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Restoration & Refurbishment

uneven floorboards!

Anonymous user 28/02/2024 - 3.47 PM

Hello, I hope someone can offer some advice! I am looking to have a new engineered or solid wood floor laid over the existing floorboards, i live in a flat in a very old building so the original floorboards are not exactly even/flat! the joists are fine and the difference in height from one side of the room to the other is about 2cm (over a 5 metre span). My aim is to put down a plywood layer on top of the old floorboards and then lay the new floor over this. I have researched the type of ply to use and there are so many different opinions!! Do you think that 9mm WBP will do a good enough job of evening/flattening the floor ready for the new?, should this even out the 2cm height difference or is there a special trick to level the plywood? any advice would be gratefully received! many thanks!

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4 Answers

Anonymous user

Hello, I suggest installing a 12mm hardwood external grade plywood. These have to be screwed down to the existing uneven floorboard. This will even out and reduced the height difference by a lot but it will never be 100% level. If you want to achieve a completely flat level you will need to take out the existing floorboards and install a new 18mm ply ontop of the joists but this work will be more expensive for you!
Answered8 January 2020
1

JAM (Cheshire) Properties Limited

Rating: 5 out of 5
Stockport
You’ll also want to use an underlay specifically for solid wood floors. You will also need to leave an expansion gap at the edge and do not fix down.
Answered8 January 2020
0

Anonymous user

9mm will be fine doesn't have to be the better stuff! make sure its well screwed down and be careful of any pipe work or power cables that may be hiding under the floor boards.
Answered9 January 2020
0

Gary Cooper Property Maintenance & Repair,

Rating: 5 out of 5
Crawley
For a reliable result you need to level the floorboards before applying the ply otherwise your floor is liable to bounce. I would suggest that this is not a job for DIY.
Answered10 January 2020
0