I am planning on installing 5/8'' bamboo flooring in my three story
townhouse. I just ripped up the carpet and pad on the second floor and
discovered the subfloor material is not wood, but rather something that
resembles cement board used for tiling. When I pulled the nails from
the carpet tack strips out, some small pieces flaked off.

Does anyone have an idea of what material this subfloor might be? Is
my guess of cement board correct? I would take a piece of it to home
depot to compare, but just haven't had the time. If it is cement
board, am I correct in assuming that my nail-down job just became a
glue down job?

Thanks in advance,

Joe

What the heck. Is it gray like cement board ? Cement board is not
strong enough to stand on without something, like a wood subfloor,
underneath it. I'd find out what it is and also what is underneath
it.

jmyszka wrote:
I am planning on installing 5/8'' bamboo flooring in my three story
townhouse. I just ripped up the carpet and pad on the second floor and
discovered the subfloor material is not wood, but rather something that
resembles cement board used for tiling. When I pulled the nails from
the carpet tack strips out, some small pieces flaked off.

Does anyone have an idea of what material this subfloor might be? Is
my guess of cement board correct? I would take a piece of it to home
depot to compare, but just haven't had the time. If it is cement
board, am I correct in assuming that my nail-down job just became a
glue down job?

Thanks in advance,

Joe

jmyszka wrote:
I am planning on installing 5/8'' bamboo flooring in my three story
townhouse. I just ripped up the carpet and pad on the second floor and
discovered the subfloor material is not wood, but rather something that
resembles cement board used for tiling.

Get rid of the crumble board. It would be huge mistake not to install
bamboo or any nice wood on a proper subfloor. By all means call
customer service at the flooring manufacturer for recommendations. They
will have the best advice you can get. You might get lucky and find a
nice solid plywood subfloor, and that is likely what the flooring
people would advise you to use. Good luck.

Joe

In article .com,
says...
I am planning on installing 5/8'' bamboo flooring in my three story
townhouse. I just ripped up the carpet and pad on the second floor and
discovered the subfloor material is not wood, but rather something that
resembles cement board used for tiling. When I pulled the nails from
the carpet tack strips out, some small pieces flaked off.

Could it be homasote and someone thought this would make the floor
quieter? Maybe there is plywood underneath? In any case, I think
it's got to go.

Does anyone have an idea of what material this subfloor might be? Is
my guess of cement board correct? I would take a piece of it to home
depot to compare, but just haven't had the time. If it is cement
board, am I correct in assuming that my nail-down job just became a
glue down job?

No, I think you now have a "rip up" job first. Bummer, eh?

--
Keith

I just spoke with the builder, and they tell me that it is 2-3'' of
lightweight concrete for noise/fire prevention purposes (the garage is
on the first floor). My guess is that this means I now have a
glue-down job?

The concrete is fairly clean, I have swept and vaccumed. Do I need to
use concrete cleaner before I can glue?

Thanks,

Joe


krw wrote:
In article .com,
says...
I am planning on installing 5/8'' bamboo flooring in my three story
townhouse. I just ripped up the carpet and pad on the second floor and
discovered the subfloor material is not wood, but rather something that
resembles cement board used for tiling. When I pulled the nails from
the carpet tack strips out, some small pieces flaked off.

Could it be homasote and someone thought this would make the floor
quieter? Maybe there is plywood underneath? In any case, I think
it's got to go.

Does anyone have an idea of what material this subfloor might be? Is
my guess of cement board correct? I would take a piece of it to home
depot to compare, but just haven't had the time. If it is cement
board, am I correct in assuming that my nail-down job just became a
glue down job?

No, I think you now have a "rip up" job first. Bummer, eh?

--
Keith

On 11 Aug 2006 14:04:28 -0700, "jmyszka"
wrote:

I just spoke with the builder, and they tell me that it is 2-3'' of
lightweight concrete for noise/fire prevention purposes (the garage is
on the first floor). My guess is that this means I now have a
glue-down job?

The concrete is fairly clean, I have swept and vaccumed. Do I need to
use concrete cleaner before I can glue?
Thanks,
Joe

I would vacuum and then damp mop to get rid of all the dirt and dust.
Patch any bad spots with polypatch material or any concrete patch.

Then follow slab instructions that comes with your floor product
EXACTLY. Let that be your ONLY source of advice.