Carpets, Lino & Flooring

Surface layer of polished concrete floor flaking... Redo or tear out?

Anonymous user 15/03/2024 - 2.43 PM

We moved into our house a year ago. The previous owners did a kitchen extension in 2016 that included a polished concrete floor with wet underfloor heating. The room is approximately 16sqm. A couple of months ago, we noticed a small patch of the floor in front of the fridge/freezer was flaking away. It looks like it is only a surface layer, about 3mm thick. Since that point, the patch has got progressively worse being in a high traffic area. We have covered it with tape so it doesn't grow any more - currently it's about 12cm across. When you press on the surrounding area, it clicks indicating that the surface layer isn't really 'attached' to the screed underneath. The now-visible concrete/screed underneath the surface seems solid. No cracks or visible signs of moisture. There are other deeper cracks by the sliding door out to the garden and the walls, as well as a few areas in the middle that are a bit 'clicky', but haven't flaked away. We messaged the previous owners to see if we could chat with the people who laid the floor, but they've been unresponsive. I assume the whole floor hasn't been laid correctly, but the main questions are: - As a short-term fix, can we patch the surface layer so it doesn't get worse? - To fix it long-term, will the entire thing have to be taken out and redone, UFH included? - Or can we skim off the top surface layer and redo just that? - Would tile be a better choice? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you!