Had to choose between a full demo or a skim coat on a bad concrete slab in a Phoenix kitchen

The slab had a 1/4 inch dip across 8 feet. I went with the skim coat using Ardex K 15 to save the client a day and about $800 in demo costs. It feathered out fine, but I'm second-guessing if a full tear-out would've been better for long-term stability. Anyone have a rule of thumb for when a dip is too much for a leveler?

3 comments

3 Comments

thea_chen2mo ago

Man, that second-guessing feeling is the worst, isn't it? I've been there staring at a floor I just finished. A quarter inch over eight feet sounds like it was right on the line for a leveler. In my experience, if the dip gets deeper than that or if the slab is really crumbly, that's when I start thinking demo. But for a solid slab, feathering it out with a good product like you did usually holds up just fine.

grayl652mo ago

Check the warranty on that leveler.

nancym341mo ago

Warranty? The only warranty I need is the one against my own eyes playing tricks on me. I'll be back in that room with a six-foot level every month for a year, convinced it's moving. My last project had me using a marble to test a floor, like some kind of stone-age quality control. At this point, the warranty paperwork is probably less reliable than the slab.