Home improvement from He**
#1
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Home improvement from He**
At the beginning of the summer, hubby and FIL gutted our porch/living/dining rooms, took down a non structural wall and now we have about 500 or so sq ft of space that needs to be addressed. I don't think they realized what they were getting into and they are both the type of men that do first, fix later ( which drives me nuts)
The PROBLEM is that our house is not level.
Our sheetrock guy has been putting up the walls since tuesday of last week - needed two extra days just to level a wall and a ceiling that were off by INCHES each - very very bad.
So now everyone's looking at me to decide what to do about the flooring - we had wood - that was so incredibly thin when they pulled it up I couldnt believe it - my hubby put plywood down over the subfloor after fixing many planks of wood that were creaking, deteriorated etc. but didn't bother to check or correct level as he went.
My FIL wants real wood (it's his house) but tells me that it's up to me because we'll be here longer than he will.
Oh and did I mention that this will be a DIY project? ha...ha...
I don't see any way that they are going to put a solid wood floor - or any sort of plank down on that floor without having problems - a friend of mine suggested self leveling cement??i mean i don't even know how to measure to see how OFF the floor is...
any suggestions, opinions?
The PROBLEM is that our house is not level.
Our sheetrock guy has been putting up the walls since tuesday of last week - needed two extra days just to level a wall and a ceiling that were off by INCHES each - very very bad.
So now everyone's looking at me to decide what to do about the flooring - we had wood - that was so incredibly thin when they pulled it up I couldnt believe it - my hubby put plywood down over the subfloor after fixing many planks of wood that were creaking, deteriorated etc. but didn't bother to check or correct level as he went.
My FIL wants real wood (it's his house) but tells me that it's up to me because we'll be here longer than he will.
Oh and did I mention that this will be a DIY project? ha...ha...
I don't see any way that they are going to put a solid wood floor - or any sort of plank down on that floor without having problems - a friend of mine suggested self leveling cement??i mean i don't even know how to measure to see how OFF the floor is...
any suggestions, opinions?
#2
PICTURES!!!! Can we see?
From the sounds of it, I don't think SLC (sel leveling cement) will do you much good.
I'm not sure you (Husband,FIL) will want to hear what I would suggest.....
The joists underneith the planks need to be sistered with new lumber to level the floor, which means the removal of the plywood and planks. The floor can be not level, but it needs to be FLAT in order for wood flooring and tile to last.
So, is your floor FLAT or is it unlevel or both? Just take a long leveler or long flat/straight piece of 2x4 to check flatness. You will place your 2x4 or level on the floor, and if you see light/gap under it, the floor is not flat. You will want to measure this gap.
From the sounds of it, I don't think SLC (sel leveling cement) will do you much good.
I'm not sure you (Husband,FIL) will want to hear what I would suggest.....
The joists underneith the planks need to be sistered with new lumber to level the floor, which means the removal of the plywood and planks. The floor can be not level, but it needs to be FLAT in order for wood flooring and tile to last.
So, is your floor FLAT or is it unlevel or both? Just take a long leveler or long flat/straight piece of 2x4 to check flatness. You will place your 2x4 or level on the floor, and if you see light/gap under it, the floor is not flat. You will want to measure this gap.
#3
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Floors that are not level and walls that are not plumb are the standard in older houses. I don't understand why your sheetrock guy had such a problem with it. If the floors are flat but not level I would just go ahead and lay 3/4" wood flooring. It the floors are uneven and not level you will have to do something to fix the uneven condition.
First step is to determine the extent of the problem. Run a string line across the floor in several places to determine flatness. I use graph paper to plot the floor's flatness. Use a level on a straight board to determine level. If you have low spots SLC is one way to go. Another is to jack the floor joists from below until the floor is even. If you do this, you may have to install straight joists alongside the bowed ones.
Welcome to DIY renovations. Don't let it get you down just look at it as the means to an end.
First step is to determine the extent of the problem. Run a string line across the floor in several places to determine flatness. I use graph paper to plot the floor's flatness. Use a level on a straight board to determine level. If you have low spots SLC is one way to go. Another is to jack the floor joists from below until the floor is even. If you do this, you may have to install straight joists alongside the bowed ones.
Welcome to DIY renovations. Don't let it get you down just look at it as the means to an end.