Writing some notes to my future self so I remember these tricks.
Tools/materials used:
- caulk
- Henry 549 Feather Finish $18
- 1 gal bucket – I found this was the smallest size that was still convenient for holding my tools
- water
- trowel or drywall knife, whichever is biggest
- margin trowel
- old plastic takeout container to use as a scoop
- gloves, knee pads, n95 mask
Step 1: watch this video. He’s got another good video on the subject too but I can’t find it right now.
Step 2: fill big gaps. I filled them up with caulk so the cement wouldn’t drip under the floor and so I wouldn’t have to use so much Feather Finish.
Step 3: scrape all the crud off, tighten floor with screws, and push the nails back in. You’ll need to push the nails in because otherwise, you’ll level the floor up to the popped nail height!
Step 4: Mix. With any Portland cement product, mixing is the most important part of the process. Like a lot of fancy cements now, you shouldn’t add water after the initial mix. Apart from that, the big lesson I learned is ignore the ratios on the box! Instead, put about as much water into your bucket as you think you’ll want, then add product until you get a loose mix, like natural peanut butter. It’ll quickly stiffen to peanut butter consistency. The final volume will be about 50% more than you started, which will give you extra for safety.
At the end of the bag, you’ll have to swap it up and mix water into cement to get the ratio right; just make sure you’re wearing a mask.
Step 5: apply like the video shows. Don’t worry too much about making it perfect, you’ll have an opportunity to fix mistakes
Step 6: wait ~ an hour
Step 7: go back with some scrapers and clean up your work. This is the time to fix any bumps and smooth out ridges. If you wait too long, it’ll cure and you’ll be stuck with a bumpy floor! After an hour, it’ll be like shaving hard clay.
Step 8: repeat until you’re satisfied
Step 9: wait a day or two
Step 10: do a final round of scraping. You’ll probably find that some new high spots as it cement cures and things shift.
I did not use a floor leveler. I would only use that if I needed something absolutely flat and only on the ground floor. I also probably wouldn’t never use it on wood subfloor.