Finishing a Not perfect Bare Concrete Floor Best Practices
Looking for help on how to finish this floor mindful of preventing mold/moisture issues in the house, or the slab, silica dust, long lasting, and no lasting toxic fumes.
It’s a permanently enclosed garage that functions as an interior room with bare/not sealed concrete floors. South Florida, Climate Zone 10b/11a, calcium chloride test 3.6lbs per 1000 sq ft (in dry season/winter). Four walls not insulated, slab with no poly/moisture barrier beneath. 350 sq ft.
Previous 40+ years— carpet with rubbery underlayment. No water damage, no mold, but musty odor. Carpet removed, musty room odor still, stains on the concrete. Not slick but not so rough, and water darkens it right away.
Floor slopes down from one corner where the door is in every direction about 2″ total and theres a ridge wall to wall, its about 15″ across and slopes down 1/4″ on either. So flat except for ridge, but not level. Nothing noticeable unless you move a level around the floor.
I’ve researched sealers, stains, moisture mitigators, epoxy coatings, dimple mats, LVP (3lb vapor limit), carpet, rugs, sanding, grinding, leveling, priming, etching, muriatic acid, etc. and still can’t tell the simplest way to go about this or what products to use.
Also I’m on a budget, DIY, and not able to level the floor. I’m good with sanding, like the diamond grit one, and down to work, but cant grind. or power wash anything – the room is enclosed. Photo is as far as I’ve got with the floors.
If you’ve read this far, please, a method I can do with products i can get so this can be a functional room again would be so appreciated.
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