For questions generally relating to the structure and construction of floors in buildings, including designs, materials, support mechanisms, load-bearing calculations, etc. For questions specifically about the top-layer covering of a floor (tile, carpet, hardwood) see the "flooring" tag.
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Can I use drywall screws to stop floor squeaks?
I've got an old squeaky hardwood floor with access to from below. I can feel the hardwood boards moving under my feet when they squeak so I just plan to drill up through the subfloor into the ...
4
votes
4answers
984 views
Is it possible to refinish floors one room at a time?
I live in a small townhouse and would like to refinish the floors in the upstairs of my home.
It is very difficult to do all of the rooms at once, but a friend suggested that unless I do this, the ...
3
votes
1answer
221 views
Should I install a wall before or after hardwood floor installation? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Frame or floor planks first?
I am building a small wall between two rooms. The existing flooring was carpet, which I have removed. I plan to install a floating floor ...
2
votes
2answers
183 views
Is it code to have a concrete floor in a bedroom? [closed]
For some reason I recall that it is Ohio Building code that a bedroom must have a floor finish material other than subfloor. So if you are in a Slab on Grade (SOG) condo, does the code require you to ...
10
votes
2answers
515 views
How do I fill in around waste pipes?
Broke the concrete in my basement to run new pipes for the basement bathroom. The plumber put sand under the pipes to support them at the correct angle. I asked him not to glue the vertical sections ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
How to level a section of raised concrete floor?
I had a plumber move a toilet drain on cement slab. The new concrete he poured is about 1/8" higher than the rest of the floor. I need the floor to be level for tile installation. The new concrete is ...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
How do I do a minor grout repair properly?
I've got grout between some floor tiles that is cracking and coming out in small chips, over time. The tiles and remaining grout are otherwise in great shape. I suspect this is just a problem ...
7
votes
2answers
236 views
For a small building, should joists or girders run the long dimension?
I'm planning to frame a 12' x 16' floor. Should the joists be 12', and the beams 16'? Or vice versa?
More detail: 4x4 posts on concrete piers; 12' x 10' will be enclosed; 12' x 6' will be a covered ...
6
votes
5answers
2k views
What is the easiest way to stop a door from catching on the floor?
When I open and close my bathroom door, it catches on the floor. This makes it hard to open and close it, and also makes a really annoying sound.
What is the easiest way to stop the door from ...
6
votes
2answers
406 views
How can I cheaply refresh parquet in an apartment?
We've recently rented an apartment with seriously damaged parquet. Since the deal is "take it or leave it", we've decided to "mend" the parquet ourselves.
Dictionary :) Sorry for my bad english, I ...
1
vote
3answers
210 views
bathroom size, will everything fit?
Does anyone know of a website where you can given the dimensions of your bathroom and see how they would arrange your tub, shower, vanities and toliet?
4
votes
1answer
167 views
What type of underlayment should be used when installing engineered floors?
I'm going to install floating engineered wood floor in a 3rd floor condo. It has plywood subfloor. My biggest concern is the noise of walking on the floor that people below me will suffer.
My ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
How do I patch sections of polyurethane coating on a hardwood floor?
Sections of the floor in our dining room have worn sections, where the polyurethane coating has worn through to the bare wood. Having the room emptied and properly refinished isn't really an option at ...
4
votes
3answers
3k views
How can I locate floor joists?
I want to use some stop squeak screws that pull the subfloor tight to the joists, then break off beneath the surface of the floor. I am having a difficult time locating the joists: my stud finder ...
1
vote
0answers
101 views
Kärcher RC 3000 alternative? [closed]
i am currently searching for an alternative to Kärcher RC 3000 robotic vacuum cleaner.
The SIEMENS Sensor Cruiser has same build except the color.
For me is important that the robot can clean the ...
6
votes
1answer
628 views
How do I prepare an interior cement floor for painting?
I have an enclosed carport that serves as 4th bedroom/den in a 30 year old house. This room has long been used as storage, etc, and is in fairly bad shape. I'm rehabbing it to serve as a home office, ...
2
votes
1answer
356 views
painting a cork floor (previously coated with polyurethane varnish)
Our cork kitchen floor has a white stain and coated with 3 coats of polyurethane varnish two years ago. But the varnish has begun to wear through and the cork colour is visible.
We were never happy ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
How can I insulate a shed floor?
I am currently planning on insulating my shed this summer to allow year round usage.
My first step is to insulate the whole shed.
- The walls and Ceiling are straight forward, I will be ...
7
votes
2answers
947 views
How can I stop new solid oak floor from squeaking?
really hope someone here can come up with an idea to get me out of this one:
I recently laid a new floor in my dining room, it's solid oak and it actually looks quite good considering I put it down!
...
5
votes
1answer
345 views
Can I install carpet in the attic?
I'm planning on adding a plywood floor to part of my attic. I have some old carpet that I'm thinking about laying on top of the plywood. Is this a bad idea?
7
votes
1answer
1k views
What kind of wood should be used to replace a sub floor?
I live in a British late 1900s semi detached house that I assume would have had floorboards originally. However it seems that these have been replaced by Chipboard. This doesnt seem very sturdy and I ...
6
votes
2answers
147 views
How do I add in-floor heating to a small area?
I get extremely cold feet, and have radiant heating in some rooms of my house, and I love it.
I spend a few hours a day in a room without radiant heat. Is there a way to heat about two square feet ...
5
votes
2answers
5k views
What are these spongy/soft spots on my hardwood floor?
The house I recently bought has hardwood floors, but I've noticed that some spots are spongy when I walk over them. There is visible downward flex in certain spots to an observer of someone walking ...
5
votes
2answers
734 views
Soundproofing a floor: How about cement backer board w/ Green Glue and mass-loaded vinyl?
I've been researching soundproof underlayments for floors, but the selection seems to be very paltry. It appears that you're pretty much stuck with mass-loaded vinyl (MLV), QuietWood, and a few other ...
1
vote
1answer
471 views
How should I add flooring in my “crawl” space?
Our house has a basement where part of it is finished but one section is closed off by a door and just has a dirt floor. The space is about 25'x25' and about 12' tall (not really a "crawl" space) ...
6
votes
1answer
283 views
Our vinyl floor install will need to be redone — will new vinyl need to be used, or can the existing vinyl be reused?
I had a company (whose name will not be mentioned unless they refuse to fix the job) install a new vinyl floor. I'll spare all the ugly details except the one that's relevant to this question which is ...
3
votes
2answers
652 views
How do you determine the slope of a floor?
What are some methods for figuring out the slope of a floor?
I've always heard the slope referenced as, eg: "1/2inch over 6ft." - is this the normal way, and/or are there other common ways to say ...
4
votes
1answer
372 views
How do I cut grooves in self-leveling concrete to incorporate an existing drain?
This is a follow up question to my previous question about leveling a basement floor without losing the drainage. After the feedback I decided to use self-leveling concrete and cut (or form it in ...
6
votes
3answers
3k views
How do I level a basement floor but not the slab underneath?
I'd like to install laminate floor on top of Delta FL in my basement.
The basement slab is not level, it slopes (from all directions) towards a floor drain (that, via a pipe, leads to a sump pump) ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Do I have to check if my floor is level before installing new linoleum (from a roll, not tiles)?
I just tore up my old linoleum flooring and will be installing new linoleum in the next few days. Some internet research has revealed that I need to make sure the floor is level and, if it is not ...
2
votes
1answer
162 views
How can I reduce squeaks in wood floors when no felt paper was installed between floor and plywood?
I've purchased a home where the previous owner installed 3/4" wide plank pine over a 5/8" plywood subfloor. The plywood is glued to a concrete slab but there is no felt paper between the 2 woods. ...
4
votes
3answers
3k views
Can I lay down solid wood planks on top of my basement concrete floor?
I live in Oakville, Ontario and have a detached home with an unfinished basement with concrete floor. I would like to put hardwood flooring in part of the basement. Instead of tongue and groove ...
1
vote
1answer
624 views
How do I install a vapor barrier and insulation in an existing floor?
I have a large room in my house that is built over a crawl space. The floor of this room does not have any insulation installed in it. I live in upstate New York so it is my understanding that I ...
2
votes
0answers
209 views
How do I remove mold and mildew from subfloor of a house with crawl space? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Mold remediation in crawlspace
House with crawl space has mold and mildew on the sub-floor. I've determined the cause is no vapor barrier and a leaky pipe and there is ...
1
vote
1answer
145 views
Water damage in the kitchen
Today, we went out of the house for about an hour and when we came back the whole kitchen was flooded. Turned out the cold water soft connection for the kitchen sink had somehow disconnected (?).
We ...
8
votes
1answer
290 views
Which is least likely to crack due to high traffic, large or small tile?
Consider a kitchen on pier-beam flooring with two doors allowing traffic to flow through it.
The floor is 10x10 feet. I plan to tile and would like to minimize risk of cracking. Which size tile would ...
3
votes
2answers
766 views
Should I seal, waterproof a concrete basement floor before painting?
What is the best sealer/waterproofer to put on a basement floor that I just want to paint. New construction, no water problems, but washer & drier & water heater are in basement and add to ...
3
votes
4answers
103 views
Which way to put a parquette floor according to windows?
I have heard people saying that hardwood-floors should always be put alongside windows while others claim it should be put orthogonal to windows.
Which one is the better way now?
2
votes
1answer
254 views
Is floor paint on concrete purely aesthetic or actually functional?
I have a large thatched barn recently (6 months) laid with a concrete floor to replace the original mud floor. The concrete was dusting badly, especially near where a table tennis table sits, so I ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I clean a very dirty concrete basement floor?
My basement floor has been made amazingly gross (thank you, cats) and I'd like to get it really clean. Is there an option other than scrubbing on hands and knees? Are there cleaning solutions that ...
3
votes
1answer
70 views
Normal Hardwood floor installation on a wood structured deck
We need help on installing hardwood floors made of larch (a type of cedar). They are 3/4 wide and we want to install them just as we would inside a house. We will oil them with an exterior ...
4
votes
1answer
204 views
Dealing with scratched floor tile
I have a kitchen with a tile floor. In one corner, there's been a pedestal style garbage bin. It seems that stepping on the foot pedal has caused the bin to shift slightly during each use, and over ...
8
votes
2answers
454 views
Is a sagging floor possibly detrimental?
I live in a house built in the early 1900's. The dining room, which is in the center of the house, sags enough to where you could set a marble in the middle and it will always roll to one side.
The ...
0
votes
2answers
134 views
Preparing surface when tiling over existing tiles
I'm retiling our bathroom and intend to tile over the top of the existing floor tiles. The floor is in fair condition at the moment with no cracking except in one place which I did myself and will ...
10
votes
1answer
2k views
How do I meet the 7 feet high ceiling requirement after finishing the basement?
My basement ceiling joists are exactly 7 feet above the concrete slab. The requirement for finished living space is 7 ft from the finished floor to the finished ceiling. Since I'll loose a couple of ...
1
vote
1answer
352 views
How level should a new floor be?
How out-of-level or out-of-plane does a floor need to be before it is noticeable?
Many of the houses I've lived in have floors that are out-of-level, visible to the naked eye. At what point does that ...
2
votes
4answers
754 views
How can I improve the cold floor in my ground-floor unit?
My home is a ground-floor unit in a condominium. The floor is really quite cold and I'd like to do something about that. I saw in another question the suggestion to use Platon. Would I be able to put ...
1
vote
4answers
435 views
What types of flooring can be used with electric radiant heat?
I am considering converting an old enclosed sleeping porch into a usable room year round (in Ohio). Currently the floor is a big slope to allow for drainage when it was still open, obviously I want ...
0
votes
1answer
307 views
Alternatives to wood joists
I have a brick(3 wythe) building and starting to plan a kitchen remodel. The floor in the kitchen is pretty slanted and the wood joists don't look too good. So I will need some way to level the floor. ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
Standard height from floor to ceiling?
Is there a standard height from floor to ceiling. I want to install some false ceiling (plaster board) ...
I seem to remember there was a standard but i don't remember it
Any help really appreciated
...
