Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - 1" difference between rooms
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : 1" difference between rooms
scooterJ
01-30-03, 07:13 AM
Where to start?
I am trying to figure out how to make the floors in my house all the same height.
the dining room/den has 1/2" planks on joists...then 1/4" old hardwood...then 1/2" plywood...then more plywood (1/2" I think)...then new 1/4" hardwood. This makes it 1-1/2" higher than the rest of the house.
The main floor was renovated and an addition was built back in 1986, but the floor joists in the addition were about 1/2-3/4" higher than the floor joists in the rest of the house. The reason the contractor did this (I can only guess) is that he ballparked it and then took the easy way out by adding the sub floor over the old floor to make them level.
The way it was, you would never know though...it was ceremic tile and the low spots were built up with concrete. I removed the tile and concrete (there was a whole lot of that!) and now I want hardwood throughout. I also don't want the step up into the dining room that was a result of the old contractor's gaff.
Question: How thick (thin) can a subfloor be?
Question 2: Can I mix 1/4" hardwood and 1/2" hardwood? This would help make up the difference.
I don't want to remove and cut down the floor joists in the addition (9'x17' room).
Thanks
Scott
:confused:
I am trying to figure out how to make the floors in my house all the same height.
the dining room/den has 1/2" planks on joists...then 1/4" old hardwood...then 1/2" plywood...then more plywood (1/2" I think)...then new 1/4" hardwood. This makes it 1-1/2" higher than the rest of the house.
The main floor was renovated and an addition was built back in 1986, but the floor joists in the addition were about 1/2-3/4" higher than the floor joists in the rest of the house. The reason the contractor did this (I can only guess) is that he ballparked it and then took the easy way out by adding the sub floor over the old floor to make them level.
The way it was, you would never know though...it was ceremic tile and the low spots were built up with concrete. I removed the tile and concrete (there was a whole lot of that!) and now I want hardwood throughout. I also don't want the step up into the dining room that was a result of the old contractor's gaff.
Question: How thick (thin) can a subfloor be?
Question 2: Can I mix 1/4" hardwood and 1/2" hardwood? This would help make up the difference.
I don't want to remove and cut down the floor joists in the addition (9'x17' room).
Thanks
Scott
:confused:
brickeyee
01-30-03, 11:37 AM
Question: How thick (thin) can a subfloor be?
The floor can be as thick as you want. How thin depends on the joist spacing and the material you use for the subfloor. And how bouncy you want the floor to be. About the minimum is 1/2 inch plywood on 16 inch centers, and it gives a pretty lousy floor. Less than a 1/2 inch difference can be easily hidden under a threshold. How are you planning on making the transition from one floor surface to the other?
Cutting up the floor joists could be a really, really, really bad idea, depending on their size and span.
I would wonder how good a match you will get with two different thickneses of flooring that (if prefinished as it sounds) came off two different production lines, or even the same line but not at the same time. Any wander in color in a floor is usually hidden by mixing up the materials. You would have a line where the materials change.
The floor can be as thick as you want. How thin depends on the joist spacing and the material you use for the subfloor. And how bouncy you want the floor to be. About the minimum is 1/2 inch plywood on 16 inch centers, and it gives a pretty lousy floor. Less than a 1/2 inch difference can be easily hidden under a threshold. How are you planning on making the transition from one floor surface to the other?
Cutting up the floor joists could be a really, really, really bad idea, depending on their size and span.
I would wonder how good a match you will get with two different thickneses of flooring that (if prefinished as it sounds) came off two different production lines, or even the same line but not at the same time. Any wander in color in a floor is usually hidden by mixing up the materials. You would have a line where the materials change.
scooterJ
01-30-03, 01:11 PM
Unfortunately the transition between the old and new joists is right in the middle of the room...
If I went with minimal sub floor in one area, I might be able to finnesse the threshold of the other room at the hall.
The problem is I don't want the big step going into the dining room from the hall, and raising the hall would mean the living room on the other side too...not to mention that the front door will not open if I raise it too much.
Joists are 16" ctr.
If I went with minimal sub floor in one area, I might be able to finnesse the threshold of the other room at the hall.
The problem is I don't want the big step going into the dining room from the hall, and raising the hall would mean the living room on the other side too...not to mention that the front door will not open if I raise it too much.
Joists are 16" ctr.