I can barely ice a cake - can I use self levelling cement

[KatyMac]

OK I have relaid my laminate floor twice now & it still isn't right

I can't fix it so I need to do it properly

So I need self-levelling cement - I found this so how much do I buy for a room 17ft by 11ft & how on earth do I do it

One end of the room has a ledge so that is OK & I'll put a bit of 2 by 1 at the door way to keep it in

Do I need to do anything round the skirting or not?

Is this job outside of my capabilities?

I wouldn't be trying it but I would ask where you need to buy the cement from - they will probably know h ow much y ou need. I am afraid I would rather pay someone to do this for me! Have you tried Googling it as there are always lots of people on-line showing you who to do things like this? Good luck.

Just wondering why you would ice a cake with self levelling cement?

icing needs to be smooth- so does cement

We do a lot of things but paid someone to do this. It is a bigfloorspace you are looking at there.

I know - but it's a business & we need to over the long weekend

Or we'd lose business

My dad and I recently concreted our old bathroom floor. It wasn't self-levelling though. It was bloody awful and I wouldn't recommend it. We managed but I did think my dad was going to have a heart attack half way through. Smoothing it was shit.

So, although my experience is with different stuff, I would say get someone else to do it. A difficult thing to put right if you fuck it up imo.

Doesn't cement need something like 1 day per mm thickness to dry before you can lay a floor over it, or somesuch?

Could you not go with a different flooring? Better underlay?

You need a self levelling compound and a whisk thing to go on your drill

Ignore skirting and dam doorways. You'll need a trowel too

Mix. Pour into furthest part of room. Mix. Repeat. It needs a bit of coaxing out at the edges then just flattens itself

It's the mixing that's the biggest pain in the arse but it's straightforward enough. We did our kitchen recently. Went ok, just shut the cat / dog / kids out. Oh and get quick drying. The back if the pack will tell tou the coverage

just to check

this is a concrete floor you want to level, isn't it?

Yes - not a cake

I was 2 rooms & we took a chimney breast out & for 10 years the old laminate has been fine - but somehow the new laminate bounces & has come apart

I'm usually confident and willing to give most DIY a go but I wouldn't do this. I've used self levelling compound on a small floor area before and the main thing I remember is that it wasn't (self-levelling that is).

I have terrible patience with this kind of thing and can just imagine spending ages smoothing and having it still lumpy, getting covered in cement, getting horribly flustered, then trying to shovel out a load of half set uneven cement before it sets in a lumpy mess.

I did a small room but would not dream of attempting a large area. We tried to laminate a knock through room, both side of the room where ok but not to each other. We laminated each room separately with a strip of marble mosiac tiles where the original wall would of been. Our large kitchen was £250 to screed.

well we did it!!

But I have to say my broher came and helped - in the end only a very small bit maybe 2sqm needed doing

Phew - glad that's overnow I need to relay the laminate!!