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kath
Junior Member
Joined: 11 Mar 2008
Posts: 28
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 Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:04 pm Post subject: FLOATING FLOOR PROBLEMS |
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Hi
When I moved into my flat, I discovered there was dry rot in the living room right by the kitchen door. This is a council flat but the surveyor had signed the flat as in A1 repair before I moved in. Of course, I wasn't going to pull up the previous tenant's carpets to examine the floors before moving in!
I reported the dry rot to the council and eventually after a fight they came in and instead of replacing the entire living room floor, they cut away the dry rot which was about 8ft x 5ft and replaced that part of the floating floor. When the plywood was nailed to the floor, we were told that someone else would come in and finish the end bit. The end bit was supposed to be the same as is through the rest of the flat, including the living room. It is some kind of cushioning which I would think comes on a roll. Instead of doing this, the man stapled some thinner plywood on top of what the previous workman had done he said to build it up. He then said that it was not possible to lay any of the cushioning on top as it would be built up too high.
The problem I now have is this ... when I or anyone else walks on this part of the floor, it creaks and it can be felt on the other side of the room. When it is walked on, it almost feels like it is rocking or moving with footsteps.
The surveyor said it would be fine and that if I had a good decent underlay and a good carpet it would sort the problem out. I just don't think that this sounds right. Surely even if I have a really expensive underlay and carpet fitted, it will feel fine to start but as the underlay and carpet settles, I would be back to square one with the creaking and the moving feeling? As I said, the floors in the flat are floating.
Thanks for any help
kath |
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marksson
Senior Member
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 436
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| Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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creaking floors will not change no matter how good your underlay is (might mask the sound a little).
I don't quite understand your situation, you mention a floating floor and then talk about nails?
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kath
Junior Member
Joined: 11 Mar 2008
Posts: 28
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| Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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Hi and thanks for your reply
Maybe I explained myself wrongly. It is a floating floor which had dry rot in a part of it. They didn't replace the whole living floor, just the part which was affected by the dry rot. The part of the floor affected by the dry rot was replaced with what looked like very thick plyboard. On top of that a very thin layer of ply was stapled on.
The rest of the floor has a cushion type covering over it but none was put onto the replacement from the dry rot. The man who tacked down the thin layer of ply said that if the cushion covering was put down on that part like the rest of the room, it would lay too proud so would be higher than the rest of the floor.
The problem is that every time anyone walks over this repaired area, it creaks, and almost feels like it is rocking in a way. Any furniture sitting nearby moves when this part is walked on.
We are trying to find out what we can do about this. We don't want the creaking and certainly don't want furniture to move when anyone walks on that repaired part of the floor.
kath |
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marksson
Senior Member
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 436
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| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 8:01 am Post subject: |
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So the ply is the floating floor? what is this laid on?
Creaking would normally occur when 2 layers of timber (flooring on joists) are not firmly fixed and therefore this allows movement and the creak is the 2 pieces of timber rubbing together.
So depending on what the thick ply is laid on it sounds like the thin ply is not fixed firmly.
This being the case I would get them back, should be a simple fix.
Regarding the movement did the ply have any twists or warps before it went down?
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kath
Junior Member
Joined: 11 Mar 2008
Posts: 28
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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Hi and thanks for your reply
Yes the thick ply is on the floating floor. There are the joists then what looks like thick polystyrene, then the thick ply and then the thin ply.
Over the rest of the floor and throughout the flat, there is a layer of some sort of cushion flooring (looks like some sort of cushion lino) but over the part that has been repaired, there is nothing except that layer of thin ply. There is nothing on top of this layer of thin ply.
We still have the carpet on the floor which the previous person left here and even through that, when anyone walks on the part of the floor which was repaired, there is creaking and that part of the floor looks like it is moving. By moving, I mean that furniture with ornaments on it moves when the repaired part of the floor is walked on. I have this computer unit close to the repaired part but when anyone walks across it, the monitor moves. This doesn't happen in any other part of the floor throughout the flat.
The ply didn't have any twists or warps before it went down. |
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Wood Magnet
Senior Member
Joined: 07 Feb 2006
Posts: 3550
Location: sunderland
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| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:14 am Post subject: |
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As it's a council property Kath, get the inspector back out and tell him you are'nt satisfied that the problem has been sorted. If the floor is moving like you say get an old vase/ornament and break it then show it to the inspector and say it got broken because the moving floor caused it to bounce/vibrate of your table/sideboard. 
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kath
Junior Member
Joined: 11 Mar 2008
Posts: 28
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| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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Hi wood magnet
You gave us a giggle. We never thought on doing the broken vase trick.
From what you have seen, do you think there is a problem?
The surveyor told us that if we buy a good thick underlay and a decent carpet, it would solve all our problems but we don't think it will. How would this stop the rocking as we call it and the creaking?
kath |
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thescruff
Senior Member
Joined: 10 Mar 2008
Posts: 5665
Location: Bath
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| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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Kath you know its not accecceptable and so do we.
Write them a letter and keep a copy to say that if anyone has an accident as the result of the dangerous floor you hold them responsible and will seek substantial compensation.
A letter or phone call to your MP can work wonders as well.
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kath
Junior Member
Joined: 11 Mar 2008
Posts: 28
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| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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Hi and I really am glad that you feel the same as I do in that it's just not acceptable.
Surveyor has said there's nothing wrong with it. Unfortunately, this council is legendary in that they refuse to carry out repairs. We have a neighbour whose letterbox is falling off the door but the council refuse to fix it.
Surveyor is going to say what he said before, that there's nothing wrong with it and to put down a good thick underlay and a good carpet. I am so sick of it all - I have had to pay for an electrician to come in and fix plug sockets which were hanging off the walls. Also I'm just about to get a plasterer in to skim the walls they are in such a bad state. The council just don't want to know.
I think the reason I posted in the forum was to make sure that I am right and that I am not just creating a problem when there isn't one - i.e., that a good underlay and a good carpet won't take the problem away.
Perhaps you are right and it's time to fight yet again.
kath |
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marksson
Senior Member
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 436
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| Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:52 am Post subject: |
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kath, from what you have described putting an underlay and carpet down isn't going to make what is obviously a problem with the general method of construction go away.
good luck, and always put it in writing to them, even if only confirmation of a conversation.
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Wood Magnet
Senior Member
Joined: 07 Feb 2006
Posts: 3550
Location: sunderland
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| Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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Give them hell Kath  and let us know how you get on.
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People forget how fast you did a job - but they remember how well you did it.
I no longer skinny dip, i chunky dunk these day's. |
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gday2uk
Junior Member
Joined: 11 May 2007
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:43 am Post subject: |
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| Dry rot also spreads at incredible speed through timber and brickwork and the whole area should have been treated and inspected before any new materials placed down. Chances are there is still some fungus left that will infect the new wood and it will happen all over again, or the other part of the floor will give way! |
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