How to measure if the floor is even for Laminate flooring

andywalker2005

Hi,

I am struggling to find answers for few days now. It might be due to my limited understanding.

I am planning to buy laminate floor 12mm with 3 mm underlay. Previously floor had LVM (or vynl) flooring. My understanding is that Laminate is less forgiving for uneven floors. From what I read it needs to be with in 3/4 mm over 2 meter length. So I have put the 1.8m leveller on the floor and found that the right at the end its over 1 cm off. Following image on the right.

I am planning to lay the flooring perpendicular to the floor boards (or here perpendicular to the yellow leveller). Is this correct way to measure?

If this is the correct way to measure and its way off for laminate flooring. Then can I put an extra underlay where its off. For e.g. following image ?

I dont fancy lifting floor boards or pouring self levelling compound. 

Many thanks

gwynlas

You could lay laminate on top of a sub floor of plywood which being in sheets might take up a lot of the discrepancy.

andywalker2005

gwynlas said:

You could lay laminate on top of a sub floor of plywood which being in sheets might take up a lot of the discrepancy.

Thanks my problem with that is that its going to raise the floor level (and cause problem with door) which I already maxed out with thicker laminate flooring. 

Mutton_Geoff

Floor levelling compound and trim the door?

FreeBear

Mutton_Geoff said:

Floor levelling compound and trim the door?

Not on a suspended timber floor. The compound would break up and possibly turn to dust as the floorboards move & flex.

stuart45

There are flexible, fibre reinforced compounds like Ardex FA20 for timber floors.
You will need to get your floor as level as possible. You can also screw down some 3mm hardboard where it's low.

WIAWSNB

andywalker2005 said:

Hi,

I am struggling to find answers for few days now. It might be due to my limited understanding.

I am planning to buy laminate floor 12mm with 3 mm underlay. Previously floor had LVM (or vynl) flooring. My understanding is that Laminate is less forgiving for uneven floors. From what I read it needs to be with in 3/4 mm over 2 meter length. So I have put the 1.8m leveller on the floor and found that the right at the end its over 1 cm off. Following image on the right.

I am planning to lay the flooring perpendicular to the floor boards (or here perpendicular to the yellow leveller). Is this correct way to measure?

If this is the correct way to measure and its way off for laminate flooring. Then can I put an extra underlay where its off. For e.g. following image ?

I dont fancy lifting floor boards or pouring self levelling compound. 

Many thanks

Could you confirm - is the existing floor actually uneven, or just sloping?

sheramber

When I lifted the old laminate on my floor it had been laid on the floor boards.
When the fitters cane to lay the new laminate they advised me that they would not normally lay it direct on the floor boards 
.The floor should be boarded with plywood,  then the underlay,, and finally the laminate.