I just bought this house which had some very old and worn out carpets on the bedroom level. I removed the carpets to discover that there are wooden planks installed with a slope which rises slightly from the subfloor up to the bathroom doorway. You can see the ramp it creates in the photos. Is it possible to install laminate over this? The rest of the floor is completely flat every everywhere else. I would greatly appreciate any advice.
Videos
What is the cheapest way to fix an uneven subfloor?
For mild unevenness, sanding or grinding may be enough. For dips, self-levelling compounds are common. If full levelling isn’t in your budget, an alternative is switching to carpet, which can tolerate minor subfloor imperfections and is more affordable.
Can underlay fix an uneven subfloor?
No — underlay cannot correct bumps or dips. It only provides cushioning and noise reduction. Using thick or multiple layers of underlay will make the problem worse and reduce stability. Levelling compounds, grinding, or plywood are the correct solutions.
What happens if I install flooring over an uneven subfloor?
Installing hard flooring over an uneven subfloor can lead to gaps, creaking noises, and boards shifting or breaking. Over time, this may also void product warranties, as most manufacturers require floors to be installed on a level base.
Thank you all very much for the advice. I decided to give the planer a go, since worst case scenario, I could rip the subfloor out if I made it worse. It worked REALLY well. I was able to completely get the peak out of the floor, sanded it, and now its level! I think had this been a bigger area, taking it out would have been a better plan, but with there being a lot of gas and electrical I was nervous.
That's OSB flooring. You're not going to be able to plane it down. The planer will, most likely, just pull the chunks out of the board leaving a mess.
As bad as that missing chunk is closest to the camera in the first picture, I'd suggest that you cut out at least some of that board and completely replace it. This will also give you the opportunity to level the new board with the rest of the floor.