Removing self levelling compound nightmare

[Mug-o-Latte]

Folks,

Nightmare scenario on my hands ...

I've relocated my kitchen to another room. The old kitchen floor was a mixture of concrete (2/3rds) and floorboards (1/3rd), so the previous people had glued plywood down over the floorboards, then self levelling compound to the height of the plywood on the concrete, but had only levelled to the edge of the units, leaving the space under the units at the original level. This means the floor has different levels.

I want to level the floor back to the level of the room next door (so that I can lay continuous laminate flooring between them), so has anyone had any experience of removing self levelling compound from a concrete floor, or removing plywood glued to an existing floor?

If so, what kind of effort/tools are involved? Am I crazy trying to fix it?

MOL.

 

[jbonding]

would it be possible to bring the other floor upto the same level using a thicker insulation it might be less work and that extra bit off insulation.

 

[Mug-o-Latte]

It would, but I'd need to find 1cm of insulation across 20sq metres for the adjoining rooms. It would also make the kitchen units in the new kitchen 1cm "lower" in addition to the 1cm+ for the laminate flooring i.e. over 2cm lower.

 

[jbonding]

can you not buy bigger legs or put the legs on packings for the kitchen units and then put the kick board on.

 

[Mug-o-Latte]

The new kitchen units are already fitted, so I'm not able to replace the legs.

So I'm getting the impression that no-one thinks it's a good idea to attempt to remove the self levelling compound?

MOL

 

[jbonding]

get yourself a cro bar and if you can get below the ply try and rip the ply up the glue might not be that strong.

 

[Mug-o-Latte]

Thanks JBo. I've got a crow bar and a pickaxe, so the floor will be attacked big time tomorrow ...

 

[robinbanks]

Am I crazy trying to fix it?

I think so, personally, because the main problem seems to be that you don't want your kitchen worktops 2cm lower relative to where they are now, but would that even be noticeable?

The other thought I had; don't bother removing 2cm from the high room, just ramp down over a relatively large area from the high room to the low one. The flooring will bend and cope with it and you won't notice a ramp of 2cm over a metre plus when you walk

If you decide to raise the entire floor, insulated tile backer boards come in thin thicknesses. A doubling up of a thicker foam underlay roll might also be acceptable, especially if paired with thin hardboard sheets

If you're going to lift the floor, cutting grooves of a consistent thickness in the screed, about 50mm apart, and chiselling it sideways should lift it. Similar technique for the ply if it's really glued down, and a floor sander to clean up after. If there are localised lumps, perhaps a grinder unless they would be absorbed into a thick underlay