How to Prepare a Concrete Floor
- 1). Mix 1 cup trisodium phosphate in 1 gallon of warm water. You can buy trisodium phosphate at your local hardware or home improvement store. Use the solution and a stiff scrubbing brush to thoroughly scrub the cement floor. Rinse the floor well. Let it dry completely.
- 2). Put a few inches of powdered floor overlay in a bucket. Begin adding water and stirring with a beater bar attached to your drill. Add the water at the ratio specified on the product label, getting it to a thin, soupy consistency. It dries quickly, so don't mix more than you can pour and spread in five or 10 minutes.
- 3). Pour the overlay compound over the parts of the concrete floor that are cracked or have depressions in the surface. Start in the corner farthest from the doorway and move out into the room. After you pour each area, pass a 2 by 4 over the compound, making it smooth and level. The overlay dries quickly, so work without pausing.
- 4). Mix more compound and pour as needed, until the whole floor is level. Allow the floor to set for 24 hours.
- 5). Use a vibrating sander and 80-grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface of the areas you leveled. Vacuum up the dust before continuing with your project.