Ceramic tile on an uneven basement floor?

[3DisneyBuggs]

There seems to be lots of home improvement people on this board so I thought I'd ask. We will be finishing our basement which has concrete floors. The tile guy told my DH that the floor needs a mud job because of the difference in height of the floor. It will cost $5000.00 just for the mud job. Are there any other alternatives? If we chose to put a laminate or linoleum, would a mud job still be needed? Im nervous putting carpet in a basement. There's never been water but who knows what could happen.

 

[freckles and boo]

The only finished room in our basement is our office. We used some sort of rolled vinyl substrate (can't recall the name but we got it at Menards) that is textured so the moisture runs underneath and stays off the laminated planks above. They also have 24" interlocking plywood squares with the textured vinyl underneath. I agree, carpet in a basement seems like a BAD idea. If I can find the name of the product I will post it.

 

[Goofyish]

Do you have self levelling compound in the US? It's a very runny concrete that you pour onto the floor. It then finds it's own level to create a nice flat surface to tile onto.

 

[tropical depression]

you can't lay any basement floor on uneven concrete, you need to put down a subfloor to even it out and you need a vapor barrier underneath it. the mud job would act as both for ceramic tile.

I'd put down a plywood subfloor and a vinyl vapor barrier for laminate. I've never put down linoleum, so have no clue.

our current house is ceramic tile throughout, and the whole house needed a mud job even with the new construction.

 

[searlproudbottom]

Dear 3 Disney Bugs

The first thing you should check on is moisture. Is your basement floor damp in the winter? If your home is relatively new, 20 years. Chances are there is a vapor barrier under you concrete slab. It usually just a sheet of 6 mill plastic under 1 inch of sand and over 4 inches of gravel. Here in California it is a code requirement. Even if you have no vapor barrier if you have no moisture on your slab in the winter or Rainey season you shouldn’t have a problem. This is one way to test for moisture. Sit something on the floor for a week or two in the rainy season, like a 5-gallon bucket or a cardboard box. If you pick it up and it is damp you have a problem with moisture. With all that said and not knowing how uneven your floor actually is it sounds like the guy that quoted you
$ 5,000 has nothing more in mind than what’s in your wallet.
The tolerance that I go by is a hump in the floor cannot be more than ¼ inch in 10 feet if you can reach that tolerance you shouldn’t have a problem. What you will need is a straight edge 10 feet long sit in the middle of the hump and allow no more than ¼ on each side of the straight edge. Next take your time and go though your whole floor and circle each hump with a lumber crayon. Mark on the concrete the amount of concrete that needs to be removed. Low spots are not a problem the can be filled by the tile setter. And you should not be charged unless were talking ½ inch or more. Next you will need to find someone in your area who does concrete grinding. Make sure there grinder is equipped with a vacuum or your home will be filled with concrete dust. You can check with Redi mix plants, Yellow pages and with concrete subcontractors that specialize in production Homes. The usually have a crew in house that does concrete grinding.
After they have finished grinding take your straight edge and go over the spots the have grinded. Don’t let them get away before you double check their work. Try to get a total price for grinding the whole floor not an hourly price.

A couple of things

The Larger the tile the harder it is to lay and that means dollars.
A good tile setter will have less lippage than an inexperience tile setter.
I have no tolerance for lippage.
Good luck
Searl

 

[malibuconlee]

You could always stain the concrete. Then there's the epoxy floor paint that most people use in garages.

One way to test your slab is this:
test for excess moisture by taping a piece of plastic sheeting to the concrete floor and sealing the edges with duct tape. Leave the plastic in place for 24 hours. If condensation accumulates beneath the plastic, then measures must be taken to alleviate the moisture problem.

Moisture in concrete is a fairly common problem. DH is dealing with it on a project now.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We will be finishing our basement which has concrete floors. Im nervous putting carpet in a basement.

A few questions:

How will the basement be used when it's finished?

What would be your first choice of flooring if moisture wasn't an issue?

What is the climate like where you live?