Finishing old basement concrete floor

[wormdunker]

So I have a 50's built home that has gone through some additions. When i moved in I gutted the basement to concrete. The floor was not in great shape so I had a concrete leveler poured in . The floor was great. Soon after we had to have drain tile put in. We left the basement is unfinished for years because my boys used it for shooting pucks, roller blading, shooting bb guns....all the fun stuff kids do. .

Now it is time to finish it off. Over the years the leveler has chipped away in areas of heavy use but also there are spots that are separating from the old concrete. Around the perimeter 12-14" out form the wall where the drain tile was installed I have a rough edge that is chipping away too, the seam between the original floor and repair over drain tile.

Last thing the drain tile concrete is sloped away from the wall. They installed that baseboard draining system.

Last thing, low ceilings. I have low ceilings given the age of the home so I want to be a conservative as possible when fixing the floor.

My ultimate plan is to finish the space and create a recreation area for the boys and their friends. Entertainment area and game area.

I am hoping I can get some input on how to deal with the floor. Do I need to repair with another leveler prior to installing carpet or tile? Anyone have any experience with raised sub floors?

One more thing the basement had a shower stall and was plumbed above ground into our floor drain in the laundry. IS that even acceptable? I tore it out and now want to cut the plumbing in to the floor or whatever code is.

Thanks for the help.

[amateurfishing]

I did self leveling concrete to make sure poured foundation was level enough for tile floor project. I would highly recommend the concrete priming/bonding agent b4 pouring concrete. I did not use it the first time (was told really not necessary) and my stuff started cracking within 7 days and literally came apart instantly. was just happy I was not on a timeline.

I highly doubt that rough in is acceptable for todays standards, but will let a pro chime in on that and also may wanna research codes as well.

[Tom7227]

You may want to consider laying some material on the floor and install carpet if the basement is dry enough. A bit of a thermal barrier is useful. That way you wouldn't have to deal with the issues of the concrete.

Basements in the older homes always seem cold. Spend some time scoping out solution for that before you get too far into the project.

[JAR JAR]

I just got done with my basement and I used DRIcore on the floor... they come in 2 x 2 squares and are made of osb with a plastic back that keeps the wood off the floor and still allows water to run underneath in case you have water problems and then you can tile or carpet right over the top of it

[SkunkedAgain]

In my 1950s rambler, there was half asbestos tile over concrete and the other half exposed concrete. I just carpeted over everything as the height of the tile is negligible. With the pad underneath, you can barely tell there is an elevation change unless you feel around for it and know what you're looking for.

The DRIcore sounds cool. However, I also have 7' ceilings and didn't want to take away any more inches of headroom so I just went straight pad and carpet.