Just saw a guy in Tacoma use a string line to check a whole floor for flat

I was helping a buddy frame a garage up there last Tuesday. He pulled a chalk line tight across the joists, then slid a quarter under it at each bay. Found a high spot we'd missed by almost three eighths of an inch. We shimmed it right then before decking. Anyone else use that trick instead of just a level?

3 comments

3 Comments

ericnguyen23d ago

Reminds me how we often overcomplicate simple checks. I'll use a straight 2x4 to find a high spot on a floor instead of a laser sometimes. My wife uses a piece of string to see if a picture frame is straight from across the room. The basic tools usually show you the truth faster than the fancy ones, you just have to trust the method.

adams.leo23d ago

Yeah, the chalk line trick is solid. My old foreman called it "string leveling" and swore by it for long runs.

wright.luna13d ago

My grandpa used to say a chalk line was the best level money could buy. He built half this town with just a string and a brick.