Levelling a kitchen floor

[Fredxx]

I have a floor that I wish to add laminate flooring. I am intending to use an underlay but this will be limited in thickness.

The existing floor has been removed. In parts this was two layers of lino.

This has been stuck with a rubber like adhesive, some of which has come away with the old lino, they majority has stayed on the floor. However there is a difference of 1mm or so between the concrete and the top of the adhesive layer.

Two photos:

Any sheen is from being mopped.

I'm reluctant to use floor levelling as this is unlikely to key to the old adhesive. I'm not sure if solvents would work, plus the consequence of fumes and flammability. Is burning it off an option?

Any ideas how to move forward would be gratefully received.

[Andy Burns]

Just 1mm? I'd be tempted to do nothing beyond your underlay ...

[Fredxx]

Yes, it's about that.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I dunno if you saw my tile cleaning saga a year or so ago: After some useful input from people here I discovered that paint stripper took the (acrylic?) tile adhesive off the old tiles and brick acid took the grout. So try the paint stripper. It ain't fast, but it works.

Lino is old enough to maybe have used a solvent based glue like evostik. This is an issue. Any solvent brutal enough to attack it is likely to evaporate fast as well. One technique is to slosh solvent about and cover with e.g. clingfilm for 24 hours and then use a scraper.

Another possible approach is to hire a Kango type chisel and take up a bit of concrete *as well as* the adhesive and THEN use a levelling compound.

I'd do experiments with each possible approach, eliminate what doesn't work, and do a cost-benefit analysis on any that do.

It has been my experience that there are worse things than cutting out anything you don't want to deal with, and replacing it with fresh new material. If you chip up a couple of inches of the concreted, you can re-screed it very successfully. Or use levelling compound.

[The Natural Philosopher]

That is true. two layers of underlay especially if its like the crappy foam plastic I bought for model plane construction, would probably compress down well enough

[Fredxx]

Thanks, that does sound a good approach. I did wonder if the cells might crush under use.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I have them under carpet tiles here. They went from about 3mm to 1/2mm where the castors on the office chairs run. For a quick and dirty job that's 'good enough for government work' too layers of foam under rigid laminate would be a pretty good solution

[Fredxx]

Thanks for the heads up. I might have a go at removal with heat. But if that fails or too big a job I'll give up and use a couple of layers as you suggest. Laminate flooring will spread any load so only the high points of the floor will crush the foam.

[Fredxx]

I suspect this is before acrylic adhesives.

This probably 40 years old and been trowelled on. You can see some of the lines it's left from a mild serration.

Thanks, I take the point of new is good but that does seem an extreme approach.

[wrights...]

This is known as 'suck it and see'.

Bill

[Graham.]

oam under rigid laminate would be a pretty good solution

Also the rigidity of the laminate tends to integrate any level anomalies over a wide enough area for them to go unnoticed. The same cannot be said for LVT flooring.

[The Natural Philosopher]

That is rather the point of the underlay in any case.. To gap fill any minor imperfections as well as avoiding slappy noises. There may well be more expensive underlays based on rubber that will work even better such as those used for fitted carpets

etc

Using expensive underlay might paradoxically be the cheapest solution. Cerialy is a low labour cost solution.

[Graham.]

Imperial (according to Rev Spooner).

[alan_m]

Scrape with a garden hoe with the blade that has been sharpened with a file/stone. Or

Would heating with a steam wallpaper stripper soften it?

[Brian Gaff]

Would be worth trying to remove the adhesive near the edges though, I think. Brian