New home owner, old house (1972). The dishwasher looks like it's probably original or at least is very, very old compared to all the other appliances in the home. The house originally had linoleum/vinyl floors, which then had engineered hardwood installed overtop (probably in the 90's, when other renovations were done). The cabinets and dishwasher were not removed during this renovation so they all sit essentially on subfloor, where the old vinyl was directly attached.
It was disclosed when I purchased the house that the dishwasher does not work. Probably hasn't worked in many years. As a quality of life update I would like to get it replaced. I had the floors in the kitchen replaced with tile shortly after moving in, and did not consider the consequence that I might not be able to remove the dishwasher. There is almost no clearance with the countertop over it so lifting it over the lip of the floor isn't really viable. This length of counter butts up next to the stove (left) and to the fridge (right) with the sink immediately next to the dishwasher. Sorry I don't have a better or updated picture at the moment.
Kitchen / Dishwasher / Base of dishwasher with shoe board removed
Now, the countertops are in pretty rough shape and I'd like to replace them eventually. But presently I do not have the liquid assets to be able to splurge on something like that just for the sake of getting a new dishwasher. So... do I have any other real options here? Or am I stuck with hand washing everything until I can front the bill of a decent kitchen reno?
Flooring guy came in, started tearing up the floor, and told us our subfloor was so uneven that he couldn’t install the floors until it was completely replaced. This hit us out of nowhere. We knew parts of the floor sank a bit, so we can imagine repairing or replacing small sections, but the whole house? It mostly old floor, constructed in 1950 with some patches made probably 10 years ago. It not rotted, except in one part where there was a roof leaks when we bought the house. The bill hit us hard too. $4000 materials, $4000 initial estimate for floors, AND THEN $6500 to replace the whole subfloor. Is this necessary?
800sqft of strand woven bamboo.
I knew this was going to be a somewhat controversial post, i appreciate all the feed back whether you love or hate the topic.
I have definitely gained insight from different prospective and plan on reading all the comments.
One of the reasons i posted this is to because i see a trending construction work style, and wanted to see the views of others from many different areas. Thanks for the comments.
There use to be crews that would do it all, now we have specialties in every aspect of construction, soon we might have a contractor for only reading a tape measure.😂😁 jk.
Firstly, apologize for all the recent posts. I’m feeling pretty defeated and dumb with this one, tried not to post and figure it out, but here we are.
Trying to lay a layer of 1/4 ply (or whatever thickness that I got that’s basically 1/4) to provide a fresher and flatter base for ditra for bathroom tile.
TLDR: all screws I’ve tried thus far (pictured) just spin and stop pulling the sheets together when it bottoms out. I’ve tried 3/4” screws, 1 1/4” 1 3/4. Figured the different sizes would have different gaps between shank and thread start. Not sure where to go from here. Should I just glue it heavily (construction adhesive, or wood glue?), set some weight on it, and staple it with narrow crown staples from an air gun? I think it could be the subfloor plywood fibers are kinda crappy/loose at this point? and a screw just doesn't hold in them?
- edit -- I have the pieces screwed into the joists fine, it's when trying to attach the two layers at the non joist spots. I'm putting tile over top so in my head, i wanted this as secure as psychically possible, but maybe that's overkill
Longer:
Screwed the plywood overtop and into the joists no problem. Didn’t know what screw to just go plywood to plywood, and have now tried 4 screws. They all just stop sucking the pieces together and spin with no bite.
I looked it up and saw that the screws needed a gap before the threads start to suck the bottom sheet to the top sheet, but all the screws with them also don’t seem to work, despite the shank size being about the size of the top layer.
Am I a complete idiot? I’ve also tired drilling a pilot and countersinking which did actually get some result, my impact actually impacted and it didn’t spin, but then I tried it again in another spot and it just spun with no bite. So I’m thinking it’s a thickness/threading thing but not sure where to go. Should I just nail it? Paranoid if it isn’t secure enough to the layer below, my tile will crack.
Today I went and got a narrow crown stapler for my compressor and 1" staples. Considering just putting an even layer of wood glue down with brush, and then stacking cinder blocks all over for a few days, and maybe hitting it with a bunch of staples too? This will be the layer under ditra, if that matters at all.
Appreciate any advice
Basement bathroom addition and don't have a lot of headroom. Is there any reason I can't slightly recess a preformed plastic/fiberglass shower base into the slab subfloor? I wouldn't go very far, maybe a few inches at most. Couldn't find anybody else doing something like this. Thanks!
Newbie here. Just bought my first house and I’ve been DIYing things cause I’m broke and I’ve also got a baby on the way. I need to raise the subfloor in my townhouse by 1 1/4 inch. To bring my living room up to the level of my tiled kitchen so I can put down LVP. From my online research it looks like I should buy 2 sheets of ply wood. 3/4 and then 1/2 on top. Glue and screw the both sheets on my existing subfloor. Is that right? Is there any other material I should be using? Is weight going to be a problem? It’s about ~600 square feet I’ve got to raise.
Sorry if this is a dumb question.
So, I'm about to the point that I need to start putting down the floating laminate floor in my basement with concrete 'slab' subfloor.
The laminate calls for 'no more than 3/16" (4.76mm) difference over 10 feet (3m)'. I know there are some spots I'll need to tackle for this and was wondering if this is something that can be 'diy' with tool rentals.
Right now I only have a 4" (10cm) diamond grinding cup for my angle grinder and it's a little difficult to get flat and uniform results using that on the floor (I'm not sure a crude result is a bad thing within reason as I'm using premium padding/vapor barrier). It looks like the companies in my area that might be good at this really only do commercial work. I know I can use self leveling concrete for the low areas if I have to (that stuff is expensive).
First I need to figure out how I'm going to measure 3/16" difference over 10 feet (straightest 2x4 or 2x6 I can find at Home Depot or Lowes?) and then I need to figure out how to bring it 'flat' (level doesn't so much matter.
Hey all,
I currently have a new 3/4” plywood subfloor but still need to add another 3/4” to meet the transition into the next room outside of bathroom. Would I be able to install 1/2” durarock over3/4” ply subfloor with the 1/8” ditra membrane than tile on top of that?
Or is this too much and there’s a simpler way?
I am interested in getting flat solid subflooring in my fixer upper 50’s home. The current subfloor is diagonal planks. I am interested in replacing it with thicker modern flooring material, but i am wondering what the best route to go is. I have a cross section sketch on how I understand how flooring construction is typically laid out along with my initial thoughts on how you might install thicker flooring: https://imgur.com/a/hPTNKF1 if i am overlooking something in those pics let me know.
My primary question: Is leaving the old, but otherwise healthy, subfloor between the bottom plate and rim joist an ok thing to do? If not is the only way to go to replace all that subfloor with similar thickness subfloor and then add the extra thickness subfloor on top of the new subfloor, with the additional thickness butting up against the bottom plate?
I am looking to move into a new shop. It is the second floor of an old industrial building, with wooden floors. Heavy beams, adequate floor ratings for machinery, etc...
However, the building has shifted substantially over time and the space I am looking at has about 6in of slope over 20ft.
What I would like to do is run scribed/levelled sleepers on top of the floor, perpendicular to the original joists, and then put down a new floor directly on top. Screws for everything as it will potentially need to be removed after a few years.
I am planning on 12in spacing.
That's the background, the question is what kind of floor should I put on top of the sleepers that can support a milling machine? That's the heaviest thing I'd want to put in there, and that's about ~250 pounds per square foot over around 9 square feet.
I assume 3/4 plywood is going to get crushed. Is the beefier 1-1/8 or so subfloor material adequate for this? I'd plan on putting a thin steel plate under the machine itself, probably 1/4in just to keep any feet or levelling shims from sinking.
Tore up carpets today. In many instances, I saw some gaps, with a few being 1/4" or so. What is the proper method to fill these and with what material? I've seen some places say to use wood filler and others say you can use leveling type compounds.
Here's an example from today: https://imgur.com/a/QMuIVCa
Hello, I’m a DIY newbie and I will lay down Dricore subfloor in my basement. Basement is pure concrete slab. Do I need an underlayment between the concrete and the Dricore tiles? Thanks, Julian
Question for the pros...
- live in Rhode island
- house built in 2008
- don't think the basement has ever had water
- house has a sump pump and french drains
- seems pretty dry
- about 800 sq ft
I'm about to finish the basement with lots of help because I can barely swing a hammer.
I drylok'd the basement, two coats. Do I need to do a subfloor? The only one I see that I think I could cleanly do and not fuck up is the DMX one step. Then the plan is carpet.
Do I even need to do the DMX since I drylok'd? If so, is carpet on top fine?
Greatly appreciate any and all help. I'm getting overwhelmed on the research of this topic.
Hi everyone,
I'm looking at demolishing my basement bathroom subfloor.
https://imgur.com/a/63hu5GM
I used a 20lb handheld jackhammer to rip up the floor tile and shower tile.
In the first pic, I want to take out about an inch of concrete from the first pic so I have room to pour a self leveler, use ditra heat, and install new tile.
In the second pic I want to dig out ~4 inches of concrete from the shower base, so that I can apply a self leverler and use Kerdi shower pan. I also need to dig a trench about 6 inches wide, 1 ft deep, and 18 inches long between the shower drain and the center of the shower to center the drainpipe.
Does anyone forsee any major issues with this? One concern I had is that the wooden studs are on top of the concrete, so I would need to be careful to dig down and not damage the sides of the shower too much. I already messed it up a bit in the second pic bottom right.
I'm tearing out the old oak plank floor in my 1095 Victorian. It has 1x12 plank subfloor, seems to be ok so far but I was wondering if the right thing to do is tear it up and lay T&G? I do have to cut away some areas to install plumbing for a new bath.
What's the general opinion on keeping vs new subfloor?
Edit: 1905
So I'm starting a small bathroom remodel and I'm going to be doing tile floors. I'm comfortable with that process. But I wanted to ask if it's normal, or if there would be any reason to have two layers of plywood/chipboard subfloor. The bathroom is currently linoleum flooring, while the room on the other side of the bathroom is hardwood so maybe they did two layers to add thickness to meet the same flooring height? I'm doing Ditra and a relatively thick tile so if I take off the top layer of subfloor I should end up at a normal level. I just don't want to accidentally destroy my house
Thanks in advance!
I hope I’m doing this right, it’s my first post. I am renovating a 2nd floor bath. I have removed all floor tiles and started removing the water-damaged subfloor. The long wall runs parallel to the floor joists, and what I’ve found is that wall is centered between 2 joists; there is nothing supporting the subfloor below the wall. I’d like to remove the entire subfloor, but how can I do this without also taking up some of the subfloor in the next room to get to the joist.
EDIT: here are some pictures to show there is no joist under the wall. https://imgur.com/a/mqOnRo1
Hello everyone!
I'm doing a home remodel and am going to be laying 12"x24" porcelain tile in my kitchen. I have some questions regarding the thickness of the sub floor and concrete backer boards.
I have narrowed down my choices to either 5/8 or 3/4 tongue and groove plywood, and either 1/4 or 1/2 concrete backer boards.
Which combination would be best here? Would I simply get a better more rigid floor by using 3/4" subfloor and 1/2 concrete backer boards? Or is this over kill?
Thanks for any input you have!
Hi there!
Currently prepping a subfloor for LVP and noticed the piece of subfloor adjacent to the bathroom is delaminating. It seems the previous owners (or whoever they hired) just threw mud into the gaps (which I chiseled out) and called it a day. I’m not sure if it’s possible to just cut out since the piece of subfloor is half in the bathroom, which is tiled and the part I’d need to cut is along one of the edges which go into the joists.
Can I just try to remove the top layer which is delaminating and add some type of thinset or glue luan on top? I don’t know how thick the subfloor is - it’s a 70s built home. Is this something you’d hire someone for?
Pics here: https://imgur.com/a/F2vZKjw
Thanks!
I'm looking for the least worst option for engineered hardwood over an extremely rough concrete subfloor. Planks are 14mm thick. From my understanding:
- A floating floor will potentially creak and bounce in any dips. Over time, I may get gaps between boards.
- A glue down install will eliminate bounce, and reduce creaking. Glue can only do so much, and I may have issues with adhesion in the long run (in areas where more glue is being used to cover a dip). The floor may not be as 'flat'.
I'd love to get the floor properly grinded down, but quotes I've received are astronomically expensive (unit with access challenges; the floor is in bad shape; and time isn't on my side).
My installer thinks we can get somewhere decent with SLC + a small grinder for the high spots. Only decision now is floating vs. glue down.
Bonus q: has anyone seen a successful glue down engineered hardwood install with a silicone-caulked 3-5mm gap to the wall? That doesn't seem like enough of an expansion gap to me, and I thought you could only do that style of install with vinyl.
Hello, I have a problem with my flooring which is on the second floor of a townhome. There is a giant ridge in the middle of the room which seems to be along a joist. I attatched pics of the problem and I do not know the cause of this like if it was water damage or maybe just poor construction. It runs along the whole room but is really noticeable on one side and then gets less noticeable as it goes closer to the other side of the room and then into the closet where it is barely noticeable. I have the same problem down the hall in another room as well which makes me lean towards poor construction. After some research, the only thing I could think of is that the joist is way too high and so the floorboards just point up at the joist. What would be my options to fix this, can I just sand down the floor? I plan on installing engineered vinyl plank so this really messes that up because the bump is so tall. Thanks for any help!
Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/Lat3WyA
PICS: https://imgur.com/a/gyQgvt9.
We are re-tiling the floor of our bathroom in a 1960s ranch. Under the tile we found a 1.5” thick mortar bed, which we removed because there was cracking in the tile around the toilet. Under the mortar bed, we found concrete poured between the floor joists. There are water lines going through the concrete in two places. Where the floor joists meet is above the center beam in our house.
From below, you can see the wire mesh and concrete. There is wood below the mesh in some places, but not around the toilet, which is why we think there was cracking in the tile.
So my question is: should I remove the concrete and install a wooden subfloor? Or should I just pour floor leveler before putting down sheet rock and tile? Is the concrete structurally sound, even without a wood subfloor?
I'm looking for the least worst option for engineered hardwood over an extremely rough concrete subfloor. Planks are 14mm thick. From my understanding:
• A floating floor will potentially creak and bounce in any dips. Over time, I may get gaps between boards.
• A glue down install will eliminate bounce, and reduce creaking. Glue can only do so much, and I may have issues with adhesion in the long run (in areas where more glue is being used to cover a dip). The floor may not be as 'flat'.
I'd love to get the floor properly grinded down, but quotes I've received are astronomically expensive (unit with access challenges; the floor is in bad shape; and time isn't on my side).
My installer thinks we can get somewhere decent with SLC + a small grinder for the high spots. Only decision now is floating vs. glue down.
Bonus q: has anyone seen a successful glue down engineered hardwood install with a silicone-caulked 3-5mm gap to the wall? That doesn't seem like enough of an expansion gap to me, and I thought you could only do that style of install with vinyl.
