Patching holes in basement concrete floor under old framing

Question

I took out the partition walls in the basement of my 1923 house and the bottom sill plates were set into the concrete. With the wood removed (some of it basically disintegrated) I’ve now got some 1” deep 4” wide trenches in the concrete to deal with. It feels like concrete at the bottom, but maybe some dirt in spots.

The concrete was raised on either side of the sill like it had been poured against the wood. I’ve been chipping at the concrete to try to remove the high spots, but I wonder if I should try to cut them out instead. Do I need to go a certain depth?

Any insight into how I should patch them so I can extend the linoleum tiles over the area?

Answer 1

Instead of lowering the higher poured concrete, you could fill in the low rectangle where the wood used to be with some concrete patch.

The bigger problem you’ve got is that in 1923, slabs weren’t insulated nor properly damp-proofed. Unless there’s been exterior drainage work done (and even if there has been) you probably have significant moisture coming up in the concrete.

Have you noticed any issues related to too much water vapor in the basement? Besides rotten wood of course….