Repair & structural
Most vinyl joint failures, cracked tiles and hollow-sounding floors start with a subfloor that was never made flat. Kitchener Prestige Flooring levels and patches concrete and wood subfloors for homeowners, builders and commercial clients across Kitchener and Waterloo Region.
Over 16+ years and more than 1,700 flooring jobs, we have learned to measure first and pour second. Every levelling job starts with a straightedge, a laser and the flooring maker's tolerance sheet.
Our crew is licensed, insured and WSIB covered. Levelling work carries a written 1-year labour warranty, and it is priced as its own line on your flooring quote.
This distinction decides which fix you need, and almost nobody explains it.
Level means the floor is horizontal, measured against gravity with a spirit level or laser. Flat means the surface has no dips, humps or ridges, measured with a straightedge.
A floor can slope an inch across a room and still be perfectly flat, like a tilted tabletop. Most flooring products only care about flatness. Slope matters for looks, doors and furniture, and it needs a structural fix.
These are the typical flatness limits published by flooring manufacturers and industry standards. We check every room against the one that applies.
| Floor covering | Typical flatness tolerance |
|---|---|
| Carpet | Minor variation acceptable |
| Laminate and floating engineered wood | 3/16 inch over 10 feet |
| Luxury vinyl plank, click | 3/16 inch over 10 feet, 1/8 inch over 6 feet |
| Glue-down vinyl and LVT | 1/8 inch over 6 feet, 1/32 inch over 1 foot |
| Nail-down hardwood | 1/4 inch over 10 feet, 3/16 inch over 6 feet |
| Tile, all sides under 15 inches | 1/4 inch over 10 feet |
| Large format tile, any side 15 inches or more | 1/8 inch over 10 feet, 1/16 inch over 2 feet |
Structural problems like rot and sag belong on our subfloor repair and replacement page. This page is about the surface.
The right method depends on how far out the floor is and what it is made of.
Self-levelling underlayment is a cement-based compound that flows out and finds its own level. It is poured over large areas that are out of tolerance.
We use professional products from makers such as Ardex and Mapei. Over wood subfloors, we fasten metal lath first to reinforce the pour.
Small low spots, seams and cracks are filled with a trowel-applied patch that can be feathered to nothing at the edges. It sets quickly and sands smooth.
Patching is ideal for isolated dips, old adhesive scars and plywood seams under vinyl.
High spots are removed, not buried. On concrete we grind with diamond tooling and dust extraction, and on wood we sand humps and planed ridges.
Grinding first often means far less compound, which saves time and money.
When a whole floor slopes, compound is the wrong tool. We shim the tops of joists or sister new joists alongside the old ones to bring the frame back to level.
This is common in century homes in Kitchener and Cambridge, where foundations have settled over a hundred years.
Levelling compound fails when it does not bond. It cracks, sounds hollow or lifts in sheets.
Every surface is cleaned and primed with the compound maker's primer. Primer seals porous concrete so it does not suck water from the mix, and helps it grip smooth or wood surfaces.
We also dam doorways and seal gaps at walls and penetrations so compound does not flow into the basement below.
Each product has a minimum and maximum thickness. Too thin, and it cracks. Too thick without aggregate, and it shrinks and cracks as it cures.
Most self-levellers pour from about 1/8 inch up to around 1 to 1-1/2 inches in a single lift. Deeper fills get clean pea gravel mixed in, or are built up in layers.
Feather-edge patch products taper to zero at the edges so there is no ridge where the fill meets the original floor.
Levelling compound is walkable within a few hours, but that is not the same as ready for flooring.
Thick pours and cold, damp basements take longer. We test before installing moisture-sensitive floors.
Electric floor heating mats are often embedded in a thin layer of self-levelling compound. That protects the cable and gives a flat surface for tile or vinyl.
We test the cable before and after pouring. Over uncoupling membranes, we follow the membrane maker's rules on which compounds can be used.
A 50 pound bag of self-levelling compound covers roughly 50 square feet at 1/8 inch, or about 25 square feet at 1/4 inch. Professional products cost around $45 to $70 per bag.
| Item | Typical cost per sq ft |
|---|---|
| Patching local dips and seams | $1.00 to $3.00 |
| Self-levelling, 1/8 to 1/4 inch, primed | $2.50 to $5.00 |
| Deeper pours or lath over wood | $4.00 to $8.00 |
| Grinding high spots on concrete | $1.50 to $3.00 |
Levelling is the step that makes luxury vinyl plank and tile flooring installation last. For full new slabs, see concrete floor installation. All levelling work carries our 1-year labour warranty.
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FAQ
Straight answers to the questions we hear most. Still unsure? Call and ask.
Ask for a Free QuoteMost vinyl plank makers require the floor to be flat within 3/16 inch over 10 feet and 1/8 inch over 6 feet. Thin glue-down vinyl is stricter still, about 1/8 inch over 6 feet and 1/32 inch over 1 foot.
Often, yes. Concrete can be levelled directly after grinding and priming.
Sound wood subfloors can be levelled with a bonded compound over metal lath or with patch in low spots. The old floor covering usually has to come up first.
Most products pour from a feather edge up to about 1 to 1-1/2 inches in one lift. With pea gravel added, some can go several inches deep. We follow the specific product's limits.
Levelling compound fixes flatness, not structural slope. A floor that drops several inches across a room needs shims, sistered joists or structural work first. We tell you which problem you have before recommending a fix.
Free estimate
Tell us about the floor. We will call to book a time, measure on site, check the subfloor and moisture, and leave you a written quote.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call and speak to a flooring specialist directly.
Kitchener Prestige Flooring
137 Glasgow St, Kitchener, ON N2M 5E3
Monday to Saturday: 7:00am to 9:30pm
Sunday: 9:00am to 9:00pm