Condo floors

[orb]

I'm looking at buying a condo built in 1972 and was curious about the floor structure underneath the wall-to-wall carpet. I was hoping some conclusions could be drawn about the floor structure from this info:

The brick building has two stories, 4 condos per story. The bottom condos are on a concrete slab. The second floor is reached via a very solid steel stairway onto a concrete landing. Once inside the condo, there is no vibration on the floor at all, even when jumping up and down. The outdoor deck off the living room is concrete.

Would it be reasonable to think that the second floor condos are on a concete slab like the landing and deck? The carpet is relitively new and I can't pull it back and, so far, have not found anyone yet who knows what's underneath. I hope to speak to the owner this weekend to get more facts but was hoping someone here could make an educated guess.

[Muff]

Try to hammer a nail through the carpet in the middle of the floor if it is concrete which it probably is you will know quickly. Muff

[<aemeijers]

If built in 72, doubt it is all-brick- most likely brick veneer over frame construction, in which case the upper floors are probably a thin layer of concrete over over wood, to meet fire break requirements. Even if it is an upscale building and actual brick construction, the upper floors are probably concrete over corrugated metal, using light I-beams or welded trusses as joists. Highly unlikely the upper floors are actual reinforced concrete slabs like an old building or modern parking ramp- that style of construction is way too heavy and expensive for non-industrial applications. The landing and deck are very likely precast slabs, flown into place via crane as the building was framed. If they were formed in place, you could likely see mold marks or woodgrain patterns on he bottoms of them. Can you thump the ceiling of one of the downstairs units with a broom handle, and figure out how thick it was by measuring up from the top of the front door on inside and outside? If second floor is a slab, 1st floor ceiling will either be rock-hard, or there will be a false ceiling to give mechanical space and sound deadening. If joist lines, nail pops, etc, are visible in first floor ceiling, it is likely conventional stick framing.

aem sends....

[Joseph Meehan]

Rather than worry about the type of construction, why not worry about the reason you are worried. I would guess you are worried about noise transmission. Try asking existing owners how they are doing.

[HeyBub]

Real Estate Licensing Exam:

172. Which does not belong on the following list:

A. Genital warts B. Herpes C. AIDS D. A Condominium E. Gonorrhea

Correct answer is "E" - you can get rid of Gonorrhea.

[orb]

That was spot on, aem. Thanks for that. I found out the building is indeed brick veneer and the floors are a "plywood/concrete composite".

Nice one.

Would you reckon that this concrete layer, in your experience, be suitable to polish/tint and use as a primary flooring surface (with rugs) in place of carpet?

[orb]

Hilarious! But this condo is all about location.

I needed that laugh though, Heybub. This is surely a stressfull process.

[<aemeijers]

ceiling, it is likely conventional stick framing.

Not in my experience, no- it is usually far from smooth, and has cracks at the doorways and often in the middle of the field. But if the existing carpet is shot and has to come up anyway, you may want to give it a look. A lot will depend on how good the original installation crew was, and how much the builiding has flexed or settled over the years, and how thick a layer of crete they put down. The apartment-building company I worked for back then was cheap scum, and always used the cheapest material and crews they could get away with, so a building built by a real builder may look better. Even if it does look good, you will have to add or lower the shoe mold to get rid of the crack, and spot-fill the ramset holes where the tack strip for the carpet was nailed down.

aem sends...

[Goedjn]

At which point, it probably worth comparing the price difference between getting the existing concrete the way you want it, and just pouring epoxy.