Remove old screed or fill with self leveling compound?

[FrankA]

Hi All!

I currently have slate tiles in the kitchen and am trying to replace with floating hybrid boards.

I was removing the last of the slate tiles in my kitchen and was about to start grinding, when a 1cm thick piece of cement broke off underneath the slate revealing a smooth concrete surface.

Now I'm wondering is this the actual slab? and if so should I remove the top layer of concrete as well to get to the smooth layer, as I'm not sure which layer is the actual slab.

The kitchen cabinets seem to sit on that smooth layer. I am also planning to gut the kitchen and replace with flat pack cabinets.

So here's the options I'm thinking of right now and would like your help in deciding.

1. Remove the 1cm layer of top concrete, (but I will have to raise floor again to match higher living room floor level)
2. Grind down floor to expose only the top layer of concrete (not going to go 1cm deep, just remove remaining 1 layer of stubborn slate) then fill in any holes with floor leveling compound and call it a day.

I am currently leaning towards option 2 due to really not wanting to go through another minimum 2 days with rotary hammer BUT will this have an impact when I try to remove the old cabinets and put in the new flat pack kitchen?

Thanks in advance for the help!

[MitchellMc]

Hi @FrankA,

I think the appropriate way to go about this would be to remove the cabinetry and appliances and use a self-levelling cement over the entire area to achieve a consistent height. Once the whole room has a flat and consistent surface and the cement is dry you can lay your flooring and install the new cabinetry and appliances.

You could level the floor with cabinetry insitu but that could cause issues if the new cabinetry isn't the same dimensions. Best to bite the bullet, gut the kitchen, fix the floor and then move on.

It's a bit hard to tell in your photos, but how much slate is left on the floor?

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[FrankA]

Hi Mitchell,

Thanks for the response.

All the slate has been removed in that wide angle photo (2nd photo). 

I'm suspecting that what is remaining is the mortar used to set in the slate tiles.

Should I remove this to get to the slab?

[MitchellMc]

No, you'd be fine applying a self-leveller over the existing mortar @FrankA. 

Mitchell

[FrankA]

Ok thanks Mitchel!

[Kelli-H]

Hi @FrankA. How did you go using the self levelling compound? I'm thinking of using this an option for the flooring in pantry post slate removal.

[FrankA]

Hi @Kelli-H, 

I ended up just removing the screed, since i found a few of the spots were actually coming loose after I disturbed it when I removed the tiles. 

Then I just ground down any high spots in the slab with a grinder and diamond cup.

Frank