The floor does have some issues (one particular spot is a little 'uphill' over the floor joist. Right now there are a few spots that feel "soft", because the concrete subfloor wasn't as flat as it should be. Laminate flooring on an uneven subfloor can cause problems and needs to be addressed. 00:51. Floating flooring was once the go-to installation strategy, roughly 10-15 years ago in the residential marketplace. If your subfloor is wood, you may have to install a new, level subfloor. For example, if the floor runs north and south, and the subfloor slopes east and west, then there's not very much that can be done. How to fix an uneven subfloor using Plywood, Hardwood, or Self-Leveling compound mix. For the flooring industry, that is ¼ inch in 10 feet or ⅛ inch in 6 feet. For older homes that do not have actual subfloors, floor joist systems should be checked for plane. Hardwood is inflexible by nature. However, you need to make sure that the subfloor is smooth prior to installation. Remove any excess floor leveler and feather it around the edges so it blends with the rest of the floor. Often, removing doors helps with installation, too. Double-sided tape can be used under the floor to help seams stay put, but no adhesive is spread over every square inch of the subfloor. It may not look like the case, but often you might pull away your old carpet to discover the floor is uneven and bumpy. How to Install Laminate Flooring on an Uneven Surface. (I tried to measure the flatness all around, but it seemed okay to me at the time.) What Can Be Done About Uneven Laminate Locking Floors?. Bamboo: Not recommended. This means that the choice of subfloor (i.e., what you install laminate over) needs to provide the right support. This question has been asked in the past, but my scenario is a bit different. Step by Step: Fixing an Uneven Wood Subfloor Before Wood Floors. Yellow Tongue Floating Floor Over uneven sub-floor The masonite has been glued and stapled onto the floor boards and is reasonably even. This “floating” installation method remains a very popular choice today — especially for vinyl flooring. In our case, this occurred in a particularly uneven spot near our garage entry door. https://blog.cityfloorsupply.com/how-to-fix-an-uneven-subfloor A complete guide on what you'll need and step by step instructions. If not, your floor covering, which is the solid hardwood, laminate, tile, or other exposed flooring that goes on top of the subfloor, will never be flat and level.This problem can be fixed, but it all depends on exactly what kind of uneven subfloor you have. Pour the liquid-like floor leveler onto the subfloor and smooth it out with a trowel. The subfloor beneath our first floor is 5/8″ oriented strand board (OSB) laid over 2 x 10 joists that are spaced 16 inches on-center (o.c.). Today, floating subfloor systems offer homeowners a way to stifle the cold and construct a warm, pleasant place for a game room, office area or home theatre. But if you cover the uneven subfloor with self-leveling compound before installing your wood flooring, your new floor will be even and level. Underlayment can serve as a relatively simple fix to an uneven-subfloor. If i place a laminate plank directly on where the boards meet the laminate plank can wobble. I also used a sound+moisture barrier between the wood and the concrete. So, by using some self-leveling compound, you’ll need to even the subfloor first. The floor can have an unlevel subfloor and still have a base for a nice laminate floor. One issue with this flooring on an uneven surface is that a person may hear a subtle “tap” as they walk across the floor as it pushes down into a low spot. Tiles How to replace a broken floor tile A broken floor tile in your kitchen or bathroom can be a real eyesore and potentially dangerous. However the floor rises 10-15mm as it approaches the holes where two 3 metre walls used to be. Let the floor leveler dry overnight or as indicated by the manufacturer. Learn how quick it is to install yourself. Laminate floors aren’t attached to the subfloor, but subfloor preparation is as critical as it is when installing a nail- or glue-down floor. Hello - I am looking to install about 1000 sq ft, of floating laminate flooring on the first floor (over a basement) of a 30 year old house. I also have the 30# felt to build up low spots. Think VOIDS. For ease of installation, it is always best to remove the trim or casing that makes contact with the floor. It’s Important To Level The Subfloor. Each span is approximately 14 feet. These may also exist between the subfloor and the floor joist system. Choosing the right underlay for your laminate flooring project. A subfloor is meant to be flat and level. Gravity will help it settle into the low areas. Floating Floors . A Level Hardwood Floor Requires A Level Subfloor. Remember that laminate flooring, like Swiss Krono USA’s Laminate Wood Flooring, is a floating floor — it will expand and contract as temperature and other conditions change. Next, sand down any bumps or ridges, vacuum away the dirt and debris, and roll out the foam underlayment. Laying laminate flooring on uneven concrete can cause buckling and loose boars as the floor settles into its new installation. The subfloor is 3/4" tongue and groove OSB that was previously carpeted and appears to be in good in shape but is full of significant dips and peaks - … What’s more, you can easily install a vinyl plank over the uneven surface. Brick: No. Do you have to remove baseboards to install vinyl flooring? The carpet pad over uneven subfloors will wear unevenly and quickly with the pressure from feet and furniture, causing the carpet and the padding to wear out much quicker. I have not gone over it with a level yet (have to pull up the carpet first). Project Overview: Uneven OSB Subfloor. 1. However, the reality is our subfloors are often slanted, bumpy or uneven. Right now it's a poured concrete floor, but it's pretty uneven...lots of little high and low spots. I want to install laminate floating floor in my first floor flat (second floor for any Americans reading this) but I am concerned because some of the plywood boards are dipped in some places by a few millimeters. In some cases, it is necessary (or at least beneficial) to address an uneven subfloor issue at the joist level. Every wood floor poses its own challenges, but installing one can be even more difficult if the subfloor has peaks and valleys. Keep in mind that in some circumstances you won’t be able to use underlayment as underlayment should only be used for minor imperfections. Vinyl flooring comes in tiles and sheets and works great on uneven floors. The subfloor flatness requirements for a floating floor are the same as for a glue down floor. Fixing an Uneven Floor for Laying Laminate. The term "floating" refers to the fact that no adhesive is used to secure the flooring material to the subfloor. We do not need any voids. The problem: one of the joists close to the end joist of the house had a very significant crown in it. At the time we viewed the house, the floor looked fine. Waiting to hear back from strata before deciding on my options, was planning a laminate floor like yourself. Concrete is a common subfloor material, and in general, it’s easy to prepare for a luxury vinyl flooring installation project. I've just bought a 1980's strata villa with a creaky floor, pulled up the >13 year old carpet due to my dust mite and wool allergies and found a very creaky, uneven, bouncy plywood subfloor. These systems offer a two-pronged approach to keeping concrete floors dry and warm. other. It's a floating engineered wood floor over concrete slab. Between it and the end joist (just 12 inches away), there was a 5/8 inch drop! As its a rented property I cannot remove the subfloor to relay it. Details Chris Palmer January 31st 2008 Published as Planely Speaking in February/March 2008 Issue. If any areas feel squishy or sag before the hardwood is installed, fix them. If you have a concrete floor, you must use a self-leveling compound to level the floor out. However, if the wooden floor is severely uneven, you should consider installing plywood over the top of the floor to create a smooth, level surface. However, if the floor is sloping on a north and south slant, then shims can make the floor flat. These options are installed as floating floors, meaning that they sit on top of the existing flooring, but are not nailed or glued down. If you install wood flooring directly over an uneven subfloor, your new wood floor will be uneven as well. Engineered hardwood installed on uneven subfloor. We are planning on sanding the floor down, and pulling up the flooring to plane the joist if necessary. Diy soft spot laminate flooring popping fix on a uneven floorhttps://amzn.to/2Jd2uYn (affiliate link) If you have a wood floor, you can follow the same process. Laminate flooring on an uneven subfloor can cause problems and needs to be addressed. They are not made to hide bad subfloors. Installing wood flooring over an uneven subfloor will make the floor less faltering and even. When you install laminate flooring, the subfloor surface has to be completely flat. One is the direction that the subfloor unevenness runs in relation to the direction of the floor. An uneven sub-floor can cause issues to arise prematurely even if the floors are top-notch. Sam Sinton Flooring, Laminate, Underlay October 28, 2018. Subfloor How to lay chipboard flooring Tongue and groove chipboard flooring is a common building material. First, assess the severity of the uneven subfloor. The first thing we need to work for is making subfloor even. The joists run from the front of the house to a steel I-beam in the middle of the house, and then from that I-beam to the back wall. Besides vinyl, other flooring options for uneven floors are linoleum, carpet, and hardwood floors. Ideally, this includes baseboards, door trim and casings, and quarter-round. If your concrete subfloor was just poured, you’ll need to allow it to properly cure for a minimum of 60 days before your luxury vinyl flooring installation begins. Installing carpet pad over uneven subfloors or floating floors over uneven subfloors will only cover up the problem temporarily. 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