Jim,
The normal method is to add what are called sleepers under the new
floor. Sleepers are treated 2x? material that sits on edge on the floor
with the top level and the bottom scribed to match the floor. How
accurately you scribe the sleepers depends on what the area is going to
be used for. Living area, they need to be close, while storage can be
pretty unlevel. The sleepers go down on either 16" or 2' increments,
depending on how thick the flooring is going to be and how much load you
intend. The trick is to set the floor based on the highest spot in the
floor, which with a bunch of "stuff" in there may be hard to find. You
don't need to clean out the whole space, but eh more you do clean, the
easier it will be to work. I'd recommend at least 6' along one of the
longest walls to start with. Start with a sleeper along the wall at the
correct height, then come out parallel to that one and add more until
you reach 4'. Cover with plywood, screwed and glued to all sleepers
leaving half of the 2x? at the free edge half exposed for the next row
of sheets. Move the next 4' of "Stuff" onto this new floor and repeat
for the next 4'. Start each row with alternating half or full sheets so
that the seams don't line up. Repeat as many times as necessary until
the "stuff is all on the new floor and the floor is completed. Since
this is a basement, I would recommend painting the cut edge of the
sleepers with whatever stuff the lumber is treated with, using tar paper
or at least heavy plastic on top of the old slab, use treated plywood
also, and seal the floor once it is down. It's a bunch of work, but it
needs to be a good job or you may be doing it again too soon.
I saw a really poor man's raised floor in a lumber yard, but I don't
think I would even try it. They had loads of left over pallets, so they
just put down pallets, sort of leveled them, then covered the whole
thing with plywood. Worked well enough for their use!
Peace,
Pat
Thusly spake Jim Franklin, On 12/6/2010 11:47 AM:
> I'm renovating a basement and need to put down a finish floor. The concrete is
> 90 years old and very uneven. Other than 1000 gallons of self-levelling goop,
> I'm at a loss as to how to accomplish this other than making a 2 sq ft grid
> and shimming each joint. 2 problems with this- I can't lose more than 3" of
> height, and the entire basement would need to be cleared to do this, and
> there's many cubic yards of stuff down there that has nowhere to go.
>
> thanks,
>
--
Pat Horne, Owner, Horne Systems
(512) 797-7501 Voice 5026 FM 2001
Pat@HorneSystemsTx.com Lockhart, TX 78644-4443
www.hornesystemstx.com
-- We support Habitat for Humanity - a hand UP, not a hand OUT --
_______________________________________________
Shop-talk@autox.team.net
Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
Suggested annual donation $12.96
Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
|