Floor preparation of bathroom

[merryremodeling]

We are in the process of remodeling our bath. It has been gutted. It is an old house and the floors have sloped and are uneven. There is plank flooring in the bathroom and bad spots have been replaced with plywood.

We have received conflicting information on how to prepare the floor for a covering. We have put felt paper down and were intending on pouring a floor leveler over it and then putting down luan and taping the seams and finally putting down the vinyl sheeting. It is the type that goes down with tape along the border.

After reading a bit on forums I've seen recommendations to put the lever down last and the flooring on top of it. Aside from the fact that the luan would be more exposed to possible water damage it if goes down last, does the order matter? Another concern is using this type of flooring with the tape. I've never tried it before. Will it stick to a leveler? I think it's Henry's leveler we picked up at Lowe's.

Any guidance with this would be greatly appreciated.
Laurie

[jimbo]

Check with Lowes or the manufacturer about installation of the vinyl. Floor leveling compound should not need to have luan put down on top. How do you get the luan to lay flat? Prep of the seams and edges would be critical, since the tiniest bump, crack, etc in the substrate telegraphs through sheet vinyl.

[jadnashua]

Driving nails or staples through the leveler might just delaminate it. Plus, how is the stuff supposed to stick to the floor if you have felt paper down first? FIrst thing to do is to screw any loose boards down to the joists...nothing more annoying than a squeaky floor. It is likely that where plywood has been substituted for planks, the tops won't be level.

How much height buildup can you stand? Do you want it to be flat, or flat and level?

One way would be to put down what amounts to a new subfloor - this might end up being the most satisfactory depending on how torn up the old floor is. To keep the height reasonable, you could cut out the old subflooring, address any leveling problems with the joists, then install the new subfloor. You'd have to install good blocking near the walls to hold up the edges.

If it is sound, but uneven, floor leveler can be used. If you can stand the height and want it level too, you could put down self-leveling concrete instead. This would require metal lath, and has to be at least 1/2" thick over the highest point to work properly on a wooden subfloor. You could put the vinal over that directly. If done right, the floor would be both flat and level. This is the most expensive method, but if done right is fast. You have to seal any openings and put a foam spacer around the perimeter and prime the floor, but then just mix the stuff up, pour it down, quickly spread it to the edges, then leave it alone. In 15-30 minutes it will be hard, and depending on the brand and type, you can walk on it and finish it off later that day.

[statjunk]

I would pull up the plank. Sister the joists if they look like what has cause the shifting in the floor and lay a new plywood subfloor down. I think this is the least painful and less pitfall ridden method to do this job.

Tom

[frenchie]

Ditto the new subfloor - sometimes it's easier to just start over, this sounds like one of them.