A properly levelled concrete floor is the foundation of any quality flooring installation, no matter if you want to polish your concrete floors to a shine or if you plan on installing flooring on top of the concrete. Uneven or damaged floors can cause premature wear or tripping, and they can make it difficult to put new flooring on the concrete.
Why is concrete floor levelling so vital for NZ homes and businesses? Let’s look into what causes uneven floors, why they’re dangerous and how our team can ensure your floors are nice and level.
What Causes Uneven Floors, And Why Are They Hazardous?
Your floors may be uneven for a variety of reasons:
- Foundation Problems. Foundations settle over time. If one area of your foundation settles more than others, then part of your floor may sink, causing unevenness.
- Leaking Basement Or Water Pooling. Moisture can slowly wear away at parts of your structure – including your floors – causing a plethora of problems. This can eventually lead to uneven floors, as well as rotting materials and mould growth.
- Damaged Subfloor Or Floor Joists. The structures or supports underneath your flooring can become damaged and shift, causing your floor to move as well.
- Poor Construction. Of course, your flooring could be installed poorly and be uneven from the start. Builders must account for the ground underneath a building before they build a foundation to ensure the foundation stays stable and even for a long time. The floor itself must also be installed correctly to make sure it’s level.
- Earthquake Damage. Seismic activity can cause damage that results in uneven or shifted floors.
Before you have your floors levelled, you must understand why they’re uneven in the first place. There may be underlying issues that you should have fixed. If your floors are treated before you fix the root issue, the problem could persist and make your floors shift once again.
So, why are uneven floors a problem?
- Poor Adhesion For Future Flooring Materials. What do you plan on doing with your concrete floors? If you want to install flooring, like carpet or tiles, then you need to make sure your floors are properly prepared. If your floors are uneven, then the tiles could lift, air could get under the flooring materials or the flooring could have trouble adhering to the concrete surface. Plus, installing flooring on an uneven floor could make your results look awkward and imperfect.
- Safety Issues. High spots and sunken areas can create subtle but dangerous elevation changes that are hard to spot until you’re stumbling on them. These shifts in height can also cause furniture to move when used.
- Accelerated Wear And Tear. Flooring laid over uneven concrete can wear down faster due to uneven pressure, meaning you’ll have to replace or repair your floor sooner than expected.
Overall, uneven floors can quickly result in costly redo work. It’s always best to ensure your floors are level before you finish the project or move on to the next stage.
How Our Pro-Uplifters Team Levels Uneven Concrete Floors
What do we do when we’re faced with an uneven floor?
Conducting A Full Floor Assessment. We always look at the big picture before we work out how we’re going to level a floor. We inspect the entire floor surface to identify high spots, pitted areas, cracks, water damage and more that could indicate underlying issues or impact our work. We will also talk to you about your goals, because we can shift our approach based on what kind of property we’re dealing with. Commercial floors usually require more of a focus on durability, whereas we typically prioritise aesthetics for residential jobs. Regardless, we will always be committed to long-lasting results and durable finishes.
Grinding High Spots And Filling Low Spots. For high spots, we use advanced, diamond-embedded grinding tools to smooth down raised areas. Pitted spots, cracks and damage can be filled in with repair compounds to restore structural integrity and visual uniformity.
Once the floor has been levelled and repaired, we will give it a final polish before moving on to the next step.
Preparing The Floor For Future Flooring Installation. If you plan on laying flooring like vinyl sheets, planks, tiles or carpet, then we will prepare your flooring for adhesives. We ground the concrete floor to a specific roughness that promotes strong glue adhesion. When your flooring is properly glued to the floor, there will be far less of a chance of peeling or lifting in the future.
Polishing The Floor For A Sophisticated Look. If you prefer concrete floors and don’t want to install more flooring over them, then we can polish your concrete floors to your desired finish. We could polish it to a glossy shine or go for a subtle matte look.
We use high-quality sealants to add a protective coating over your concrete floors, further preventing damage and promoting longevity.
Ensuring Your Floors Are Level And Safe In NZ
Our Pro-Uplifters team specialises in concrete flooring services, doing what we do best so that your floors are safe, strong and beautiful.
Get in touch online or on 0272 552 988 to get started.
Pro-Uplifters: Local concrete flooring services you can trust.
