does a floor have to be leveled to install wooden floor?

Question

and also what goes on first, such as the padding or plastic sheeting.

Answer 1

laminate floors (pergo) glue or lock together they do not get fastened down its a floating floor...it gets installed over a thin foam for cushion and keep it 1/2 inch from the edges and then put a 1/4 round over the gap and fasten the 1/4 round to the wall so the floor can move under it..you do not need to do a lot of leveling ahead of time only in a severe case

Answer 2

It sounds like you are installing a Pergo floor or some other laminate flooring. The most important thing is that the floor have no major irregularities, as in bumps or dips. Check the instructions for the tolerances allowed. If you have any excessive bumps or dips these have to be either shaved off or filled in.

The plastic sheeting is a vapor barrier and the padding is a sound deadener. You do not need this sheeting if you are on an above grade floor and there is no danger of water getting in from underneath. You DO need the plastic if you are laying the floor on a concrete slab in a basement, for example.
Lay down the plastic first and then the foam padding on top of that.

it is not a good idea to lay this type of flooring in any room where there is any possibility of water getting to it, such as in a bathroom or kitchen. If water gets to it, the material will swell and buckle and the entire thing will have to be taken up and replaced.

Answer 3

No. The subfloor does not have to be level, but must be flat for a proper installation. In some case, even an uneven subfloor can be corrected.
The first things to consider if you want a wood floor on the concrete are flatness, and moisture incursion. Now don't confuse flatness with levelness, you cannot simply put a 2-foot level on a small patch of bare concrete and say it's flat enough for a wood floor. If you are planning on installing any type of glue down hardwood floor product you must see the entire concrete surface, and make sure that it is flat within 3/16" in a 10 foot radius or 1/8" within a 6 foot radius.The way you do this is to take a 6 or 10-foot straight edge and place it in various areas on the subfloor. It will be very clear where the dips are. If there are just a few dips, you should fill them in with a non-shrinking mortar, If your home has a wood subfloor,a basement and a crawl space between the two you must have "perimeter vents" through the foundation so located as to provide cross-ventilation with opening area equal to 1 1/2% of the square foot area within the crawl space. Example, a 1000 SF crawl space house must have 15 SF of vents.The soil within the foundation must be covered with 6 mil poly-film with 6" lapped joints.a 1000 SF crawl space house will draw 14 gallons (!) of water every 24 hours out of the soil inside and outside of the foundation and send it up into the house! Ground cover and open vents are a must!

Answer 4

Yes a floor needs to be level for proper installation. Put the plastic down first as a vapor barrier and then the padding.

Answer 5

The type of floor you are describing is a floting floor system
in this case your floor does not need leveling, plastic needs put down first for a vaper barior then the pad and last the flooring. True hardwood flooring on the otherhand gets nailed directly to the floor joists and needs to be level and true.

Answer 6

It should be as level as possible. Are you installing laminate flooring or real wood? Most laminates are installed over a thin layer of foam. Real wood needs roofing felt under it.