Tried throwing a level across the room to check my work. Actually worked.

I was on a job in a 1960s rancher near Portland where the subfloor was so uneven I couldn't trust my eyes anymore. After the third time I re-measured a section and still got different numbers, I grabbed my 6-foot level and tossed it gently onto the floor just to see where it landed flat. It landed on a high spot I'd completely missed with a straightedge. That little trick saved me about 45 minutes of chasing my own tail on the layout. Now I do it on every old house with suspect framing. Anybody else got a weird habit that actually helps you find problem spots faster?

2 comments

2 Comments

kai9141mo ago

Admittedly I used to think tossing tools around was just irresponsible. Then I worked a reno on a 1940s bungalow in Seattle where the floors were so racked I was getting different readings on every third joist. Threw my 4-foot level across the room out of frustration and it landed on a slope I'd been fighting with shims for 20 minutes. Now I do it as a first step on any old house. It catches high spots that straightedges miss, especially in rooms where the subfloor has settled weird over decades.

the_nina1mo ago

That's actually kind of brilliant in a reckless way. A level straightedge on old houses is useless because the floors have already settled into some kind of twisted mess. The tool toss forces it to find its own natural rest point, showing where the actual trouble spots are. I bet it catches those subtle dips that a rigid straightedge just skips over. Not gonna lie, I'm tempted to try this on my own place, but I'm scared I'll dent the hell out of my level.