Levelling a Garage Floor

[TheArchitect]

Looked around a bit and decided once I get a moment I'd like to level the garage floor to make it easier to jack the cars and nicer to work on. It’s currently like a ribbed concrete finish (1980s build). Am I correct in thinking a coat or two of PVA to help act as a damp barrier and then coating with something like Cempolay Ultra will be the correct way to go?

How easy it is to apply the Cempolay Ultra for someone who has never done it before? It’s a double garage so a decent size floor space.
Is it relatively self levelling or do I need da Vinci like hands to get a good finish?

[furtive]

My double garage is exactly the same. I plan on using this stuff when I get round to it:

http://www.floorpaintexpress.co.uk/level-it-concre...

[TheArchitect]

furtive said:

My double garage is exactly the same. I plan on using this stuff when I get round to it:

http://www.floorpaintexpress.co.uk/level-it-concre...

Thanks I looked at that however its nearly double the price of cempolay ultra which makes a big difference.

[matty g]

PVA WON'T create a water barrier. It'll turn back into liquid PVA when it gets soaked.

[furtive]

TheArchitect said:

Thanks I looked at that however its nearly double the price of cempolay ultra which makes a big difference.

Ah good point. Let me know how you get on with the Cempolay then

I assume when using this stuff you need to create some sort of barrier with a length of wood at the garage door threshold to stop it all flowing out of the garage and on to the driveway?

[furtive]

I found this thread which might be useful:

http://jpbak427.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/garage-make...
http://jpbak427.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/garage-make...

Final result looks good

[V8RX7]

Depends on your abilities - it's not hard but it does NOT self level.

[Spudler]

Whichever self leveling you go for you'll need to apply a liquid dpm.
Maybe worth getting a quote for a liquid/flow screed.

[V8RX7]

Spudler said:

Whichever self leveling you go for you'll need to apply a liquid dpm.
Maybe worth getting a quote for a liquid/flow screed.

Didn't 80's garages have a DPM as standard ?

[Spudler]

V8RX7 said:

Didn't 80's garages have a DPM as standard ?

From my experience (early 80s site work) it was very rare to see a membrane used in garages.
A late 90s rental has no dpm. the property I'm developing now, one garage had a dpm so thin it was pierced to bugger, the other had nothing at all.

Best to assume there's no dpm in my opinion.

[omniflow]

To get the best finish you need to use a spiked roller to get rid of all the air bubbles. I didn't bother, as I didn't fancy spending the extra £40 or so. I should have bothered.

[227bhp]

matty g said:

PVA WON'T create a water barrier. It'll turn back into liquid PVA when it gets soaked.

There are two types of PVA, one is for exterior use and is waterproof. This one is far more expensive and why people tend not to use it, the job then fails and the PVA gets blamed and given a bad reputation.

If you want to know if your floor is suffering from rising damp then leave a sheet of clear polythene over it and see if you get damp patches or condensation under it.