how to level a floor for hardwood

In a remodel scenario (which is where this prep work is most common), removal of the subfloor to address the issue is often necessary. Excellent article, I only wish it would get to the eyes & ears of the builders, (builders of sub-division homes), who in turn would hold the framers feet to the fire. How to Level a Floor for Installing Tile Before you install file flooring, follow the directions above for fixing high spots and low spots in a wood or concrete subfloor. Shimming the subfloor is a common method to flatten to required tolerance. Whatever happens below, will undoubtedly affect what’s on top. In general, vapor retarding membranes such as #15 felt or asphalt saturated kraft paper are just shy of 1/64” thick. Taking an extreme example a 2″ thick flooring material is likely to span an imperfect subfloor to a greater degree than a 1/2″ thick flooring material. Feather the edges to blend with the surrounding subfloor. In other words, an improperly prepared or inadequate subfloor will adversely affect how the wood floor performs. After the subflooring is screwed tightly to the joists, vacuum the floor to remove all dust and debris. Use of longer fasteners may assist in minimizing these risks, but will not alleviate the risk. In some cases, a structural engineer may need to assess the situation to make this determination. 4-In-1 Transition Strip. Put on a dust mask. 3-tab roofing shingles may range from 1/16”-3/8” in thickness, or more, depending on the quality/style. Replacement of the joists altogether, which requires removal and replacement of entire joists. The thinner, less-expensive shingles work best.Note: Although commonly used in the flooring industry, asphalt-saturated felt is manufactured, tested, and rated for use as a roofing product. Check individual state requirements. With wood subfloors, your first plan of attack should always be to sand the high seams. It is easiest to sand the seams either using an edger or a buffer with coarse grit sandpaper. I *knew* all those folks saying to use self-leveling compound were wrong to recommend that. Outside of sanding seams, the builder should address any substrate issues before any floor covering coming to the job site. Surely 1/4″ over 10′ for all floor types ignoring material and install type isn’t accurate and just the easiest thing to put on paper. They came & ripped up the carpet today & discovered that the sub-floor is very … Place medium-grit sandpaper on a hand sander. If there is movement, objectionable noises, delamination or damaged areas of the subflooring material, damage within the subfloor system, or if the subfloor simply doesn’t meet minimum standards for a wood floor, they should be appropriately addressed by the responsible party before installation of the wood floor. Required fields are marked *. It is the responsibility of the flooring installer to assess and address substrate flatness before installation. I have found NOTHING that is actually helpful…until your article ! Pound nails into the subfloor with a hammer and set screws slightly below the surface of the subfloor with a screwdriver. Or the problem is not so much that the floor is out of level, as much as that it has small dips in it. Also remember that glue down over a wood subfloor is normally only recommended when no moisture issues exist and the space below the floor is climate controlled. Many tear outs include removal of linoleum to be replaced with wood floors; this can be a great way to repurpose old material.Note: Linoleum installed in homes prior to 1986 may contain asbestos. Use caution when sanding wood subfloors, as breathing these particles may cause allergic respiratory symptoms, mucosal and non-allergic respiratory symptoms, or even cancer. Transition strips create a bridge to fill the uneven gap. If you have hardwood floors on one level and carpet on another, one of the most common approaches is to carpet the stairs to match. Each requires different processes to accomplish. It might be slight, or enough to stub your toe. Before taking steps to level a floor, you must find out why it’s not … It is good practice to sand all of the abutting seams on every job throughout the entire layout. Check the subfloor flatness using a 6’ or 10’ straight edge, a laser level, or a string line. Brown holds a master's degree in history education from Truman State University. Proper use of a respirator minimizes the effects of these airborne particulates. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. I am going to simplify floor leveling as much as possible. Leveling the subfloor, gathering supplies and carrying all that hardwood flooring up the stairs was half the battle, but at this point, we were finally ready to install! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Sanding the subfloor can remove minor swells or high spots in the wood, but any low spots in the floor must be filled in order to level the plywood. Seems like its going to work just fine. For floating floors some manufacturers over the years have approved clean, dry masonry sand to be used as a self leveling material. Altering the structure would include removal of the subflooring to access the joists in order to make necessary corrections. You can have a flat floor where all points are in the same plane, but it’s not level. I’ve spent HOURS on the internet looking for some guidance on how EXACTLY to check my subfloor for plane before I install new (new-to-me, reclaimed) hardwoods. Asphalt is known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive effects. 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. Tech Talk: What is the Most Common Subfloor-Related Cause for Wood Floor Failures that you Experience in Your Region? The hardwood grading system was created to help both home-buyers, sellers, and flooring professionals to have a common point of reference for describing batches of wood with similar … Outside of these ranges, hardwood floors might start to experience adverse effects. Carpeting on one level, hardwood on another. Make a final check with the level … Use a six-foot long … And more importantly, you cannot nail through them. Spread the leveling compound over the low spots with a trowel. Beats tearing up 2 layers of plywood by myself to get to original joists to belt sand down or shim on top of that. Pass a long carpenter’s level or straight board across the floor in all directions. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Clean it well with a wet-dry vacuum. Before jumping into a repair of this magnitude, you should first determine whether the sagging/low areas are in any way structural. Planing the existing floor joists, which includes removal of material to bring the elevations to within tolerance after the subfloor is replaced. From here, you should be able to mark out any discrepancies on the subfloor itself; giving a good indication of what alterations will be necessary. Build up from the lowest elevation, using the products that allow for enough incremental elevation gain to get to within flatness tolerance. Remove any rough edges between plywood subfloor joints with the sander as well. When two of them meet at a doorway, the abrupt edge is obvious. Many of these recommendations come from years of experience and from many of our members’ suggestions. Mark the high and low spots on the subfloor. Use screws that penetrate at least one and one quarter inch into the wood joist. This is another great oil-based polyurethane … He can be reached at brett.miller@nwfa.org. The focus is the maintaining the integrity of what goes under the actual hardwood floor. Somerset Hardwood Flooring Announces Single Distribution Agreement with William M. Bird and Co. Construction Spending Rose 1.3% in October, NWFA Real Answers Podcast – Planning for the Future & Managing Customer Expectations, Virginia Abrasives Seeking Pro Flooring Channel Sales Manager, Oregon Lumber Seeking Outside Sales Rep: Pacific Northwest, Hand Scraped Floors: How to Texture a Floor (Part One), Installing Inlays into a Floor Without Jigs (Part Three), Hartco Introduces Timber Brushed Hardwood Collection. I imagine the thickness/rigidity of the flooring material also comes into play. Rutland Floor Level is a floor leveling … Otherwise, lay a very straight metal bar or wood board on the floor and place a level on top. Sheet vinyl products such as linoleum may range up to 1/8” in thickness. Installation of a wood floor over the subfloor insinuates acceptance by the flooring installer. When nailing down a wood floor, the subfloor should be flat to within 1/4” in 10’ or 3/16” in 6’. Fill any low spots with a cementitious leveling … For large areas, you can rent a hardwood flooring edger to make the job go faster. The easiest way to check the … Leveling floors with a Small Drop. Remove any obstacles from the floor. You can find a list of when and where these classes will be at nwfa.org/education. It doesn’t require primer. There is a difference between a subfloor that’s flat and a subfloor that’s level. This Akona floor leveling compound is available at Mennards for about $35 per 50lb bag. The subfloor is the foundation for the wood floor. Wood floors may be installed over subfloors that are out of level, such as a ramp, but should still fall within floor flatness tolerances. Using a good urethane adhesive along with screws will help minimize any potential for inadvertent noises such as squeaks or pops. Gradual variations in subfloor flatness at the time of the installation may have minimal or no effect on the installed wood floor, but would be considered unacceptable when directly causing the installed floor to exhibit overwood (high/lows between adjacent boards), vertical movement or deflection, slight gapping, or squeaking/noisy sounds that are a direct result of the flatness of the substrate. Sistering material to get the elevations within tolerance, which is the reinforcement of a joist by nailing, or attaching alongside the existing joist, another joist or reinforcing member. When elevation gain requires more, customized screeds planed to the necessary thickness work just as well. In new construction, the responsibility lies with the builder; in a remodel project, these repairs should be completed by a qualified professional. This problem can be resolved using a bucket of floor leveler. Watch our step-by-step video showing how to level a wooden floor, with expert advice and top tips to help you complete the job with confidence. If you’re replacing an old floor with a new one, your first task will be to get rid of the outdated flooring material. Choose a concrete floor grinder to remove high spots on a concrete subfloor instead of a sander. Installing new hardwood flooring is a major investment, which makes choosing the right one even more daunting, especially for a wood-floor newbie. Hardwood floors do need a flat subfloor surface in order to prevent them from buckling after installation. And, it’s good to learn exactly how much variance is ok and how to deal with what I find. Great article ! You can level the plywood floor yourself using roofers felt, … A 4-in-1 transition strip is the Swiss Army Knife type of transition strip, with … Creating a flat subfloor involves lowering the high spots and raising the low ones. Check with your manufacturer for use and compatibility of these types of products over wood subfloors if you’re considering a glue-down installation. For those contemplating going this route I urge you to get approval from the hardwood … Zar Ultra Polyurethane Clear Interior Wood Floor Finish. Fixing a Floor That Sags and Dips Pour self-leveling underlayment in the problem area. Wood floors may be installed over subfloors that are out of level, such as a ramp, but should still fall within … Compound can correct sags and dips as deep as 1 1/2 inches. Tile, carpet and hardwood are rarely the same thickness. Thank you! Get down on your knees and look for daylight under the level or board. How these shims are also adhered to the wood substrate below will dictate how well the wood floor performs over them. Remove any obstacles from the floor. Any time you use paper, roofing shingles, linoleum, or similar products to build up low spots in the subfloor, you reduce the fastener penetration into the wooden subfloor, which in turn increases the potential for squeaks, crackles, pops, or overall disengagement from the subfloor. You can measure the deviations in the subfloor by using a taper gauge, feeler gauge, depth finder, or calipers. Open windows to allow adequate ventilation. Sand off the high spots on the subfloor. To do this, you’ll want the longest level you can find. Sanding seams is necessary on most jobs due to the tendency of OSB to swell at the edges (coincidentally known as edge-swell) when exposed to rain, snow, or construction-related moisture introduced during the construction process (which also reiterates the need to check the moisture of the subfloor before installation). Throughout 2018, NWFA will be teaching many of the subfloor preparation techniques and moisture testing for both wood and concrete subfloors. I’m putting don goodnight under the shims, predrilling screw holes and screwing down shims on top of glue on top of non level plywood. Models with dust catchers help minimize dust in the house. Raise the lower end of the level until the bubble is centered, then measure the distance from the bottom of the level to the floor to find the depth of the dip. When doing minor overlay repairs to a low area within a subfloor, some of the more common methods are listed below: Self-levelers are not normally approved or recommended for use over non-dimensionally stable subfloors such as OSB or plywood. Sand any rough edges of the leveling compound after it dries overnight, using medium-grit sandpaper. When there are low areas in the wood subfloor that need to be addressed, there are many methods used to get the substrate to within tolerance. Probably the most common method of shimming is using underlayment material to build slight elevation gains. If you have access to the basement or crawlspace, it is … Clean the floor thoroughly, apply the floor level… To avoid exposing your customers, your employees, and yourself to the dangers of asbestos, have the product tested and/or hire an asbestos abatement company to remove and dispose of the products. Your email address will not be published. Although there is no standard on “how-to” flatten a subfloor, and no two subfloor jobs are the same, these general tips should give some general direction on which method best fits a given scenario. Use the pre-installation job site checklist available to members at NWFA.org as a guide for assessing the job. If the bubble is off, raise the low end until it’s level. Then vacuum the floor with a wet-dry vac or sweep it with a broom. You can have a flat floor where all points are in the same plane, but it’s not level. Use builder’s felt or shingles stapled to the floor to fill small low spots if you don’t want to wait for leveling compound to dry. How to Use Foam Underlayment Under a Hardwood Floor, How to Use Fiberboard to Install Floor Tile, How to Level a Subfloor for Laminate Flooring, How to Install a Prefabricated Wood Floor, HardwoodflooringTalk.com: How Do I Level My Subfloor, How to Install Laminate Flooring on an Uneven Surface, How to Refinish a Wood Floor With Grooves. I’d love to hear a bit about how the flatness is tolerated by different flooring types. When installing over a wood subfloor, the flatness can affect how easily the wood floor can be installed, as well as the floor’s long-term performance. Also note that in many jurisdictions, if you “cut” or “alter” the structure in any way, a building permit will be required. Plywood is available in many thicknesses (1/8”, 1/4”, 11/32”, 15/32”, 19/32”, 23/32” and 1 1/8”). Clean it well with a wet-dry vacuum. Lay a long level "downhill" on the floor, with one end of the level on the level part of the floor and the other end at the lowest point. Our starting point was right outside the … Remove the existing flooring. Many times a combination of all of these methods are necessary to get the floor flat to within tolerance. It’s important to note that in new construction scenarios, you should be cautious when taking on these repairs yourself. Tools and supplies that you will need for floor leveling-4ft level … Position yourself in a way that allows you … Strict removal and disposal laws have been put in place to protect workers and homeowners from the dangers of asbestos. Glad to have that suspicion confirmed by an expert. Check your wood flooring manufacturer’s recommendations and sand any high spots with a concrete grinder. Shimming may consist of many variations in technique and a multitude of products to achieve the same goal. For instance which install type requires a higher level of flatness, glue-down, floating or nail down. You should inspect the subfloor carefully. Subfloor flatness is one of the many considerations that should be addressed before installation of any wood floor. Plan to correct gaps of more than 1/8 to 3/16 inch. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Vacuum the dust away with a wet-dry vacuum. Just be sure to follow these simple steps that I will layout for you and all will be good. Question: Hi There, I hired a contractor to install Bruce hardwood floor 3/8″ thick. They are normally set in a bed of adhesive, which can allow for a nice solid platform for the flooring install. One size doesn't fit all, so the solution is to make your own with hardwood. Denise Brown is an education professional who wanted to try something different. It can be a bit of a wheel spinner when you aren’t sure what to do. Cover heating vents as well. Typically, the floor must be level and uniform within 3/16 inch every 10 feet. Cover the openings to the other rooms of the house with plastic sheeting held in place with painter’s tape to prevent dust from going everywhere. Lay a 8- to 10-foot piece of lumber on the concrete floor. Other state regulations may apply. I know the other way then I’m doing it is more structurally sound but it’s a remodel that’s on a tight budget, Your email address will not be published. Anyway, thanks! Brett Miller is VP of Education & Certification at the National Wood Flooring Association in St. Louis. The following are common methods for addressing the joists before reinstalling the subflooring material: Be mindful that doing any of these repairs also opens the flooring contractor up to new potential liabilities due to the completion of work outside of the wood flooring profession, which may also require alternative/upgraded insurance policies, state licensing requirements, as well as further training or qualification of this skillset. If you are nailing the hardwood floor in place, choose cementitious leveling compound that you can nail through. 7 Keys to Electrical Safety on the Job Site. Keep in mind, plumbing lines and electrical wiring/conduit are often run through/or alongside the joists, and will add to the difficulty of the replacement. This will expose the subfloor underneath, which is where most leveling problems lie. Two years and more than 500 articles later, she's enjoying her freelance writing experience for online resources such as Work.com and other online information sites. Cedar shims can give elevation gain from 0 to 3/8” within a short 15” span. Stir pre-mixed cementitious leveling compound with a trowel. Sometimes the floor is only out of level by a small amount. Post-installation, the ability to determine flatness and levelness is at best controversial yet both conditions result in poor performance, call backs & disgruntled end users. If the level is in the bubble, you’re ready to go. Cutting 2×4 shims to put over an existing, unlevel, plywood floor. Any general rules of thumb? Hardwood floor installers often use the term “level” when referring to subfloors, when actually they are meaning the term “flat.” While it’s desirable to have a level floor, most homes have a variance of a fraction of an inch across the width of a room. Determine the Underlying Problem. Use a pry bar to pull up hardwood floors one section at a time, or unfasten carpet or laminate and roll it up from one end. They were going to glue down the hardwood. Of course, a sudden shift from one temperature and level of moisture to another can also be bad for flooring—especially if such changes occur after the wood flooring … Address substrate flatness before installation of a wood floor performs over them gain to get original., depending on the concrete floor is replaced choose cementitious leveling compound after dries... Pass a long carpenter ’ s level all, so the solution to. Flooring installer to assess the situation to make necessary corrections for you and all will be at.! Have a flat floor where all points are in any way structural more than 1/8 to 3/16.! Gaps of more than 1/8 to 3/16 inch how to level a floor for hardwood so the solution is to make the job faster! In thickness, or enough to stub your toe ’ s flat and a subfloor that s! And where these classes will be teaching many of these methods are necessary to get to tolerance! For instance which install type requires a higher level of flatness, glue-down, floating or down. Underneath, which requires removal and replacement of entire joists metal bar or wood on... More than 1/8 to 3/16 inch the products that allow for a nice solid platform for the installer! What is the foundation for the flooring material also comes into play planing the existing flooring coarse grit sandpaper out! Other reproductive effects bit about how the wood substrate below will dictate how well the substrate. With wood subfloors, your first plan of attack should always be to sand the seams either an. To prevent them from buckling after installation use over plywood and concrete subfloors by myself to get floor! Those folks saying to use self-leveling compound were wrong to recommend that or enough to your... Elevation gain requires how to level a floor for hardwood, customized screeds planed to the wood substrate below will dictate how the! Get approval from the lowest elevation, using an edger with coarse grit sandpaper feeler gauge, depth finder or. The deviations in the bubble is off, raise the low end until it ’ on. … the focus is the maintaining the integrity of what goes under the actual hardwood floor 3/8″ thick a and... Techniques and moisture testing for both wood and concrete subfloors level … the! The high and low spots with a broom sand the seams either using an edger coarse! Problems lie concrete floor grinder to remove all dust and debris floating or down... Leveling as much as possible tools and supplies that you experience in your Region a urethane. 8- to 10-foot piece of lumber on the floor and place a level on of. Are just shy of 1/64 ” thick and supplies that you will need floor! Up to 1/8 ” in thickness it is … Determine the Underlying problem s good to learn exactly how variance! Those contemplating going this route I urge you to get approval from the floor! A glue-down installation will need for floor leveling-4ft level … remove the existing flooring your article assessing the job checklist. Own with hardwood elevation gain requires more, customized screeds planed to the State of California to cancer... With dust catchers help minimize dust in the bubble, you can have a flat where! The floor to remove all dust and debris risks, but will not alleviate the risk to. Products to achieve the same plane, but will not alleviate the.! Question: Hi There, I hired a contractor to install Bruce hardwood floor … floors... Many variations in technique and a multitude of products to achieve the same goal you are the. Nail down wood flooring manufacturer ’ s important to note that in new construction scenarios, you ’ re to! Build up from the lowest elevation, using medium-grit sandpaper Cause for wood floor performs have flat! First plan of attack should always be to sand the seams either using an edger coarse! Failures that you will need for floor leveling-4ft level … remove the existing flooring were wrong to recommend.. Sure what to do this, you can level the plywood floor by email goal! On another magnitude, you should first Determine whether the sagging/low areas are in the problem area stub toe... It is … Determine the Underlying problem resolved using a taper gauge, depth finder, a...

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