How to level differences between different floors?

[Sintei]

Hello,

I have dismantled quite a bit in the house to build a home theater room. Sauna, shower, and storage have had to give way. But now there are different materials and floor heights, of course

It's a concrete slab, single-story house. In quite a large part of the area, there's a wooden floor and some kind of plastic flooring underneath. There is also bare concrete floor, and another area with old shower plastic flooring. Attached is a picture showing the different surfaces. It seems dry and nice everywhere! Then there are "tracks" in the concrete where the studs are. I'll probably have to scrape them out and pour cement in.

The height difference is probably in the range of 1-2cm except in the shower area where it's probably around 3cm. I plan to seal the drain, and it should be hidden but can be accessed in the future if the family's needs increase (e.g., through a shower cabin).

My simple idea is that in all areas where there is no wooden floor, I'll set small spacers and use Ikea's cheapest flooring. It doesn't matter that there are different materials because I will have wall-to-wall carpet to cover everything.

Any thoughts on how you would have done it?

 

[Stefan N]

Would never have saved a gram of wood or plastic in such a basement, would have torn out everything and floated over everything later and laid a ventilated mat like needle felt or something like that.

 

[Sintei]

Would never save a gram of wood or plastic in such a basement, would have torn everything out and then floated over everything and laid a ventilated carpet like needle felt or something.

It's not a basement! Then I would have thought differently. Floating screed over everything is quite expensive, isn't it? We're talking almost 40 square meters here. The house is from the '70s, so if there were any moisture issues, I should have seen it now that I've torn everything out

 

[Stefan N]

Sure, it costs a few thousand, but you get the same material under the floor everywhere and a more even floor, but if it's a temporary construction, you can go ahead as you planned.

 

[Sintei]

Sure, it costs a few thousand, but you get the same material under the floor everywhere and a more even floor, but if it's a temporary construction, you can proceed as you planned.

I appreciate your advice! I'm definitely considering all pros/cons, so I really take in what you're saying.

 

[Sir Duke]

Hmm. I would choose based on the likelihood that I will need to build a shower space in a few years. If yes, I might just tear out all the loose stuff and throw a needle-punch carpet on top of everything and ignore the level differences. But otherwise do it properly. Tear everything out more to the concrete slab, float up to even out differences, then floor on top of that. Material choice and execution depend on the moisture content in the concrete.

 

[Sintei]

Hmm. I would choose based on the likelihood that I need to build a shower space in a few years. If yes, I might just rip out everything loose and throw out a needle felt carpet on top of everything and ignore the level differences. But otherwise do it properly. Tear out everything back to the concrete slab, level up to even out differences, then floor on top of that. Material choice and execution depend on the moisture content in the concrete.

Good tips, you're also leaning towards doing it "properly"

I was thinking about whether I can lay a layer of cement, but there is apparently a big risk of it cracking because it would be so thin. But it's probably mostly aesthetic if I still have wall-to-wall carpet on top or a cheap Ikea floor, then the cracks aren't visible.

 

[Peter2400]

I had poured on 40 bags of Megaplan.
We used self-leveling compound on our floors, about 90 sqm to get rid of level differences and unevenness, turned out very well.
https://www.hornbach.se/shop/MEGA-LINE-Megaplan-golvspackel-20-kg/7766239/artikel-detaljer.html

 

[Sintei]

I had poured 40 bags of Megaplan.
We self-leveled our floors, about 90 sqm to eliminate level differences and unevenness, turned out very well.
[link]

Absolutely the best probably. But at the modest price of 4800kr excluding tools

Just noticed that the wooden floor there has a wall-to-wall carpet with a rubber side underneath (!).
Feels like I might as well tear out the floor down to the concrete right now.
Maybe I don't need to self-level the entire space if I'm lucky

 

[Rabbithole]

You'd be surprised how many irregularities in the surface come through. After you've torn everything out, check how even it is and sand or self-level it smooth.