iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

flooring installation question

Started by Dan_Shade, January 04, 2011, 09:13:53 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Dan_Shade

I am trying to get started installing some hardwood floors in my house.

My subfloor (plywood) has a large hump, 3/8 to 1/2" in it, anybody have any suggestions to level the floor? 

Should I just suck it up, make a few spacers and nail down another layer of subflooring?  I'd rather not do this because my ceiling is only 7'6" in my upstairs.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Raider Bill

Anxious to hear this answer as I have the opposite problem a low spot.
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

metalspinner

How large of an area does the hump cover?
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

D Hagens


If you can't pull it down with screws then built up to it with a self leveller or trowel out some thin-set. It's really not much of a hump in your floor to create headaches. :)

Dan_Shade

it's at least 8-10 feet long, probably 6" wide or so.

Other than that, it's flat withing probably an 1/8-1/4" over a 6' length from my checking along various spots
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

D Hagens

Quote from: Dan_Shade on January 04, 2011, 09:40:26 PM
it's at least 8-10 feet long, probably 6" wide or so.

Other than that, it's flat withing probably an 1/8-1/4" over a 6' length from my checking along various spots

Me personally I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've installed cheap laminate with more deflect then that without any problems.
First thing I would do is lay some down, no nails and walk on it.
I honestly can't see this as a problem but if it's a worry trowel out some thin-set.

IMERC

the floor joist has a serious crown to it....

can you get access to it down stairs???

pull up the ply and plane the joist into an even plane with the others...
saw kerf the joist in one or more places and pressure it into submission then sister a new joist to it .......
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish.... Here fishy fishy....

Don_Papenburg

My opinion is that is not a big job pull up the subfloor in that section find the humpmaker and plane down .  That is too small of a hump to build up around .
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

Carpenter

Quote from: IMERC on January 04, 2011, 10:28:48 PM
the floor joist has a serious crown to it....

can you get access to it down stairs???

pull up the ply and plane the joist into an even plane with the others...
saw kerf the joist in one or more places and pressure it into submission then sister a new joist to it .......

X2

I would get it flat before laying hardwood.  It's a lot easier that way.  What type of hardwood are you laying?

Dan_Shade

Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Dan_Shade

nothing is ever easy!

the joist is second one in from an outside wall, I got off one layer of the subfloor, but the lower layer is under the outside walls!  I guess I could try to rip the subfloor on the first joist and screw it back on both sides of the cut. 

ack
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

IMERC

Quote from: Dan_Shade on January 04, 2011, 11:11:28 PM
nothing is ever easy!

the joist is second one in from an outside wall, I got off one layer of the subfloor, but the lower layer is under the outside walls!  I guess I could try to rip the subfloor on the first joist and screw it back on both sides of the cut. 

ack

rip the floor along the 2nd joist's inside edge towards the wall...
do yur repair...
cleat a nailer for the plywood to the joist to you something to nail the floor to....
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish.... Here fishy fishy....

beenthere

Have you considered a drum floor sander? Might be able to hog off that hump if it is just 6" in width.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

jdtuttle

Have a great day

D Hagens


There's some great advice here, pics would help as it's like the wife calling from town and telling me the cars broke down and asking what's wrong with it! :D :D

ohsoloco

Last week I had to cut out a section of subfloor in my bathroom, and I had to cut less than an inch away from the wall centered on the joist.  I would not recommend using a Dremel Multi-Max.  It cut for about five minutes (and only 3/4 of the cut) before it burnt up....first time I ever used it  ::)

In hindsight I should've done what IMERC suggested and gotten as close as I could with my cordless circular saw and then sistered on a nailer.

Raider Bill

In my case being I have a low spot isn't there some kind of self leveling solution you mix and pour on the floor?
I watched a guy do it years ago. He put sand and water with the stuff and poured it out.

I've used thinset before but don't like it for this application.
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

beenthere

Raider Bill
Can you get at the joists below the 'low' spot?

Any pour-on mix will likely not give with the movement of the underlayment and the flooring resulting in the mix breaking up over the long term.

If you have a joist that you can raise, or put spacers in to raise the sheathing/underlayment to level it, would be a better way to go. IMO
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Raider Bill

It would be a chore but do able I guess. This spot gets tile as it's right inside the main set of french doors that lead to my deck.
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

D Hagens

Quote from: Raider Bill on January 06, 2011, 10:40:27 AM
In my case being I have a low spot isn't there some kind of self leveling solution you mix and pour on the floor?
I watched a guy do it years ago. He put sand and water with the stuff and poured it out.

I've used thinset before but don't like it for this application.

Use a thinset, there's many out there and you will find the one that works for you. After its level lay down a rubber membrane, not sure what you guys use out there so I won't post names.
After that apply your thinset and set your tiles.
I've been doing flooring and tiles for many years and yes there's always a right way to do things but sometimes you can cut corners if the sub-floor is a min of 1 inch.
If you're worried about movement with the thinset them apply a polymer first.

Don_Papenburg

For tile use thinset .  I use Nobleseal CIS  .  Search " Nobleseal" They will sell direct to you.
CIS  is crack Isolation membrane .  it isolates the tile from subfloor movement while making a good adheasion to the subfloor. It is thin so you will not know it is there  and it will not let moistue through to the subfloor.
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

Thank You Sponsors!