PSA: Level your subfloor before laying LVP or you will regret it

Helped a buddy lay flooring in his basement last weekend and he insisted the slight dip was fine. Three days later there's a visible crack in one of the planks right where the dip was. Has anyone else dealt with plank failure from uneven subfloors or is it just me being too picky?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannahs451mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, been there. I laid LVP in my own basement two years ago and thought a little hump was no big deal. Wrong. Now there's a plank that clicks every time you step on it like it's mocking me. Let's just say my floor and I have a rocky relationship.

matthewkim1mo ago

Wait, are you sure you actually laid LVP in your basement? LVP stands for luxury vinyl plank, which is a floating floor system, not something you glue down or nail. If you laid it yourself, you probably should have left a little gap around the edges for expansion, and that hump you ignored was probably a sign the subfloor wasn't flat enough. That clicking sound you're hearing isn't just mocking you, it's actually the locking system failing because the planks are flexing over that high spot. You might be able to fix it by pulling up the row and leveling the area with some self-leveler, but if it's been two years, the locking tabs might be snapped by now. Honestly, your floor sounds like it's holding a grudge, and I bet it's going to keep clicking until you address that subfloor issue properly.

sullivan.finley1mo ago

matthewkim is spot on about the locking tabs. Once they snap, that plank is basically a loose puzzle piece. You could try prying up that row and shimming under it with a thin piece of cardboard or even a scrap of roofing felt to take up the gap, but if the subfloor is that uneven, it's just gonna shift again. Might be cheaper in the long run to rip up the whole section and pour some self-leveler, even if it's a weekend project you hate. That clicking is your floor telling you it's not going to fix itself.