Before we have new vinyl cushionfloor (or whatever it's called) laid down in the bathroom we've been advised to board over the floorboards to make a smoother, more even surface, but what should we use for this? Hardboard? Ply? MDF? And what thickness would you recommend?
Just done this with hardboard tacked in a few places to stop it flapping about.
Make sur you cut strategic access points for getting at light switches underneath etc. If you do this with a square edge and a good saw, they will butt up to each other and leave a join that wont show through the vinyl - which is the whole point of doing it in the first place.
3mm hardboard, you only need a flat surface for the cushionfloor, i.e. cover gaps between floorboards, "iron out" any minor changes in level. Anything more isn't worthwhile. Make sure the fittings are properly sealed in, and that the threshold strip is done well. Look to see what options are available for these.
Our bathroom is going to need similar treatment in the near future (it's brown, ffs, who decides to have a brown bathroom??!!). The floorboards are nowhere near level enough to take tiles which is what we'll want. I've read about the laying of another sheet of ply (or whatever) over the existing boards, but how does this affect the floor level when compared with the adjacent room, in this case the landing? Surely raising the floor by the >12mm plus the tiles is going to result in a significant step down into the next room? Currently there's carpet (brown!) and it's about level.
You will of course end up with quite a significant step if you put down
12mm plywood and then tiles on top of the existing floor. It really depends what the floor is made of. When I tiled my bathroom floor, which was 18mm chipboard and had previously got wet and had started disintegrating, I cut the whole lot out and replaced with 18mm WBP plywood. It involved quite a lot of forward planning so that the new
18mm ply was positioned correctly over joists etc and careful cutting so there were minimal gaps. I also had to bolt beams parallel to existing joists in order to support the new floor. (Quite a lot of hassle).
Floorboards might be easier to chop out and replace with ply, but I suppose it depends on the configuration of the joists. You don't want to end up with a few feet of unsupported floorboard in the next room as a result.
You will of course end up with quite a significant step if you put down
12mm plywood and then tiles on top of the existing floor. It really depends what the floor is made of. When I tiled my bathroom floor, which was 18mm chipboard and had previously got wet and had started disintegrating, I cut the whole lot out and replaced with 18mm WBP plywood. It involved quite a lot of forward planning so that the new
18mm ply was positioned correctly over joists etc and careful cutting so there were minimal gaps. I also had to bolt beams parallel to existing joists in order to support the new floor. (Quite a lot of hassle).
Floorboards might be easier to chop out and replace with ply, but I suppose it depends on the configuration of the joists. You don't want to end up with a few feet of unsupported floorboard in the next room as a result.
OK - sounds like removal of floorboards is called for. I haven't checked but I should be ok with the joists, they way the boards run across the house means a big proportion of the boards run straight to the stairs so are supported, or are v short, and another lot go under the shower cubicle, which can presumably stay in place. I will of course be checking this out more closely!
To reply to the other poster, we've no objection to well laid vinyl/cork etc but the boards really are in a bit of a mess due to the previous bodger, even vinyl will need ply laying which currently would I think still give us a step. Still - question answered, so thanks all.
Rubbish. I used 6mm ply over my floorboards, plus tiles on top. I used a floor tile edging strip across the door. Looks fine carpeted to the edge of this.
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