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Flooring Design Dilemma

Flooring uneven after main floor remodel

3 years ago

We had our entire main level remodeled approximately 2 years ago. We removed a pony wall and an interior wall (we originally had a formal dining area). We previously had tile in the kitchen and carpeting in the living room and office area. We replaced all flooring with engineered hardwood throughout the main level. There are dips throughout the kitchen and eating area. It varies from time to time, but right now seems to be getting worse. High points in the eating area near where the pony wall used to be located. Low points near the fridge, sink and new larger island. The sink area is near where our dining room wall was located. Any suggestions on how to remedy this situation without tearing everything up? Thanks for your help.

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Comments (3)

SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
"Any suggestions on how to remedy this situation," = Sure...remove everything and then add the proper subfloor and then lay everything back down.

The statement that follows is what mucks up the fix, "...without tearing everything up? Thanks for your help."

I'm sorry but the fix had to come before the floor was laid. If it gets 'better' then 'worse' it means you have seasonal (humidity) changes that are effecting wood products in the subfloor. To REDUCE the 'good' vs. 'bad' swings you must have whole home humidity control. You need to check your HVAC system to see how you can add humidity in the winter (the shrinkage time because the hot air dries out everything = shrinks and moves) and controls the humidity in the summer.

The other 'worse case scenario' is you have foundation problems. That really is the last place to look (or more to the point the FIRST place to look so you can 'rule it out' as the issue).

My guess is the subfloor preparation was LESS THAN required. GCs don't like to add subfloor costs to quotes because it can ad THOUSANDS of dollars onto the quote. These thousands could be the difference between them winning the bid or going another month without work.

Sadly, this prep is left off the quote which means it is left out of the renovation. I'm hoping that's all that it is. But to be safe, make sure your foundation isn't settling more than allowed. Once you have taken the 'big boy' off the list you can move onto the things that are 'doable' in your mind.

The HVAC upgrade is super doable. For a few thousand dollars you can get a system upgrade and a floor that does not change quite so much.
PRO
Designer Kitchen and Bath
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
You might want to invite in the structural engineer who designed the support plan for removing the wall. Maybe your contractor didn’t follow the plan fully, and your municipal inspector didn’t catch it.
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All the words in the world will not help us to understand the whole plan. You need an interior designer for sure and probably an architect if you are actually planning on moving the stairs . We need a to scale floor plan of the whole main floor showing every window doorways stairs and sizes of all the spaces clearly marked and most of all what your budget is. Also how many people usually live ther eand ages of the kids.BTW that stair railing is totally not to code. Removing walls is not always a good idea and can get very expensive if they are load bearing.
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PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
Hmmm... wall removal and uneven floors two years later. While I realize that correlation is not causation, that'd be where I'd start.

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