Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
Darro
 
Posts: n/a
Default Stabilizing concrete floor with plywood?

I'd appreciate informed opinions on the idea of using plywood sheeting
to stabilize the fractured concrete floor in my apartment.

My apartment has a subfloor of 5/8" plywood overlaid with 1-1/2" of
gypsum concrete (gypcrete). The gypcrete has lots of cracks which move
and rub against each other, creating annoying crunching sounds when I
walk on the floor. To eliminate the movement of the gypcrete pieces,
I'm thinking of glueing sheets of 3/8" plywood with "No More Nails" to
the floor.

I figure that the plywood will bind the gypcrete pieces, and that 3/8"
plywood will be rigid enough to help reduce shear stresses on the
glue, be flexible enough to conform to a floor that isn't perfectly
flat and be thin enough to minimize the increase in height of the
floor.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Darro

  #2   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
 
Posts: n/a
Default Stabilizing concrete floor with plywood?

I would be very concerned about why things are cracking, theres a
chance its a structural issue, have you reported it to your landlord?

you could remove the broken material, widen cracks and fill with cement
patch.

this is another way to stabilize things but see your landlord first

  #3   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
ameijers
 
Posts: n/a
Default Stabilizing concrete floor with plywood?


"Darro" wrote in message
...
I'd appreciate informed opinions on the idea of using plywood sheeting
to stabilize the fractured concrete floor in my apartment.

My apartment has a subfloor of 5/8" plywood overlaid with 1-1/2" of
gypsum concrete (gypcrete). The gypcrete has lots of cracks which move
and rub against each other, creating annoying crunching sounds when I
walk on the floor. To eliminate the movement of the gypcrete pieces,
I'm thinking of glueing sheets of 3/8" plywood with "No More Nails" to
the floor.

I figure that the plywood will bind the gypcrete pieces, and that 3/8"
plywood will be rigid enough to help reduce shear stresses on the
glue, be flexible enough to conform to a floor that isn't perfectly
flat and be thin enough to minimize the increase in height of the
floor.

Any comments or suggestions?

Do you own the apartment? If not, I'd say the landlord would be pretty
P.O.'d at such an installation. Besides, repairs are his problem, in most
cases. If you do own the apartment, and you already have it down to bare
gypcrete, why not repair it properly? Bust out the loose parts, and have
somebody come in and refloat the floor properly this time. If it didn't
bond, they probably mixed it wrong, or the windows weren't in and it got
rained on or froze or something. Is the building wood frame, or concrete and
steel? If wood frame, there is plywood under the gypcrete firebreak, so
replacing it with new floated floor (or even thin backer board) should not
be a problem. Raising the floor is a PITA, and to be avoided.

aem sends...

  #4   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
Robert Allison
 
Posts: n/a
Default Stabilizing concrete floor with plywood?

Darro wrote:
I'd appreciate informed opinions on the idea of using plywood sheeting
to stabilize the fractured concrete floor in my apartment.

My apartment has a subfloor of 5/8" plywood overlaid with 1-1/2" of
gypsum concrete (gypcrete). The gypcrete has lots of cracks which move
and rub against each other, creating annoying crunching sounds when I
walk on the floor. To eliminate the movement of the gypcrete pieces,
I'm thinking of glueing sheets of 3/8" plywood with "No More Nails" to
the floor.

I figure that the plywood will bind the gypcrete pieces, and that 3/8"
plywood will be rigid enough to help reduce shear stresses on the
glue, be flexible enough to conform to a floor that isn't perfectly
flat and be thin enough to minimize the increase in height of the
floor.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Darro


Good intentions, but a bad idea. I have dealt with hundreds
of floors like yours. Unreinforced gypsum or lightweight
concrete floors which have cracked and been reduced to rubble
over time. I have spent hours and hours with different
product representatives trying to come up with the perfect
solution for these situations that is easy and inexpensive. I
can tell you that there is no solution like that.

The least expensive repair is to remove the existing concrete
and replace it.

The easiest solution is to use one of the many concrete repair
products on the market which permeate and bond the pieces of
your floor back together. These products will give you a
uniform flat surface that is both durable and long lasting,
but at a price.

I applaud you for your efforts to achieve a solution to this
problem, but yours just will not work. The reasons why are
too numerous to mention, but trust me, you would be wasting
your time and money.

The removal and replacement option is obvious. For info on
the other more expensive solutions, here are a few sites to
look at:

http://www.chemrex.com/productCatalo...g.asp?catId=37

http://www.chemrex.com/productCatalo...g.asp?catId=34

http://classicsystems.net/specifications.pdf

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX
  #5   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
SQLit
 
Posts: n/a
Default Stabilizing concrete floor with plywood?


"Darro" wrote in message
...
I'd appreciate informed opinions on the idea of using plywood sheeting
to stabilize the fractured concrete floor in my apartment.

My apartment has a subfloor of 5/8" plywood overlaid with 1-1/2" of
gypsum concrete (gypcrete). The gypcrete has lots of cracks which move
and rub against each other, creating annoying crunching sounds when I
walk on the floor. To eliminate the movement of the gypcrete pieces,
I'm thinking of glueing sheets of 3/8" plywood with "No More Nails" to
the floor.

I figure that the plywood will bind the gypcrete pieces, and that 3/8"
plywood will be rigid enough to help reduce shear stresses on the
glue, be flexible enough to conform to a floor that isn't perfectly
flat and be thin enough to minimize the increase in height of the
floor.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Darro


gypcrete that is cracked could be a sign of one or more issues.
Poor installation/materials or worse a structural problem looking for a
place to happen.
Call the landlord and see what they will do. If yours is the only apartment
in the place then maybe it is a materials issue. If yours is not the only
one then it is time to get the paper and look for somewhere else to live.




  #6   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
BobK207
 
Posts: n/a
Default Stabilizing concrete floor with plywood?

Darro wrote:
I'd appreciate informed opinions on the idea of using plywood sheeting
to stabilize the fractured concrete floor in my apartment.

My apartment has a subfloor of 5/8" plywood overlaid with 1-1/2" of
gypsum concrete (gypcrete). The gypcrete has lots of cracks which move
and rub against each other, creating annoying crunching sounds when I
walk on the floor. To eliminate the movement of the gypcrete pieces,
I'm thinking of glueing sheets of 3/8" plywood with "No More Nails" to
the floor.

I figure that the plywood will bind the gypcrete pieces, and that 3/8"
plywood will be rigid enough to help reduce shear stresses on the
glue, be flexible enough to conform to a floor that isn't perfectly
flat and be thin enough to minimize the increase in height of the
floor.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Darro


I think think your proposed repair MIGHT work but IMO it will be a lot
of work.

Even a 3/8" floor thickness will require finish features to be
modified.

take a look at the follwoing for ideas about DIY solutions
http://www.ultraquietfloors.com/gypcrete_repair.asp

I assume the high traffic areas are the ones with the most compromised
gypcrete.

IMO a liquid consolidation material (epoxy or urethane) is what will
work best for you. Maybe you can try a small area & see if it works.

Water based materials will be more environmentally friendly (no fumes
for you) but traditional "solvent" based epoxies are (IMO) stronger &
more durable.

cheers
Bob

Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Concrete Bonding Agent & people who do not read directions... a Home Repair 2 October 5th 05 04:50 PM
facings, topping for concrete porch Jim Beaver Home Repair 1 August 14th 05 12:31 AM
Advice needed for concrete forms for decorative items. DanG Home Repair 0 December 25th 04 11:47 AM
How to make new concrete attach to old concrete JW Home Repair 8 June 27th 04 09:44 AM
Acid vs. concrete. Cafe1 Home Repair 17 May 13th 04 03:39 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:02 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 DIYbanter.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about DIY & home improvement"