Clean the concrete surface, and apply a thinset compound to all of the low areas until the surface of the concrete pad is smooth and level. The basic rules of laying laminate flooring dictate that the subfloor over which it is laid must be completely clean, flat and structurally sound. Concrete subfloors move, shift and crack over time. See more ideas about plywood subfloor, concrete and concrete floors. 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. Then fill the remainder of the groove and smooth it over. Just because it is a microtopping over a mortar bed does not mean it will not shrink or move due to stress and temperature. To avoid buckling, subfloor panels should be spaced with a 18inch gap. Repairing concrete cracks is a precise and delicate process.
Typically you can see where the nail line is on the subfloor, but obviously a stud finder can work too. There has to be a problem causing the rot and this must be fixed first. The plywood subfloor floats over the crack, separating the wood flooring from the substrate. 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. I used it on vinyl as well as wood to even out the floor before i laid down tile.
Plan the layout of the plywood sheets so the long dimension of the plywood runs perpendicular to the floor joists. How to prepare a subfloor for tile installation the home. Over time, the osb used in your buildings construction will warp, crack, or rot. On woodframe floors, the subflooring provides a continuous structural surface over the floor joists. A flooring inspector or floor repair contractor has several different options to. 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. The concrete subfloor must be sufficiently strong to safely support the flooring, furniture, and people in the room. Howto concrete floor crack repair before use self leveling. If the process is done improperly, it could lead to further deterioration of the concrete flooring. Need some advice to install a plywood floor over concrete.
Each kit contains a twopart epoxy crack sealer, two 10oz. Do i need to repair cracks in concrete before laying laminate. Following the cutline on the subfloor, chad used a cats paw bar to pull all. Apply a coating of hacker floor primer rewettable polyvinyl acetate. Oct 14, 2019 prepping a plywood subfloor is crucial for hardwood or laminate floors that last.
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. Fix the crack in your concrete garage or basement floor yourself by following these stepby. Diy experts show how to get rid of a squeaky floor with these steps. 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. Lift the protection once per day to mist the top so that the concrete cures slow and strong. Installation tips for wide plank wood floors over concrete. Its best to place the underlayment over 34inchthick plywood fastened with screws at 12 to 16inch intervals to help decrease deflection and add stability. How to fix splintering plywood home guides sf gate. Once cured, it provides a smooth, level surface on which to install a variety of floor coverings. Once youve keyed the crack, its important to clean up and get rid of dust and debris. If you have a subfloor that consists of wood on top of concrete, youll need to test both floors. How to lay a floating subfloor over concrete part one.
Repairing cracked and crumbling gypcrete floors hunker. Secure the plywood to the subfloor at 6inch intervals with 1inch deck screws placed along the edges. Using a paint roller, roll the primer onto the floor and wait for the primer to dry per the instructions on the bottle. Start by completely removing the damaged materials. Preparing a cracked concrete subfloor for a hardwood floor installation requires more preparation than for tile. The subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials.
Installing plywood or something similar will cover the gypcrete and create an even floor. Types of subfloor materials in construction projects. Surely tile wasnt placed over rotted floor to begin with. Apr 18, 2017 typically you can see where the nail line is on the subfloor, but obviously a stud finder can work too. Then get a rapid repair mortar 400 and creat a ramp upto the plywood. Surface repair options for concrete floors and subfloors. Temperature changes, heavy weights, and dropped objects can all damage your concrete floor by causing cracks and holes. Traditional latexmodified or gypsum based underlayments will crack along joints, break. Prepping a plywood subfloor is crucial for hardwood or laminate floors that last.
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. Gypcrete typically sits between layers of concrete subflooring and a top. Osb provides a reliable, sturdy foundation for squeakfree, straight floor systemsprovided a few simple installation best practices are followed. 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. These methods can be used on interior and exterior surfaces and are intended for. The first step to proper installation is to get the subfloor in order.
Grab your tools and get started on that longawaited home repair project. I have seen many blogs and read a lot, and know it can be done, but, need a bit of help. Repairing a severely rotted subfloor extreme how to. 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. Installing wood subfloors over concrete hardwood floors. Product costs, availability and item numbers may vary online or by market. Homosote is not structural, it is usually 12 thick and resembles gray cardboard.
To help you start your installation project off right, here are a few tips for preparing your subfloor. For fulldepth repair of a standard 4 slab, each crackweld kit will repair. Premixed floor patch helps repair cracks and holes in concrete, vinyl. 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.
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. How to install selfleveling concrete over wood or plywood. Allow the thinset to completely dry before you seal the. Over time, a sink or refrigerator water leak can damage and even destroy flooring materials and the subfloor below it. Install carlisle wide plank floors, milled to 12 inch thickness by blind nailing and gluing. Do i need to repair cracks in concrete before laying. A wellprepared subfloor is key to lasting hardwoods and laminates. As i will be fixing 6mm wbp ply to the wooden floor in the lounge this will cause the gap in height from the concrete extension straight to the lounge to be. Remove all water and debris from the crack with a wetdry shop vacuum or a brush. While concrete is a strong construction material, it can still crack. 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. Crackweld concrete floor repair kits for slabs and driveways.
I would not be surprised to see that the crack had followed a seam in the plywood or decking in the subfloor. Reparation depends on the size and location of the crack. I would not use felt and i wouldnt worry about having to tape that seam if youre going to use leveling compound. How to patch and level a concrete subfloor pretty handy girl. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. Duraamens param 5500 goes on thin, in a 38 to 12 thick application. Here are nine common subfloor installation mistakes and how to prevent them. Overfill the crack slightly, and scrape the flat edge of the trowel across the surface to flatten it out. How to repair wide concrete cracks chisel the crack with a hammer and masonry chisel to widen the base of the crack. Additionally, the underlayment is always a waterproof material that will create a waterproof barrier. 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. Vinyl is one of the few types of floors that can be safely installed over concrete, wood, or other solid floors. Prepping a plywood subfloor for hardwood or laminate flooring. A new layer of 58inch or 34inch tongueandgroove plywood subflooring is like adding a new subfloor over the old to create a stiffer, flatter surface for any type of finished flooring.
The wood subfloor panels used in these scenarios should conform to most current u. How to choose the right subfloor leveling techniques. Osb is made by mixing together wood chips and adhesives, then molding the mix into a block shape. 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. The open joints should be filled with a rapidsetting patching compound. Dec 19, 2018 secure the plywood to the subfloor at 6inch intervals with 1inch deck screws placed along the edges. The plywood subfloor floats over the crack, separating the wood. Installing overlays over wood surfaces the concrete network. Jul 25, 2019 the subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials. Repairing and leveling a 20yearold concrete subfloor. Then skim the concrete section with 200 acrlic primed with 1 mixed at 41 with water or 900 with no primer. They can be used over precast concrete planks, wood subfloors in multifamily housing, and on slabs on grade in single family homes. To use the concrete filler, cut the nozzle off the bottle and slowly fill the. He snapped a chalk line to connect the layout marks, which were centered over a floor joist.
The best method to deal with cracks is to put down a plywood subfloor that is clean, dry, level and structurally sound. How to prepare a subfloor for vinyl flooring home guides. If there are cracks larger than 18 inch in your concrete subfloor, those should be patched and filled with a cement patching compound. Readytouse, latexbased product used to fill cracks, fastener or knot holes and level low areas in plywood subfloors or concrete surfaces. Unfortunately, osb is denser than plywood and not as strong. I have read the stickies and a few other artiles on preparing the subfloor. Selfleveler plus is a highstrength, regularsetting, cementbased, selfleveling underlayment and repair mix for use over interior concrete, plywood and other approved floor surfaces. Cracked plywood repair job i doubt that the laminations are doweled to the back, those are almost surely plugs over screws.
Plywood can be part of a wall, floor, ceiling, roof or even a boat. 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. Concrete resurfacing over plywood substrate duraamen. You might have osb sheathing in your roof, walls, or subfloor. Prepping a concrete subfloor for hardwood or laminate flooring. 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. Subflooring is a structural layer and should not be confused with. Repairing and leveling a 20yearold concrete subfloor for.
Click this link to watch tutorials on winder stairs installation. Its what you dont see that is the most important part of a beautiful, longlasting hardwood or laminate floor. 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. How to replace subfloor from below wout removing tile. If damage to the plywood is not so extensive that it requires complete replacement, the damaged areas can be repaired.
Patching and repairing subfloor at charlottes house. 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. It can become scratched, cut, gouged, dented, blistered, separated or rotted. Add water to the resurfacer mix to get the consistency of pancake batter for the concrete crack filler. Use a cold chisel and a hammer to get rid of any large pieces in the crack. Concrete slab with plywood subfloor 1 12 inches or more height allowance lay down 34 inch plywood and then follow the directions above. 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.
Discussion in floors, stairs and lofts started by frimmersp, 31 jul 2010. No, i dont see any way possible anyone could replace a subfloor from below. Damaged concrete floors and subfloors can be repaired using a few different options. However, with a steady hand and a few hours of time, you can fix most concrete cracks yourself. That is a layer of a product called homosote, at least it is called that back east. How to put down flooring on a cracked concrete slab home. These imperfections, particularly cracks, require diagnosis and repair before you can install flooring over them. When repairing cracked or crumbling gypcrete flooring, you must remove any tack strips. Concrete floor video on how to install concrete over an existing wood subfloor. Mar 27, 2018 the wood subfloor panels used in these scenarios should conform to most current u. Use a circular saw set to 1 depth to cut the subflooring back beyond the damaged areas until you reach solid. If the floor is close to flat, it should be the same distance from the concrete to the string all along the string line. 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.
Feb 28, 2009 first question is what rotted the floor. How to correct cracks in a concrete subfloor flooristics. Remove any loose gypsum that is no longer adhered to the subfloor. Concrete resurfacing over wood or plywood substrates. I have been researching a lot and would like to install a plywood floor over concrete in two bedrooms in our basement. How to replace subfloor from below wout removing tile above. The experts show how to repair a waterdamaged subfloor. Over time, gypcrete will begin to crack and crumble from regular use. Use galvanized 8d nails or deck screws to fasten the new plywood to the floor framing. Pour concrete resurfacing mixture into the crack and smooth it out with a rubber floor squeegee. How to prepare a subfloor for tile installation the home depot. Check out this tutorial for information on how to attach plywood to concrete as a floor base.
You must keep the patchwork dry for at least five days, so you will need to cover it with plastic or wood protection. Premixed floor patch fpqt, gray helps repair cracks and holes in concrete, vinyl. Apply a primer to help the leveling material adhere to the concrete subfloor. 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. In basements and in homes with slabongrade foundations, the subfloor may simply be a concrete slab. I would bet when you rip out the tile and subfloor you might find damage to the top of the joists.
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