What can i put on my cellar floor??

Question

My cellar has a stone/concrete uneven and muddy floor, what would be the best way to clean it and make it nice. I am not great at DIY !!

Answer 1

i would use a self levelling compound. this is like a very runny cement that you pour on the floor to make it flat. just make sure you get the one that is just powder rather than powder and gravel as you have to lay quite a lot to cover the stones. if you arent sure ask in the shop when you buy it. after that you could paint it with floor paint

Answer 2

It needs to be done right otherwise you could just add to the problem. You need to remove the old floor and replace with a new one.

Answer 3

I would level it out with self leveling concrete and make it entirely concrete.  If it is an area of high traffic, or you are just going to use it as a work shop or something you could stain the concrete, which is fairly inexpensive and looks good.  If you want to turn it into a usable living space either linoleum, or if you are sure your basement doesn't leak and it isn't damp you could carpet.  Once you level the floor you can really put down any surface you like.  If you are not sure if your basement leaks or if is damp down there I suggest just staining the concrete and using area rugs until you find out how things go, you wouldn't want a laminate floor to warp because it got wet.  Good Luck!

Answer 4

If there is any hint of damp you need to be careful. It may appear dry but it could sweat if you cover it with something like vinyl sheet or linoleum. Most levelling compounds are latex or epoxy and won't 'breathe'. My old coal cellar is like this - the answer was to use woven plastic matting a bit like rush matting (the traditional solution for this problem) but longer lasting as its rot proof. It was dead cheap from a hardware store.

If it is very uneven the other option (and if you have the headroom) is to put down duck boarding - ie panels of timber on battens - with a very slight gap between: the stuff used for external decking would be ideal - lay it loose so you can lift occaisionally to clean/sweep below. You can get plastic versions of this for shower areas but the advantage of the timber is you can level it up relatively easily.

If it is very broken up - the best option is to dig out the old, lay a damp proof membrane and concrete it in - but not a job for the novice diyer

Answer 5

I'd clean the mud of to start with, then spread levelling compound over it. When it was dry I'd paint it with floor paint first then buy some vinolay to put down. You can get it in some lovely designs.

Answer 6

self leveling mix would do it

Answer 7

Perhaps you have a relative that is? I would say that you need to put a wood overlay in order to make the floor even.

Then you can put whatever you want over it, I would choose linoleum