[swixch]

Howdy all, wondering if anyone has some ideas here... We installed VCT in a small commercial space. The floor is OSB over wood joists so we stiffened it up with backer board since the area is used for storage and they'll be moving materials around on pallet jacks. There's a slight hump at the backer board seams where we taped them and the VCT is either cracking or popping up there - cracking if the tile goes across the seam and popping up if the tile edge aligns with the seam. How would you adhere the VCT over the seams or prevent cracking? We heated the tile at install so it would mould to the subfloor and we ran a roller over it.

 

[Half-fast Eddie]

You do realize that the layer of backer board added zero strength to the floor? Did you use the right adhesive? I would suspect the backer board sucked all the moisture out of the adhesive. Did your flooring sub approve the installation?

 

[Tinstaafl]

Pretty sure that if you read the manufacturer's instructions, you'll find that you should have used leveling compound to eliminate those humps. Just about any rigid or semi-rigid flooring has strict guidelines regarding the flatness of the floor. Sorry to say, I don't know of any fix other than tearing it out and re-doing properly. And yes, as Eddie said while I was typing, backer board does very little to stiffen the underlayment.

 

[We Fix Houses]

"Stiffened it up with backerboard" ....like cement backerboard ?

Backerboard has no structural value whatsoever according to the mfg.

What about the joist framing ? What is its make up ? VCT for pallet jack use. Not sure on that one ?

 

[tjbnwi]

Should have used 1/4” luan underlayment and sanded the seams. I don’t know of any way to save this one.

FCB adds no strength to the floor.

Tom

 

[avenge]

Howdy all, wondering if anyone has some ideas here... We installed VCT in a small commercial space. The floor is OSB over wood joists so we stiffened it up with backer board since the area is used for storage and they'll be moving materials around on pallet jacks. There's a slight hump at the backer board seams where we taped them and the VCT is either cracking or popping up there - cracking if the tile goes across the seam and popping up if the tile edge aligns with the seam. How would you adhere the VCT over the seams or prevent cracking? We heated the tile at install so it would mould to the subfloor and we ran a roller over it.

Nothing about this method makes any sense, tear it up and come up with a totally different solution.

 

[VinylHanger]

Being juat osb, I would have added 3/4 ply on top if you are moving pallets around all day.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[DenverCountryBoy]

Rip it out. Put down a second deck with the seams offset from the original deck to stiffen. Install VCT per manufacturer's instructions.

 

[rrk]

Would be so much easier and cheaper to ask these questions before wasting so much time and money

 

[reggi]

No punches pulled, keeping it real up in here.

If it was my storage area I’d probably rip that out down to osb, add plywood and paint it with something designed for traffic.

 

[Ayangonz]

Howdy all, wondering if anyone has some ideas here... We installed VCT in a small commercial space. The floor is OSB over wood joists so we stiffened it up with backer board since the area is used for storage and they'll be moving materials around on pallet jacks. There's a slight hump at the backer board seams where we taped them and the VCT is either cracking or popping up there - cracking if the tile goes across the seam and popping up if the tile edge aligns with the seam. How would you adhere the VCT over the seams or prevent cracking? We heated the tile at install so it would mould to the subfloor and we ran a roller over it.

If you used backer board as in cement board, it's going to turn into power after running pallet Jack's over it.

 

[Snobnd]

If you used backer board as in cement board, it's going to turn into power after running pallet Jack's over it.

Bingo we have a winner!

 

[swixch]

The flooring rep suggested 1/4" Hardie board to stiffen the floor system. Running the pallet jack over it has had no negative impact on it. It's an old building, joist framing is large wooden beams at maybe 3 ft. They want a finished look since clients can see it, so painted plywood wouldn't fly. For what it's worth, we did stop the job about 200 sq.ft. in to show them what was going on. They wanted to continue, so here we are. Thinking we'll pull up the VCT and fill in the area between seams with leveling compound.

 

[rrk]

The floor rep is an idiot, and some one likes to piss time and money away

 

[Thom Paine]

It doesn't matter the product.
It doesn't matter that you've previously used the product just last week..

Few Reps have first hand application experience.

NEVER bet your company on the words of a Rep.

Don't be Lazy...
Actually READ THE MANUFACTURER'S ARCHITECTURAL AND TECHNICAL SPECS BEFORE each time a product is used.

Those specs can change without notice.

 

[G&Co.]

It's an old building, joist framing is large wooden beams at maybe 3 ft.

The joists are 36" OC and you have OSB as the subfloor? Hmmm....

 

[rrk]

I bet there is 2 by something under there somewhere
Or should be
If not the Hardie is the least of your problem

 

[avenge]

Hardie will crack if you just look at it wrong.