Leveling Subfloor For Hardwood Flooring

You ll need to know how to level a floor.

Leveling subfloor for hardwood flooring.

How to level a wood floor sub floor. Leveling floors can be a diy project or left to professionals. When nailing down a wood floor the subfloor should be flat to within 1 4 in 10 or 3 16 in 6. Thoroughly vacuum the existing floor and use a long floor leveler and tape measure to ensure the subfloor is level within 3 16 inch for every 10 feet.

In many cases you can level a floor yourself. If you have very high or low spots foundation or structural problems or termite damage you may need professional help. Be sure to properly prep the leveled subfloor for whatever flooring material you ve chosen. Wood floors may be installed over subfloors that are out of level such as a ramp but should still fall within floor flatness tolerances.

Just sand any high spots and fill the low spots with leveling compound. A subfloor is meant to be flat and level. 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. 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.

A new hardwood or laminate floor needs a level subfloor to prevent problems such as cracking and splitting from occurring in the future. A level subfloor will help your flooring last longer and keep the finish attractive.