Hi~My husband is converting our attached garage into a living room. There is a crack down the middle of the cement floor and has caused it to heave a little. There are spots that the floor is uneven. He had planned on making a subfloor above the cement and then laying our new carpet. In the spring there is moisture in there, so now he thinks he needs to rip all the cement and start over. Is that really necessary? Is there some moisture barrier that can be put on the cement? I am not concerned about the uneveness. I think the carpet will hide that. He is a perfectionist and wants everything done right but I don't think its a big deal. Ny concern is the moisture and what to do for that. Thank You
A moisture problem needs to be solved first. You cannot just cover it. Usually most water problems can be resolved by digging a trench all around the garage and install drain tile and fill it with drain rock and cap it with gravel. You stated this is an attached garage, so maybe you house has NO perimeter drain ? Then you need to solve this problem too.
There is a company called UGL (United Gilsonite Laboratories) that makes paint products specifically for concrete. Many of them are moisture barriers and some are designed for floors. I work in hardware/paint and a lot of my customers go with UGL's products because concrete is what they are designed for. I am sure there are other brands that offer the same qualities, but UGL is the one I am familiar with. Stop in to your local hardware store and someone in the paint department will probably be able to assist you. Hope this helps.
