How To Level Your Floors | Subfloor Series Part 3 of 5

[@walterdiaz2003]

I bought that planner and a table saw to cut 2 X 3/4 strips and I engaged in this project on a 1300ft^2 area in my house's second floor. Lots of work but saving a lot of money. These tools are great investments.

[@mandabear2828]

You are amazing. This is just what this diy girl needs to do to be able to install floating vinyl plank in my 124 year-old kitchen. My floor had so many hills and valleys, there was no way the plank would last. I removed 3 layers of vinyl/linoleum sheet, a layer of OSB that someone tried to level with shims, and the original layer of tile. I was struggling to figure out how to get the subfloor flat without hiring a contractor and going into debt. Thank you thank you thank you!

[@DigitareMusic]

Bought my house approximately a year ago, guy renovated it & sold it as is. Well, as a first time homebuyer I made the mistake of not noticing the joists had very visible gaps between the beam & the joists... I don’t know hardly anything about repairing a home but I’ve looked to you for help along the way. I do believe what’s happening is the joists are shrinking? House was built in 1947. First floor is sloping toward the beam... not sure what to do at this point, little scared to cut into the subfloor! Hahah. Great video as always!

[@wushi2694]

with construstion and repair price so expensive now. I just turn my self into a expert contrator by watching your videoes. Thank you so much

[@AckamaBrew]

This guy reminds me of a practical Red Green.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cheers!

[@gwmattos]

A true professional job and excellent advice when it comes to a failure that is not the paint the glue the tile the grout. bravo !

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks 👍

[@renren42i]

Thank you for this info! One of the biggest projects on my mom's old house is all her uneven and soft floors. Knowing how to reinforce and flatten is super helpful.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cheers to helping MOM!

[@purefury702]

An excellent addition to the subfloor series. Learned something new with each one so far. I'm a new-ish subscriber, and I want to thank you for your content. Informative AND entertaining.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Awesome, thank you! Cheers Brandon!

[@akmv1]

Can't wait til I own a house so I can curse and swear while attempting to do what your videos show us

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Go for it!

[@ChrisStephensiom]

Just wait for all the grazes, bruises, cuts as well. I used to have really nice smooth hands for a man, now. I'm battle torn from all the work. 100% invest in a first aid kit, decent hammer, saw, bench, drill, fp3 masks, googles, boots and a wet/dry vac. Should be under $350 for all that. It'll save you one day.

[@jigneshdevganiya]

Best of luck with multiple visits to Home depot 😂

[@NotChar]

Love seeing the Makita representation!

[@patriceblais3405]

all the problems seem simple after your videos. Good job!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Glad to help!

[@Ashroyer86]

Because Jeff, with you everything is "perfect".

[@WTFUSERNAM44]

The most unbelievable thing I have heard in 2021 is that an entire selection of wood from Home Depot was straight.

[@AndyTrent90]

1 day before this video dropped I bought a DeWalt planer and planed down one of my joists 3/8”. My home had foundation issues repaired before I bought it and one side of the house ended up higher than the rest. This buckled the rim joist and 1st floor joist. Once I cut the subfloor plank (and it snapped downward) it was obvious the lift on the wall was about 1". Thanks for confirming my "repair", now i know I'm not crazy 😂

[@VivianScott-l1e]

This man is awesome! He explains everything so very well and makes me feel like I can do anything in my home. Thank you so much!!!

[@BoostinChick]

1.) Cut hole in the subfloor to fix squeaks and run ENT innerduct 2.) ...now waiting on Part 4 in order to reinforce and fix said hole Great vids, as always! Especially for homeowners like myself that are somewhat handy and are currently getting apocalyptic pricing and quotes for things I am able to do myself.

[@jjr6929]

These vids are gonna save my bacon... My inherited kitchen...cabinets were installed before finished level plywood. Dishwasher leaked and wicked thru the floor. Turns out it was pergola over pad over vinyl over plywood over vinyl tiles over plywood over 2*6 on its side at an angle on top of the joists....pray for me please! 😂 And yes it molded. Edit: not to mention, i discovered DW drain plumbed uphill to sink drain, which was an S and not a P drain and an old vent line in the wall was not capped off.

[@giemti82]

The kindness, expertise and profesionalism makes me think about moving to Canada ❤

[@billyshakespeare17]

Me too. At first. Then I thought, why would I want to live under a globalist tyrant Fidel Castro Jr.?

[@chemcorps272]

Your videos are such a wealth of practical knowledge and expertise explained down to a DIY level. Thank you good sir! 👍👍👍

[@ausblob263]

Im going to start shopping your stores you have listed to support you, you have saved my butt many times already your videos are fantastic

[@SUP3RDAD84]

Jeff! First off: MANY thanks to you and the crew. Saved me tons, I’ve learned a lot, and I’m inspired. I bought a house but I want to do this as a profession. So, thanks! Anyway, you’ve had some hysterical moments. Would you PLEASE do a blooper reel? Cheers!

[@hokimocus]

Dear Jeff, I hope I never have to use this info but it is fascinating to watch a master carpenter work. Thanks!

[@ClintEastonz]

You gave me the courage to cut open my subfloor today to relocate a shower drain. Easy Peezy. Also, I'm going to need to increase my tool collection, since I've already seen how the builders just tiled over the bowed 2x4s in the bath.

[@bobos245]

Finally a good ish video. Still parallel OSB, sistering joists is the right thing when your planing a proud joist.

[@xxyy1282]

This video is gold

[@nathanaelmartin8968]

I could tell you struggled a bit to explain why keeping 16" centers were important, but did a great job to pass on an important details and info. I'm applying this approach to a 200 sqft kitchen and maintaining 16" will be critical for laying full sheets of new subfloor. Thanks!

[@RobertSmith-qu7wd]

Too bad you didn't do this last summer. I could have provided the project and saved you the cost of the mockup! Before Installing LVP I had to replace a lot of damaged OSB and flatten out a number of joists. At least this video confirms I did things right, although for the high spots I used an oscillating tool rather than a planer.

[@ChrisStephensiom]

I did the same but had underneath access, used props & 1/2" ply + glue/screws to do the same. Slate at the end to replace the original wood packing that had lost 3/8" of thickness! Nice tough floor, little bounce, more thud. Insulated and sealed greatly reducing the noise. Just have to put 1" of board and coping for fire regs as it's a FROG.

[@darrenpalmer5284]

Hi Jeff, thanks for posting such a useful video, right down to the Ditra too. I'm off to make my noggins!

[@geraldfer]

Thank You Again...from the shed build to this...I am learning so much...you are appreciated...Thank You

[@ryanmaclean5621]

I believe Detra membrane can be installed up to 19” OC

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Not in my experience!

[@brandywest8060]

I use a wire cap/connector to stop caulk from oozing out the end don't know if it would work with the construction adhesive but it might be worth a try.

[@normbograham]

release the pressure from the calk gun, so, it does not push the goo out. it does not need to "grow" and is not a "mess waiting to happen". There is typically a release tab on the back of the calk gun.

[@tricatfilms6136]

Excellent! Just the video I needed to watch.

[@lostdud]

Man! I wish I had found this video way sooner. I've been working on my kids' floor and it was not flat. I watched 100 videos on making subfloors flat, and not one time did I hear leveler doesn't work with nails. If I'd known, I would have pulled the entire subfloor like I am now sooner. Instead of going through so many attempts at making the floor flat

[@lostdud]

If you added "watch this before using leveler" I would have clicked 😀

[@MrJasonworkman]

Could you please provide a link to the screws that you are using?

[@lafielanarchy]

THanks for doing this for us and showing it. ANd the extra advice and diffrent solulations

[@Bulldog22031]

This is the video I've been searching for. Super helpful. Thank you!

[@andrewschafer8986]

Laminating additional lumber to a floor would reduce the 14-1/2” void between joists. In turn done correctly this will not void a schluter warranty for detra. It will make the floor stronger.

[@dannynimmo3052]

I'm doing a bathroom right now on my Dad's 100 year old house, I would not be able to do this if it wasn't for your videos. The tile weighs so much, and will end up doing some of this in slab marble. I'm so preoccupied with the foundation of this right now and this video definitely answered some valuable questions. I really should be doing a couple of pier's as well. there's a concrete wall directly under the bathroom underground but its off center of the bathroom, so, not directly I guess LOL. I throw a couple piers in there for safety. damn I wish I could pay you to help, I'm stretching my skill set on this one, and in my area there are nothing but Mexicans to hire so I just don't have options for that Thank you for the videos, you are incredible :) Might add everything wall mounted and no shower separation, there have been other videos that have been a gigantic help also. I'm still thumbing through them... Great stuff!

[@OGCJ10]

And what's wrong with hiring Mexican people to do the work ?

[@SolarTTauri]

Terrible comment.

[@carriesieh955]

Those flooring screws you can get on Amazon any size😁. Different amounts.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

nice. thanks!

[@briankowald6465]

Can you use floor leveler before putting in staple down hardwood? Can the staples go through floor leveler?

[@JamesAntony11]

Thank you for this entire series. It is exactly the problem that I have been facing with but didn't continue with my project because of not finding the correct demonstration of how to go about fixing it. A questing on this specific video, what about / how to go about leveling the initial bit of joist before the subfloor cutout?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Sorry James I don't understand your question.

[@JamesAntony11]

In the video, the initial few inches of joist towards the wall which remains under the non-cut portion of the subfloor, how do we go about leveling that? I hope I am able to convey the question correctly :)

[@redbarnhomestead7384]

It is not likely it needs leveled that close to the wall.

[@kennethnegaard7599]

Thank you Jeff.

[@madcow3678]

Thank you.

[@kennethnegaard7599]

Awesome tips. Thanks Jeff.

[@8ofushere]

A quick question, if going to redo My tile on concrete floor should I use a self leveling compound first. Or how should I do it?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

That all depends on the condition of the floor. leveler makes the job easier for sure, however leveling clips could be a solution as well.

[@8ofushere]

@@HomeRenoVisionDIY ok then I'll remove it and see what it reveals. Thanks

[@collinschiropractic]

Hi Jeff, thanks for the good info. The humps are easy enough to deal with but if I have dips and my subfloor is glued down I won’t have a gap between the subfloor and joist so how do I know the joist is even lower? So how can I deal with that the same way you did? As well, if my dip happens to be close to a telepost underneath in the basement, is it possible that the dip would have to be fixed or partially fixed by gradually having to jack the post up? Thanks

[@wolverinegnr]

Which construction adhesive should I use here in the states? Thank You

[@SubaruAficionado]

Great series! Question: what is your advice for mid-span joist blocking after laminating a joist with smaller 2x as you have done here? Seems solid blocking is a little awkward. Would you use solid blocking along with another 2x at the joist bottom to fill the 2x gap?

[@phillipharty5729]

So how do you support the edges of the floor piece that was cut out when reinstating it? Would it not have been better to cut the floor halfway along the width joist it sits on?

[@stevebricks]

Dude you read my mind 👌👏👏👏

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cheers now you can install any type of flooring.

[@stevebricks]

@@HomeRenoVisionDIY You got that right.

[@brightknightreflective1453]

You can do it with a router instead of a planner..I just set up a straight edge on the side for the base to ride on once The bit got deep enough

[@Mary-zd6ow]

I know you mentioned you can do this for tiles. Can you also do this sistering process for nailed down hardwood? Or does this void the warranty?

[@jonathansage2147]

Tile is the most sensitive to floor flatness. Everything else will work if you could use it for tile.

[@anamariastanomir9308]

Hi Jeff, Waned to thank you for this video. I have an old stone house with exposed wooden beams that I am renovating.... it's been fun and frustrating. I'm installing new glue down parquet - I could just sand and reuse old floor cause it was too damaged. I levelled my dining room floor using your technique. Had to repair 4cm of height difference between the left and the right of the house. Its all open space so I now have to level the kitchen floor to match the dining room. I have 7cm of difference between the back and the front of the house.... dining area is 7cm higher than the living area. The house is old and it just sagged. Heres the catch: I have full height French doors on the front of the house (the living area ) that will suffer (won't open; have to modify the old closing system) if I raise the floor 7 cm which will bring the whole floor up to the same level. I can't just simply change out the doors.... not in the budget for this Reno. What do you recommend?

[@jonathansage2147]

You'd have to remove the doors and casing. Take them to a door shop and have them adjust the height of the casing (or build you a new one), and cut, plug and reattach weather stripping to the door. You could do this yourself, but if you don't seal the bottom of the door right it will swell over time and be destroyed.

[@ocoab3223]

#1, thanks.

[@Quarterpounderspatch]

You gotta try flex tools man. Long time watcher. At least try the impact and circ saw. You'll love it. Even if they don't send you a free one. Haha

[@g-track5065]

You always help me out your the bomb!!!!

[@lcook0825]

Great video. Thanks.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks Larry. Cheers!

[@MonkeDude512]

Nice video , but my question is if we want to install vinyl and to level it the plywood we can use that machine and scraper the surface where the bumper are? Thanks

[@tst.v2926]

Alkaline resistant screws? If we are going to be using self leveler what screws do we need to change to?

[@emmyhusfloen]

We have to jack up a section of our floor... you can feel the sag in the floor as you walk on it.. (I need to get a hazmat to hide myself from the spiders I know exist in our crawl space) then install a jack to try to level out our floor.. Any tips? Im from MN, so winters probably change the house while seasons change..

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

roll out a thick plastic ground sheet first. use the vapor barrier. Cheers!

[@devinF1piper]

Do you think you need to install a beam to support the span of the joists?

[@dw4666]

Hi Jeff, thank you for all your great videos. We have a house built in 1959 (southern Ontario). We have ripped up the old oak narrow hardwood flooring and screwed down the diagonal strip subfloor. The floors are not perfectly level, there are some dips, but nothing more than a ¼ inch. Should I install a new plywood layer? I plan on hardwood that is 3 ¼ x ¾ - I am hoping that the narrow floor will mold to better to the existing subfloor (given the cost of the plywood I don’t want to do it unless I have too). Many Thanks!

[@beltycat5490]

Hey Jeff , do you know a lot about septic systems?

[@joecooper8527]

Is it that bad that you're trying to diy it ?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

I have one.....what do you want to know!

[@beltycat5490]

@@HomeRenoVisionDIY thanks , when the tank is pumped should it be totally emptied? .. how often ?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

2 years for a family of 4

[@beltycat5490]

@@HomeRenoVisionDIY thank you 😊

[@yamahabiker1937]

Takes longer, but that's exactly what I've done with my No. 5 1/2 hand plane. Bathroom remodel after burst pipe nightmare.

[@justanotherchannel6097]

If you want to simply level the subfloor can’t you just add the floor screws beside the nails than use self lever to even it out ? Wouldn’t cutting only make sense for running plumbing/ electrical ? Thanks

[@lorddarphyve]

Thank you!!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

You're welcome!

[@josephbhunt]

Thank you for this great series of videos! Question: When laminating a joist I've plained down to add strength, does the 2X4 have to run the entire length of the joist (contacting both walls? Or just cover the length that I plained?

[@carlosfrancofeliciano6160]

Sounds good eta about 9:45

[@josephbhunt]

Thank you for this great series of videos! Asking a question now that I'm a member: After planing a joist I need to laminate a 2x4 against it for additional strength. Does the 2X4 have to run the entire length of the joist and contact the beams that the joist rests on? Or does it just run along side the part the I planed down?

[@scottwebber652]

My bowl shaped floor needs ur ideas. 1 1/2” at the center. 24” webbed trusses that I suspect have not enough strongbacks installed. But I would like a suggestion from u.

[@mikehowell9053]

I have. 125 year old house and a bedroom has floor has a bow. Ill def do it this way. Thanks

[@louisdidonato7468]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I have yet to have to open my floor, however, I know the day is coming. I have a quick question about the bow repair. Would there be any issue with laminating both sides of the joist? I could see a situation for myself where I spend more time trying to cutting a board just right to fill the bow than it should for the whole repair. My home was build in 1970 and the floor is definitely uneven. Thanks again!

[@molfar9049]

this video is money!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

with this series you can be the best flooring installer in your area!

[@harryc7651]

This series is amazingly educational and fun! I smashed that like button.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cheers harry!

[@andrewfrieden6832]

Hey Jeff - how do I know how much I can remove from a joist and not compromise the structure?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

if you plane it then laminate it.

[@ryanbreker9490]

Hitting that big KZbin money! That's a $1000 mock up.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

around $250.00 actually. Cheers!

[@viktorinnasalo8183]

Thanks

[@4142Wilb]

Came into a small house, looking to renovate done things in it starting with the floor. It doesn’t have insulation under as it’s a subfloor. Rather than rip out the floor add insulation, could I just lay 2” foam boards above the flooring, then nail down plywood sheets over? Contemplating this before winter hits. It’s a small house, crawl space isn’t much to crawl with either.

[@MrTiberius13]

How would you level a subfloor that has I-joists? Same technique to plane down high spots, and floor leveller for valleys? Is it possible to scissor 2x4 to the side of the I-joist… or is that wasted effort since it only can connect to the side of a 2x4 at the top of the I-joist?

[@jonathansage2147]

Do not plane the top of an I-joist. You will compromise the load rating very quickly.

[@lasekmmmk7785]

What I did was take 2x6 and sister them to my joices to make it perfectly level. Seemed easier and faster when I had my whole floor torn up. But if it's just 1 or 2 this is an easier way than mine but my house was built in 1910

[@walterdiaz2003]

I'm leveling and replacing the whole second floor subfloor. I called the city inspector today and he did not say I cannot use 2x4's. He just mentioned that it might not be strong enough but he did not say no go either and said that the 3/4 OSB is ok. I guess it's ones call. That said, I knocked down a bathroom and its 2x4 are really old and very strong. I want to re use the and screw them in W just like Jeff did. what type of subfloor and floor did you put in your property? and how it's been performing?

[@lindsaykill1702]

So helpful, as always!!!

[@ryanmaclean5621]

I believe Detra membrane can be installed on Joist spacing 19.2 “

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

I would never trust that spacing. But I like things to last!

[@israelrimpler7098]

I love electric tape on your finger...... Hopefully you are Feeling better!

[@jeffworst9939]

Are you going to do a video on bathroom shower inserts? It seems like there are some really nice ones but I'm not sure if it's a good or bad idea. Is this an easy thing for a DIYer to do?

[@tommybikes717]

Thanks for your time and support great videos and I’m learning a lot thanks and I have a question… I’m insulating my garage this weekend 20 degrees Lol NY I’m using mineral wool JB for the walls and what’s the best inexpensive way to warm up the garage cement floor ? Hoping to lay down tile or any ideas? Thanks

[@OGCJ10]

Did you figure it out?

[@lindasherwood7424]

Could you add a 2x4 on each side of that low joist which would decrease the gap on both sides?

[@G45and47]

For the tiling example, how about just install a 2x4 on each side of the joist?

[@zenda510]

Jeff what if I dont have OSB? I have 1940s home that has wood planks as the subfloor. Do i just Plane the wood planks and not the Joists?? Plz help

[@HKYT649]

thx

[@nathanlothamer4570]

If the floor joists are 100 years old, is it better to just sister the joist up with the leveled piece for structural integrity? Or will the newly added bridging make up for the inches planed? Also - many videos like this would start from the highest point. This seems to start from the lowest point - is this a decision to be made based on the level of the doorway?

[@nicholasmarshall3191]

Very helpful.seems like millimeters would be so much easier to quickly understand than 32's of an inch.

[@kristophercole]

You are a hero

[@Vancerobindon]

Question, could you put a 2x4 on either side? Yes more expensive but would that work?

[@SeeonX]

I have a 1952 hour in Austin, tx. The subfloor looks like a bunch of 2 inch wide blanks. It's patched and warped all over. Can I replace that with Advantec? Also does the thickness of advantec help with sound if I go thicker?

[@RealFifty]

I had to watch the intro three times I'm pretty sure you said chuck lol 😂 great video I love wood planers but you forgot the other way to fix high joist by cutting a bunch of groves then knocking of the wood easy way if you need a 1/4 are more

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

sure if you don't have a planner. Cheers!

[@NathanielHourt]

Hey, Jeff, a question... You say if I were to have a dip in my joist, and I want to put tile on, I need to rip a thin strip of lumber to shim up the joist because if I just laminate, it won't be 16" on center, and that's not up to spec for tile. Did I get that right? So my question is, in that case, would it be OK to laminate both sides so it's never more than 16" between supports, but sometimes less? It seems easier and less finicky than making that shim.

[@lylecoglianese1645]

Check about 15:20 into the video. That may answer your question.

[@NathanielHourt]

@@lylecoglianese1645 Wow, I completely missed that. Thanks! :)

[@lylecoglianese1645]

@@NathanielHourt, easily overlooked. Good luck.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cheers Lyle!

[@jasonfitzgerald6334]

I missed that too! Perfect, I've been wondering the solution to this for months.

[@plaxen8458]

Awesome and helpfull infomation as always. Thank you!

[@dominicdoesit_tv292]

Always good info!

[@shannonhill565]

Thank you so much for making this video!! We are moving into a new home and have to install all-new subflooring, going with plywood since OSB is actually more expensive now. The house we have has some water and a sump pump in the crawl space, since we are doing all new subflooring, is there something we can put in the crawl space to reduce moisture transfer to the plywood? Thank you again for all you do, just became a member and you have already helped me so much!

[@pennylaur7687]

I can folliw you. I bought a house that was Moved and every room the floor has humps. Good to know not to use tile for sure until its fixed.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Right on!