Floating Floor Subfloor Not Level

Learn how to use a grinder.

Floating floor subfloor not level.

A level subfloor will help your flooring last longer and keep the finish attractive. Lay it on the floor and have a look at the edge of the subfloor. On the top side of the floor another fix it idea to lay down new hardwood over the existing floor. The floor may roll a marble and looks to slope now that the carpet has been removed.

Leveling floors can be a diy project or left to professionals. 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. Use a long level and tape measure to check that the floor is level. Depending on the situation you can either sand down areas of the subfloor that are too high or install shims beneath the subfloor so that the entire floor is brought up to the same level.

These can be dealt with by sanding down wooden subfloors with an electric sander or by grinding them with a motorized angle grinder. A subfloor is meant to be flat and level. More often than not sagging or slanted flooring materials are responsible for off level floors. Flat and level may seem like the same thing but a flat floor can be out of level to a certain degree and still help to create a base for comfortable quiet wood floors.

It s a bit confusing but a flat floor can still be slightly out of level and still create a good foundation for a long lasting floor installation. A plywood subfloor will bridge any minor waves in the existing floor and leveling compound would help too. When you are dealing with uneven floors one option that you have is to use self leveling compound. We ve been told that laminate flooring requires the floor to be level but that vinyl flooring is more forgiving.

Typically the floor must be level and uniform within 3 16 inch every 10 feet. Laminate flooring on an uneven subfloor can cause problems and needs to be addressed. The easiest way to check the flatness of your subfloor is by using a straight 2x4 about 10 feet long. The floor is not level or square built in the 70 s.

How forgiving is vinyl in regard to an unlevel subfloor. The floor can have an unlevel subfloor and still have a base for a nice laminate floor. In many cases you can level a floor yourself. If there are only a few problem areas in the concrete you can mechanically flatten them by grinding bead blasting abrading or using a patching compound.

The plywood subfloor is in good condition. You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of considerably more weight from the plywood subfloor and any floor coverings. If you are installing a locking or floating floor not attached to the subfloor just make sure that the subfloor is clean.