How To Level An Uneven Basement Floor

The first step to making the most of any basement is to achieve a level floor.

How to level an uneven basement floor.

A plywood subfloor will bridge any minor waves in the existing floor and leveling compound would help too. Over time concrete floors can settle unevenly or become uneven due to cracking and moisture. You have a few options. Fixing an uneven floor is just more than leveling.

You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of considerably more weight from the plywood subfloor and any floor coverings. Leveling the floor can fix the problem removing the uneven area and leaving you with a smooth level surface that s suitable for any floor covering material you may desire to install. The easiest way is to use a self leveling compound also called liquid floor underlayment or floor resurfacer within sections of level cut rails. Whether you want to refinish an uneven basement floor or replace or add new flooring on top of an existing concrete floor somewhere in your home you most likely will need to level the concrete floor.

You need more planning that you may expect. Before you finish your basement floor with tiles wood or carpeting it s important that the floor is completely level. Filling in gaps cracks and crevices as well as leveling uneven concrete will bring up the aesthetic and shore up the structure of the flooring. Grind the floor use a self leveling compound or use a subfloor to get it pretty close to even as possible.

I have listed a couple of forgiving flooring materials carpet and vinyl to use over uneven concrete floors. The main problem with a basement floor being uneven is that it s generally made from concrete which is a hard unyielding material. In order to level a floor that won t bend you have to add material to the low spots which will balance out the high spots. Fortunately you can level an uneven basement floor using either a concrete grinder or a self leveling agent.

An uneven concrete floor can be unsightly as well as unsafe.