Best material recommended for subfloors?

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Author Message   Agrackle Citizen Username: Agrackle Post Number: 38 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 5:17 pm:        Plan on ripping up my severely damaged and sloping hardwood floor, sistering or somehow leveling the joists, and laying new subfloor (and then new hardwood floor). Any suggestions on what material to use for the subfloor? I get somewhat overwhelmed by the different types of plywood, mdf, etc. Thanks much!   Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 11198 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 5:51 pm:        3/4 inch tongue and groove underlayment plywood is the standard. However, check your flooring manufacturer for their recommendations.   george H Citizen Username: Georgieboy Post Number: 159 Registered: 8-2005 Posted on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 5:59 pm:        So I guess you mean that you plan on taking up both your hardwood and subfloor in order to level the joists.My hats off to you as this is a major league project which involves possibly removing baseboard and door casings,not to mention dealing with the elevations of adjacent rooms.Maybe I'm getting old or maybe I'm getting wise,but if you don't have a real strong background in the trades,I'd think the whole project through prior to starting.I've been swinging a hammer for quite a while now and would personally think twice before attempting such a project.If the different types of plywood overwhelm you,what happens when you find that leveling in both directions as well as meeting existing elevations is damn near impossible.You might have to settle for straighter than what you have now,but still out of level.Do you plan on doing this full-time till you're done or just after work and on wknds.? I ask because momentum plays a big role in a project like this and is hard to achieve part time.Anyway,best of luck and in regards to your question,3/4"T&G ply with construction adhesive and screws is your best bet.   Agrackle Citizen Username: Agrackle Post Number: 39 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 12:47 am:        George: Big project for sure, but I did it in another room where for some very strange reason 1/3 of the room was covered in tile, with the other 2/3s in hardwood. Pulled up the hardwood, subfloor and sistered the joists, then replaced the entire floor with Brazilian cherry. Worked out fine. Plus, the room I'm working on right now is totally gutted and I'm replacing all the windows and reframing some of the walls. I guess I like the concept of an old house, but a 3" difference between the center line of the living room and outside edges just bugs me, especially when my antique buffet tilts severely to on side.   sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 2377 Registered: 10-2001 Posted on Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 10:57 am:        Agrackle - I want to do the same exact thing in my house. I'd love to do the entire first floor that way. The floors that we have are old and worn and are on their last legs. They were top-nailed so we were told that they could only be sanded one more time. We just put a new floor in the kitchen and would love to re-do the entire first floor to match. While what George says is true, its lots of work, I think you can use it as an opportunity to upgrade electric etc. In our home the electrical outlets were inserted in cut-outs in the baseboard moulding rather than in the walls like they are nowadays. I'd love to move them out of the baseboards and get them into the walls. We had the walls reinforced with fiberglass mesh when we first moved in and it makes things like cutting out electrical boxes much easier. Also, during our kitchen renovation we opted to have the contractor take a piece of our moulding to a mill near Perth Amboy and have knives made to replicate the existing moulding since we could never exactly match it. Now whenever we need more moulding we can call them up pay a set up fee and have it cut to match. While I don't think I would care that the floors are exactly level I'd love to get them close and I'd love them to match the height of our new kitchen floors. Plus you will be able to eliminate all the squeaks. I am going to ask our contractor to give me a estimate on that job and of course I'll think about doing it myself.   gj1 Citizen Username: Gj1 Post Number: 334 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 12:32 pm:        sports - can you provide info for the mill near Perth Amboy that you mentioned? I've been having trouble finding someone local to cut custom mouldings.   Agrackle Citizen Username: Agrackle Post Number: 41 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 12:57 pm:        Agreed Sports. I would have loved to have saved the floors, but also got a quote to have the floors redone and got the same response you did. The nail heads are already showing on almost every board. Also had some contractors through to look at the moulding, etc. and none said they thought it was original, sadly, so I'm not terribly concerned about ripping it all out. That said, still doing my best to maintain the architectural integrity of the house, no plastic, no crappy siding, etc. I think it's a doable project and as long as you're committed to leveling almost the entire first floor, then you don't have the room to room transition issues. If you think of it, please let me know what your contractor says re: cost and timing. And, also interested in the mill data that gj1 asked about. Thanks.   sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 2378 Registered: 10-2001 Posted on Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 1:14 pm:        I will get the mill info from the GC. I can tell you that it was a couple of hundred dollars to have the knives made - we needed two. Then they charge you a set up fee (150)to put the knives in their machines and of course they charge by the LF for the moulding. I can also tell you that the cost per LF was the same or less than what you would pay at HD and I believe the wood was Poplar. I just called the GC and he said the name of the Mill was Montece (sp?) mills. He told me that all of the moulding that we bought from them was about $1.30 per linear foot for the large 7 inch and something like .90 per LF for the cap piece. When I get the bill I'll post the details. It really does look amazing when you finally can have matching original moulding.   gj1 Citizen Username: Gj1 Post Number: 336 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 3:27 pm:        Thanks! I had looked into this a year or more ago and couldn't find anyone local that seemed interested in small jobs. One place I found charged $140 grind and $150 setup, so maybe a bit less than your place, but they were located in MA. I'd feel more comfortable working with a local shop and would also save on shipping. Would this be it? Monteath Moulding Address: 3150 Bordentown Ave, Old Bridge, NJ 08857 Phone: (732) 727-4000   sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 2379 Registered: 10-2001 Posted on Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 4:07 pm:        That sounds like them. But I'll check and get back to you. The actual cost of the moulding after set up was about $150 or so. I think the total for my job was about $500. Again, once I get the bill I'll post the details. They will keep the knives for five years so that if you ever need to have more made they will be able to accomodate or if you choose you can request the knives. Unfortunately they don't fit into a common router (we asked).