Wood floor over gypcrete - Qns
CraiginNJ
nails can't be used, but I see glue-down wood flooring in Home Depot
and the glue instructions say it it can be used on concrete.
Second question: I notice that products like Pergo ('floating floor'
system) can have a layer of firm foam put down first to soften one's
step and provide a little sound or noise reduction. I assume that
these dampening materials can't be used with a glue-down floor (it'd
need gluing both sides of the dampening layer). True? Or maybe the
glue and wood itself already provide dampening like that, so I should
even bother with this thought?
Thanks,
Craig
renov8r
drum effect". Every little step causes it to rattle against the
minor imperfections of the subfloor. The foam pad under it
significantly reduces/eliminates this problem.
This problem should not exist in a "glue down" floor
installation. There really isn't a need to "pad" wood floors,
even the hardest floor will flex quite a bit, but if you are
putting a hard surface in where there formely was carpet it will
be MUCH louder.
You should really look closely at the total cost of the floating
floor vs. the glue down. Unless you really must have the glue
down I would think the floating floor might offer some real
advantages on prices and speed of install.
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Jean-Claude Desinor
> nails can't be used, but I see glue-down wood flooring in Home Depot
> and the glue instructions say it it can be used on concrete.
I am not a tradesman, just made some research before laying down
laminate on my gypcrete floor.
Somehow, people in the trade seem very reluctant to glue anything to
gypcrete, which I find strange since Maxxon (the people who make
gypcrete, http://www.maxxon.com ) say it can be done, and parts of my
condo with gypcrete floor has tiles on it (the laundry, the bathroom). I
suppose it can be done, with care.
The main difficulty might be that you want a flat uncracked surface,
so you will have to prepare the floor first. i dug out taht Mapei (
http://www.mapei.com ) makes a floor preparation product called Planitex
UNS, specially for gypsum based floors. To my chagrin, it is not
available in Canada.
So, since I am not gluing anything to the floor, and am putting the
Ikea's equivalent of SilentStep and the 3 mm foam under the laminate, I
figured I could use a standard leveling mix, Mapei's Plani/Patch. It
seems to be OK in the limited area I am testing right now.
By the way, Ikea's Tundra flooring is Can$1.95 sq/ft these days. It
seems to be the equivalent of Pergo Classic in finish choices, but only
7mm thick like Pergo Living. But the price is almost 1/3 less.
> Second question: I notice that products like Pergo ('floating floor'
> system) can have a layer of firm foam put down first to soften one's
> step and provide a little sound or noise reduction. I assume that
> these dampening materials can't be used with a glue-down floor (it'd
> need gluing both sides of the dampening layer). True? Or maybe the
> glue and wood itself already provide dampening like that, so I should
> even bother with this thought?
Again, I was afraid to glue wood planks over the gypcrete. I was
concerned that any floor movement or crack that develops in the gypcrete
would show in the flooring. And if I had to remove the wood, I could not
do so without ripping the Gypcrete apart.
One place said they could glue a foam first to the gypcrete, then the
wood on top of that. Another solution suggested to me was to first lay
1/2" plywood on the gypcrete (how to attach it though?), then glue the
wood planks on that ... About Can$9.00 sq/ft
Maxxon has something called DuraCap, which puts a hard finish on top
of the gypcrete. They could also redo the whole floor, adding their
soundproofing carpet, would add about Can$5.00 a square foot to my
project. But I would have to move out first, this needs to dry out.
At any rate, I figured the laminate was not much more expensive than a
good quality carpet, which I am replacing, and that if worst came to
worst, I could remove it without damaging the subfloor and put carpet
back in.
By the way, remember than in a condo, the gypcrete is there to meet
condo regulations and fire regulations also. If you remove it, make sure
you replace it with something that is approved by both.
Good luck!
Jean-Claude Desinor
>
> >> By the way, remember than in a condo, the gypcrete is there to
> >> meet condo regulations and fire regulations also.
>
> existing floors in renovation work. Also to level out rough or
> cambered floors in new work using precast plank. May not have
> anything to do with fire, etc.
Things will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. My condo has a
wood structure, the gypcrete cannot be removed without the directors
approval, and anything replacing it must meet soundproofing requirements
and fire regulations.
The 1.5" of gypcrete adds mass to the floor, and reduces sound
transmission as well as impact sound. Put a plush carpet on top, a well
designed ceiling below, and you can almost shout without anyone hearing
in other appartments.
The fire regulations I understand less well, but they are there. I'd
rather not mess with that. Seems to be that the fire will propagate
slower, so you have a better chance of evacuating, plus the firemen have
a better chance of limiting the damage.
The Canadian Mortgage And Housing Corporation has a whole slew of
litterature about that, at http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca
Hope this helps :-)