Let’s say your well-off friend invites you to his or her sprawling house. To your delight, you notice the house’s wooden floor is so seemingly spotless that you could eat off it. Upon closer inspection, however, you find some uneven spots. A reader of the website Ask The Builder queries:
“I am getting ready to install 3/4 inch thick tongue and groove golden oak hardwood flooring. I am ready to start the job but my wood subfloor seems to have all sorts of high and low spots. I don’t know where to start the job. Should I use a leveling compound to smooth the floor?”
To which site master Tim Carter notes:
“You are very lucky that you discovered the flaw in the subflooring before you started the installation of the finished wood. All too often, I have seen professionally installed hardwood floors that have dips, humps and other inconsistencies in them. When I see these imperfections on the finished high-gloss surface, I know a rookie must have installed the actual flooring.”
The safety risks of uneven floors are all too visible for Los Angeles residents and business owners whose places have wooden flooring. Some construction specialists in Lalaland equate uneven flooring with issues of structural stability– especially with older homes. When you are in the market for new hardwood flooring in Los Angeles, you can source the planks through expert providers such as Cheap Floors Los Angeles.
The flooring installation will require analyzing the current flooring of the subfloors and joists to determine if they can handle hardwood. Carter says that flooring systems based around engineered wood trusses or I-joists are more aligned than traditional solid-wood joisting; the latter has the tendency to protrude its crowns. A level will work in identifying the slope grade.
In preparing the floor area for hardwood stock, you must consult your flooring provider on which areas need more secure fastening between the joists, sub-floor, and main floor panel. This prevents squeaking in more active traffic areas such as the hallway.
Moisture can gradually sap the strength of even the most durable hardwood or laminate flooring that Los Angeles sellers like Cheap Floors can hook you up with. However, there’s a workaround you can take advantage of: Carter suggests applying tar paper over both wood and concrete subfloors to better absorb moisture before it reaches the hardwood planks. Your contractor can then proceed with locking in the flooring.
You will know there’s consistency in the hardwood floor when you look and see no seams out of place. A flooring professional will make it happen for you.
(Source: Getting a New Hardwood Floor Level, Ask The Builder)