Help quickly, please...hardwood being installed & problem

16 years ago

Hello, I hope someone here can give me some badly needed advice. The hardwood installers are here and have ripped out old linoleum and carpet and are starting the installation of hard wood. (It's in my kitchen and adjoining family room.) Now we have discovered that the floor joists run in different directions in the two adjoining rooms. They are telling me the hardwoods have to go one direction in the kitchen, and then the opposite direction in the family room. I asked if we could put a strip down to kind of break up the rooms, but they say I shouldn't do that. I think the two pieces of wood look odd butting up to each other in different directions without a transitional piece. However, I do want it to see like one, open lovely space -- without a raised strip for my kids to trip over. Any advice? TIA

Flustered in TN

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

bentley_pascoe
16 years ago
There are a couple of ways you can break this up, most of which depend on the skill of your installer. A recent post on my blog explains building a foyer like area to do just that in the entry way of a townhouse to prevent a hallway from having a bowling alley like feel.

Basically you build a picture frame like outside with 2-3 boards for a border, then fill the interior with a design of your choice. This is one of many techniques that can help with this type of transition.

Here is a like to my post about it so you can look at the drawings I built to demonstrate this concept.
http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2007/07/decorating_with_bruce_turlingt.html

Should you have any other question feel free to get in touch with me.

flooringexpert@ifloor.com

Here is a link that might be useful: Ask the Flooring Expert Blog
glennsfc
16 years ago
Yes, it is best to have each section run the proper way for each room...however, sometimes what I see in the field is flooring run the 'wrong' way and they're just fine. I think whether or not this works has something to do with the integrity of the floor structure to begin with and one that has reached 'equilibrium' and stays that way (in other words, the wood parts are not moving much during seasonal changes.

One way to solve the problem of opposing wood joisting is to install a layer of plywood on the diagonal (1/2" minimum underlayment grade) and fasten into the joists. The flooring is then installed over that...avoiding fastening into the joists.

I assume you're talking about a solid wood product.
Related Discussions
(Bill) Subway tile/ shower installation... problem after problem
Q
Comments (6)
Go to the owner and put a stop to this crap immediately. Sit down with him, explain everything you've just told me, and let him know that you're not going to accept "thrown together" work just because his installer and salesperson are having a pissing contest, and the installer is pressed for time. The tub REQUIRES either a vapor barrier behind, or waterproofing over, the backerboard. End of story, no questions asked. You will not give him another dime until it's so. You'll also not give him another dime until all work is completed to industry standards, and you've got someone on call with both a TCNA handbook and ASNI 108 and 118 to guide you on what is acceptable and what is not. Tile setter works on installing backer boards since we have no tile. He works maybe 5-6 hours a few days and the bathrooms are ready - minus the shower pans (2). Also, if he's NOT using a surface waterproofing, I'm curious how he's putting up the backerboard BEFORE the shower pan. He started the walls on Monday, starting around the tub from the top down. I would have thought he would start from the tub up? Doesn't matter. Personally, I also prefer to work from a level line down , because I can't count on existing surfaces to be level and plumb, so I'd rather go from a line I KNOW is level, and then cut in the abutting surfaces. However, no matter if you work from the bottom up, or the top down, you KNOW what your pieces are going to be before you start, and make sure you won't have any slivers. You adjust your level line to MAKE SURE you avoid it. As for the 6600.00 for the master bath tile, You'd have to have an incredibly big bathroom with all kinds of custom touches to it, or located in a penthouse across from Central Park West to justify that price to me. But you've agreed to it, so you have to honor it. That IS, however, just one more reason why they should be bowing to any request you make.
...See More
HELP! Problem with cabinet install
Q
Comments (9)
The screws have to go where the studs are - so the side to side location is determined by that - up and down there is some lee-way, but you want them to be firmly attached. Ours were also in plain view - and we hung our cabinets ourselves so we would not have done it that way if there was a different way that didn't require a different style of cabinets. I put the white plastic caps (look up FastCap) over them. I think Ikea has a mounting system where you mount a bracket and then hang the uppers off that - not sure how well it holds, and maybe you still need to screw them to the back wall.
...See More
Installed painted border: need advice quickly!
Q
Comments (33)
Since you have low-ish ceilings, I would compromise by painting above and below the border in the same color. Then I would take the border away from around the door and just repair that little bit of drywall. Having the border go around the door does date your room about 30 years, and pulls the ceiling down almost claustrophobically. A more updated color will show off your furniture to better advantage than the faux marble. In that perfect universe where time and money are no object (will we ever live there??), I would take down the border, repair the drywall, paint the walls and install crown molding, which would simultaneously update and make your ceilings look higher. I hate making suggestions that involve more work when you've obviously slaved over this border issue. The day we decided to wallpaper over a room that had just been newly papered the week before is still a dark moment in decorating history in our house!
...See More
Need help with the spacing of my wainscoting that's being installed...
Q
Comments (9)
@Skippack...The wife originally wanted more of a square at the top, but i, due to mathematical layout logistics, gravitated towards a rectangle (wider). So this was the compromise. @PPF...it drives me bonkers that the windows are not spaced evenly. But fixing that was not part of the plan or budget (the exterior around those windows is brick). Thinking this through??!!...i think i thought it through to much which is what put me into this mess! I can't tell you how many 3D CAD models and photoshops i did...well enough to confuse me! The wall you see when you walk into that room is the 3rd photo. That wall everything will be spaced perfectly equal. The caveat will be when you look in the corners and compare it to the walls next to it. That's when you'll see there's a slight difference in width. @Houssaon....i hope your right!!
...See More
jerry_t
16 years ago
You could install the finished floor on a diagonal also, or, if you have access from below blocking can be installed between the joist to allow for one direction.

As Glenn said, I too have seen it installed in one direction anyway without any problems.
glennsfc
16 years ago
Ooops, sorry...I see by rereading the OP post that the installers already started the job, so my comments about plywood on the diagonal is, well...for information purposes only.
boymom23
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you, everyone, for your advice. We're doing what the installer here suggested. I hope it's not too disruptive running in two different directions! Hopefully since it changes directions at the opening into my family room, it won't be too bad. I appreciate your tips -- I just had to act really quickly since they were already laying the floor. Thanks so much!

Help quickly, please...hardwood being installed & problem

Comments (5)

bentley_pascoe

glennsfc

Related Discussions

jerry_t

glennsfc

boymom23
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Help quickly, please...hardwood being installed & problem

Comments (5)

bentley_pascoe

glennsfc

Related Discussions

jerry_t

glennsfc

boymom23Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

boymom23
Original Author