How to stop uneven floorboards showing through under new carpet?

Question

we are getting a new carpet to lay, the previous one showed the uneven floorboards beneath even with good underlay.
Any ideas on how to prevent this with the new carpet?
layers of newspaper?

Thanks

Answer 1

A good underlay should do it really....or a layer of thick felt

Answer 2

First make sure the floorboards are firmly fixed to the joists below. I use screws at places where the boards seem to have 'lifted' as these are much firmer than nails. Then cover the floorboards with sheets of hardboard running at right angles to the floorboards. Stagger the hardboard to give a pattern like brickwork. The hardboard is fixed with 1" flat head nails.
If you're rich you could use 6mm plywood but this would have to be screwed down as plywood has less 'give' and will eventually pull the nails unless you use barbed nails.

Answer 3

Cover the whole floor with thin plywood or hardboard working in the opposite direction of the floorboards.

Answer 4

get an industrial floor sander, from a hire firm, and sand down the uneven boards. you might like the look of the floorboards, when they hahe been sanded down, you would save on a new carpet.
give it a try.

Answer 5

Lay hardboard down,then your underlay and finally your carpet.
You can pick up hardboard from any d.i.y shop,and they cost around £3-6 per 8ft x 4ft sheet.They will cut them smaller for you,if you want.

Answer 6

The floor joists need to be shored up. You can do this yourself fairly inexpensively by using screw jacks and cinder blocks combined with treated wood shims.

Good Luck!

Answer 7

Cover the floor with thin plywood and tape the joints

Answer 8

level it out before you put carpet down.