How to Grade a Dirt Floor

Remove all the debris from the floor to have a clear working area. If there are weeds and grass growing up through the floor, remove them also. Use a shovel to dig the plants up by the roots and toss into a compost pile outside.

Drive a 24-inch long wooden stake into the ground every 4 feet in a straight line. Create a grid with the stakes. Set a laser level on the area that is at the proper height and point the laser beam down the rows. Wrap masking tape around the stakes, matching the bottom edge of the tape with the laser beam.

Break the soil up with a pick or mattock. Swing the pick over your head and bring it down with the end in the soil. Yank the soil upward at the end of the swing. With practice, the pick will land where you aim.

Move the loose dirt from the high areas to the lower areas, using a shovel and wheelbarrow. Compress the dirt down with a hand tamper. Bring in soil fill from outside to continue leveling the floor.

Rake the dirt out to increase the levelness of the site. Double check the floor with the laser level and remove the wooden stakes. Lay a 6-foot board across the floor with a carpenter’s level mounted on the board. Tamp the dirt down in areas that are too high and fill other areas that are too low.