He snapped a chalk line to connect the layout marks, which were centered over a floor joist. Prepping a concrete subfloor for hardwood or laminate flooring. Do i need to repair cracks in concrete before laying. If the floor is close to flat, it should be the same distance from the concrete to the string all along the string line. There has to be a problem causing the rot and this must be fixed first. I would not use felt and i wouldnt worry about having to tape that seam if youre going to use leveling compound. Use galvanized 8d nails or deck screws to fasten the new plywood to the floor framing. To use the concrete filler, cut the nozzle off the bottle and slowly fill the. See more ideas about plywood subfloor, concrete and concrete floors.
Its best to place the underlayment over 34inchthick plywood fastened with screws at 12 to 16inch intervals to help decrease deflection and add stability. Unfortunately, osb is denser than plywood and not as strong. The first step to proper installation is to get the subfloor in order. Its what you dont see that is the most important part of a beautiful, longlasting hardwood or laminate floor. How to prepare a subfloor for tile installation the home. Installing overlays over wood surfaces the concrete network. Pour concrete resurfacing mixture into the crack and smooth it out with a rubber floor squeegee. No, i dont see any way possible anyone could replace a subfloor from below. When installed correctly, your concrete over plywood floor will not permit moisture through, will not warp or buckle, and will come with all the benefits of concrete in an easytocarefor floor. Oct 14, 2019 prepping a plywood subfloor is crucial for hardwood or laminate floors that last. Surely tile wasnt placed over rotted floor to begin with. Use a circular saw set to 1 depth to cut the subflooring back beyond the damaged areas until you reach solid. Gypcrete typically sits between layers of concrete subflooring and a top.
The concrete subfloor must be sufficiently strong to safely support the flooring, furniture, and people in the room. If damage to the plywood is not so extensive that it requires complete replacement, the damaged areas can be repaired. Duraamens param 5500 goes on thin, in a 38 to 12 thick application. I would not even consider repairing the existing supports since preserving the originals is not an issue and making new ones is so easy, especially since the repairs wont be as strong as the originals. Crackweld concrete floor repair kits for slabs and driveways. Cracked plywood repair job i doubt that the laminations are doweled to the back, those are almost surely plugs over screws. I would bet when you rip out the tile and subfloor you might find damage to the top of the joists.
How to put down flooring on a cracked concrete slab home. Remove any loose gypsum that is no longer adhered to the subfloor. Once youve keyed the crack, its important to clean up and get rid of dust and debris. Repair damaged gypsum concrete underlayments pourable method if the damaged gypsum flooring requires deep repairs, or the entire surface needs to be covered with firmfill gcu to achieve a new, flat surface, firmfill gcu will need to be poured in place. Way easier to handle and less prone to lifting off the subfloor when that plywood shrinks and contracts at a different rate that that of your solid wood floor. Allow the thinset to completely dry before you seal the. Discussion in floors, stairs and lofts started by frimmersp, 31 jul 2010. How to prepare a subfloor for vinyl flooring home guides. How to patch and level a concrete subfloor pretty handy girl. Lift the protection once per day to mist the top so that the concrete cures slow and strong. Diy experts show how to get rid of a squeaky floor with these steps. Here are nine common subfloor installation mistakes and how to prevent them. Fix the crack in your concrete garage or basement floor yourself by following these stepby. For fulldepth repair of a standard 4 slab, each crackweld kit will repair.
Then skim the concrete section with 200 acrlic primed with 1 mixed at 41 with water or 900 with no primer. Use a cold chisel and a hammer to get rid of any large pieces in the crack. Installation tips for wide plank wood floors over concrete. How to choose the right subfloor leveling techniques. Following the cutline on the subfloor, chad used a cats paw bar to pull all nails that might be hit with the circular saw blade. Premixed floor patch helps repair cracks and holes in concrete, vinyl. Over time, gypcrete will begin to crack and crumble from regular use.
The underlayment exists to create an airfilled gap between the concrete below and the subflooring, which will help to insulate the floor and keep the room warmer. Feb 28, 2009 first question is what rotted the floor. The subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials. Reparation depends on the size and location of the crack. I have read in some places that you need a vapour barrier to put over the concrete before installing the plywood and in other places to just glue the plywood to the concrete floor. Osb is made by mixing together wood chips and adhesives, then molding the mix into a block shape. Click this link to watch tutorials on winder stairs installation. Prepping a plywood subfloor for hardwood or laminate flooring. You might have osb sheathing in your roof, walls, or subfloor. If there are cracks larger than 18 inch in your concrete subfloor, those should be patched and filled with a cement patching compound.
Additionally, the underlayment is always a waterproof material that will create a waterproof barrier. That is a layer of a product called homosote, at least it is called that back east. Once cured, it provides a smooth, level surface on which to install a variety of floor coverings. How to install selfleveling concrete over wood or plywood. Apply a coating of hacker floor primer rewettable polyvinyl acetate. Repairing a severely rotted subfloor extreme how to. Cracks in the concrete will lead to an uneven surface for installation and will often produce dust that can contaminate the laminate and the material used to hold it in place. I have seen many blogs and read a lot, and know it can be done, but, need a bit of help. However, with a steady hand and a few hours of time, you can fix most concrete cracks yourself. A flooring inspector or floor repair contractor has several different options to.
The installation of calcium aluminate cement based selfleveling concrete, param 5500 along with expanded metal lath for reinforcement is a successful fasttrack method to convert a. The open joints should be filled with a rapidsetting patching compound. Then fill the remainder of the groove and smooth it over. Types of subfloor materials in construction projects. For instance, the builder may not have properly installed the subfloors regardless of the reason, you have to repair the subfloor to preserve your existing floor or make sure that your newly installed floor doesnt sustain future damage. Using a paint roller, roll the primer onto the floor and wait for the primer to dry per the instructions on the bottle. To help you start your installation project off right, here are a few tips for preparing your subfloor. Check out this tutorial for information on how to attach plywood to concrete as a floor base. Remove all debris from the crack, using a wire brush.
Repairing and leveling a 20yearold concrete subfloor. It can become scratched, cut, gouged, dented, blistered, separated or rotted. Remove all water and debris from the crack with a wetdry shop vacuum or a brush. Do i need to repair cracks in concrete before laying laminate. Apr 18, 2017 typically you can see where the nail line is on the subfloor, but obviously a stud finder can work too. Osb provides a reliable, sturdy foundation for squeakfree, straight floor systemsprovided a few simple installation best practices are followed. To prevent that movement from creating cracks in your grout and tile, once your concrete subfloor is clean, flat, and free of cracks larger than 18 inch, you. Secure the plywood to the subfloor at 6inch intervals with 1inch deck screws placed along the edges. The experts show how to repair a waterdamaged subfloor. Preparing a cracked concrete subfloor for a hardwood floor installation requires more preparation than for tile.
Product costs, availability and item numbers may vary online or by market. You must keep the patchwork dry for at least five days, so you will need to cover it with plastic or wood protection. Prepping a plywood subfloor is crucial for hardwood or laminate floors that last. How to correct cracks in a concrete subfloor flooristics. Over time, a sink or refrigerator water leak can damage and even destroy flooring materials and the subfloor below it. The plywood subfloor floats over the crack, separating the wood flooring from the substrate. Installing plywood or something similar will cover the gypcrete and create an even floor. The basic rules of laying laminate flooring dictate that the subfloor over which it is laid must be completely clean, flat and structurally sound.
If you have a subfloor that consists of wood on top of concrete, youll need to test both floors. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. Concrete floor video on how to install concrete over an existing wood subfloor. They can be used over precast concrete planks, wood subfloors in multifamily housing, and on slabs on grade in single family homes. Readytouse, latexbased product used to fill cracks, fastener or knot holes and level low areas in plywood subfloors or concrete surfaces. Following the cutline on the subfloor, chad used a cats paw bar to pull all. Repairing and leveling a 20yearold concrete subfloor concrete contractor only had two days to repair and level a severely cracked, 4,000squarefoot concrete subfloor february 18, 20. Vinyl is one of the few types of floors that can be safely installed over concrete, wood, or other solid floors. Subflooring is a structural layer and should not be confused with.
Need some advice to install a plywood floor over concrete. I have been researching a lot and would like to install a plywood floor over concrete in two bedrooms in our basement. Dec 19, 2018 secure the plywood to the subfloor at 6inch intervals with 1inch deck screws placed along the edges. How to lay a floating subfloor over concrete part one. Concrete resurfacing over wood or plywood substrates. Concrete subfloors move, shift and crack over time. Each kit contains a twopart epoxy crack sealer, two 10oz. Premixed floor patch fpqt, gray helps repair cracks and holes in concrete, vinyl. Mar 27, 2018 the wood subfloor panels used in these scenarios should conform to most current u. I used it on vinyl as well as wood to even out the floor before i laid down tile. Overfill the crack slightly, and scrape the flat edge of the trowel across the surface to flatten it out. Concrete slab with plywood subfloor 1 12 inches or more height allowance lay down 34 inch plywood and then follow the directions above.
If the process is done improperly, it could lead to further deterioration of the concrete flooring. Voluntary product standard ps1, construction and industrial plywood andor most current us voluntary ps 2, canadian standards csa 0151 or csa 0121, andor canadian performance standard can 0325 reference. While you can lay tile directly over a concrete slab using thinset adhesive, dont make the mistake of applying tile directly to a plywood subfloor. How to replace subfloor from below wout removing tile. How to prepare a subfloor for tile installation the home depot. To get to the squeak, you will need to set a circular saw a 12 deep and cut out a section to get to the subfloor below, say maybe a 3 square. Plan the layout of the plywood sheets so the long dimension of the plywood runs perpendicular to the floor joists.
Its important to know where the joist is because youre going to remove the damaged plywood right up until the floor joist without cutting over the floor joist. Install carlisle wide plank floors, milled to 12 inch thickness by blind nailing and gluing. I have read the stickies and a few other artiles on preparing the subfloor. Start by completely removing the damaged materials. These imperfections, particularly cracks, require diagnosis and repair before you can install flooring over them. Over time, the osb used in your buildings construction will warp, crack, or rot. Typically you can see where the nail line is on the subfloor, but obviously a stud finder can work too. On woodframe floors, the subflooring provides a continuous structural surface over the floor joists. A wellprepared subfloor is key to lasting hardwoods and laminates. Then get a rapid repair mortar 400 and creat a ramp upto the plywood. To avoid buckling, subfloor panels should be spaced with a 18inch gap. While concrete is a strong construction material, it can still crack.
How to repair wide concrete cracks chisel the crack with a hammer and masonry chisel to widen the base of the crack. Apply a primer to help the leveling material adhere to the concrete subfloor. Patching and repairing subfloor at charlottes house. This article describes the types of cracks that occur in poured concrete slabs or floors and explains the risks associated with each, thus assisting in deciding. Selfleveler plus is a highstrength, regularsetting, cementbased, selfleveling underlayment and repair mix for use over interior concrete, plywood and other approved floor surfaces. Repairing and leveling a 20yearold concrete subfloor for. I would not be surprised to see that the crack had followed a seam in the plywood or decking in the subfloor. Each kit includes either two 2pack or four 4pack twocomponent crackweld cartridges, as well as mixing nozzles, a bag of silica sand, and other accessories.
Jul 25, 2019 the subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials. Concrete resurfacing over plywood substrate duraamen. Plywood can be part of a wall, floor, ceiling, roof or even a boat. The installation of calcium aluminate cement based selfleveling concrete, param 5500 along with expanded metal lath for reinforcement is a successful fasttrack method to convert a plywood subfloor into a beautiful concrete floor. Homosote is not structural, it is usually 12 thick and resembles gray cardboard. Traditional latexmodified or gypsum based underlayments will crack along joints, break. The wood subfloor panels used in these scenarios should conform to most current u. Add water to the resurfacer mix to get the consistency of pancake batter for the concrete crack filler. Just because it is a microtopping over a mortar bed does not mean it will not shrink or move due to stress and temperature. These methods can be used on interior and exterior surfaces and are intended for. Howto concrete floor crack repair before use self leveling.
How to replace subfloor from below wout removing tile above. In basements and in homes with slabongrade foundations, the subfloor may simply be a concrete slab. Grab your tools and get started on that longawaited home repair project. Id either floor right over that, or lay down a new 38 plywood subfloor over the whole thing with none of the old seams lining up, and nowhere shall four corners meet. Temperature changes, heavy weights, and dropped objects can all damage your concrete floor by causing cracks and holes. How to fix splintering plywood home guides sf gate. When repairing cracked or crumbling gypcrete flooring, you must remove any tack strips. The plywood subfloor floats over the crack, separating the wood.
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