Need ideas to remedy a sloping floor to part of the bedroom

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Need ideas to remedy a sloping floor to part of the bedroom

surrealnz

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#249278 3-May-2019 15:36

I'm looking for a way to improve the situation in our master bedroom where we have part of the floor that slopes, significantly.

We've just had the foundations redone in this 100 year old home, and it wasn't possible to remedy this situation without disrupting everything. Part of the bedroom rests on a raised-up, newer concrete pad that was at one point an extension to the house, and then walls got moved as it became a larger bedroom. The rest of the home is on low new piles now. It could be that the concrete pad was just added in a rough manner, or maybe some of the house settled, or was it deliberate. Anyway, to try and picture it, my diagram:

The concrete is under rectangle B-C-D, which is pretty flat. But there is a slope down from line D-B, to wall A-E. The slope seems to be a drop of about 23-28mm, over 1020mm across.

Wooden floorboards are on top everywhere- newer lighter-colour ones above B-C-D, and very old ones elsewhere. There is a join between (line B-D), which is where we can see the slope start. Elsewhere the floor is smooth more or less, yes it slopes down out the doorway but this is roughly level with wall A-E.

And we have currently old carpet and underlay on top, with plans for new underlay and carpet later in the year. It seems a good time to look for a way to improve the situation here.

So I'm not picturing a perfect resolution, but wondering about reducing the effect of the slope. One doesn't notice the slope when walking into the room, but you can feel it when standing near wall A-E. And When we put a tallboy drawers against that wall, the floor tilt becomes obvious. Perhaps relevant is that the room works best laid out with a bed in the middle-top (near D), and there is a wardrobe at the bottom of my diagram.

My ideas so far - is to use hardboard or a wood product on top of rectangle ABDE, to attempt to gain 20mm next to the wall, reducing to less further out. I would accept that with this you can feel an edge near A-B, or perhaps cut that corner and not put furniture so close to A-B. Maybe extra underlay could help to prop up this side of the room too. Or I am destined for a bouncy-squishy side to this room if I don't solve it by replacing the entire floor?

Thanks for your creative suggestions 🧐

wellygary

8333 posts

Uber Geek

#2230243 3-May-2019 15:50

If you are committed to not going back to bare wooden floors, they you could use some of this on the sloping section....

https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/dunlop-timber-floor-leveller-15-9kg-off-white-grey/p/371946

Variants

Dunlop Timber Floor Leveller is a partially self-smoothing latex screed with excellent properties of adhesion, flexibility and water resistance for use prior to the installation of ceramic tiles, carpet and vinyl floor coverings. It is easy to mix and produces a smooth, flat surface.

Features and benefits

For uneven timber floors.
Walk on in 3 hours.
Excellent adhesion, flexibility and water resistant properties.
No odour.
For ceramic, carpet and vinyl floor coverings.

mecow

145 posts

Master Geek

ID Verified

#2230281 3-May-2019 16:01

We have recently fixed a similar problem to yours - except ours was in the kitchen (so really needed to be straight) and was a smaller piece of concrete and the slope was over a longer area but went in two directions.

The floorboards were removed and new joists set (this may have been because our old house). Then thick flooring ply was laid to reduce some of the slope.

Finally after a few metres of the ply levelling

a self levelling compound was set to even out the two directional slope.

Flooring was then put over this.

Turned a significant slope into nothing. We did also have our walls straightened as well which is something to consider as if you change the floor level you may no longer have a 90degree angle between floor and wall.

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
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#2230412 3-May-2019 18:41

wellygary:
If you are committed to not going back to bare wooden floors, they you could use some of this on the sloping section....

https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/dunlop-timber-floor-leveller-15-9kg-off-white-grey/p/371946

Variants

Dunlop Timber Floor Leveller is a partially self-smoothing latex screed with excellent properties of adhesion, flexibility and water resistance for use prior to the installation of ceramic tiles, carpet and vinyl floor coverings. It is easy to mix and produces a smooth, flat surface.

Features and benefits

For uneven timber floors.

Walk on in 3 hours.

Excellent adhesion, flexibility and water resistant properties.

No odour.

For ceramic, carpet and vinyl floor coverings.

I have heard of this product but certainly no experience in its use - but I’m querying whether it could make up a fall of up to 28 mm over a length of 1.2 m? I was under the impression that it was for smaller variations over larger areas.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

timmmay

20589 posts

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#2230435 3-May-2019 19:36

Under tiles in our bathroom they used leveling compound. Not sure if that will work for you because your post was long and I'm feeling lazy sorry.

nickb800

2721 posts

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#2230455 3-May-2019 19:57

eracode:
wellygary:
If you are committed to not going back to bare wooden floors, they you could use some of this on the sloping section....

https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/dunlop-timber-floor-leveller-15-9kg-off-white-grey/p/371946

Variants

Dunlop Timber Floor Leveller is a partially self-smoothing latex screed with excellent properties of adhesion, flexibility and water resistance for use prior to the installation of ceramic tiles, carpet and vinyl floor coverings. It is easy to mix and produces a smooth, flat surface.

Features and benefits

For uneven timber floors.

Walk on in 3 hours.

Excellent adhesion, flexibility and water resistant properties.

No odour.

For ceramic, carpet and vinyl floor coverings.

I have heard of this product but certainly no experience in its use - but I’m querying whether it could make up a fall of up to 28 mm over a length of 1.2 m? I was under the impression that it was for smaller variations over larger areas.

It should work but will be very expensive to make up 20mm - you'll need a few tubs

Yogi02

238 posts

Master Geek

#2230468 3-May-2019 20:30

Plus 1 with what others have suggested - If the tallboy drawers are bugging you, you can always have a wedge cut to put under either side to level it square to the wall so you don't notice it as much

Bung

6496 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2230472 3-May-2019 20:34

eracode: I have heard of this product but certainly no experience in its use - but I’m querying whether it could make up a fall of up to 28 mm over a length of 1.2 m? I was under the impression that it was for smaller variations over larger areas.

The basic product is intended for depths up to 12mm. If you need a thicker layer you can mix aggregate into it to bulk it up. Levelling compounds can be quick but they are not cheap. $129 for a 2.3m2 patch 3mm thick. You could use a strip of cheaper mortar close to the wall and use a trowelable levelling compound when you need a feather edge.

What direction do the floor joists run? It may be better to consider a variation on mecow's solution. If the joists run A-B level them with tapered shims and replace the flooring.