How to Level an uneven floor THE RIGHT WAY

[@nikkikiska]

Pretty good. A couple quick tips for those looking to do the same thing: use the laser to get the first sistered joist level and then do one several bays down, then you can lay a 6' or 8' level (or anything long and straight) between these two sisters and and just butt the remaining sisters up against it instead of monkeying with the laser. Even better, use the laser to install a temporary reverse ledger along one wall and you can just butt the ends of the sisters up against that whike installing. Finally, even with good, relatively straight lumber, sort it so all the crowns are facing the same way and use the straightest pieces on the ends, the next straightest pieces one bay from the ends, and so on, which makes for the most consistent floor possible.

[@jakeledg]

Would you not need to brace the sagging joists and lift them up to level?

[@KentuckyMelons]

From someone who has learned from my own mistakes over the past 50+ years. 1. Never use white 'soft' pine for floor joists. They are weak in strength & it's an all you can eat buffet for termites. I use hardwood treated yellow pine for floor joists especially ground level floors. 2. Never put 4 corners together on subfloor seems. It's best to rip a full 4x8 sheet in half & start with that one so you will have staggered seams instead of seams meeting at 4 corners making your floor weak in strength. Good job though leveling the floor out.!!

[@cajunboy8062]

Great job. I have old house with one room that has sagging floor and I was thinking about doing same thing you did. Thank you for the info.

[@TravisWebbUSA]

Let me know how it goes!

[@TheKot183]

I have a old farmhouse as well 1923 and we bought it with some slanted floors this will be my winter project. Great video

[@BadHomeowner]

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

[@kimsellars7418]

What did you fill it with? Putty?

[@BadHomeowner]

@@kimsellars7418 yea just to fill the creases between the plywood sheets

[@scottmoore7440]

Probably one of the best ideas ive seen. When i get my kitchen gutted, i may try this if its that jacked

[@reno911yo]

awesome job and great video dude. that cigarette is from around 1948 after looking it up!! so cool!

[@BadHomeowner]

Very cool, thanks for the info. This house was built in 1922 so I guess they did some work in here around ~25 years later.

[@dianew1966]

Great job! And entertaining!!

[@tricatfilms6136]

This is great, thank you, I was on the fence about jacking up the joists (and slowly raising to fix the uneven floor) from the floor below but that seems like it wouldn't work in my situation. This may be my best option!

[@AndrewFedyszak]

I had never seen it done that way in uk. You can buy woden wedges called firrings, normally used to create fall on flat roofs. So you could just fix them to top of joists. They are only available in certain sizes, but i used one with 2 inch drop over 8 foot length, which looks like difference you had to fix.

[@vladster264]

I really like this aproach. To me this seems the smartest and certainly most proctical than the others' out there (the self-levelling cement) As a person that enjoys framing I find this the best. 😀👍

[@BadHomeowner]

Thanks glad you liked it! Yea I really hate the self-leveling cement approach, and that's one of the reasons I made this video in the first place. If you add hundreds of pounds of dead weight to an sinking floor, guess what? Your floor is going to sink even more, AND the cement will start to crack and create a bunch of additional problems.

[@donwolfjr1]

Great video!!! Gives me a lot more confidence in working in my crawl space!!! : ) Don W., Ohio

[@leonjulytv]

What was used to fill the gaps of the subfloor? Thank you

[@jeremywheeler2122]

Very nice approach. I have a 6ft length of floor that differs by 3/4 in that I'll do this to if I don't just go with leveling compound.

[@QuintinBulnes-r4y]

How about installing insulation in between the beams of the floor, would this be necessary?

[@BadHomeowner]

You certainly can. I had insulation already, I could have added more but decided not to.

[@infectedbrow7244]

@@BadHomeowner Did you get that loose fill insulation checked for asbestos?!

[@BadHomeowner]

@@infectedbrow7244 I did, surprisingly it came back negative.

[@kintin7264]

Thank you i have a room just like this thank you for sharing

[@ncey8713]

I have a similar slope from settlement across the length of my whole house and considered doing this, but I came to the conclusion that A) levelling the floor would mean it wasn't square with the ceiling which might stand out on longer walls and B) I would end up losing about 500mm from the height of the room nearest the settlement. Seemed much easier to chalk it up to "character" and move on with life

[@Energia-977]

I liked that you used pipe wrenchs to remove that old black iron pipe. Most guys would've used a sawzall.

[@BadHomeowner]

Well that would've been Plan B if they were too rusted :)

[@jimphillips2004]

I bet carrying the 3/4 inch subfloor sheets upstairs made your day. ive got the exact same situation in an upstairs bedroom, old pipes and electrical and work.

[@BadHomeowner]

lol yes VERY fun. Luckily there were only 4 of them.

[@keatscubes]

Really helpful video

[@BadHomeowner]

thanks! glad you liked it

[@alinahas691]

Finally someone is doing it right

[@xSammyGx]

Great job

[@joemulhern]

Great video. Subscribed. What did you use to fill the plywood at the end?

[@BadHomeowner]

Henry's 345 floor patch

[@lophiz1945]

A gentle point. Nails have shear strewth. Screws have pull / tensile strength. You should use 3-inch framing nails made particularly for this activity. FYI.

[@BadHomeowner]

very good callout

[@h2s-i9o]

Nails and screws both have shear/withdrawl/tension cals available.

[@russellscott1151]

Id have used bolts and washers where possible every say 800mm and doubled up with some screws. Hate nails with a passion having had to pull stuff apart a lot that’s been nailed.

[@patriklindholm7576]

Unnecessary.

[@what.if.youre.wrong...]

GRK

[@cfoster1020]

Just curious why you filled the gaps in the subfloor with subfloor patch?

[@BadHomeowner]

I used a floor patch to flatten out a few low spots that persisted. This is so that the new vinyl plank flooring I installed later doesn't warp or crack around those spots.

[@xxnonstopdancingxx]

1:05 March 1955? Fish under the sea dance was November that year. Good year for socials

[@jakeledg]

Why wouldn’t you support the sagging joists with a cross beam?

[@ikymagoo]

What kind of screws did you use?

[@BadHomeowner]

I used these 3" Simpson structural screws: creatoriq.cc/3CU5fxm

[@rivernet62]

Would have liked a little explanation of the cause. How did second floor get 1.5" out yet the ground floor wasn't? My best guess is, it was, due to settling. Why not address the issue there, at the cause?

[@BadHomeowner]

Yes it was due to settling. The house is 100 years old, it probably settled for 20 years and hasn't moved since then. The other option is to jack up my entire three story house from the basement, and then fix every cracked wall and door frame that results. Instead of spending next 6 months doing that, with all the risks it entails, I did this in a weekend.

[@rivernet62]

@@BadHomeowner I get it. But without knowing the foundation or soil, it's easy to assume that it can continue settling. I had similar issues and invested in the foundation. I'm happy with it but yeah, it has taken years.

[@yodaiam1000]

@@BadHomeowner As a structural engineer who has fixed hundreds of settled foundations, you are better off fixing the foundation first. If you use a Push Pier system it can be quite quick and not as expensive as people think. The bonus is that you can lift the house back to level. It ultimately saves a lot of work and is a relatively quick process. My experience is when you get that kind of settlement, it generally doesn't stop. I have seen settlement decades after supposed fixes where contractors or even other engineers swear to the owners that the settlement has stopped. I have even readed sealed letters to that effect. Sometimes it is soft clay and it can stop but it is often organics in the soils that will continue to decompose over thousands of years. It can also be fines removed out the soil from moving groundwater.

[@BadHomeowner]

@@yodaiam1000 Foundation is in great shape, there are zero issues. House is 102 years old. It probably settled for the first 20 years and hasn't moved since. But even if it does settle another inch in the next 100 years, that's a problem that someone else can solve long after I'm dead.

[@joshgunn4474]

The right way would've been to jack the joists back up and block it especially in a 2 story. What you did may have leveled the ground floors but the walls also dropped with the floor joists

[@noahachrem]

What about if the floor is lower at the door and higher on the other side of room?

[@BadHomeowner]

No difference, except you won't have to worry about dealing with the doorway transition since it will remain at the same height.

[@noahachrem]

@ at the doorway, when leveled in this manner the floor will be higher in the room then outside the room

[@noahachrem]

@ how would you deal with the difference in height at the doorway

[@Calderm4]

Did you have a height difference between the 2 floors at the doorway?

[@TravisWebbUSA]

Before: no, but afterwards, yes there was a 1.5inch difference. That's just because leveling involved raising the low areas rather than lowering the high areas.

[@Calderm4]

@@TravisWebbUSA how did you address that transition?

[@doveshouse]

Everything looks great but, how do you leave that old nasty insulation there without vacuuming it out and replacing it?

[@BadHomeowner]

this room is in a conditioned space, so the insulation is not necessary anyway. and I'll never see it again so I don't care how ugly it is :)

[@lpatierno84]

I had to do this with brand new floor joists a contractor installed. Frustrating situation....

[@BadHomeowner]

That sucks. Refund!

[@NikolasHoward-x8d]

How are you planning to address the difference in floor height where the boards you put down meet the old boards in the hallway at the doorway? Are you also planning to level the hall?

[@BadHomeowner]

I added a transition. It's in the video!

[@wysiwyg88888]

I have same issue with a 9x10 room ... Wide pine floors .... House built in 1880. Wondering what cost would be 🤔

[@BadHomeowner]

If you pay someone, probably a couple thousand dollars. DIY: just the cost of a handful of 2x6's and screws.

[@wysiwyg88888]

@@BadHomeowner ty! Id def have to hire someone. (maybe I'll find a bag of 💰 under the floor!)

[@BadHomeowner]

@@wysiwyg88888 make sure they don't just pour a bunch of floor leveler compound or cement onto the floor, they actually need to sister the joists using the method in this video. If they just use leveling cement, it will make the floor heavier and it will sag even more and crack over time. And then you have multiple problems.

[@wysiwyg88888]

@@BadHomeowner yes I've seen that method and no way that's happening. I'd have them reference this video.

[@albopastrami9269]

hi and what did you apply [the white substance] at the end on the ply?

[@tricatfilms6136]

curious myself, think he mentioned Henry's 345 floor patch

[@danielnichevo3667]

I’m so impressed. Great video. QUESTION: What sort of compound did you use toward the end to fill the plywood joints? Thanks.

[@BadHomeowner]

It's called Henry's 345: amzn.to/4c1qjOD

[@Floris-zz3zd]

which kind of glue do you plaster at the plywood floor pieces

[@BadHomeowner]

Henry's 345 floor patch

[@ryanjoyce88]

think i saw in your response that you said you used the patching compound for some low spots that persisted. just curious what you mean by this...if you leveled each new sistered joist why would there be low spots still?

[@BadHomeowner]

Low spots, as in, the creases between the plywood sheets. Not low spots as a result of a sagging floor.

[@ryanjoyce88]

@@BadHomeowner thanks for your response, really helpful as it was the only part of the video i wasn't clear on. great work btw

[@wolverinegnr]

I thought the space between the plywood is supposed to be left for expansion and contraction

[@markdeeframpton]

Curious why you cornered to corner sheets. Everywhere else I've seen says to offset the sheets.

[@BadHomeowner]

Yea technically you should offset, but the whole room was only 4 pieces of plywood and I'd have to cut them up into a bunch of smaller pieces in order to achieve an offset. Didn't seem worth the trouble to me.

[@dj69321]

So it looks like you didn't have blocking on the perimeter between each joist so that you could screw every 6 in around the perimeter. That's exactly what I'm hoping to do, but I can't find a clear answer as to whether or not it's generally required by building code. Am I correct about your approach and do you happen to know the answer? Update 8 months later: Spoke with a co-worker who has several years worth of previous floor installation experience. He asked about the room dimensions (12'x14') and said that it's generally an unnecessary investment of labor and expense for a room of that size, and something they didn't do in such scenarios. I ended up following that advice and skipped the blocking around the perimeter. Everything turned out great 👍

[@TravisWebbUSA]

I did not previously have blocking in the center where the plywood edges met, so I added blocking in myself so that all the edges of the plywood had something to screw into. I don't know whether it's specifically addressed by building code because I haven't read it, but it's the only correct way to install a plywood subfloor.

[@CivilizedWarrior]

It’s definitely something you want to do. For the small amount of extra work it takes, it’s worth it to avoid the squeaks and deflection it probably will cause down the road. Each side should be supported by a solid surface you can glue and screw to.

[@ineedhoez]

I don't know the answer but I've learned a lot about recessing floors for a curbless shower and they install blocking. This is basically a reverse recess so I would imagine you should add blocking

[@ExtremeRecluse]

I have a house built in 2003. I don't know how it passed inspection. I have an inch of slope in my 8 x 8 bathroom

[@BadHomeowner]

It's been 20 years, that's enough time for stuff to settle. You mean it has a 1 inch drop now, or when it was built?

[@ExtremeRecluse]

@BadHomeowner Bought the house in 2015. Gutted it and found a big mess. The tile setters floated everything. The condition of the floors and walls didn't matter for them.

[@danmartens1282]

No concern on why its two inchs low?

[@albopastrami9269]

grid vid. which glue are you using on the 6x2's?

[@BadHomeowner]

Liquid Nails

[@thymesawasten8265]

Curious that you opted to not stagger the subfloor sheets, but now have all four sheets meeting at a common point; typically a no-no.

[@TravisWebbUSA]

Just because it's a small 8 x 15 room and I would have had to cut each 4x8 board into multiple pieces in order to stagger. There's benefit to keeping the larger pieces, and a downside to not staggering, so I just considered it a wash and went with the easier option.

[@Cb138inRs]

Why didnt you replace the insulation? It was all open and grimey. Wouldn't have beeen more than 4 of those bouts from Hoe Depot

[@BadHomeowner]

Insulation is there because a long time ago this floor was an unconditioned attic space. It's now a conditioned space and so I didn't feel the need to reinsulate.

[@elhoward7440]

Wait... the knob and tube wiring was still connected? Scary...

[@lawrencestimpson6669]

Which laser did you use?

[@BadHomeowner]

I'm using the Bosch GLL3-300G. It's kind of pricey because I wanted one with long range for outdoor projects -- for indoors, something like this will work just fine: www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-30-ft-Cross-Line-Laser-Level-Self-Leveling-with-360-Degree-Flexible-Mounting-Device-and-Carrying-Pouch-GLL-30-S/207134022

[@karengrimshaw1414]

Sounds like a nightmare..old boiler piping. Knob and tub.. wow lots of work.

[@BadHomeowner]

wasn't that bad.

[@richardcomeau8231]

Stagger seams?

[@TravisWebbUSA]

Room too small. Didn't want to cut up the 4x8 plywood pieces into smaller pieces

[@richardghost5701]

I love how he creates mess and dust in his wife's sewing room. Her things must have been covered in shite! :D

[@BadHomeowner]

Yep! I had a lot of vacuuming to do afterwards. On the flip side, this new room is mainly for my wife, so it still ended up being a good trade.

[@bigrinks]

Yeah but you now have a step from the hall into the room!

[@BadHomeowner]

Yea, but it's not that bad. It's less than 2in. because the floor was actually lower than the hall floor due to the settling of that room

[@MrFatboy192]

Please protect your ears, multy tools are loud af

[@BadHomeowner]

Yes they are! I usually use my noise cancelling headphones for this but I must admit I didn't use them all the time. Especially in a small, echo-ey room, very loud.

[@Full_Name]

that McFly’s invite for Loraine??

[@darkflux]

that's not plywood, that's hardboard. it's more solid and smooth on one side (typically), and good to make boarded floor feel smooth and uniform. often used between boards and carpet, for obvious reasons.

[@gmel4967]

Should'nt you address the actual cause of the settling before just adding more weight to the structure?

[@BadHomeowner]

Well, nothing is really wrong or broken. The actual cause is that gravity has had over 100 years to do work on the structure. Can't fix that :)

[@missiletoast]

Are your sister joists running to the supports on both sides? One side? Or are they just fastened to the old joists? I’m doing my bathroom (1890) and I can only reach one support if I sister. Wondering if I need to support on both sides.

[@BadHomeowner]

Mine only touch one wall, if that's what you mean by support. I also couldn't reach one side.

[@longriffin3827]

Why not nail down tar paper and wire over subfloor and mud floor with drypack? 2 day job nd couple hundred dollars ! Any finish can go over it except maybe 3/4 inch hardwood im not sure

[@BadHomeowner]

As I mentioned in the video, I did not want to pile on more weight onto the floor. Yes its easier, but you're just adding more dead weight to the floor without strengthening the structure at all.

[@patriklindholm7576]

Why on earth didn't you use say 22 mm t&g flooring particle board instead of plywood? Would've saved you all the unnecessary work from plastering the cracks by the edges, as levelling cement was a no-no.

[@BadHomeowner]

Because plywood is better than particle board in almost every way. It's lighter, stronger, and more moisture-resistant. Filling in the edges is not necessary but I chose to do it in this case. Only took 10 minutes of extra work

[@meta2016]

Still waiting ti show me the right way, no idea why you were so scared if jacking the house and doing it the right way

[@DB-jd9ht]

I love how every1 uses that little site on the top of the level 😂. Just lay it flat and read the middle bubble.... way easier to see and read. I guess thats how you can tell a diy'er from a pro❤

[@TravisWebbUSA]

Yea but isn't bending more likely to happen in that direction? I stand it up because the level is less likely to be bent or otherwise un-straight in that direction

[@nickcohen7748]

Obviously a diyer yourself. It’s way easier to just lay it on top and look down at the bubble. Can tell u have never actually leveled anything in your life. And if u have your just an idiot

[@robertsalay7312]

Do you feel better now that you said that? What works for this guy works. And what works for you works. Just let him do his thing man.

[@georgeaswipe5031]

This is the amateur technique. The better way is to cut and affix sleepers on the joists.

[@BadHomeowner]

Sleepers only work if you want to raise the ENTIRE floor up another inch or two -- even the high side -- which I didn't want to do. Since you're obviously a pro, you should know that.

[@georgeaswipe5031]

@ That is incorrect. Sleepers may be cut at an angle (think of a triangle). At the thin end the sleepers can be paper thin. It just takes more effort to measure the angles and cut them, which is why so many people choose the method you demonstrate. Being pissy that someone noted a better way to do something you did is a sign of an amateur. At a minimum you should be glad when someone comments with a better (or even just different) technique to help your viewers.

[@BadHomeowner]

@@georgeaswipe5031 ok well I'll let you install your subfloor over "paper-thin" sleepers, and I'll do it my way.

[@georgeaswipe5031]

@ tTat being said, there is a time when the method you demonstrate makes sense. For example, when leveling a floor that has degraded joists such that placing sleepers would not act to reinforce them or where you need to reinforce the floor above to carry a load, but cannot raise or increase the depth of the subfloor. In those cases sistering a joist along one or both sides of the existing joists is the best solution. A good example of this using a double sistering method is when you only have room for a subfloor that is too thin to supporting the intended flooring (example: the floor above is to be tiled - not the only possible reason). A solution to both level and reinforce the joists is by sistering joists to both sides of the existing ones, bolting through them, and laying sleepers at the correct angle on the top of the existing joists.

[@georgeaswipe5031]

@@BadHomeowner Either you do not understand or are being intentionally obtuse. If you are raising a floor 2 inches on one side and only a fraction of an inch on the other, the sleeper is cut with the y-axis at 2 inches, and at the end of the angle along the x axis it can be paper thin (i.e. to a sharp edge). I did my good deed for the day to be helpful. If you really cannot recognize a better technique, then you should not be giving advice.