You need to get access to the bad joist(s) and replace or repair. Using an angle grinder to level a sub floor - Duration: 4:05. Got plywood or OSB subfloor that is warped or bumpy and can’t be sanded down? Directions on how to flatten a plywood or OSB subfloor before installing wood flooring. Grinding Down High Spots level 1. In our situation we laid the subfloor parallel to the joists which creates a weaker subfloor. Be sure that the sub-floor is fastened well first. ... we checked the difference between the high and low spots just as we had in Step 1. However, we are laying 3/8″ plywood on top of this OSB, and 3/4″ hardwoods on top of that for a very high strength floor. For dips in the floor, you’ll want to use a self-leveling compound, and make sure to let it dry sufficiently before proceeding with the flooring installation. 1 … While it’s probably fruitless to try to straighten out these warped joists, you can most certainly sister them and prevent them from warping any more. Any depression that is more than 3 or 4 inches wide is, in my opinion, too wide. I can sand the high spots down, but just have to rent a sander since I don't have one. You’ll need to drill through the wood and into the concrete to fasten it down. Then either screw the thing out or pry it out and replace it. Concrete subfloors: As with wood subfloors, grind down high spots and fill low spots with leveling compound. His crew puts water on the floor to find the high spots. If your subfloor is of the solid wood variety (i.e., not plywood or OSB), you can single out a floorboard or two that are creating the bump, and which cannot be easily sanded or planed down, then you can pop them out and replace them. The compound will break out or crumble, with the vibrations from nailing a floor down. The joist underneath the hump may appear thicker than the joist on either side of it because of moisture. Wood subfloors: Sand down any high spots until they are completely level. Add a layer of plywood. Hardwood floor over sub floor with high spots I'm installing hardwood floors on top of 3/4" CDX plywood sub floor that has several high spots. A high joist is a different conundrum. Some flooring, such as solid wood or engineered wood, can bridge small depressions. Sand the floor diagonally across the grain. If you have alot of high spots I would suggest grinding them. ... Easy job. Thoroughly vacuum the existing floor, and use a long floor leveler and tape measure to ensure the subfloor is level within 3/16 inch for every 10 feet. You likely need to choose a coarser grit for smoothing the spots with added materials: 16, 24 or 40. Most wood subfloors are constructed from plywood or particle board. Use a trowel to level the compound as much as possible while it is still wet and pliable. I have seen amazingly effective (and some extremely expensive) tools for leveling and scarifying concrete that can be either purchased or rented. Make a final check with the level to be sure all the high and low spots are gone. And yes the flatter the better for laminate. Depending on the situation, you can either sand down areas of the subfloor that are too high, or install shims beneath the subfloor so that the entire floor is brought up to the same level. Actually, if you go overboard and gouge out some of the subfloor, it’s not the end of the world. Building Modern - a Modern DIY Renovation Blog, Kitchen pantry demo, foyer door expansion, & raising a few joists, Master Bedroom: Jacking up some floor joists, Building Modern - a Modern DIY Renovation Blog. Is there a quick, low-cost way to do this? Always use as fine a grit as possible but as coarse a grit as needed, for any sanding job. Check your wood flooring manufacturer’s recommendations and sand any high spots with a concrete grinder. However, this type of equipment can be expensive to rent and will require many passes to remove high spots. Many contractors use a 6-foot level or accurate straightedge to help them locate high and low spots in a subfloor. It’s not the depth of the depression that matters; it’s the width. Floor leveling compound is made for just such a thing. As you can see by the attached photo I have a high spot at a floor joist when the wood subfloor panels come together. Typically, the floor must be level and uniform within 3/16 inch every 10 feet. If you have a drum sander on hand, this can level out any bumps in the subfloor, but you need to have a steady hand to control this. Then you have access to the bottom of the floorboards. All high spots that don't meet a 1/4-inch-in-10-foot tolerance have to be removed. In order to properly install hardwood floors, the plywood subflooring must be even, or level. In either case, the leveling process will be similar to what herein follows. Fixing a low joist is pretty straight forward: jack it up and sister join another joist to the original one. If the subfloor is unlevel, you can fix low spots with a self-leveling product and sand or grind down high spots. Use a straight-edge like a six foot level to find the high spots and mark them with a pencil. Step 2 Look at the joist. With wood subfloors, your first plan of attack should always be to sand the high seams. I like to talk a lot about the benefits of layering and how layering can save your butt (in other words, if you mess up this layer, there will be another, covering layer atop to cover up your mess). I know one option is to belt sand but I'm not sure if that'll work on this one. Only use small amounts at a time to prevent quick drying before it is level. A grinder can be used to sand down bumps in dried compound. Wood subfloors must be dry and well secured. If there are many high spots, or if they are extremely bad, consider renting an orbital sander. When you have depression that are three or four feet in diameter or more, it’s the joists that are the problem. Belt Sanding The High Spots... CORVAIRWILD. Dry I typically use 36-grit on an edger to sand the seams and high spots. As it dries, sand down any high spots to make them flush with the rest of the subfloor. The conventional way of removing high spots in concrete is by means of grinding/concrete planes. Then vacuum the floor with a wet-dry vac or sweep it with a broom. What we found is that one technique is to pull up the subfloor and shave down the top of the joist. So some shady contractors replaced a beam that was under the house by coming through the top. Fill any low spots with a cementitious leveling compound following the manufacturer's directions and allow it to dry before proceeding. Instead, remove the pre-existing vinyl flooring entirely if it is not level. Choose for Me: Laminate or Luxury Vinyl Flooring? The plywood becomes the new subfloor with the hardwood floor laying on top. If it's a glue-down project over a wooden subfloor, I have scarified the substrate with 16-grit paper on a buffer. You'll need to know how to level a floor: Just sand any high spots and fill the low spots with leveling compound. Plywood can usually span slight imperfections and waves in the concrete, but check to see each 4x8 sheet is level and the same height across the floor. Sand from one end of the room to the other, pushing the sander along in a straight line and reversing your direction each time you reach the opposite wall. Sand the entire floor. Tip: Do not try to sand down old vinyl flooring, as it may contain asbestos. Small variations in height probably won't be felt under hardwood, but large ones will, and they can cause laminate sheets to separate. Fix the Problem Spots. As long as it’s level, you can forgo the sanding. If you place one end of the level or straightedge on the benchmark high spot and slowly rotate the level around the floor, you'll discover both low and high spots. High spots are mostly where the plywood boards meet. Have a crawlspace or basement? The high spots should be cut down with an electric planer, setting nails first with a quarter inch punch and hammer so the blades don't get chipped or an edger with coarse sand paper. If your low spots are a 1/4" or better you might consider redecking the subfloor and fill the low spots before you deck. If you need to bring down your subfloor, you can try either a hand plane or a power sander. level 1. From here, you should be able to mark out any discrepancies on the subfloor itself; giving a good indication of what alterations will be necessary. Long Straightedge. Once the compound is dry, make another sweep with your electric sander to shave down slight differences in the height of the subfloor and even out rough patches. Use a wet-vacuum to clear up dust and debris and use a level to be sure all the low spots are gone. A bunch of screws and a quick sanding your subfloor should be good. Use leveling compound in areas where the dip in the old flooring or subflooring is 1/4 inch or more. Plane refers to the flatness of the entire surface, and any high and low spots must be remedied before installing rigid flooring. If your floor is fairly level, but not very flat, a layer of plywood can even it out … For sanding high spots in the wood, you can start with 40 or 60 grit. The gouges can be filled in…or if small enough, the finish floor may be able to bridge them, as long as you’re installing solid wood or engineered wood flooring. Camo Deck Fastening System: Easy Way to Install Cheap Decking. Wood Floor Business Magazine ... Wood Floor Sanding Wood Floor Sanding. Nail or screw every 6″ along joists to avoid squeaking. Step 3 Shave down the higher joist. Hardwood floors add style and a distinct look to a room. Sometimes a joist will be bowed simply as a function of aging. Leveling high spots in concrete or wood subfloor Sanding the subfloor can remove minor swells or high spots in the wood, but any low spots in the floor must be filled in order to level the plywood. The moisture content of a wood subfloor must not exceed 12%, while concrete moisture content must not exceed 3 lbs. Spread it on, trowel it smooth. It is good practice to sand all of the abutting seams on every job throughout the entire layout. Casey_jones291422. If you have a drum sander on hand, this can level out any bumps in the subfloor, but you need to have a steady hand to control this. Know Name 5,119 views. High Spots: Use a sander to deal with high spots. Back to addressing the high spot. Before you install file flooring, follow the directions above for fixing high spots and low spots in a wood or concrete subfloor. Dealing with bumps and depressions in your subfloor is your last chance to smooth things out (both figuratively and literally) before laying down the finish floor. These bumps or high spots are right on top of the floor joists - for example if I lay a level down on the floor, centered on a floor joist, the level will rock on both sides (like a see saw). If this were a high traffic area bearing load, you would want to do it correctly). Hey guys, About to install some laminate flooring in my living room. 3. Lowell Brakey, a Kansas concrete contractor, has developed a slick way of doing this. Sand the floor with a drum sander and 20- or 36-grit sandpaper, depending on the condition of the boards and their hardness. Unlike a concrete subfloor, you can usually knock down high spots on a wood subfloor by sanding, and you can always fill depressions with patching compound. When the high spots are excessive, 12 mm plus, a fast effective approach can be adopted. 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