How to Level and Square a Wall

To level and square a wall requires no specialized skills, just the ability to follow a few easy steps.

1. Place a level across the wall studs of the exposed wall structure. This will indicate whether the underlying wall framing is level. In older houses, the wall framing structure will have a tendency to shift over time thereby changing just how level the wall is after the years of wear and tear.

2. Move the level out and away from the wall until it is level. This is assuming the underlying wall structure is not level in the first place. Then, measure the amount of space underneath the level to determine the amount of leveling product you will need to use to level the wall.

3. Repeat the level measurement process from Step 2 at 2-foot intervals on the wall. This will tell how much you need to level the wall at the various heights. Make a measure at each interval and record the information.

4. Purchase and install a wallboard or shim in between the wall structure and the sheetrock given the measurement you recorded in the previous steps. If the wall measurements are roughly equal all the way up the wall, you can use a wallboard to level and square the wall. However if the measurement are unequal at the various intervals you will need to nail shims into the wall studs to level and balance the wall.

5. Nail the sheetrock into the wall, remeasure the wall with the level and use a tee square at the top of the wall to make sure it is square. If the wall is not level, take down the sheetrock and begin the process again.

6. Repeat the previous steps for each section of sheetrock you install to ensure that the wall is level and square.