As homes age and weather the seasons, things begin to sag and flex a bit, especially during seasonal change.
I have noticed something with the floor tile in one of my bathrooms that didn't hit me when the construction guys laid down the plywood sub-flooring in preparation for tiling. I do know though, if there is any movement in tile flooring, the grouting will slowly crack over time. Properly securing the base flooring will ensure that there will be little to no movement in the floor.
I now know this lesson first hand that it is extremely important to secure the layers of plywood flooring not only to each other, but also to the floor joists. To fasten the flooring to the floor joists, be sure to use construction adhesive and 3" screws. I have heard it is also wise to use construction adhesive between the two layers of plywood and to add additional rows of screws between the floor joists if the floor joists are at a fair spacing.
I have movement in my sub-flooring and my tile grout began to crack in no time. If I was still in good terms with my builder, I would have him come out to fix things up properly. However, it looks like I'll be ripping out my bathroom floor sometime in the coming year so I can get everything installed properly.
Published Monday, September 10, 2007 6:10 PM by dthomson
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