Sub floor Problems

[Guest]

I have a 1978 mobile home that i am in the process of remodeling. I have gutted the kitchen and living room and soon I am going to be putting down laminate flooring in the kitchen and living room. The Problem is there is big dips in my floor that can go over a quarter of a inch because when they built it the 4 x 13 pieces of press board sub floor they didn't land on a joist they landed right between them so they scabbed it with a piece of strapping so there is nothing to support it so in a 16 inch span it will dip a quarter of a inch or more. When i go to put my laminate wood flooring down do i need to raise that up and put some blocking under there to support cause when u stand in that area it is kind of springy or is the laminate flooring strong enough that a quarter inch dip is ok.

[Yanita]

Hi,

Personally since you have already remove the finish floor I would replace the particle/pressboard with plywood. If you choose not to the you can go under the home and add nailers to the joist below to strengthen the floor.

Personally I would not chance laying a laminate floor over 1/4" dips. Not sure that the flooring will take that over a long period of time without breaking the tongue and grooves.

JMO,

~Yanita~

[JD]

I agree with Yanita. If the floor is spongy anywhere in a traffic area, the edges/seams of the laminate will get messed up. Best to replace the spongy subfloor and fix it right.

JMO

JD

[Maureen]

I've gotta agree with Yanita and JD on this. If you're going to live in the home and renovate it correctly, then you must look at structure first. Band aid fixes only cause bigger problems down the road!

Maureen