How to Fix an Uneven Floor?
Seamless flooring. Photo by Unsplash
I have a Roomba that I like to vacuum my house with on occasion.
Why occasionally? Why not all the time?
All I have to do is push a button on the remote to get the Roomba started.
It’s one of the easiest ways to clean the floors on the planet. What’s the problem?
These are great questions! The biggest problem with running the Roomba is . . .
Uneven flooring!
This is such a first world problem, but stick with me here.
The tile in the laundry room is higher than the wood flooring in the kitchen. So when I run the Roomba, I have to be ready to save it from getting stuck between the kitchen and the laundry room.
The threshold is too much of a difference for my poor, little Roomba to easily clear. When I turn on the Roomba, I’m usually keeping my ear to the ground for its cry for help and then scurrying to rescue the little feller.
I can’t switch on the Roomba and forget it. I need to stay vigilant to make sure it’s doing its job! All because of uneven flooring.
Uneven flooring is an annoyance to Roombas across the nation. But more importantly, uneven floors are tripping hazards to the young and old alike! With one in three older adults falling, we don’t need uneven floors to be an additional burden to keeping good balance.
Plus uneven floors become obstacles for wheelchair users and walker users.
Embarrassingly, I’ve tripped over uneven flooring in my house too many times to count. I’ve had numerous injuries while simply carrying the laundry basket or strolling to the kitchen for a snack.
If my granny was still with us, what if she were to come visit us with a walker and trip and fall on flooring transition? Heaven forbid! I don’t want any family members or friends to risk a trip to Slam Town in my home!
I NEED even, seamless floors in my house to make a home for a lifetime. I want to traverse my humble abode with ease and no fear of falling flat on my face! I want the confidence of knowing my loved ones ain’t gonna fall in my house either!
So what’s a girl to do with an uneven flooring problem? Well, here are three ideas to fix your floors:
1) Fix the Subflooring.
Easy to say, very costly to do! I’d highly recommend hiring a company that eats, lives, and breathes floors.
First, you need to figure out what’s causing those peaks and valleys in the floor. Is it uneven joists? Water damage? What’s the prob, Bob Vila?
When you figure out the issue, then you’ve got the solution to fix the subfloor or replace the subfloor if it’s really in bad shape!
If you’re in the neighborhood of replacing your floors anyway, then obviously fixing the subflooring to make your floors even is easier to do! As a reminder, make sure to tell the contractor that you’d like your floors to be all even with NO transition pieces sticking up between rooms. They can make the magic happen!
2) Grinding the Subfloor
Picture of beautiful seamless flooring in living room by Unsplash.
This solution might require a more skilled eye of a contractor to make sure it’s right for your home and to get the job done correctly the first time! Grinding the subfloor certainly isn’t the first go-to fix either. In fact, this may not be necessary at all.
Please consult with a contractor before doing anything!
Again, we’re looking at the subfloor. In some cases, it’s possible to grind the subfloor to create a gentle slope between rooms. This technique would create seamless floors that won’t trip you either!
Grinding the subfloor also works for any bumps along the floors in other parts of the house. It’s definitely a more invasive job. But compared to the cost of a fall related injury, it’s totally worth the investment!
3) Transition Molding
We all can’t afford to fix or grind the subflooring in our houses. Luckily, there’s another way to make the floors more even in your home!
Transition molding smooths out the height differences between two rooms. If you have a skilled contractor do the job, it won’t even feel like you’re going up or down! Plus the overall cost compared to replacing all the flooring is SO MUCH CHEAPER!
There’s all kinds of materials and techniques to mold the floor transitions in your home. Maybe all you need is to add extra plywood or a stock molding between the two surfaces. A skilled, creative contractor would certainly know what’s going to work best for your specific situation.
If you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person, you could certainly attempt this job! In the end, the time and minimal cost will certainly make it worthwhile when you stop tripping going from one room to the other!
Seamless flooring helps out people of all ages and abilities. Everyone benefits!
Your Roomba will thank you, too!
Conclusion
Are you a contractor? What other ways can you fix the floor to make it totally smooth? How do you help your clients prevent falls in their home? Please share your thoughts and experience in the comments below!
What have you done to fix your uneven floors? What are you doing to prevent falls at home? Start looking into these options to see what’s going to work best for you! Creating even floors in your home is one of the best long-term investments you can make to your lifetime home!
Share this article with a friend who wants to live at home for a lifetime!
Remember, you better do it before you need it!
(Pssssttttt . . . did you know we have an awesome online course for people who have a hard time wiping after using the toilet? It’s an awkward topic that you can learn how to solve in the comfort and privacy of your own home! Learn more about the course HERE!)