Level Plywood Subfloor For Hardwood

A solid hardwood floor is only as good as the installation.

Level plywood subfloor for hardwood.

To level a subfloor for installing laminate follow the directions above to remove high and low spots. When nailing down a wood floor the subfloor should be flat to within 1 4 in 10 or 3 16 in 6. Whether you re going on to install hardwood ceramic tile or laminate one of the most important steps of any flooring project is making sure the subfloor foundation is level. Laminate planks snap together and float above a subfloor which means tiny subfloor imperfections are okay although again a level subfloor will help prevent damage.

What good is a beautiful and expensive hardwood floor if it squeaks and creaks when you walk on it. 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. What s worse is if boards start to stick up buckle or warp. Wood floors may be installed over subfloors that are out of level such as a ramp but should still fall within floor flatness tolerances.

The key to a beautiful long lasting hardwood or laminate floor is a well prepared subfloor. This was a novel idea to us but it made sense. Searching around the internet for solutions we eventually landed on this article from ask the builder that suggests using construction felt and asphalt roofing shingles to level an uneven plywood or osb floor for hardwood installation. A subfloor is meant to be flat and level.

Before you install your plywood subfloor first calculate the room s square footage to find out how much flooring you ll need to buy. After vacuuming or sweeping the subfloor to clean it add a plywood. Do this by multiplying the room s length by its width. But not to worry if your subfloor is less than perfect.

And a quality installation relies on having a level subfloor. Hardwood floor installers often use the term level when referring to subfloors when actually they are meaning the term flat.