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Wow! Look at this crack. Before you put down most flooring materials, you have to make sure that the floor surface is pretty level and crack free. So, it is important to use a floor leveling or crack filling compound.

A lot of them are easy to work with, you just mix them with water and many of them are cement base which makes them very, very sticky. I like to read the instruction first, it is always a good idea just turn the bag around see what it tells you to do.

Frequently, with cement base products, you need to make sure that the floor surface is clean and it is smooth meaning there are not any old humps of concrete or bumps or whatever. Those are going to get in your way and actually create a problem.

What you do is take a scraper and scrape down the floor and make sure it is pretty smooth then clean it with a sponge and water. Make sure that the floor is slightly wet where you going to patch because that will actually help the cement base floor leveling compound stick.

Only mix a small amount of product to work with because frequently these set up or get hard very quickly often in as little as three or four minutes. Use a large broad knife to apply the material and just get it as smooth as possible, it is not hard.

Sometimes you may need a second coat to smooth out a rough to the area but it is generally very easy to work with. But you want to make sure that you get off any excess as well. If it dries it becomes extremely difficult to get out and remember it leaves a little hump that may telegraph through the flooring that you are trying to make look perfect.

Also clean the tools as soon as possible. If this material dries on it you are going to have to throw them away.

If you want to discover more home improvement tips, go to AskTheBuilder.com.

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