Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 39 posts
Hi,
I am working on floor leveling in my apartment and looking for some tips and advice!
I want to achieve an even level throughout to lay a 15 mm oak parquet seamlessly from the living room to the kitchen. For the bedroom (to the left in the picture), I will probably have a threshold but still prefer the same level.
In the two rooms in the picture, the parquet is completely destroyed; it has lifted, and many planks are missing. It is glued to a subfloor that sags and creaks and rests on a wooden joist. In the rooms, the distance from the joists to the floor surface is 30 mm, and from there, an additional 10 mm up to the hallway's concrete slab. In the second picture, you can see the joists from a similar apartment where the floor has been ripped up.
I am therefore planning to tear out the floors down to the joists and install floor chipboard. Then I thought about using self-leveling compound to match the hallway exactly. And here comes my question:
The floor chipboards are 22 mm, but to match the concrete slab in the hallway/kitchen, I need to come up 36 mm from the joists to the subfloor. Can I then build up the floor joists with, for example, 8 mm plywood, so I only need to self-level 6 mm? The floor area in the rooms totals about 30 m2.
I also included an overview image, so it might be easier to grasp! I would also preferably like to do the self-leveling in stages: first the kitchen/hallway, then one room, and finally the other. I am living in it at the same time.
I am working on floor leveling in my apartment and looking for some tips and advice!
I want to achieve an even level throughout to lay a 15 mm oak parquet seamlessly from the living room to the kitchen. For the bedroom (to the left in the picture), I will probably have a threshold but still prefer the same level.
In the two rooms in the picture, the parquet is completely destroyed; it has lifted, and many planks are missing. It is glued to a subfloor that sags and creaks and rests on a wooden joist. In the rooms, the distance from the joists to the floor surface is 30 mm, and from there, an additional 10 mm up to the hallway's concrete slab. In the second picture, you can see the joists from a similar apartment where the floor has been ripped up.
I am therefore planning to tear out the floors down to the joists and install floor chipboard. Then I thought about using self-leveling compound to match the hallway exactly. And here comes my question:
The floor chipboards are 22 mm, but to match the concrete slab in the hallway/kitchen, I need to come up 36 mm from the joists to the subfloor. Can I then build up the floor joists with, for example, 8 mm plywood, so I only need to self-level 6 mm? The floor area in the rooms totals about 30 m2.
I also included an overview image, so it might be easier to grasp! I would also preferably like to do the self-leveling in stages: first the kitchen/hallway, then one room, and finally the other. I am living in it at the same time.
The main issue is whether the chipboard is needed for stability reasons as well. I see in the picture that you have three-inch wide joists. Presumably, they are only seven inches high, and in that case, you need a screwed and glued chipboard to achieve acceptable deflection and flexibility. Floor leveling in the form of self-leveling compound is quite heavy, a factor that should also be considered. Reducing the amount of self-leveling compound by using more board material must always be sensible.
Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 39 posts
J justusandersson said:
Certainly the key question!J justusandersson said:
But yes, good point. Clearly think that something needs to be screwed into the joists. Today there's something like 28x70-like mounted across the beams, which the parquet is glued onto.
I'm thinking either I'll use thicker particle board, or settle for standard 22 mm which I'll raise a bit with shims to reduce the need for self-leveling compound.
Maybe I should actually calculate a bit on that. Do you know what the guideline values for deflection and such are? Definitely agree with the last point!
Talk about the dimensions of the beams, length, width, height, and c/c distance, should I help you.
Member
· Västerbottens län
· 18 051 posts
I have straightened a floor by gluing and screwing a rail to the side of the floor joists. If done carefully, it becomes millimeter accurate. If you add an intermediate layer, it must have the correct thickness, and if the joist is slanted, you need to make a wedge.
Protte
Protte
Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 39 posts
Thanks! I'll get back to you with measurements once I've cut and measured.J justusandersson said:
Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 39 posts
I have just discovered another problem. After grinding down glue residues and some peaks in the concrete slab out in the kitchen and hallway, I have found that the slab is full of cracks. Most are near the wall, but one runs across an entire segment. (Separated by a strip where a wall previously stood)
I will fill the holes you see after old thresholds and walls, and then apply a thin layer of leveling compound (0-10 mm) over the floor.
In the areas that look the worst, there are conduit pipes, and there I know the slab is thin. But the one running across doesn't feel good. What do you think? Are the cracks something I should be worried about?
I will fill the holes you see after old thresholds and walls, and then apply a thin layer of leveling compound (0-10 mm) over the floor.
In the areas that look the worst, there are conduit pipes, and there I know the slab is thin. But the one running across doesn't feel good. What do you think? Are the cracks something I should be worried about?
I think the house is a bit oddly built. I would prefer to know a bit more, especially about the age and construction method. It's likely that you have a cast overlay floor. It doesn't seem reinforced. All concrete that is old has shrinkage cracks. Normally, it is not a major problem.
Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 39 posts
Yes, indeed! It has offered many surprises. It was completed in 1943, during the war. Three-story houses. Noisy as heck! I've tried to dig into plans but haven't found any.J justusandersson said:
"The houses were built by builder Baltzar Lundström and the first houses in kv. Båtsmanstorpet were ready in the spring of 1941. The architect was Ernst Grönwall and received much praise for his well-planned narrow houses."
From the Brf's website.
Ok. I suspect that some may have arisen after sanding due to vibrations. But I think the parquet over should be less sensitive than if I were to lay tiles, for example.
Ps didn't have time to drill up and measure the beams today, so will try tomorrow instead.
Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 39 posts
Okay! So you leveled an existing floor? Yes, it would certainly make it easier to just cut open where it flexes and brace it. If that's what you meant?
Ernst Grönwall was definitely not a run-of-the-mill architect. He designed many beautiful apartment buildings in Stockholm. It must be a wartime solution that the building lacks concrete floors, which had otherwise been standard since the 1930s. Get back to me with the measurements.
Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 39 posts
Okay, I've measured in the bedroom now, and they are 50 mm wide, 100 mm high, (2 inches 4 I guess?) and 3.2 m long.
I'll get back to you with those in the other room. Live there, so a bit trickier to saw up and measure.
I'll get back to you with those in the other room. Live there, so a bit trickier to saw up and measure.