Hot take: those self-leveling compound kits aren't worth the hassle

I had a low spot in my living room floor near the doorway, maybe a quarter inch dip across 4 feet. Picked up a $45 bag of self-leveling compound from Home Depot, mixed it exactly per the instructions, and it still ended up with bubbles and uneven patches. Spent the whole Saturday fixing the mess with a grinder and patching compound instead. Anyone else have better luck with just using floor patch and a long straightedge for small dips?

3 comments

3 Comments

susan64924d ago

Devil's advocate. 45 bucks is way cheaper than hiring someone to do it, and bubbles are user error not product failure. Mix it slower and pour it a hair thicker next time, it levels itself not your impatience.

hannah_perry24d ago

Hang on though, "way cheaper than hiring someone" is true if you already have the tools and the knowhow. But what about the cost of messing it up and having to rip it out? I've seen people try to "save money" with self-leveler and end up with a floor that's got a 2 inch slope to one corner, and then they gotta pay double to get someone to actually fix it. So I gotta ask, where's the line between being thrifty and just creating a bigger problem for yourself down the road?

the_william24d ago

@hannah_perry that 2 inch slope is a brutal DIY tax, ain't it though.