ask that architect exactly what he means by "an existing wood floor system"?

I've seen a lot of mud jobs over plywood but that'e usually an inch or two thick.
 
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