Level Floor Before Framing

Lay a long level downhill on the floor with one end of the level on the level part of the floor and the other end at the lowest point.

Level floor before framing.

If you have an uneven floor you may need to think about leveling floor joists with shims. You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of considerably more weight from the plywood subfloor and any floor coverings. Before you begin cutting or measuring grab a pencil and paper and sketch an outline of your floor. Your sketch should depict the floor s basic shape and layout complete with any additional features like alcoves nooks and staircases.

Extremely long spans staircases or interior walls typically require additional support which can complicate your framing. With this type of substance you can apply it with a trowel and spread it evenly over the floor. This job can run you 1 000 and 5 000 depending on the extent of the job. Leveling the floor with shims is when you attach thin wedge shaped pieces of wood on top of the low areas of the joists to make the top joists even.

Place your level in several different spots as you did before to get a more accurate reading of the floor s overall slope. It will find the lowest areas of the floor and work to level out the subfloor. Raise the lower end of the level until the bubble is centered then measure the distance from the bottom of the level to the floor to find the depth of the dip. Which could raise the floor substantially.

A plywood subfloor will bridge any minor waves in the existing floor and leveling compound would help too. While most floors are relatively level some are purposefully constructed on a grade such as garage floors or basement floors that slope toward a floor drain. Floor tile installer most likely did not level the floor by grinding 1 8 in high areas and filling 1 8 in low areas. You can then spread it out on the floor in the affected areas.

Cabinet installer set cabinets on concrete subfloor and shimmed only to level rather than to raise to potential new floor level. Sleepers are individually cut furring strips that install. Leveling a floor can be either a do it yourself project or a job for the pros depending on what s causing the problem. The level shouldn t be off by more than 3 16 inch 0 48 cm any minor deviations you happen to discover shouldn t impact the stability of the finished floor.

Then you will need to let it dry before you do anything else with the floor. During a remodel or a garage conversion it s standard practice to level a sloping floor before installing new floor covering. He simply filled low areas.