How To Fix Uneven Plywood Floors

For plywood and osb oriented strand board over joists.

How to fix uneven plywood floors.

If the uneven floor is due to floor joists that have warped or twisted over time or were incorrectly installed the only way to level the floor is to remove the subflooring and shim the joists. Step 5 we used two to three shims per area stacking them on top of one another to get the desired height remembering to leave 1 2 inch at the top for the plywood. Mix the floor leveling compound with water in a bucket following the manufacturer s directions. What you need to fix an uneven subfloor.

You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of considerably more weight from the plywood subfloor and any floor coverings. Pour a generous amount of mixed leveler onto the subfloor focusing on one or more wavy areas. A plywood subfloor will bridge any minor waves in the existing floor and leveling compound would help too. Here s how to fix a few common types of subfloors.

After uninstalling the laminate for the third time it was time to get to work leveling the floor out so that the boards would install as they were designed to. Liquid primer treat floors first before putting down compound. Some sanding may be needed when it sets completely. How to fix an uneven concrete floor concrete floors leveling issues can be fixed using a self leveling compound mix that basically uses natural gravity to fix your uneven concrete floor.

After removing the sleepers old nails and other debris from the area we placed shims every 12 to 14 inches down the length of the floor on either side of the cut out opening. An effective strategy for filling large gaps is to mix patching compound to a stiff mortar like consistency trowel it into the plywood subfloor gaps and wait for it to stiffen before troweling it smooth. On the top side of the floor another fix it idea to lay down new hardwood over the existing floor. A little cheat to help work past a small dip in your subfloor when installing laminate flooring.

Spread the leveler over the floor with a trowel or a gauge rake so it covers each low area completely.