Hi everyone, I had a man come in today to my house to install a new laminate floor. He said he didn't like to do it because the floor was uneven in places and he said that in two months the laminate could just break. I have seen some website saying that its OK to install laminate on an uneven floor, although I'm not sure if I really should go ahead with it because I'm on quite a tight budget and could not afford to replace it later if it does break. Other then carpet he offered the solution of a much more expensive glued floor? I'm wondering what are your thoughts, hehe I'm not sure, also because there was previously a laminate floor down that I removed and it seemed fine, no cracks or anything in the living room. Only some loose floorboards in the hall but I thought that was just poor installations... thoughts anyone?

How uneven is it? Can you post a pic?

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Originally Posted by floorboy1234

hi everyone, i had a man come in today to my house to install a new laminate floor. he said he didnt like to do it because the floor was uneven in places and he said that in two months the laminate could just break. i have seen some website saying that its ok to install laminate on an uneven floor, although im not sure if i really should go ahead with it because im on quite a tight budget and could not afford to replace it later if it does break. other then carpet he offered the solution of a much more expensive glued floor?? im wondering what are your thoughts, hehe im not sure, also because there was previously a laminate floor down that i removed and it seemed fine, no cracks or anything in the living room. only some loose floorboards in the hall but i thought that was just poor installations......thoughts anyone?

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I installed Pergo laminate flooring last year. Turned out to be one spot in a high traffic area that has a dip. Whenever we walk/stand in that spot the floor sags a bit. Hasn't broken yet, but that doesn't mean something bad won't happen in the future. I cringe whenever someone is near that spot.

Save yourself some sanity and try to replace the subfloor to level it out. Maybe a self-leveling compound might work for you as well. The pros on the board would know more about that than me, though.

Unless the floor is horribly uneven I wouldn't worry about it breaking for low spots all he needs to do is shim the floor. As long as the subfloor doesn't appear damaged go for it . However if the sub floor is water damaged or in any other way in poor condition you would be better off redoing the whole thing. Most sub floors have uneven places and in my opinion (without seeing your floor first hand ) you will be far better off with the laminate than glue down and should be easier for your installer. If your installer doesn't like the suggestion of shims or maybe a leveling compound as previously suggested maybe you should talk to another installer. Let us know how it goes. GOOD LUCK, AC

Most professional installers fill uneven dips during the floor installation with shims made of cardboard or extra subfloor. The goal is to level the dips with something that provides support. I had 4 bids on putiing in a laminate floor in my basement. Every contractor said my uneven floors would not be a problem. As your laying the floor you can easily slide pieces into position building the foundation as you encounter any soft
Or moving areas.

Cookie crumbs mixed in concrete make awesome shims for oscar the crouch. 2 parts oreos and 1 part chips a hoy

We, too, have an uneven plywood subfloor and have laid laminate flooring in two bedrooms. The second bedroom floor really flexes in some areas. The first one, not as much. We haven't put the trim around the outside yet. We have one more floor to lay but we see the subfloor is fairly uneven. The high spots are where the plywood butts up to the next piece. There are nails either side of the high spots but we may be able to take some of the areas down a little with a sander. The rest of the subfloor sags in between the "joints" leaving a 3 or 4 foot wide sag that may be 1/4 in deep. We tried using leveling compound but must not have mixed it correctly. I don't think it leveled anything, plus it was too rough. So we are trying to take it up. Not easy. Using cardboard to fill the low areas sounds like a good idea but I am assuming you wouldn't want to use corrugated cardboard because that could compress and not support the flooring after a while. Any other suggestions for our situation?