Thread: Advice needed to level garage floor for cabinets. Drops 5" from left to right.

That level of drop might not seem much but it may affect your standing tiredness.

I had about the same level of drop in my old shed and only noticed the difference when I had the new 6 x 4m extension built and noticed that working in the flat area was definitely less tiring than the sloped area.

In the end I ripped the old sloping concrete floor floor out and had a new one laid.
3.8 x 5.3 x 100 cost me a grand and I also took the opportunity to install a short run of under floor ducting and power.

Used to be around the kitchen game and everything we did went on a kickboard frame, with a face board. The basic frame was just a ladder frame of 100H x 16mm melamine chipboard glued and nailed. It would be placed in the required location and shimmed to make it level, then fixed to the floor with angle brackets and screws. The kick face board was made slighty over width in a melamine of the customers requirements and clamped to the frame, then scribed and trimmed to follow floor deviations,and finish flush with the leveled frame. Cabinets could then be placed on the kicker and secured, knowing that they had a level base.

Some other cabinet crews use adjustable legs instead of the kicker frame and compensate for an uneven floor that way, then install a kicker face that clips to the legs, again generally scribing and trimming to match the floor. Both of these techniques are good for coping with small variations, say to 10mm or so, but anything larger becomes obvious. Largest variation we ever come across was about 60mm where the the floor had dropped at one end and then the customer had had an extension built that matched the dropped end end, without correcting the original floor. The issue was obvious before the boss quoted the job, and the customer was advised of the issue. In that case the kicker height tapered to achieve a level base for the cabinets.

In your instance, I suspect that your best bet overall will be to build a false floor over the original and get the floor surface as close to level as possible. However in doing so, you need to ensure that the original floor is totally waterproof and that there is some air circulation between the original floor and the level floor.

Thanks heaps gents.

100H is 4".

And its a garage that no one else will be in.

I don't want it any higher.

So will try 0" kick board on the far left
to the 5" on the far right.

Probably made out of 7mm ply.

Work it out with shims as suggested.

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Personally I'd consider battening it out and putting down sheet flooring

Dave TTC
Turning Wood Into Art

Originally Posted by DaveTTC

Personally I'd consider battening it out and putting down sheet flooring

Dave TTC
Turning Wood Into Art

you'll find the level floor much better for working on.
also over time you'll find the differing height from the floor of especially the lower drawers a right real PITA.

It seems to me that putting a level floor on top of a dud one is chucking good money after bad. I'd be inclined to tear it up and lay a new concrete pad. You might find that the cost is not as bad as you think.

I put up with an uneven workshop floor for a long time and eventually replaced it. Best thing I ever did. My only regret was that I didn't have the concrete polished.

mick

Dave and Ian!!