fixing subfloor - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

bigjohnsons34 · 08-26-2006, 01:52 PM

i'm redoing my living rm and when i ripped up the carpet i realized that the flooring under neath has some big humps in it, falling short of ripping up all of the subfloor and shimming the joist to get it straight is there any easier way.. i had heard of some self levaling mastic that i could use but am not to sure of the product...thanks

Floyd Price · 08-26-2006, 08:08 PM

Quick questions:
1. What is the product your putting on the floor.
2. How high are the crowns in your floor, for example over eight feet what is the hight difference in the top of the crown to the regular hight of the substraight.
3. Is the floor just one layer of 3/4 inch ply wood or two layers.

This will help in deciding what type of options you have.

bigjohnsons34 · 08-26-2006, 10:21 PM

when i pull a string across the floor it's close to an inch and a half high in the middle, i'm still torn between hardwood floor and the laminate floor any sugestions??? and there's a 3/4 subfloor and a layer of 3/4 fir flooring which i was going to go right over.... thanks for your help

Floyd Price · 08-27-2006, 08:12 PM

Well, I’ll be honest with you; you’re in a situation where you may need a professional to fix your floor. One of the most difficult things to do is level a floor. However, if your floor is stable and not continuing to warp or crown and the moister of the floor is within the proper margin, then you have a couple of options.

The best way to find out if there is moisture in your floor is to get a wood moister reader. Depending on your location, you shouldn’t exceed 13-14% moisture. You may want to get on line and purchase one, or get with a professional floor company, to read the floor moisture for you. I know Home Depot when they measure your floor for material they also test the moisture, it might be worth it to pay the $25 dollars to have it tested.

I believe the standard for a wood floor is to be flat with then 3/16 inch in 10 feet. The key her is flat not level.

The way you can achieve this is put metal lathe over your floor lay screed lines and use a mortar mix to perfectly level your floor, but this is expensive, time consuming and almost impossible for a non-experienced do it your self job.
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My recommendation is that you get your self an 8-foot straight edge and go over your floor with a leveler. I like the Custom product called “Level-Quick” which is sold at Home Depot. Why? It goes on very wet and flows nicely, but you can walk on it in an hour. Take your straight edge and circle around your high spots. It wouldn’t hurt to do it a couple of times in different directions if needed over the entire floor. The next day you can take a sharp razor scraper and hit any spots you may see that is uneven, but if you follow the directions on the amount of water your to add to the leveler and mix it with a drill, you probably won’t have many spots, because it levels on it’s own nicely. This product can also be built up to 2 inches.

Hard wood or laminate both can have problems with an uneven floor, so I recommend you get the floor right first. I wish you the best success, and with patience and time you can get it right. Do not lay the floor over the leveler until you re-test the moisture, making sure all the moisture is out. One way to do this is take a 2 inch square piece of plastic and tape it securely to the floor and wait 2 days, if no moisture shows up, then your good, other wise wait another couple of days. The good thing about the leveler I’m recommending is that it’s designed to rid the floor of moisture, so if your floor doesn’t have moisture to start with then the leveler will dry fine.

bigjohnsons34 · 08-27-2006, 09:30 PM

quick question, can i nail the hardwood floor into this quick level product or how do i fasten the wood or am i better off with the laminate floor.. thanks

**Teetorbilt** · 08-27-2006, 09:32 PM

What is your substrate? Slab or frame? 1-1/2" is going to take some work.

Brushslingers · 08-27-2006, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teetorbilt

What is your substrate? Slab or frame? 1-1/2" is going to take some work.

Agree, at that far out i'd rip it out and start again before trying to lay floating OR tounge and grove flooring.

**Teetorbilt** · 08-27-2006, 11:37 PM

I was thinking of possible major problems like the house setteling.

Glasshousebltr · 08-28-2006, 08:05 AM

ditto Teetor.....an inch and a half is big enough to play army in.

There should be a center support, girder or posts, running the opposite direction as the the joists. Re-pin your line and lift there if so. Keep your eyes on cabinets or doors that may be near.

Bob

bigjohnsons34 · 08-28-2006, 06:14 PM

it's wood framing and the house is at least 60 yrs old, and the funny thing is that when the carpet was down you didn’t really realize it ...I went into the basement and was trying to jack it up but where the to main walls were for that room there was no lolly column under it, the column is in the center of the room which is the highest point. I was just wandering if there was an easy way or should I rip up everything and make it right.... I was also wondering what you guys recommend hardwood flooring or the laminate floor, because I have a dog and the room gets a lot of traffic, I like the real wood better when it's new but not sure of the durability...thanks for your time

Brushslingers · 08-28-2006, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigjohnsons34

it's wood framing and the house is at least 60 yrs old, and the funny thing is that when the carpet was down you didn’t really realize it ...I went into the basement and was trying to jack it up but where the to main walls were for that room there was no lolly column under it, the column is in the center of the room which is the highest point. I was just wandering if there was an easy way or should I rip up everything and make it right.... I was also wondering what you guys recommend hardwood flooring or the laminate floor, because I have a dog and the room gets a lot of traffic, I like the real wood better when it's new but not sure of the durability...thanks for your time

What kind of dog? I have three shepards.. they would tear up hardwood quicker than I can say 2500.00 dollars.

Course with 80 to 120 pounds of claws banging on you every day..i'd fail too.

747 · 08-29-2006, 01:39 PM

You need to get a GC in to take a look. Sounds like a support issue. Too much and Too little. To answer you flooring question. The guys here like real wood but laminates are nice if you get a quality one. Look into Bellawood for laminate flooring if thats the way you want to go.

www.bellawood.com

Donedat · 09-07-2006, 10:24 PM

Yeah, the first thing I would do is tear it down to the original subfloor...whatever that is and then call you GC to do the really hard stuff. That kind of problem is aid by repairing what is going on underneath rather on top.

bigjohnsons34 · 09-08-2006, 04:04 PM

i knew how to fix it right but i was just looking for a shortcut, but i decided for now to put down laminate flooring cause i opened up the doorway going from my living rm to my kitchen to a six foot opening so hopefully in a couple of yrs when i redo the kitchen/din rm i can do the whole floor in hard wood this way i don't have to weave it in and refinish the whole floor... i used the self leveling cement and it seamed to work pretty good and i don't plan on using the highest end laminate floor but i'm only looking to get 2-3 yrs out of it.. hopefully it looks good

Floyd Price · 09-08-2006, 05:01 PM

I think your going to be just fine if you did a good job on the leveling. The main problem that can occur with the laminate is that it'll feel spongy if the floors too uneven, or the lines can tend to gap over time if it's too uneven. You should get a few years out of it though.