sunken living room - help!

We recently had new laminate floors put in our living room. It is a sunken living room (about 2 inches lower) and the carpet that we just took out extended up the wall two inches and then had a 2 inch simple baseboard above that...so, carpet floor, carpet up the wall for 2 inches, 2 inch baseboard, then painted wall.

We hired someone to do the floor because I knew our floor needed a lot of help with leveling (concrete work). We asked them to take care of the 2 inch space by putting up a 4 inch baseboard, but once they pulled the carpet up, there were a lot of problems that made it really difficult.

  1. Under the 'wall carpet' was just concrete
  2. Instead of uniform all around the room, on 2 walls, the concrete is recessed from the current 2 inch baseboard, and on 2 walls it is completely uneven...it goes from being recessed to having the concrete come out an inch past the current baseboard.
  3. All of the concrete is completely uneven and bumpy.

The company that did our floors said there was nothing they could do so they just left it. It looks terrible and the laminate edges are just hanging out against the wall with an inch gap between the laminate and the wall.

My husband thinks we should just try to match the color of the laminate and paint it so we can draw attention away from it. I feel like we need to make it better, but I have no idea how to fix it. I tried to just set the 4 inch baseboard up against the more uniform wall, but even that is super wavy....it lines up with the current baseboard but then is an inch below it by the end of the wall.

Not sure if all this makes sense but if anyone has any ideas or advice, we'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

Reply to
Courtney
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You need a trim carpenter. He needs to install a sufficiently high baseboard around the room.

To do so, he may or may not have to shim out the recessed areas. The area of concrete that projects from the wall could be cut off or he could put the baseboard on that; in the latter case, the base wouldn't meet the wall at the top so he could use a short thick piece at the top then a thin baseboard under that.

After the baseboard, you need a shoe molding to hide the gap between floor and baseboard.

Reply to
dadiOH

On Fri, 19 Jun 2015 06:57:00 -0400, "dadiOH" wrote in

snip

+1 on this soluton.
Reply to
CRNG

Agree. At least that's all that I can say without seeing pics of the actual problem. But it sounds like it can be covered up by a wide enough molding, followed by a shoe molding. If concrete sticks out more in some areas, it may be possible to remove material from the back of the molding so it will fit.

Reply to
trader_4

...

Basically agree w/ DadiOH; depending on how much of the excess concrete is there in the locations that have protrusions it may or may not be feasible to actually cut it back...if it's just an overflow of the forming it likely can be broken off, trimmed up, if it is the solid slab edge and the forming was that bad then with a finished wall and all it may be a lot of other work to be able to get to it sufficiently to do much and the question becomes one of just how much are you willing to invest to get a flat baseboard out of one run?

If that were the case, likely the solution is similar but just build out far enough with a backer to even up the run with a narrow piece against the smooth edge of the wall even with the existing baseboard and then do what needs must to fill below. If do that, may have sufficient depth that can dispense with the shoe mould.

Either way, as he says, it's doable and a finish carpenter is the kinda' person you're looking for; an average "handyman" is probably going to be in over his head to make it work out...

Reply to
dpb

Probably should have added, 2" sunken living room, what's up with that? Sounds like a trip hazard. All the sunken LRs that I've seen, have been a full step down.

Reply to
trader_4

But, what're you going to do about it now, anyway....it is what it is. If were going to fix/change that, they'd have just put in a false floor or pour it level to the rest but didn't.

Reply to
dpb

On 06/19/2015 7:37 AM, dpb wrote: ...

...

Here's a link to the general idea; this shows a solid flush base whereas in your case that'll be a bit of work to fill in--

(scroll down the page a ways to "Baseboards")

What I'm saying is that think of that 1x6 section shown being only the width need to cover the height down to the funky concrete section; then filler as needed in the shallow places to the floor as nailers and the facing "show" piece regular base in front. When done, it'll look as if it all were solid and nobody (excepting you and the fella' that does the work :) ) will know the difference...

Adapt styles, etc., to fit/match the rest of the house, of course.

Reply to
dpb

It's hard to judge without actually seeing it, but if some areas have to come out at least an inch it might work to get creative: Build out a box, like baseboard heating. That might then be useful to support shelving or otherwise be incorporated into the design. Maybe in some spots the base box could go up 6-8' and 2+' wide, to produce things like shadow boxes for paintings or shallow shelving for wine glasses, so that the whole thing becomes a satisfying design idea -- multi-planed walls.

In other words, it's better to work with the situation in the design than to try to "fudge away" the bad walls.

It's beyond me why anyone would tear up carpet to install a plastic floor, but I guess that's a matter of taste. I expect that, like avocado toilets, we'll all look back some day and say, "What were we thinking?" :)

Reply to
Mayayana

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Or, simpler perhaps than matching baseboard but not quite as drastic, go with wainscot faux panels that are easily shimmed to the needed thickness...Gary Streiger did an article in Fine Homebuilding a few years back...

Reply to
dpb

I agree. And, some photos would probably help -- maybe by using a free image upload site like:

formatting link

When the OP wrote that the 4-inch baseboard is okay in some areas, but and inch below the existing baseboard, it made me suspect that a wider baseboard is needed. It is possible to use 1"x6" pine as a baseboard (with top trim and shoe molding on the bottom), or look for other wider baseboard trim.

About the areas where the concrete wall sticks out a little too far -- chip it back or grind it back.

Good luck.

Reply to
TomR

| Or, simpler perhaps than matching baseboard but not quite as drastic, go | with wainscot faux panels that are easily shimmed to the needed | thickness...Gary Streiger did an article in Fine Homebuilding a few | years back... | | |

Wood is not much work, either. And HD sells cheap and very thin T&G wainscot strips. Personally I think the MDF/melamine panels are very chintzy looking.

I hadn't thought of the wainscot idea. Maybe I'm making wrong assumptions, but when I read about a concrete floor I pictured an ultramodern or Bauhaus type of place, with little or no trim.

Reply to
Mayayana

+2 it was great advice
Reply to
philo

| >> After the baseboard, you need a shoe molding to hide the gap between floor | >> and baseboard. | >> | > | > +1 on this soluton. | > | +2 it was great advice

Actually it's not such good advice, unless the shoe molding is going to be attached to the baseboard first. The laminate flooring needs room for expansion. It shouldn't be nailed through or glued to.

Reply to
Mayayana

On 06/19/2015 11:24 AM, Mayayana wrote: ...

I just figured typical a slab floor tract house...

Reply to
dpb

Courtney posted for all of us...

They should have leveled the floor before they started. This company has "probably" done similar jobs like this nearby. They should cut the baseboard to irregularities. You know the high spots will show wear marks faster... Bitch and complain.

Reply to
Tekkie®

Wow! Thank you for all the very helpful responses! So far, we have painted the concrete a color similar to the floor as a stopgap measure until we get it resolved. I have put in a request with the contractor and he is going to come out and try to find a solution. I like the idea of adding a larger baseboard and chipping away to make room for the crazy concrete.

I appreciate all the help!! Courtney

Reply to
Courtney

Thank you! I just wanted to say that we got laminate floor because the carpet was super disgusting...pee stains, allergens and stinky... We got really nice laminate the is super lovely! My allergies are so happy!! :)

Reply to
Courtney

Getting that contractor back who didn't want to do it, couldn't do it to begin with is a mistake. As someone told you in one of the first posts, you need a finish carpenter. Let them screw around and you're going to wind up with another incorrect job.

Reply to
trader_4

Yes, good point, thank you. My husband has the same thought. I just hate to pay another person when the first one should have done it. :( I appreciate the advice.

Reply to
cwheels77

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