I may buy a house that has old hardwood flooring that is beyond repair. I want to cover it with new hardwood, but the old flooring is not exactly level in a few places. How do I go about leveling it without tearing out the old flooring?

What is mastic?

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by BrightLights on June 16th, 2007

Would it make any difference if I chose to put in a floating floor?

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by BrightLights on June 16th, 2007

Mastic is like a plaster, but much lighter, that gets spread around the subfloor to level it. When it dries and hardens, you can put a new floor over it. And it is ideal for floating floors!

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by Nelson - Jetpacking from bed on June 16th, 2007

Thank you.

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by BrightLights on June 16th, 2007

That's why I recommend talking to someone who does it for a living. I think it can be used on pretty much any surface, but it will depend on the current condition.

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by Nelson - Jetpacking from bed on June 16th, 2007

I noticed when walking on the floor that in a few places it just seemed to have a slight hump...nothing major...maybe not even a foot long and a couple of boards in width. Is it possible to lay new hardwood over it even though it's like this and still get a decent result? I just hate to think that I would go to all that trouble and end up with squeeky floors. I don't think there's money in the budget to sand the old floors level, so is it possible to go under the house and maybe draw the boards down with a few screws? Oh and thank you for your comment...very helpful since I didn't know a contrator would do such a service for free.

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by BrightLights on June 16th, 2007

You may not need to get under the house. You might be able to screw down the high spots from above. It is certainly worth a try. Any loose boards will likely still squeak after installation of new floor. I personally think that a few noises from and all wood floor are acceptable. For me, that is part of the charm of using real wood.

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by Darryl61 on June 16th, 2007

I like a little charm myself, but to many squeeks and it would no longer be charming to me. ;) Would you happen to know the average cost per foot of having a floating floor installed? This house is only 1200 sq ft. I may be watching way to many "Flip This House" episodes, but they make putting in hardwood flooring seem so affordable. Is it? lol

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by BrightLights on June 16th, 2007

If by "floating floor" you are referring to the popular laminate floor coverings, not true hardwood, material costs alone are about $4.00 per square foot. Labor is not included in this cost. True hardwood applications would normally be higher. As with all floor coverings, you get what you pay for. High quality end results cannot be achieved on a shoestring budget.

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by Darryl61 on June 16th, 2007

Yes, I was referring to the popular laminate floor covering. True hardwood flooring would cost a small fortune and to be honest, I don't see it being as durable as the laminate. I should probably say...the laminate I have actually seen. My cousin pounded hers with a hammer and couldn't dent it. She and her husband wanted to test it even further so they put a lit cigarette on it and let it sit until the cigarette went out, and they simply wiped it clean afterward, no marks what so ever. I personally think it's beautiful flooring.

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by BrightLights on June 18th, 2007