Leveling Plywood Subfloor For Hardwood

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.

Leveling plywood subfloor for hardwood. The plywood becomes the new subfloor with the hardwood floor laying on top. Do this by multiplying the room s length by its width. Self leveling underlayment products can be used on concrete floors wood subfloors that are uneven but still in decent shape and even over ceramic tile floors eliminating the task of tearing. A subfloor is meant to be flat and level.

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. Plywood allows for a much better build up with lower undulations in the subfloor. After vacuuming or sweeping the subfloor to clean it add a plywood. The key to a beautiful long lasting hardwood or laminate floor is a well prepared subfloor.

Level floors are critical for reducing gaps between the flooring material and substrate and preventing sagging and other structural complications. Before you install your plywood subfloor first calculate the room s square footage to find out how much flooring you ll need to buy. Hardwood floor installers often use the term level when referring to subfloors when actually they are meaning the term flat. Build up from the lowest elevation using the products that allow for enough incremental elevation gain to get to within flatness tolerance.

How to level a subfloor for a hardwood floor install. To level a subfloor for installing laminate follow the directions above to remove high and low spots. Plywood is available in many thicknesses 1 8 1 4 11 32 15 32 19 32 23 32 and 1 1 8.