Floor Levelling Importance – How to Deal with Uneven Floors in Old Homes?
Old homes are exclusively beautiful and charming. Nevertheless, an old home can even have dips, slants, and humps in the flooring due to several reasons. Generally, it is due to wear & tear across decades of use. If you are dealing with an uneven floor in an old home then floor levelling is a good alternative.
Importance of floor leveling
You want to restore the flooring beauty of the old home floors. Nevertheless, there are several other reasons you desire to level out the dips and slants.
Adds to resale value
Even if you are not planning a sale at the moment, considering resale value is crucial while maintaining. Potential homebuyers connect uneven flooring with structural deficiencies. Based on this assumption, they entirely walk away from the sale or ask for a low price.
Alternatively, floor leveling displays solidity as well as offers the feel to prospective homebuyers that the home can handle all kinds of situations. You can get more cash if you choose to sell.
Get loan approval
If you have to take a home equity loan then the flooring consideration is an element used in the evaluation of home estimation value.
For quality installation
If you are planning on a new flooring installation then it is senseless to put the new ones on uneven subfloors. The installation quality of floor covering will depend on the subfloor level. Improper subfloor is transferred to the finished floor revealing slants, humps, and dips even if the floor coverings are brand new.
Savings
New floor covering installation on leveled subfloor makes the finish look great but even quickens the installation process. It means reduced labor costs. The maintenance cost is also reduced because there are few repairing situations down the road.
Remember, a home needs leveled foundation, and flooring needs leveled subfloor!
How to deal with uneven floors in old homes?
A majority of old residences sit over concrete slabs or wood joists, which are not leveled perfectly. It is common to see a little slope across the room, which is generally not experienced while walking. When the subfloor develops big slopes or waves or dents then it impacts the flooring covers look and longevity.
There are several floor leveling options for old homes. Some of the common ones are –
- New plywood sheets – Aging and water damage can rot or warp the subfloors. This is the common cause of uneven floors. A quick and easy solution is to replace new plywood for uneven subfloors.
- Plane or sand wood subfloors – If the subfloors are genuine wood then it is possible to sand down the raised seams between plywood subflooring sheets.
- Concrete subfloors – If concrete subfloors have a few humps then grind them down to get a smooth finish.
- Use self-level underlayment – It is a product having batter-like consistency, which flows inside the holes, dips, and cracks. A surface that is strong, smooth, and even is produced. It is the best option for filling sloped or uneven floors.
If you choose the self-leveling underlayment option for floor levelling then ensure to hire professionals because it is a chaotic task that needs precision and speed.