If you have a basement that needs a new floor because of foundation damage, you will have to start with creating a new bed on which the floor will rest. The bed must be even and level or the floor will not stand the stress of use. You can use the same tools to pour and level sand for a basement floor as you would for laying brick pavers.
Instructions
1. Lay 2-by-4-inch beams around the circumference of the basement. Plunge wood spikes into the ground and fasten them to the frame with nails or screws. Then set more 2-by-4-inch beams inside the frame and secure them to the frame with nails or screws.
2. Check each side and the inside 2-by-4-inch beams for levelness by setting a level on each one. Attempt to level the entire frame by raising it or lowering it as needed. Once close to level, finish leveling the frame by using mason's string and a string level to run from one end to the other. Match the wood frame with the level mason's string and again check for levelness by placing a level on all 2-by-4-inch beams.
3. Bring sand into the basement in bags. Begin to pour the sand into the 2-inch by 4-2-by-4-inch inch beam frame and packing it down with a shovel or tamper. Start in the farthest corner from the stairs and pour and pack sand back to the stairs, occasionally running a screed over the wood beams to level the sand.
4. Remove the inside 2-by-4-inch beams from the frame. Use plywood to walk over the sand to preserve the integrity of the poured, packed sand. Unfasten the inside 2-by-4-inch beams and pour sand into the gaps. Pack sand into the joint with a tamper or shovel.
5. Screed the sand "floor" in its entirety after filling in the gaps. Once the inside 2-by-4-inch beams have been removed and the gaps filled and packed, run a screed over the sand to level and smooth it out.
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