How To Level A Floor For Putting Down Hardwood

A level subfloor will help your flooring last longer and keep the finish attractive.

How to level a floor for putting down hardwood.

Installing a thick underlayment. Mark the high and low spots on the subfloor. The 7 best low cost alternatives to hardwood flooring. Learn how to use a grinder.

When you are dealing with uneven floors one option that you have is to use self leveling compound. You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of considerably more weight from the plywood subfloor and any floor coverings. Plan to correct gaps of more than 1 8 to 3 16 inch. Leveling floors can be a diy project or left to professionals.

A plywood subfloor will bridge any minor waves in the existing floor and leveling compound would help too. If the floor is level along its perimeter but there are interior dips or waves that span about 4 inches or less then putting down a thick plywood underlayment should span and effectively bridge the depressions. Whether you re going on to install hardwood ceramic tile or laminate one of the most important steps of any flooring project is making sure the subfloor foundation is level. Align the first board with the layout line with the tongue facing into the room.

Get down on your knees and look for daylight under the level or board. Use a long level and tape measure to check that the floor is level. On the top side of the floor another fix it idea to lay down new hardwood over the existing floor. Level floors are critical for reducing.

This compound can potentially be utilized on a concrete slab or a wood subfloor and it works well when you are dealing with dips in the floor. Used when installing solid hardwood nail down installation is chosen due to how quickly and cost effectively it can be done. How to level a floor. Typically the floor must be level and uniform within 3 16 inch every 10 feet.

When installing laminate vinyl tile or hardwood flooring it s important to know how to level a floor. If you have very high or low spots foundation or structural problems or termite damage.