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rkoenke
my little piggys
Member since 3/08 4315 total posts
Name:
rachel
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subfloors - ever do one?
so we need to put down a subfloor prior to the pergo that we got. we have too much of a drop in flooring since our new tiles in the kitchen.
i keep thinking that the plywood you put down is NEVER completely flat. is this the stuff to use?? gosh, i can only imagine doing all of this and boom! the plywood warps up!!
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Posted 4/23/10 7:37 AM  |
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BabyFever10
St. Gianna Pray for us
Member since 9/09 1326 total posts
Name:
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Re: subfloors - ever do one?
its not that bad - get plywood the thickness to fill the gap minus the thickness of the new pergo
use lots of screws when putting down the plywood - more is better.
If the floor is uneven at all - ususually you make the adjustments when you install the new flooring
In the case of pergo - they sometimes use roof shingles to shim the floor to level
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| Posted 4/23/10 9:57 AM |
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rkoenke
my little piggys
Member since 3/08 4315 total posts
Name:
rachel
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Re: subfloors - ever do one?
Posted by BabyFever10
its not that bad - get plywood the thickness to fill the gap minus the thickness of the new pergo
use lots of screws when putting down the plywood - more is better.
If the floor is uneven at all - ususually you make the adjustments when you install the new flooring
In the case of pergo - they sometimes use roof shingles to shim the floor to level
Ahh! lots of nails / screws. that's the key, it makes more sense now.
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| Posted 4/23/10 10:07 AM |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: subfloors - ever do one?
Posted by rkoenke
Posted by BabyFever10
its not that bad - get plywood the thickness to fill the gap minus the thickness of the new pergo
use lots of screws when putting down the plywood - more is better.
If the floor is uneven at all - ususually you make the adjustments when you install the new flooring
In the case of pergo - they sometimes use roof shingles to shim the floor to level
Ahh! lots of nails / screws. that's the key, it makes more sense now.
.... and glue. There's adhesive designed for this exact purpose. You put the glue either on the floor joists, or on the underlying subfloor, then put the new plywood on the glued surface, and lots of screws.
Use screws. Nails can pull up, but screws really can't
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| Posted 4/23/10 2:11 PM |
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alli3131
Peanut is here!!!!!!
Member since 5/09 18388 total posts
Name:
Allison
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Re: subfloors - ever do one?
are you putting the plywood on concrete? Cause arent you in a Levitt house? If you are on concrete then it's not as easy as nail it down.
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| Posted 4/23/10 2:17 PM |
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evnme
My little lamb
Member since 8/05 12633 total posts
Name:
aka momma2b
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Re: subfloors - ever do one?
Posted by alli3131
are you putting the plywood on concrete? Cause arent you in a Levitt house? If you are on concrete then it's not as easy as nail it down.
if you have radiant heat, you can't put down real wood over the concrete slab b/c it will get warped from the heat coming up from the floor.
we wanted a wood floor for our LR and had to get engineered wood so it won't warp. it is glued down to the concrete slab.
do some research and find out what you can put under the flooring you want to put down that is safe for radiant heating.
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| Posted 4/23/10 4:05 PM |
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rkoenke
my little piggys
Member since 3/08 4315 total posts
Name:
rachel
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Re: subfloors - ever do one?
Thanks everyone! we are in a levitt ranch. so... we don't have radiant heat, so, there isn't an issue with any screws or nails.
screws are best, i think, but... does DH have the bits for them? do they come in the regular screw bits that come with all his stuff? (he has aquired lots of stuff, but not sure if it's something that "comes" with a package of bits?)
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!
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| Posted 4/23/10 10:54 PM |
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rkoenke
my little piggys
Member since 3/08 4315 total posts
Name:
rachel
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Re: subfloors - ever do one?
Posted by GoldenRod
Posted by rkoenke
Posted by BabyFever10
its not that bad - get plywood the thickness to fill the gap minus the thickness of the new pergo
use lots of screws when putting down the plywood - more is better.
If the floor is uneven at all - ususually you make the adjustments when you install the new flooring
In the case of pergo - they sometimes use roof shingles to shim the floor to level
Ahh! lots of nails / screws. that's the key, it makes more sense now.
.... and glue. There's adhesive designed for this exact purpose. You put the glue either on the floor joists, or on the underlying subfloor, then put the new plywood on the glued surface, and lots of screws.
Use screws. Nails can pull up, but screws really can't
Hey Shawn- what about a moisture barrier? is that necessary on the concrete slab?
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| Posted 4/23/10 10:56 PM |
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alli3131
Peanut is here!!!!!!
Member since 5/09 18388 total posts
Name:
Allison
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Re: subfloors - ever do one?
Posted by rkoenke
Posted by GoldenRod
Posted by rkoenke
Posted by BabyFever10
its not that bad - get plywood the thickness to fill the gap minus the thickness of the new pergo
use lots of screws when putting down the plywood - more is better.
If the floor is uneven at all - ususually you make the adjustments when you install the new flooring
In the case of pergo - they sometimes use roof shingles to shim the floor to level
Ahh! lots of nails / screws. that's the key, it makes more sense now.
.... and glue. There's adhesive designed for this exact purpose. You put the glue either on the floor joists, or on the underlying subfloor, then put the new plywood on the glued surface, and lots of screws.
Use screws. Nails can pull up, but screws really can't
Hey Shawn- what about a moisture barrier? is that necessary on the concrete slab?
talk to the place where you are buying the flooring. They should be able to teel you what is best to use. You probably shouldn't use regular plywood but they can tell you that. Also since you are going into concrete you are probably going to have to shoot the fasteners in (which means renting the gun from HD unless you happen to have one)
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| Posted 4/24/10 7:44 AM |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: subfloors - ever do one?
I've honestly never dealt with a cement slab, so I don't know. I do know that on Holmes on Homes, several hardwood floor installers followed the manufacturer's instructions, and used a vapor barrier, but because the slab is cold, and the room is warm, moisture condensed on the inside side of the barrier, and warped the floor. He wound up putting tile down instead.
I agree about talking to the place that you bought the flooring from. They have experience in doing what does and doesn't work. I'm sure they've dealt with Levitt homes as well, so they should have some good advice about your specific needs.
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| Posted 4/24/10 10:34 AM |
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JessT
LIF Infant
Member since 6/08 323 total posts
Name:
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Re: subfloors - ever do one?
To the OP, i researched this quite a bit since i am in a levitt and wanted to do HW floors so bad. we ended up having to go with the pergo. The issue is that your slab is always expanding and contracting and eventhough you put the subfloor down, you still anchor it to the slab. everyone advised us against it. it might be okay for a year, but they all end up having issues. i would definitely try to use someone who has done this before and NOT attempt it yourself.
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| Posted 4/26/10 11:39 AM |
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