The Home Reno Thread
- Thread starter shanekingsley
- Start date
But then who hands you beer and holds the light? *dunno*
That's why you have kids. isn't it?
Haha, was trying to solve a wiring problem with nobody around and ended up grabbing a wifi security camera and pointing it at the problem lights while I poked and prodded far away and watched for effect on my phone. Technology is awesome. No help for the beer though.
What gets me is when you do something like a rec room spending weeks or months planning, framing, wiring, plumbing and it's "You're just puttering along". Then you throw up a some drywall or paneling and it's "Wow. You did a lot today."
Riceburner
Well-known member
Just like many things. The prep work is where it takes time, but is least noticed.
Off topic but I remember watching a guy sand the primer on a car at a body shop. He went after every imperfection. The colour coat doesn't hide a scratch it magnifies it. Grunt work only to the ignorant.
same with woodworking and drywall, if its not right before you put the finish on, it wont get better.
I worked for a Tier 3 auto supplier long ago. What a nightmare. The paint literally magnifies every spec on the parts by a factor of 3 or more as it coats the sides of the particle so the particle grows with every coat (and as it was mass-production, they had no interest in any sanding between coats). Much respect for the prep guys on every job.
Riceburner
Well-known member
I should have said "least appreciated", not least noticed. A bad prep gets noticed a LOT when the finish goes on. When it's good, no one notices how good the prep was.
Question about hardwood floor installation.
We currently have a 5/8 plywood subfloor and are installing an engineered oak as our top surface. The existing plywood is 40years old and has a few areas that are a little soft or spongy in different sections of the house, but nothing major. I've been told that it can help to strengthen up the plywood base by adding an additional 3/8 plywood on top - glued to the existing base and then together reinforced into the joists. We are being given this option if we want to really beef up the subfloor and are debating the merits of doing it.
I think that having 5/8 plywood is current with code and in our case might be just fine with some reinforcing to the joists as is. Just working out the cost/benefit of doing this over about 1600sqft. Or buying a nice couch, or tires & helmet, etc....
Thoughts?
We currently have a 5/8 plywood subfloor and are installing an engineered oak as our top surface. The existing plywood is 40years old and has a few areas that are a little soft or spongy in different sections of the house, but nothing major. I've been told that it can help to strengthen up the plywood base by adding an additional 3/8 plywood on top - glued to the existing base and then together reinforced into the joists. We are being given this option if we want to really beef up the subfloor and are debating the merits of doing it.
I think that having 5/8 plywood is current with code and in our case might be just fine with some reinforcing to the joists as is. Just working out the cost/benefit of doing this over about 1600sqft. Or buying a nice couch, or tires & helmet, etc....
Thoughts?
Plywood is wood glued together and glues have life expectancy. Topping up will never be cheaper than now.
We did it on our floors when putting in parquet but that was largely because the existing plywood had butt joints that created flex points, popping the parquet. Nice solid feel also.
Flooring practices have changed in the last 40yrs. Your plywood was likely placed on the joists and nailed. And likely hand nailed as pnuematics were just getting traction.
I'd do the 3/8 overlay, glued down with subfloor adhesive and screwed through into the joists, DP staples are an ok option but not my favorite.
You have 1600 sq of engineered, and unlike 3/4 solid, engineered doesnt tend to add rigidity to the floor. I'd spend the money now.
3/8 spruce sheathing price is pretty low right now, its a commodity and the market is off
I'd do the 3/8 overlay, glued down with subfloor adhesive and screwed through into the joists, DP staples are an ok option but not my favorite.
You have 1600 sq of engineered, and unlike 3/4 solid, engineered doesnt tend to add rigidity to the floor. I'd spend the money now.
3/8 spruce sheathing price is pretty low right now, its a commodity and the market is off
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If I was building for me to stay in the house (which it sounds like you are) I would add glued and screwed plywood. When I was doing the floor in my current house, it had 3/4" OSB and I added ~one screw/sq ft to tighten it up, then sanded it flat, then installed the hardwood. The prep took almost as long as the hardwood installation. No squeaks/creaks or bounces five years later. Adding a layer would have given me issues at the stairs that I didn't want to deal with.
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Thank you folks.
We are looking at where to find the $ to get the extra 3/8 put down!
We are looking at where to find the $ to get the extra 3/8 put down!
just be sure your getting 9.5mm, which is 3/8 , and dont let somebody tell you 7.5mm is fine . ACX is nice, BCX is ok CCX is the bottom. Fir is tougher than spruce, but fewer mills peeling logs.
Under no circumstance let them install chinese plywood which many of the flooring stores stock as underlay.
1600sqft is 50 sheets, so less than a lift but should still be a reasonable volume discount.
(guess what one of my businesses is?)
Under no circumstance let them install chinese plywood which many of the flooring stores stock as underlay.
1600sqft is 50 sheets, so less than a lift but should still be a reasonable volume discount.
(guess what one of my businesses is?)
Why is this bad?
I'll ask the general contractor what grade of plywood they are putting down. If we are paying for 3/8, then it should be 3/8 and not 7.5mm.
One thing I am happy about is we are getting an entry door into the garage from the house. No more walking outside!
The chinese ply has a history of delam in the field. Its often the result of precure , glues set slightly before the press cycle, or too short a press cycle. they look stuck together then they aren't.
Its been sneaking into the retail market , since the US imposed tariffs on chinese ply its been re labeled as origin vietnam or malasia. Its more commonly found in industrial wood supply than builders supply.
Your Canadian ply will have a CSP label or CFP, and will likely be labeled canply/tolko/westply/westfraser or something similar.
Its been sneaking into the retail market , since the US imposed tariffs on chinese ply its been re labeled as origin vietnam or malasia. Its more commonly found in industrial wood supply than builders supply.
Your Canadian ply will have a CSP label or CFP, and will likely be labeled canply/tolko/westply/westfraser or something similar.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
I am doing exactly the same thing right now, we're putting in 1500 squares of 3/4" engineered hickory over 5/8" ply. I have a few soft spots in high traffic areas like the passage ways into the kitchen. The softness was not due to rot, it was delamination in areas of heavy use.
The flooring supplier said we didn't need to do anything if we ran the new engineered planks perpendicular to the joists. Since we were running parallel to joists, they recommended we cut out 4x4' sections and relayed 5/8" ply with PL and screws. It was simple, took about an hour to replace 2 sections.
Another good reason for removing soft spots on 5/8" subfloors is they tend to squeek when they go soft.
The flooring supplier said we didn't need to do anything if we ran the new engineered planks perpendicular to the joists. Since we were running parallel to joists, they recommended we cut out 4x4' sections and relayed 5/8" ply with PL and screws. It was simple, took about an hour to replace 2 sections.
Another good reason for removing soft spots on 5/8" subfloors is they tend to squeek when they go soft.
