Can You Build a Floating Deck on Slanted Land?

Level vs. Flat

• The main area that many do-it-yourselfers are confused with is the fact that level and flat are different. Flat merely means that the surface is flat, whether it is a vertical surface, angled, sloped surface, or a horizontal. Level means that the surface is an even plane across its horizontal area. Water, for example, self-levels according to gravity. A cup of water placed on an angled, sloped table, for example, will have the cup itself flat according to the surface of the table, but the water will be level according to gravity.

Basic Floating Floor Requirements

• All floating floors can be installed regardless of whether the surface is level or not, so long as it is flat. If the surface isn’t flat, the floating floor will be contoured to these imperfections. You can install a floating floor according to the slope or slant of the land as long as you follow the basic substrate requirements for floating floor installations.

Substrate Requirements

• The most basic requirement for a floating floor is that the substrate beneath the floating floor must be completely flat and solid. This means dirt itself does not qualify as an actual substrate. Instead, you need to have a concrete base, a wood base, such as plywood sheets or OSB sheets, known as oriented strand board, a ceramic tile base or some other form of hard, solid, stable area.

Cushioning

• Not all floating floors need to have cushioning. It is usually an optional step, although your specific format of floating floor may have other requirements based upon manufacturer guidelines. Generally, you can install the floating floor directly on top of the other surface without the need of padding. However, you should always refer to the manufacturer’s guidelines.