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Updated almost 6 years ago on . Most recent reply
Wavy Floor Solutions?
I bought a duplex as my first investment property and to house hack. My husband and I are doing most of the work on our own and we are learning a ton.
My plan was to replace the carpet and sheet vinyl to LVP throughout. But after we pulled the baseboards and the flooring, we found out that the floor is wavy and uneven. Low spot is about 1/2" lower than a high spot.
We also found that the puddles form in the crawlspace when it rains, and it's very likely the flooring sagging due to structural damage from the moisture. We'll get the full evaluation next Wednesday.
As far as I understand, the right course of action is to fix the crawlspace and any foundational issue that's caused by the water, then install the flooring.
BUT time is not in my favor. We (family of 4) need to move in by at the end of this month.
So what are my options?
I considered pouring self-leveling cement and proceed with LVP as planned, but I wonder if that would cause the issue when we fix the foundation and possibly re-joist?
Most Popular Reply
If you can't figure out how the water is getting into the crawlspace, you may have to install a sump pump with a float switch to pump the water out when it gets too high. Crawlspace water will evaporate and add enough moisture in the air to create mold problems in the house above the puddles as well as make hardwood flooring buckle. I've seen it do this. It's likely the moisture is the cause of the wavy floor. Mike is correct that self-leveling cement works best when poured onto a slab foundation, not on a raised wood floor. However, in lieu of ripping all the subfloor out and replacing, I'd still try using the self-leveling cement. It may indeed crack, but the LVP floor on top of it is a floating floor (assuming you don't glue it) so it should nicely span any subsequent cracks in the leveling cement without creating any problems for the walking surface of the floor. It's possible you may have to replace the LVP after 5-10 years if the cracking underneath becomes more problematic, but it's still probably a better option than reconstructing the entire floor.