Possible to get a perfectly level concrete floor?

I notice that the new chairs I put on the floorboards over my new concrete floor are wobbly in places, but then when I move the chairs they are perfectly flat in another part of the same floor.

I would have assumed it would be straightforward enough to have a level floor but is it? Is uneven surface in parts to be expected? Thanks.

BryanF

Define perfectly level?

What did the concrete specification in your tender drawings state/code did it refer to?

Jack Moore

I think he means flat. What is the thickness of the wooden floor finish and How was it fitted.

BryanF

Flat or ‘level’, the point is the same, everything has a tolerance.

FFred

BryanF wrote: »

Define perfectly level?

What did the concrete specification in your tender drawings state/code did it refer to?

I think we all know he means the finished floor being flat and level without major differences in level, regardless of the thickness specified on the drawings.

Thanks. Yes, I mean flat so that the chair is not rocking/is steady.

The flooring I used was Kronotex Everest Oak Beige - this one - with 3mm Silent Plus underlay. I think the carpenter clicked them into place, but I'm not sure (whatever the instructions for it dictated).

BryanF

Deleted User wrote: »

I notice that the new chairs I put on the floorboards over my new concrete floor are wobbly in places, but then when I move the chairs they are perfectly flat in another part of the same floor.

I would have assumed it would be straightforward enough to have a level floor but is it? Is uneven surface in parts to be expected? Thanks.

If a chair leg is ~500mm from the next leg. Assuming the legs are all perfectly level. How far from level is the worst part of the floor?

Edit: if you want know if it possible to get a perfectly level concrete floor, you need to have specified it, refer to BS 8204-1:2003+Amendment 1:2009 Screeds, bases and in situ floorings. Concrete bases and cementitious levelling screeds to receive floorings. Code of practice

Surface regularity classes are given in BS 8204 as SR1, SR2 and SR3 relating to 3mm, 5mm and 10mm respectively.

Gumbo

Is it possible that the chair legs are not 100% level........

Lumen

This is a stylish and pragmatic solution. :pac:

off.the.walls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-wbWGwZ7_k

Dudda

This has gotten very technical this thread with BS standards. To dumb it down to simple language you’ve two parts. The concrete and then the timber on top. It’s hard to know which is the problem in this case however unless the concrete floor is very out (which I doubt) then the 3mm underlay should have taken out any minor bumps or imperfections in the concrete. When you walk around the floor do you notice it bounce or deflect more in some places than others? If yes then that’s an uneven concrete or screed floor. A inexperienced or poor builder could have rushed putting in the concrete so it’s not level and you've high and low points. As an architect I’ve instructed builders to rip out and redo screeds that I wasn’t happy with. The alternative is to put down a leveling compound on top of the concrete. It’s messy as you’ve the timber floor in, furniture and skirtings to remove, etc but doable.

The other potential area is the timber. I’d say the problem is caused by the timber floor taken straight from a cold damp warehouse and fitted straight away in a house. It’s dried out and warped slightly. The boards are fairly long and wide so a slight curve would get exaggerated over it’s length. When the timber floor arrived was it left in the roof it was going to be laid for 24-48 hours to allow it acclimatise to the humidity and temperature of the room? If not this is then an issue for the carpenter to fix as the floor wouldn’t be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

hesker

kceire wrote: »

Is it possible that the chair legs are not 100% level........

If that was the case then both floor and chair legs are a problem.

Ideally concrete floor should have been checked before wooden floor was fitted and a self leveling compound applied if needed. Only way to know is to pull up the wooden floor. At this stage might be better to just live with it.