Hi all - I am finishing a room in my basement that I will use for a home gym (about 485 sqft). I am now working on the floor, for which I will be using 3/8 inch rubber tile flooring (laying over the existing concrete). The floor was not level when I started. I ended up paying a guy to self-level the floor because I didn't trust myself to do it. I'm not happy with the result - while it is much more "level", it's not as "flat" as I'd like. There are "ridges" left where one pour met another pour. I'm not exactly sure how he messed it up - whether it was because he didn't mix properly, used the quick setting stuff which started to set too quickly, or because he didn't spread it around the floor enough with a squeegee. Either way, if I put down a rubber mat, I can still notice the bumps. I attached some pictures. The first three show the ridges I'm talking about. The fourth picture is a spot where there's a "swirl" from one pour meeting another, but IS flat (for reference).
I asked the guy to fix it, and he came over and smoothed it out with what I believe was a "thinset mortar". The last picture is the result. Honestly, I still don't think it's flat enough - so I'm thinking about doing another layer of self-leveler myself. If I do a thin layer, make sure I mix it properly and spread it out well across the floor after pouring, and use the regular non-quick setting stuff, I think I can get it much flatter. I'm hoping I can get away with just another 1/8 inch layer.
Before I go about this, I wanted to see if anyone had any other suggestions on what I can do - maybe there's something easier I can do.
Also, can I pour self-leveler down directly on top, without adding more primer? I believe I heard that self-leveler binds well to itself without primer - although the self-leveler I will be using is a different product than the one used previously - not sure if that matters. (Also, will it bind to the spots with the thinset mortar?)
I appreciate any help/advice!