DIY Basement Skim Coat

Skim coating a basement floor is the first step required before you can install any further flooring, or even paint the existing surface. A skim coat is concrete-based and spreads over the floor to fill in any depressions and low spots. After the skim coat dries, the basement floor is level and ready for the final flooring application. Homeowners can skim coat a basement themselves, although the process is a bit messy.

Broom
Carpenter’s level
Chalk
Rubber gloves
Dust mask
Safety goggles
5-gallon bucket or wheelbarrow
Self-leveling cement-based skim coating mixture
Water
Drill with paddle mixer
Garden hose
Long-handled trowel
Hand trowels (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Clean the basement floor by sweeping it with a broom to remove all debris from the surface.
- 2
  Place a carpenter's level at the end of one wall and move it over the floor little by little, ensuring the air bubble remains in the center at all times. When you reach an area that is low, draw an “x” on it using a piece of colored chalk so you can identify it later.
- 3
  Wearing rubber gloves, a dust mask and goggles to protect against the dust, which causes irritation, fill a five-gallon bucket or wheelbarrow with a bag of self-leveling, cement-based skim coating mixture and add the amount of water specified by the manufacturer. Use a paddle mixer on a drill to mix the material thoroughly until no dry areas of powder remain.
- 4
  Spray the basement floor lightly with a garden hose until the entire surface is damp.
- 5
  Pour the material onto the basement floor, starting in the center, and use a long-handled trowel to push it out evenly across the floor. When you reach a chalk mark, allow the material to level out without pushing it, so that it fills the depressions evenly. Ensure that all surfaces of the floor are covered with the skim coat.
- 6
  Wait between 60 and 90 minutes to allow the skim coat to dry and cure.

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