How to Level a Sunken Living Room

Replace Posts

• 1

  Crawl under your house and locate the sunken living room floor. Carry the drop light and other necessary tools and supplies with you.

• 2

  Locate the area where the floor is high. Hang your drop light for visibility. Place a block of wood and the hydraulic floor jack directly under the floor beam.

• 3

  Raise the jack to take pressure off the post supporting the floor. Measure the post and remove it by sawing it at the base and using your hammer.

• 4

  Cut a new piece of the 2-by-6 board approximately 1 1/2 inches shorter than the original post.

• 5

  Nail the new post to the beam using 16-penny nails. Connect all four sides of the post to the floor beam.

• 6

  Repeat the steps at the low areas of the floor. However, after removing the support posts, replace them with 2-by-6 boards that are 1 1/2 inches longer. This helps raise the living room floor in the low areas.

Liquid Compound

• 7

  Clean the floor thoroughly and allow it to remain damp. This helps the liquid compound to bond.

• 8

  Mix the leveler compound in a large bucket by following the manufacturer's instructions on the label. Only mix a small amount at a time since it dries quickly.

• 9

  Spread the leveler with a cement trowel. Cover the entire area, filling in the low areas. Allow it to dry for approximately six hours.

• 10

  Sand the area with a hand-held sander with medium-grit sandpaper. Clean up the dust and debris before putting down floor covering.