Leveling a floor

I replaced a roof over a storage area with corrugated tin. That was a few months ago. I am going to lay treated 2x6x20 boards on the dirt, then lay 5/8 plywood over the boards.. It's dirt now anything is an improvement. A friend of mine showed me a water level he used. a clear plastic pipe filled with water. I can't believe I haven't heard of this before. It's so simple. It is to hard to explain the procedure. Just search using a water level if you need to level dirt. Stan

Had a guy pour some concrete for me years ago. He used a water level.

It all turned out good.

A friend had a house moved years ago. I watched them use a water level. I thought that CA outlawed all the old ways of doing things.

Here is a simple one. These things go all of the way back to the Egyptian pyramid builders. Why break simple? All ya need is a couple bottles of Deer Park.

I made a water level using an empty laundry detergent jug and a 20' length of clear tubing. Tubing fit snug near bottom of jug and was sealed with silicone, so had to be fairly careful. Could sit the jug in the middle of a room and find the high and low spots without moving it. If you move it, you screw things up. Any vertical adjustment up or down with the water will change everything, so either place it in a central location, or break a large job into smaller components....or get a longer tube!

How to use:
1. Place water source in central location
2. Have a piece of masking or duct tape as marker near the end of tubing.
3. Measure from each desired location.

Do not adjust tape, and always bring water level to either the top edge or bottom edge of tape. That will be your level line. Measure any variance with a tape measure, ruler, yard stick or, for anyone who remembers what they are, a story stick. I would also recommend adding just a couple drops of Dawn dish soap, clear if you can find it. The soap breaks surface tension and helps the water equalize a little faster. Add soap to water before adding water to jug to ensure equal distribution.

Also, is best to use 3/8" tubing or larger. I used 1/4" and it took a while for the water to equalize through the 20' of length. The longer the tube, the more time required for equalization.

No, it's the other way. Out town outlawed gas leaf blowers, now it's back to brooms. Outlawed plastic straws, now it's a glass of water and no straw. No more plastic bags at the super market. Oh wait, you can buy one for a dime from the store. I haven't figured that one out yet. Stan

Our first house was built by the original owner- he had no building skills or experience, and made many mistakes. It was a Carter Lumber kit home that never really got finished.

An old contractor I used to re-side the place showed me how to use a water level, he was able to get a good reference of how crooked, un-level and out of plumb the frame was, and corrected a lot of issues before he began to put up the siding.

In the long run, we should have pushed it over and started from scratch, but we didn't have the budget for that. I learned a lot from working on that place.

I've used water levels. Keep it simple.

for 55.00 you can get a self leveling laser level kit so why mess with a water level have had one for years fast,easy to use ,and right on the money got mine from harbor fright 10 or 12 years ago just got another on Sunday for 45 and change

Adding a colorant to the water helps you finding the level. My redneck solution (pun intended) is to use tea instead of plain water.

Laser levels are nice; the only drawback I see is that they are line-of-sight only. With a water level you can set one end and take the other end anywhere, most notably around corners. I made one using a 50' piece of clear PVC hose. I filled it with washer fluid so that it was easier to see/read and wouldn't freeze when left in my truck year-round with the rest of my tools.

(quoted from post at 04:20:16 11/26/19) for 55.00 you can get a self leveling laser level kit so why mess with a water level have had one for years fast,easy to use ,and right on the money got mine from harbor fright 10 or 12 years ago just got another on Sunday for 45 and change

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I can't see a laser working on a project like my friend's big colonial house with six stacks of cribbed railroad ties under it. The water level tubing they were using had to be at least 100 feet long.

Stan,
I've used water level before I got a Dewalt self leveling laser. Laser is much faster. It would have taken me forever to level the gravel for pole barn floor. I got 30x40 gravel plus or minus quarter inch.

Still waiting for contract to build the barn.

Weather has slowed them down.

I have used a water lever for over 40 years now,, not much better if you know how to use one,,

Used a long hose filled with water years ago to get a trench for a foundation level.
Worked great.
Richard in NW SC

Yes, that's the oldest level in the world! I have 2 pieces of clear tubing with garden hose fittings on them, just screw them onto any hose, get all the air out, and your good to go. One of my first construction jobs was on a slip form, we poured an elevator shaft 150 ft tall, every jack had a water tube by it to keep the whole form going straight up.

This has nothing to do with a water level, but at least put down a good vapor barrier before you install any wood joist or flooring.---------------Loren

Put a pack of bright colored kool aid in the water.

I was just watching some YouTube videos the other night on how to make and use water levels.