A Big Costly Risk

Yesterday we had Barry, our floor contractor come by and take a look at our progress. We want to be sure we have the floors ready for him to come and install efficiently, and us doing the grunt work saves money. Muscling the carpet and hammering out the tile, we were feeling good about our progress. That's when he dropped a bomb on us, an amateur move on our part.  Our existing subfloors are particle board, and should never be used as a base for any flooring material, whether it be carpet, tile, floating floor and especially solid wood.

This is when your stomach gets that sinking feeling. 

Everything he is saying makes sense, particle board is not a reliable substrate, it's basically a sponge, any substantial moisture and it will fall apart, compromising everything that sits directly on it. I did the research, there is a chance everything would be fine, and there are plenty of people who have done it, despite codes and recommendations. However, if Barry were to install the new hardwoods over the existing floor, he would need us to sign an agreement stating that he is not responsible for any potential buckling, shifts or swelling that may incur, negating any potential insurance coverage or liabilities that would come with his services. In addition, if this were to happen, there is a chance that everything would need to be pulled, and start over. A big costly risk.

We would need to pull all the layers to get down to the original 1/2" plywood, then add another layer of 1/2" plywood, which would create a foundation that the flooring nails could securely bite into.

My last post noted that we had two more layers of painfully splintering sub floor to remove in the kitchen, and now learning there is one more layer across the entire house is a blow to the budget and schedule.

What can you do, keep calm and get your ass to work.

Main subfloor is 1/2"plywood, then 2 subsequent layers of particle and a layer a composite for linoleum. 

After some research, I found a successful method for getting the job done. With good fortune, my friend Rachel was on her way to the hardware store this morning and asked if I needed anything. Since the kiddo is still in recovery from her epic cold, I am home bound, so I asked her to look for a tool Barry recommended for this new found job called a cat paw. This is what it looks like.

Photo Rachel sent me to choose from, I chose the blue 'bear paw' on the far left.

When you try to pry up particle board, it will come up in a million pieces, because the nails or screws holding them in, are much stronger than the board. This tool will help with prying up buried nails and comes in many forms, these in particular are called 'bear paw' and do the same job as 'cat paw'.

Next, we located the *skill saw[s] and set the blade depth equal to all 3 layers of subfloor that are in the kitchen, careful not to cut into the original plywood subfloor. With a few tests we found that with this many layers and the stubborn nails that came with them, cutting one foot sections made manageable pieces for us to crow bar up, using the 'bear/cat paw' when necessary.

I will not say it was a piece of cake, but it certainly made the job possible. Eventually, I suspect Rachel will break up with me, since I have turned our coffee dates into girls with power tools dates, but I have good evidence that she likes it. We completed the kitchen and I will keep trudging through the rest of the house using this method.

I am estimating that this is an extra 7 working days for us to complete on our own, and approximately $700 in materials.

*Side Note: When I went to look for our skill saw, I found not one, not two, but THREE skill saws. I lovingly accosted Atom through a text as to why it was necessary for a man who likes to work alone to have three skill saws.



Update: Atom's verbal answer: " Well, you came into this marriage with one, I had a cheap one, and I inherited a nice one that is in need of some rewiring, so don't use that one..... it will shock you."