Can You Level a Floor with Shingles?

Decorating a home is somewhat essential because it reflects our personality. We want to come to a cozy home after a long tiring day. A lot of us spend an ample amount of time in the house. So, it is crucial to have a perfect home.

The first thing we notice is the floor. We cannot have a flawless home if the floors are uneven. Are you having trouble with uneven floors? Do you want to level your floor? Well, then you have come to the proper place.

There are many ways to level the uneven floors. But the effortless and effective solution for levelling a floor is using asphalt shingles. You must be imagining how you can level a floor with shingles?

Can You Level a Floor with Shingles

For that, we will share an ultimate step by step guide with you in this particular article.

How to Level a Floor with Shingles?

Prerequisite Tools

There are some prerequisite tools that you will need for levelling a floor.

  • Table saw or circular saw
  • Screw gun
  • Utility knife which includes roofing blade
  • Measuring tape

Essential Materials

Suitable materials are required to level a floor with shingles.

  • Longboard
  • Thick sheets of plywood of 3/8 inches
  • 2 inch or 2½ inch screws
  • Construction felt of 30 pounds
  • Roofing asphalt shingles

Step By Step Guide For Levelling A Floor With Shingles

First thing first, we have to prepare the floor for levelling. The floor has to be cleaned correctly and without any waste. We can use asphalt roofing shingles to level the floor. Asphalt shingles are known for their stability and durability.

In addition, it is pretty thin to level out any type of dips. Nevertheless, there are specific steps to level the floor with shingles that will be unnoticeable. We are going to share the steps with you below.

Step 1: Marking the high and low spot level

In the first step, we will need a longboard to mark the floor’s high and low spot levels. Placing the longboard straight across the highest point will help discover the lower spots. The longboard is very useful for identifying the areas.

Then, we have to measure the distance between the board and the floor dips. After calculating with measuring, we can estimate the number of shingles needed to fill up the dips.

Step 2: Filling the low spots with shingles

Remember, the floor needs to look flat. We need to use shingles under 3/8-inch plywood to fill up the low spots. Place the shingles in the dips. We have to make sure that shingles are layered, not overlapped. Creating a row will help to restrain from overlapping.

We should continue the process of layering the shingles until the floor is level. We also can add the construction felt between the plywood and hardwood if necessary.

Step 3: Fastening plywood with screws

We have to fasten the plywood to the floor over the shingles with 2 or 2½ inch screws. Try to put the screws in every 12 or 14 inches along the perimeter. 

But first, we need to fit the plywood in the dry situation to check the level.

When the screws are put across the plywood, it will be challenging to move the sheets. So, checking the level before screwing will help lessen the hard work.

Step 4: Continue to level the extended areas

By now, we have the total knowledge about how to level a floor with shingles. We need to continue levelling extended areas of the floor.

Also, we have to check the height of the floor continuously. We should be concerned that the pieces of plywood need to seem flat.

We recommend staggering the joints on the edges so that ridges will not create. In the end, we have to apply flooring all over the plywood as per the manufacturer’s manual guide.

Some Pro Tips

Up until now, you already know the step-by-step process about leveling a floor with shingles. However, we are delighted to share some pro tips with you.

  • The floor needs to look like a flat canvas rather than only a level. We can cover up with the furniture if there is a slight slope. So, the guests will not be able to identify the difference.
  • Nothing is perfect in the world. We have to focus on smoothing out the dips.
  • In preference to attach floors and joists parallelly, join them across. By doing this, the reinforcement will be stronger.

What you’ve been missing

Can You Change the Color of Laminate Flooring
Pergo Vs. Quickstep Laminate Flooring
Do I Need Underlayment for Laminate Flooring

Frequently Asked Questions

How to level a bumpy floor?

You can level a bumpy floor with some simple techniques. For this, you need to cut a few levelling strips in the same size as the original one. If the floor slope is irregular, you can cut the stripes attached with the cap at each joist of the floor.

And if the floor slope is regular, you can attach the levelling strips without any further work. Using screws will help you to secure the levelling strips to the floor.

What is the trouble-free way to level a floor?

The easiest and trouble-free way to level a floor is to pour a liquid floor leveler. Then, you have to even it out with a trowel. You can remove any excess floor leveler and fix it at the edges. 

Fixing the edges will help to blend with the rest of the floor. Let the leveller dry for 24 hours, and you are good to go.

Can I put laminate on an uneven floor?

You are suggested not to put laminate on an uneven floor. If there is any bump or dips, you cannot laminate them before levelling the floor. 

If you do so, uneven surfaces will settle down on the uneven floor. In the end, the quality of the floor will be affected.

Conclusion

We suppose you have the overall idea about how can you level a floor with shingles. Now, you can level your uneven floor with shingles without having any problem. 

Always remember to read the manufacturer’s guide thoroughly before using any product.

We can promise you that no one can tell that the floor was bumpy. However, you can take help from an expert too. Invite guests over, have family time and enjoy the fantastic and perfectly flat floor.

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