Just blew 3 hours on self-leveling compound I didn't need

So I was doing a 400 square foot basement job near St. Louis last week. Concrete slab had some low spots, maybe a quarter inch dip in the middle. I went ahead and mixed up two whole buckets of self-leveling compound. Threw it down, waited overnight. Next morning I realized I could have just used a patching compound for that depth. The leveler went everywhere, got under the door jambs, and I spent another hour cleaning up the overflow. Now I'm out $85 for the extra material and half a day of work. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way or am I the only one who grabs the wrong product?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_drew18d ago

Did you check the actual depth before you mixed it, or was it a spur of the moment thing?

shane_morgan18d ago

Did you at least have a rough idea of the depth before you just went for it? In my experience, mixing a batch blind like that is almost always a waste of product and time. I learned that the hard way after I ruined a full bag of quickcrete because I didn't measure the hole first. Now I always take a few minutes to poke a tape measure down there before I even get the mixer out. Your mileage may vary, but I swear it makes everything come out smoother if you know exactly what you're working with.

parker_hall518d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah "ruined a full bag of quickcrete" hits hard lol. I did the same thing back when I was putting in a mailbox post. Just got excited, mixed up a whole bag, and the hole was way deeper than I thought. Ended up having to run to the store again because I ran out of mix halfway through. Now I always do that tape measure trick too, but I also mark the depth on the handle of my shovel with a sharpie. That way I can check it as I'm digging and know when I'm close without bending over every two seconds. Saves your back and your concrete lol.