what is the proper method for leveling an existing floor in a 1900’s home ..??
out of level 1/2″ > 3/4″ over the space of 12 ‘
since we are limited by the door jambs, how to shim up, and level, our new hardwood floor that will be installed over the existing..??
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What is the finish flooring? If it's tile or carpet, I'd use self-leveling floor levelor. It' expensive, but if mixed correctly does the work for you. If it's hardwood oak flooring, I guess you could shim it up with plywood and feltpaper.
the plans call for maple plank flooring, so there is that thickness to consider, too ..
i guess we'll be trying reg'lar shim stock, not enough height to use sleepers, or plywood ...
I would split the difference and shim up the floor 1/4-3/8" (out of the 1/2"-3/4").1/4 Baltic Birch ply ripped into strips and dense cardboard drywall shims work well for this kind of thing. I use PL Premium and narrow crown staples.
If you ask me and assuming that I am not missing something here, I would suggest either jacking up the appropriate portion of the house to correct the out of level situation or just leave it alone. The house may well have been built that way and by changing it (or settled and then repaired over time), you'd be asking for a whole other batch of problems to deal with.
http://www.petedraganic.com/
Jacking to raise, or more likely lower, the middle of a ground floor room isn't such a big deal. It's when you start moving the bearing walls up and down that you get plaster damage, and windows and doors that stick and need further adjustment. One may be reasonable if it's just a new floor, the other makes more sense if it's a total gut job.
-- J.S.
-- J.S.