How To Fix Uneven Plywood Floors

A plywood subfloor will bridge any minor waves in the existing floor and leveling compound would help too.

How to fix uneven plywood floors.

Start by ensuring your floor is clean and that any debris has been swept up so as to avoid anything getting caught up in the mixture once poured. Here s how to fix a few common types of subfloors. If the uneven floor is due to floor joists that have warped or twisted over time or were incorrectly installed the only way to level the floor is to remove the subflooring and shim the joists. Spread the leveler over the floor with a trowel or a gauge rake so it covers each low area completely.

An effective strategy for filling large gaps is to mix patching compound to a stiff mortar like consistency trowel it into the plywood subfloor gaps and wait for it to stiffen before troweling it smooth. Mix the floor leveling compound with water in a bucket following the manufacturer s directions. Pour a generous amount of mixed leveler onto the subfloor focusing on one or more wavy areas. After uninstalling the laminate for the third time it was time to get to work leveling the floor out so that the boards would install as they were designed to.

On the top side of the floor another fix it idea to lay down new hardwood over the existing floor. A little cheat to help work past a small dip in your subfloor when installing laminate flooring. The process of fixing an uneven subfloor depends on the type of material you re dealing with and the cause of the problem. For plywood and osb oriented strand board over joists.

Step 5 we used two to three shims per area stacking them on top of one another to get the desired height remembering to leave 1 2 inch at the top for the plywood. After removing the sleepers old nails and other debris from the area we placed shims every 12 to 14 inches down the length of the floor on either side of the cut out opening. What you need to fix an uneven subfloor. Some sanding may be needed when it sets completely.

You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of considerably more weight from the plywood subfloor and any floor coverings.