Hello! Im not sure what to really say, because Ive never posted here
before, but Im hoping anyone can help. Im renting an old house that was
built in the 1930s give or take, and it has mostly alllll original work.
Im trying to replace our carpet with laminate planks, and Ive come to an
issue in the livingroom. We have floor vents in every room, and in our
livingroom the wood floor under the carpet is buckling against the wall by the
vent. Its about 3 feet long of a bump. I know you cant put hardwood,
laminate or anything like that over uneven flooring so I need to fix this
issue. My landlord isnt going to, so nobody please remind me that they
should. 😖 The wood thats €œbuckling€� looks like tongue and groove, and I
know if you go in our basement and look up youd be looking directly at
floor joists & our €œsubfloor€� which is planks- not solid sheets. I dont
think this is from water damage but Im not 100%. The kitchen sink is about
11 feet away, and the washing machine is about 11 feet away too (used to be a
bathroom, now its a small laundry room). We dont have a fire place, but
theres what looks like a chimney on top of the house, and in the basement
theres what looks like a brick rectangle from the concrete floor through
the ceiling, and a bunch of HVAC vents/ducts and plumbing lines around it,
which is also right around where this bump is. I know, probably a lot of
useless information. Im just very lost about what to do. Anyway, Ill try
to put some pictures in to show what Im talking about. The wood floor being
shown probably just has to be taken out and replaced. Its very dry and
broken looking. Some of the flooring in the house looks good but some does not
(like this spot). If anyone can tell me ANYTHING about this floor please do.
Being an older out of date house its a little more confusing for me to find
proper information. Id like to know how to even this out for laminate plank
flooring, and just any information about this floor in general. What kind it
might be, how to safely remove & replace since its around a heating/cooling
duct. Im thinking I probably have to take that old wood out, and put down
new, then I can proceed with laminate on top. I think its tongue and groove
but honestly do not know. I dont even know how it happened. ANYYYYY
information is helpful information 😅 Also I read something once about
black glue used back around the 1930s contained asbestos? Under the carpets
foam pad is black mucky dry stuff, and parts of the carpet pad stick to it.
Pad is pretty dry and brittle. Our duct/vent looks to be nailed to the wood
flooring thats in question too. /The wood floor thats in question is a
light color that someone previously painted a purple/maroon color, and its
chipping away/ I wish they never ever tried to paint the floor because I can
see in other areas the original color and its a pretty color. I also want
to mention in the basement theres no insulation. Its concrete walls &
floor. Theres a man made hole in the wall that leads to the other half of
the house but its not accessible right now. That side has pink insulation
on the ceiling. The side of the house that IS accessible in the basement is
just concrete, wood joists, plank subfloor, and a bunch of wires & copper
pipes & HVAC vents. And spiders. 😬

TL;DR: Floor is €œbuckling€� by floor heating/cooling vent. Want to replace
carpet with laminate but the buckling makes it uneven. Want to know how to fix
it and make it even without breaking anything important 😂
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mj
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mk
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/ml
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mm
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mn
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mo
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mp

On 4/21/20 1:44 PM, Notsosunnystate wrote:
Hello! Im not sure what to really say, because Ive never posted here
before, but Im hoping anyone can help. Im renting an old house that was
built in the 1930s give or take, and it has mostly alllll original work.
Im trying to replace our carpet with laminate planks, and Ive come to an
issue in the livingroom. We have floor vents in every room, and in our
livingroom the wood floor under the carpet is buckling against the wall
by the
vent. Its about 3 feet long of a bump. I know you cant put hardwood,
laminate or anything like that over uneven flooring so I need to fix this
issue. My landlord isnt going to, so nobody please remind me that they
should. 😖 The wood thats €œbuckling€� looks like tongue and groove, and I
know if you go in our basement and look up youd be looking directly at
floor joists & our €œsubfloor€� which is planks- not solid sheets. I dont
think this is from water damage but Im not 100%. The kitchen sink is about
11 feet away, and the washing machine is about 11 feet away too (used to
be a
bathroom, now its a small laundry room). We dont have a fire place, but
theres what looks like a chimney on top of the house, and in the basement
theres what looks like a brick rectangle from the concrete floor through
the ceiling, and a bunch of HVAC vents/ducts and plumbing lines around it,
which is also right around where this bump is. I know, probably a lot of
useless information. Im just very lost about what to do. Anyway, Ill try
to put some pictures in to show what Im talking about. The wood floor
being
shown probably just has to be taken out and replaced. Its very dry and
broken looking. Some of the flooring in the house looks good but some
does not
(like this spot).Â* If anyone can tell me ANYTHING about this floor
please do.
Being an older out of date house its a little more confusing for me to
find
proper information. Id like to know how to even this out for laminate
plank
flooring, and just any information about this floor in general. What
kind it
might be, how to safely remove & replace since its around a
heating/cooling
duct. Im thinking I probably have to take that old wood out, and put down
new, then I can proceed with laminate on top. I think its tongue and
groove
but honestly do not know. I dont even know how it happened. ANYYYYY
information is helpful information 😅Â* Also I read something once about
black glue used back around the 1930s contained asbestos? Under the
carpets
foam pad is black mucky dry stuff, and parts of the carpet pad stick to it.
Pad is pretty dry and brittle. Our duct/vent looks to be nailed to the wood
flooring thats in question too. /The wood floor thats in question is a
light color that someone previously painted a purple/maroon color, and its
chipping away/ I wish they never ever tried to paint the floor because I
can
see in other areas the original color and its a pretty color. I also want
to mention in the basement theres no insulation. Its concrete walls &
floor. Theres a man made hole in the wall that leads to the other half of
the house but its not accessible right now. That side has pink insulation
on the ceiling.Â* The side of the house that IS accessible in the
basement is
just concrete, wood joists, plank subfloor, and a bunch of wires & copper
pipes & HVAC vents. And spiders. 😬

TL;DR: Floor is €œbuckling€� by floor heating/cooling vent. Want to replace
carpet with laminate but the buckling makes it uneven. Want to know how
to fix
it and make it even without breaking anything important 😂
h



Since your landlord evidently does not care, and it's going to be
covered anyway, then yes, I would remove the crumbing sections and
replace it with smooth wood. It does not have to be perfect...just flat
and even.

On Tue, 21 Apr 2020 18:44:02 +0000, Notsosunnystate
m wrote:

Hello! I’m not sure what to really say, because I’ve never posted here
before, but I’m hoping anyone can help. I’m renting an old house that was
built in the 1930’s give or take, and it has mostly alllll original work.
I’m trying to replace our carpet with laminate planks, and I’ve come to an
issue in the livingroom. We have floor vents in every room, and in our
livingroom the wood floor under the carpet is buckling against the wall by the
vent. It’s about 3 feet long of a bump. I know you can’t put hardwood,
laminate or anything like that over uneven flooring so I need to fix this
issue. My landlord isn’t going to, so nobody please remind me that they
should. ? The wood thats “buckling” looks like tongue and groove, and I
know if you go in our basement and look up you’d be looking directly at
floor joists & our “subfloor” which is planks- not solid sheets. I don’t
think this is from water damage but I’m not 100%. The kitchen sink is about
11 feet away, and the washing machine is about 11 feet away too (used to be a
bathroom, now it’s a small laundry room). We don’t have a fire place, but
there’s what looks like a chimney on top of the house, and in the basement
there’s what looks like a brick rectangle from the concrete floor through
the ceiling, and a bunch of HVAC vents/ducts and plumbing lines around it,
which is also right around where this bump is. I know, probably a lot of
useless information. I’m just very lost about what to do. Anyway, I’ll try
to put some pictures in to show what I’m talking about. The wood floor being
shown probably just has to be taken out and replaced. It’s very dry and
broken looking. Some of the flooring in the house looks good but some does not
(like this spot). If anyone can tell me ANYTHING about this floor please do.
Being an older out of date house it’s a little more confusing for me to find
proper information. I’d like to know how to even this out for laminate plank
flooring, and just any information about this floor in general. What kind it
might be, how to safely remove & replace since it’s around a heating/cooling
duct. I’m thinking I probably have to take that old wood out, and put down
new, then I can proceed with laminate on top. I think it’s tongue and groove
but honestly do not know. I don’t even know how it happened. ANYYYYY
information is helpful information ? Also I read something once about
black glue used back around the 1930’s contained asbestos? Under the carpets
foam pad is black mucky dry stuff, and parts of the carpet pad stick to it.
Pad is pretty dry and brittle. Our duct/vent looks to be nailed to the wood
flooring thats in question too. /The wood floor that’s in question is a
light color that someone previously painted a purple/maroon color, and it’s
chipping away/ I wish they never ever tried to paint the floor because I can
see in other areas the original color and it’s a pretty color. I also want
to mention in the basement there’s no insulation. It’s concrete walls &
floor. There’s a man made hole in the wall that leads to the other half of
the house but it’s not accessible right now. That side has pink insulation
on the ceiling. The side of the house that IS accessible in the basement is
just concrete, wood joists, plank subfloor, and a bunch of wires & copper
pipes & HVAC vents. And spiders. ?

TL;DR: Floor is “buckling” by floor heating/cooling vent. Want to replace
carpet with laminate but the buckling makes it uneven. Want to know how to fix
it and make it even without breaking anything important ?
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mj
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mk
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/ml
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mm
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mn
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mo
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mp

Buster, you've got more than just warped floors. You have
electricaling going through the sheet metal ductwork???
Does the ductwork go through the joists too? Looks like my wife's
neice's old house in windsor where half the floor joists were cut and
the other half rotted. If you put a level on the floor, does it slope
down towards the wall, then the floor quickly slopes up to the wall?
If so find a sifferent place to rent and don't waste the laminate
planking.

On Tue, 21 Apr 2020 13:58:35 -0500, philo wrote:

On 4/21/20 1:44 PM, Notsosunnystate wrote:
Hello! I’m not sure what to really say, because I’ve never posted here
before, but I’m hoping anyone can help. I’m renting an old house that was
built in the 1930’s give or take, and it has mostly alllll original work.
I’m trying to replace our carpet with laminate planks, and I’ve come to an
issue in the livingroom. We have floor vents in every room, and in our
livingroom the wood floor under the carpet is buckling against the wall
by the
vent. It’s about 3 feet long of a bump. I know you can’t put hardwood,
laminate or anything like that over uneven flooring so I need to fix this
issue. My landlord isn’t going to, so nobody please remind me that they
should. ? The wood thats “buckling” looks like tongue and groove, and I
know if you go in our basement and look up you’d be looking directly at
floor joists & our “subfloor” which is planks- not solid sheets. I don’t
think this is from water damage but I’m not 100%. The kitchen sink is about
11 feet away, and the washing machine is about 11 feet away too (used to
be a
bathroom, now it’s a small laundry room). We don’t have a fire place, but
there’s what looks like a chimney on top of the house, and in the basement
there’s what looks like a brick rectangle from the concrete floor through
the ceiling, and a bunch of HVAC vents/ducts and plumbing lines around it,
which is also right around where this bump is. I know, probably a lot of
useless information. I’m just very lost about what to do. Anyway, I’ll try
to put some pictures in to show what I’m talking about. The wood floor
being
shown probably just has to be taken out and replaced. It’s very dry and
broken looking. Some of the flooring in the house looks good but some
does not
(like this spot).* If anyone can tell me ANYTHING about this floor
please do.
Being an older out of date house it’s a little more confusing for me to
find
proper information. I’d like to know how to even this out for laminate
plank
flooring, and just any information about this floor in general. What
kind it
might be, how to safely remove & replace since it’s around a
heating/cooling
duct. I’m thinking I probably have to take that old wood out, and put down
new, then I can proceed with laminate on top. I think it’s tongue and
groove
but honestly do not know. I don’t even know how it happened. ANYYYYY
information is helpful information ?* Also I read something once about
black glue used back around the 1930’s contained asbestos? Under the
carpets
foam pad is black mucky dry stuff, and parts of the carpet pad stick to it.
Pad is pretty dry and brittle. Our duct/vent looks to be nailed to the wood
flooring thats in question too. /The wood floor that’s in question is a
light color that someone previously painted a purple/maroon color, and it’s
chipping away/ I wish they never ever tried to paint the floor because I
can
see in other areas the original color and it’s a pretty color. I also want
to mention in the basement there’s no insulation. It’s concrete walls &
floor. There’s a man made hole in the wall that leads to the other half of
the house but it’s not accessible right now. That side has pink insulation
on the ceiling.* The side of the house that IS accessible in the
basement is
just concrete, wood joists, plank subfloor, and a bunch of wires & copper
pipes & HVAC vents. And spiders. ?

TL;DR: Floor is “buckling” by floor heating/cooling vent. Want to replace
carpet with laminate but the buckling makes it uneven. Want to know how
to fix
it and make it even without breaking anything important ?
h



Since your landlord evidently does not care, and it's going to be
covered anyway, then yes, I would remove the crumbing sections and
replace it with smooth wood. It does not have to be perfect...just flat
and even.
Did you LOOK at the pictures?????? I suspect serious structural
issues along with serious electrical safety issues.

On 4/21/20 2:56 PM, Clare Snyder wrote:
On Tue, 21 Apr 2020 13:58:35 -0500, philo wrote:

On 4/21/20 1:44 PM, Notsosunnystate wrote:
Hello! I’m


snip
it and make it even without breaking anything important ?
h



Since your landlord evidently does not care, and it's going to be
covered anyway, then yes, I would remove the crumbing sections and
replace it with smooth wood. It does not have to be perfect...just flat
and even.
Did you LOOK at the pictures?????? I suspect serious structural
issues along with serious electrical safety issues.





Holy crap.

I only viewed one image, you are right.

The OP better not touch it.|
It needs a real pro to fix this dangerous mess.

On 4/21/2020 2:44 PM, Notsosunnystate wrote:
Hello! Im not sure what to really say, because Ive never posted here
before, but Im hoping anyone can help. Im renting an old house that was
built in the 1930s give or take, and it has mostly alllll original work.
Im trying to replace our carpet with laminate planks, and Ive come to an
issue in the livingroom. We have floor vents in every room, and in our
livingroom the wood floor under the carpet is buckling against the wall
by the
vent. Its about 3 feet long of a bump. I know you cant put hardwood,
laminate or anything like that over uneven flooring so I need to fix this
issue. My landlord isnt going to, so nobody please remind me that they
should. 😖 The wood thats €œbuckling€� looks like tongue and groove, and I
know if you go in our basement and look up youd be looking directly at
floor joists & our €œsubfloor€� which is planks- not solid sheets. I dont
think this is from water damage but Im not 100%. The kitchen sink is about
11 feet away, and the washing machine is about 11 feet away too (used to
be a
bathroom, now its a small laundry room). We dont have a fire place, but
theres what looks like a chimney on top of the house, and in the basement
theres what looks like a brick rectangle from the concrete floor through
the ceiling, and a bunch of HVAC vents/ducts and plumbing lines around it,
which is also right around where this bump is. I know, probably a lot of
useless information. Im just very lost about what to do. Anyway, Ill try
to put some pictures in to show what Im talking about. The wood floor
being
shown probably just has to be taken out and replaced. Its very dry and
broken looking. Some of the flooring in the house looks good but some
does not
(like this spot).Â* If anyone can tell me ANYTHING about this floor
please do.
Being an older out of date house its a little more confusing for me to
find
proper information. Id like to know how to even this out for laminate
plank
flooring, and just any information about this floor in general. What
kind it
might be, how to safely remove & replace since its around a
heating/cooling
duct. Im thinking I probably have to take that old wood out, and put down
new, then I can proceed with laminate on top. I think its tongue and
groove
but honestly do not know. I dont even know how it happened. ANYYYYY
information is helpful information 😅Â* Also I read something once about
black glue used back around the 1930s contained asbestos? Under the
carpets
foam pad is black mucky dry stuff, and parts of the carpet pad stick to it.
Pad is pretty dry and brittle. Our duct/vent looks to be nailed to the wood
flooring thats in question too. /The wood floor thats in question is a
light color that someone previously painted a purple/maroon color, and its
chipping away/ I wish they never ever tried to paint the floor because I
can
see in other areas the original color and its a pretty color. I also want
to mention in the basement theres no insulation. Its concrete walls &
floor. Theres a man made hole in the wall that leads to the other half of
the house but its not accessible right now. That side has pink insulation
on the ceiling.Â* The side of the house that IS accessible in the
basement is
just concrete, wood joists, plank subfloor, and a bunch of wires & copper
pipes & HVAC vents. And spiders. 😬

TL;DR: Floor is €œbuckling€� by floor heating/cooling vent. Want to replace
carpet with laminate but the buckling makes it uneven. Want to know how
to fix
it and make it even without breaking anything important 😂
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mj
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mk
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/ml
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mm
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mn
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mo
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mp


I think you may be screwed. Looks like there can be some serious damage
there. I'd be looking for a safer place to live if your landlord does
not care.

You can probably takes some crap out and put other flat wood in place
put that is cosmetic and you may have structural problems.

Also, what are those wires? Are they for cable TV or current carrying?
Looks scary to me.

On Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 4:16:02 PM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 4/21/20 2:56 PM, Clare Snyder wrote:
On Tue, 21 Apr 2020 13:58:35 -0500, philo wrote:

On 4/21/20 1:44 PM, Notsosunnystate wrote:
Hello! Im


snip
it and make it even without breaking anything important ?
h



Since your landlord evidently does not care, and it's going to be
covered anyway, then yes, I would remove the crumbing sections and
replace it with smooth wood. It does not have to be perfect...just flat
and even.
Did you LOOK at the pictures?????? I suspect serious structural
issues along with serious electrical safety issues.





Holy crap.

I only viewed one image, you are right.

The OP better not touch it.|
It needs a real pro to fix this dangerous mess.


One wire is cable TV, the others, who knows. I would suggest backing up to the 30000 foot view. It's a rental, what's in it for the OP? This is a big project. Is the landlord ok with it? Do you have permission in writing? What happens if there are other problems later, eg you can't get the new flooring right because the house isn't level, is moving, etc? Then what?

But if you are going to proceed, from what is there so far, ignoring the wires, the solution would be to remove and replace the wood that's too high. Without the right eqpt, that's not so easy. Maybe using auto body filler would work and be easier. But it's that all that's wrong? All in all though, unless the owner is family or something, I wouldn't go looking for trouble.

replying to Clare Snyder, Notsosunnystate wrote:
Ahh, you know whats funny. My dads an electrician & he would probably lose
his **** if he saw a lot of stuff in this house. I sent my mother a picture of
subfloor/joists from the basement looking upward, and she said €œyour dad
would lose his **** if he saw those wires.€�

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...t-1215862-.htm

replying to Ed Pawlowski, Notsosunnystate wrote:
The wires are coming through from the basement through a corner of the duct &
the flooring. Honestly I dont know how this handled about 90 years. The
river is in our backyard and we had floods in €˜06 & €˜11. Allegedly it
didnt come up to the house but I believe it reached the basement at least.
The floor €œbuckle€� (I say that because it doesnt look like a typical
floor buckle) to me looks like someone did the floor and got mad and jammed it
in there. Except theres space between the wall and the wood. I want to
replace the wood but because it looks like tongue and groove planks Im
afraid to. Also the black stuff under the carpet pad 🤮 Heres a picture
of the wires coming through and no Im not using them. We dont have cable
here anyway. On the other side of one of those pictures I originally posted
shows the TV and over there is another cable plug too. So Im thinking this
ones never really been used.
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/ms

replying to Notsosunnystate, Notsosunnystate wrote:
OP here; I appreciate everyones comments even if theyre upsetting to
know. I want this house to work out so badly but theres so many random
issues. Ugh just want to point out Im ripping the carpet away from the bump
to get closer and I found a large double sided razor blade under the carpet
pad 🙄 Ugh. Heres a new picture trying to get in closer. For this moment
Im trying to get closer without doing irreversible damage lol. Cant
exactly go to the home improvement store ATM if I do too much. Also please
keep in strong mind how old this house is (1930s)! I pressed on the wooden
bump in question, and its hard as a rock. It doesnt sink at all when
pressed on. The tack board is stuck to the floor too. The tack board is stuck
on the bad floor, which has about an inch gap from the wall (behind the vent)
and then where the bump is theres no space. It looks jammed. Ill try to
post as many new pictures as I can. Pictures are harder to see dimensions then
in person.
One pic is POV of vent & the gap.
One pic is POV of gap of bump to wall.
And then theres a picture where the two pieces of plank look like they were
forced upwards and it broke their seam?
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mt
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mu
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mv
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mw
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mx

replying to Clare Snyder, Notsosunnystate wrote:
Windsor? Thats not far from me (NY). Ill try to post a picture. Its
coming from the basement through the corner of the duct & the wood. This is
the only part of any floor in the house with warping. My LL said its been
like that. Im gonna try to pull the carpet up more to see it better. If I
go downstairs I cant see this spot good because of all the ducts and copper
pipes and that brick-chimney like thing.
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/mr