Laying a concrete floor slab with a doorway

You can make a sturdy and even floor using concrete slabs. However, one of the most important things to account for is the floor's thickness around the door so you can get in and out of the room! This advanced DIY should be carried out by a confident and capable person but read this guide to understand the steps involved.

Level of difficulty

Level 3: Advanced

What you need

  • Concrete slabs
  • Plastic spacers
  • Pencil
  • Straight length of wood
  • Chalk
  • Tape measure
  • Spirit level
  • Grout mixture
  • Mastic trowel
  • Damp sponge
  • Mortar

The steps to follow

 

Cutting around the doorway

  • Place a piece of concrete slab right next to the door.
  • Mark the height of the concrete slab on the door.
  • Loosen the hinges on the edge of the door.
  • Remove the door from its frame.
  • With a panel saw, saw off the marked section on the door.
  • Smooth the edges with coarse sandpaper.
  • Replace the door back on the frame.

Laying the concrete slabs

  1. Measure the floor from top to bottom for the vertical centre, and left to right for the horizontal centre.
  2. Run a chalk line across the horizontal and vertical lines. The point where both lines meet is the centre of the floor.
  3. Dry lay the first concrete slab at the centre and place a plastic spacer along each side.
  4. Lay more slabs across the room, separating them with plastic spacers.
  5. When you've reached each end, measure the gaps between the last concrete slab and the wall. Cut a concrete slab to the required size with a power saw.
  6. Once you're done dry-laying the concrete slabs, you're ready to apply the mortar.
  7. Apply beads of mortar to the back of the concrete slab and reposition the concrete slab on the ground. Press firmly on the ground.
  8. Place spacers in between concrete slabs. Let the slabs set and dry before removing the spacers.
  9. Fill the gaps between the slabs with grout mixture.
  10. Finish off by wiping excess grout mixture with a damp sponge.
  11. Let the mortar and grout fully dry before using the newly paved area.

Related articles

Don't want to DIY? Get recommended stonemasons for your home improvement job.

Please note that all our DIY guides and 'Expert answers' advice have been written strictly for reference only. Rated People do not accept any liability for any damage caused to an individual, property or anything else as a result of following our DIY guides and using our 'Expert answers' advice.