Floor Repair & Subfloor Leveling Utah

It's What's Underneath That Counts

A beautiful floor installed over a poor foundation is a disaster waiting to happen. At South Valley Flooring, we pride ourselves on being complete flooring experts. We don't just lay planks; we engineer the entire floor system from the joists up.

Many 'big box' installers skip these steps to save time or hide the costs. We don't. We know that 90% of flooring failures—creaking, buckling, separating—are due to subfloor issues that were ignored. We believe in doing it right the first time, ensuring your investment lasts for years to come.

Our Technical Services

1. Self-Leveling & Subfloor Flattening

The Problem: Utah homes, whether new or old, rarely have perfectly flat floors. Concrete settles, cracks, and heaves.

The Solution: We use laser levels to identify high and low spots. For concrete, we pour commercial-grade self-leveling cement that seeks its own level, creating a glass-smooth surface. For wood subfloors, we sand down high spots and fill low spots with specialized patching compounds.

Critical For: Large format tile and Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP), which will break if dragged over a hump.

Flooring contractor checking subfloor level

2. Subfloor Repair & Reinforcement

The Problem: Annoying squeaks and soft spots that signal structural weakness.

The Solution: We strip the floor down to the joists. We re-secure the subfloor panels using screws (not nails, which pull out). If panels are water-damaged, we cut them out and replace them with new, marine-grade plywood or OSB.

3. Radiant Heat Installation

The Luxury Upgrade: Nothing beats the feeling of a warm floor on a snowy Salt Lake morning.

Our Process: We work alongside licensed electricians to install electric radiant heat mats or wire systems. We then pour a self-leveling thermal mass over the wires to protect them and ensure even heat distribution before installing your tile or engineered wood.

Note: We guide you to specific flooring products that are rated for thermal cycling to prevent warping.

4. Moisture Mitigation

The Invisible Enemy: Concrete is like a hard sponge; it sucks moisture up from the ground.

The Defense: We conduct Calcium Chloride or RH probe testing. If moisture levels are high, we apply a roll-on epoxy moisture barrier that seals the slab, preventing hydrostatic pressure from destroying the adhesive bond of your new floor.

5. Demolition & Disposal

We handle the dirty work. Removing ceramic tile is dusty, heavy work. We use demolition hammers and dust-extraction systems to remove your old floor efficiently. We handle all disposal fees and dumping, leaving your home ready for the transformation.

6. Baseboards & Trim Work

The job isn't done until the trim is perfect. We don't leave you to hire a finish carpenter. We supply and install:

Modern Square Edge: Clean, sharp lines for contemporary homes.
Traditional Base & Shoe: Classic profiles to match existing millwork.
Quarter Round: A simple solution to cover expansion gaps if you aren't replacing the main baseboards.

We caulk and prep all trim for painting, leaving you with a finished room.

Service Menu

✓ Self-Leveling
Concrete correction
✓ Squeak Repair
Joist reinforcement
✓ Moisture Barriers
Epoxy sealing
✓ Radiant Heat
Electric mats
✓ Baseboards
Install & Caulk
✓ Door Undercutting
Clearance adjustment

Uneven Floors?

We can fix dips and humps before they ruin your new floor.

Schedule Audit

Frequently Asked Questions (Prep & Repair)

Common questions about the "hidden" side of flooring.

1. Why is subfloor leveling necessary?

Flooring manufacturers require a flat surface (typically within 3/16 inch over 10 feet) to maintain warranty. Installing over uneven floors causes locking mechanisms to break, boards to separate, and hollow sounds when walking.

2. How long does self-leveling concrete take to dry?

Most commercial self-leveling compounds are walkable in 4-6 hours and ready for flooring installation in 16-24 hours, depending on thickness and humidity.

3. Can you fix a squeaky subfloor?

Yes. Squeaks are usually caused by nails loosening from the joists. We screw down the subfloor panels to the joists, which offers much tighter holding power than nails, permanently silencing the floor.

4. Do you install baseboards and trim?

Yes. We supply and install a wide variety of baseboards (Modern, Colonial, etc.) and shoe molding. We caulk and putt the nail holes so they are ready for paint.

5. Can I install hardwood over radiant heat?

Yes, but we strongly recommend Engineered Hardwood for this application. Solid wood is too unstable and can warp with the direct heat. We work with electricians to install the heat mats and then install the floor over them.

6. What is moisture mitigation?

If your concrete slab has high moisture content (common in Utah basements), we apply a roller-applied epoxy moisture barrier. This prevents water vapor from rising up and delaminating your luxury vinyl or buckling your wood floor.

7. Do you offer demolition and disposal?

Yes. We remove carpet, tile, laminate, and glued-down floors. We haul away all debris to the landfill so you aren't left with a mess.

8. Can you level a floor that slopes?

We can flatten a floor (remove dips and humps), but making a sloped floor perfectly level often requires major structural work. For flooring installation, "flat" is more important than "level".

9. Do you trim doors?

Yes. If your new floor is higher than the old one, your doors might drag. We can trim (undercut) the bottom of standard wood doors to ensure they swing freely.

10. Is dust control included?

We use plastic sheeting to seal off the work area and industrial vacuums with HEPA filters to capture dust at the source, minimizing the impact on the rest of your home.