Leveling a floor can be either a do it yourself project or a job for the pros.
Best flooring for old not level flooers.
Laser level use.
The challenge these floors don t face the stress of foot traffic or the constant sunlight that can fade solid and engi neered wood.
You can do this with an inexpensive line laser but you ll get more accurate results with a rotary laser level which you can rent from a rental center.
Before taking steps to level a floor you must find out why it s not level.
A plywood subfloor will bridge any minor waves in the existing floor and leveling compound would help too.
A floating floor is easily installed without using glue staples or nails making it an exceptional diy floor option.
You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of considerably more weight from the plywood subfloor and any floor coverings.
There are two good options available in this case.
Tiles and hardwoods are generally not recommended but you can sometimes get away with them if you re willing to invest a bit more time and labor into the floor installation process.
These can be dealt with by sanding down wooden subfloors with an electric sander or by grinding them with a motorized angle grinder.
These materials conform to the shape of the floor.
Carpet and vinyl are the best coverings for uneven floors and carpet can hide the fact that the floor isn t flat.
Installation of floating floors are easy and fast because planks click or snap together quickly and float above the subflooring surface.
Occasionally however there will be humps that cause the foundation to rise above a specified height.
The best way to check a floor for general sloping is with a laser level.
A floor with pronounced bowing or waves throughout the room is not a candidate for this approach.
Grinding and repairing a concrete floor can create concrete dust so be safe and wear a respirator a dust mask will not give you enough protection.
Rather the flooring threats in these rooms come in liquid form.
Best diy floor coverings.
Flooring types with a waterproof non porous surface include.
If your floor is concrete use a concrete grinder for large open areas or a 4 inch or 8 inch angle grinder with a cup wheel attachment made for use on concrete.
Floating floor the best floor for uneven surface.
More often than not sagging or slanted flooring materials are responsible for off level floors.
The floor is still uneven but these materials will bend with the floor and not crack or separate like the rigid flooring.
Determine the underlying problem.
Cork also provides additional insulation with an r value about 1 125 the highest of indoor hard surfaces.
The best recycled flooring materials are bamboo and cork.