We are getting ready to lay BR 111 5/16" engineered floor. A few months ago, my husband tried to quiet our squeaky floor by going under the house and placing shims under the floor joists. It did help to silence the problem. However, it seems as though the shims have raised our subfloor up over the joist areas - so it is not level.

We would take the shims out and try to screw the subfloor down, but he glued the shims in place so they are impossible to completely remove.

Do you have any recommendations for what we can do to get our subfloor even?

Santaga

Your post is not being ignored but the issue is... unusual.... and the information you've supplied is sketchy. I suspect the folks at this site can help... but there may be a feeling that regardless of what advice given... shims and other things may cause your new floor to fail or (at best) look rough.

Post an answer to the following questions and lets see if that gets you some helpful response.

1. What kind of house do you have and about how old is it?
2. What room are you re-flooring? (Bedroom, dining room, kitchen).
3. What’s under this room? (Crawl space, full basement, another room).
4. What are the dimensions of this room?
5. What’s holding the floor up? (Wood joists? how thick, how wide, average spacing on center, longest unsupported length).
6. What finish material is on this floor now? (Tile, lino, hardwood, nothing)
7. What material makes up the sub floor directly above the joists and how thick/wide is it?
8. Is there underlayment (additional sheathing) above the sub floor and (if so) what material, how thick and how wide?
9. What material was used for shims? (How long, thick, wide).
10. How did your spouse separate the flooring enough from the joists to glue and insert shims?
11. How many lumpy (raised) areas are in the floor and where are they?
12. What are average heights/depths/lengths of lumpy areas?

Santaga, ask your spouse to help post answers to these questions... and help the folks here help you.

Dave T

Before you read all my answers below, we have one question. Would it just be easier for us to float the floor, rather than gluing it down? And what are the advantages or disadvantages of doing that?

I am answering these questions as best I can since DH is at work, I will post more details later when I talk to him.

1. What kind of house do you have and about how old is it? Single story, Ranch style, built in 1962

2. What room are you re-flooring? (Bedroom, dining room, kitchen). living room, kitchen and step down family room

3. What’s under this room? (Crawl space, full basement, another room). Under kitchen & living room there is a crawl space. Family room is on slab

4. What are the dimensions of this room? Total area is about 700 square feet.

5. What’s holding the floor up? (Wood joists? how thick, how wide, average spacing on center, longest unsupported length). Wood joists, and I don't know the dimensions but can post that later today.


6. What finish material is on this floor now? (Tile, lino, hardwood, nothing)
Family room = nail down wood floors (old), Kitchen = nothing but plywood, we tore out the old linoleum, family room = old linoleum tiles under carpet.

7. What material makes up the sub floor directly above the joists and how thick/wide is it? It is plywood. Will post dimensions later.


8. Is there underlayment (additional sheathing) above the sub floor and (if so) what material, how thick and how wide? No, there was particle board under the vinyl in the kitchen but we tore that out.

9. What material was used for shims? (How long, thick, wide).
He bought them at the lumber store (wood), they came in a bag, about 1.5 inches wide, maybe 7 inches long, about 1/8"-1/4" thick - they tapered

10. How did your spouse separate the flooring enough from the joists to glue and insert shims?
He used a hammered to wedge them in.

11. How many lumpy (raised) areas are in the floor and where are they?
several all over, more details later

12. What are average heights/depths/lengths of lumpy areas?
The humps (as our remodeler calls them) are about 1/8" higher than the floor in between the joists. Can post more details later.

Santaga, ask your spouse to help post answers to these questions... and help the folks here help you.

Thanks!