sub floor buckle


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Old 07-05-05, 08:44 PM
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sub floor buckle

Hello Folks, I have a old house and just installed Armstrong comm. composite tile. Put down 1/2 ply as subfloor on top of old floors, which were level. After the first room I noticed some ridges. I pulled up the tile and screwed the ridges down level with the rest. No problem in that room. I walked the other rooms prior to tiling and looked carefully at the floors, added a few screws and thought I was good. Well, I now have ridges in some of the other rooms.

Some other info: The plywood was down for a good month prior to tiling. I really overscrewed the plywood out of the gate. The ridges don't seem to be on the seams. The plywood was butted against each other as tight as possible.

And now for the big one.......... What do I do now...... Will it lay back down or get worse??????

Thanks for your help!!!!! Eric
 
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Old 07-06-05, 06:14 AM
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Your situation may not get any worse, but it probably won't get any better. I think that the choice of 1/2" material rather than 3/4" material for the subfloor is the culprit. I doubt that you will be able to cure the issue with more screws. There is just too much flex in the 1/2" material; the lack of expansion capability compounds the problem - nowhere for the excess to go except UP.
 
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Old 07-06-05, 09:43 AM
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Thanks for the reply, In the past I've used 1/4 inch ply on top of old floors and didn't have this problem!!!! I try to use the thickest possible without having too many problems with doors and room transitions.

If I don't butt the boards tightly won't the tiles crack on the seams???? Or should I be leaving a gap at the wall side???

Any suggestions on a simple fix would be helpful??? Also, how do I avoid this problem in the future??? Thanks again Eric
 
 

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