Will a self-levelling mixture work?

JustLikeThat

There has always been a wooden strip, 9 inches wide, across a recess - between our dining room carpet and where the patio doors start. We want to carpet right up to the start of the patio doors/frame, but when we took the wooden strip up it revealed a line of brick and a back fill of rubble up to the frame. Assuming we take a bit of the rubble out to lower the level a bit, can we just pour some kind of levelling material over it? The new 'top surface' must not be raised much above the brick or the new carpet will not lie flat of course. Sorry if I have not been clear but I am hopeless at DIY.
Tips on what to use and how to do it etc. would be welcome.

mart.vader

You could use levelling compound, or just mix up some mortar. i.e. sand and cement. It's just filling a hole, so strength is not critical.

Mr_Ted

1st thing to consider will be is there a Damp Proof Course, as if there isn't you will cause a possible rising damp issue by just infilling

If there isn't, lay one, if there is, infill, and i would use a pretty strong mix if it is going to be walked on, but leave a few millimeters below the level required, and when the infill is set hard, then overfill with self leveling compound to get a good smooth surface level with the other surfaces

cyclonebri1

If there is no damp issue what the OP is proposing will not create one.

Self levelling compound is for where large areas have to be floated. It does not apply in this instance, full stop.

mart.vader

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Self levelling compound is for where large areas have to be floated. It does not apply in this instance, full stop.

Yes, but, "Will a self-levelling mixture work?"

Yes.

plumb1_2

mart.vader wrote: »

Yes, but, "Will a self-levelling mixture work?"

Yes.

If less than 5mm then yes, best to dig out to about 50mm deep and use granite chipping and cement

cyclonebri1

mart.vader wrote: »

Yes, but, "Will a self-levelling mixture work?"

Yes.

No, not if there is a gap of any description between the floorboards and the sub brickwork. And there always is I'm afraid.

It's also about the most expensive way to try to fill it, a small readymixed bag of mortar from wickes.b&q etc will be the cheapest.:money::money: remember;);)

mart.vader

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

No, not if there is a gap of any description between the floorboards and the sub brickwork. And there always is I'm afraid. Who mentioned floorboards ?

It's also about the most expensive way to try to fill it, a small readymixed bag of mortar from wickes.b&q etc will be the cheapest.:money::money: remember;);)

That's right, its the most expensive way thats why I suggested sand and cement at post #2

cyclonebri1

mart.vader wrote: »

That's right, its the most expensive way thats why I suggested sand and cement at post #2

Look with getting pedantic and without knowing the OP's situation we can't be specific.

Given that I've done dozens of these and every one has been to cap the rubbishy bit of the sub floor between wooden floors or chipboard floors I'm almost certain it will be boarded in this case.
Main reason being that concrete floors are normally flushed to the brick sub wall.

Anyway we both have given the correct answer, and I think the view is that SLC isn't ideal unless OP happens to have a part bag hanging around, and then it would need mixing very stiffly.

Another alternative that can be used is dry mix tile adhesive, but again, you wouldn't use that unless it happened to be kicking around;)

JustLikeThat

Thanks for all the interest shown. To clarify, let me say that the dining room floor is concrete. There is small evidence that rubber tiles were laid on it originally I think. Could it be that when the house was built (1970) the floor went to the line of brick where there could have been a wall and window? At some stage a square arch was presumably created and patio doors put in leaving just a line one brick wide. The polished wood strip was presumably fitted to hide the newly-created bit of floor that extends to the patio doors frame. The rubble now exposed has chunks stone etc several inches square as well as smaller pieces. I wondered whether it needed clearing down a bit before using anything on it.

cyclonebri1

JustLikeThat wrote: »

Thanks for all the interest shown. To clarify, let me say that the dining room floor is concrete. There is small evidence that rubber tiles were laid on it originally I think. Could it be that when the house was built (1970) the floor went to the line of brick where there could have been a wall and window? At some stage a square arch was presumably created and patio doors put in leaving just a line one brick wide. The polished wood strip was presumably fitted to hide the newly-created bit of floor that extends to the patio doors frame. The rubble now exposed has chunks stone etc several inches square as well as smaller pieces. I wondered whether it needed clearing down a bit before using anything on it.

You need to hoover all the dust and muck out of it, damp it when you're ready to fill it, then flush it off by any means suggested.