# Concrete Floors and Mobile Bases



## ChunkyC (Jun 28, 2009)

How do combat the unevenness of a concrete floor with mobile bases? I see lots of great ideas for the shop that are on wheels but my floor is so uneven, it must have been pored by a herd of first graders, that rolling anything on it is an exercise in tippy-toppy table top.


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## AaronK (Nov 30, 2008)

i'd like to know too. the floors of my shop are uneven flagstones about 2 ft square and non of them meet in the same plane. I actually used a thick carpet under my bench to keep it stable. That doesn't address the issue of mobility though…


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

it sounds like you need to level the floor with a new layer of ( don´tnow the english name)
a toplayer concrete type , that is thined with somuch with water that it can flood out with a little
help and leveling itself 
with this type of top plastre/concret you can get a totely flat smooth floor if you want 
it comes in bags in powderform and you just have to add the right amount of wather

Dennis


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Hiyya Chunky,

I really wish I knew what to tell you about the shop floors. If it's as bad as you say, it must of been done by a bunch of amateurs, or people who knew nothing about pouring concrete…..One thing I absolutly insisted on when my shop was being built that the floor* "better be" almost dead flat*. Because I didn't want to be shimming all my machines , workbenches, tables, etc*.....not even just a little*....and if it wasn't, they would bust it up and do it again, at their expense…..I would have my contractor to shoot a level every little bit just to be sure…...and bud, it is flat and level….I don't have one shim under any of the aformentioned…but in your and a lot of other wws cases I can understand…when you buy or rent someone else's place, you have *to take what's there*......Maybe putting down a plywood floor? But then you'd have to shim it too to level….

Wish I could be more help, but maybe others have some ideas for you to try…..Good luck with it…..


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## dbol (Mar 11, 2010)

self leveling concrete. Ardex is the best but there are many others. However it is not as easy as just pouring it and your done. You need the right tools. I did it to my shop floor which is under constuction as we type. I am also in the floorcovering trade and have some experience.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

I keep a wedge on every cart. It doesn't help during moving but it works to level thinks up once I get the cart into place.


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## ChunkyC (Jun 28, 2009)

Self leveling concrete sounds like a ton of work to me and not really feasible as my shop is in part of my finished basement.


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## ChunkyC (Jun 28, 2009)

What about firing the floor with 2×4's laid flat and ply on top of that? How to do I manage the step up into the shop? There are 2 interior doors into the shop and the step would be behind the door? Not sure if I'm saying that so it makes any sense.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

self leveling concrete is the right choise in a basement too
since you can level lets say a square foot hollow or a squaremeter hollow hole out 
so it match and in level with the rest if thats all what you need to doo orthe hole floor if you want

Dennis


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## cabs4less (Nov 2, 2010)

I've seen people tap=con treated 2×4s face down on16" centers then put styro foam insulation in the bays then cover it in plastic then deck it with 3/4 ply by using shingles and blocks you can level the 2's up thus leveling the floor but I would be leary on the plastic because of condesation


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## rieferman (Jan 12, 2011)

2×4 sleepers on the ground, shimmed level, and topped with subfloor. Lay the 2×4's flat on their back to reduce the amount of height. You can insulate between if your floor is cold, and as a bonus, you can run electric under the floor if you feel like it. Moisture barrier will be needed, but affixing the 2×4's to the floor will NOT be needed (and if you ever need to undo it, you'll be happy you didn't affix them).

as for entry, you can leave the door swing area at the lower level, and just pick an aesthetically pleasing spot to step up onto your new floor.

as a bonus with this scenario, your knees/feet/back will love walking on the new floor. A coat of floor paint, and you'll also have great sweeping.

I plan to do this exact plan in a couple years.


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