How To Flatten A Floor For Engineered Hardwood Shims

Cover the shimmed subfloor with 3 8 inch plywood to create a flat level surface.

How to flatten a floor for engineered hardwood shims.

The national wood flooring association guidelines call for bringing that subfloor to within 3 16 inch of dead flat over any 10 foot span or alternatively within 1 8 inch over six feet says daniel boone nwfa director of technical training. Floating hardwood floor is made from engineered wood strips that snap together and requires no adhesives. We were unable to add the traditional layer of plywood subfloor. Hardwood floors can be very damaged from water infiltration.

It depends on three factors. I m putting don goodnight under the shims predrilling screw holes and screwing down shims on top of glue on top of non level plywood. They float freely on top of a subfloor. Cutting 2 4 shims to put over an existing unlevel plywood floor.

The wood floor swelling should go down then the flooring can be sanded and revarnished. If we had done so the floor in this room would have been higher than the floor in the studio causing a slight step up something we were looking to avoid. Some types of floating floorboards are glued together at the seams requiring a series of shims and clamps to hold the planks together while the glue dries. Removing the moisture as soon as possible is key.

Establish installation guidelines for a concrete subfloor you should install the plank with the sight lines of the floor. This part of the procedure is different than the procedure for leveling the floor if the slope is parallel to. Hardwood floors do need a flat subfloor surface in order to prevent them from buckling after installation. There is underlayment paper beneath the shims and under that is the original 130 year old pine subfloor.

Creating a flat subfloor involves lowering the high spots and raising the low ones. Stack the flooring in a flat position in the room or rooms where it is to be installed and allow it to adjust to its new environment. Setting up ventialtion fans and a dehumidifier will remove moisture over the course of a few months. One is the direction that the subfloor unevenness runs in relation to the direction of the floor.

For example if the floor runs north and south and the subfloor slopes east and west then there s not very much that can be done.