Dip in subfloor during hardwood floor installation
 

Hi,

I'm trying to put in 3/8 inch engineered hardwood flooring myself, and
would like some help.

We have 3/4 inch OSB as our subfloor in our bedroom upstairs. On some
advice, we started to nail 3/8 inch CDX plywood to add some more
structure to the subfloor. We chose 3/8, so that we would be level
with our bathroom flooring.

While nailing down the plywood, we noticed that the floor dips
downward towards the entraceways to the room. Starting about a 1.5
feet before the entrance to the bathroom as well as the hallway, the
floor starts to dip, reaching a depth of app. 3/16 of an inch at the
doorway of the bathroom and hallway.

The hardwood, once installed, will run lengthwise into the dip.

How do you go about leveling the dip? Is it something we should be
concerned about? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Look for a product called "Floorstone". It usually comes premixed, but I
have seen similar products at the BORG as a powder that you mix with water
and trowel on to level the subfloor. Look in the vinyl flooring section for
it.

"ksanny" wrote in message
m...
Hi,

I'm trying to put in 3/8 inch engineered hardwood flooring myself, and
would like some help.

We have 3/4 inch OSB as our subfloor in our bedroom upstairs. On some
advice, we started to nail 3/8 inch CDX plywood to add some more
structure to the subfloor. We chose 3/8, so that we would be level
with our bathroom flooring.

While nailing down the plywood, we noticed that the floor dips
downward towards the entraceways to the room. Starting about a 1.5
feet before the entrance to the bathroom as well as the hallway, the
floor starts to dip, reaching a depth of app. 3/16 of an inch at the
doorway of the bathroom and hallway.

The hardwood, once installed, will run lengthwise into the dip.

How do you go about leveling the dip? Is it something we should be
concerned about? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your response.

Can you tell me how this might work, as I am somewhat unclear on this?

I have the plywood nailed down onto the OSB. Do I pour on the
leveling product on top of the plywood, and then install the hardwood
on top? Will I be able to staple the hardwood thru the levelling
product?


"Mark Hopkins" wrote in message . ..
Look for a product called "Floorstone". It usually comes premixed, but I
have seen similar products at the BORG as a powder that you mix with water
and trowel on to level the subfloor. Look in the vinyl flooring section for
it.

http://www.ardex.com/main-guidelines.htm#wood

I've used this product many times. It works very well.

Dave


"ksanny" wrote in message
m...
Hi,

I'm trying to put in 3/8 inch engineered hardwood flooring myself, and
would like some help.

We have 3/4 inch OSB as our subfloor in our bedroom upstairs. On some
advice, we started to nail 3/8 inch CDX plywood to add some more
structure to the subfloor. We chose 3/8, so that we would be level
with our bathroom flooring.

While nailing down the plywood, we noticed that the floor dips
downward towards the entraceways to the room. Starting about a 1.5
feet before the entrance to the bathroom as well as the hallway, the
floor starts to dip, reaching a depth of app. 3/16 of an inch at the
doorway of the bathroom and hallway.

The hardwood, once installed, will run lengthwise into the dip.

How do you go about leveling the dip? Is it something we should be
concerned about? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

I had a similar problem when I was putting down 5/8" engineered
flooring in my dining room. I tried using a leveling compound to fill
in a few low spots. However I wound up removing the compound as I felt
that it might break apart in the future and cause another problem,
especially since I glued down my flooring.
I was told by Bruce Flooring that if I wanted to put down a new layer
of plywood, that it had to be 3/4" inch thick or they would not
warranty their product. Since the 3/4" of the new layer plus the 5/8"
of the flooring would have raised the level of the flooring up over 1
1/4", we decided not to put down a new layer of plywood.
What I did was to rent a floor sander with a very agressive sandpaper
and sand down the high spots. It doesn't have to be perfect but you
should get at least a four foot straight-edge and make sure that you
don't have more than about 1/8" gap under the straight-edge as you
sweep it around the floor.

So far it has worked out OK.

Rich Durkee

With a dip of only 3/16" i would build up the low spots with several layers
of tar paper.
Start with a wider strip and feather the layers inward, building up layers
as the floor dips, until you get the floor flat. Using self leveling floor
lever is another option, another post recommended ardex. This stuff is
WONDERFUL for leveling a floor, but for 3/16" it may prove to be more of a
hassle. Plus, with tarpaper, you can fasten through it to your
ubfloor. --dave



Another post suggested ardex. this is WONDERFUL stuff for leveling a
floor, but for the amount you need to fill, it would be difficult.

"ksanny" wrote in message
m...
Hi,

I'm trying to put in 3/8 inch engineered hardwood flooring myself, and
would like some help.

We have 3/4 inch OSB as our subfloor in our bedroom upstairs. On some
advice, we started to nail 3/8 inch CDX plywood to add some more
structure to the subfloor. We chose 3/8, so that we would be level
with our bathroom flooring.

While nailing down the plywood, we noticed that the floor dips
downward towards the entraceways to the room. Starting about a 1.5
feet before the entrance to the bathroom as well as the hallway, the
floor starts to dip, reaching a depth of app. 3/16 of an inch at the
doorway of the bathroom and hallway.

The hardwood, once installed, will run lengthwise into the dip.

How do you go about leveling the dip? Is it something we should be
concerned about? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

I would put it down before installing the 3/8 plywood but you can do it
either way. 3/16" is not that much so there should be no problem stapling
through it. Just make sure you get it mixed to the right consistency (much
like pancake batter) and work it out nice and level. Let it cure and you
should be all set.

"ksanny" wrote in message
om...
Thank you for your response.

Can you tell me how this might work, as I am somewhat unclear on this?

I have the plywood nailed down onto the OSB. Do I pour on the
leveling product on top of the plywood, and then install the hardwood
on top? Will I be able to staple the hardwood thru the levelling
product?


"Mark Hopkins" wrote in message
. ..
Look for a product called "Floorstone". It usually comes premixed, but I
have seen similar products at the BORG as a powder that you mix with
water
and trowel on to level the subfloor. Look in the vinyl flooring section
for
it.

On 5 Oct 2004 12:10:41 -0700, (Rich Durkee) wrote:

I had a similar problem when I was putting down 5/8" engineered
flooring in my dining room. I tried using a leveling compound to fill
in a few low spots. However I wound up removing the compound as I felt
that it might break apart in the future and cause another problem,
especially since I glued down my flooring.

Virtually every commercial installation has leveling compound under
it. I wouldn't worry about it at all. Even if it cracks up it isn't
going anywhere, after all, it's already in the low spot - right?

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

Thank you all you wonderful people for your advice.

I just discovered I face another problem, that I'd like to ask your
advice about.

Going along with the felt paper layering idea, I was playing around
with how things were going to look like, when I realized that if I
attempt to level the dip and then put my flooring on, the door to the
bedroom does not close anymore.

So now I'm sort of stuck. Do I level the floor and then put the
flooring on and then cut my hollow core door to size, or do I just
leave the dip and put the flooring on, in which case, the door with
close?

The wood flooring will run perpendicular to the door frame when
installed. The dip is app 3/16 inch at the door entrance.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

On 8 Oct 2004 14:31:22 -0700, ksanny wrote:

Going along with the felt paper layering idea, I was playing around
with how things were going to look like, when I realized that if I
attempt to level the dip and then put my flooring on, the door to the
bedroom does not close anymore.

D'oh!

So now I'm sort of stuck. Do I level the floor and then put the
flooring on and then cut my hollow core door to size,

Yes. The hollow core door should have at least several inches of
solid wood at the bottom of it, so you've got room to do just what you
are about to do. Make the floor right, then make the door right to work with
the floor. Leaving one thing wrong to make it fit another wrong thing
ends up being a disaster after not too long, those sort of things have
a habit of accumulating.

The wood flooring will run perpendicular to the door frame when
installed. The dip is app 3/16 inch at the door entrance.

For 3/16ths of an inch, you may have found an actual use for an electic
powered hand plane. Or, sawhorses and the skilsaw.


Dave Hinz

Yes cut the door, you should have more than a inch of solid wood at the
bottom of the door but when you cut it take and take a knife and cut along
the line and when you use the saw to saw to cut the door it won;t fray above
the line giving you a nice clean edge.

"ksanny" wrote in message
om...
Thank you all you wonderful people for your advice.

I just discovered I face another problem, that I'd like to ask your
advice about.

Going along with the felt paper layering idea, I was playing around
with how things were going to look like, when I realized that if I
attempt to level the dip and then put my flooring on, the door to the
bedroom does not close anymore.

So now I'm sort of stuck. Do I level the floor and then put the
flooring on and then cut my hollow core door to size, or do I just
leave the dip and put the flooring on, in which case, the door with
close?

The wood flooring will run perpendicular to the door frame when
installed. The dip is app 3/16 inch at the door entrance.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.