How to level a section of floor for Hybrid flooring?

[Britty]

I am re-doing the floor coverings in my unit, upgrading to hybrid flooring. I’m not sure what product can be used after removing a section of carpet, approx 5150mm x 2400mm that is now 28mm below my tiled area back to the concrete slab. I need to raise this area 28mm to match the existing tiled area to lay the planks. Any advice appreciated.

[JacobZ]

Hi @Britty,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

I would suggest you use a self-levelling compound such as this Dunlop 20kg Ardit Floor Leveller. 

It is designed to be mixed to an almost liquid state, before being poured over the existing concrete. Because of its low viscosity, it will, with some assistance, level the area with minimal effort.

This particular product can be poured up to 25mm thick in one application, and will set hard enough to walk on in 2 hours and will be ready to accept floor coverings after 3.

You might like to check out How do you level a floor? for a visual guide on the process.

This is a project that is certainly achievable for a beginner, but due to the fairly large area, you might like to employ the services of a suitably qualified floor layer to ensure a quality finish.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

[Britty]

Would I be able to lay some particle board such as blue tongue first directly to the concrete floor then put a self leveller on top?

[EricL]

Hello @Britty 

The 28mm measurement you've provided, does that include the hybrid flooring already in place? Or is it 21mm plus the 7mm thickness of the hybrid flooring? The reason I ask is because the STRUCTAflor 19 x 3600 x 800mm General Purpose YellowTongue is already 19mm when you add the 7mm thickness of the hybrid flooring you'll get 26mm and will be technically 2mm short.

However, the difference between the floors can be mitigated by using a transition piece that will soften the change in height. It is possible to add another piece of timber panelling over the yellow tounge, but you'll need to confirm the height that is actually needed.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Britty]

It has to come up 28mm in total, to be level with the tiles in the adjoining hallway. The hybrid flooring will then go over both surfaces so they need to be level.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Britty,

You could lay down James Hardie 1800 x 1200 x 6mm 2.16m² Ceramic Tile Underlay Flooring, then STRUCTAflor 22 x 3600 x 800mm H2 Treated RedTongue over the top. That would give you exactly 28mm of height.

Mitchell

[Britty]

Do these products need to be glued or nailed down to the slab?

[MitchellMc]

If you fit them snuggly between the walls, there shouldn't be any need to fix them down, @Britty. Typically, if they were being installed per their guidelines and for their specified uses, they would need to be fixed, but you're just using them as packers. It would hurt to fix them down, though.

Mitchell