Leveling a concrete verandah

by Chris
(Perth Western Australia)

Question: I have just purchased a house where the previous owners made an entertaining room at the rear of the home. The problem is, half the floor is level but where the old verandah is it slopes quite considerably. I've been toying with the idea of laying a timber floor over the whole floor but by doing so the height of the ceiling to the floor will be 100mm (4") less than it is now! Any ideas would be warmly welcomed.

Answer: The first product that comes to mind is a self-leveling overlay like Ultratop from Mapai. Self-Levelers like this can go down as thin as 1/4" and are very fluid so installation is very easy.

You will want to follow their instructions on applying their moisture vapor reduction product Planiseal EMB first to minimize any moisture coming up through the concrete and potentially causing problems with bonding.

It comes in natural gray or white for colors. You can also add integral color if you want to or apply a concrete stain afterwards. Ultratop will also accept a variety of acrylic sealers or even epoxy to finish off the surface. So not only will this product level the floor it can also be used as the finished floor.

Here's the link for Mapei Australia

Here's a link to the Ultratop product data sheet