How To Level Up Hardwood Floor

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.

How to level up hardwood floor.

Pass a long carpenter s level or. Be suspicious of wood posts set on dirt floors or wood posts with concrete poured around the post bases. 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. Pound nails into the subfloor with a hammer and set screws slightly below the surface of the subfloor with a screwdriver.

To do this you ll want the longest level you can find. This will expose the subfloor underneath which is where most leveling problems lie. Spread the leveler over the floor with a trowel or a gauge rake so it covers each low area completely. Otherwise lay a very straight metal bar or wood board on the floor and place a level on top.

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 the level is in the bubble you re ready to go. The thickness of hardwood flooring boards is known as the profile and profiles vary. If the floor slants irregularly cut strips that bridge the cap at each floor joist.

If the bubble is off raise the low end until it s level. You can leave linoleum or sheet vinyl in place if it s difficult to remove or if removal would damage the sub floor. If your house is built over a basement first inspect all of the basement support beams and posts where they meet the floor. Mix the floor leveling compound with water in a bucket following the manufacturer s directions.

Screw the strips into the floor joists or subfloor. A plywood subfloor will bridge any minor waves in the existing floor and leveling compound would help too. On the top side of the floor another fix it idea to lay down new hardwood over the existing floor. If an engineer found no structural issues you may be able to level the floor by applying a cement based self leveling floor product such as henry level pro self leveling underlayment available.

Clean it well with a wet dry vacuum. Pour a generous amount of mixed leveler onto the subfloor focusing on one or more wavy areas. If the subfloor is the same in both rooms connecting the two rooms with an even floor shouldn t be difficult.