Solid Bridging

Solid bridging are the pieces that are put in between the floor joists so that they don’t twist and warp. Installing solid bridging is easy, and it’s a project that won’t take very long. Before you begin, make sure you have all of the materials you need to complete it.

• Step 1: Measure out the distance from one floor joist to another. You will also have to measure how tall the floor joists are.
• Step 2: Use your measurements to cut out squares of wood about 1” thick.
• Step 3: Nail in the solid bridging at regular intervals into the floor joists so that they make a narrow bridge from one joist to another.
• Step 4: Nail in the rest of the solid bridging to make adjacent parallel lines across the floor joists.

Spacing out Solid Bridging

Use a measuring tape to make sure you are placing the solid bridging in the right places. Sometimes people crisscross the bridging so that it is easier to install and a little more stable. Just make sure you put the piece an inch over from the other, and the piece following that should go an inch in the other direction. This way, even though they are not in the exact same spot, the solid bridging stays in a line.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Floor Joists

Floor joists are an important part of any floor. They help support the foundation and make the floor solid. Learning how to install floor joists properly is very important for your home.

• When choosing boards to be the floor joists it’s important to use a high quality grade of wood as well as making sure that it is free from defects such as knots. This will ensure that the wood’s strength is at its full potential. Also when picking the wood you want to stick to 2x6, 2x8, or 2x10. Anything lower then that will not offer enough support.
• When installing the floor joists you should lay them out every 16” which will be their spacing length.
• Make sure that when you install the floor joists that they are against a bearing wall to help support them as time wears on them.

Important Facts for Installing Floor Joists

• When installing the floor joists you have to make sure they are level and straight at all costs. If they are not they will fail.
• If you install the joists with joist hangers double check to make sure that they are installed properly.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Removing 14 Years of Sealer Build-up From Slate Floor Tiles

This is a 25m2 Slate tiled floor installed in a grade 2 listed coach house in the village of Hemingford Grey on the banks of the river Ouse. It was originally called the six bells and the original coach house sign is still hanging from its original ironwork in the entrance lobby. The slate floor was laid through the kitchen and hallway in 2000 and since then it had just been mopped and extra coats of polishes/waxes had been applied leading to a build-up.

Cleaning the Slate Tiled Floor

Before starting work I protected the kitchen units and Aga cooker in plastic film to protect against splashing and mopped onto the tiles a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a coatings remover. Remove and Go I should mention is not only an effective cleaning product but as its name suggests is ideal for removing sealers from floors. To get the floor completely clean you need to strip it back to bare tile and because of the layers of sealer we let the Remove and Go soak into the Slate tile for some time before being worked in using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Then rather than wash the product away we blanketed the floor in a polythene sheet and left for two hours.


The polythene sheet prevents the floor from drying out and allows the chemical process of breaking down the layers of sealant to take place. After removing the sheet we scrubbed the floor again before removing the residue with our high powered internal pressure washing tool.


The floor was now bare and all the natural colours in the slate became far more evident. The tiles do need to be bone dry before sealing however so we left it to dry out for a day and left a number of special air blowers setup around the floor to assist with the drying.

Sealing the Slate Tiled Floor

When we returned the third day the floor was dry so we sealed it using five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a water based sealer (so no smell) that add good stain protection as well as adding a nice subtle sheen to the tile which really enhanced the colours in the slate.


The customer was ecstatic with the result, so much so that before we left she gave us a thank you card in an envelope. On returning to our unit we opened the card and out dropped £50, well I was amazed, even though we explain all the processes to our clients and take the upmost care at their homes we really didn`t expect that level of generosity. This is how the card read:

  “To Mick, Thank you to you and Tom for your high quality in Service, Integrity and Value x Excellent craftsmanship. Much appreciated. So pleased with your work. Kind regards. M. Evans”

It was a pleasure to work for such a nice lady and we look forward to returning in the New Year to restore some more stone and terracotta flooring for her.


Source: Expert Slate tile restoration tips and information

How to Install Steel Floor Joists

Commercial buildings, and larger homes, use steel floor joists in order to handle the load of the structure. These steel floor joists are especially important for the ground floor of the structure as they have the most load upon them. Many homeowners are finding that they can eliminate sagging and bouncing floor problems by replacing their wood joists with steel floor joists. Even though this might seem like a large project, it is easily done with the right instruction, the right tools, plenty of help, and taking your time. 

What You'll Need

• Steel floor joists
• Hydraulic jack
• Joist brackets
• Level
• Drill
• Bolts

Step 1 - Measure Joists for Length

Making sure you have the right size floor joists is the most important part of the installation. Steel floor joists are thick steel and are not easily cut without specialized equipment. Before ordering the steel floor joists make sure you take accurate measurements. It is highly recommended that you take several measurements along the floor area to ensure accurate lengths of the steel floor joists. 

Step 2 - Purchase Correct Steel Floor Joists

There are different grades to steel floor joists that give the amount of load they can handle. When ordering the floor joists, make sure that you purchase the joists that are strong enough for your home. 

Step 3 - Install Joist Brackets

In order for the steel floor joists to be installed properly, you will need to first install the joist brackets on the ledger boards. Hold the joist bracket up to the ledger boards and predrill the holes for the bolts. Drive in carriage bolts to secure the joist brackets to the ledger board. Continue to install the joist brackets beside each of the wooden joists. 

Step 4: Install First Steel Floor Joist

The steel floor joists are going to be heavy. In order to install them without any injury or damage to your home you will need to have some help carrying them in your home. Also, have some hydraulic jacks ready to lift the steel floor joists into position to negate the need to hold them for a long period of time. Line up the first steel floor joist with the joist brackets. Secure the joist to the bracket with the use of nuts and bolts. Tighten the bolts with a ratchet wrench. 

Step 5 - Remove Wood Joist

Once the steel floor joist is installed next to the wood joist, you can remove the old joist. Keep the hydraulic jacks under the steel joist for added support while the wood joist is removed. 

Step 6 - Continue Installing Steel Floor Joists

Following the same installation method, continue to install the individual steel joists. It is important to keep a hydraulic jack under each new joist while you complete the installation process. This will allow the home to settle on the steel joists without causing a lot of stress. 

Step 7 - Remove Jacks

To finish off the installation of the steel floor joists you will need to wait a few weeks. After 2 or 3 weeks have passed, remove the hydraulic jacks slowly to make sure that the house has settled upon the joists. Remove every other jack first, then go back and remove the rest. 

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Installing Floating Laminate Floor: How to Work Around Obstacles

A floating laminate floor looks very good in a room, and in most cases is quite easy to install. The problem comes when there are obstacles such as pipes or poles in the room. There are ways around this that are quite simple. It’s a matter of knowing the correct technique and putting it into practice. Do it each time and your floor will look perfect when you finish.

What You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Drill
• Saw
• Adhesive

Step 1 - Measuring

Begin by taking the tape measure and measuring the obstacle’s diameter, where it’s a post or pipes. In other instances you’ll need to measure it’s size if it come out from a wall. Having done this, measure the distance you’ll need to cut on the piece of floating laminate floor as you put it on the floor. This will tell you where you have to drill. Mark the laminate to show where you’ll need to drill and saw.

Step 2 - Pipes

If the obstacle is a pipe, or pair of pipes, you’ll need to dill out holes in the floating laminate floor where the pipes will sit. The hole needs to be 5/16 inch larger that the pipe.

Step 3 - Cutting

Having created the hole to accommodate the pipe, you need to be able to fit the floor. That means cutting so the flooring can fit around the pipe. If the hole you’ve drilled is close to the edge of the piece of flooring then you’ll need to make cuts on each side at an angle of 45 degrees, being careful to reach the hole at a place there you can fit it around the pipe.

If the hole you’ve drilled is in the middle of the flooring, the cuts need to be straight, that is 90 degrees. Again, be certain that the cuts you make will allow you to fit the flooring around the pipe. What you’re doing in both cases is creating two pieces of flooring to put properly around the pipe.

Step 4 - Larger Obstacles

Where you have bigger obstacles, such as pillars, you’ll need to cut on two pieces of flooring. After measuring, put the 2 pieces together to mark out how much you’ll need to cut. Again, allow and extra 5/16 inch around each obstacle for expansion. In this case you’ll be cutting, not drilling.

Step 5 - Fitting

To fit the pieces in place, begin by fitting the piece of floating laminate floor that butts up to the obstacle. Use the pull bar, then the rubber mallet and block to tap it firmly into place.

Now you’ll have a small piece of wood flooring to fit around the obstacle. To secure it in place, apply adhesive to the edges where it meets the rest of the flooring. Push completely into place by either using your hands or a pull bar. Allow to dry before putting in the next piece of flooring. If the obstacle is a door jamb, the best looking solution is to cut out a small section at the bottom of the jamb and put the flooring under it. 

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Restoring Victorian Period Tiles

The pictures below are from a Victorian tiled floor installed in a period house in the coastal town Eastbourne. The tiles had been covered lino and carpet for years which the owner had only recently removed during renovation work, as it turns out this was unfortunate as they then became covered in plaster and paint from the decorators. Although the floor did look to be in a very sorry state I was very confident that I could breathe new life into it given enough time so I allowed four days to complete the task.

Cleaning a Victorian Floor Tiles

Some type of adhesive had been used to stick down the Lino and Carpet so the first step was to remove all the stubborn glue build up which I did using Tile Doctor Remove and Go, then once the bad areas had been targeted I concentrated on the plaster and paint build up which I treated using a 3-1 mix of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean in warm water worked in with a buffing machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The soiled water was rinsed away using a wet vacuum so the floor could be checked to see if more work was required which it was so stubborn areas that had resisted the initial cleaning onslaught were spot cleaned by using a diluted mix of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is a very strong acidic product for removing grout and other mineral based substances from tiles. Before finishing the entire floor was given a thorough rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product, again a wet vacuum was used to remove the water and this time get the floor as dry as possible.

Sealing the Victorian Tiled Floor

The cleaning took place over two days and then the floor was given a further two days to allow it to dry fully after which I went back and sealed it with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is an ideal sealer for Victorian tiles as it combines stain protection whilst giving the floor a subtle sheen appearance.


Looking at the floor when the last coat went on it was hard to believe the state it was in when I first arrived. Incidentally the owner who had inherited the house told me that he had not seen the floor look that good when his parents were alive as he remembered it from his childhood. It always makes the job more worthwhile when you hear stories like that.






Source: Expert Victorian tile restoriation tips and information

Advantages to Treating Plywood Subfloor in High-Humidity Areas

A plywood subfloor supports the finished floor on the joists. In areas with high humidity, which will also be hot areas, treating the plywood subfloor will help it last longer.

Wood

Wood is a porous substance. In high humidity areas, moisture will enter the plywood subfloor. Over time, it will cause the plywood to come apart and disintegrate. That will mean tearing up the entire floor to replace the subfloor, a lengthy and expensive process.

Mold

Where there is high humidity, there can also be mildew. Once the moisture collects in the wood, it can easily turn to mold. By treating the plywood subfloor before it’s laid, you stop moisture from entering the plywood, so it will last much longer.

Treating a plywood subfloor is a step most people forget or ignore, but it’s an important one. An investment of an hour and a few dollars can save a great deal of work later and also save health, as mold can cause illness.

When to Treat

For the best protection, treat the plywood subfloor after cutting but before you put it down. This means the cut edges will be treated, too, preventing moisture from entering any part of the plywood. Allow time for the treating agent to dry in the wood before laying the subfloor.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com